Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are getting ready to announce their new superintendent.

Dr. Jim Roberts, head of the Batesville school system, has been chosen for the role, according to school district officials.

Roberts could not be reached at his Batesville office today with office staff saying he was at an out-of- town meeting. He was chosen as  2016 Indiana Superintendent of the Year by Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents District 8. He also won the award in 2014.

Roberts has undergraduate and masters degrees from Indiana University and his doctorate in education is from Nova Southeastern University. He has worked in Bartholomew County before, with time as a teacher at Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools, Shedd said.

According to a biography from the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, Roberts has been superintendent in Batesville since 2007, and previously served as the district’s assistant superintendent and as principal and assistant principal at Batesville High School.

The site reports that he has served as board president of the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and is a board member at Margaret Mary Community Hospital, the Rural Alliance for the Arts and the Coalition for a Drug Free Batesville. He is a co-founder of Team Batesville, a community running club.

At a public hearing last  month, BCSC officials unveiled the contract they are offering to the new superintendent. School Board President Jill Shedd explained at that meeting that the initial contract will be for three-years.  She added that after the third year, employment with the district is year-to-year.

The proposed contract includes:

• Annual Salary (1st year) $170,000
• 10.5% Retirement
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Annual 401(a)/403(b) Plan Contribution
• $500,000 Life Insurance
• Annual Auto Allowance of $10,000
• Annual Professional Development Allowance and Membership Fees of $4,000
• One‐time moving expense not to exceed $5,000 if moving from out-of-district
• 20 paid vacation days and recognized holidays, as well as the same number of sick and general leave granted all teachers and administrators.

Roberts is scheduled to be formally announced at the school board’s next meeting, scheduled for April 11 at CSA-New Tech, which will also include a vote on the contract. That meeting will be preceded by a reception for Roberts, says Shedd.

You can view a full copy of the draft contract at the BCSC website at www.bcsc.k12.in.us

A reminder for Hope-area residents., the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department will be having a town hall meeting in Hope tonight starting at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. Chief Deputy Chris Lane and other department personnel will be on hand to answer questions and discuss issues of concern to residents.

Candidates for Bartholomew County Commissioner and for County Council at large seats debated last night at a community forum sponsored by the Sierra Club Winding Waters Chapter and Energy Matters Community Coalition.

Republicans and Democrats took part in the event, although county Democrats don’t have any contested races in the May 3rd primary. Republicans will choose between three candidates for the County Commissioner District 1 seat and five candidates for the at-large seats on County Council.

Candidates had few large differences between them, although they did split on term limits. County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, who is in his 23rd year on the commissioners and County Councilwoman Evelyn Pence, who has served for 30 years on the council, said they felt the question was directed at them and they both opposed term limits. They both argued for the value of experience in choosing elected officials and in the importance of letting voters decide who to support.

Candidates also were divided on whether part-time elected officials such as the council and commissioners should be offered health insurance on the county plan, especially with recent cuts in part-time employee hours to keep them from being able to access the insurance.

Jorge Morales and Susan Thayer Fye, who are running for commissioner District 1 against the incumbent Kleinhenz, both said they would not use the county insurance if it was offered. Kleinhenz said he does take advantage of the insurance and thinks it is an important benefit to entice people to run for county offices.

The forum was held at the Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room

Here are the candidates responses on the health insurance question:

County Commissioner District 1

Susan Thayer Fye, Republican

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Jorge Morales, Republican

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Larry Kleinhenz, Republican

04-07 larry kleinhenz health insurance for web

County Commissioner District 3

Brad Woodcock, Democrat

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Rick Flohr, Republican

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County Council at-large

Jim Reed, Republican

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Evelyn Pence, Republican

04-07 evelyn pence health insurance for web

Lynne Fleming, Democrat

04-07 lynne fleming health insurance for web

Pam Clark, Democrat

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Bill Lentz, Republican

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Gaby Cheek, Democrat

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Republican council candidates Mike Lovelace and Matt Miller did not attend the forum.

The Columbus Parks and Recreation Department is planning to spend about a million dollars on park improvements.

The vast majority, about $790 thousand dollars, will be to replace equipment and irrigation at the city’s golf courses.

The city owns Greenbelt and Par 3 golf courses but until last year the courses had been under private management. When the city took the courses back over last October, workers found that the equipment was in need of repair and maintenance, said Mark Jones, head of the city’s parks department. That includes still using equipment that was damaged in the 2008 flood. He said the city workers have been piecing together equipment from pieces and parts just to get the work done.

Jones said the city will have to spend thousands of dollars to  upgrade the equipment, which will make it harder to make money on the golf courses. But some of the equipment will also have uses at other city facilities.

