Announcements
Letter from the PresidentI am going to take this opportunity at the first of the year to look back and thank some folks. Chris Bucher Village News and EventsVillage Welcome Center by Kathy Scales Brown It doesn’t matter if I am gardening, sitting on my front porch, exiting my car or walking around the Village that I hear “Ma’am, could we ask you . . ?“ At Brown’s on Main the most frequent question asked is: “Ma’am, can you tell us where to find the public restrooms?”  When Zionsville was recently selected by the State of Indiana as a potential Cultural Designation Site, they also provided (at no cost) management consultant Sara Peterson to assist in the completion of the application. While brainstorming a month or two ago during a meeting of the Cultural Designation Committee, Sara asked: “So, what is Zionsville missing?” Of course, I start waving my hand – “We really, really need a Welcome Center and there is the cutest building for rent on Main Street and please don’t anyone go anywhere because I’m going to get the telephone # and be right back” and I dashed out of the room and across a parking lot and returned panting with the telephone # while another committee member opened her computer trying to learn who owned the building/property. I was so excited there was interest I couldn’t sleep that night, and it sounds like other committee members couldn’t either because in a few days someone stumbled upon a different building and it was perfect – 365 S. Main Street – and it included the courtyard with a fireplace. There were French doors that could be thrown open on a gorgeous day, a tiny kitchen with refrigerator, and an ADA-approved restroom!!!!! We wondered . . . would the owner allow this small jewel to be used during Christmas in the Village the entire month of December? He did! 300 visitors the first day! Even Santa made an appearance! (It is currently being staffed by volunteers serving cookies and hot chocolate while providing assistance.) Others continued conversations with the building’s owner. Suddenly I found myself at a Town Council meeting listening as funds were requested and then approved for the Welcome Center to continue a few more months. Immediately I wrote a letter of gratitude to the Town Council after their vote promising I would be its most active volunteer doing everything I personally could to make it a huge success. If you would like to join me in volunteering, please email Village resident Marianne Doyle at mhdoyle@indy.rr.com. In January, we’ll be in touch. Only happy, smiling faces need apply. Ruminations on Walmart by Rich Rezek I attended both VRA sessions with Walmart and here is what I walked away with: Walmart has done their homework and found that currently they receive about $20 million annually from Zionsville residents shopping at nearby Walmart locations, which they expect would only increase if they were closer. They feel they will be 'taking' the remaining business from Target , Marsh (Boone Village and 106th), and other large retailers as their main competitors. They are confident enough to be putting down a ~$30 million bet on success. So the question becomes, what kind of ‘shock’ will a super competitor bring to our local economic system? Thanks to Al Gore and the Internet, I did some research:
If they are coming, it seems only rational to recognize the potential impact and change early to minimize the impact so many others have seen. If we want Walmart to do anything different, the time to resolve them is BEFORE they get zoning approval and permits.
Walmart is/are an ultra efficient competitor. No criticism, mainly respect. I moved here 7 years ago because I liked what Zionsville stands for: small town close knit community, local independent retailers, and a still thriving Main Street driven community. To keep these things thriving, we need to be active custodians, not just observers. For or Against? Delighted or Devastated? Every voice adds to our collective best decision. Speak up to your Town Council representative and share your thoughts in your community. Please take the time to go to this website... http://www.fightbigbox.org/ This website has a lot of information on Variances, FAQ's, and links to important articles and documents regarding Walmart along with an online petition. Please take a few moments to look through the information here and come to meetings to share your thoughts. If you would like to sign a paper petition, there are some at business's throughout Zionsville, including Akard's Hardware. The meeting to decide whether they will granted a variance is January 8th at 6:30pm at Town Hall. If Walmart is granted a variance, their development plan will be up for a recommendation at the Plan Commission. That meeting is January 22nd at 7pm. At this time they will discuss things like traffic, drainage, and safety & welfare. If you have other thoughts or would like to discuss this development further please email president@zvra.com. Progressive Dinner by Jenn Bucher Village Residents’ Association members gathered for the 4th annual ZVRA Progressive dinner in December. Always a popular event, this years’ party did not disappoint. Residents began their evening at the home of Mike and Tammy Zeller for appetizers. The newly restored and updated bungalow was the perfect setting for small bites and libations.  A sit down dinner was served at the elegant home of Scott and Heather Lusk. Homemade sides, including Mark Zelonis’ famous potato gratin, and baked ham warmed bellies. At the home of Bob and Anne Royalty guests enjoyed Key Lime
pie, Anne’s amazing brownies and lemon squares. Anne and Bob’s new Village home
opens up to a private patio where guests could warm up at the glowing outdoor
fire pit.
