Last night’s Harrison Township Advisory Board meeting featured a couple funding requests from the Town of Corydon and the Harrison Township Fire Department. To hear an update on skatepark plans from Corydon Town Council president Les Rhoads, skip to 1hr 22mins into the audio recording.
Jeremy McKim - Harrison County Coroner
Asking for additional money for autopsies
The original 2021 budget request was for $75,000, which was cut to $35,000
Initial $35k is almost depleted with about $1,000 left in the account
Requesting $40,000 additional funding to bring total amount up to the initial budget request amount of $75,000
About 18 cases behind compared to caseload this time last year, approx. 2 autopsies behind. Autopsy cost is roughly $2,000
It is important to note that McKim stated the following:
This meeting also included presentations from Woda-Cooper Companies regarding the housing development planned for Poolside Dr and Hwy 337 and Otto Schalk requesting a transfer of funds that will allow his office to increase salaries for deputy prosectuors.
Additionals Advertised:
Highway Dept.
$5,219.20 additional for truck and tractor repairs
6-0 passed
Infrastructure sharing money
$13,672.58
6-0 passed
Revenue sharing money
$351,580.53
6-0 passed
Parks Dept.
$7,000 for a purchase of a lawnmower
6-0 passed
Auditor
$1767 for equipment
6-0 passed
Assessor Office
Motion to Deny a request for an additional $678,856.73
Carried 6-0
FYI for all Harrison County residents:
We've recently heard the experiences of two locals who were contacted for a "grandparent scam."
In both instances, an older person received a panicked phone call from someone impersonating their grandchild. They say they're in trouble out of state and need bail money. Their "lawyer" then calls and instructs the grandparent to send a large cash payment to post bail for their grandchild.
Locals have followed through with the scam to varying degrees. While it may seem far-fetched, the scam artists are professionals who know just what to say to frighten and alienate grandparents enough to comply without telling other family members. It's estimated that these scams cost seniors $40+ million a year. They seem to target a region, then move on, and potentially re-target the region again after some time has passed.
If you or a loved one have been contacted or victimized by the scam, please notify the police.
We also want to hear from you. If you are up for sharing your experience:
We hope to raise awareness so fewer community members are victimized.
Your submissions will remain anonymous.
On Wednesday, local pickleball players attended the Harrison County Parks Board meeting in support of a designated pickleball venue. Representatives from the group also attended last month's meeting to get approval from the board on a project, fully funded by the Harrison County Community Foundation, to repair their courts located at Rhoads Pool.
The board voted to approve the project at May's board meeting, full audio of that meeting found here.
However, on Wednesday Shickles outlined his vision for a much larger venue for pickleball at the bottom of Hayswood Hill (lower end where the basketball courts now are...end point of the Indian Creek Trail). He wants to "aggressively" develop this area into a "low-impact adult sports complex" including permanent cornhole games, bocce ball, pour and place rubber areas covered by sail cloth that can be used for activities such as yoga.
Shickles insists that this facility will open up the community to out-of-town pickleball players in the form of tournaments, ultimately bringing in more revenue. During his presentation, Shickles said that
He then proposed to the board that he spend the next 30 days doing initial research to construct a plan with hard numbers for the project. The board unanimously approved the initiative.
Last night the commissioners heard a presentation from Woda Cooper Companies regarding a possible senior housing development for Poolside Dr and Hwy 337 in Corydon. Woda Cooper Companies own and manage all of their properties.
Woda Cooper Companies utilizes federal tax credits to build affordable housing.
For a complete outline of the project, skip to 10:30 in the meeting video.
This meeting also included discussion of bids with the Harrison County Highway Department and an additional request from coroner Jeremy McKim.
Last night parent board president Katie Forte resigned her position due to mounting pressure from her fellow boardmembers. Prior to this meeting, Parks superintendent Larry Shickles contacted SISA league president Amy Whitlatch to lobby for Forte's resignation. The league board then threatened to remove the Hammerheads team from the league or place the team on probation if Forte was not removed.
Rhoads Pool is on the agenda for tomorrow night's Parks Board meeting, stay tuned for more updates.
At the June 7th Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners were informed that the State of Indiana Regional Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) $500 million statewide grant program was offering about $50 million in grant money to Southeast Indiana counties who are affiliated with the local Regional Development Authority (RDA) .