Jones said the money will come from a combination of reserve funds above the amount recommended by the state board of accounts and from the park’s capital improvements funds. Jones said the city has built up a large reserve because the department’s budget was shrunk over recent years and empty positions were not filled.

His request included:

• Replacement of golf course equipment — $550,000
• Replacement of 16′ mower — $83,000
• Replacement of irrigation at Par 3 Golf Course — $240,000
• Stone repairs at city cemetery — $7,000
• Trash enclosures – $7,000
• Fire protection at Hamilton Center — $20,000
• Capital equipment — $70,000
• Paving, overlay, seal coating and striping — $45,000
• Resealing the gym floor at FFY — $35,000
• Sidewalk repairs — $10,000
• Fence repairs and replacement — $25,000
• Replacing small pool’s play structure — $6,000
• Total: $1,098,000

City Council gave its first approval of the plan Tuesday night. Councilman Frank Miller was the only member of the council to vote against the the plan, questioning the wisdom of investing in a shrinking sport and competing with top-notch local private courses. Jones said he believes the parks department has a plan in place to be successful.

You can look for more information on our website.

Columbus police made three arrests on drug charges after stopping a vehicle Tuesday afternoon.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, says that a car driven by 44-year-old Shannon D. Caudill-Jent failed to make a signal before turning near 10th Street and National Road at about 5:30 p.m.

After pulling the vehicle over, officers discovered that Caudill-Jent was wanted on a warrant and that a passenger had given them a false name. She turned out to be 29-year-old old Rachel L. Hiatt, who was also wanted on a warrant. A search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered a hypodermic needle and drug paraphernalia near where another passenger, 54-year-old Daniel J. Butler, was sitting.

Jail officers also allegedly found heroin in Hiatt’s clothing during her arrest.

Hiatt is facing preliminary charges of possession of a legend drug injection device, possession of drug paraphernalia, false informing, trafficking with an inmate, possession of heroin and a Bartholomew County Warrant for a probation violation in a case of conversion.

Butler was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of a legend drug injection device and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Caudill-Jent was arrested on suspicion of possession of a legend drug injection device, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended with a prior and the Indiana parole warrant.

Organizers who want to try to keep the Flamenco sculpture in front of The Commons will be holding a Spanish Festival next month to raise money for the project.

Geri Handley with the Columbus-area Arts Council says that the Fire and Grace festival will be held at 6:30 Friday May 13th at The Commons and will feature a performance by Spanish guitarist Albert Nolting and FlamencÓle, a flamenco dance troupe from Indianapolis.

Nolting got his start studying under Tom Pickett at Pickett’s Columbus studio, Handley said. Nolting went on to the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and studied guitar with Ernesto Bitetti and earned a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance and a Bachelor of Science in music with an outside field in music education. Currently, he teaches guitar full-time and performs regionally.

Tickets are $25 and are available at Viewpoint Books and the Columbus Area Arts Council offices in The Commons.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is looking for your help identifying two suspects in a theft at a local convenience store.

Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department, says the department has three surveillance photos it hopes people will look at and help identify the suspects and their vehicle. She says the man in the orange shirt and the woman in pink are suspects in a theft from the Circle K at State Road 7 and U.S. 31 on March 30th.

If you have any information you should contact the Sheriff’s Department tip line at 812-379-1712.

The United Way of Bartholomew County will be looking for ways to better serve the residents of the East Columbus neighborhood through the former Eastside Community Center.

The community center board resigned and the center closed last year. But it has reopened under the leadership of the United Way.

Thursday afternoon, the State Street Area Association will be holding a meeting at the former center to meet with United Way leaders and get your thoughts on the center’s future. That will be at 5:30 p.m. at the center at 421 McClure Road.

The city of Columbus will be giving Cummins a big tax break on about $62 million worth of improvements to the mid-range engine plant in Walesboro.

Cummins officials told the City Council last night that they will be spending $26 million dollars on real property and $36 million on personal property at the company’s plant on County Road 450S.

The council agreed to phase the property taxes in over 10 years.

The company said the improvements would let it keep 722 jobs in Columbus, which pay an average of almost $24 per hour. Councilman Tim Shuffett serves on the city’s incentive review committee:

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Shuffett said the changes are all about preserving jobs and the property.

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Shuffett explains that under an abatement the community gives up immediate tax collections on the property, but will see growing amounts of tax revenue as the abatement shrinks.

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Among the changes to the property will be the removal of the on-roof parking. Company official said that the weight of the parking has proven to be a strain on the aging building.

The Bartholomew County Health Department will be offering A1C testing by appointment on Tuesday morning, April 12th.

That will be at the department’s new offices at 2675 Foxpointe Drive. The cost will be $12 cash and appointments are required.

You can call 812-379-1555, and hit option “1” from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to make an appointment.