Wednesday, August 26, 2026

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS

Shelby County Republican Party Chair Chris King, right, introduces Sen. Todd Young at a gathering of local Republicans last night at Blessing’s Opera House. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS

U.S. Sen. Todd Young visited with local Republicans at Blessing’s Opera House yesterday evening, speaking and answering questions for approximately 40 minutes on economic development, manufacturing, disaster recovery and other issues.

Young attended the gathering with his wife, Jenny, and joked that the Shelbyville visit could serve as a date night as he travels the state’s “highways and byways” to connect with Hoosiers.

Young highlighted his work on the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and a groundbreaking scheduled this week for SK hynix’s semiconductor facility in West Lafayette. The company is investing billions of dollars in the project, which Young said will provide a major economic boost while addressing the country’s need for domestically produced semiconductors.

“That single investment in West Lafayette … will double the assessed value of West Lafayette, Indiana,” Young said. “That’s phase one of multiple phases of that project.”

Young said the importance of semiconductor production became particularly clear during the pandemic, when shortages disrupted automobile manufacturing. He noted that a General Motors plant in Fort Wayne was idled multiple times because it lacked the chips needed to assemble vehicles.

“To run a modern economy, we need a little just-in-case capacity,” Young said. “The CHIPS and Science Act is going to give it to us for these important nodes of our economy.”

Young also discussed efforts to rebuild American shipbuilding capacity and attract drone manufacturers to Indiana.

That does not mean every product must be made domestically, Young added. He used underwear as a humorous example of a product that, unlike semiconductors and ships, does not rise to the level of a national security need.

“We can get underwear about anywhere,” Young said. “It’s not a strategic issue.”

The former church property at 1115 St. Joseph St. could soon become the permanent home of Gold Star Dance Academy following a unanimous recommendation Monday from the Shelbyville Plan Commission.

The commission voted 7-0 to recommend rezoning the 1.38-acre property from Institutional to Business General. Laura and Travis Kohrman, through XAG Landholdings LLC, are seeking the change to convert the former First Assembly of God and The Ville Church building into a dance instruction studio.

Laura Kohrman has operated Gold Star Dance Academy in Shelbyville for eight years, renting each of the spaces it has occupied.

“I’m just looking for a more permanent, larger location for my studio to be housed,” she said.

Commission members asked about potential conflicts with neighboring Hendricks Elementary School, including traffic and shared parking during evening school events. Kohrman said she would be willing to coordinate with the school.

Gold Star’s classes are scheduled from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kohrman said. The schedule avoids regular school arrival and dismissal times, and the studio does not currently hold classes Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

No one spoke in opposition to the rezoning during the public hearing.

Commission member Joe Lux also noted that the change would return the property to the local property tax rolls. Properties used by religious organizations are generally exempt from property taxes.

The Shelbyville Common Council previously approved the rezoning on first reading. Following the Plan Commission’s favorable recommendation, the request will return to the council for final consideration.

Kohrman said the dance academy will remain in its current rented space while the rezoning and property transaction are completed. Classes are scheduled to begin after Labor Day.

The commission also voted 7-0 to uphold approval of a three-lot subdivision for the planned Summit of Shelbyville apartment development near Highpointe Boulevard and Progress Parkway.

Developer David Muselman plans to build nearly 300 market-rate apartments in three phases on approximately 12.8 acres. The first phase will include four three-story buildings with a total of 72 apartments on the southwest portion of the property.

The city’s Plat Committee previously approved dividing the property into three lots, but nearby property owner Jesse Bret Fishback appealed that decision, sending the petition to the full Plan Commission.

Muselman said the separate lots will correspond with the project’s three phases and their tax increment financing allocation areas. The city has approved TIF support only for the first phase.

“The TIF is by phase,” Muselman said. “In case we never build the other ones, I don’t want the city to be responsible for phase two or phase three.”

Construction on the first phase is expected to begin soon. Muselman said the first apartment building could open in April 2027, with all four buildings in the initial phase expected to be finished by July 4.

The timing of later phases will depend on demand. Muselman said phase two is unlikely to begin next year, with spring 2028 representing a more realistic target.

