North Vernon’s efforts to switch city facilities from conventional electric to solar-power will result in more cost savings than originally anticipated. Months ago, the city council authorized Mayor Mike Ochs to execute the documents allowing the change if financing was able to be established. The city has been working with Johnson-Melloh Solutions, an energy service company, to formulate a proposal. City officials say that Johnson-Melloh was a driving force in getting the Jennings County Public Library switched over to solar years ago.

Shawn Gerkin, clerk-treasurer for North Vernon, explains that the city had to walk a tight-rope to obtain funding. He says that the language of the contract for financing had to be specific in order to be in compliance with a state statute that allows municipalities to enter into an “energy savings contract” without it being considered debt for the city. Gerkin gives high praise to Kevin Gabbard, his team at MainSource Bank and their attorney’s from Barnes & Thornburg for their help in obtaining financing for the project. While Gerkin says the entire ordeal has been a lot of work for him and other city officials, he called the end result “historic,” so far as it comes with Indiana banks getting involved with projects such as these.

Gerkin explains that under the deal, no more than $5.399 million will be financed at a rate of 2.45 percent. The term of the loan is 16.5 years with the first payment from the city due 18 months after closing the loan. City officials are hopeful that the loan will be closed on Aug. 1. Gerkin stresses that these loan payments will be paid for completely out of money already set aside and appropriated for conventional electricity costs. In addition, he says that the city was anticipating an interest rate of approximately 3.65 percent. Thanks to MainSource officials and the work of the city, Gerkin says that the city will save over $600,000 over the length of the loan on interest alone.

City official say that once the loan is secured, work on switching over to solar power can begin shortly thereafter.

Columbus Regional Health officials are opening up a bit on plans for the former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center on Jonathan Moore Pike on the city’s west side. Kelsey DeClue is public relations coordinator for the hospital. She says that Columbus’ west side has been growing.

DeClue says the site is a great fit for CRH.

DeClue says that the entire structure will need to be torn down and a new facility built in its place.

While a structure will be rebuilt, DeClue says that CRH is not prepared at this time to divulge its plans for the site.

DeClue says that CRH is reaching out to former Clarion employees about possible employment opportunities.

For more on potential employment opportunities, visit crh.org.

More road work will be happening on State Road 252 through southern Shelby County starting on Saturday, weather permitting. State Road 252 is already closed between Interstate 65 and Flat Rock while they repair bridges and culverts.

INDOT will be digging up and repaving the highway between the town of Flat Rock and the Flat Rock River’s Lewis Creek bridge.

Milestone is the state’s contractor for INDOT’s $12 million rehabilitation project that is widening and reconstructing or resurfacing seven miles of State Road 252 between Interstate 65 and Flat Rock.

A Wednesday night arrest of a Columbus man on drug-dealing charges led to a chain of drug related arrests and a source of drug-tainted candy in the community, according to local law enforcement.

The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team reports that 21-year-old Parker R. Broady was arrested by Columbus police Wednesday after a traffic stop revealed drugs in his vehicle.

JNET reports this morning that Broady was arrested shortly after leaving a house that has been under investigation for drug activity. They had been investigating the home in the 800 block of McClure Road after complaints from residents about possible drug activity.

Police say that marijuana, Xanax pills and LSD were being sold from the home.  The drug-tainted “XanieTarts” candies were also involved, according to authorities.

A search warrant was served last night at the home. 18-year-old Darrion G. Phillips, 18-year-old Terrell A. Davis, and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested.

Charges included:

Phillips:

• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (LSD)
• Maintaining a Common Nuisance
• Possession of Marijuana
• Illegal Possession of Alcohol

Davis:

• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Illegal Possession of Alcohol
• Visiting a Common Nuisance

• 

  Possession of Marijuana

JNET detectives were assisted by officers from the Columbus police Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving Unit, K-9 Division and uniformed officers.

The investigation into the sale of illegal drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County continues.

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office, targeting the manufacturing and abuse of drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County.

The Columbus City Utilities department is putting new communication procedures in place after last month’s citywide boil water advisory.

Officials say that there was some confusion and breakdowns as they worked to alert the public to a well that tested positive for e-coli.

Keith Reeves, the city utilities director, says that the city is taking several steps to improve those communications.

Among the changes will be a plan to bring employees in to answer phones no matter the hour, better communication with restaurants, the food service industry and emergency officials, and putting web templates and other procedures in place in advance so that they are ready to go as soon as needed.

