The city of Columbus is formalizing an agreement with a developer for the construction of apartments and an urban grocer next to the Bartholomew County Jail downtown.

Last night Columbus City Council approved the agreement for a $40 million dollar project on Second Street with developer Flaherty & Collins of Indianapolis. The company is proposing to build 200 apartments with 6,000 square feet of community space including swimming pools, bbq areas and leasing space, 400 parking spaces and a 12 thousand to 15 thousand square foot grocery at the property just east of the jail. The project would open in about three years.

In addition to providing the property for the project, the city through the Columbus Redevelopment Commission would guarantee more than $11 million dollars in bonds as the city contribution to the project. However, Mayor Jim Lienhoop pointed out that the bonds would be repaid by the city through property taxes paid by the developer, essentially paying for the financing itself.

The city had originally envisioned a joint project with a hotel conference center across the street in the jail parking lot between Second and Third Streets, but that project with Sprague Developers is on hold until the market for hotel rooms improves.

Council members Elaine Hilber and Grace Kestler questioned the pricing of the apartments in the new development and how that would fit into the housing crunch in the community. Flaherty & Collins representatives said they expected the cost to be similar to the apartments at the Cole. Councilman Frank Miller questioned the uncertainty of the cost to the city for the bonds and Councilman Jerone Wood questioned the damage the new apartments could do to the existing rental market.

Council voted 5-1 to approve the agreement, with Wood voting against the project.

There is no letup in the brutal cold punishing our area and much of the U.S.

Bitterly cold air continues across the area this morning and patchy, dense fog is also possible. You can expect to see some slick spots on the roads out there this morning and most of our area counties remain under a travel watch, which means only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended.

That includes Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Shelby counties. Johnson County is under a travel advisory, the lowest level of travel restriction.

The National Weather Service says another up to two inches of snow could hit Indiana south of Interstate 70 this evening and overnight.

Bartholomew County is reducing its travel status to an orange level, or a travel watch.

That is an improvement from the red travel warning status that the county was under last night and this morning.

Shannan Cooke, director of Bartholomew County Emergency Management, says many roads within the city and county have been cleared at least once by crews. There are some outlying county roads that have not been cleared and may be impassable at this time.

She said crews will be continuing to work throughout the day but asked that you use extreme caution when out traveling. Also, do not travel if you do not have to. If you must be out, allow extra time and reduce your speed.

A travel watch means means that conditions are threatening to the safety of the public. During a “watch” local travel status, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

Photo: INDOT snow plow in Columbus. Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Emergency Management

Almost all of our area counties have raised the travel status to a warning or red level, which restricts travel to emergencies only. Affected counties locally include Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties.

Johnson and Shelby counties have upgraded to a watch, or orange level.

The Bartholomew County Commissioners have signed a Disaster Emergency Declaration that is in effect until noon today.

During a travel warning you are directed to refrain from all travel; to comply with necessary emergency measures; to cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and to obey and to comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

As of 6 a.m. this morning, every county in Indiana was under some sort of travel restriction, with most being red or orange, which is a travel watch. Marion County was the only one in the state at the lowest, yellow, advisory level.

Indiana State Police say a truck driver denied being in an accident, despite damage to his semi that matched a damaged guard rail on Interstate 65 Sunday.

A trooper stopped to help the driver of a disabled truck about three miles north of the Seymour exit at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The driver, 29-year-old Kendarius C. Poole of Riverdale, Georgia, said that he just had flat tires that needed repaired, but claimed he had not been involved in a crash. But troopers noticed fresh damage to a guardrail about two miles south that matched damage to Poole’s truck and trailer.

State Police dog Jinx alerted to the odor of illegal drugs coming from the vehicle. During a search of the truck, troopers found suspected marijuana and synthetic urine.

Poole was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of a crash, possession of marijuana, possession of synthetic urine, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police.

The bad weather has forced INDOT to push back work demolishing the Deaver Road overpass on Interstate 65 south of Columbus.