At the June 14th Council meeting, councilmemberJennie Capelle asked the Commissioners if they intended to pursue any of the $50 million grant money.
Commissioner Jim Heitkemper said since Harrison County is a riverboat casino county, it would cause problems for other local counties applying for grant money if Harrison County tried to apply for the grant money.
Commissioner Stepro had no comment or explanation.
The Harrison County Commissioners are not providing a transparent description of what is going on and prefer to pass up the READI grant money that could be used as Capelle pointed out for broadband expansion in the county.
Click here to read the original press release from Our Southern Indiana
The Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) has issued a call for projects for communities and non-profits to participate in the Regional Economic Acceleration + Development Initiative (READI) program. The RDA approved the Call For Projects Submission form and the Project Scorecard at their most recent meeting on June 9th. Communities and non-profits are being asked to collaborate with others to submit projects that will have a regional impact.
The READI program was created in the state’s biennial budget during this year’s legislative session and signed into law by Governor Holcomb. The budget allocated $500 million directly to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to implement and oversee the program. According to the READI information on the IEDC website, the program was created because, “Indiana and its regional communities have an opportunity to accelerate economic resilience and growth and become magnets for the talent Hoosier businesses need to thrive. By developing a collaborative, long-term plan for growth, regional communities throughout the state will have a game plan to invest in their future growth and prosperity, deliberately and thoughtfully.”
Since the legislation was first announced in February, the RDA has been working with community leadership within the region to monitor the legislation and garner support for an RDA application. Upon passage of the legislation, the IEDC has worked with regions around the state to produce guidelines and answer questions regarding the READI program. Currently, the IEDC is looking for regions to collaborate and apply for the available funding. The maximum funding that a region may receive is $50 million.
The READI application is a two-step process. The first step is for the RDA to submit an online form that notifies the IEDC that they are planning to submit an application and provides details regarding the geographical region of the applicant. This step has already been completed. The second step is for the RDA to submit a Regional Development Plan (RDP) on or before August 31, 2021. According to the READI information on the IEDC website, “A regional development plan should outline the region’s vision for its future and articulate the strategies and projects in which it plans to invest to achieve that vision.”
The RDA is made up of five counties in southern Indiana: Clark, Floyd, Jefferson, Scott, and Washington. The RDA Board of Directors consists of 5 members appointed by County Commissioners of the five counties. Chair Dana Huber, stated, “The RDA is asking for communities to think outside of the box, be bold, when developing their projects and working on their application. We also want to see project collaboration both inside and outside of the RDA region.
“This is a once in a generation opportunity for our region to receive a much-needed economic catalyst,” she continued. “To receive project funding of this magnitude we must work together and submit the best regional development plan as possible.” Huber and the other four members of the RDA board: Ken Rush of Floyd County, Kevin Kellems of Jefferson County, Steve Meyer of Scott County, and John Jones of Washington County will be reviewing the applications and intend to include a project list within the submitted Regional Development Plan on August 31.
The Call for Project Submission Form, located on the RDA’s website (https://oursoinrda.org), and ancillary materials are due July 20 at 5:00 pm. “We know this is a short timeline for our communities,” Huber admitted, “but this will ensure that the RDA board members have time to review and grade all submissions based on the published score card. This also allows for us to follow up with submissions to ensure we fully understand the projects.”
The RDA board members are encouraging all communities and non-profits to submit projects. Huber did mention, “submitted projects should emphasize on their regional impact and sustainability.”
The Call for Projects is officially open and available to all communities and non-profits within and surrounding the RDA. The submission forms are due by July 20 at 5:00pm (EST). After the RDA board members have had time to review the submissions, they will select a list of projects to include into the Regional Development Plan. Public support of the plan, along with endorsements and approvals, will be solicited during August before being submitted to the IEDC.
Once a region submits their Regional Development Plan, it may be requested to present to a selection committee in the fall. The current timeline states that if awarded, the RDA will receive notice in December.
For more information regarding the program and call for projects, please visit the Our Southern Indiana RDA website at https://oursoinrda.org.
Monday's county council meeting provided some more information regarding the sewer project in New Salisbury.
