3
I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | T H U R S D AY, A P R I L . 3 , 2 0 1 4 | I D S N E W S . C O M
REGION EDITORS: REBECCA KIMBERLY & MARY KATHERINE WILDEMAN REGION@IDSNEWS.COM
Flood watch in effect until Friday The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Wednesday afternoon, saying rainfall could accumulate to more than 3 inches by Friday morning. The flood watch has been in effect since
8 p.m. Wednesday. Accumulated rain could “cause extensive flooding to occur,” according to the NWS report.
U.S. to screen for learning problems in young children BY SYDNEY MURRAY slmurray@indiana.edu @sydlm13
MATAILONG DU | IDS
BREAKING NEW GROUND
Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan attends the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremony for Fire Station No. 2 to inaugurate the sustainable gardens to be planted on site by Abundant Harvest Farms on Wednesday.
Council debates deer issue BY MARY KATHERINE WILDEMAN
marwilde@indiana.edu @mkwildeman
The Bloomington City Council considered an amendment to an existing ordinance during a meeting Wednesday night that would allow professional sharpshooting at the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. The amendment to the current ordinance, proposed by council member Dave Rollo, would allow only professional sharpshooters contracted by the city to hunt within the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. Costs to the city for this expense were estimated to be about $30,000 annually. Municipal code does not allow any use of a firearm within city limits unless it is discharged by a law enforcement officer or used in selfdefense. Rollo said that if the council does not take action to curb deer overabundance now, the effects could be irreversible. “Damage is acute now,”
Rollo said. “And it’s getting worse.” The meeting began with the council voting by a margin of 5 to 3, with one abstention, not to limit the amount of time allowed for council deliberation and public comment. Council member Stephen Volan presented a motion to limit the debate to three hours in order to regulate the amount of time Wednesday night’s meeting would take. “There’s no reason why this has to be decided at second reading on April 9,” Volan said, implying that the ordinance could go to a third reading. Several council members objected, saying that the motion was unprecedented and would limit the input of the public. “We’ve never done this before,” council member Andy Ruff said. Each public comment was limited to five minutes, however. Ramsay Harik, a community member, asked the
council to take immediate action, putting priority on the science available to them “no matter how squeamish it makes the rest of us feel.” David Parkhurst, who worked for the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs until 2005, said allowing this amendment would help preserve the existing environment at Griffy Lake. “I don’t understand what’s so precious about deer that makes them so much more important than birds and other wildlife,” Parkhurst said. A Griffy Lake Master Plan compiled in 2008 recognized the problem of deer overpopulation and called for an examination of potential solutions to the problem. Sharpshooting was determined to be the most viable option. Contraception and sterilization were both discussed at Wednesday night’s council meeting as alternatives, but were generally agreed
City acquires last of land needed for park project BY KATE STARR kastarr@indiana.edu
After 14 years of slow property acquisition, the last few acres of land have been acquired for the proposed Switchyard Park. Mick Renneisen, Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department director, said the project is now on the path toward construction. The city recently secured 6.79 acres that will be devoted to a west-side entrance and parking area for the future park. This makes for a grand total of 65 acres in an area southwest of campus. A funding source for the development has yet to be identified, but the city is currently doing an analysis of the project’s financial capacity, Renneisen said. “Different funding sources have different requirements for how they can be used, and that’s what the consultant will be doing,” Renneisen said. “We know some of those will be able to be used in the park, but until we get the complete plan, we won’t know how much. And then the mayor will have to make a determination on priorities.” However, the city still has big plans in the works for Switchyard Park. Situated between Grimes
Lane and County Club Road, the park location includes a long strip of land with a creek running along one side and a trail down the other. Located in the middle of Bloomington, the city has high hopes for the positive affect the park will have on the community. “Parks add lots of value to people’s individual lives from a health standpoint, mentally and physically,” said Karin St. John, Bloomington Parks Foundation executive director. “Then you have a community full of healthy employees. So, really, it adds an economic impact as well as having a great park system.” The Parks Foundation will work to insure that funding for Switchyard is secured, and St. John said she is excited to be part of such an amazing project. The space between the creek and the trail, which Renneisen called the “great lawn,” will be devoted to a number of uses. Toward the north side of the park, there will be a stage for performances and special events. Renneisen said he hopes there will be space in the park for roughly 15,000 people. “We think that space has great expandable potential for many great things,” he
said. The lawn will also have an active area devoted to basketball, volleyball and informal play. A community garden, open to the public for growing vegetables and herbs, will be located nearby. On the opposite end of the park, there will be a few areas for dog parks and connections to the B-Line Trail and Bloomington Rail Trail. “That will allow people to meander on trail surfaces,” Renneisen said. “Whether they want to walk or observe the creek or hang out in the shade, whatever, there will be a lot of trail opportunities embedded in the lawn.” To give a better idea of how he hopes the project will turn out, Renneisen compared the future Switchyard Park to Bryant Park when it was first being developed. However, he did point out that Switchyard will be almost twice the size of Bryant Park and is shaped slightly differently. “My belief is that this park’s development, whenever that happens, will transform this part of the community from what it looks like today to something much more like what Bryant Park transformed our community to look like 60 years later,” he said.
