Wednesday, March 20, 2024

West Side Apartment Complex Continues to Move Forward

The above site plan was submitted to the Plan Commission last year by TWG Development regarding a proposed project on Webster Street, Shelbyville.

The Shelbyville Common Council on Monday approved a resolution showing support for an incoming multi-family housing project on the city’s west side. The proposed 138-unit apartment complex and green space, dubbed “Eight 37 Lofts” by TWG Development, will be built at 837 Webster Street, the former site of a warehouse that burned in 2019.

The resolution is in regards to a PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) agreement designed to incentivize development of affordable housing. 

“This is just our statement (for the PILOT agreement) and those who are going to be their investors that we support this project and that everything is in place,” City Attorney Jenny Meltzer said. 

The proposed Workforce Housing development will include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units reserved for individuals and households making between about $33,000 to $63,000, depending on the number of people in the unit, a company official told the council last year.

The city planning staff previously cited a Stanford study showing an average 6.5 percent increase in surrounding property values when this program has been used in other areas. TWG projects with similar designations include The Assembly, a former Ford Model T manufacturing plant on East Washington Street in Indianapolis, and Illinois Place, just outside of downtown Indianapolis.

The Shelbyville development will sit on approximately seven acres, and TWG previously said they would like to gain access to Hale Road and the pedestrian trail through property to the west.

The development will include on-site management and maintenance, and TWG will oversee the property for at least 15 years. The project is scheduled to be completed next year.

In other action, the council also approved on first reading a new tax abatement ordinance, effective Jan. 1, 2025, allowing the city to collect 2 percent of the amount of taxes not collected from the company receiving the abatement. The provision is being used in other cities, such as Franklin, which has established a 2 percent economic impact fee used for various city improvement projects.

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NOTEBOOK:

• Resurfacing of a section of Miller Street near Mechanic Street should be completed and the section re-opened mid-next week, city engineer John Kuntz said.

• The Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety officially approved closing Tom Hession Drive on Monday, April 8, from 9 a.m. “until whenever the cars get unparked,” Mayor Scott Furgeson said in regards to the solar eclipse viewing location.

• The board of works also approved the Shelby County YMCA to use the county stage on Sunday, April 7, for a worship service for residents and tourists. The stage will already be set up downtown for Saturday’s Sun, Moon, & Eclipse Fest.

• Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau (SCTVB) last week won the state Tourism Association’s Best Festival or Event Award for its Taste of Shelby County event. “We were up against some wonderful festivals and events from across the state, so everyone in Shelby County should be proud that our communities have been recognized for such an esteemed award,” Rachael Ackley, executive director of SCTVB, said in a statement. Ackley was also one of five graduates of the Indiana Tourism Association’s Academy Class for 2024.

• Camille Thopy, with Southwestern-Shelby FFA, has been named an Indiana FFA State Star Finalist ahead of the 95th state convention.

• NATIONAL NEWS: The EPA has announced it is rolling out the long-awaited comprehensive ban on asbestos, which will ban the last remaining ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos. Currently it’s found in brake linings, gaskets, and is often used in the manufacture of bleach and sodium hydroxide. As it stands, there are just eight chlor-alkali plants in the U.S. that still use asbestos in the production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide, and it’s used in less than a third of the chlor-alkali production in the country. While the chemical industry’s lobbyists wanted 15 years to transition off asbestos diaphragms, the EPA will phase in the prohibitions over five or more years. (AP/Numlock)

• The Addison Times publishes essential news and historical content to build our Shelby County community, and is free thanks to the generosity of supporters. Those who donate a minimum of $5 a month (or $60 one-time) receive an exclusive quarterly Addison Times magazine as an appreciation gift.

• Want the daily edition read to you? Struggling with your email provider filtering out your local news? The Addison Times Substack app will solve those challenges!

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This Day in Shelby County History

2014: Waldron Junior High School’s seventh-grade girls basketball team won the Shelby County Tournament title behind 11 points from Makayla Tillison and seven from Victoria Shaw. Members of the team were Demari Keith, Ali Trueblood, Abby Adams, Shaw, Hannah Sullivan, Rose Ash, Cassie Robinson, Tillison, Morgan Wood and Lyric Neel. Anthony Thomas was coach and Cody Sullivan, assistant coach.

2004: Dr. Joseph Moheban announced he would retire at the end of the month, nearly 44 years after beginning physician duties in Shelbyville. He had delivered nearly 2,400 babies before giving up obstetrics. Moheban said when he started his practice, a doctor’s visit was $3. Dr. Moheban and his wife Carolyn had been married 47 years. They had three children: Lisa Hueber, Jeff Moheban and Greg Moheban.

