Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County is announcing a new initiative called Project Encore to bring the Crump Theatre back to life as a centerpiece of downtown entertainment.

Heritage Fund and building owner the Columbus Capital Foundation has commissioned project manager Steve Sanders of Stephen Sanders Consulting to lead Project Encore, turning the aging theatre into the Crump Center for the Performing Arts.

The goal is to finish revamping the theatre to make it viable for year-round live entertainment. Plans include a fully operational balcony, expanded lobby and outdoor areas, event space, state-of-the-art lighting and sound and programming for regional touring acts.

Sanders said the project is meant “to restore The Crump’s position back to the cultural community hub it was well over a century ago.”

Last year, the theater celebrated its 135th anniversary and is believed to be the oldest operational theater in the state. For years, the aging theater was closed because it didn’t meet current fire, building and safety standards. It has been brought back to life largely through volunteer efforts. Those culminated in August of 2023 when the building was found to be structurally sound and earned a renewed entertainment permit

Organizers say that renovations of historic venues can be more economical as well as more appealing to audiences.

Heritage Fund awarded a $50,000 grant, matched by private funders, to establish Project Encore. It will be established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity in advance of an upcoming capital campaign. Initial concept renderings will be released in the coming weeks. Those have been commissioned from two design firms and a team of graduate students.

You can get more information at www.thecrump.org.

An error with some Bartholomew County tax bills could be causing confusion about whether or not your property taxes are being paid through an escrow account.

According to County Treasurer Barb Hackman, because of a problem with a data file, thousands of property tax bills were issued with incorrect information about whether the taxpayer or their bank is responsible for the tax payments.

Normally, tax bills paid through escrow accounts will come with a watermark saying that the bill is for informational purposes only. Behind the scenes, the same code that produces the watermark also sends the tax bill to the escrow processing company for payment. Hackman said that the header code was left off of the data file for one of the nation’s largest escrow account processing companies. In Bartholomew County, that meant more than 8,000incorrect billings.

When tax bills started hitting mailboxes after they were mailed last week, the calls started coming in from residents who were being told they were responsible for the tax payments themselves.

Hackman said that the problem has been corrected, the incorrect file field has been updated and the bills should be paid correctly out of the escrow account. However, corrected tax bills will not be resent, she said.

If you have any questions, she says you can call the treasurer’s office for assistance.

Bartholomew County could soon have a useless bridge in the southern part of the county, as East Fork White River continues to move its flow to a new channel.

Bartholomew County Commissioners discussed the recent flooding on the river during their meeting Monday morning. Commissioners accepted bids to resurface the bridge between State Road 11 and U.S. 31 near Azalea on County Road 800S.

Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz pointed out that the existing channel is getting filled with silt and they anticipate the flow will soon move to a permanent new location. Kleinhenz said that the recent flooding clearly showed the river’s future flow with a pronounced oxbow shaped bend already occurring that will eventually be cut across by the new channel.

County Engineer Danny Hollander said that the state has refused requests to clean the channel. The only action the county is allowed to do, is to continue to dump concrete debris along the river to armor the bank to try to reduce the movement. He pointed out that the ground is all sand in the area.

Commissioners pointed out that when a new bridge is needed, the cost will be several million dollars.

Commissioners took the bids for the bridge work under advisement. They also approved funding for the annual inspection of county bridges with United Consulting. The four -year contract is for just over $74 7 thousand dollars but the county is reimbursed for 80 percent of the cost.

Photo: Recent flooding on County Road 800S courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Bartholomew County will be closing two roads later this week while crews mill and repave the area.

According to the Bartholomew County Highway Department, Bellsville Pike will be closed Wednesday through Friday and County Road 400W will be closed Thursday, Friday and Monday. Bellsville Pike will be closing from Poplar Drive to County Road 650W, while 400W will be closing between 450S or State Road 58 to Deaver Road.

The work will be going on from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. You are encouraged to find an alternative route while the roadwork is underway.