Reeves updated the Utilities Services Board on the problems encountered and the proposed solutions at a monthly meeting yesterday.

The utilities department believes they have found the source of the e-coli contamination. A video inspection of the well revealed that corrosion in the well casing left small holes in the tainted well near the Bartholomew County 4-Fairgrounds.

Reeves said that the corrosion appears to have allowed water close to the surface to enter the well,causing contamination.

The affected well is one of 18 the city operates. Despite the hot weather and the increased water usage during the summer, Reeves said that the city has plenty of water from the other wells.

City officials stress that the public was never in danger and that the positive readings came before the water had been treated with chlorine.

Reeves said that the initial positive test of the distribution system turned out to be a false positive. But that fluke led the department to test its wells, which led to the discovery of actual e-coli in the tainted well.

The city of Columbus is celebrating a big milestone on Saturday. Carly Freeman with Columbus Parks and Rec explains…

Saturday’s event runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. inside of Donner Park. Freeman says that there will be plenty of activities, including face-painting, an obstacle course and magic show.

Later that evening…

You are encouraged to take part in these free offerings.

Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance crews will chip seal 28 lane miles of U.S. Highway 31 in Jackson and Scott counties, beginning next week. INDOT says that the work is scheduled to take place on July 27th. July 31st and August 1st, with the work dependent on the weather.

The schedule calls for the work to begin July 27th when the north-south highway will close at the U.S. 50 intersection at Seymour while crews apply surface treatment. Operations will progress southward toward State Road 256 at Austin with flaggers directing traffic around moving work-sites. The following Monday and Tuesday, chip seal activities will continue on U.S. 31 between U.S. 50 and Industrial Parkway at Austin. No application will be made through Crothersville.

INDOT says that chip seal applications are highly cost-effective, as every one-dollar spent saves $6 to $14 in subsequent expenditures.

Columbus City Utilities has found the source of an e-coli contamination that polluted one of the city’s drinking water wells last month and led to a city-wide boil water advisory. Keith Reeves, the city’s utilities director, says that corrosion in the well casing has left small holes in the tainted well near the Bartholomew County 4-Fairgrounds, allowing contaminants into the water. He said that a contractor inspected the affected well with a camera and discovered the corrosion about 20-25 feet down the well shaft. Reeves said that the well has been taken off line until the problem is fixed. He said that officials are still figuring out the scope of the repairs but estimated it could run up to $20,000.

The city declared its first citywide boil water advisory last month in almost two decades after testing revealed the contamination. The Utilities Service Board met Thursday and heard an update from Reeves on fixes to be made to the notification process, should this occur again.

A Columbus man was arrested on drug dealing charges after a traffic stop Wednesday night. Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman, says that shortly before 10 p.m., officers saw a vehicle that was traveling left of center near 17th Street and McClure Road. Officers stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, 21-year-old Parker R. Broady. A short time later, Harris says that a CPD canine alerted to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle. While searching the vehicle, police allegedly found a backpack containing marijuana, Xanax, and several baggies.

Broady was arrested on preliminary charges of Dealing Marijuana, Dealing a Schedule IV Substance, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of a Schedule IV Substance.

The state is looking to recoup money lost when an employee of an Edinburgh golf course pleaded guilty to stealing from the facility. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced Thursday that the state has filed a complaint in Johnson County seeking recovery of stolen public funds, as well as court costs, legal fees and other expenses.

Hill says that the state wants more than $11,000 from Ethan Duke, a former employee of Timbergate Golf Course who pleaded guilty to theft. Authorities say that Duke was sentenced to more than 500 days on home arrest after he confessed to stealing nearly $4,000 from the facility.

The Indiana Attorney’s General office says that in October of 2016, the State Board of Accounts conducted an audit of Timbergate, which is a public golf course owned by the town of Edinburgh. The audit revealed that the $4,000 went missing between April 18, 2015, and May 30, 2015.

According to the audit, employees at Timbergate discovered that on the night of May 30, 2015, no cash transactions were entered on the register. Further, the amount of money in the cash register came up $229.13 short based on goods and services sold by the golf course that day. Hill says that a supervisor confronted Duke, who reportedly confessed to the theft and was later arrested.

Hill says that the golf course recovered a little more than $300 when Duke was arrested. The state is now seeking a treble damages claim under the Crime Victims Relief Act. That equals three times the $3,683 in misappropriated funds, as well as $800 in audit costs.