Tuesday, January 2, 2024

City Survey Gathers Traffic, Pedestrian Safety Issues

The city planning office is emphasizing the “comprehensive” part of a to-be-developed Shelbyville Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. While engineers are reviewing a decade of local traffic accident reports, city planning director Adam Rude said local feedback plays an important, scientific role.

“The data only tells one side of the story,” Rude said.

Given that people sometimes avoid dangerous intersections, and pedestrians’ views are not included in traffic reports, a committee is encouraging Shelbyville residents to complete the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan survey.

“This qualitative data will help fill the gaps,” Rude said.

Action already started with a booth at the recent Mistletoe Market. Passersby were encouraged to place pins on maps and complete paper surveys to identify community safety needs.

“It was interactive, and we had a lot of kids, which you don’t normally get (to complete a survey),” Rude said.

City Councilwoman Betsy Means Davis, who is also a teacher, often notices students attempting to cross Miller Ave. at St. Joseph St. and walking down parts of McKay Road where no sidewalk exists, among other areas that need review.

“A lot of kids like to walk and go back and forth for practices,” she said. “I think it’s important to get kids’ input because they’re often the ones out walking.”

The input isn’t just wishful thinking. The City was recently awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation grant to develop the action plan through the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program. The plan will look comprehensively at developing policy and design recommendations to address vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle safety issues, program materials state. American Structurepoint engineers are working with the city to develop the plan, which will then be used as a base to request federal funding for changes.

The survey has already generated useful information and will remain open this month, according to committee members.

“Sometimes people don’t know how to get involved,” Means Davis said. “This is one way the public can give meaningful feedback.”

Click here to access the survey.

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This Day in Shelby County History

2014: Six inches of snow fell in Shelbyville by noon, with more predicted. County Highway Superintendent Kem Anderson reported 16 trucks were out covering the more than 800 miles of county roads. The city had six trucks out, starting at 3:30 a.m.

2004: Millie & Larry’s Fish Fry held its grand opening at 204 W. Main St., Fairland. Hours were Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

1994: Joan Pile retired after 28 years as secretary and treasurer at Southwestern High School and the corporation. She had been the school’s first secretary when she started in 1965 working for then-Principal Robert Wade. She later moved to the administration office. Pile said the most drastic change was the amount of paperwork the department of education was requiring by the 1990s.

1984: Shelby County REMC reported electricity usage had hit an all-time high during the sub-zero Christmas weather, surpassing a record set Jan. 10, 1982. Temperatures had dipped to 14 degrees below zero in Shelby County.

1974: County Commissioners announced that an agreement had been signed with Caldwell Landfill allowing county citizens to dump waste and trash at the landfill site at no cost to them. The county would pay by the ton.

Tippecanoe Press officials announced plans to renovate the retail quarters of its office on S. Harrison St. and expand the adjacent printing production plant. New franchised lines were Hallmark cards, gifts and stationery and Olivetti electronic calculators. The firm employed 50 people.

1964: Christiana Sue Tucker, daughter of Ardis and Carolyn Sue Tucker, 108 East South Street, had been the first Shelby County baby born in 1964. Dr. James Tower was the attending physician.

Buster Giden, owner of Giden’s Snack Shop at 720 S. Pike St., reported that someone had busted through the rear door and stolen six soft drinks and $3 in change.

Ex-mayor Elmer McNay, who had been replaced by Mayor Ralph VanNatta, shoveled the snow on the City Hall steps at 6 a.m. VanNatta later thanked McNay and paid tribute to his 20 years of “wonderful service” to the city.

1954: David Sharp, 731 Indiana Ave., was admitted to Major Hospital for treatment of an eye injury. Hospital officials said the boy had been accidentally shot in the left eye with a B-B gun.

1944: The G.C. Murphy store offered a sale on tire chains for as low as 29 cents.

Mary Cunningham suffered burns on her face and hands while putting a Christmas tree in the furnace of her home, 630 West Franklin St. Her hair had caught fire from the blazing tree.

1934: License plate numbers had become the source of contention. Some residents were demanding lower license plate numbers. Also, “many local men are asking for plates with numbers corresponding to their telephone numbers,” the paper said.

A Waldron physician filed for divorce, accusing his wife of insulting his patients over the telephone. She also accused him of being intimate with other women and said the doctor’s male associates were immoral, the physician said. The couple had been married 18 years, and the doctor said he had only remained in the marriage for the sake of their daughter, who was 20 years old. “Occasionally, he declares, he slept in his office for a week at a time in order to have peace,” The Republican said.

