Nick Hedrick
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Reporter, Terre Haute Tribune-Star. @indianastate alumnus.
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Articles by Nick Hedrick
City working to find new use for lots
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The City of Crawfordsville is taking steps to find new use for two more properties it wants back on the tax rolls. The vacant lots, which sit on East South Boulevard next to Carpenter’s Barber Shop and on Milligan Street near Lakeside Book Company’s north plant, were transferred to the city by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in a tax sale.
North receives proposals for solar panels
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com LINDEN — North Montgomery Community School Corp. has received interest from two energy companies to install solar panels at Sommer and Pleasant Hill Elementary. The district solicited proposals from Carmel-based Performance Services and Indianapolis-based PSG Energy Group and will present a recommendation to the school board next month.
County seeks appraisals for S. Blvd. office building
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Monday signed agreements with two real estate appraisal firms that will appraise the South Boulevard County Building before the property can be placed on the market. The building will be vacated next year when offices move into the new government center off of Lafayette Road. The appraisals will be performed by Masten Real Estate Services, based in Greencastle, and Don R.
SWAT team getting new armored rescue vehicle
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Montgomery County’s multi-jurisdictional SWAT team is gearing up with a new armored vehicle equipped to provide trauma care. The Lenco Bearcat Rescue unit replaces the current armored personnel carrier which is more than 20 years old but will be retained as a supplementary vehicle. The new carrier is the standard vehicle used by SWAT teams across the country and federal agencies in high-risk responses.
All Aboard!: Carnegie exhibit features Montgomery County railroad history
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com With muddy roads and the unpredictable water levels of Sugar Creek making trading goods difficult in the early days of Montgomery County, Major Isaac C. Elston made a case for the railroad. Elston, who made part of his fortune by investing in the revolutionary mode of transportation, argued that laying tracks would improve transportation and boost the economy.
Sweeten: Creek showing signs of healthier life after dam removal
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Sugar Creek is beginning to show signs of a healthier life with the removal of the old Crawfordsville power plant’s low-head dam, a consultant said. The idled dam was demolished in September following years of concerns over boater safety and the health of the stream, which was impacted by lower water quality and the inability of fish to move freely.
MCHS to seek COVID oral histories
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Montgomery County Historical Society is launching a COVID-19 oral history project to preserve local memories of the pandemic. The organization wants to chronicle stories about how the pandemic disrupted the lives of first responders, medical workers, teachers, parents and ordinary citizens. Interviews are expected to begin next year. “Just getting the Montgomery County story is really what it’s about,” said Jill Coates-Matthews, MCHS executive director.
Veterans Expo 2021
Community Joe Ellis, Montgomery County Veterans Service Officer, consults with a veteran Thursday at the Veterans Expo at Crawfordsville American Legion Byron Cox Post 72. Nick Hedrick/Journal Review Posted Friday, October 22, 2021 1:15 am
Ghost Hunters: Rotary Jail opens its doors to paranormal enthusiasts
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The last inmate was released from Crawfordsville’s Rotary Jail in the early 1970s, but ghost hunters believe the cells are still haunted by the spirits of criminals who met their demise behind bars. Paranormal enthusiasts are getting special access to the Rotary Jail Museum this Halloween season during “Grim Stories & Ghost Hunting,” which runs for the next two weekends.
Murder mystery to unfold at Masonic Cornerstone
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com A party at an old mansion turns into the hunt for a killer in a murder mystery dinner opening just in time for Halloween at The Masonic Cornerstone. “Murder at the Anonville Manor” is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at the historic event center on the corner of South Washington Street and West Wabash Avenue. The dinner is being catered by Francis & Mount.
Veterans Expo returns Thursday
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Local military veterans can get their flu shots at the Veterans Expo on Thursday. The 27th annual event is set for 9 a.m. to noon at Crawfordsville American Legion Byron Cox Post #72, 101 Walter Remley Drive. “We’re trying to get it built back up again,” said Mike Spencer, commander of the post’s honor guard, referring to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the event.
Work continues to make Amtrak station ADA compliant
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com An ongoing $1.45 million project to improve Crawfordsville’s Amtrak stop will make the station ADA compliant. Crews began work in March to replace the shelter, raise the platform and make improvements to the parking lot along North Green Street. The station remains open during construction, which is expected to be substantially complete after the first of the year, said Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesperson.
