Weekend & Council Beat
Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson commended the Parks Department for an outstanding Halloween Fun at the Park event, and the volunteer group who oversaw Saturday’s Trunk-or-Treat on Public Square, which drew an estimated 4,000 attendees. Councilwoman Kassy Wilson and State Rep. Jenny Meltzer estimated $15,000 to $20,000 worth of candy (paid for by sponsors) “went through the Square,” and the foot traffic was beneficial to downtown businesses. Meltzer and Wilson, along with Brooke Caldwell, Stephanie Carroll, Ashley Deaton, Aleigha Simerly, and Whitney Thomas, then members of the Coulston Elementary PTO, started the event six years ago and continue to oversee its success. “You guys just did outstanding work,” Mayor Scott Furgeson said. “It makes the city look good.”
The Shelbyville Common Council last night approved on first reading a voluntary annexation request from Caesars regarding property east of the Indianapolis Horseshoe racetrack and casino. A community center for track residents that includes an event space, worship area, chaplain offices and meeting rooms will be constructed on the property, company representative Chris Duke told the Council. The matter now goes to the Plan Commission.
The council also approved on first reading a rezone for petitioner St. Joseph Catholic Church that unifies properties the church has purchased in the 300 block of E. Hendricks St. as they plan to reconfigure the site and expand church and school facilities. Eventually, the plan is for the city to vacate the 300 block of E. Hendricks St., allowing the church to cross the right-of-way. “I would imagine that’s going to take several months. There are a lot of logistics to work through,” City Plan Director Adam Rude said. In response to a question, church lay leader Bryan Fischer noted that the church is still in talks with Old Hickory regarding a small piece of property at E. Hendricks and Noble streets, currently used as a parking lot. “That property is part of the plan, but we're just not quite there yet,” Fischer said. Old Hickory officials submitted a letter of support regarding the church’s plans. The matter now goes to the Plan Commission.
The Council also approved on first reading a rezone of land near the intersection of County Road 400 N (Fairland Road) and Tom Hession Drive. R2K Enterprise LLC is asking to allow the outdoor storage of boats, campers and RVs. The request now goes to the Plan Commission.
The Council approved on second reading allowing the developers of Bear Run addition off Progress Parkway to reduce separation between homes from 14 feet to 12 feet on approximately 40 percent of the planned 175 homes. The change will allow additional elevations, or exterior designs, an M/I Homes representative previously told the Board of Zoning Appeals.
County Commissioner Candidates Answer Questions at Forum
County Commissioner candidates David Lawson, Winnie Soviar, Nathan Runnebohm and Joe Land participate in a candidate forum. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
Editor’s note: The following series includes transcripts from the recent Northwest Shelby County Concerned Citizens Coalition’s Question and Answer Forum. Candidates for two County Commissioner seats were given three minutes each to answer five questions. The first section of questions was on the challenges of running county government.
Are you amenable to changing the times and frequencies of public meetings so that more constituents could attend?
What is your position on term limits for county positions?
In addition to public notice requirements, what else could be implemented to encourage involvement of county residents?
How would you identify and handle potential conflicts of interest?
What is your position on the need for any facilities, for example, a coroner's facility or county-wide ambulance services?
David Lawson, Republican, Center District:
As far as changing (meeting) times, I've attended the Commissioners’ meetings for the past year, and a large percentage of those meetings deal with department heads, county employees, as well as corporate business representatives. These people are attending, most of the time, during their normal business day. So, reading petitions or proposals that need public input, I'd be in favor of accommodating a change in time for those specific things. But as far as every meeting, probably keep those at the same time.
My position on term limits, I wouldn't necessarily be against them, but I would be concerned that appropriate spans are considered just for different positions depending on how in-depth those are. For the commissioners, for instance, it's such an encompassing position, I think it probably takes a couple of years to actually get comfortable. So I think a longer term would be required for that position.
As far as public notice requirements, I think people need to be aware of when the meetings go on. I think we need more transparency there. I also feel like people need to know that those meeting minutes are available online, as well, and you're also able to attend any meeting you want on Zoom, which is pretty convenient.