1994: Misty Smith, the record-breaking scorer for Shelbyville’s girls basketball team, was named one of 12 players on the Indiana All-Star team. She was the third Golden Bear to be an All-Star, joining Brenda Kelsay (1981) and Shelly Caplinger (1986). Smith’s 28.8 points per game average was third in the state. She also averaged 9.9 rebounds.

1984: About 50 people attended the Rush County Commissioners meeting, urging county officials to restore or replace the Forsythe covered bridge, which had been closed for more than a year and had caused nearby residents to take a three-mile detour, The Shelbyville News reported.

1974: More than 17,000 new telephone directories were mailed to Shelby County homes within the Indiana Bell exchange territory. The directory included charts showing time periods when reduced rates for long distance calls were in effect.

The Shelbyville office of the Indiaina State Employment Service had placed 244 veterans in jobs in 1973, Ralph Douglass Jr., manager of the office, reported.

For the first time in Shelby County history, a woman (Teresa Higgins) was ordered to pay her ex-husband (Timothy L. Higgins) money for child support. Judge Tolen said the first decree finalizing the marriage dissolution submitted by Mr. Higgins and his attorney did not include support, but he had told them to rewrite it because Mrs. Higgins was “emancipated.”

1964: Kent Gambrel, sixth grader, won the Triton North Elementary Spelling Bee. He would advance to the county spelling bee, to be held at Addison school.

The Shelbyville High School Singing Stars, under the direction of Martin Schulz, took part in the annual Sacred Concert at First Methodist Church. Members were Marilyn Landwerlen, Beverly Craig, Carolyn Meiks, Nancy Montgomery, Linda Sprout, Lyndel Metz, Jerry Reber, Jane Bastin, Peggy Dean, Bonnie Schneider, Judy Trees, Sharon Burnside, Linda Jones, Jennie Sleeth, Susan DePrez, Judy Mullins, Vicki Daniels, Pam Boyer, Mary Kay John, Ann Kirk and Janet Fox.

1954: Shelbyville policemen Robert Nolley and Walter Dake received injuries when their new police car overturned while pursuing a car which ran a roadblock in Shelbyville. The driver of the other car was a burglar who had cracked a safe in Greensburg. Dake fired several shots during the 90 mile-per-hour chase down Vine Street and over the Walkerville and Cedar Ford bridges.

1944: Hester Ann “Hessie” Treadway turned 93. She was the oldest member of First Presbyterian Church. Her son, George, who lived in Illinois, was in town to celebrate with her. (Treadway died in 1946 and is buried in the McDonnell mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery.)

1934: City Council instructed property owners along Harrison, from Broadway to Pennsylvania, to construct at their own expense new water lines of lead pipe to connect to the water main in the street before the city resurfaced the street. The resurfacing was a federally funded project.

1924: Over 200 chickens had been stolen from Boggstown area homes over the previous week. The week before, several hundred had been stolen in Johnson County.

1914: Two trains filled with soldiers from the Ninth infantry passed through Shelbyville en route to Texas.

Bruce Mace was appointed I & C Traction agent in Shelbyville. He succeeded J.W. Lantz of Waldron, who had held the position for one day before resigning. Night agent Vern Riser, who had been on the job two years, also resigned. He was joining his father’s cabinet making business. Riser was replaced by Emerson Moore.

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OBITUARIES

Michael William Nigh, 82, of Brownsburg, passed away Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at Brownsburg Healthcare in Brownsburg. Mike was born on February 19, 1942, in Indianapolis. He was the son of Robert William and Ruth Elizabeth (Waltermire) Nigh. On June 29, 1962, Mike married his wife of 62 years, Judy Ann Weber and she survives. Mike is also survived by two sons, Douglas William Nigh of Pittsboro and Matthew Wayne Nigh of Jamestown; and his brother, Stephen Brett Nigh and wife, Sue, of New Palestine. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his nephew, Brett Andrew Nigh.

Mike graduated from Morristown High School in 1960 and from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in 1965.  He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity while at GMI. He worked at Allison Transmission in Speedway, Indiana, for over 47 years. Early in Mike’s career he had a five-year assignment in Maryland and a four-year assignment in the Netherlands. While working for Allison, Mike traveled much of the world. After moving back to Indiana and later in his career, Mike completed a Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University.