 At this year’s event, the VRA board raffled off several goodies, including a Vera Bradley Bag from Brown’s on Main. Money was raised to held the Zionsville Police Department secure the $15000 needed to acquire a K-9 unit for the local force. Another great evening in the Village! Meet the Merchantby Kathy Scales Brown Coming to Main Street! Cheveux
Salon & Spa
 Exciting news from Main Street! Cheveux Salon & Spa opening soon! Andrea Fortney, owner and stylist who has worked in Zionsville for several years, intends to be Zionsville’s premiere salon for cutting, coloring, and styling services. Eager to grow and expand her business, she has worked to create the salon of her dreams. With the help of her husband, Chris Fortney, she has been successful in this pursuit and plans to open Cheveux Salon & Spa at 10 North Main Street (the former Watts Art Gallery) just before the new year. Andrea is originally from Wisconsin but moved to Indiana six years ago and has enjoyed making Zionsville and Whitestown home. In addition to having a passion for her career in the cosmetology industry, she is also the mother of two vibrant young boys, Aiden and Ethan. Best wishes from the Village, Andrea! May 2013 be very good to you and your staff! Indiana Bald Eagle Viewing Dayby Guinn DoyleEvery year Duke Energy opens its Cayuga Station located in Vermillion County to the public to view bald eagles that over winter there. The public is invited to attend Duke Energy’s annual eagle viewing day at the Cayuga Station. Most years, the area around Cayuga Station hosts the largest concentration of mid-winter migratory bald eagles in Indiana. More than 16,000 visitors have attended over the past eleven years.Eagle viewing day for 2013 is January 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 1-800-832-3143 for further information. The event is well attended. Be sure to bring binoculars as the bald eagles are well up in the sky. In addition, your car will be searched as part of ongoing security precautions. The above information came from Duke’s web site -- http://www.duke-energy.com/environment/stewardship/eagle-viewing.asp January ComfortWe could all use some comfort as we leave the whirlwind of December and enter the long winter nights of January. Village resident, Lisa Bick, offers this recipe from her cookbook Guilty Comfort Foods. Cottage Pudding -it even sounds like a grandmother spoiling you Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups flour sauce: 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter flour Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat until light. Sift the flour and baking powder together and add, alternating with the milk, to the batter. Pour this batter into a 9 x 9 " cake pan or iron skillet that you have greased lightly. Mix together the boiling water, the cup of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in enough flour to make it about the consistency of gravy. Pour this over the top of the batter and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown on the top. It's a surprise when the "sauce" that you pour over the top sinks to the bottom and the cake batter rises. Serve it warm (to keep the sauce soft) and top it with some strawberries and sugar or melted red currant jam. Government UpdatesMeeting: Zionsville Redevelopment Commission
Remediation Area II has been removed from the purchase agreement. This is the area with the pond - surrounded by Zionsville Rd. on the west, 106th St. on the north, Dalia Dr. on the east, and Pizza King / For the Dogs / Old 106th St. on the south. Remaining area being purchased is right around 100 acres. The Town has repeatedly stated Dow's unwavering unwillingness to divide the land - that Dow refused to sell it as anything other than a whole. Not sure what changed on Dow's end, as that was not mentioned, however it is probably due to the fact the remediation is still ongoing in Remediation Area II and a completion date is unknown. New closing date for the sale of the is 2/15/13. No environmental reports have been received yet. The Phase I should be received this week. The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment [EAS] reports on environmental conditions on the subject property base on review of existing data/information, not on additional testing. The Phase II ESA should be received in mid-January. It will report on the results of testing soil and groundwater. There will be 2 RDC meetings in January to discuss the environmental reports before the February closing date. South Main Street Development Construction for the South Main Street Development by Harris Property Group is scheduled to begin in February, 2013. The property will be located on the west side of Zionsville Road, south of Eagle Creek. The Economic Development Agreement states that they will finish Feb 2016. Their ultimate goal is to finish construction before 2016 but to have an 80% occupancy rate by 2016. The RDC plans to give the Harris Property Group an up-front incentive of $250,000 for building. It was suggested by a board member that there should be consistency for all businesses requesting incentives or loans from the RDC to have similar and adequate financials as the Microloan for instance. After some debate among the board, Harris offered to provide the financial information that was submitted to banks to secure the loan as well as a personal guarantee. Walmart out of the TIF? On the agenda was a discussion on a request for the removal of the Walmart property from the TIF area. Mark Plassman was the only person with comment. He said, “I don’t believe it’s in the best interest of the town to remove the property at this time.” He noted that although the TIF revenue from the property is not currently being considered as part of their projected budget, keeping it in the TIF will “give us a faster payout to get to our financial goals and objectives.” Mr Plassman also said that this option may be something to be discussed if the Walmart development gets through the BZA and the Plan Commission. Walmart Variance & Meetings Speaking of the BZA and the Plan Commission, there are two meetings which will determine the fate of Walmart in Zionsville. The first is the at the Board of Zoning Appeals where Walmart is requesting to a variance to the Big Box ordinance which caps the size of the building at 120,000 square feet. Walmart is looking to build an approximately 157,000 square foot building. That meeting is January 8th at 6:30pm at Town Hall. If Walmart is granted a variance, their development plan will be up for a recommendation at the Plan Commission. That meeting is January 22nd at 7pm. At this time they will discuss things like traffic, drainage, and safety & welfare. Both of these meetings should have time alotted for you to make comments on this development. For those of you that are interested in opposing the Walmart, there is an online petition at-- This website has a lot of information on Variances, FAQ's, and links to important articles and documents regarding Walmart along with the petition. Please take a few moments to look through the information here and come to meetings to share your thoughts. If you would like to sign a paper petition, there are some at business's throughout Zionsville, including Akard's Hardware. |
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