1924: The Republican reported that Shelbyville High School athletes were adhering to the rules, despite reports from area coaches that their players were “having troubles of their own in keeping members of their squads in line and in training,” the paper said. “Some of the boys want to get out to dances and ice cream parties with the girls.” The paper named New Castle and Muncie as locations with the most problems. Shelbyville boys, the paper said, “have the spirit and the will to control themselves.”

1914: Negotiations were pending for the purchase of the Rapp grocery store on North Harrison Street by the Wagner brothers, Horace and Arthur. Rapp had become involved in the “moving picture” business in Shelbyville, and was unable to handle both businesses. The Wagner brothers’ father was the owner of the Model grocery on East Washington Street.

A New Year’s fight had occurred just past midnight at the corner of Harrison and Broadway, police reported. The fight involved several young men and an actor who had been working at Walker’s Airdome. The young men were said to have insulted a young woman who was with the actor. “The insults were resented by the actor, but the local boys outnumbered him and knocked him out after a short fight,” the report said. The actor was taken to this room at Hotel Ray, where he recovered. No arrests were made.

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:

Call yourself Nostrodamus. As sure as the earth marked another trip around the sun, you predicted The Addison Times would return. I can’t help myself; I enjoy covering the community, and the interactions.

Thank you for your patience as I tested formats. In a change from the past, The Addison Times will remain free for our 3,100-plus-and-growing subscriber list. This ensures critical local government and schools coverage and history and features reach a broad audience. Given the starts and stops, I’m sheepish reappearing, but am committed to continuing daily coverage in 2024.

Of course - and again, sheepish to discuss it - there are basic business expenses. P.K. USA kindly sent $200 to kickstart the effort. I am hopeful our long-time (patient) local news supporters will again return. Although any amount is appreciated, donors of $5 a month (or $60 one-time) will receive a quarterly print Addison Times magazine with exclusive coverage as a “thank you” for your generosity. (The cost to produce and mail each high- quality magazine is approximately $24 per year, leaving $36 for the cause.) The first-ever Addison Times magazine will review Mayor DeBaun’s terms of service, look at the longest-serving Board of Works team in city history (DeBaun, David Finkel and Bob Williams), cover Mayor Furgeson’s first days in office, publish exclusive photos of the 1972 Shelby County Sesquicentennial celebration and more. The first edition will be mailed to supporters’ homes late this month.

If expenses are met, I will use additional funds as a scholarship toward my continuing education. I am in the final courses (pre-dissertation) of a doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction at New Mexico State University and two education certification programs at Ball State. All of these inform my teaching practices in my role with Shelbyville Central Schools.

Again, thank you for your long-time support. If you are willing and able, please click here to be a supporting member, or checks can be sent to The Addison Times, 2356 Steeple Chase, Shelbyville, IN, 46176.

With appreciation,

Kristiaan Rawlings, editor

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OBITUARIES

Robert (Robbie) Edward Elliott Jr., 70, of Shelbyville, Indiana passed away on December 31, 2023 at his residence after a lengthy battle with Parkinsons disease.

Robbie was born on January 9, 1953 to Robert Elliott Sr. and Beverly Elliott in Shelbyville, Indiana, where he lived his entire life. Upon graduation from Shelbyville High School in 1971, he worked in the family business for several years until he joined the Shelbyville Indiana Fire Department on December 30, 1987, and served until his retirement on January 30, 2009. It was his service to the fire department that gave Robbie and all of us a sense of pride in his willingness to serve in that capacity. Robbie loved his fellow colleagues, as they did him, and he was truly dedicated to his responsibilities of the cause.

Robbie lived a very admirable simple lifestyle, and was always quick to use his dry sense of humor to brighten up the day. He loved sports and outdoor activities, and was very active during his entire life. He truly will be missed by all who knew him.

Robbie is survived by his parents and three sisters, Pamela Tucker (Dan) of Shelbyville, Theresa Harlan (Joe) of Scottsdale AZ, and Deborah Elliott of Shelbyville.

Visitation will be from 11 am to 1 pm, Thursday, January 4, 2024, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m., Thursday, at the funeral home. Interment will be at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Shelbyville. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to the “Tunnels to Towers Foundation”, 2361 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10306. Online condolences may be shared with Robbie’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.