Tuesday, July 22, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
BACK TO SCHOOL
Parents and guardians attend Shelbyville Central Schools registration yesterday at Shelbyville Middle School. Online registration is now open, and the event reopens today, 12 to 7 p.m., for families who need assistance with the enrollment and registration process. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
City Partners with Nonprofit to Provide Affordable Homeownership
Houses under construction at 623 Montgomery St. (left) and 117 North Hamilton (right) in Shelbyville are part of a new partnership with Intend Indiana. | photos by ANNA TUNGATE
Shelbyville is taking a step toward increasing affordable homeownership through a partnership with Intend Indiana, a nonprofit focused on creating generational wealth through housing. Four new homes are currently under construction across the city, with more planned in the coming months.
Intend Indiana uses philanthropic donations, HUD dollars and support from local foundations to reduce construction costs and provide low-interest mortgages to qualified low- and moderate-income buyers. The homes are sold below market value and paired with financial education to help families succeed as homeowners.
“They’re not just building homes; they’re creating opportunity,” Adam Rude, Shelbyville Planning Director, said. “They make sure families don’t just qualify for a mortgage; they’re truly ready. And the mortgage itself is affordable, thanks to their designation as a community development financial institution.”
Intend requires all prospective buyers to complete a “Homeownership 101” course that covers budgeting, credit, and long-term planning. Some families complete the training multiple times, building credit and savings over several years before qualifying for a home.
“People in lower socioeconomic brackets often don’t have the tools they need simply because they were never given them,” said Jenna Martin, the city’s Director of Public Relations. “This program changes that. It doesn’t just hand someone a house, it equips them to keep it.”
The initiative is supported locally by the Blue River Community Foundation, which offered a low-interest bridge loan to help Intend acquire lots while awaiting federal reimbursements. It was the foundation’s first foray into “impact investing,” using its portfolio to fuel local development rather than Wall Street.
The City of Shelbyville also donated several vacant lots to jump-start the project. “These were properties we were maintaining with no tax revenue coming in,” Rude explained. “Now they’re being transformed into attractive, owner-occupied homes, and that helps the whole neighborhood.”
Intend is also working to include local builders and suppliers, hosting meetings with the Shelby County Builders Association and seeking vendors for labor and materials. The long-term vision is to continue expanding the program throughout the city - and potentially countywide - as funds allow.
“This is a great example of how government, nonprofits and philanthropy can work together to take care of our neighbors,” Martin said. “It’s not a giveaway. It’s a real investment in people.”
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
Shelby County Commissioners yesterday approved a $1-per-year lease agreement with Moral Township for a specialized rescue truck. The vehicle, previously used by the township, includes equipment such as a cascade air system, generator, light tower, and drone deployment capabilities. It will be used by the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency to support countywide fire and emergency incidents. The lease allows for modifications, includes a 90-day return clause, and may lead to future purchase.
County Commissioners also approved a $7,000 in-kind services donation to support a grant application by the Shelby County Soil and Water Conservation District. The in-kind donations include providing a steering committee member, GIS mapping assistance, promotion of education and outreach events and providing legal drain maps. The move raises the County Council’s earlier commitment of $5,000. The funding will contribute to a broader effort to secure an Implementation Grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management aimed at improving water quality in the Sugar Creek Watershed.
A juvenile riding a bicycle was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Colescott and S. West streets last Friday afternoon. The child sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital for evaluation. The driver was uninjured, and no damage was reported to the vehicle.
A vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree on County Road 100 North after the driver attempted to move over for an oncoming mail carrier. The driver reported mechanical issues with the transmission, which prevented the vehicle from reentering the roadway. No injuries were reported.