The Deaver Road overpass was originally scheduled to close on Thursday, but that has now been delayed to Monday. You will see intermittent lane closures on Interstate 65 during the demolition process.

The demolition work will be done between 9 p.m. at night and 6 a.m. in the morning and could take up to a week to finish. One direction of I-65 will close for up to 20 minutes at a time while overhead work is in progress. Motorists are encouraged to utilize alternate routes or to allow extra time to reach their destinations.

The bridge is expected to reopen in June.

Updated: 4:45 p.m.

Bartholomew County officials have upgraded the county’s travel status to a Warning or Red level, which restricts travel to emergency travel only. The Bartholomew County commissioners have signed a Disaster Emergency Declaration that is in effect until noon on Tuesday.

During a travel warning level you are directed to refrain from all travel; to comply with necessary emergency measures; to cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and to obey and to comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

Earlier:

Bartholomew County Emergency Management is announcing that the county’s travel status has been upgraded to a watch, or orange, level.

A travel watch means means that conditions are threatening to the safety of the public. During a “watch” local travel advisory, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

You should use caution when you are driving this afternoon.

The city of Columbus is announcing that due to the winter storm affecting the area today and tomorrow, all Columbus City buildings and non-emergency services, including transportation services, will be closed on Tuesday, February 16th. City emergency services will continue to operate.

The weekly Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, normally held on Tuesday mornings, is rescheduled to 10 a.m. in the morning on Thursday, February 18th. However, the regularly scheduled City Council meeting WILL be held on at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. You can view the meeting online, and find a link on the city website at columbus.in.gov.

City officials will also continue to update the city website with any further weather-related information.

Bartholomew County government offices will also be closed tomorrow due to the weather conditions.

Photo: INDOT snow plow in Columbus. Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Emergency Management

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a winter storm warning for our area, with the possibility of 6 to 10 more inches of snow.

That warning lasts until 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The heaviest snow is expected to start falling from 4 p.m. this afternoon through the night. Snowfall rates in excess of an inch an hour at times are possible with locally heavier periods. Blowing snow will lead to higher drifts.

Winds will be 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. That will cause wind chill values as low as -2.

The hazardous conditions are expected to make this evening’s commute difficult.

The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross is offering safety tips if you must go outside in this weather.

Any trips should be as brief as possible. You should wear layered clothing, mittens or gloves, and a hat.

You should cover your mouth to protect your lungs from severely cold air. Avoid taking deep breaths and minimize talking.

With wind chill values below zero expected you should watch for hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia symptoms include confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Frostbite symptoms include numbness, skin that looks flushed gray, white, blue or yellow or waxy feeling skin.

The Indiana Department of Transportation Southeast District plow drivers began working last night monitoring and treating state roads. Shift changes will take place at midnight and noon until roadways improve. The Columbus sub district has called out all 29 of its trucks.

The Columbus Transit Department is announcing that the ColumBUS system will shut down at 1 p.m. this afternoon and the last full run will be at noon. On Tuesday, there will be no bus service in Columbus. City officials will make decisions about the schedule later in the week based on weather at that time.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce is kicking off a series of eight online seminars meant to help businesses find the employees they need.

Cindy Frey president of the local Chamber of Commerce explains the creation of the Talent Talks series:

Frey says that local businesses, especially in the manufacturing sector, are having a hard time finding good employees to hire.

The first session of the Talent Talks seminars starts at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning and is focused on tapping into local college talent. Future sessions include hiring those with disabilities and veterans.

You can get more information and sign up at columbusareachamber.com.

The 2021 Brown Music Competition was held virtually over the weekend and scholarship winners were chosen for the Betty F. Brown and Anna Newell Brown awards.

According to Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County: Columbus North High School senior Minjung Kim won the Betty F. Brown Awards for Instrumental Excellence for her violin performance. Columbus East High School senior Reagan Lykins won the Anna Newell Brown Awards for Vocal Excellence.

Four high school seniors competed in the instrumental contest on Saturday, and three participated in the vocal contest in this year’s competition. The performances were livestreamed to judges.

Both students will receive a $3,500 scholarship.