New bid submitted to lease county farm
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com A local farmer has submitted a new bid to continue leasing the former Montgomery County Poor Farm from the Board of Commissioners. Wade Bennett made a cash rent contract proposal of $210 per acre over three or more years for the farm at the end of Whitlock Avenue. Bennett’s current three-year contract expires in March. No other bidders came forward by the deadline. Commissioners can formally accept the bid on Nov. 8.
C’ville boosts sub teacher pay, bus driver sign-on bonuses
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Crawfordsville Community School Corp. is raising substitute teacher pay and offering a higher sign-on bonus to bus drivers in response to critical staffing shortages. “Just like most of the world, we’re off and running understaffed in a lot of our support areas,” assistant superintendent Dr. Rex Ryker told school board members on Thursday.
South eyes creation of child care center
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com NEW ROSS — South Montgomery Community School Corp. is exploring the creation of a child care center at Walnut Elementary School, the district has confirmed. The potential center — which would be operated separately from the school — could provide another option for families seeking a high-quality early childhood program. But rumblings of the possible addition left parents wondering if there’s enough room in a building that already houses a growing preschool.
City council OKs U.S. 231S annexation
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The Crawfordsville City Council on Tuesday approved the annexation of land just south of Woodcreek Shoppes into the city limits, potentially clearing the way for new business or housing. The owner of the property in the 2600 block of South U.S. 231 requested the annexation for access to the city sewer after interested buyers wanted assurances that utilities would be available.
Honoring A Great Man: Weir, longest serving fire chief, remembered for service
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Longtime former Crawfordsville Fire Chief Dennis Weir was remembered Monday as a story-telling, wild-driving firefighter who helped shape a generation of first responders with his passion for the call of service. Weir, who died Oct. 3 at the age of 70, is the longest-serving chief in Crawfordsville history and launched the city’s paramedic service, setting the stage for the globally-recognized community paramedicine program.
Council signs off on $36.4M budget; salary changes
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The Montgomery County Council signed off Tuesday on next year’s $36.4 million budget. The budget has a general fund of more than $13.1 million. The new spending package includes a 2% pay increase for employees, and the council approved a series of other salary changes recommended by the ERPS committee. Among the changes, 911 dispatchers will be reclassified as public safety employees, a revision sought following a change in state law.
Commissioners lower bridge fund rate despite concerns
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, acting on a request from the county council, lowered the tax rate that generates money for bridge repairs, despite concerns there will be less money available for maintenance projects. The board voted 2-1 on Tuesday to reduce the cumulative bridge fund rate to 4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation from 10 cents.
South reaches tentative agreement on contract
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com NEW MARKET — South Montgomery Community School Corp. has reached a tentative agreement with the teachers association on a new contract that raises starting pay and offers a higher base salary increase for returning teachers. The annual contract, which has been ratified by the association and was presented to the school board on Thursday for a public hearing, boosts the starting salary for full-time teachers by $3,000 to $41,300.
Breaking Ground: Dirt ceremonially turned on $138M Tempur Sealy plant
Ground was ceremoniously broken Thursday on Tempur Sealy’s $138 million foam pouring manufacturing facility near Crawfordsville, as local officials celebrated the global mattress company’s arrival as a transformative moment for Montgomery County. The 754,000-square-foot plant, which will be the world’s largest Tempur Sealy facility, is slated to open in the spring of 2023. At least 350 workers are expected to be employed by 2025.
Farmers sought to raise money for STEAM playground
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com NEW MARKET — New Market Elementary’s parent-teacher organization is calling on Montgomery County farmers to help raise money for the school’s STEAM playground. The school announced plans last year to turn the playground into a science park, combining traditional recreation with hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. More than $113,000 has been raised through grants, donations and fundraisers toward a goal of approximately $230,000.
North parents speak out on COVID-19 policies
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com LINDEN — The North Montgomery Community School Corp. board heard competing demands from parents Monday on how the district should handle its response to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 30 parents gathered in the high school auditorium for the opportunity to speak out on masking, quarantines and other COVID-19 policies at the special public hearing.
A Splash of Color: Downtown alley mural dedicated
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The ribbon was cut on the downtown Crawfordsville alley mural on Saturday, with local officials lauding the artwork as a colorful draw to the heart of the county. New York City artist Jenna Morello’s creation, which adorns the side of the Milligan’s Flowers & Gifts building on East Main Street, measures 144 feet long and 25 feet tall and depicts native Indiana wildflowers that change colors along the wall.