Plans for the full development continue to include a clubhouse, fitness center, pickleball courts and outdoor recreation areas. Muselman said those amenities will be constructed as part of the third phase on the east side of Highpointe Boulevard and are included in the development agreement with the city.

City Engineer Tyler Comstock said the plat will also formally dedicate a 70-foot-wide right of way for Highpointe Boulevard. That action will not widen the existing road but will formally establish space for the roadway, sidewalks, drainage and utilities.

The development’s first phase will include a detention pond of approximately 2 to 3 acres along Progress Parkway. Comstock said its outlet will connect with the existing drainage system, while an emergency spillway will direct excess water toward Progress Parkway.

During approximately two weeks of excavation work for the pond, construction equipment will travel between the project site and a staging area across Highpointe Boulevard. The intersection of Highpointe Boulevard and Progress Parkway will temporarily become a four-way stop to improve safety while crews cross the road.

Comstock said no permanent traffic-control changes are currently required. However, the city will evaluate traffic during the engineering review for later phases and could require a traffic impact study to determine whether intersection improvements are necessary.

In other business, Planning Director Adam Rude told commission members that the city will need to update some of its development rules following housing-related changes approved by the Indiana General Assembly.

Among the changes are requirements governing accessory dwelling units and standardized definitions used in local housing regulations.

The city must also prepare an annual housing progress report and audit its ordinances under House Enrolled Act 1001. Rude said the report will include information such as new housing starts, certificates of occupancy and the number of residential lots approved.

The Plan Commission will likely hold a public hearing on the first report and ordinance audit in November before submitting the required information to the state.

The Planning and Building Department will also review its filing and permit fees before new state restrictions take effect Jan. 1. Rude said many Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals fees have not been reviewed since approximately 2019.

During discussion, city officials also provided an update on the planned Wawa convenience store and fueling station along State Road 44.

Rude said the city approved the project’s site plan last year, but the development had been awaiting a driveway permit from the Indiana Department of Transportation. That permit was issued last week.

Comstock said access along State Road 44 was a significant part of the state’s review because the area carries nearly 21,000 vehicles per day. Drivers leaving Wawa will not be permitted to turn left onto State Road 44 because of traffic volume and visibility concerns.

With the state permit now issued, officials said the project should begin moving forward.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE

• The Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety ordered two nuisance properties cleaned and approved a bond request for the Bear Run housing development during a brief meeting Tuesday morning. Code Enforcement Officer Troy Merrick requested cleanup orders for properties at 15 Grandview Drive and 1018 Crestmoor Drive. The owners had previously been ordered to appear before the board but did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Merrick said two other properties cited earlier this month were brought into compliance before the meeting. Public Utility Office Manager Beth Corley said she had updated contact information for someone connected with the Grandview Drive property, which has been foreclosed on. Merrick said he would contact that person and provide five days to remove the trash. If the property is not cleaned, the city’s Street Department will complete the work, with the cleanup costs assessed to the property. The board approved the cleanup orders by a 3-0 vote. The board also approved a request from M/I Homes involving the first section of the Bear Run subdivision on the city’s southeast side. City Planning Director Adam Rude said the developer requested the release of performance bonds and acceptance of maintenance bonds covering street signs, erosion-control measures and common-area blocks. Rude said the improvements had been installed properly and the city was prepared to accept a maintenance bond totaling $13,082.93. The request was approved 3-0.

• Shelby County Reads is offering a special storytime at the Farmers Market in the southwest quadrant of downtown Shelbyville on Sat., August 29, 9 to 10 a.m.). Cathy Brown, a beloved former kindergarten teacher in Shelbyville, will read a story and offer a craft with a patriotic theme in conjunction with America 250. All participating children will receive Sprout Bucks redeemable at the market.