This is an issue with a long history and Richard Gettelfinger gave an excellent presentation that puts it all into context. To better understand what's happening, skip to 1hr, 6mins into the video. In addition to the sewer project, there were additional requests from the Highway Department, the Parks Department, and Harrison County Assessor.
Also, the council voted 5-1 to deny a request from Harrison County Animal Control, Corydon Indiana to increase pay for one of their part-time employees
This increase would result in $1890 total. A fraction of the recent requests approved by the council in previous months by other departments. Councilwoman Holli Castetter insisted that these increases should be addressed at budget time. Last summer when the council constructed the 2021 budget, April Breeden (director of HCAC), made it clear that her employees needed pay increases and nothing was done.
To see this vote, skip to 1hr37min into the meeting video.
Councilman Richard Gerdon did not vote in favor of denying. Castetter, Donnie Hussung, Jennie Capelle, Ross Schulz, and Brad Wiseman voted in favor. Kyle Nix was absent.
Given the major developments currently underway in New Salisbury, the Harrison County Regional Sewer District is in need funds to repair and expand the current system. Starting at the 3:30 mark, Bob Woosley outlines the scope of the project and why it is needed for the community.
Berkshire Mobile Home Park is in need of new lines and both the Apple Orchard and Kepley Fields developements cannot reach completion with the system as it is now. This is a capacity issue given the upcoming population growth in the area.
The project will be broken down into two phases:
The request for phase one is $1.4 million and will immediately take care of the capacity issue in terms of growth temporarily. It will essentially buy some time, two to three years. $250,000 of this is needed immediately.
Phase 2: Over $2 million for treatment plant expansion. This will double the size of the treatment plant and be a permanent fix for predicted population growth.
Harrison County Health Department director Carrie Herthel reported that the even though the Harrison County Parks board signed the MOU extension, the Optum contract did not get expanded, so the MOU extension is not needed and
They are working to find another testing situation for the most vulnerable population in Harrison County. It was mentioned that staffing an off-site location for a single digit number of tests each day was not sustainable. Commissioners and members of the Board of Health came up with several options to address the concern to continue to make available free covid testing for those that needed it.
We plan to follow up with the Parks Board regarding the status of the Rhoads pool at their next meeting on June 23rd. If you want to understand this development in context, we recommend listening to this episode of the podcast.
The Commissioners were invited to be briefed and to have discussion regarding the Board of Health’s concerns about Senate Enrolled Act #5 (click here to read more about it).
Herthel and Dr. Andrew Morton, the Harrison County Health Officer, presented concerns to the Commissioners about Senate Enrolled Act #5:
Morton said that “It’s a horrible order, It’s gonna kill people, but on the local level, maybe there’s something we can do to have some sort of intermediary… give us 72 hours until we can get this sorted out type of thing… I don’t know… I’m just spitballing…”
He gave an example: If a tornado goes through Elizabeth, and the water is no longer safe to drink, the way the law is now, the Health Department can’t do anything about it until the Commissioners meet and make a decision. Commissioners have to announce meetings ahead of time, so it could be 48 hours before they could even meet. Additionally, if business owners don’t like the orders by the Health Department, they can protest and not have to follow the orders.
It was noted that Governor Holcomb vetoed the bill, but the veto was overridden by the General Assembly.
The new order ties the hands of the Health Department in the event of an emergency and politicizes the position of the Health Officer as that position will no longer be chosen by the Board of Health, but by the Commissioners.
Commissioners and Board of Health were in agreement that a “work through” was needed. Jim Heitkemper added, “You folks, in your trade, are more trained to deal with this emergency situations than I am… I’m trained to know if the cows are out in the road, I’ve gotta get my boots on and go get ‘em.”
An update on vaccinations and testing was given and an additional covid death this past week was noted.
Last night's Parks Board meeting was held at South Harrison Park in Laconia and was full of information including multiple proposals and projects regarding the Indian Creek Trail, a media request for filming at the Battle Park, a possible RDA opportunity with neighboring counties, and more.
Parks Board president Teresa Sutton also has sent us the minutes for both the April 28, 2021 and the May 12, 2021 Parks Board meetings.
