Dear Neighbors,

Thank you to everyone that attended the July VRA meeting! We had a good turn out and it was great to see both familiar and new faces. In the meeting we discussed a potential VBD plan for the 200 West Sycamore property, reviewed the 2016 VRA Guidelines for the same piece of property, and brainstormed about other ideas for that area. The original documents that we went over can still be found on the VRA website for those interested. I would also like to thank Josh Garrett, our District 5 Town Council representative, for attending the meeting.

Board Update: Please join me in welcoming Aaron Walton as our new VRA Vice President. Bret Brewer recently stepped down to focus on his Town Council campaign and Aaron was kind enough to accept the position. Among other Vice President duties, he will be working with other VRA members to update the format and the process of creating the Village Voice.

Future Meetings: It is an election year so there are a lot of meetings on tap for the Fall. For August, we are working on setting up a meeting featuring the ZCS referendums and the mayoral candidates. We have scheduled a September 24 meeting for the District 4, District 5, and At Large Town Council candidates. Both of these meetings will be a good opportunity for members to meet our local Zionsville politicians. I plan to put together a list of questions for each candidate to address so please send me suggestions at president@zvra.com. There will be opportunities for members to ask questions during the meetings but I want to make sure the important topics are covered.

Annual picnic: The annual picnic is scheduled for September 21. The Town Council candidates and mayoral candidates have been invited so it will be an opportunity to meet them individually, as well. Keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities closer to the date!

Village Voice: As I mentioned above, we are working on updating the Village Voice to include more articles and Village news. A big thank you to Aaron, Phil Martini, and Mike Mindel for taking on this project. They are in the planning process right now but once they have figured out a strategy, we will be looking for volunteers for a committee and writers. In the meantime, feel free to send me an email if you have any article ideas.

Lamplighter Award: The Lamplighter Award will be presented at the annual picnic again this year. Another big thank you to the committee that is working on determining this year’s winner. If you have any suggestions for homes that have had a significant restoration or rehabilitation completed over the past several years, please send them to me and I’ll pass them on to the committee.

Last but certainly not least, please tell your neighbors about the VRA and invite them to join! They can either sign up through the website or attend the next meeting. There are several benefits to joining, such as meeting others in the Village community, learning about plans/events that affect the Village and participating in VRA social events.

Have a great end of the summer and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Best,

Julia

president@zvra.com

Yesterday as I was headed to work, I noticed a small animal lying in our driveway. As I walked towards it, the animal stood up and it was a smallish racoon that was clearly sick. The heat and lack of clean water had caused it to develop distemper, and it needed to be put down. My wife called the police, and they came to euthanize the poor creature (which is a nice way of saying they had to shoot it). This is the second time in our 12 years in Zionsville that we’ve had this done.

I tell this story for two reasons. First, having served on the Board of Police Commissioners for almost four years, I’m constantly amazed and appreciative of all the great things our police do for us besides keeping us safe. I get a steady flow of thank you cards sent to officers via Chief Knox for random encounters they’ve had with our officers from changing tires to helping find lost pets. Second, Chief Knox has always emphasized that if you need assistance, don’t be afraid to call. If you hear something strange, see something strange or need help dealing with something like a distempered raccoon, they are always happy to come assist.

Switching gears, at a recent Town Council meeting we had to consider an appeal of an easement to a current encroachment on a petitioner’s property. This individual wanted to build a fence on a drainage easement to extend their yard while maintaining a level of privacy. While I’m always sympathetic to these types of requests, the Council has also consistently denied them. The reason behind this is that these easements exist on properties for valid reasons. It could be drainage, in this situation, or it could be for other reasons like access or utilities.

Having the easement allows the Town access to the property to address problems that may arise, and sometimes those problems require heavy equipment. Allowing construction on these easements opens the homeowner to having their projects (landscaping, pools, fences, etc.) destroyed at their own expense to allow the Town to fix issues. These easements are on all deeds and are part of the closing documentation of any sale.

I find the consistency in these denials keeps the “Pandora’s Box” closed of requests that will make it more expensive for the Town to access and fix issues within the easement, and prevents unnecessary and expensive surprises for home owners in future years.

Have a good rest of the summer!

At Home in the Village of Zionsville

In 1849, Polly and Elijah Cross sold a piece of property in Zionsville, to Mahala and John Bragg. John was a Civil War veteran and a member of the Grand Order of the Republic, an organization of honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps who had served between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865. John, a Master Bricklayer, was well-qualified to make the bricks he needed for their home. But first he needed to build the kiln in which to fire the bricks. John worked hard to complete the home before the birth of their first child. Most likely he worked day and night, digging the foundation, making and stacking the bricks, pouring over plans in the day light and by lantern light.