Danville

Plan Commission Approves Horton Project

There were 186 by count at the door as the public filled one side of Bosstick Gym for the March 10 Danville Plan Commission Meeting to discuss the rezoning request from D.R. Hortonl.

The plans for the development of the former Miles farm were projected on a screen as John Moore, representing D.R. Horton, described planned unit development.

By the time you read this, the Danville Town Council will have voted on rezoning what is probably the largest single development ever proposed for the Town of Danville.

John Moore presented the 390-acre D.R. Horton project to the Plan Commission at a special meeting Wednesday March 10. Matt Dunn, Division President for D.R. Horton and his team were also in attendance.

After the presentation, the Plan Commission members asked Mr. Moore and his clients several questions about the project. Plan Commission president Tommy Thompson struck a nerve with the remonstrators when he questioned the location of the 3-story apartment buildings on the west side of the development.

The remonstrators appeared to be against the apartment portion of the plan and Matt Dunn quietly indicated that D.R. Horton would be open to eliminating them entirely from the development plans. There were pockets of applause at this mention.

Mr. Thompson called for a 10-minute break before starting on the public comment segment of the meeting.

Prior to public comment, Mr. Dunn announced to loud applause that Horton would remove all the 3-story apartment buildings.

Then, about 20 of the 200 remonstrators in attendance took their turn at the microphone to express their concerns about the project.

By far, most of the concerns were related to the already congested traffic conditions on U.S. 26 / Main Street. According to neighbors in the area there are quite a lot of fender benders occurring on a regular basis due to high volumes of traffic during rush hours.

Other concerns expressed by the public were the fear of overcrowding the school system and the existence of several lawsuits around the country against D.R. Horton for their lack of quality and service.

After 3 ½ hours of discussion, the Plan Commission voted 5-1 to send a favorable recommendation, with conditions, to the Town Council’s March 17 meeting. The public was not happy about the vote and promised to show up in force to the Town Council meeting.

Whether for or against, everyone that wanted to speak their mind had the opportunity to do so, on record, at a public meeting. It’s not an easy task for many people to get in front of a crowd and speak their piece and they should be applauded for their participation.

Lastly, the Plan Commission and Town Council deserve recognition for volunteering their time to make hard decisions in the face of loud remonstrance and personal accusations of bribery and underhandedness. Whether you like the decision that was made this last Wednesday or not, there was due process. ______________________________________________

Statement from D.R. Horton Homes: “D.R. Horton greatly appreciates the Plan Commission’s time, thoughtful questions and input regarding the development. We are pleased that we were able to make modifications to the plan to address those concerns and receive a favorable recommendation. We recognize the questions raised by the residents of Danville, and we are committed to working with the Town’s leadership to address those questions. D.R. Horton is excited to deliver a quality mixed-use development for the benefit of the Town and its residents, and we look forward to the next steps in the process.”

Matt Dunn, Division President D.R. Horton

Overall Plan for development of the former Miles Farm at the west edge of Danville. The plans include a mix of housing, comercial business, and recreation areas.

Danville Police Assist in Criminal Investigations

A former Danville resident has been charged in Hendricks Circuit Court in the death of a 4-month-old child.

Richard Osowski, 29, of Trafalgar, Ind. was charged with Aggravated Battery and Neglect of a Dependent

Causing Death.

OSOWSKI

Danville Metropolitan Police Officers were dispatched to Hendricks Regional Health on January 11, 2020 when the child was brought to the ER with signs of head injury. The child was transferred to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis and died on January 18. The Marion County Medical Examiner determined the child’s injryes were caused by blunt force trauma to head and spine. The death was ruled a homicide on September 10, 2020.

“Our department is deeply saddened by the death of this defenseless four-month-old baby girl,” said a spokesman for Danville Police. “Our dedicated staff have worked tirelessly since the moment this call came in to bring justice for this heinous crime. Our investigation included a large amount of executed search warrants, countless interviews, a large amount of medical evidence and an unwavering resolve by everyone within our department to make sure this girl’s horrible death was solved.”

