Saturday, April 30, 2022
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Pickleball Courts Coming to Fairland Park
MC Excavating of Fountaintown continues work to bring two pickleball courts, a shuffleboard court and a paved parking area to the Fairland Community Park for public use. Completion is projected for this spring. | photo by Jeb Bass
by LuAnn Mason
Fairland will soon have two pickleball courts and a shuffleboard court open to everyone. Construction is well underway with competition anticipated for this spring.
The idea to make additions to the community’s park was brought up during a town meeting about a year ago.
Plans continued to develop with residents volunteering their assistance to find funding and whatever else could be needed to make that vision of expanding the park happen.
Members of Fairland’s Beta Sigma Phi chapter of Lambda Chi Sorority, spearheaded by its secretary Lynn Bass, led the efforts to form additional opportunities for physical activities in the park that is boarded by Edgerton, Commercial and Jackson streets. The 1.5-acre park is behind the Fairland Volunteer Fire Station on land where the former Fairland School stood decades ago.
Grant money is funding the creation of one pickleball court, along with the other additions. The Town of Fairland will fund the second court. A proposal for future upgrades includes a sidewalk and lighting.
Linda Simmons, Lambda Chi’s treasurer, wrote funding requests on behalf of the sorority for park improvements. During this past year, the sorority was awarded a $25,000 Racino grant and $11,000 from the Northwestern Hometown Community Fund held at the Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF), totaling $36,000, according to information provided in an email from Jordan England, BRCF grants and non-profit relations director.
This is not the first time sorority members took the lead to bring improvements to the Town of Fairland to benefit its residents. In the early 2000s, “our dream was to build a park in a town where children played in the streets,” according to written minutes from a sorority meeting. Members held fundraising events and sought grants and donations from local businesses. Their efforts brought in $17,814, said Bass.
Sorority members also held two 5K walks and the Town of Fairland matched the earnings, which brought in an additional $21,086, she said. Operation Round-Up (an organization set up by Rush-Shelby Energy to assist area needs) provided $6,946.
The meeting minutes state: “After many hours and lots of support, close to $90,000 was raised to fund the park.” Included in that total was a $5,000 donation from the Fairland Christian Church, said Bass. England verified that BRCF also helped to fund the park’s playground and basketball courts in 2018 with the help of the Town of Fairland and Lambda Chi sorority.
“I’ll tell you what’s nice,” said Bass. “It’s sitting here where we live and seeing kids playing on the playground and parents sitting on the benches and that there are big games on the basketball court.”
Crew members from MC Excavating of Fountaintown are making the new courts and an area for additional parking. Mike Bowman, the company owner and project manager, is coordinating the site work that will measure 80-by-72 feet when completed, as shown on the project blueprints. Each pickleball court measures 20x44 feet.
Fencing will enclose the courts and people wanting to use them will have a phone number to call to receive a code number for access. That code number will constantly change. There will be no fees for use. Details will be announced at a later date.
Considered the fastest growing sport in the country by USA Pickleball Association, pickleball, while seemingly all the rage right now, is by no means a new sport.
Joel Pritchard, congressman from Washington State, and Bill Bell, a successful businessman, came up with the idea in 1965, according to history written on usapickleball.org, at Pritchard’s Washington home one day after they had finished playing golf and intended to play badminton in Pritchard’s yard. When they were unable to find badminton equipment, they improvised and used ping- pong paddles and a plastic ball full of holes.
The Pickleball Association governs the sport of pickleball in the U.S. providing players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and promotional materials.
This racket/paddle sport combines items from various other racket sports – solid paddles similar to those used in table tennis; a perforated plastic ball like a wiffle ball; a net similar to tennis, and a court similar to a badminton court.
Ribbon Cutting Held at Waldron Rehab
A ribbon cutting was held at the newly renovated Memory Care Unit at Waldron Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, 505 N. Main St., Waldron, on Thursday. The unit, called The Garden at Waldron, includes 18 rooms and is dedicated to the Kuhn family, original owners of the facility, which opened in 1966. A plaque commemorating the Kuhn family’s involvement was presented by company officials, including executive director Nicole Clapp, a Waldron native, yesterday. The Garden, owned by Castle Healthcare, serves patients with the likes of Alzheimer’s and dementia. The facility is certified, making it eligible for Medicaid patients, officials said. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
NOTEBOOK:
The intersection of Poe Street and La Belle Avenue will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3, next week for water main repair. The closure will be from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.
