Tuesday, February 11, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
GAME FACE
Shelbyville Middle School 8th grade basketball player Mary O’Connor prepares for a play last night. The Bears lost to Triton Central. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Data Center Eying Tindall Property on City’s East Side
The Shelbyville Redevelopment Commission yesterday accepted a bid from a data center company to buy 138 acres near Tindall Drive, off East State Road 44, for $7.9 million. Attorney Jennifer Meltzer will now draft a purchase agreement. The deal hinges, however, on a due diligence process that could take 12 to 14 months.
Realtor Andrew Fansler, who represents the potential buyer, said utility infrastructure is often a challenge for these developments. Data centers use a lot of electricity and water, but new closed loop systems are helping reduce water usage, Shelby County Development Corporation Executive Director Brian Asher said.
The company plans to purchase all of the land, but is potentially open to selling off some of the frontage for retail. The center would likely employ under 100, but the positions would be high-paying, Asher said.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for the city and the county as a whole,” he said.
In response to questions from county officials, Meltzer provided an overview of the property’s history.
2018: Krone North America had an option to purchase land on both the south and north sides of East State Road 44 by Tindall Dr. for approximately $26,500 an acre.
After Krone opted not to develop the property, the Redevelopment Commission accepted the property back. “There was no money that transferred to Krone except to purchase the property back from them at the amount that was negotiated,” Meltzer said. The Commission also purchased adjacent land from First Presbyterian Church. The total outlay was approximately $4 million, split between the city and the county.
Greenleaf then purchased 42 acres for $1.3 million with an option to purchase 10 additional acres. “Greenleaf entered into what is called a divestiture agreement, where, if they did not build or come within 10 years and continue to operate for 10 years, the city and the county were able to send divestiture,” Meltzer said. That meant Greenleaf would pay the city and county $2 million or simply transfer the land back. Greenleaf did not respond to the divestiture notice. Company counsel confirmed they were not going to send the $2 million, and the deadlines passed.
The RDC then filed a quiet title action. Greenleaf did not answer, and RDC took back over the land.
All expenses on the land have been split between the city (RDC) and the county. Proceeds from farming have also been split. The approved purchase agreement from last night would be split once due diligence is completed.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
A vehicle hit another vehicle on W. Franklin Street. The drivers had previously been involved in a domestic dispute. One driver claimed the incident was intentional. The other driver said she was trying to turn into an alley to avoid the collision when the crash occurred. Criminal charges were filed on the driver who struck the other vehicle.
Shelby County Commissioners approved the vacation of two Brookfield alleys, platted as Center Street and Vine Street and are not maintained by the county, near CR 800 N and 850 W. The petitioner, Tracey Gillespie, owns land on both sides of the alleys, and she and her husband intend to use the area for their horses to graze.
Commissioners approved replacing a culvert on CR 350 W, near CR 200 N. The road has seen increased traffic in recent years, county officials said.
Commissioners also approved pass-through funding from state and federal sources for Shelby Senior Services’ ShelbyGo public transportation service. The county-wide service, which operates on a schedule from those who call in advance, made approximately 10,000 runs last year, Easter Beyer, director of transportation, said.
HOOSIER NEWS: Nationwide, since 1992, 80% of all the net job growth has gone to people with bachelor’s degrees or higher. However, Indiana has only six counties with educational attainment above the national average, and we send less than half of each age cohort to college. That has affected the job market. For every factory job Indiana’s lost since the start of the Great Recession, we’ve created 14.4 new jobs in other sectors. That sounds good, but nationwide, the number is 24.3 new jobs created for every lost factory job. (Dr. Michael Hicks, IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: TouchTones operates digital jukebox systems in 65,000 bars, restaurants and venues. Last year, the company rolled out a new app that allows people to throw a song on the playlist from anywhere. This has naturally led to some particularly clever trolling during college football season, where fans of rival schools covertly rout their team’s fight songs onto opposing teams’ home jukeboxes from the safety of hundreds of miles away. The app itself has loads of fans, with a song going for two credits. Just $7 gets users 12 credits and $5 allows them the option to jump the line and get to the top of the queue. (The Wall Street Journal/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
March 17, 2006, Part II
The SHS handbook specified that no cell phones were allowed, and students should ask to use the telephone only in a case of emergency. But teachers were continually writing students up for using their phones in class. Junior Chad Kepley said it was time to just allow students to use phones. “All banning them does is give students another way to get in trouble,” he said. Latin teacher Mrs. Kris Schwickrath disagreed. “There is no reason to use it in school.” There were rumors that the school was going to invest in a cell phone blocker, which Mr. Chris Lux supported. “It should have an on/off switch,” he said. Principal Zobel said phones should remain in lockers. Zobel noted that he had a school-issued phone he used to communicate with other administrators during the day. “I use my personal phone after school hours,” he said.
