Bartholomew County Commissioners received some eye-opening numbers yesterday on the costs to replace the State Street highway garage and repair the County Courthouse.

Replacing the highway facilities alone would cost up to $11.2 million with another up to $3.75 million for the the needed courthouse repairs.

The highway garage and office building on State Street were built in the 1950s and are basically obsolete, according to the report from the DLZ architecture and engineering firm. They recommended building four new buildings at the site, including a wash bay, service bay, office building and garage.

The report estimated construction costs of $7.7 to $8.5 million with additional costs taking the total from $10 to $11.2 million

The courthouse estimate included funds to repair the cracking limestone on the veterans memorial as well as new windows, a boiler and chiller and light fixtures throughout the building.

All the construction work would cost $2.3 to $3 million plus another 20 to 25 percent in other costs.

Commissioners said that they saw few surprises in the numbers. The county has been putting off needed maintenance for years. They said the estimates would be used to justify the need for a cumulative capital development fund and for increased spending on county building needs.

A local woman was arrested on drug charges after a weekend traffic stop. Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman, says that

at approximately 4 a.m. on Sunday, Officer Travis Harbaugh stopped a car near 11th Street and Chestnut Street for a vehicle equipment violation. While speaking with the driver, 33-year-old Kimberly D. Callahan, Harbaugh reported smelling marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Harris says that a search revealed marijuana, methamphetamine and glass smoking pipes with drug residue.

Callahan was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Methamphetamine.

A Batesville man was arrested by Columbus Police over the weekend after he allegedly stole several knives and a hatchet from a west-side store. Lt. Matt Harris, CPD Spokesman, says that at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Sunday, Sgt. Ben Goodin was dispatched to a home-improvement store in the 2300 block of Merchants Mile on a report of a shoplifter.

Store personnel reported that 44-year-old Richard L. Peetz was inside the store stealing knives. They allege that when Peetz left the store, he refused to stop for store security and began walking towards the parking lot with his hands in his jacket pockets. Sgt. Goodin reports that he gave Peetz several commands to remove his hands from his pockets, but says that he would only show his left hand. Harris says that after Peetz ignored two additional commands to show his hands, Goodin used his Taser on the alleged shoplifter. Police say that when Peetz kneeled over, they saw a large hatchet sticking out of the back of his pants. After Peetz was handcuffed, officers reported finding 15 knives, 12 of which had been stolen from the store.

Peetz is facing preliminary charges of Theft and Resisting Law Enforcement.

A local man was arrested over the weekend after Columbus Police say he led area officers on a 90 minute chase with his girlfriend and

eight-month old child in the vehicle. Lt Matt Harris, CPD spokesman, says that at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, an officer saw a car without a rear bumper near Eighth and Maple Streets. A license plate check revealed that the driver, 28-year-old Kyle I. Pacek, had two warrants for his arrest. When the officer attempted to stop Pacek, he allegedly refused to pull over and initially led officers on a low speed chase on the city’s north side. A short time later, Pacek allegedly increased his speed and led officers out of Columbus and into Bartholomew County. Harris says the pursuit continued into southern Decatur County and northern Jennings County at speeds approaching 80 miles per hour. During the pursuit, police say that Pacek was able to avoid several tire deflation devices. Pacek eventually reentered Bartholomew County and stopped in the 7800 block of South County Road 800 East. Harris says that Pacek then got out of the car and fled on foot after his car was inadvertantly rear-ended by a Jennings County Sheriff’s Department vehicle. Pacek was caught by an Indiana State Police Trooper a short time later. When officers approached Pacek’s vehicle, they found Pacek’s baby, who was not hurt, in the backseat of the vehicle. Authorities say that Pacek’s girlfriend declined medical treatment for a minor facial injury.

Pacek was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on a 48 hour hold. In addiiton to the warrants, he is facing preliminary charges of:

Neglect of a Dependent (Level 6 Felony)
Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle Resulting in Bodily Injury (Level 5 Felony)
Resisting Law Enforcement on Foot (Class A Misdemeanor)
Criminal Recklessness (Class B Misdemeanor)
Criminal Confinement (Level 5 Felony)

Columbus Police thank Indiana State Police, the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department, Greensburg Police Department, Jennings County Sheriff’s Department and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department for their help during this pursuit.

The Columbus Fire Department has announced a a promotion. Capt. Mike Wilson, department spokesman, says that Firefighter Michael Nida

has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. CFD says that Nida is a 17 year veteran of the department and holds numerous training certifications, including Emergency Medical Technician, Hazardous Materials Technician, Fire Inspector, Aircraft Rescue, Technical Rescue Awareness, and Strategies and Tactics.