Fox 59 provided additional details on the recent arrest of a homeless man breaking into Shelbyville business establishments. The article is here.
HOOSIER NEWS: Just two months after Indiana lawmakers passed a law that would allow electric utilities to build small, prefabricated nuclear reactors, Purdue University and Duke Energy Corp. jointly announced Wednesday they plan to explore the feasibility of using the technology to help power the campus. The move might be unprecedented for a college campus anywhere in the United States, the two institutions said. It would also represent a major shift for Indiana, which has never used nuclear power, and has long relied on coal—and more recently natural gas and renewables—to power the state’s factories, shops and houses. Purdue, based in West Lafayette, is home to a nuclear engineering program and university officials said they were qualified to evaluate what it called a “giant leap” toward a carbon-free energy future. “No other option holds as much potential to provide reliable, adequate electric power with zero carbon emissions,” Purdue President Mitch Daniels said in written remarks. “…We see enough promise in these new technologies to undertake an exploration of their practicality, and few places are better positioned to do it.” (Indianapolis Business Journal)
MORE HOOSIER NEWS: Under construction now, the intersection of U.S. 31 and Thompson Road on Indianapolis’ south side will be the city’s first 'displaced left.' It’ll also be a first for the state, Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Mallory Duncan said. The intersection, now a meeting of a 6-lane highway and 5-lane major road with just one sidewalk, will also get new sidewalks and improved pedestrian crossings when the estimated $5 million INDOT project is complete in early October. In a displaced left, also called 'continuous flow,' drivers cross over the opposite traffic stream hundreds of feet before the intersection, to prepare for their eventual left turn. Then those cars make the left turn at the same time as the rest of the through traffic. All of these movements, including the upstream cross-over, are controlled by traffic signals. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: Fast food can be saltier in the United States than it is in other countries. A McDonald’s four-piece McNugget has 330 milligrams of salt in the United States compared to 152 mg in the U.K., a Burger King kids hamburger has 60 mg more salt in the U.S. than the U.K., and Subway’s meatball marinara sandwich has 1080 mg of salt in the U.S. and just 680 mg in the U.K. For decades, health groups have wanted the FDA to get serious about cutting sodium. (Politico)
This Week in Shelby County" works by George L. Stubbs Sr. are owned by the Shelby County Historical Society (Grover Center) and used with permission.
THIS DAY IN SHELBY COUNTY HISTORY
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
20 YEARS AGO: 2002
A man who got his vehicle stuck in a ditch along County Road 850 W likely wasn’t grateful a deputy prosecutor stopped to help. When Deputy Prosecutor David Riggins - who was also fire chief for the Moral Township Volunteer Fire Department - noticed a vehicle in the ditch, he stopped to see if anyone needed help. The man in the vehicle smelled of alcohol and had glassy eyes and slow speech. The driver attempted to greet Deputy Louie Koch and James Thurman when they arrived, but the driver stumbled and fell into the ditch. The man eventually admitted he had been drinking. He was arrested on charges of illegal consumption of alcohol and possession of paraphernalia.
The Shelbyville Plan Commission recommended to the Common Council that South North Street be annexed to the city so that the residents in the neighborhood could hook up to the city sewer.
30 YEARS AGO: 1992
The Ranochack Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. building, 401 E. Hendricks St., burned down. Ed Ranochack had owned the building since 1970. Ranochack had been in the process of selling the building and equipment to Larry Drake of Drake Electric. The sale was put on hold.
The Morristown Chamber of Commerce honored automobile dealer Joe Padgett with its Citizen of the Year award. The banquet was held at the Blue Bird Restaurant. A few years before, Padgett presented the award to John Thomas, who in turn presented Padgett the citizen of the year award. Sports announcer Chuck Marlowe was the speaker. Marlowe, who hosted “The Bob Knight Show,” shared golf and fishing stories about Knight. “(Knight) is the only guy I know that will go fishing and stare down the fish and challenge them to get in the boat for seven hours,” Marlowe said.
