County Council asked for $166,000 by the Parks Department...
Last night Scott Fluhr, Parks Board vice-president/GOP Party Chair, and Larry Shickles, superintendent of Harrison County Parks , gave a thorough presentation at the county council meeting. We have attached photos of the presentation slides which outline details for the Wright Center proposal.
They asked for an additional $166,000 to renovate and furnish the building, which presently is owned by a nonprofit, the Friends of Corydon Capitol Historic Site (FCCHS), of which Shickles is the president and registered agent, a fact that was again not acknowledged during the meeting. FCCHS was administratively dissolved for not filing paperwork in 2019.
Led by council president Donnie Hussung, the members addressed concerns regarding the status of FCCHS, ownership of the building, and its current lease. Jennie Capelle stated she is not comfortable voting before the FCCHS is back in good standing and the current lease has been reviewed.
Schickles insisted that “the Friends group is all people associated with the Parks so this is a matter of it’s a public building that is going to get purposed again. There is no one who gets paid anything.”
Schickles and council agree that a new lease is needed and that eventually the property will be deeded to the county.
Three questions need to be answered:
1) Is this property a wise investment?
2) How will this appropriation improve the daily lives of Harrison County residents?
3) According to Shickles and Fluhr, revenue generation is a high priority for the Parks Department. Is this necessary and should we expect the county to provide services typically left to the private sector?
Last year we watched multiple additional requests get denied by the council. Additionals that would have provided high speed internet to households, increased healthcare resources during a pandemic, and provided much needed support to an already understaffed animal control department. It’s our understanding that the county’s financial situation, stressed by the loss of casino income due to the pandemic, has not changed.
Why would $166,000 for a building we don’t own be considered such a high priority?
We will not stop asking these questions in an effort to hold our elected officials accountable. The council will most likely vote on this request in two weeks on Monday, February 22nd.
If you also think these questions are important, we encourage you to contact the council and make your voice heard. Head here to get the contact information for the HC Council.