As far as how to handle potential conflicts of interest, I think anyone who would have any financial benefit or personal gain should recuse themselves from participating in discussion, as well as abstain from voting. My position on the need for any county facilities, like the coroner's facility or county-wide ambulance services: the county just completed a new highway garage facility, transfer station, and they converted some of the old space into an Emergency Management office, which has been really nice for them to be able to have a place. As far as the coroner’s facility, at some point in time, if the police department does build a new facility, possibly the county jail would have room to move that office into there. And as far as ambulance service goes, you know, currently we do have county-wide ambulance service, and I think that's something that we can look at in the future, but it is an expensive endeavor.
Winnie Soviar, Democrat, Center District:
I'm very open to changing the public meeting times. To the things that David (Lawson) said, sometimes (meetings should be held during business hours), but maybe once a month (meetings could be held at other times).
Additionally, I think companion enhancements to the county website to allow access to immediate news and data that would assist the residents in being able to get information would certainly be important. In the past, there might be a couple of months where minutes haven’t been posted at all, but in my mind, minutes should be posted within one day, giving immediate access to information.
Term limits: I'm very much (in favor of) term limits, but there are a couple of caveats here. Change evolves slowly, and two to three terms would allow consistency, experience and knowledge sharing. The Commissioner’s role has a lot of moving parts to it, but you would need to make sure you have people even interested and a desire to become a candidate.
Public notice requirements: I'm a proponent of initiating State of the County meetings annually so residents can see what's been accomplished, what's in the future, what's in progress, what's on the radar to be targeted, and then anything else that comes up from the county residents. Additionally, it's appropriate we appoint county residents to serve on various committees. I think we could do a better job of that, blending more people from the community to represent us all, and then the county commissioners oversee that.
Conflict of interest: Same thing. Recuse yourself. I think some of my strengths are calculating decisions based on data, identification of a problem, benefit-risk review and what's happening, and then bringing people together to solve problems. Some of those issues and those conflicts are very subtle, and it may not come up right away, but we do have a county attorney that we can always use to review.
On the facilities: We really need to follow the benefit of everybody in the county, and need to do our due diligence, do a needs assessment, financials, review of the comprehensive plan to show we're on the right track.
Nathan Runnebohm, Republican, South District:
About changing the times of public meetings - right now, Commissioners meet at 8 a.m., Monday mornings. Commissioners oversee a lot of the department heads. For instance, there are nine department heads who give an update to the Commissioners. So, I would keep it with something similar to 8 a.m. meetings, because of the department heads, otherwise that is going to cost taxpayers more money. However, if there's a major decision or something major for the citizens of the entire county, that should be something (that could be heard at another time.)
Term limits: As you know, Commissioner is a four-year term. It's hard to get the things accomplished that you want to get accomplished. So, four years in that role, two terms or three terms is eventually something to look at. Maybe (by then) somebody else should be taking this role and bringing in some fresh ideas.
Public notice requirements: We could have a public relations position, someone who could relate more to the public. We do have a new website coming out for the county. It's going to be very beneficial to everybody, that's going to help them with finding the meeting minutes, using Zoom, etc. So that was a huge priority. A public relations position not only could be really important to the public, giving information to them, but also promoting what should be done, as an advocate…
Conflict of interest: I would recuse myself (if there was a conflict). I’m taking on this role to benefit the county citizens, and not just myself.
New county facilities: I think the biggest thing is fire and ambulance; our small volunteer fire departments are having a hard time getting volunteers, and ambulance services, we’re such a big county to be run solely by volunteers.
Joe Land, Democrat, South District:
I think it's pretty obvious that the public wants a change to the times and frequencies of the Commissioners meetings. I'd like to see some of the administrative stuff continue during business hours, (but other matters) being more agreeable to what people want. We're not going to be able to figure out what works for everybody, but we need to figure out what works for most. I think the Zoom option that's broadcast on social media also keeps more people involved. My project would be to implement an online dashboard to showcase county projects, accept feedback, and have a ticket system for the issues for the citizens of the county, to publish those issues that the public needs to know about. I think a dashboard like that will provide true transparency. Furthermore, on the website, some self-service things on there for citizens would make these meetings a lot more productive.