40 YEARS AGO: 1982
The Optimist Club honored law enforcement officials at a breakfast at the Chicken and Steak Inn. Gary Henderson stood in for “K.C.”, the police dog who won an award. Chuck Fewell was named State Police officer of the year and Mike Herndon was Sheriff Department’s officer of the year.
50 YEARS AGO: 1972
A passenger was injured in an accident at Harrison and E. Franklin St. as a driverless car backed across the intersection. Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Parr and Fannie Ellington were passengers in a car which stopped on Franklin near Harrison. Mr. Parr, 79, the driver, got out and walked around to open the door for Ellington. Beulah Parr was riding in the middle of the front seat. But Parr had left the auto in gear with the engine running. After Ellington got out, the car began to move backward. Beulah reached over with her foot for the brake but hit the accelerator instead. The car went backward, dragging Ellington with the open right door. She sustained abrasions and contusions.
60 YEARS AGO: 1962
Five local Boy Scouts received Eagle Scout awards in Indianapolis. They were Stephen Jenner, Christopher Rehme, Gregory Thieman, Dan McCabe and James Helbing.
A farewell party was given for Ricky Adams, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lowell Adams of the Marion Road. The family was moving to Illinois. The party was held at the house of Jerry Moore’s parents on Knightstown Road. Guests included Melina Fox, Jann Beck, Charles Coots, John Gaines, Dale Walton, Lee Kremer, Bob Pittman, David Blaich, Earl Hook, Michael Warble, Dwight Overman and Tommy Collins.
70 YEARS AGO: 1952
The Sigler Jewelry Store, one of Shelbyville’s oldest business landmarks, held a grand opening in the firm’s remodeled quarters at 16 S. Harrison St. The store was previously located at 103 S. Harrison St. The firm was founded by John Sigler in 1916. Dale Hood handled jewelry and watch repairs.
A “gold plate” dinner, priced at $50, was held at the Elks Club to raise funds for the local Cancer Control drive. The dinner was arranged by Nate Kaufman. The organizing committee included Edward Benchick, Herbert Connor, John C. DePrez, Kenneth Graham, Bradley Hall, Russell Gross, Henry Joseph, Major T. Jester and Chester Sandman.
80 YEARS AGO: 1942
Employees of Ed Shook paid for an ad in The Republican promoting Shook’s candidacy for re-election for mayor. Employees Vernard Kremer, E.E. Shepherd, Bernard Kremer and Durward Myer said Shook’s wholesale business had started from scratch and had reached $175,000 in annual sales after 14 years in business. “Our route men are paid salaries in excess of $2,000 per year. Every employee has a 10-day vacation with pay each year and no one loses time for illness or for death in the family,” the ad read.
90 YEARS AGO: 1932
Bruce Haehl, manager of the service department of the Sunlit Garage, caught a 13-inch bass in the Flat Rock River. The Republican newspaper said Haehl was “recovering this afternoon from a severe shock” following the great catch.
The Morrison-DePrez store offered ice cream specials of Butterscotch Pecan French ice cream and Fruit Salad French ice cream.
100 YEARS AGO: 1922
Wi-Hub hosted a “Charles Major Evening” at the home of Dr. and Mrs. H.C. Sexton on E. Mechanic St. Place cards were in the form of a booklet containing a sketch of the life of Major and a synopsis of his book, “Forest Hearth.” Mrs. Major was a guest at the dinner, and an original manuscript was inspected. (Mr. Major had died in 1913.)
INCIDENTS
Thefts were reported in the 100 block of Fountain Lake Dr. S. and 500 block of Saraina Road, Shelbyville.
Residential entry was reported in the 300 block of S. West St., Shelbyville.
JAIL BOOK-INS: Cody J. Carpenter, possession of meth; Shirley L. Hobson, failure to appear; Devan L. Jones, possession of meth, parole hold; David E. Wallace, resisting law enforcement, HTV; Gino P. Rosati Moreno, theft; Emily G. Harding, resisting law enforcement, battery on public safety
OBITUARIES
Pearl Gellizeau, 89, of Margate, Florida, passed away Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at Margate Health Care.cVisitation will be Wednesday, May 4, 2022, from 4 pm to 8 pm, at Murphy-Parks Funeral Service, 703 S. Harrison Street, Shelbyville, IN. 46176. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 1pm, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 125 E. Broadway, Shelbyville, IN. 46176. cOnline condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.