Harrison County Council Meeting - May 24th, 2021
April Breeden, director at Harrison County Animal came in front of the council at the last meeting to request an increase in payroll to get another part-time animal control officer, as well as a $.20 raise for another officer
Now requesting an additional $1,890 to give another employee a $.50 raise
This employee has been there for over 2 years, “she is the face of our shelter...that place could not run without her”
She was hired under the assumption that she would eventually transition into a full-time position
This has not occurred, the raise is a hope to help keep this valuable employee on at Animal Control.
Animal Control is experiencing high turnover with their employees due to low-wages
Emphasized they get good workers, but they are having difficulty retaining these employees due to non-competitive pay
Kennel Techs make $8.71/Hour and it’s part-time employment
Breeden acknowledged that many view the job as not something that should be a career, but expressed how her employees really love their jobs and want to stay but are unable due to low wages.
They have had to close on Saturdays due to staffing problems.
Budgeted $71,560 for 4 Kennel Techs at 28 hours/week
Money being requested is to raise the current salaries of a couple of employees, plus hire a part-time animal control officer to replace the current officer about to go on maternity leave
The $.20 raise for one officer is due to extra responsibilities that are going to be taken on when another officer goes on maternity leave
Animal Control vs. Animal Shelter
Apparently, animal control is not eligible for state/federal grants because they are not a 501c3 organization, whereas Animal Shelters are due to their 501c3 status
Animal Control rep. stated that she recently learned of other government facilities gaining 501c3 status, often through creating a “Friends of _____”
She believes this might be a potential route to garnering more funding for Animal Control through grants, but this process is complex and work-intensive and she has yet to find anyone willing and able to take on the endeavor
“Euthanizing ferals left and right”
Raised $6,000 dollars to get a spay/neuter suite in the facility so that vets can come to them, which will save a “tremendous” amount of money - however, the facility is going to cost an estimated $10k
Raised this point simply as an example of how conscious she is about maximizing the cost-effectiveness of Animal Control
Animal Control officer and office manager make $13/Hour, 1 Kennel Tech that has been there for 2+ years makes $10/hour, 3 other kennel techs make $8.71.
At last night’s Parks Board meeting, it was decided that for the next few months, the board will hold meetings out in the various parks throughout the county.
Please see photo for the changes to their upcoming meeting schedule…many thanks to board president Teresa Sutton for providing it to us.
Superintendent Larry Schickles stated that the Nix company dumpster parked in front of the Wright Center will now be paid for by the Friends of Corydon Capitol Historic Site, the organization that owns the building. The FCCHS is made up of Shickles, former parks board member Heather Davis, and perhaps others.
When asked about a second Nix company dumpster parked at Buffalo Trace in Palmyra, Shickles suggested contacting the town of Palmyra for answers.
To hear Shickles explain the Nix company dumpster situation in detail, skip to 1:11 in this audio recording:
Also, the board reversed their policy to refuse questions on non-agenda items. At the end of this meeting, they opened it up to the public and took questions on non-agenda items.
Lisa Long, president of Harrison County Chamber of Commerce, provided updates and a review on various projects and proposals currently in progress regarding highspeed internet access/broadband for the county.
One specific goal mentioned was working towards getting Harrison County certified a "Broadband Ready" community: https://www.in.gov/indianabroadband/funding-and-program-resources/broadband-ready/
This is one of the most important issues in our community. We recommend skipping to 8:30 in this video to learn more: https://harrisoncountyin.civicclerk.com/Web/Player.aspx?id=716&key=-1&mod=-1&mk=-1&nov=0
April Breeden requested an additional request for $11,696.74 to hire an additional part-time employee, which includes a .20 raise for another part-time officer.
Parks Department superintendent Larry Shickles requested $26,600 repairs on the duck pond/watershed area at Buffalo Trace. Many thanks to councilmember Holli Castetter for asking questions to clarify this request.
Kevin Russel at the Harrison County Highway Department requested $600,000 out of riverboat funds for bituminous as part of the INDOT/Community Crossings grant projects.
Jennie Capelle made a motion that the additional request to fund downtown courthourse renovations be tabled for another two weeks to explore other options. Holli Castetter seconded, insisting that all councilmembers need to be present before voting. Richard Gerdon also stated that he wants to wait until Donnie Hussung and Brad Wiseman are present to vote and the motion was approved 5-0.
As promised, we have more information for you regarding the Nix company dumpster outside of the Wright Center.
