Thursday, January 26, 2023
24 Hours in Addison Township: 6:02 a.m.
YMCA Wellness Coordinator Brad Bishop takes a lap with member Scott Gumberts, who is in the midst of a workout, in this photo taken last fall. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
County Plan Commissioners Reject Two Proposed Developments, Approve One Petition
The Shelby County Plan Commission met for nearly three hours on Tuesday evening, denying two petitions following lengthy discussions and approving one. The meeting concluded with member Kevin Carson calling for both re-doing the comprehensive plan and a moratorium on certain types of development in northern Shelby County.
The Plan Commission unanimously denied a petition to rezone approximately 18 acres from Conservation Agricultural to High Intensity Industrial in the 8100 block of N 850 W, Fairland, near the unincorporated town of Brookfield, to allow for construction of a tractor-trailer repair and trucking center. The site is south of I-74, about a mile-and-a-half from the interstate ramp.
Don Fisher, with Carmel-based Insight Engineering, which represented the property owners, said the 2019 Comprehensive Plan supported development of the area for Indianapolis-based Waves Transportation, Inc.
“As you know, there’s extensive development happening with very large distribution centers north of here and recent development that’s underway for Sunbeam that extends about 1,000 feet of this property to the north,” Fisher said. He added that with landscape buffers and setbacks, the development would be “a step down from more intensive use” that could be on the property.
But the county planning staff, which recommended denial of the request, had noted in its report the property, unlike the developments near Pleasant View closer to the interstate, is adjacent to existing residential areas. The staff also said the Comprehensive Plan designates nearby property for suburban residential development, which would be discouraged by a trucking center.
Lisa Wojihoski-Schaler, who spoke for nearly 20 minutes on behalf of the Northwest Shelby County Concerned Citizens Coalition in her first of two presentations, was one of several area residents, including one from the Marion County side, expressing a variety of concerns with the request. (Following her speech, Plan Commission President Terry Smith joked that the meeting needed to conclude by 4 a.m., “before the snow starts.”)
David Riggins, who serves as Superior Court II judge, brought concerns from the perspective of a neighbor to the project and member of the Moral Township Volunteer Fire Department. He asked if this property was the only spot for trucks that are “limping down the road.” He also noted a lack of services to the area. “One day, maybe we have sewers and water, and maybe by then we’ll have regulations in place. But tonight, you have to decide, is this the best thing for Shelby County? Is this what’s best for our neighborhood?”
Despite a request from Fisher for a continuance in light of questions he felt might best be answered by the landowner, the commission decided to deny the request and the petition.
BELOW: The sketch layout of a trucking center was submitted by the petitioner to the county but was rebuffed by the plan commission.
The Commission then denied a request to rezone 7 acres in the 9000 block of North Frontage Road, Fairland, from Conservation Agricultural to High Intensity Industrial to allow for a truck parking facility. The proposed 76-spot semi-tractor truck parking area along I-74 would have been adjacent to Blue Star Redi Mix and two residences.
Attorney Eric Glasco, representing petitioner Jugaad, LLC based in Carmel, explained the facility was a place for trucks to be parked when drivers return to their residences for the evening, not a truck stop. “It would serve the industrial park by adding additional parking for the trucks that are going to be utilizing that industrial park,” Glasco said.
Several residents again spoke against the development. Randy Tucker, who lives nearby on 130 acres, said he had turned down a $4 million offer from a “land grabber” to sell his land, which has been in the family for over a century. He was opposed to the project. “I don’t want to be sitting in my backyard, drinking a beer and having to listen to trucks run and smell the smoke and crap that comes out of these trucks,” he said.
The commission denied the petition, 7-1, with Mike McCain voting in favor.
In other business, the Commission unanimously approved a request to rezone 15 & 17 Hale Road and 1016 West Hendricks Street, Shelbyville, to Multiple-Family Residential and Highway Commercial, respectively, to allow for the construction of two duplexes and the expansion of an adjacent commercial property. Steven Apple, who owns the four vacant Mapleton Subdivision lots, tore down an existing home and plans to return to the Plan Commission next month for approval regarding revised lot lines. Any new residential units constructed on the lots must connect to the nearby city sanitary sewer, county Health Department officials said. Below is a diagram of the lots with the former home included. Hale Road is to the right.