upon to not be cost-effective. “Contraception has ever proven ineffective in a free-ranging environment,” said Josh Griffin, a regional supervisor with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Michael Ellenwood said he had been hunting deer his entire life and feels the council is not considering unintended consequences. Ellenwood is from upstate New York, an area that also struggles with deer overabundance. He said he feels that shooting the deer will only cause them to disperse. “As soon as you start shooting them, they’ll move,” Ellenwood said. Richard Darling, a Bloomington resident, said his neighborhood was serving as a “highway” for deer traveling to Griffy Lake. “‘Bambi’ is a very interesting movie. It’s fun to watch and kids love it,” Darling said. “I don’t want a herd of deer and skunks ravaging my front yard.”
The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services recently announced its Birth to Five: Watch me Thrive! program, which aims to get all children on the same track once they reach kindergarten. This is part of a nationwide push to enhance early childhood education. Gov. Mike Pence signed House Bill 1004 into law Thursday, which will create a pilot pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds in up to five Indiana counties. The Birth to Five program encourages behavioral and developmental screenings for young children to help catch problems early on. The program also encourages families to celebrate milestones their children reach. “Early screening can lead to better access to services and supports, which can enhance children’s learning and development, minimize developmental delays and result in more positive outcomes in school and life,” said Michael Yudin, acting assistant secretary for the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, in an USDOE press release. These screenings will check children’s development progress and find any developmental delays, which can then lead to getting these children the help they need. According to the release, the initiative is meant to encourage early childhood experts — including practitioners in early care and education, primary health care, early intervention, child welfare and mental health — to work with children and their families. Most children are
diagnosed with autism after the age of 4, although it can be diagnosed as early as age 2, according to the release. Rebecca Swanson, instructor for early childhood education at Hoosier Hills Career Center, assists high school students interested in working with children in the education field. Swanson said she thinks the new program seems like a sound option, and said she is also supportive of any federal money going toward early childhood education in any capacity. Getting kids the support they need helps them catch up and go to school without being held back, Swanson said. Swanson said at this point in a child’s life, the brain is developing very fast, faster than at any other point in life. If a child is delayed developmentally before the age of 5, it can be harder for them to catch up once they get to school. Swanson said the initiative will be especially great if it works hand in hand with other programs, such as Head Start, a federal program that helps children from low income families prepare for school by age 5. It is important to get children learning experiences early on becausechildren’s brains are like sponges at this age and they are excited to learn, Swanson said. “Every family looks forward to celebrating a child’s first steps or first words,” Linda Smith, HHS deputy assistant secretary and interdepartmental liaison for early childhood development for children and families, said in the release. “Combining the love and knowledge families have of their children with tools, guidance and tips recommended by experts can make the most of the developmental support children receive.”
Hit-and-run accident Tuesday night leaves one man in critical condition FROM IDS REPORTS
Two men were thrown from their scooter Tuesday after a hit-and-run, leaving one in critical condition. Bloomington police responded to West Seventh Street near North Willis Drive Tuesday night to find Donald Reed, 24, unconscious at the scene. The driver of the Kymco
scooter — Zachary Frame, 24 — told police he was driving east on West Seventh Street when another vehicle struck him from behind, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Joe Crider said. Frame suffered scrapes and complained of pain in his head. Both Reed and Frame were transported to IUBloomington Hospital. Reed
remains in critical condition as of Wednesday with no information available on Frame. Police said the driver of the vehicle that struck Reed and Frame continued east on West Seventh Street but would not release a description of the vehicle. Dennis Barbosa
LOOK FOR#TBT
THROWBACK
THURSDAYS Go to our IU Throwback Pinterest Board to view old school IDS content. From 1950’s Hoosier Homecomings to Bobby Knight’s glory days in the ‘80s, see what we find this Thursday.
pinterest.com/idsnews IU Throwback Archive @IDSPulse
PULSE