The covered bridge in Mill Race Park is set to get a new roof after action taken during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Bartholomew County Council. County Highway Engineer Danny Hollander requested an additional appropriation of $30,350 to help cover the cost of the project, which he anticipates will cost around $45,000 in total. The rest, he says, will come out of the county’s cumulative bridge fund.

Hollander says this project has been needed for three or four years, but tight finances have pushed the project down on the list of priorities. He says that each county with a covered bridge gets $1,300 per year from the state to help maintain them. Hollander says that money stays in one fund until spent, adding that Tuesday night’s action will bring that balance to zero. Hollander added that the recent increase in the gas tax has brought money into the county that was not appropriated, making this project easier to fund.

County Council Jorge Morales questioned if this is a good use of county taxpayer funds. He argued that since the bridge is in a city park, and is “not used for a bridge,” the money could be better spent elsewhere. Hollander corrected Morales, noting that since the bridge is on a public road and is used for vehicle traffic, the county is obligated to maintain it. Council member Laura DeDomenic says that construction in the area has made the route more popular with motorists in recent weeks.

There has been no word as to when work on the covered bridge will commence.

Schneck Medical Center’s Chief Medical Officer has been named one of the nation’s best.

Stephanie Furlow, spokeswoman for the hospital, says that Dr. Eric Fish, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer has been named as one of the nation’s “100 CMOs to Know” for 2018 by Becker’s Hospital Review. Furlow says that Dr. Fish is one of only three CMOs from Indiana named on the list.

The list features national physician leaders who are “dedicated to strengthening their organizations through physician leadership development, patient safety initiatives and quality improvement.” Furlow says that Dr. Fish joined the Schneck Medical Staff in 2005 and founded Schneck Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2006.

The Town of Nashville and Nashville Utilities have issued a Boil Order for a number of customers after a water leak at 30 Hawthorne Drive. Affected area are:

51 State Road 46 East to 551 State Road 46 East;
30 Hawthorne Drive to 111 Hawthorne Drive;
51 West Chestnut;
75 West Chestnut;
50 Willow Street to 107 Willow Street;
51 East Chestnut
52 East Chestnut

Residents and businesses in these areas should boil all cooking and drinking water through 4 p.m. Thursday.

Indiana Department of Transportation personnel met with Greenwood officials, consulting engineers and contractor representatives last week at Seymour District offices to discuss plans roundabout construction at the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue, located east of U.S. Highway 31.

INDOT says that Greenwood is paying 20 percent of the project’s $2,882,875 total cost. The Federal Highway Administration funds the remaining 80 percent. Dave O’Mara is the prime contractor.

Utility work is set to begin early next month. INDOT says that actual roundabout construction is tentatively scheduled to begin June 1st. A 90-day closure is anticipated at the worksite during Phase I. A closure of up to 30 days will occur during Phase II at Meridian Street.

As part of the project, a “jug handle” loop will be built linking eastbound Smith Valley Road with northbound U.S. 31. Crossroad Engineers of Beech Grove is scheduled to provide day-to-day onsite supervision.

A North Vernon man was arrested Sunday afternoon on theft and drug charges. North Vernon Police say they were called St Vincent De Paul on O&M Avenue at 2:49 p.m. after 34-year-old Jason Perry was seen sorting through items in the donation area. After an investigation, Perry was arrested on preliminary charges of Attempted Theft and Possession of Methamphetamine.

Police say that Perry was booked in the Jennings County Jail on $1,055 cash bond.

Ivy Tech Community College Columbus is honoring two of its faculty members. School officials say the pair are responsible for “outstanding classroom instruction that has helped students succeed in their education.”

Dr. Rich Lamborn, associate professor of psychology and assistant chair for social and behavioral sciences, has received the President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction for Ivy Tech Columbus. Andrew Strawn, an adjunct mathematics instructor, has received the Adjunct Faculty Award for Excellence in Instruction for Ivy Tech Columbus.

Ivy Tech says the awards are annual recognition of full and part-time faculty members who “typify excellence in instruction and in representing the mission of Ivy Tech.” The awards also nominate Dr. Lamborn for the Ivy Tech Founder’s Award, the highest honor the College can bestow upon full-time faculty members, and Strawn for the Gerald I. Lamkin Award, the highest honor for an adjunct faculty member.

A Columbus man was arrested after an incident with a loaded gun early Monday morning. Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, says that deputies were called to a home in the 3500 block of North County Road 250 West at approximately 1:41 a.m. on a report of a domestic violence with a deadly weapon.

Authorities say the caller, who had left the home, told police that 37-year-old Brian Titara was pointing a shotgun at people inside the house. Investigators say that Titara had become irate before breaking several items, removing a shotgun from his gun cabinet, and pointing it at those inside his home.

Titara was arrested on preliminary charges of Domestic Violence in the Presence of a Minor, Pointing a Loaded Firearm and Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon. He is being held on $30,000 bond.

Two local residents died in a one-vehicle accident just before midnight Sunday on 25th Street in Columbus. Sgt. Alyson Rech, spokeswoman for the Columbus Police Department, says that at approximately 11:30 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of 25th Street and Sandcrest Boulevard. Investigators say that a van, driven by 52-year-old Jesse Tays, was traveling east on 25th Street when it crossed all lanes of traffic and struck a tree on the north side of the road. Authorities are unsure as to what caused the crash. Rech says that Tays and the front seat passenger, 53-year-old Eunice Tays, were pronounced deceased on the scene.

The accident remains under investigation.

Efforts to help military veterans find work in the private sector continue locally. The “Next Level Veterans Initiative,” is a recently created state program to help pair veterans with open jobs. Officials with the program will be in southeastern Indiana over the next few days.

Rep. Jim Lucas, a Seymour Republican, says the program unites public and private organizations in order to employ more military personnel leaving service and retain veterans who are already in Indiana. He adds that Next Level Veterans focuses on connecting veterans with high-wage career opportunities.

Lucas says that a new website provides a one-stop-shop for veterans looking for jobs and training, as well as information on a new veterans-based mortgage program, which helps veterans find affordable housing.

Events are being held Saturday during the 21st annual Indiana Icebreaker at Brownstown Speedway and during the St. Patrick’s Day Dance at the North Vernon Moose Family Center. Another event will be held Tuesday at the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour during the Spring Break Variety Show.

Through the Next Level Veterans initiative, Lucas says that those who serve our country will be better connected to employment opportunities upon discharge. For more information, visit in.gov/veterans.

A 37-year-old Seymour man died late Thursday after he was hit by a pickup truck in the 1300 block of East Tipton Street.

The Seymour Tribune is reporting that Claudio Antele-Pelayo was pronounced dead at the scene. Police told the paper that Antele-Pelayo, who worked at a restaurant in Jackson Park Shopping Center, was struck as he and a co-worker were crossing north on Tipton Street after leaving work.

The paper has identified the driver as 65-year-old George Douglas, of Seymour. He reportedly told authorities that he saw the first man “dart” across the street, but did not see Antele-Pelayo and was unable to avoid hitting him.

The investigation is ongoing.

For more on this story, go to tribtown.com.