At the conclusion of the plan commission meeting, board member Kevin Carson said the on-going commercial development in the northern part of the county was “not what we had in mind.” He recalled that Harley Davidson was supposed to come to the area, requiring zoning changes. “The thought was that all the other businesses which were located in this area would be ancillary businesses to support such a grand venture that we believed was going to promote and provide many good-paying jobs for local citizens,” he said. Instead, Carson said “consequences have occurred that I believe most of us hadn’t contemplated.” He called for working on a new comprehensive plan and considering a moratorium on “future box warehouses in Shelby County beyond the scope of what we know is already in progress.”
In other business, the board re-appointed officers Terry Smith as president; Kevin Carson, vice president; and Scott Gabbard as secretary, and retained Jason Clark as attorney. Other members of the board not previously mentioned include Megan Hart, Charity Mohr, Taylor Sumerford, Jason Abel and Nick Hartman.
BREAKING THE ICE
A few children took to the Morrison Park hill yesterday to enjoy the “snow day” off school despite the lack of significant snow accumulation. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Central Schools board met last night to approve the resignation of board member John DePrez IV, who will now serve as board attorney, and interview six candidates to fill the Marion Township district slot. The candidates are Dr. Kate Garringer, Kelby Graham, Amy Limpus, Barb Marshall, Kimberly McKenney and Becky Newman. SCS Board President Curt Johnson lauded the candidates’ qualifications and interview performances. “I feel so fortunate. It is a very high caliber of candidate that we’ve been meeting with,” Johnson told fellow board members as interviews concluded. “It’s sort of an embarrassment of wealth.” Board member David Finkel agreed. “We’re going to have a tough job here,” he said. The board will hold a formal vote on the matter next Wednesday.
The following couples applied for marriage licenses at the Shelby County Clerk’s office last week: Jimmy D. Conway, 57, and Barbara L. Stevens, 52; Erbie L. Flitcraft, 23, and Jennifer L. Chaney, 30; and Joel W. Justice, 20, and Kayla B. Magazzeni, 19.
The Shelby County Post covered Republican mayoral candidate Brad Ridgeway’s Town Hall meeting this week. See the article here.
The Church Women United of Shelby County will hold their first Fifth Monday Coffee of the year, Jan. 30, 9 a.m., at Denny's Restaurant. Attendees may order off the menu. There will be no speaker, however, there will be a discussion of upcoming programs. Church women from all Shelby County are encouraged to attend.
HOOSIER NEWS: Ahead of a winter storm making its way to Central Indiana, the National Weather Service in Indianapolis brought the heat Tuesday. After getting pushback on its Facebook page for making some of its posts in English and Spanish – it noted Spanish, spoken in about 300,000 Hoosier households, is the second most spoken language in the state – the account vowed to boot those with racist responses. Many supported the move. Detractors were still vocal, though. “Well since you don’t believe English is the United States language then I guess I’ll unfollow this page,” Bill Benedict announced in response. The weather service office’s retort: “Go right ahead Bill! Adios amigo.” (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: Some traffic cameras in New York City have a new gadget on them, sound meters capable of identifying the cars and motorcycles that have been customized to remove the muffler systems from them to make incredibly loud noises. At least 71 drivers have been hit with tickets regarding noise violations during the pilot program, and the Department of Environmental Protection plans to expand the implementation. Vehicle owners face fines of $800 for a first offense and then up to $2,625 if they ignore the third-offense hearing. (Associated Press/Numlock)
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: 2003
Corporate officials announced a new 10-screen movie theater in the old Kroger store, 1624 E. State Road 44, would be opening in June. The theater would have all digital sound, stadium seating and loveseat theater chairs.
30 YEARS AGO: 1993
Shelbyville’s Girls Inc. would have a temporary home at the old Shelbyville Junior High School at 945 S. Tompkins St., parks director Linda Sanders announced. The Girls Club had previously been in the basement of the civic center on East Washington. Girls Inc. Campaign Chairwoman Rose McNeely said the girls club would stay at the old junior high until a new facility was built. Plans had been proposed for a girls club building in Morrison Park near the Self Shelbyville Boys Club. The proposed plan included adding to the boys club, getting rid of a baseball diamond at Morrison Park and acquiring property at the old athletic fields on Meridian Street.
40 YEARS AGO: 1983
More than 100 Shelbyville High School senior class English and French students went to the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s special student matinee performance of “Tartuffe” in Indianapolis. The French comedy was written in 1664 by Moliere.
50 YEARS AGO: 1973
The Roller Palace of Shelbyville, 940 W. Washington St., offered free admission in a special promotion. Skate rental was 50 cents.
