Tuesday, June 13, 2023

New Store in Town

When It Rains It Pours

Evening Preview: Board of Zoning Appeals Docket

The Shelby County Board of Zoning Appeals tonight will hear several cases and consider adopting rules of procedure. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the annex building.

In old business, the board will hear a request from Douglas Hunt for a variance of use regarding an automobile salvage and repair business on 22 acres at 1796 W. Washington Ave., Shelbyville, area once used for waste processing and a landfill. The requested variances include use of an existing gravel driveway and parking area rather than the required hard surface, lack of ADA parking spaces, use of existing parking area encroaching more than 50 percent into the front yard setback and allowing unscreened outdoor storage of vehicles and equipment. A 10,000-plus square foot commercial building on the property is currently leased to a company that repairs and rebuilds vehicles intended for sale at an off-site car lot. During a county staff visit, approximately 40 vehicles were at the site. Since the property is within the City of Shelbyville's incorporated planning area, the city planning department staff reviewed the request and issued no objections, but recommended screening and/or limiting the size of the outdoor storage area. An email from the city staff noted there are few neighbors to the south of the property now, but the comprehensive plan shows a future section of Tom Hession/Progress Parkway crossing the river, with the south side of the river shown as Single Family Residential zoning. The county staff is recommending approval for the rezone request with a recommended stipulation that no more than 40 vehicles be present outdoors.

In new business, the board will hear the following:

• A request from Jasvir Singh to install a lit sign projecting seven feet from the face of the building identifying the Waldron General Store, 110 W. Washington Street. The staff is recommending approval.
• A request from Mark Lee for a variance to allow for three single-family lots to use a single private driveway at 5815 W PR 874 S. (Two single-family lots using one driveway is permitted.) The petitioner intends to subdivide one additional lot off the property, which would require approval from the Plan Commission. The staff is recommending denial because the homesites sit a significant distance from the public road and mature trees would obscure homesites from the road, potentially posing difficulties for emergency personnel attempting to locate the homes. Also, the narrow width of the driveway was cited.
• A request from Mike and Laura Burton for variances to allow for five single-family lots to use a single private driveway on land south of and adjoining 7354 S. Edinburgh Road, Edinburgh. The staff is recommending denial of the request.

NOTEBOOK

• OF NOTE: A Sotheby's auction yesterday featuring items from Hollywood's golden couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had a Shelbyville connection. Two "Western Style Armchairs" previously located in Newman's Connecticut office had been made at Shelbyville's Old Hickory factory in the early 1900s. The chairs, which each had a brass plaque with the following engraved: "Old Hickory / Shelbyville, IN / Est. 1899," sold for $7,620. The Sotheby's sales consisted of more than 300 items from the actors' 50-year marriage.
• STATE NEWS: General Motors says it will spend $632 million to update its Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembly plant so it can make the next generation of full-size pickup trucks with internal combustion engines. The investment in new conveyors and equipment in the body shop and assembly areas won't create any new jobs. But GM said on Monday it will keep jobs for about 4,000 people who work at the plant. Construction will start in 2024 at the plant, which now builds the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty pickup trucks. (Indiana Public Media)

This Day in Shelby County History

2018: The Shelby Storm, a local girls travel softball team, won the UFO 8-and-under Class C State Championship. Team members were Gracie Crafton, Leia Conner, Chesney Cook, June Berkenstock, Cheyanne Moody, Jadalyn Vickery, Jayden Williams, Kaelyn Putnam, Kali Kieninger, Katie Robinson and Alex Skirvin. Coaches were Nolan Conger, Deidrea Crafton, Jenny Skirvin and Tara Branam.

2013: Gene and Susan (Stine) Petty celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

2008: U.S. Army Pvt. Matthew McClintock, son of John and Shelly McClintock, graduated from basic training.

The Holiday Inn Express announced plans to build a three-story hotel northwest of the Shelby County Athletic Club.

2003: Blue River Lions Club scholarships were awarded to Laura Parmer, Tony Schoentrup, Brandyn Weaver, Maraysa Raffensparger, Lezlie Lemmons and Ryan Harpring.

1998: Verna Stubbs, 87, died. She had held a bachelor's degree from Indiana University and married George L. Stubbs, a local attorney and newspaper cartoonist. She was survived by a son, George Stubbs Jr., and a daughter, Mary Jane Ormerod.

1993: The Shelbyville Board of Works and county officials in separate meetings ordered the demolition of homes, a former feed grain building at 511 E. Washington St. and two former temporary school buildings in the Waldron area.

1988: Toby Cox of Fairland was named Outstanding Girl at the conclusion of the annual Hoosier Girls State program.

1983: Workers for Beaty Construction started the first phase of foundation work on the expansion project at Knauf Fiber Glass.

K-T Corp. announced plans for a significant expansion. The space would be used to complete interior work on 51 buses being customized for San Francisco Golden Gate Bus Company. Runnebohm Construction won the contract.

1978: The Shelbyville Professional Center, 1640 East State Road 44, prepared to open July 1. Dr. William Haehl and Dr. James Peters would be moving their offices to the location.

1973: Booker T. Washington Youth Center members cleaned the little house behind the Fuller Center, which they had been using for meetings. Volunteers were Cynthia Carter, Arnee Joseph, Rhonda Giden, Vanessa Carter, Linda Palmer and Mrs. Earlene Smith.

1968: A chilly day put a damper on the swimming party for the Shelbyville High School show group at the Elks Country Club. A newspaper photo showed Tom Brenton, JoAnn Martin, Gary Knight and Mary Pritchard sitting on the side of the pool, hesitant to get in.

1963: The former First Evangelical and Reformed Church would be the new home of the First Pilgrim Holiness Church when construction work on the E. Pennsylvania St. building was complete, which would double the seating capacity.

1958: Sharlene Taylor was named queen during a style show at the General Electric employee picnic. Members of her court, who all wore gowns from the Jester Department Store, were Mary Louise Brown, Janet Hungerford, Linda Weicks, Julie Larrison and Julie Theobald.

1953: J.A. Walner, a freight and ticket agent here for the New York Central Railroad office since 1924, retired with nearly 50 years total service in the industry. Walner said that he wasn't too worried about the new interstates. "Business picks up with the coming of winter and bad weather and roads," he said. But the busiest days, he admitted, were back when Shelbyville was home to 22 furniture factories, resulting in 40 carloads shipped from Shelbyville daily. Another favorite memory of his was from 1926 when four carloads of unbroken range broncos arrived from South Dakota.

1948: City officials discussed creating a planning commission to prevent the spread of business houses into residential areas. The issue arose after a W. Broadway home was to be converted to a business, which was opposed by 50 area residents.

1943: The little town of Tailholt, in Hancock County but close to Fountaintown, held a 20th annual reunion, attended by 200. The group reminisced and paid tribute to the memory of James Whitcomb Riley.

1938: The local Ford dealer announced the arrival of the Ford Park Tudor, which reportedly averaged 24 miles per gallon.

1933: City Council voted to remove the abandoned traction line tracks down Harrison St. The city's gasoline tax money was allocated to remove the tracks.

1928: Only VanBuren and Shelby Township residents showed an increase in valuation of properties following a recent assessment. Homes in all other parts of the county, including Shelbyville, on average lost value.

1923: The Ku Klux Klan's first public initiation in Shelbyville was held at City Park. "About 19 members received the oath which admitted them into full Klan membership," The Republican reported. Several of those receiving the oath were women, the paper said. Several people had lingered near the park to hear the oath and report back to neighbors on the event.

OBITUARIES

None today