Meeting A Need: Free clinic partners with dental school for urgent care clinics
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com In an exam room at the Dr. Mary Ludwig Montgomery County Free Clinic on a rainy Saturday afternoon, a patient was under the care of dentists in training. The providers were students from the dental school in Indianapolis under a partnership to offer urgent dental care for Montgomery County residents. While the clinic has a dentist on staff, patients with emergency needs were having to be referred to other community health centers.
New legislative maps put county at disadvantage, observers say
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Indiana’s newly redrawn legislative maps shake up area representation, making it harder for Montgomery County to have hometown voices at the Statehouse, local observers say. The county will gain two House representatives and another senator under the maps, which received final approval from Republican lawmakers on Friday. After the proposed maps showed their districts shrinking, State Rep. Tim Brown and State Sen.
New salt barn comes with plenty more room
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Come this winter, let’s hope snow plow drivers won’t need as much salt as Montgomery County’s new salt barn can hold. The county unveiled the newly-constructed facility on Thursday two months before the meteorological start of winter. The $196,000 barn at the highway department has a 2,900-ton capacity, nearly 10 times larger than the decades-old, igloo-shaped structure that could hold just 300 tons of salt.
Tentative contract calls for teacher starting pay increase at North
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com LINDEN — North Montgomery Community School Corp. has reached a tentative agreement with the teachers association to raise starting teacher pay as part of the latest teachers’ contract. The proposed agreement, which was presented to the school board on Monday, increases the starting salary for full-time teachers by $3,000 to $41,000. The boost is the first increase since the 2016-17 school year.
Study ordered to identify courthouse repair, space needs
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners is ordering an engineering study of the courthouse, which will offer ideas on using the space being vacated by offices leaving for the new county annex. The study, which is due by late December, will review and prioritize repair and renovation needs for the 145-year-old building. Engineers will also determine how much room is needed by the remaining departments and forecast space needs for the years 2025 and 2040.
A Meticulous Steward
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Hubert Danzebrink, a watchmaker who painstakingly rebuilt the original Montgomery County Courthouse clock and returned the beloved landmark to a permanent, if less lofty, perch, died Sunday at his home in Crawfordsville. He was 88. A full obituary appears on Page 2A.
FSC plans to expand Adopt a Storm Drain program
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Friends of Sugar Creek plans to grow the Adopt a Storm Drain program through funding from Tipmont REMC’s EnviroWatts initiative. Tipmont awarded the nonprofit a $3,650 grant to cover promotional expenses for the program, in which residents sign up to clean out nearby drains and submit online reports of the debris or damage. Since 2020, 112 drains have been adopted in Crawfordsville and FSC wants to quadruple that number.
Move to exclude city council from 2% raise dies
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com A move to exclude Crawfordsville City Council members from a proposed 2% pay raise for city employees failed Monday as the 2022 budget takes shape. The first reading of an annual ordinance setting next year’s mayor, clerk-treasurer and council salaries was passed after a motion from councilman Mike Reidy to eliminate the council’s raise died for lack of a second. Once approved, the council’s pay will increase by $96.50 to $4,921.50 a year.
County can begin spending relief funds
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Montgomery County can begin spending part of its share of federal coronavirus relief money after the County Council on Tuesday approved an additional appropriation for the funding. The county received more than $3.7 million in the first installment of funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. The other half of the funding is expected next year for a total amount of about $7.4 million.
Small biz relief, water extension planned with funds
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Additional relief is on the way for local businesses and nonprofits trying to rebound from the pandemic. The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners authorized up to $200,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds Monday to be distributed as grants to small businesses, industries and nonprofits. The county received its first installment of relief funds as part of a more than $7.4 million allocation. The rest of the money is expected to arrive next year.
Ceremony marks 20 years since 9/11
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com On Sept. 11, 2001, two days before her 15th birthday, Christina Sharp reflected on the day’s events in her diary. “All that we hold near and dear to our hearts was attacked by an evil force that had no regard for life,” she wrote, “they will never have any regard for our faith, our family and our freedom.
Councilman urges no raises for city council
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com A Crawfordsville city councilman said Monday that any of his fellow members should “step down” if they feel they’re not being paid enough for serving, as he called for the council to be excluded from proposed pay raises next year. Councilman Mike Reidy said the salary increase for the seven elected members is higher than the 2% raise recommended for city employees in the advertised 2022 budget.
Removal of low head dam begins
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Below the twin smokestacks of the old power plant along the rocky banks of Sugar Creek, excavators drilled into Crawfordsville’s low head dam on Tuesday, making the first cut in a long-awaited demolition project. As a small group of spectators gathered to watch downstream, heavy machinery clawed into layers of concrete to slowly drain the reservoir.