Highlights from “15 Minutes of Fame”: Stephenny Logan said her favorite school lunch was spaghetti. Cale Smith said his favorite lunch was the pizza pocket. Jordan Achenbach also went with spaghetti. Adam Isaacs went with turkey and noodles. Adam’s favorite band was Sine Wave, of which senior Todd Smith was a member.
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 by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: The Strand Theatre, recently re-opened, closed temporarily for upgrades, including installation of a fire suppression system. A uniformed fireman had been attending movie events to provide a “fire watch”. “I wondered why he was always there, standing halfway down the aisle, holding a fire extinguisher,” one frequent patron told reporter Judy Sprengelmeyer.
Two offers were made to buy the former Wellman Thermal Systems plant, but a court decision would not be made until late February. Wellman was the successor to General Electric Company’s Industrial Heating Department. The local defunct facility owed $1.9 million in back taxes and penalties to the city. There were also environmental issues with the land.
1995: A Shoney’s customer was mugged in the restaurant parking lot on Lee Blvd. Employees gave a description of the man, and police were reviewing evidence.
Shelby Senior Services officials announced the organization would move to new facilities in the Carl McNeely Civic Center. The organization was located at 120 W. Washington St.
1985: Shelby County Commissioners rejected Indianapolis officials’ request to consider building a regional landfill here. Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut had announced there would be no new landfills in Marion County, but that they might use financial incentives to get a nearby county to build one for Marion County’s use.
1975: A small group of local men were operating a thriving flying club whose members were using the club’s two aircraft for cross-country travel. The club, Voyager Four, had been incorporated in 1971 by Steve Soller, Ivan Soloman, Scott Leonard and Bill Brown. Board members in 1975 included Brown, Soller, Leonard, Stan Olson, Gregg Steele, John Cord, Paul Mohr, Ron Mohr, Gary Hughes, Walt Siefert, Bob Cover and Jim Abel.
Dick Dovidas, manager of Shelbyville Hook’s Drug Store, received the Hook’s Golden Key Award from the chain’s leadership. Dovidas as well as Gene Burns and Margaret Haehl, the store’s assistant managers, received an extra week’s vacation.
1965: Burglars entered Loper Elementary, with $35 in soda and chocolate milk stolen. Principal Vaughn Drake’s office was ransacked, and a change bag stolen.
1955: Stray dogs in Shelby County, unpoliced since the start of the year, drew the attention of the circuit court grand jury. The six-man group recommended county commissioners consider appointing a county dog catcher. There had been numerous complaints of stray dogs.
1945: Russell Hilligoss, 51, local business man, died. He had been ill for over a year. Hilligoss had been in the retail coal business throughout his career, having entered the firm of Hilligoss & Son founded in 1893 by his father, Lauren Hilligoss. Since the death of his father in 1920, Russell had operated the firm alone. He was an SHS graduate and had served in World War I.
1935: Women at Lewis Creek Baptist Church, headed by Mrs. Elmer Lemasters, served the annual ham and egg dinner of the Shelby County Coon Hunters Association.
Roy Dillow, 5, died of whooping cough. His family lived southwest of Shelbyville.
1925: Plans were announced for construction of the St. Paul Canning Factory. The incorporators were Clio Mobley, Edward Crippen and Frank Bass. The factory would be located on the old Major farm on the edge of St. Paul, since purchased by Mobley. The company would focus on canning corn and pumpkin.
1915: A horse belonging to Dillard Collins, of Maple St., crashed into a large plate glass window in the Wolf Dry Goods Store after being nipped on the leg by a dog. The horse ran wild on Public Square until being halted.