Ames, located on East State Road 44, started opening on Sundays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
60 YEARS AGO: 1963
Tom Robins of Robins TV and Appliances was the guest speaker at the local Rotary Club meeting. He gave a speech on color television. Robins said that two percent of the TV receivers in the hands of the public were color. There would be 600,000 color sets built in 1963 compared to six million black and white sets, he said.
A car driven by Mrs. Monty Lou Colson, 319 Walker St., skidded on icy E. Broadway and crashed into the caboose of a NYC freight train. Colson, her daughter, Kimberly, 3, and Miss Diana Marks, 15, passengers in the car, were unhurt. The caboose steps were knocked off. In other police news, boys throwing snowballs were blamed for an accident on East 421. When snowballs hit the vehicle driven by Billy Richard Hargrove, he stopped suddenly, causing Harold E. Hickman to crash into him.
70 YEARS AGO: 1953
After 96 out of 320 students at Addison Township school were out due to the flu, school closed at noon.
80 YEARS AGO: 1943
Local newspaper offices started closing at noon “for the duration.” Fourteen employees of the newspaper had gone into the armed services, creating a shortage of trained help. A special letter box was installed at the front door for those wishing to drop off advertising copy or news items.
90 YEARS AGO: 1933
A young Fairland woman who apparently had an attack of amnesia was held by Cincinnati police until her identity could be determined. The woman at first identified herself as the daughter of another Fairland resident, who reported that was not accurate. After some time, she remembered her name, and she was returned here on the train. Upon her return, Sheriff Elisha Crosby said the woman would likely need “institutional treatment.” The sheriff said the woman had “brooded for two years about a letter which asked a man to destroy the farm buildings and cattle of her cousin,” a resident of Sugar Creek township.
100 YEARS AGO: 1923
Local boys had been pranking car drivers by darting out in front of vehicles on the street, causing the driver to “clamp down his brakes in short order,” the paper said. “Another prank of the youths, it is stated, is to run from the street directly towards the passing automobiles, dart behind the car, let out a yell and then fall to the street. The driver, attracted by the cries of the youth and his companion, looks out, sees the boy on the street, and, his head being turned, his machine heads for the curb.”
INCIDENTS
A driver hit a stop sign while turning left from South Miller Ave. onto West McKay Road.
JAIL BOOK-INS: Parker D. Allman, 19, possession of controlled substance, paraphernalia, marijuana; April R. Robinson, 46, theft.
OBITUARIES
Franklin Brian Griggs, 54, of St. Paul, passed away Monday January 23, 2023 at his residence. He was born May 18, 1968 in Shelbyville, IN. to Frank D. Griggs and Ollie (Burton) Griggs.
Brian graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1986. He was employed at Brazeway as a factory worker and McDonalds as a cook. He was a Christian. Brian loved to go roller skating, he love to cook and watch the Colts play.
He married Norma Jean Griggs and she survives. Brian is survived by his brother, Shane (wife, Jessica) Griggs of Shelbyville; niece, Ella Griggs, and nephew, Eli Griggs. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Theresa Griggs, and his parents.
A Celebration of Life will be at a later date. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, Stuart Parks, and Darin Schutt are honored to serve Brian’s family. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
Sylvia Faye Rouse, 85, of Shelbyville, passed away Monday, January 23, 2023 at MHP Medical Center. Born February 17, 1937 in Russell Springs, KY, she was the daughter of Chester Eads and Lucretia (Stephens) Eads. She married Norman Rouse in 1955 and was married for 63 years before he passed in 2018.
Survivors include one son, Steven Rouse of Northern Indiana; brother, Glen Eads (Imelda) of Russell Springs, three sisters, Mildred Lawson of Russell Springs, Ilene Foley of Indianapolis and Charlene Foley (Eddy) of Russell Springs. She was preceded in death by her parents, spouse, three brothers, Russell Eads, David Eads and an infant brother.
Mrs. Rouse had lived in this area since 1950 after moving from Kentucky. She was a factory worker for KCL Corp for several years and also a cafeteria worker at Shelbyville High School. Faye graduated from Russell Springs High School and attended First Christian Church. Faye was an avid bowler.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m., Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Pastor Beth Crouch officiating. No public viewing will be observed. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. A simple way to honor Faye would be to wear something blue, which was her favorite color. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the American Diabetes Association, in care of the funeral home.Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.