Anniversary Approaching
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com As life returned to the tip of the island after Sept. 11, 2001 and New Yorkers could see what the terrorists had done, Kelly Childress ventured downtown. On Canal Street, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face glared menacingly from a billboard promoting his latest thriller “Collateral Damage,” in which he plays a firefighter seeking revenge for the deaths of his wife and son in a consulate bombing.
Walk for Recovery to raise awareness of overdoses
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Recovering drug users and the families of overdose victims will raise awareness of drug overdoses at an upcoming event in Milligan Park. Walk for Recovery, which is set for noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 25, seeks to connect people with substance use disorders to a variety of local resources. The event is being organized by mental health provider InWell, which offers free peer recovery support to Montgomery County residents.
FISH holding weekend food drive
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com It is the year of the tomato and gardeners have shared the bounty, delivering bags full of their plentiful crops to the FISH Food Pantry. The generosity has provided more than enough produce for clients to add to their late-summer meals, but the pantry needs more of a wider variety of food to last until the holiday season when donations traditionally pick up.
Masks required at Crawfordsville schools
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Masks are now being required to be worn in all Crawfordsville school buildings in an effort to limit student quarantines. The policy was adopted by the school board Thursday in an emergency meeting called the day after Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a new executive order easing quarantine rules for schools with consistently-followed mask requirements.
Sidewalk extension approved for Ben Hur patio
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The sidewalk will be extended to create an outdoor seating area for the hotel and apartments in the works for the Ben Hur Building. Crews plan to extend the sidewalk by 4 feet on the Water Street side of the building for the patio, said Torrey Ehrman, a civil engineer for project architect MartinRiley. Crawfordsville’s Board of Public Works and Safety approved the request on Wednesday. “The road is wide enough to accommodate [the space],” Ehrman said.
City starts crackdown on nuisance properties
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The City of Crawfordsville is cracking down on nuisance properties and threatening to take owners to court if they don’t remedy violations in time. The code enforcement office and legal department is “looking to use the breadth and the teeth” of the nuisance ordinance to more aggressively enforce violations, city attorney Kent Minnette told the Board of Public Works and Safety this week.
Consultant hired to assess street department building
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Crawfordsville’s street department may be getting a new home. The city has hired a consultant to determine the future of the department’s longtime Vermont Street building, which needs major repairs. The to-do list includes the roof, fencing and the HVAC system.
South sets threshold for requiring masks
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com NEW MARKET — South Montgomery Community School Corp. has set the marker for requiring masks to limit the spread of COVID-19, though cases remain below levels where the policy would be enacted. The strategy, which the school board approved unanimously in an emergency meeting on Friday, mandates face coverings when a school’s positivity rate reaches 3% of the student population for two consecutive days on a rolling seven-day average.
Groundbreaking set for Tempur Sealy
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Tempur Sealy will break ground on its $138 million foam-pouring plant near Crawfordsville in October, Montgomery County Administrator Tom Klein announced Monday. The plant will be the Lexington, Kentucky-based mattress and bedding manufacturer’s largest production facility in the world, creating about 300 new jobs. A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Oct. 7.
Job Hunting
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Lleyton Harris is the kind of worker labor-strapped manufacturers want to find: He’s eager to work. “I’ve been working 25 hours a week. I have bills to pay. I’d like to work 60 hours a week,” said Harris, who works at a local factory but has been searching for another manufacturing job. Harris was among job hunters who met with area employers Thursday at a job fair hosted by the City of Crawfordsville and the Mayor’s Countywide Workforce Roundtable.
Coroner seeks funds for additional deputy in ‘22
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com Montgomery County Coroner Darren Forman is asking the county for additional money to hire another deputy as the number of home calls have more than tripled in recent years. The nearly $10,000 request was included in the department’s latest spending proposal Forman presented Tuesday to the Montgomery County Council on the second night of hearings for the proposed 2022 budget. The run volume is up 15 cases year-over-year, Forman said.
Commissioners reiterate support for public health officials
Nick Hedrick | nhedrick@jrpress.com The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Monday passed an ordinance rolling the language of Senate Enrolled Act 5 into the county’s code, as officials sought to clarify it was not a statement against local public health officials. SEA 5 gives local governments the authority to supersede any restrictions enacted by a county health department that are more stringent than the state’s during a declared public health emergency.
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