JEFFERSONVILLE — An agreement has been reached between the Jeffersonville Redevelopment Commission and the Southern Indiana Tourism Bureau regarding the property where the bureau’s offices and visitor center used to be.
City attorney Les Merkley explained the situation during the commission’s meeting Wednesday with the original bureau offices and visitor center located at 305 and 315 Southern Indiana Ave.
He said the building was auctioned at a public sale, and they entered into a purchase agreement with the winning bidder.
SoIN Tourism Executive Director Jim Epperson said a title search was ordered before the start of the auction of the property, but they didn’t receive the results until the end of the auction on Dec. 12, 2023, where they saw the reversion clause.
Epperson said the deed to the property contained a reversion clause that was written in 1996 that states that when the tourism bureau leaves the property, it reverts back to the commission. He said the property was originally sold to the bureau from the commission for $1.
“It was really a protection for both organizations back then,” Epperson said about the clause.
Merkley and Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore said discussions were made and agreement was reached between the commission and bureau.
“I’m satisfied with these terms,” Moore said at the meeting.
The tourism bureau will revert the property back to the commission, which will then be sold. Around $396,000 will go toward the commission, while the bureau will receive $455,000.
“I think the portion that we’re getting recognizes the investment that we’ve made over the years, but also respects the original ownership of the redevelopment commission,” Epperson said.
He said the property will be sold to Neace Ventures, and the closing of the sale will occur by the end of April. He said he thanks the attorneys that worked on this agreement with the city and bureau.
“We had great use of that property for 27 years,” Epperson said.
In February, the bureau moved to an office in downtown Jeffersonville at 228 Spring St., Suite 106. Epperson said there has been an “automatic uptick” of foot traffic to the visitor center particularly with residents.
“When that foot traffic really starts taking off with people crossing the bridge and events on the river stage, we know it’s going to be a great location for us,” he said.
Crossroads Academy, an alternative school for students with challenges, such as chronic truancy or behind in academic development, will move from its present location back to the Ripon High School building.
Kerry McCarthy, school social worker for the Ripon Area School District (RASD), and Crossroads Academy Director Steve Books addressed the board Monday, Feb. 19 about details relating to the move. Crossroads Academy has been located in the First Congregational Church of Ripon on Ransom Street for the last 20 years and now is set to move back to the high school.
Brooks noted there are several reasons for the move.“We [will] have a lot more flexibility now, being on campus, to get kids out of the alternative ed setting if they are able to be in Ripon High School elective courses,” he said. “I currently have six kids taking at least one and as many as four courses at the high school, so it’s changed drastically since I took over two years back, and we have more kids participating in things, which I think is good.”
Brooks added that returning to the main campus would benefit the students in other ways as well. Among them is that the sense of community would be stronger, since many of the off-site students feel isolated and not part of the school body.
Another benefit is that the program could reach out to other students who might need the services of the academy, as well as ease of access to other courses, such as English or social studies. Brooks noted a significant time presently is lost to traveling back and forth between classes.
“Being on campus would allow me to be more of a resource for other teachers as well,” Brooks said.
Just because the academy will be located at the high school, it does not mean it will be integrated into the daily climate there. A separate security entrance is under consideration so that students in the program can enter and exit without going through the office along with all of the other students.
“We are currently looking at a location in the school, in the high school building, and there would have to be a couple of changes that would have to happen,” he said. “Basically, just adding another secure entrance to the building. … It would be the only entrance that the Crossroads kids would use, rather than coming in the main office at the start of the day with all of the other students.”
Brooks added it would give him direct oversight of who is coming and going from the building, and would enable the academy to be a part of the high school as a whole, while keeping it separate.
The move would save the district about $24,000 per year in rental fees, an amount that Brooks said he would like to use to hire another teaching aide for his staff. Crossroads Academy plans to open for full operations this fall at the Ripon High School building.
Another off-site school, the Near-Site Special Education Alternative School, is considering a move as well. RASD uses alternative schools run by CESA 6, Fundamentals and the Oshkosh Area School District, and has eight students who use that service at a cost of $318,722 for tuition and transportation costs of $71,697.
Those eight students range from grades 5 to 9 currently, but will be a grade level higher by the fall semester.
RASD Director of Special Education Becky Morrin addressed the Ripon School Board Monday, Feb. 19 about a possible move from the Oshkosh area to the soon to be vacated Crossroads Academy space at the First Congregational Church in Ripon.
Benefits for the move include shorter commutes, enhancing the ability for students to participate in RASD activities, increasing oversight of the program from the district and creating financial savings.
To move the school back to Ripon would save the district about $58,000 over the current tuition charged by CESA 6 and would necessitate the hiring of two full-time special education teachers and two full-time support staff members.
Rent for the school would remain about the same as what the Crossroads Academy was charged, just more than $20,000, but transportation costs would be slashed by more than 50%, from $71,000 to $31,000.
Along with cost savings for transportation, it would be easier for parents to pick up sick children and for doctor’s appointments, due to the school being in Ripon and not Oshkosh.
“We want to put this program a little closer to our school courses so we are able to provide staff, school psychologist support, social worker support, more support from myself, who will help these students with their learning and their ultimate transition back to their home building,” Morrin said.