It was delivered to the Parks Department at cost due to unreasonable delivery times for other companies.
In order to avoid further speculation, our previous post has been deleted. We hope that in the future, these kind of arrangements are publicized beforehand to benefit both elected officials and the public.
We will continue to advocate for a more transparent Harrison County.
If you want to better understand our position on this, we highly recommend listening to our latest podcast episode:
Julie Moorman -- Harrison County Community Foundation 5:30
Update on adult scholarship program
Must be 25 and older at least 2yrs living in Harrison County w/ no degree
So far in 2021, 7 adults have received scholarships totaling $27,500
Derrick Grigsby --
$22,125,816.93 net available to spend in community fund
Investments and riverboat revenue trending upward
Lisa Long -- Harrison County Chamber of Commerce 10:00
Update on the joint effort between the chamber and the HCCF for consultant proposals regarding broadband access in Harrison County
Goal is to have consultant provide analysis that will ultimately allow Harrison County to be qualified as Indiana Broadband Ready
The resulting report will be a public document for all elected officials to utilize.
Jill Saegesser - Wheatley Group 19:00
Update and congratulations for a $250,000 small business covid relief grant from the Office of Community & Rural Affairs
In partnership with Harrison County Economic Development
Roland Lemus - Transportation Director at Blue River Services - 27:30
Multiple updates on grants and budgets regarding the transportation services provided by Blue River Services
Lemus presented a lot of information on this operation and we encourage you to watch video to get full scope of the report.
Larry Schickles - Harrison County Parks Department - 37:45
Additional request of $26,600 for Buffalo Trace
South watershed was originally built with a retaining pool which is currently full of sediment. Needs to be dug deeper and new aerators installed.
A land bridge also needs to be removed
Also gave an update on the Canadian geese situation, which is improving
Mel Quick Miller - Harrison County Highway Department - 46:00
3 open positions at the department: made recommendations for highway crewmen
Recommendations were hired by commissioners
For updates on specific projects and contracts, skip to 48:00 to hear county engineer Kevin Russel speak about INDOT/Community Crossings
Motion that the county will no longer install driveway culverts for individuals who buy their own culvert. It will now be up to homeowners to hire private contractors to hire Approved 3-0
Old Hwy 11/Community Crossings project: bid awarded to CNR Construction
After months of reporting on the Parks Department's lack of transparency, we have received some explanations from them.
Yesterday, Parks Board president Teresa Sutton reached out on the Blue Dot Facebook page to explain why their board meetings are not recorded, the minutes and agendas are not posted online, etc. Given how often we've written about this issue, we felt it necessary to pass the info along to you:
Please note that the Parks Department is a public agency, which is held to the same rules as any government office according to Indiana Open Door Law: https://www.in.gov/pac/files/pac_handbook.pdf
Obviously, we have many questions about these statements and find them inadequate. However, we are happy to report that Sutton has agreed to forward the meeting minutes to us directly every month, which we will of course share with you.
The Harrison County Council recently gave $166,000 of additional funding to the Harrison County Parks Department for renovations on the Wright Center in downtown Corydon. The county does not own this building.
There is now a dumpster from S&M Nix Excavating parked outside while the work is being done. Yes, Nix, as in county councilman Kyle Nix, who voted to give out the money.
This raises many questions about a possible conflict of interest. We hope to learn more about this...stay tuned for updates.
It's no secret that the Harrison County Parks Department restricts access to its board meetings and has been hesistant to answer our questions in recent months. Regarding the Wright Center issue and the ongoing situation at Rhoads Pool, Harrison County residents asked simple questions that were completely reasonable and possible to answer.
However, at their board meeting last night, the Harrison County Parks Board announced that they will no longer take questions on non-agenda items from the public at their meetings. If you want to inquire about any Parks Board business, you must call the office and get placed on the agenda, which will only be posted on the door to the government center prior to the meeting.
We truly hope that the Parks Board starts posting the agenda online ahead of meetings, otherwise it will be very difficult to know when to voice concerns. Also, this eliminates any person from simply asking any questions regarding the Parks department
We will continue to attend and record Parks Board meetings. If you agree that this new policy sets a dangerous precedent and want to voice your concern, we encourage you to call the office at 812-738-8236 to do so.
