Posts in category: Member News

MEDIA RELEASE: OCTOBER 26, 2022

City celebrates end of $20.9-million Jeff Digs project

Jeffersonville, Ind. – Mayor Mike Moore joined city officials and project leaders to celebrate the completion of the Jeff Digs project on Wednesday.

Jeff Digs is the City of Jeffersonville’s largest public infrastructure project to date. The purpose was to correct downtown Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) issues, decades in the making.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPO) required the city to control the overflows to the Ohio River.

“Investing in our sewers today will position us for even more growth tomorrow,” Mayor Mike Moore said, “We knew this would not come without its headaches, but the Jeff Digs project was just what the city needed to meet the terms of the federal mandate and improve overall downtown flooding.”

In February 2021, work began at the intersection of 8th and Ohio. The project route was approximately a mile and a half.  It made its way to Wall Street through Spring and 7th and then south on Wall Street along Chestnut and then continued east on Chestnut to Graham. At times digging reached as deep as 25 feet.

The project was completed on October 10, 2022, and totaled $20.9 million.

“We completed this project without raising sewer rates and we did it for millions of dollars less than what was first talked about,” Moore said. “Everyone in Jeffersonville wins.”

The City of Jeffersonville launched the jeffdigs.net site to keep the community and residents living in the area up to date. Text alerts were sent out on a weekly basis with road closures and updates. Public meetings were held and city officials were available for questions and comments.

The project was intended to efficiently revitalize the city’s wastewater infrastructure and protect local waterways in the growing Jeffersonville community for the next 75 years.

The City is now in compliance with EPA with controlling CSOs.

Many key players helped successfully pull this off on time. The City would like to thank Utility Director Len Ashack, City Engineer Andy Crouch, Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz, Mac Construction, and numerous contractors involved.

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MORE INFORMATION: (502) 295-3738

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The first sewers were constructed in Jeffersonville in approximately 1900. As was common practice at the time, these sewers were built as combined sewers, a sewer system that carries both wastewater and stormwater in the same pipe.

As is typical in many CSO communities, Jeffersonville’s combined sewers are located primarily in the older, downtown area of the city, with approximately 989 acres spanning from Main Street west to the city’s corporate limits with the Town of Clarksville being served by combined sewers.

Fast forward to today, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required the City of Jeffersonville to control the sewer overflows to the Ohio River and the Jeff Digs project did just that.

In August 2009, the Jeffersonville Sanitary Sewer Board ratified a Consent Decree with the EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The Consent Decree was accepted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in November 2009.

The Consent Decree is a federally enforceable, legally binding agreement that resolves alleged violations of the Clean Water Act for untreated overflows from Jeffersonville’s combined sewer system.

IU Southeast welcomes community to IUS Fest on October 29

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (Oct.19, 2022) – Indiana University Southeast is opening its campus to alumni and families throughout the region for IUS Fest on Saturday, October 29, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The new event is a mixture of homecoming and fall festival, two time-honored traditions where the campus welcomes back alumni and engages students in celebrating all that is IU Southeast.

Activities will include trunk-or-treat, touch-a-truck, pumpkin painting, carnival games, spooky science experiments for the kids, animal encounters, food trucks, an alumni beer garden and much more.  There is no charge for admission and there will be free food trucks while supplies last.

At noon, celebrate senior day with the IU Southeast Grenadier Volleyball team as they take on Brescia University in the Activities Building. Across the campus will be a cornhole tournament; registration for the event is at 11:00, followed by the competition at noon.

“We are excited to welcome back our alumni and invite families from our community to celebrate fall at IU Southeast,” said Joe Glover, interim vice chancellor of advancement, alumni and external affairs. “We thank our sponsors for helping make this event possible and hope to see as many people as possible from the area showing their IU pride and come celebrate the best of the season.”

For a complete roster of events and to download and print a map of the schedule and locations for the events, go to www.ius.edu/ius-fest. Maps and food vouchers will be available on the day of the event at the information booth, located on Southern Drive, in front of the Activities Center on the south end of the campus.

Sponsors of the event include the Indiana University Alumni Association Kentuckiana Region, Clark Memorial Hospital, Libs Paving Company, and Duke Energy.

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About IU Southeast:  IU Southeast is one of seven campuses of Indiana University. Offering more than 130 degree programs and concentrations, the scenic 180-acre campus is located less than 15 minutes from downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It currently has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students and employs more than 400 faculty members. About 400 students now live on campus in five fully furnished, lodge-style residence halls. Through an agreement with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Indiana University Southeast offers in-state tuition to students enrolled from eight counties in the Louisville region. For more information, visit www.ius.edu. IU Southeast is a tobacco-free campus.

The theme for our 2022 celebration will be “80 Years of Women in the Military”

CLARKSVILLE, IN (October 17, 2022) – Female Veterans will be the focus of the Town of Clarksville’s annual Celebration of Veterans on Sunday, November 6^th.  The event will be held from 2:00-3:00 pm at the Veterans Place Memorial located behind Town Hall.

The theme for our 2022 celebration will be “80 Years of Women in the Military,” and will feature a nearly all-female line-up of speakers, singers, and other participants.  The keynote address will be presented by Lt. Col. Amy McGrath, USMC Ret.  McGrath served more than 20 years in the United States Marine Corps., flying more than 89 missions as a pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan.  She later went on to run for Senate and started a non-profit organization.