Frank Rembusch, owner of the Alhambra Theatre, spoke at the statehouse to oppose a censorship bill. Rembusch said an additional censorship measure was unnecessary since a National Board of Censors already viewed and approved all films before they were passed on to local distributors.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Margaret L. Jacobs, 82, of Shelbyville, passed away Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at Greenwood Healthcare. Born March 11, 1942 in Fairland, she was the daughter of Ezra & Ruth (Medsker) Armstrong. She married James Jacobs on August 25, 1961, and he preceded her in 2016. Survivors include a son, Ronnie Jacobs (Robin) of Shelbyville; a daughter Susan Frazier (Ward) of Shelbyville; son-in-law Greg Crouch of Shelbyville; a brother, Kenneth Armstrong (Brenda) of Whiteland; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Janet Armstrong of Indianapolis; brother-in-law Larry Jacobs (Linda) of Tennessee; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her spouse, daughter Diana, sons Bryan and David, brothers Charles and Ralph Armstrong, sister Ruby Jean, and granddaughters Amber Griffith and Christina Griffith.
Margaret was a home maker and a member of First Baptist Church in Freetown, Ind. She had worked for several years driving the Shelby Senior van. She was a pet lover, she loved to read, and doted on her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at Fairland Cemetery, with Kenneth Armstrong officiating. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to First Baptist Church, 6787 Main Street, Freetown, Ind., 47235. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Barbara Gayle Willard, 90, of Shelbyville, passed away on Monday, February 10, 2025, at her home. She was born January 1, 1935, in Shelbyville, the daughter of Harold and Lola (Buell) Ewick. On March 28, 1953, she married her husband of 71 years, James E. Willard, and he survives. In addition to James, Barbara is survived by her daughters, Carol Fowler and husband, James, of Shelbyville, Sandra Smith of Shelbyville, Terri Miller and husband, Bill, of Indianapolis, and Connie Turner of Shelbyville; son, Bruce Willard and wife, Alicia, of Shelbyville; brothers, Richard Ewick and husband, Dan, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Harold Ewick Jr. and wife, Marsha, of Brownsburg; sisters, Dianna Bond of Shelbyville, and Jami Chew and husband, Mark, of Crawfordsville; grandchildren, Sally Fowler Perkins, Brian Fowler, Jamey Smith, Johnny Smith, Jason Smith, Gayle Lyster, Leslie Miller, Greg Turner, Jess Willard, Jeana Craft and Jacob Gahimer; 24 great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brother, Carl “Sonny” Ewick; and son-in-law, John Smith.
In 1953, Barbara graduated from Shelbyville High School. She was a very active member of the West Street United Methodist Church, where she participated in the women’s groups. Barbara was formerly a bookkeeper for the City of Shelbyville Sewage Utility Office and the Shelby County Welfare Department, retiring in 1978, to travel with James for his job.
She enjoyed helping people and volunteered her time by taking cancer victims to their treatments, as well as, helping feed the homeless. Barbara was a Girl Scout leader from 1960 to 1963. She was a member of the Red Hat Society, and a 34-year member of the Fernandina Beach Women’s Club, where she was President of the Greater Florida District Women’s Club. She also enjoyed shark tooth hunting, working crossword, jigsaw and sudoku puzzles. Barbara loved life and cherish creating wonderful memories with her family and friends. She also loved to go to Disney and enjoyed frequenting it, when people came to visit her and James in Florida.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, February 13, 2025, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow at noon, Thursday, with Pastor Steve Brackney officiating. Interment will be at Fountaintown Cemetery in Fountaintown. Memorial contributions may be made to the West Street United Methodist Church, 629 S. West St., Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Barbara’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Richard Lee Carter, 91, of Shelbyville, went to be with the Lord on Monday, February 10, 2025, at his home. He was born on December 7, 1933 in Greenwood, the son of the late Paul and Bessie (Goodman) Carter. On January 16, 1959, he married his wife of 66 years, Martha Ellen (Thompson) Carter, and she survives.
In 1952, Richard graduated from Edinburgh High School. He was a U.S. Navy veteran. Richard attended the First United Methodist Church in Shelbyville. He retired in 1989 from Naval Avionics, where he was an electronic technician.
Richard and Martha spent many happy years roller skating, ballroom dancing and traveling. They also had an antique shop in St. Augustine, Florida, where they lived from 1991 to 2007.
As per his wishes, there will be no visitation and the funeral will be private.
Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 34 West Washington St., Shelbyville, Indiana 46176 or Shelbyville-Shelby County Animal Shelter, 705 Hale Road, Shelbyville, Indiana, 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Richard’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.