Friday’s South Harrison school board meeting featured presentations from prinicipals at each school. To hear from the secondary administrators on the status of their school and plans for the upcoming school year, listen to our audio recording.
Speakers with time markers:
Dr. Mark Black at South Central speaks first, starting just 15 seconds in. Keith Marshall at CCHS starts speaking at the 15:50 mark, followed by CCJHS prinicpal Jason Toler at the 33:19 mark:
South Harrison Community School Corporation has amended their originally approved covid guidelines for the 2021-2022 school year.
The full meeting recording is up now on the site, skip to the 5:50 mark to hear the full discussion on the updated covid guidelines:
The major amendment to guidelines is that quarantines for unvaccinated staff and students will be required after close contact and/or exposure. Unvaccinated educators and staff are no longer considered essential and there are no extensions of federal days off. Skip to the 12:00 mark in our audio recording of today's meeting to hear Carolyn Wallace explain this.
As of right now, masks remain optional, but superintendent Mark Eastridge said that "could change."
Board members Karen Lopp and Diana Sailor vocalized their concerns. Lopp says she is "angry at the government, cause they are darn determined that everyone is going to get that vaccination." Sailor expressed her concerns about the safety of the vaccine for children and that "it's not fair to the kids."
This meeting also included reports from elementary administrators.
Over one hundred people attended tonight's Lanesville School Board meeting and many parents voiced their thoughts on a presentation on the legal status of transgender students by the corporation's attorney, Sunnye Bush- Sawtelle.
Sawtelle outlined the details of recent case law regarding the legal status of transgender students.
Skip to the 27:40 mark in our audio recording of the meeting to hear her presentation and the subsequent comments by community members
To hear details on Lanesville’s covid re-opening protocol and procedures, skip to the 18:00 mark.
If you are interested in learning more about the Harrison County Sherrif’s Department, we recommend listening to our recording of last night’s merit board meeting.
The meeting was quite brief. They adopted the previous minutes, reported their finances.
The Sheriff also updated the board on the radio communications project that they've been working on for over four years. It will be going to bid before the end of the year. Currently there are a number of dead spots in the county where their communications don't work. They are trying to get as close to 100% as possible. At the Sheriff's request they accepted both candidates for hire whom they had interviewed in executive session.
At July 12th's county council meeting Darrell Voelker, executive director of Harrison County Economic Development Corporation, requested a refundable deposit of $1,012,000 from the county to extend a natural gas pipeline at the Lanesville interchange/business park.
At this point in time, Voelker is unable to provide the name of the company or developer. The company is in distribution and promises at least 300 jobs and over 20 million dollars in investment. The money provided by the county would be on a six year contract with no guarantees it will be refunded in full.
We highly recommend watching Voelker’s presentation to fully understand this request.
Last night a concerned resident voiced her concern about the lack of funding available to Harrison County Animal Control, Corydon Indiana. Her presentation is a succinct, passionate overview of the challenges this department faces:
If you agree that more funding should be given to HCAC, please contact the Harrison County Council.
After presenting a draft of her proposed budget for 2022 at Monday’s commissioner’s meeting, April Breeden, director of the Harrison County Animal Control, will return to the county council to request pay raises for employees.
Breeden originally requested this pay increase last month and it was denied by the council— read more about that and watch her presentation right here.
The commissioners were unanimously supportive of Breeden and her work at HCAC. They expressed their concern and disapproval of the recent decision to further devalue the department and the council’s reluctance to visit the facility. Commissioner Charlie Crawford stated that he doesn’t “know how, with the restrrictions that you’ve got there now, that you manage to make everything happen, but thank you for it.”
Commissioner Jim Heitkemper reiterated those thoughts insisting that,
If you appreciate the job that Harrison County Animal Control employees are doing and feel like they should be compensated, we encourage to show up and advocate for them.
Please consider attending the Harrison County Council meeting on Monday July 12th at 7:00 pm Harrison County Government Center 245 Atwood Street in Corydon.
Last week the Harrison County Economic Development Corp. Board of Directors approved the idea of joining with the Southwest Indiana Development Council (SWIDC), a Non-Profit Regional Organization, in order to apply for some of the $500 million State of Indiana READI grant money. At the Tuesday morning's Commissioners meeting, Darrell Voelker, Executive Director of the Harrison County Economic Development Corp., made the Commissioners aware that the Harrison County Economic Development Corp. is planning to join the SWIDC to apply for the READI grant money. Mr. Voelker will present the opportunity to the Harrison County Council at next Monday's Council meeting.
The Regional Economic Acceleration & Development Initiative (READI) is a $500 million grant program approved by the Indiana legislature and signed by Governor Holcomb to help the Regions of Indiana propel investment in Indiana’s quality of place, quality of life and quality of opportunity as described on the Indiana Economic Development Corporation website: https://www.iedc.in.gov/program/indiana-readi/home
This issue was discussed at the June 7th county council meeting with councilmember Jennie Capelle in favor. To watch the original discussion, click here.
This evening the South Harrison Community School board of trustees outlined the covid protocols and procedures for the upcoming school year. To hear this discussion, skip to 11 minutes into our audio recording:
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.