We need to let people decide about term limits. I'm going to echo what everybody's said: It takes a while to get into this role. This isn't an office of authority or esteem, it's one of service to people in the county. At this point, we just hope to get more people to vote.
Regarding conflicts of interest, it’s pretty simple. Nobody's really going to say much different here. You have to separate yourself from the interests of the county. You have to do the right thing. You have to be a good neighbor. I do want to address outside influences. There are a couple of folks up here that have benefited from outside interests in our county, and I would hope that we would not elect folks that might owe some favors for the support of a national solar political action committee. That is a huge conflict of interest. We have to keep things local to truly represent the citizens, not special outside interests.
Regarding facilities, that's not going to be an overnight fix, but we have to plan, and we have to be smart with developments. My bass player is the coroner in Rush County, and she would absolutely not accept doing her job in the back of a funeral home like we are doing now. Speaking of Rush County, they were able to rebuild their jail and have a more modern facility there. I think the county deserves better, and we certainly need services throughout the county, too, but we need a strong advocate to get all of that funded and get the plans in place to get it done.
NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville High School’s Haunted Trail at the Ecology Lab will be back this year for one night only: Monday, Oct. 28. Daylight hour for younger children is 6 - 7 p.m. “Full scare” hours are 7 - 9 p.m. $10 per person, with all proceeds going to the SHS Speech and Debate Team and the continued redevelopment of the Ecology Lab. Parking is available in the north lot with the entrance on the new walking trail behind the diamonds. The Ecology Lab trails are primarily mulch-covered. (Dress appropriately for the weather and wear shoes for walking; no open-toed shoes.)
NATIONAL NEWS: Auto insurance prices were up 16.3 percent in September compared to the same month last year, which is down from the 22.6 percent higher seen in April but still very high. About to make that worse is a series of bad storms, Helene and Milton, which will cost $3 billion to $5 billion in auto losses, or about 10 percent of all the insured damage. Auto insurance usually does cover floods — which home insurance tends to treats as a separate policy — so the flooding is bad news for the overall auto insurance business. In Florida alone, 80,000 auto insurance claims have been filed since the storms. (The Wall Street Journal/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
April 22, 2010
Students discussed summer plans. Jacob Gahimer looked forward to a church missions trip. Jenna Hebbe planned to shadow a pharmacist to learn more about the profession. Ali Cox said she would go camping and boating with her family. Rayce Gaddie planned to boat on the Ohio River and go to Van’s Warped Tour.
Energy drinks continued to be a hot topic of debate. Sienna Ambrosio said she drank Amp, Monster and Rockstar. “I don’t feel anything. Sometimes. I’m a little more tired later on in the day,” she said. Amanda Daniels said Rockstar made her feel like sugar was “rushing through my viens.”
A local Ultimate Frisbee team, Indiana Express, played in a tournament in Chicago. “It was 20 degrees with 30 mile an hour winds, perfect weather for Frisbee,” senior Stephen Coulston said.
Several juniors and seniors complained about prom being held at Shelbyville Middle School. “I think more students would get excited about prom if it wasn’t at the middle school,” Monika Rayl said. “We’re paying twenty bucks just to go to the school where we spent three years.” Jessica Cossairt, though, saw the benefit of promenade being held at a central location for family and friends. Other students suggested alternatives in Greenwood and Indianapolis.
Top preferences for pre-prom restaurants were listed, including The Kopper Kettle, The Melting Pot and P.F. Chang’s.
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.
2014: Editor’s note: Due to a microfilm processing error, the 2014 section for the next couple of weeks will serve to memorialize a local individual who passed away that year.) Phillip W. Brown, 77, passed away May 31. He was the eldest son of Warren and Blanche (Pitts) Brown. He married Nancy (Taylor). Their children were Matt Brown and Doug Brown. He was also survived by his brothers, Jim Brown and Steve Brown. Phil graduated from SHS in 1954 and was a member of the SHS Alumni Hall of Fame. Following SHS, he attended Wabash College and Indiana University. He returned to Shelbyville and started his law practice with Brunner Brown & Brunner while also serving as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve from 1960 to 1966. He had been called into active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Brown practiced law for 54 years and was the senior member of Brown DePrez & Johnson. He received numerous awards, including two Sagamore of the Wabash Awards, one from Democrat Gov. Evan Bayh and the other from Republican Gov. Robert Orr.