Osowski was booked into the Hendricks County Jail on March 10, 2021.

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A Danville man is wanted for stealing lottery tickets.

The theft was uncovered during an investigation by the Danville Metropolitan Police Dept., in conjunction with the Investigations Division of the Indiana Hoosier Lottery Jonathan W. Price, 19, of Danville has been charged with Felony Theft in Hendricks County Superior Court.

PRICE

Price was caught on store surveillance video at the Danville Speedway Gas Station stealing a total of $833 worth of lottery tickets and cashing out $417 worth of winnings from those stolen tickets. Price was employed by Speedway as an employee and committed the thefts while he was clocked into work. Price cashed the stolen winning tickets himself at his job and at two other locations within Hendricks County.

At the time of this release Jonathan Price has an outstanding warrant for his arrest. If you have any information on his whereabouts, you’re asked to contact the Hendricks County Communications Center, or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.

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After an internal audit conducted by board members of the Danville Girls Softball League last month, $4,526.38 was found to be missing from the league account. The former league treasurer, 43-year-old Timothy P. Ireland of Indianapolis, was identified on all of the unauthorized transactions as being the recipient of the funds.

IRELAND

After a thorough examination by the Danville Metropolitan Police Dept. Investigations Division, along with strong support and assistance from the Danville Girls Softball League Board of Directors, an admission was obtained from the former treasurer that he misused the funds to pay for his personal expenses, including a fee he owed on his property, his energy bill, and additional items for his residence.

Ireland has since been formally charged with Felony Theft in Hendricks County Superior Court and had his initial hearing on March 15.

Town of Danville Reminds Golf Cart Owners of Registration

The Town of Danvile requires all golf carts operating on Town streets to undergo, and pass, an annual inspection. The cost of an inspection shall be $25.00 per year, per golf cart. The ordinance includes the following:

A. A golf cart shall not pass an annual inspection if it does not meet all requirements and regulations established in Ordinance No. 10-2018, including but not limited to requirements regarding safety equipment and insurance. 1) Headlights, Taillights, and Turn Signals; and 2) A Sideview Mirror; and 3) A Slow-Moving vehicle sign that conforms to the provisions of IC 9-21-9-2 affixed to the rear of the cart.

B. Inspections shall be completed by the Danville Metropolitan Police Department or the Town of Danville Code Enforcement Officer, and payments shall be made to the Town of Danville.

C. A decal reflecting a valid and successful golf cart inspection will be issued by the Town and must be visibly affixed to the golf cart.

D. It shall be a violation of this Ordinance to operate a golf cart on Town streets without passing an annual golf cart inspection. It shall also be a violation of this Ordinance to operate a golf cart on Town streets without a visibly affixed decal indicating a passed inspection.

To make an appointment for an inspection, call the Danville Town Hall at 317-745-4180, ext. 1001. ______________________________________________

BASKETBALL Hendricks County Tournament

The seventh grade Lady Warrior girls’ basketball team defeated Tri-West 31-14 in the semi final game of the Hendricks County Tournament. Scoring for Danville were Sylvie French 10, Ava Walls six, Maddy Wethington, Allie Gunter, and Addie Bowers four each, and Malina Ane three points.

The seventh grade Lady Warrior basketball team lost in the final game of the Hendricks County Tournament to Brownsburg West in overtime 30-25. Scoring for Danville were Allie Gunter eight, Ava Walls six, Maddy Wethington and Malina Ane four each, and Sylvie French three.

EveryBUNNY Loves SNOOPY SCHOOL!

