the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon6-18

21,000 distribution & growing! To advertise, call 812-637-0660 THE www.goBEACONnews.com INSIDE The BEACON BEACON PUBLISHED MONTHLY SINCE 1994 Proposed Guilford Subdivision Needs More Information An application has been made to rezone 186.776 acres located off the west side of York Ridge Road and the north side of Bonnell Road from Agricultural to Residential. Five parcels of land are referenced in the application. The deed submitted with Plan Commission Zone Map Amendment request shows that that parcel was purchased from Loren H. Huddleston Living Trust by Blind Hunting Club LLC on Feb. 13, 2017. The proposed access point for the property in question is off of York Ridge Road. No mention has been made about accessing the property from Bonnell Road. No representatives from the Blind Hunting Club were at the Plan Commission meeting which was held on April 23, 2018. However, over one hundred area residents attended the meeting to ask questions and voice their concerns. The property in question has some challenges. High ten- sion power lines run across the property. Transmission line easement grants vary in width based upon transmission line voltage. Also, gradients ranging from 28-33% can be found on the property. For a zoning change to be reviewed by the Dearborn County Plan Commission, five criteria must be considered: 1. The Comprehensive Plan 2. Current conditions and the character of current struc- tures and uses in each district 3. The most desirable use for which the land in each district is adapted Continued on page 3A ‘Tis the Season for Road Repair Ripley County Celebrates Bicentennial History and festivities shared by all. Page 7A Salute the the Military A Salute to our Military and The Good Old Days pay tribute for Memorial Day. Pages 8A, 9A, 12A Manchester Students Plant for the Future Over 284 red oaks were given to students to plant as demonstrated by Park Board President Doug Burger. Page 6B June 2018 Jeremy Priessman holds daughter Rylee as she pets Cindy Lou Who, a newborn reindeer, as the mother looks on. Christmas Comes Early Santa’s team of reindeer have potential newcomers who have joined the herd at Whitetail Acres in Brookville. Kevin Priessman gets the opportu- Stormy, the mother of Blizzard, nity of a lifetime as he pets newborn shares a quiet moment with her reindeer Cindy Lou Who. baby. As the days become longer and the crickets begin to chirp at night, the joy of road construction season makes a grand entrance. Pothole season has opened in Dear- born County. The asphalt plants in New Point and on Kilby have opened and are making hot mix used to fill the dreaded potholes. The bridge on Georgetown Road at the bottom of the hill near State Road 1 is slated to be replaced this summer. The current weight limit of the bridge is eight tons. A larger pipe will be put in place to accommodate a higher weight limit. At the same time, the s-curve located near the bridge will be “softened.” The project is scheduled to begin at the end of May or beginning of June and will require the road to be closed for thirty to forty-five days. An old stone wall located at the edge of Bridge #49 on Ester Ridge has collapsed into the creek. Water eroded the soil behind the wing wall and caused the collapse. Plans are in place to repair and extend the wing wall to prevent future erosion. The road will not be closed during construction. The structure on Jamison Road known as Bridge #76 will be replaced this summer. Currently, the creek is encroaching onto Losekamp Road near the bridge and will be diverted as a part of the bridge project. Completion is scheduled to occur by the end of the year. Literacy- A Community Passion to Share with Others By Susan Ray For many people, it is difficult to imagine a life without literacy and shocking to realize that half of all Americans are considered to be functionally illiterate. Hoosier Hills Literacy League (HHLL), funded in large part by United Way of Greater Cincinnati, is based in the Lawrenceburg Public Library. Laura Priebe, Literacy Administrator explains, “The library is our in-kind donator of space, so it’s where my office is. It’s kind of a hub, but I’m not employed by them. … Our classes are actually both at Lawrenceburg and Aurora because we technically serve this whole region.” Mrs. Priebe describes the start of HHLL: “In the early 90s, a group of volunteers organized Hoosier Hills Adult Literacy Organization, an all-volunteer organization. They were retired and wanted to do something.” The non-profit continues to improve literacy rates for families and individuals. Mrs. Priebe says, “Many of them want to get their high school diploma (many people still refer to it as a GED, but it’s HSE), and for many of them Tutor Barbara Tompary and student Ambar Oriana were recently matched through River Valley Reads. Photo by Tracy Geglein. it’s for a job.” Tracy Geglein is the Adult Literacy Coordinator with River Valley Resources, a non-profit organization that of- fers Adult Education classes to residents. She says, “We Continued on page 4A THE BEACON Over 21,000 readers and growing! Serving Dearborn, Ripley, Franklin and Ohio Counties in Indiana and to nearby Ohio communities. OUR ADVERTISERS ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS. SHOP LOCAL AND TELL THEM YOU SAW THEIR ADS IN THE BEACON.