North Vernon officials continue to work on what to do about the Education and Training Center (ETC). The facility, on County Road 150 North, is owned by the city. Currently, the building is about half-empty and is losing money.

The ETC used to be managed by the Jennings County Economic Development Commission (JCEDC). However, when the facility lost tenants and began having HVAC issues, the city took it over last year. In an effort to cut expenses, the JCEDC was relieved of it’s management duties and the property was placed under the purview of the North Vernon Clerk-Treasurer’s Office.

First District Councilman Jack Kelley, who joined the city council just weeks ago, said during Monday night’s North Vernon City Council meeting that the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office shouldn’t be responsible for managing the ETC. Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Gerkin agreed. Gerkin says that his office simply doesn’t have the time to dedicate to recruiting tenants and managing the building. Council members discussed the idea of hiring a manger and recruiter for the facility. Gerkin quickly noted that he was open to any suggestions, but argued that the money to hire a manager isn’t available. Even if it was, he said that the JCEDC should be granted another opportunity to manage the facility and recruit tenants.

Kathy Ertle,the Executive Director of the county’s Economic Development Commission, told the council that she is proud of the work her organization did in managing the ETC. She explained that “timing” has a lot to do with why the facility is in the conundrum that it is currently in. Ertle says that one of the ETC’s biggest clients, Jennings County Schools, vacated with little notice. She says that shortly thereafter, issues with the building began to pop up. Ertle says that all of these events snowballed to a point where much of the building was empty and there was no way for them to recruit new tenants while the building was facing repairs. Ertle went on to say that the ETC is important to all of Jennings County and that the facility’s success is vital for the economic success of the whole community. With that, Ertle pledged her support in doing what she could to help the ETC and the city.

The city council ultimately decided to put together a commission together to study the issue further and make a recommendation.

A resurfacing project for State Road 11 is set to begin in the spring

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Spokesman Harry Maginity says the agency has launched a nearly $1.5 million preventative maintenance project in Jackson County. He says the work includes the patching and paving of six-miles of State Road 11 between U.S. Highway 50 and Interstate 65.

Maginity says that Dave O’Mara, the state’s contractor, is expected to begin work after April the first. INDOT’s contract calls for all work to be completed by September 16.

Maginity says the work calls for full, and partial-depth, pavement patching, milling and resurfacing. In addition, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps will be installed.

INDOT adds that staking and some preliminary activities may occur in March before the work begins in-depth. Maginity says these preliminary activities should only result in brief interruptions to traffic flow, which counts for 11,610 vehicles per day.

Indiana State Police (ISP) says that two Rush County residents were arrested on warrants and additional drug related charges Monday in Decatur County.

ISP Public Information Officer Sgt. Stephen Wheeles says that at

approximately 1:40 p.m., Senior Trooper David Noah, along with Deputies from the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department, answered a call to assist the Rush County Sheriff’s Department with conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling south on State Route 3 at the Rush/Decatur County line. The vehicle reportedly contained two individuals who were wanted on various warrants out of Rush and Morgan Counties.

Authorities say that Trp. Noah and Decatur County Chief Deputy Eric Blodgett conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle on State Route 3 at I-74, on the north side of Greensburg. Police say the vehicle was being driven by 27-year-old Bobby G. Dawson, Jr, of Rushville, who was wanted on numerous active warrants out of Morgan County. They add that the passenger, 39-year-old Natasha M. Hollin, also of Rushville, was wanted on numerous warrants out of Rush County.

Further investigation at the scene allegedly found Hollin to be in

possession of suspected methamphetamine, marijuana, and other items associated with the use and distribution of controlled substances. Wheeles says that both suspects were arrested and booked in the Decatur County Jail for the warrants. Authorities add that Hollin faces additional charges in Decatur County due to the items allegedly found in her possession.

A Columbus man is being accused of dealing heroin after a fight with police during a traffic stop.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police, says that officers pulled over a vehicle driven by 24-year-old Eric M. Winship at about 12:30 Sunday afternoon in the 1500 block of Washington Street. Winship was allegedly driving on a suspended license but as officers tried to put handcuffs on him, police say he tried to flee. During a struggle, one officer received minor injuries and police ended up subduing Winship with a Taser.

Harris said that police allegedly found heroin and digital scales inside Winship’s jacket and drug distribution supplies inside his backpack. He was arrested on preliminary charges of driving while suspended, dealing heroin between 5-10 grams and resisting law enforcement causing bodily injury.

There will be a public meeting Thursday afternoon for a project to extend Maple Street to National Road in Columbus.

Dave Hayward, engineering director for the city of Columbus, said the meeting is part of the formal process by the Indiana Department of Transportation to consider the city’s proposal to extend Maple Street by Northside Middle School all the way to National Road. The city is considering the project to ease traffic flow problems around the schools in that neighborhood, including the middle school, Columbus North, Schmitt Elementary and St. Bartholomew schools.