This was not an action item for the School Board, but rather a briefing of intent by Morrin and her staff as to what they want to accomplish. Once the Crossroads Academy vacates its location at the First Congregational Church, the new school, whose name has not been released as yet, would be able to settle in time for the fall semester. The board will consider approving the move at a later meeting.
Consultants Leon and Will Younger with PROS Consulting updated Norfolk City Council members on the results of a community survey about parks and recreation needs in the community. The survey was conducted as part of the creation of a long-range master plan for parks and rec development in the city.
The Youngers, who are spearheading work on the master plan, said 594 residents completed the survey and that they were pleased that the number of respondents to the survey exceeded their expectations. Will Younger explained the various aspects of the master plan importance of community engagement in the plan process.
“Really, we looked at it through three ways, where are we today, where are we going tomorrow as a community and how do we get there,” Younger said. “… we really did a lot of community engagement, which included a statistically valid survey of the community, an online survey that … anybody could take, we looked at demographics and trends in the community, how is the community changing and what are the recreation trends.”
Will Younger said part of their work was also a comparison of parks and rec facilities in Norfolk with other similar communities in Nebraska.
Of the almost 600 participants, 420 surveys were submitted directly to PROS while 174 surveys were submitted online. Some of the key survey results include:
— 32% wanted multi-use paved trails.
— 23% wanted an indoor swimming or leisure pool.
— 18% wanted a natural or wildlife habitat area.
— 16% wanted more indoor fitness areas.
— 16% wanted an indoor walking or running track.
Survey respondents also prioritized parks and rec programs they’d like to see in the community, including:
— 34% wanted adult fitness and wellness programs.
— 18% wanted nature programs.
— 17% wanted active senior programs.
These priorities were identified from a list of dozens of potential parks and rec improvement possibilities for the community. PROS also conducted two community engagement meetings and formed five focus groups to address proposed parks and rec needs in the community.
According to city parks and rec director Nathan Powell, the master plan is part of the city’s overall effort to improve facilities in the community over the next several years, and the presentation on Tuesday was an effort to gain preliminary feedback from council members.
“What we want to hear from you is feedback on what you want to see in the master plan, and what you don’t want to see in the master plan, and give us something that we can bring back in April for the master plan presentation.”
While council members said they were pleased with the results of the survey and progress on the master plan to date, there were questions about how the city would fund the projects. Council president Shane Clausen said he believed identifying specific avenues for improvement project funding needed to be part of the presentation.
“I feel like we’ve got the cart ahead of the horse maybe a little bit if we don’t know the revenue funding part of it,” Clausen said. “We talk about hopes and dreams, but we don’t talk about how it all comes together in a feasible way that’s community driven.”
Leon Younger said most communities the size of Norfolk employ a variety of funding methods for master plan projects similar to the one they plan to propose to the city. PROS will be working with city staff to identify funding alternatives for the proposed improvements, although they said that grant programs, community partnerships and donations or additional hotel/motel or alcohol were possibilities.
Councilman Justin Webb said that although he appreciated the survey results, it was important that the community understand that some of the proposed projects, like an indoor swimming pool, would not be considered by the council until the public made it clear that it was a priority.
“We keep talking about this indoor pool a lot. There’s several elected bodies that serve the citizens of Norfolk. I don’t think an indoor pool … I don’t think this elected body is interested in pushing this. … That’s a community-driven thing that’s not going to come from council,” Webb said. “I appreciate the survey and the results, but a lot of these projects, I don’t want the perception that this is what we’re trying to do here on at the council.”
Mayor Josh Moenning also clarified that the parks and rec master plan was an important step for the city on being able to procure possible grant funding for any future projects.
Royse City ISD trustees last Friday announced that they have unanimously approved Thompson & Horton LLP to lead the upcoming search for a new leader to fill the void left by the retirement in December of longtime superintendent Kevin Worthy.
According to district officials, consultants Dr. Mike Moses, Dr. Curtis Culwell and David Thompson will assist RCISD in the development of a timeline, application process and solicitation of input from staff, parents and the community.
Trustees interviewed three superintendent search firms before giving the go-ahead to bring Thompson & Horton on board.
“On behalf of the School Board, we are excited and eager to work with Thompson & Horton on this important process,” said Scott Muckensturm, who serves as president of the Board. “As proven leaders in education across the state, they bring a wealth of experience in cultivating a process to make the selection of a school superintendent an authentic and successful one.
“We look forward to learning what matters most to parents, staff and the community.”
Worthy retired in December after more than 12 years in the role as superintendent for RCISD and 31 years in education but his legacy will remain moving forward with the district’s second high school scheduled to open in August of 2027 as Kevin Worthy Fate High School
Thompson is an attorney with Thompson & Horton LLP and is a former associate executive director for the Texas Association of School Boards and served as general counsel for the Texas Education Agency.
Moses previously served as the Texas Commissioner of Education from 1995 to 1999, was deputy chancellor and professor of educational administration for the Texas Tech University System from 1999 to 2000 and superintendent for Dallas ISD from 2000 to 2004.
Moses has served as superintendent of schools in four districts in Texas including a small, mid-size and large district.
Culwell has been a superintendent in three Texas school districts, including Garland ISD. He has also served as the first executive director for the Texas School Alliance and he currently is a member of the UIL state executive committee.
District officials say they will issue updates on the timeline and input opportunities and updates will be provided to staff, parents and the community along the way.
The district will also accept feedback directly to the school board anytime at boardtrustee@rcisd.org.