The event will also include a color guard, the playing of TAPS, and a performance of harpist and singer Erin Hill, a harpist & singer based out of New York City, Chicago, and Louisville, KY. She’s had a #1 album on the Billboard world chart and has played with Cyndi Lauper, Kanye West, Enya, Moby, Sinead O’Connor, a-ha, Josh Groban, and Jewel.  She has also performed for celebrities, two First Ladies, and royalty.

All local Veterans and residents are welcome to attend this special celebration.

WHAT: Celebration of Veterans

WHEN: Sunday, November 6^th – 2:00-3:00 pm

WHERE: Veterans Place Memorial (Behind Town Hall) – 2000 Broadway Street, Clarksville IN

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ken Conklin
Communications Director
Office: (812) 283-1423 | Cell: (502) 471-7398
kconklin@townofclarksville.com

“Rosie the Riveter” Art Installation Dedication Today

CLARKSVILLE, IN (September 16, 2022) – The Town of Clarksville will be celebrating the importance of women during World War II at a special celebration along the banks of the Ohio River.  Today, Friday, September 16^th at 4:00 pm, the Clarksville Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) will unveil its new “Rosie the Riveter” Art Installation in Ashland Park.

Last year, the HPC decided it was long overdue to celebrate Clarksville’s connection to Rose Will Monroe.  She was a riveter, helping to build B24 bombers during WWII when she was chosen to appear in a documentary to help sell war bonds.  Her image became a representation of the power of women and their contributions to the war effort here at home.  After the war, Rose Will Monroe married and settled in Clarksville, Indiana where she lived out the rest of her days.

To honor Rose, the Clarksville HPC launched a crowdfunding campaign to help build a “Rosie the Riveter” Art Installation in Clarksville’s Ashland Park overlooking the Ohio River.  More than $130,000 was raised from donors across the country.  The art installation is being created by The Weber Group of Sellersburg and will be installed in the coming weeks.  A special ceremony will be held to unveil the art installation, and will include historical music, “Rosie the Riveter” look-a-likes, a color guard, and more.

The public and members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend this special celebration honoring Clarksville’s “Rosie the Riveter.”  You can learn more about the project and see a rendering of the art installation at:

https://www.patronicity.com/project/clarksvilles_rosie_the_riveter#!/

WHAT: “Rosie the Riveter” Art Installation Dedication

WHERE: Ashland Park, Clarksville, IN (Riverside Drive)

WHEN: Friday, September 16^th – 4:00pm-4:30pm

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September 13, 2022 – Today the City of Jeffersonville, through its Redevelopment Commission, executed a Redevelopment Agreement in which the City will partner with American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) in connection with the development of a master plan for the 80 acres along the Ohio Riverfront formerly known as “Jeffboat”. As part of an agreement with ACBL, the Commission will fund up to $200,000 for the costs related to OHM Advisors, which was the planning firm selected to develop the master plan and determine the best use of the property.

Earlier this year, ACBL engaged The Wheatley Group (TWG) to guide their company through a two-year asset assessment and redevelopment planning process that will result in the prominent riverfront parcel for its best use. The former Jeffboat site at one time was the site of the largest inland shipbuilding in the United States and the second-largest builder of barges until its’ closing in 2018. The shipyard was founded in Jeffersonville in the 1800s serving as one of the city’s largest employers for centuries. ACBL has assembled a team of technical and skilled professionals to prepare the property for its third century as a hub of economic activity in the Louisville MSA.

“ACBL and Jeffboat have been an integral part of the Jeffersonville Community for more than a century. Although we closed the Jeffboat shipbuilding facility in 2018 due to tough economic times, we are excited about the redevelopment and repurposing of this site going forward,” said Mike Ellis, ACBL CEO. “We believe the end result will be a transformational waterfront mixed use space that ties into the other successes the City of Jeffersonville has completed on the waterfront and surrounding areas.”

“We have approximately one mile of prime real estate right here in Jeffersonville. The possibilities are limitless. We’re excited to team with ACBL to help develop a shared vision for this property,” said Mayor Mike Moore who noted that he looks forward to working with ACBL and having community engagement meetings to hear from residents during the master planning process. “There’s a rich history associated with Jeffboat in our city. But it’s now time to write the next chapter in that story and it starts with a plan to transfer the former shipyard into a catalyst for more growth and development in Jeffersonville.”

OHM Advisors is a national firm with an office in Jeffersonville. The firm has extensive experience in a diversity of large-scale, multifaceted waterfront redevelopment projects including the Riverfront Revitalization in Owensboro, Kentucky.

“To us, this is more than a project; it is an opportunity to collaboratively work with ACBL and the City to redefine and maximize the 80 acres of waterfront that is storied with deep history and fully matured to serve its next great use for a community,” said Rob Huckaby, Director of the Louisville Office for OHM Advisors. “Our team recognizes the great interest in this property and the need to balance the private sector economic needs of the property owner with that of the community interests. We look forward to putting forth a planning process that efficiently gathers public feedback to develop a market driven plan that makes sense.”

The Wheatley Group is a southern Indiana based advisory firm specializing in the conception, planning, and implementation of economic development and redevelopment initiatives. The firm’s expertise assists their clients in project planning, fiscal analysis, and execution, with a focus on specific action items that are critical to bringing community development projects to fruition.

Additional inquiries should be directed to Dylan Fisher, Vice President of Real Estate for The Wheatley Group.

Dylan Fisher
VP of Real Estate
dylan@thewheatleygrp.com<mailto:dylan@thewheatleygrp.com>
812.920.4544

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