November 2019
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November 2019

November 16, 2019| Voice|

The Village Voice

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President’s Letter:

Hi Neighbors –

The holiday season is off and running! We moved here at the end of last December so I am looking forward to the lead up to Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Village. I anticipate a lot of festive events and sights for the little ones.

As the holiday season kicks off, I want to remind everyone to stop in at our Village merchants to shop for gifts or to have a snack/lunch/dinner while shopping. We have so many great shops with different kinds of merchandise that it would be hard not to take advantage of their convenient location. Or if you are in need of a dessert for Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday party, we have plenty of those stores in the Village, too. Best of all, these purchases support the merchants in our Village community and help keep the Village strong.

I am sure no one needs a reminder of this but November 5th is Election Day! Hard to forget with all of the yard signs out, eh? As Sycamore Flats showed us, our elected local officials are very important to the future of the Village and Zionsville, no matter what side of the issue you were on. Please remember to get out and vote on November 5th! You can find more information regarding polling centers, ballot questions, and registration information at www.indianavoters.com.

The VRA is also kicking off our holiday season, with our last meeting of the year having been held on October 29th. This letter was written too early to give a summary of the October meeting so look for an update in one of the Sunday night e-mails.

Upcoming Events:

Holiday House Decorating contest: If you love to decorate for the holidays, this is an event you will want to consider. The contest is open to ALL Zionsville private residences or businesses. We will be distributing flyers to each house and business in the upcoming weeks that will have an entry application attached to it, along with the judging criteria and instructions on how to submit your application. The committee will only judge the houses and businesses that have submitted an application. Seven awards will be given out: First, Second, and Third prize for best business decorations (all property), First Second, and Third prize for best residential (all property) decorations, and one grand prize winner from all combined entries.

Progressive Dinner: The date of the Progressive Dinner has been set for December 7th! For those of you who are new to the VRA, the Progressive Dinner is a three course meal that takes place at three different houses. The first house will have appetizers, the second will have the main course, and the third will have dessert. It is one of our most in demand events and the spots go fast. Evites for the event will go out in early November to VRA members who have paid their yearly dues. If you have paid but didn’t give us your e-mail address, please send me an e-mail at president@zvra.com and we will update your record. Or, if you haven’t paid for the year but would like to get the Evite, there is a link on our webpage (zvra.com) to pay your dues. Our committee has been working hard on coordinating the dinner and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of magic they worked this year!

2020 Events: The VRA Board is going to meet soon to discuss events and presentations for the 2020 year. If you have any ideas or would like to see any past topics covered again, we would be happy to hear them! You can e-mail them to me at president@zvra.com.

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. Benefits include joining a strong VRA community, keeping up to date with Village related news and events, and participating in VRA social events.

Have a great Thanksgiving and I’ll see you in one of the local shops or restaurants!

Best,

Julia

president@zvra.com

Town Council:

Recently the Town Council passed two ordinances to authorize the issuance of bonds by the parks department. The park board has a unique function within a Town as they are the ones that determine how the money should be spent, although Town Council has the final say.

The first bond was for $3.375M towards building the Overly-Worman Park. This park is from land donated to Town by the Overly-Worman family as a part of the Von Terra neighborhood located off of Zionsville Road. This will feature a few unique elements to our Town including a mountain bike track/trails and a disc golf course.

The second bond was for $4.3M towards building additional trails that connect into the Big-4 Rail Trail. This will allow us to connect various trails and extend the Big-4 Rail Trail so residents of Zionsville can utilize it as far north as Lebanon.

I’ve heard tremendous support over the years for increased trails in our communities, as well as the importance of parks for both resident enjoyment and economic development, so voting in favor of these bond requests was an easy yes for me.

I’ve learned that bonding and debt can be very complicated when it comes to local government. Much of it is based on local taxation rates as well as the assessed value of a community, with limits put on all of them from the State and local tax caps. Zionsville has one of the lowest taxation rates in the region, and our growing taxes are a good thing (what?) because they are tied to higher assessed value of properties, not higher spending by government.


















Meet Your Neighbor:

With so many new faces in the Village, we are bringing back the Meet Your Neighbor interview in the Village Voice!

This month we interviewed Bret Brewer of Main Street. Bret is currently an At Large Town Council candidate. He also served on the VRA Board in the past as Vice President.

Who do you share your home with?   A wife of 25 years, 2 kids in Zionsville High School, a dog and 2 cats

Where are you from originally?  Born in Indianapolis

What is your profession?  I am a business appraiser who primarily does litigation support, which means, I value a business and then testify in court to explain how I arrived at that value.

