Hello Neighbors,
Thank you to all that have voiced their opinions for and against the Sycamore Flats proposed development. I have received hundreds of emails from our neighbors voicing their opinions (Mostly against the development). We all will have another opportunity this month to voice our opinions to the Planning Commission at their Monday April 15th meeting at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers Room (Please arrive early).
Please attend even if you do not wish to address the Commission. The amount of people that attend can have a large effect on the outcome of the hearing.
The flowers are starting to pop out and I am looking forward to seeing you all around the Village.
Regards,
Jamie
ZVRA President
Town Council Insights:
I wanted to share a few updates that impacts the village in the coming months.
Zionsville Road – You may have noticed that preparation work has begun on Zionsville Road in anticipation of it being re-built. This project was originally slated for last Summer, however delays in land acquisition and design pushed the start date back to 2019. The current work is around utility relocation and you may see the occasional road closure for an hour or two during these changes.
The big closure will occur on April 1st and the road will be closed to all through-traffic until November, although the road will be open for residents living along the road. The alternative option was to leave it open during this time and have lane-control during construction, however this would have lengthened the project timeframe and added hundreds of thousands of dollars to the overall cost. While the ending results will be worth the pain, it will be an inconvenience for everyone in the village.
The Town will be making each lane wider, as well as adding a center turn lane between Technology Center Drive (just under the 465 bridge) and 106th Street. The other exciting part is a 10-foot bike and walking path that will connect the village down to 96th Street, as well as the new park going in within the Vonterra subdivision. Exciting stuff.
I would encourage you to continue to visit those businesses located in the “South Village” area, south of the creek, such as Bubs, Sub 16, Moving Waters, Pizza King and others during the construction. If you remember Zionsville Road being shut down last summer, each of them experienced a sharp decline in business, and I think it is important that we support our local merchants.
I also anticipate there will be more traffic in the Village, especially as folks look for alternatives down to 465. I’ve spoken with Chief Knox and asked that ZPD keep an eye on the area and increase patrols, especially around speeding. This is especially important during the morning rush hour, when folks may be walking to school, especially Eagle Elementary.
Spring Brush and Limb Collection – The spring round of brush and limb collection for Zionsville residents in the urban district has been scheduled for the weeks of April 15th and April 22nd. I talked with Lance Lantz, and he confirmed that they always start with the Village and that will be April 15th. In an effort to maximize productivity, there will be a major change to the schedule and process beginning with this spring’s collection. In the past, the town was divided into 10 regions, each with a specific scheduled day of collection over a two-week period. Beginning this year, largely due to expanded service areas as a result of the transition of several areas from the rural to the urban service area, the town will be divided into only two (2) larger regions. All residents within each area will be required to place their brush and limbs on the Monday of their week. Town crews will then make as much progress as possible each day, and have all brush and limbs collected by the end of the week. It is the hope that by placing all material curbside on one single day, crews will be able to maximize each day’s effort and conclude in a shorter time period as well as easier for residents. The specific schedule and areas, once finalized, will be posted to the Town’s web site and coordinated with the Director of Communications and Community Relations for dissemination. Residents may contact the Street and Stormwater Department for their specific week of collection.
HomeStyle:
“ It takes a heap of living to make a house a home.” “A house is a home when it becomes part of you, a friend at the end of the day, like a friend you care for and tend to and who in return offers shelter from emotional and physical storms. When it’s like your own “skin”, even with its “scars”, and filled to the chimney top with your love.”, ~ from “Big Bill”
The 1910 home of Jennifer Blandford and Mark Amman is located on the corner of West Walnut and 4th St, Below are photos of the house as it looked in 1986 when the wrap around porch was built. A major remodel occurred in 2003 when the house was taken down to it’s studs to bring wiring, plumbing, insulation and mechanicals up to code. The long, narrow dining space, added much earlier, was enlarged; and the roof above extended to add a second floor, creating space for a master suite. Jennifer and Mark purchased the home in 2009 and have made many improvements over the years, shown below, resulting in an updated master suite and bath, updates to the kitchen/family room area, addition of a grand patio with outdoor kitchen, plus basic maintenance tasks such as new exterior paint, a new roof and more. Jennifer said: “I love the location, the lot size, the fantastic neighbors and being close to my mom (who lives two blocks south). These (Village) houses have withstood 110 winters, even longer for some, with all their memorable histories. I love imaging what happened in this house before I became it’s caregiver, and I love the idea of leaving our own imprint behind when we are gone.” Mark added: “This house is warm. We’ve lived in newer homes, but none so warm and comfortable as this one. Yes, it has some drafty rooms. It’s old. It creaks in the wind. The foyer is 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house, but it’s comfortable despite all that. It’s more than a house; we’ve made it a home. And it makes my princess happy. She loves this house.”
S ubmitted by Delma Mindel