Snoopy School Open Registration for the 2021/2022 School Year

Danville United Methodist Preschool (Snoopy School) has served Danville and the surrounding communities for 45 years. Operating within a relaxed, semi-structured environment, the preschool allows each child the opportunity to develop at an individual rate in relation to his/her age and needs. All programs and objectives of the preschool are based on the concept that play is one of the most effective modes of learning for young children. Within that framework, we focus on the whole development of the child; from social, physical and emotional development to intellectual and spiritual. The desired outcome of our program is always to foster individuality and independence in our students and to prepare them to approach their lives with curiosity and confidence. Open Registration began on Monday, April 12, 2021. Please visit DanvilleUMC.org and click on the preschool tab. Here you will find registration information and form. If you would like more information about our program, please call Ruth Snider at 317-745-7779.

Lyons and Fans Enjoy Last Season Game

Who had the most fun at the last seaon game for the Indiana Lyons, the fans or the players?

Lyons CEO Tyrone Brown surprised Louise Leach (center) with a ball signed by all the players.

Dillon Ware is getting be quite skilled at signing Lyons T-shirts.

The Lyon’s Jermaine Harris gave an assist to fan who wanted to score.

Overall, we’d say the Lyons and their fans are tied for scoring some fun.--

The Garden Spot of Danville

[ Editor’s note: Thanks to Kari Spence for sharing this Facebook post - a friend read it and said “it ought to be in The Republican.” We are also a friend of Paul and among the admirers of his gardening talents.]

So today I took some time out of my day to go on a walk through Danville. I do this quite often, especially when the weather is nice.

There is a house in town owned by an older gentleman. Over the years I’ve admired his meticulously kept yard, garden and landscaping as I would walk or drive by. He has THE MOST MAGNIFICENT Magnolia tree in his front yard that I’ve managed to get a picture of each year. Today, I was on my walk and I had the privilege of meeting the man who lives there.

This is my new friend, Paul. We had a great conversation as we were discussing his beautiful yard and something he said will always stick with me.

“There are always so many beautiful things around us, it’s the people that can be ugly”.

How true. He let me snap this picture of him and I told him I would print it out and bring it over to him so that he could caption it and add it to the picture book he’s been putting together.

There is also a pic of his magnolia tree getting ready for the highlight of her year of putting smiles on faces while she’s in bloom.

Thanks, Paul- for making my entire day. Let’s all put our ugly away and be beautiful and kind to each other.

Kari Spence

Tri Kappa Offers Scholarships To Danville Seniors

Danville Tri Kappa is offering $1,000 scholarships to students who excel in volunteerism and community service while maintaining good academic standing.

High School Seniors must be graduating from Danville Community High School or reside in Danville and plan to attend an Indiana college, university or post-secondary program.

Applications must be submitted by 4/19/21 and the forms can be found at danvilletrikappa.org.

Questions can be emailed to danvilletrikappa@yahoo. com.

DCEF Hosts Golf Outing

The Danville Community Education Foundation will host its Annual Golf Outing on Friday, June11, 2021, at Twin Bridges Golf Club. Check-in is at 8 a.m. with the game starting at 9 a.m. Sponsorships are available. Online registration is available at https://danville.k12.in.us// Page/626.

For more information and/or questions, contact dcef@danville.k12.in.us.

Tri Kappa Offers Grants

Danville Tri Kappa is accepting grant applications up to $1,000 from teachers, non-profit agencies, programs and organizations to support charity, culture, and education in our community.

All applications must be submitted by April 1st and will be awarded at the discretion of the grant committee.

The application form can be found at danvilletrikappa.org/charity or email questions to danvilletrikappa@yahoo.com.

Senior Center Food Pantry

Hendricks County Senior Services offers a food pantry for Individuals must be 60 years old or older and a resident of Hendricks County

The food pantry is open by appointment. Please call 317-745-4303 to make an appointment to come to the food pantry.

Donations are always needed, accepted and appreciated.

It’s News To Us

If you have local news to share, deadline for news items is noon on Monday. Send your news items by e-mail to therepublican@ sbcglobal.net. Call 317- 745-2777 or fax to 317- 647-4341. After hours, news items may be slipped in the mail slot in the front door at 6 E. Main, Danville.