• HOOSIER NEWS: D-A Lubricant Co. plans to invest $17 million to build a 115,000-square-foot grease manufacturing facility in Lebanon, expanding its domestic production capacity with automated processing, packaging and quality-control systems. The project includes $10 million in real property investment and $7 million in equipment, with the company expecting to grow its workforce from 70 to 80 employees by 2029 at an average salary of $61,200. The 107-year-old manufacturer, which moved its headquarters from Indianapolis to Lebanon in 2012, is eligible for property tax abatements for the expansion. (IBJ)

• NATIONAL NEWS: A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that speeding has become broadly acceptable, with nearly half of respondents believing that keeping up with traffic is safer than obeying posted speed limits. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in 30 percent of traffic fatalities in 2024. Enforcement — or at least a perceived threat of enforcement — was the single top reason expressed for people slowing down, with 79 percent saying they slowed down to avoid getting a ticket. Interestingly, seven in 10 respondents backed automatic speed cameras in areas with a history or potential for speed-related crashes. (Carrier Management/Numlock)

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This Week in Shelby County, a cartoon feature illustrated by George L. Stubbs for 38 years, is reproduced with permission of the Shelby County Historical Society and the Stubbs family.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS

Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials. | research by MYRON RAWLINGS

2016: Local resident Noah Henderson had grown a 7-foot, 2-inch tomato plant using only local products, Saturday Shelby/The Addison Times reported. Henderson had purchased the plant and fertilizer from Cossairt Florist and Greenhouse and a cage from Builders Lumber.

2006: Development in the Intelliplex Park was years ahead of schedule, with two new buildings to be completed by the end of the year. Makuta Technics was building a new facility, while two 20,000-square-foot buildings and a conference center connecting them in an L shape were under construction. One would be used by the law firm of McNeely Stephenson Thopy and Harrold.

1996: The Shelbyville High Noon Kiwanis Club won the Judges’ Choice Award for their entry in the Bears of Blue River Festival parade. Category winners included Kocher Electric, Poochies, New Life United Methodist Church, Caldwell Gravel, J & L Tool & Gator Grip, Caplinger’s Fish Bowl, Lux Realty and Cagney’s.

1986: After a year of delays, W.S. Major Hospital began renovations on birthing rooms. Two birthing rooms were to be renovated from the existing labor rooms by knocking out walls and remodeling. Director of Nursing Kathy Schmucker said women used birthing rooms for labor, delivery and two-hour recovery rather than being moved from a labor room to a delivery room and then to a recovery room. Also, the birthing rooms would have a home atmosphere so that the father of the child could stay with the mother.

1976: Just Donuts at the Belaire Shopping Center offered a sale on doughnuts, one dozen for $1.39.

1966: Several local amateur talent acts entered a talent program at the Indiana State Fair. Among local participants were Sue Ann Lain and Ray Burbrink, Edinburg; Brenda and Linda Harker, Flat Rock; Jim Ross, Waldron; Debbie Haehl, Waldron; Kandy Myer and Jody Bassett, Shelbyville; Leisa and Teresa Stout, Shelbyville; and Carol and Joyce Douglas, Flat Rock.

1956: General Electric won its clash with Green Way for the Senior League championship at Kennedy Park. The game had been protested early in the season, and the protest board ruled the game “no contest” and ordered a rematch. GE team members were Bob Brack, Clete Moore, Philip Gray, Jim Scarborough, Joe Brennen, Vern Adams, Jim Cates, Glen Ashcraft, Leroy Martin, Jerry Poe and Gene Mang. Bob Mann was manager.

1946: Fifty-year McQuiddy Rebekah Lodge members were recognized in a program at the lodge hall. Honorees were Carrie Scott, Cora Comstock, Rachel Fox and Anna Flaitz. Grace French presented each of them with gifts and a tribute.

Helen Turner, West South Street, celebrated the 20th anniversary of Turner Grocery, located on the corner of St. Marys and Franklin streets.

1936: The Alhambra Theater installed a new sound system. The old system had been installed in 1929, when the Meloy Brothers purchased the theater. The Strand had been one of the first 600 theaters in the U.S. to install sound equipment. It was equipped to produce speaking moving pictures in 1928.

1926: The H.H. Walker Wholesale Grocery Company moved out of 126 East Washington St. and into a new building just east of the Big Four tracks on East Washington. The building was three stories high and equipped with an elevator and a spiral chute. Walker had occupied its former space since 1910.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory

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