He had many interests and adventures during his life which included scuba diving, golfing, sculling at Eagle Creek, running marathons and racing open-wheeled Midget cars in NAMARS and USAC. Mike made numerous scuba diving trips to the Caribbean plus a diving trip to Palau. The highlight of his short (10 year) racing career was participating in the once-a-year Chili Bowl event in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. He had many dear friends from high school and college, his career at Allison Transmission, and from his various interests whom he kept in contact with his entire life. Mike loved life and truly enjoyed all of his interests.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, March 25, 2024, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Frazier Chapel, 124 E. North St., in Morristown. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m., Monday, at the funeral home. Interment will be at Asbury Cemetery in Morristown. Memorial contributions may be made to the Christian Appalachian Project, PO Box 55911, Lexington, KY 40555-5911. Online condolences may be shared with Mike’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.

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Patricia Ann Ogden, 88, of Shelbyville, passed away Thursday, March 14, 2024 at MHP Medical Center. Born August 5, 1935 in Piqua, Ohio, she was the daughter of Richard Ivan Sillman and Rosemary Ann (McKinney). She married William Ogden on April 12, 1964 and he preceded her in 2015. Survivors include a daughter Renee Ann Brewer of Shelbyville, son Richard Herring (wife Rebecca) of Shelbyville; six grandchildren, Betsy Means-Davis, Amanda Thoman, Edie, Kyle, Jamy, Kaci Herring; 18 great-grandchildren including Lillian Gant, Jacob Treon, Brant Davis, Cooper Thoman, Camden Thoman, Kendall Thoman; and 21 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her spouse.

Mrs. Ogden had lived in this area for most of her lifetime. She had worked as a billing/line department assistant for REMC/Rush Shelby Energy for over 40 years, retiring in 1997. She was an active member of the Diligent Diggers Garden Club.

Patricia enjoyed gardening, traveling, antiques, watching golf and football, but most of all she loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at noon on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road, with Rev. Mike Keucher officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Friends may call on Saturday morning from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to the Blue River Community Foundation Scholarship Fund in honor of Patricia Ogden. The address is: 54 W. Broadway St.  #1, Shelbyville, IN. 46176. Online condolences can be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.

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UPDATED TO INCLUDE SERVICE DETAILS

Mary Ellen (Hall) Ferguson passed away peacefully in her sleep in Yakima, Washington, on August 31, 2023, one day after her 80th birthday. Mary was born in Johnson County, (Camp Atterbury) Indiana, on August 30, 1943, to Donald and Wilma (Lux) Hall. She was raised in Shelbyville, Indiana, along with her six siblings and many cousins.

After her high school graduation, Mary attended St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette, Indiana, where she met her future husband, Ronald Ferguson, who was attending Purdue University. Ron and Mary were married on July 18, 1964, and started their life together in Boston, Massachusetts, where Ron continued his active duty in the U.S. Navy. They settled in Richmond, Indiana, to continue raising their four children. This is where Mary began her political consulting career. She worked on campaigns ranging from local sheriffs and city councilmen to U.S. Representative Phil Sharp and U.S. Senator Birch Bayh. Her service also included several years as the Democratic Chairperson of Wayne County, Indiana. She could talk FDR under the table with her political IQ and staunch liberal stance on many social issues!
The Ferguson family moved several more times around the country, eventually landing in Medford, Oregon, where Mary worked for Harry and David for 20 years. Upon her retirement in 2010, Mary and Ron relocated to Yakima, Washington.

As much as Mary loved politics, her biggest joy was her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed watching their numerous musical performances and athletic events and never missed a graduation ceremony, no matter the distance. She thrived on creating unique family Halloween costumes, which won contests nearly every year. Her last several summers were spent attending her grandchildren's weddings and celebrating the birth of her two beautiful great-granddaughters.

She is preceded in death by her parents, sister, Elaine (Hall) Arnold, brother-in-law, John Arnold, brother, Peter Hall, and her husband, Ron. She is survived by her children, Cary (Elisa) Ferguson, Casey (Nikki Brecto) Ferguson, Valerie (Paul) Williams, Holly (JP) Swanson, grandchildren, Anna (Andrew) Kujath, John (Natalie Todd) Ferguson, Elisabeth Ferguson, Spencer (Michelle) Ferguson, Riley (Tyler) Johnson, Cameron (Jessica) Ferguson, Ethan Williams, Audrey Swanson, Oliver Swanson, great-granddaughters, Penelope Ferguson and Murphy Johnson. She is also survived by her siblings, Pauline (Steven) Lancaster, Greg (Karen Bowman) Hall, Ginny (John) Bogemann, John (Phil Darrah) Hall, sister-in-law, Katrina Hall, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends.

A Funeral Mass will be concelebrated by Fr. William Ernst and Fr. John Hall on Monday, April 1, 2024, at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Interment will be in St. Joseph Cemetery followed by A Celebration of Life and lunch at the Knights of Columbus. Mary’s family would enjoy meeting her friends, so please join them. Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.brooksidefuneral.com.