Wilson says that Lt. Nida is also a 31 year veteran of the Indiana Army National Guard where he currently holds the rank of First Sergeant. During his Army career, Nida has been deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, and Kuwait. Nida is currently assigned to Squad 1, the department’s technical rescue response vehicle. Lt. Nida’s promotion was announced after the retirement of Lt. Steve Ahrmann, who retired in January after 32 years of service with the department.

An Indianapolis woman is accused of jumping into the driver’s seat of a car during a Bartholomew County traffic stop and fleeing the county at speeds of more than 90 mph.

The situation started when a Bartholomew County deputy noticed a speeding vehicle and stopped it on U.S. 31 near Interstate 65 at about 2:55 a.m. Sunday morning. The deputy ordered everyone out of the car and was issuing a citation to the driver, when he noticed the smell of marijuana, says Caitlin Gross, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.

One of the passengers, Loniesha D. Mays of Indianapolis then allegedly jumped behind the wheel and took off. She was chased by deputies, weaving in and out of traffic at high speed on the interstate, Gross says. Because deputies already knew her identity, and because of the dangers to the public, deputies called off the chase.

About half an hour later she was located by Whiteland police and arrested at a truck stop. Mays is facing preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement by vehicle, reckless driving, driving while suspended with a prior, operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license, possession of a syringe and possession of marijuana.

The town of Hope will have a satelite office of the Columbus Area Visitors Center again.

Barb Johnson, director of the Yellow Trail Museum in Hope has announced that her organization reached an agreement with the Columbus tourism agency last week to reopen a visitors center satellite  in the town that will be hosted in the museum.

The new center will have a part-time paid staff that will allow the museum to open about four times as long each week as it has been under its all-volunteer structure. Johnson said that the museum is planning to hire one or two people to keep the building open Thursdays through Sundays, from noon to 6 p.m.

The staff member or members will be responsible for informing visitors about Hope tourism opportunities and history, as well as promoting other opportunities in Columbus and all of Bartholomew County. The center is expected to open on April 1st, Johnson said.

The visitors center had operated a satellite office in the former historic bank building on the Town Square for about a year, but closed it in December. That building is slated to open as a pharmacy next month.

For more information you can contact Johnson ny e-mail at  [email protected] , by mail at  Yellow Trail Museum, Attn: Interview Committee, P. O. Box 181 Hope, IN 47246 or by phone at 812-371-7969.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop will be giving his second State of the City address on Thursday, March 9 from Donner Center.

City officials say the program will begin at 7:15 a.m. with breakfast provided by the Columbus Fire Department. The breakfast is free, but donations will be accepted for Columbus Fireman’s Cheer Fund. You are encouraged to attend.

Mayor Lienhoop says that he will share updates on several ongoing city projects, as well as new projects planned for this year. The mayor’s address is slated to begin at 8 a.m. and will be covered live on NewsTalk 1010 WCSI, online at www.1010wcsi.com, as well as the city’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/celebratecbus. City officials add that tours of Donner Center will be available immediately following Lienhoop’s address.

Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County recently awarded Community Fund grants totaling more than $90,000 to organizations whose programs benefit county residents.

Grant recipients were:

• Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum – $20,000 to construct a building to store and protect museum artifacts, add a large area for restoration and display creation, and free up museum space for more exhibits.

• Bartholomew County Historical Society – $30,000 for repairs to the Henry Breeding Farm barn, including repair of the metal roof, rotten floorboards, exterior walls and windows to prevent water penetration.

• Dyslexia Institute of Indiana – $20,000 to provide financial assistance to students attending Camp Delafield Columbus, a four-week day-camp for youth with dyslexia held at Columbus Youth Camp.

• Foundation For Youth – $10,000 to support the purchase of new customer relationship management software.

• Ivy Tech Foundation – $10,350 to implement a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program (Hope Squad) at the IUPUC and Ivy Tech Columbus campuses.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies rescued a dog Friday morning in Hartsville. Judy Jackson, department spokeswoman, says that Deputy Adam Warner responded at 10:13 a.m. to a report of a dog “in distress” in the middle of a pond.

When deputies arrived, the owner told them that her two dogs were swimming in the pond when the animals appeared to get stuck. The owner told deputies that she jumped in and was able to rescue one of the dogs. However, the other dog, a five-year-old black lab, was paddling but struggling to stay above water.

Jackson says that off-duty Deputy Andrew Dougan, a member of the Bartholomew County Water Rescue Team, responded to the scene and was able to successfully rescue the dog. Neither the owner, nor her dogs, were injured.