According to the city website, the meeting will be used to describe the environmental document, land acquisition process and a description of the project. The environmental document and project plans will be available for public viewing. Time will be provided for the public to ask questions and express concerns. There will also be time for property owners to ask specific questions.

The hearing will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28th at Northside Middle School in the cafeteria.

The former head of the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center and Foundation for Youth is announcing a run for the Bartholomew County Council at-large seat.

Pam Clark made the announcement yesterday, saying that she believes she can help the county with several ongoing financial issues including how to fund road repairs, deputies, the county IT needs, salaries and the parks department. Clark, a Democrat, is self-employed as a consultant and trainer, where she works with the Bartholomew County United Way and the National Partnership for Juvenile Services.

Clark serves on the Indiana University School of Social Work Alumni Association board of directors, the Indiana University Alumni Association Executive Council, the Columbus Behavioral Center Governing Board and on the National Child and Youth Care Certification Board.

There are already four Republicans who have filed to run for the three seats on the council including incumbents Jim Reed, Evelyn Pence and Bill Lentz and Matt Miller.

In other races up for election this year, there are two seats on the Bartholomew County Commissioners, county coroner, county surveyor, three seats on the Hope town board and the Hope clerk-treasurer. The deadline to file is noon on Friday, Feb. 5th.

Refinancing bonds the city of Columbus issued to build the Fourth and Jackson Street parking garage would save Columbus more than $684 thousand dollars under a plan being considered by the Columbus Redevelopment Commission.

Last night, the redevelopment commission heard a plan to refinance about $9 million in bonds at today’s lower interest rates. Sarah Cannon, the new president of the redevelopment commission, explains the benefits.

01-26 Sarah Cannon-1

The commission passed a resolution recommending the refinancing to the Columbus City Council. The commission is expected to vote to approve the refinancing at its meeting next month, followed by the City Council’s approval. The refinancing would move forward by early March, according to the city’s financial advisers from Reedy Financial.

In other business:

• New members Cannon, John Dorenbusch, Umar Farooq and Donald Trapp were sworn in. Cannon will serve as president, Dorenbusch as vice president and Trapp as secretary.
• The commission agreed to approve the last $125,000 payments on two interest-free $500,000 loans made in 2011 by Cummins Foundation and the Heritage Fund.
• Mary Ferdon, the city’s director of administration, reported that the meeting’s live video feed was disrupted by a previous parks board meeting in the room. She said she believed the meeting was being recorded though and would be available on the city’s website for viewing.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department reports it arrested a wanted man on Sunday afternoon in Montgomery Township after serving a search warrant.

The department reports that 44-year-old Greco Lewis was wanted for failing to appear in court on a Jackson County warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, dealing in marijuana, , maintaining a common nuisance, neglect of a dependent and taking a minor/endangered adult to a common nuisance.

Deputies say he was arrested without incident. Deputies had been searching for him since mid-December.

Edited: Josh Speidel’s name was spelled incorrectly in an earlier version of this story.

A Taylorsville intersection is dangerous for drivers and prone to serious accidents, according to a Columbus attorney.

Last Super Bowl Sunday, Columbus North star basketball player Josh Speidel was critically injured in a crash at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Bear Lane Road.

Attorney Richard Eynon told Bartholomew County Commissioners yesterday that he is so concerned about the dangerous intersection that he hired his own experts from Injury and Crash Analysis LLC of Indianapolis to take a look at what could be done to improve the safety there. Eynon said he is not representing any party in the discussion, but has a personal interest in seeing the safety improvements.

Eynon’s experts provided several actions that could be taken to improve the safety at the intersection, including better lighting and pavement markings. They suggested that the intersection also be made into a right-out-only configuration and that the speed limit be reduced and that the exit ramp from I-65 be extended with marked right turn only lanes as soon as possible.

Danny Hollander, the county engineer, said that because U.S. 31 is a state highway, almost any changes would have to be approved by the state. One of the suggestions, that the county install overhead lighting on Bear Lane Road, would be the first street lighting the county has installed at any location, Hollander said.

County Commissioners President Rick Flohr said that the next steps would be to get the state involved in the discussions so that action could be taken.

An Indianapolis-based group has helped to gathered one-half ton of supplies for the Bartholomew County Humane Society.

Sara Holtz, with BPS Marketing, says that during this past holiday season, IndyVet Emergency & Specialty Hospital joined forces with two veterinary practice partners, Athens Animal Clinic and Best Friends Animal Healthcare & Laser Center, along with Ivy Tech Community College and Pet Supplies Plus, located on Indianapolis’ south side, to collect the supplies.

Holtz says that after Thanksgiving, all the sites accumulated bins full of cat and dog food, kitty litter, laundry detergent and other supplies as part of its annual holiday drive, which concluded at the beginning of the year. On top of the supplies, Holtz says that IndyVet also collected $68 in donations for the nonprofit.

For more information on IndyVet and its services, log on IndyVet.com.