Have you made any changes to your home?  Oh my goodness yes! We have converted the full-height attic to a living space, and created a new master suite on the 2 nd  floor. Most recently, I just spent fall break , swinging a 20 pound sledge hammer to break up a 1970’s iron bathtub in order to remove it. We will be converting this room to a second-floor laundry room.

What is the best thing about Zionsville?  The people!!!

What are your interests?  My wife and kids, running, biking, kickboxing, watching the Colts, the stock market and building things for the house.

What is your favorite Village shop/restaurant ? Whichever one I am dining/shopping at at the moment

What are your favorite movies?  The Godfather, Forrest Gump, Gladiator, Indiana Jones (most of them), Die Hard, The Matrix. Red, Lethal Weapon, Dead Poet’s Society (pretty much anything Robin Williams), Braveheart, Star Wars and the Princess Bride

What is your favorite book?  The JRR Tolkien series of the Hobbit

Who would you most like to meet?  Melinda Gates

What are your plans for the future?  Depends on the election but hopefully a more transparent and fiscally responsible town

What advice do you have for other Villagers?  Do something helpful for your neighbor

Three words that describe the perfect day:  Your renovation’s complete!

In the Community:



 CV Art and Frame’s Art Exhibition:

Discover the Cat Behind the Hat , The Art of Dr. Seuss 11/22/19 – 12/8/19. town hall on September 24 th .
Opening Reception Friday, Nov. 22nd from 6pm to 9pm, Saturday, November 23rd from 2pm – 3pm Children’s story time.  

Exhibit open until Sunday, December 8th @4pm

Fall Yard Cleanup Checklist:

With fall in the air, it is time to start thinking about preparing your yard for the winter and upcoming spring. I am by no means an expert on landscaping but I realized that lawn and house maintenance in the Midwest is MUCH different than where I previously lived. We just put in a new front yard (thanks to Pinky’s Landscaping Services) and I wanted to make sure we didn’t unintentionally ruin it so I put together the following checklist. It comes from a combination of 3 websites: This Old House (https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/fall-landscaping-checklist), redplum.com (http://www.redplum.com/blog/post/171027/fall-yard-clean-up-checklist), Safewise (https://www.safewise.com/blog/the-15-must-dos-of-fall-yard-cleanup/).

Aerate the lawn: If rainfall pools on the grass, it’s time to aerate compressed soil so water and nutrients can reach the roots. A garden fork will do the job for small yards, but larger yards may require a walk-behind aerator, which should be available to rent for a reasonable price.

Feed your grass: Cutting back on fertilizer in late summer prevents perennials from wasting energy on leaf production. But grass roots keep growing until the ground gets down around 40 degrees so this is a good time to fertilize. Before your turf goes into hibernation, give it the nutrients it needs to withstand winter elements, leaving it lush and green in the spring. Several websites recommended using a fall lawn fertilizer with a high phosphorous content.

Mow a final time: Set your mower on a lower setting (around 1 ¼ inch) for the last cut of the season. Disease has a harder time with shorter grass and fallen leaves blow across the lawn because they have nothing to latch on to. Don’t go too low, though, because grass makes most of its food in the upper blade.

Rake leaves: Round up the fallen leaves in your yard. If left unattended, they can suffocate the grass. If you are feeling industrious, you can shred them and use them as mulch for young trees, shrubs and flower beds.

Trim dead limbs: Dead branches can succumb to winter snow and winds, putting you and/or your home in danger.

Cut back perennials: Evict tired annuals, as well as the snails and slugs that feed on them, which breed in the fall. Trim spent perennial foliage down to the ground; this sends energy to the roots, for the next season.

Plant bulbs, shrubs, and fall annuals: Some plants do best when planted in the fall. If you want to add new shrubs or spring bulbs like hyacinth or tulips, now is the time to get them in the ground.

Protect sensitive plants: Cover or bring in anything that can’t withstand the cold.

Dry out drip systems: Standing water can freeze and crack drip-irrigating tubing. Also drain all water from hoses and fountains.

Clean and store tools: Remove dirt and securely store your lawn equipment in a dry place. Take time to give them a good cleaning and add a light coat of oil to prevent rust during the cold season.

Clean out the gutters: Once the leaves have fallen, it is the perfect time to clear them and other debris from rain gutters. Check for proper drainage, clear out any blockages with a small garden trowel, and rinse with a hose.

 

Last modified: July 21, 2021

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