2004: Shelbyville Police Chief John West taught “Verbal Judo” techniques to local officers in a series of classes. More than 30 percent of stops required verbal judo, West said. The techniques helped prevent physical altercations, he noted.
1994: Delbert Tom Rowe was named Investigator of the Year by the Indianapolis Police Department. Rowe had started in Shelby County, where he served as deputy and deputy chief for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department from 1962 to 1966. He ran for Sheriff in 1966, but lost to Otha Bishopp. He then went to Indianapolis.
1984: Shelbyville’s volleyball team won its third straight sectional. Team members were Melinda Vogler, Valorie Pilk, Maria Rhodes, Shelly Caplinger, Charlene Robinette, Lori Hastings, Jean Soller, Amy McLane, Lisa Hinrichs, Valerie Morrison and Amy Richard. Karen Bowman was the coach and Karen Cox was assistant coach.
1974: Approximately 500 teachers, members of the Indiana State Teachers Association, met for a conference at Shelbyville High School. Mrs. Thelma Spannbauer was chairman of the conference and past president of ISTA. Other local speakers at the conference were Pearson Elementary Principal Elwood Thomas, Mrs. Lee Metz, Judge George Tolen, Vincent Vecera and Marvin Copes.
1964: A newspaper article noted St. Paul students who worked in the school office: Adrian Scripture, Glenda Davis, Nancy Jane Wright, Nancy Moeller, Jim Daugherty, Cindy Reed and Bill Mitchell. The school had recently held a mock election, with The Liberal Party defeating The Conservative Party, 77-57.
1954: Miss Jessie Mae Stafford, retired Shelbyville school teacher, was fatally injured when struck by a grocery truck at the intersection of Mechanic and Tompkins streets. Miss Stafford had taught more than 40 years in the Walkerville system, retiring in May 1953. She lived one-half mile south of Shelbyville on State Road 9.
1944: For the first time in two years, pupils of the local high school would have hot lunches, with the cafeteria providing lunch for 20 cents.
1934: Ivan Warble, of Shelbyville, second year student in the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music in Indianapolis, played a violin solo in a radio program on WFBM. Catherine Summers, a 1933 SHS graduate, was Warble’s accompanist. The Jordan Conservatory was affiliated with Butler University.
1924: Purdue University announced plans to hold a “gasoline and tractor engine school” between November and March. A survey showed there were 608 gasoline engines in the county and 194 tractors.
1914: Women employed at Kennedy Car Liner gave a dance for 50 couples at the plant, which was decorated with pumpkins.
OBITUARIES
Joe F. Enterkin, 76, of Greensburg, passed away October 16, 2024 at Arbor Grove Village. Born February 8, 1948 in Muncie, he was the son of Lemuel David Enterkin and Wilma June (Rawlings) Enterkin. He married Anita Kay (Blackburn) Enterkin on October 14, 2006, and she survives. Other survivors include four children, Richard Napier (Melissa) of Manilla, Gretchen Pettis of Greenfield, Michael Moore (Deborah) of South Carolina and Joni Moore of Greensburg; a brother, Dennis Ray Enterkin (Jere) of Fortville; eight grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Jerry Enterkin, Winston “Butch” Enterkin, and a sister, Arlene Enterkin.
Mr. Enterkin had lived in this area for most of his lifetime and worked in maintenance at Meredian Automotive for 20 years. He had also worked at Hanger Bolt and Stud Company. He graduated from Warren Central High School in 1966, and attended Greensburg Community Church of the Nazarene. He was a US Army veteran, serving in Vietnam. Joe enjoyed metal detecting and family get-togethers, but most of all he loved spending time with his family and friends.
Friends may call from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday, October 25, 2024 at Greensburg Community Church of the Nazarene, 711 W. 8th St. Greensburg, with a Celebration of Joe's Life beginning at 6 pm. Pastor Perry Cook will officiate. Memorial contributions can be made to: the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Grand Central Station, PO Box 4777 New York, NY 10163, or the Greensburg Community Church of the Nazarene, 711 W. 8th St. Greensburg, Indiana 47240. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.