HOOSIER NEWS: A new economic analysis determined that the new Arena at Innovation Mile in Noblesville is expected to help generate more than $2 billion in new spending, 540 jobs, and $26.2 million in local tax revenue over a 30-year period for the planned high-tech business, commercial and residential district. The 199-page Market and Financial Feasibility Study by Hunden Partners found that the 3,400-seat arena itself would operate at a deficit after four years of profit, largely because of reduced rent payments by its main tenant, the Noblesville Boom, the Indiana Pacers G League Basketball Team. But the report projected the district would generate $26.2 million in hotel taxes, food and beverage taxes, income taxes and property taxes, over 30 years. It would create 341 direct jobs, 132 indirect jobs and 67 induced jobs created by the spending of the other new employees. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: Auction sales of paintings that cost over $10 million fell 44 percent last year and are still down this year, according to data from ArtTactic. This is a bit odd, given that the stock market is doing great — generally a solid bellwether for how the richest of the rich are doing. However, with a down market for high-end art, the two trends that had been moving in relative lockstep appear to be disentangling. One reason may be that the art market got really hot for a moment: the value of art sold at auction for more than $10 million increased by 700 percent from 2009 to 2022. It is a sharp increase that was not seen for works priced below $50,000, which only experienced a 12 percent increase over the same period. One reason for the lull? Many of the biggest buyers could finance their hobby with cheap loans, but with interest rates where they are, those loans don’t make as much sense as they did a little while ago. (Wall Street Journal/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
May 1, 1931, Part I
Courier staff members were scheduled to accompany Shelbyville Republican reporters around town. “Instead of getting the news from the teachers and coaches around the school, these budding young journalists will follow the regular beats of the staff reporters to get news of the happenings of the day. This means they will have to go to the hospital, undertaker headquarters, police court, mayor’s office, courthouse, confectioneries, pool rooms, barber shops and soda fountains, in search of one stray thing - news.”
Teachers’ contracts were signed for the following year for Principal W.F. Loper, Assistant Principal J.W.O. Breck, Athletic Director H.T. McCullough, and teachers John Densford, Naomi Haworth, Ada Marie Barnes, Charles Knaub, J.M. McKeand, Cecil Puckett, Martin Schulz, J.O. Trible and Charles Sims.
Local teachers and parents organized a conference on Child Health and Protection, to be hosted at City Hall. An Indiana University professor spoke on “The Most Important Person: the Parent.”
Coach H.T. McCullough announced the birth of his daughter. “Her name is Gertrude, but we’ll call her Trudie,” he said. Students called her “Little Mackie.”
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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: Walgreens announced plans to build a new store at the corner of Amos Road and East State Road 44, pending the city of Shelbyville annexing the property. INDOT had already announced plans to widen the road in 2007.
1995: After 42 rabbit supporters called or wrote to Mayor Bob Williams, the mayor suggested an amendment that would allow residents to house up to four rabbits, the same limit for dogs and cats. A 1969 city ordinance had banned people from having rabbits within the city limits.
1985: Four members of the Shelbyville Hardee’s Bambino World Series host team helped the ever-popular Cowboy Bob promote the Series on segments of the Cowboy Bob television show. The players were Jim Bakes, Jason Gorrell, Jason Kieninger and Jared Lux. Manager Ken Berger and Coach Howard Berger also participated.
1975: Community leaders discussed a potential “new” hospital plan for Shelbyville, reviving a shelved proposal from 1970 that would include modern facilities and a more accessible location. Concerns were raised about the existing hospital’s limitations, including space, structure and parking. While no official decisions were made, the conversation marked renewed momentum toward upgrading local healthcare infrastructure.
1965: Ground-breaking ceremonies were held and construction began on an educational unit adjoining the Fairland Baptist Church.
1955: A new wooden railing was constructed over the slide area at the southeast corner of the approach to the overpass over the New York Central tracks on the Amos Pike near the airport. A gravel truck had recently slid off the road and down the embankment. Though the railing was brand new, it was quickly broken in two places by collisions.
1945: Ration officials announced soap would no longer be rationed.
1935: Bill Morgan and Jimmy Ellis, both 14, passed the American Red Cross swimmers’ test at Porter Pool. In other pool news, the businessmen’s morning hour at the pool attracted a large crowd. The businessmen swam from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
1925: New cars were debuted on the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Traction Company. The cars were designed in hues of blue. Drivers were in “full uniform,” The Republican said. Operating on a new schedule, the cars left here starting at 5:30 a.m. and continued every hour or hour-and-a-half until 8:30 p.m.
1915: Harry Williams, of Shelbyville, was charged with dynamiting fish in Driftwood. He was fined $250 plus $15 in costs.
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OBITUARIES
None today.