The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

Forecasters say that there is a chance of frost tonight for our area.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says temperatures as low as 32 are possible in Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Johnson and Shelby counties tonight.

The weather service warns that frost could kill sensitive outdoor plants if they are left uncovered. You should take steps today to protect tender vegetation from the cold.

The frost advisory is in effect from 3 to 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The 14th annual Smoke on the Square barbecue competition is set for next month on the Hope Town Square.

The event is the largest annual fundraiser for the Community Center of Hope. It features a BBQ cook-off competition between teams and public BBQ dining.

The cookoff will be May 16th and 17th, with food available from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday night and from 11 Saturday morning until it sells out. Meals will include brisket, pork, beans, chips, hotdogs and chicken. There will also be a limited supply of ribs both days.

The competition is open to all levels of competitors and will have categories for brisket, chicken, ribs and pork.

The Night Owl Country Band will be performing Friday night.

You can find a link for more information here: https://hopebbqcontest.com

Columbus Regional Hospital is announcing it is relaxing its visitation policies as the hospital sees a decline in respiratory illnesses in the community.

According to the hospital, visitation restrictions that were implemented during respiratory illness season are being lifted. Visitors 14 and older are again welcome to visit patients at the discretion of the patient’s care team and other restraints within the patient care setting.

Visitors may be asked to adhere to isolation precautions by donning masks and additional personal protective equipment when needed. Visitors experiencing symptoms of potentially contagious illness are discouraged from visiting.

Alternative visitor options remain in place for the Birthing Center and Women and Children’s units.

Those in labor may have three designated support people. No one under the age of 14 will be allowed on the Birthing Center, with the exception of siblings of the newborn.

Visitation hours in the Birthing Center and Women and Children’s units remain from 8 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. No visitors will be allowed during maternal rest times of 2 to 4 a.m. in the morning and from 2 to 4 p.m. in the afternoon.

Columbus Department of Public Works says there will be no change to the trash collection schedule on Good Friday April 18th.

You should have your trash to the curb by the normal 7 a.m.

All city office will be closed on Friday, including the Department of Public Works.

You can get more information online at columbus.in.gov or the Columbus Collect apps or on social media @ColumbusRecycles on Facebook.

Bartholomew County authorities say a crash involving drunk teens and a stolen vehicle led to one person being sent to an Indianapolis hospital Friday night.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to reports of a vehicle driving recklessly on Interstate 65 at just after 11:30 Friday night, including swerving on the highway and brake checking other vehicles. Deputies soon found the vehicle and tried to pull the driver over.

However, instead the driver took off at speeds of more than 110 mph police say. The driver attempted to get off the interstate at the Walesboro exit, lost control and sent the vehicle airborne before it rolled over trapping a passenger inside. Police found that the three people inside were all juveniles and appeared to be intoxicated. The vehicle had also been reported stolen out of Indianapolis.

All three were treated by medics at the scene and one was taken to IU Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis by ambulance.

Deputies say that the 16-year-old driver was taken to the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center on the charges of: Possession of marijuana, Possession of Stolen Property, Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle, Operating While Intoxicated, Operating While Intoxicated – Endangerment and Illegal Consumption.

The other two juveniles will have criminal charges considered after their medical treatment.

Deputies say the accident remains under investigation.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Railroad crossings around Columbus will continue to be closed this week as crews make repairs.

According to Legacy Excavating, the contractor for the project on the Louisville and Indiana Railroad tracks, the company will be making crossing repairs in the Columbus area.

Upcoming closures include

• South Gladstone Ave north of Kreutzer Drive will be closed on Tuesday.
• South Marr Road  east of South Gladstone Ave and south of Roadway Drive will be closed on Wednesday.
• South Hinman Street south of Vermont Street will be closed on Thursday. This work was delayed and rescheduled due to bad weather.

The crossings are expected to be closed from 6 to 6 each day.

The work schedule is dependent on the weather.