Farley Neighborhood

Farley Annual News Letter May 2003

Jun 04, 2003


FARLEY NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER MAY 2003

Farley?’s annual meeting was held on April 29, 2003 at Fulton Jr. High School. Light refreshments were available at 6:15.

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM and guests were introduced. Attending from the City of Indianapolis were: Neva Hagedorn, Wayne Twp. Administrator, Phil Hinkle, State Representative, Merri Anderson, McANA Wayne Twp. Director,Diana Virgil, B&O Trail representative, Indianapolis Dept. of Public Works Director, Barbara Lawrence and DPW staffmembers Susan Preble, Executive Asst., and Kathy Holdman, Neighobrhood Coordinator.

Minutes of the 2002 meeting were read and approved

Treasurer?’s report was read and approved

Guest Speaker, Barbara Lawrence, Director of City of Indianapolis Dept. Works was introduced. She spoke about the organizational structure of the department, defined her role as director and answered many questions from residents about
various concerns. Included were questions about street maintenance, storm water drainage problems, sanitary sewage which is now provided by the Town of Speedway, solid waste (trash) pickup, creek and ditch maintenance, burning of tree limbs,twigs and other yard waste and traffic operations. (see Farley Alerts and Information section of this newsletter for details on these items)

Updates on current issues: I-465 West Corridor, B&O Trail Project, Bill Board Issues, Crime Watch, Garage Sale Dates and other miscellaneous neighborhood concerns were discussed. (see Farley Alerts and Information section of this newsletter for details on these items)

Floor Nominations for Election of Board of Directors were called. No one was nominated for Co-Presidents (2) or Secretary. Pat Landgraf volunteered to be nominated for Treasurer. A motion was made and seconded to accept her
nomination. All attending were in favor and Pat Landgraf was elected as Treasurer. (see Board of Directors Needed section in this newsletter for more information on the status of Farley?’s Board)

Open Floor discussion for Farley residents was held. Various comments and concerns were discussed. (see Farley Alerts and Information in this newsletter for details)

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM

FARLEY ALERTS AND INFORMATION
2003 Garage Sale Dates: Spring Sale: Saturday June 14th 8:00AM - 4:00PM

Fall Sale: Saturday October 4th 8:00AM to 4:00PM

Request for Sanitary Sewer Connection to City of Indianapolis: We received a letter from Barbara Lawrence, Public Works Director dated 3/27/2003. She stated connection would not be feasible due to the cost to the City of Indianapolis.

Cost to City: cost of assessment of existing lines and physical inspection, Connector Systems costs would include construction of a connector system and acquisition costs of the infra- structure itself from Speedway. DPW could reasonably be expected to compensate Speedway for the fair market value of their property and loss of revenue for an asset such as this. Also, if the City of Indpls. agreed to acquire the system, it would need to be upgraded.

Cost to Residents: If the City agreed to undertake the acquisition, the associated costs, in some way, would be passed on to the affected customers either througha Barrett Law-type arrangement or through a utility surcharge. Barrett Law programs typically pass on the costs of construction to the affected property owners. Either option could be significant when applied to property owners and could possibly be an increased financial burden for residents.

Although the outcome of the review of our sanitary sewage situation and the costs as outlined by the Dept.of Public Works seems to defeat our effort to be relieved of the burden of a surcharge imposed by the Town of Speedway, we will continue to ask our legislators to change and strengthen the Indiana code that governs municipally owned and operated utilities to provide equitable and justified rates for all rate payers.

STORM WATER UTILITY BILLING CHANGE: The Marion County Stormwater District is moving to a more reliable and cost effective system of billing stormwater fees and is now adding these fees to Property Tax Statements Each property owner is
billed annually $15.00 on their property tax statement. Stormwater drains are the street drains which carry away storm water and is NOT part of the Speedway Sanitary Sewage Utility .

I-465 WEST CORRIDOR PROJECT UPDATE: On May 7th a hearing was held at Ben Davis High School to offer all interested an opportunity to comment on the Environmental Assessment for the added travel lanes. Construction of the project is expected to require 86.3 acres along 11 miles for right-of-way. Fourteen single family residents are expected to be displaced by this project (not necessarily in Farley). Acquisition of right-of-way is expected to be completed by late 2003 or
early 2004. Construction is expected to begin in 2005. Construction could take until 2008 or as late as 2010. The major source of concern for Farley is noise barriers and the interconnection (synchronization) of two additional traffic signals that will be placed between Farley Drive and the entrance to Lowe?’s Home Improvement. Conversation with project engineers indicate there will be noise barriers along some of our Eastern boundary and the traffic lights are planned to be interconnected.

B&O TRAIL UPDATE: After the class action court settles the question of ownership of the may individual B&O railroad corridor parcels, RCDI plans to approach CSX Transportation to discuss the purchase of B&O corridor parcels. There is much work to do and much of this effort will involve the Indiana Dept. of Transportation (INDOT). Complying with INDOT procedures will include land surveying, title searches and land appraisals. The RCDI has signed an agreement with Indy Greenways to start B&O construction at Raceway Road and proceed West into Hendricks County. Indy Greenways, which will own and manage the trail in Marion County, will start trail construction beginning at Raceway road and proceed East in Marion County. Corridor Parcel owners are asked to call Diana Virgil at 317-852-3838 to discuss land transactions.

MOSQUITOES: Residents are asked to remove standing water from old tires, tin cans, bottles, jars, buckets drums and other containers and keep them empty. Empty wading pools, repair dripping faucets and leaky pipes. Scrub and change water in bird baths twice weekly. Mosquitoes can carry serious diseases including: St. Louis encephalitis, LaCrosse Encephalitis,West Nile Virus and Dog Heartworm. If you have a problem with Mosquitoes, call Mosquito Control at 221-7440

BUICK DRIVE TO BE RESURFACED ?“SOON?”: Good News! Buick Drive has been scheduled for resurfacing. At this writing we do not have an exact start date, however, Neva Hagedorn, Wayne Twp. Administer said it should begin ?“very soon?”

BURNING REGULATIONS: Please be aware and note these open burning regulations: Permitted: Tree Branches, twigs and limbs from owner?’s property or neighbor?’s property may be placed in a non-combustible container (metal) such as a 55
gallon drum covered with a mesh screen. Container must be placed not less than 15 feet from any structure (house, shed,fence,etc.) Fire must be constantly attended and a fire extinguisher or garden hose must be at the burn site. Burning is permitted only from the hours of 10:00AM and 3:00PM.

Camp or cook fires are permitted. Combustible material may be no larger than 3 feet in
diameter by 2 feet high surrounded by bocks, bricks or stones. Fire must be constantly
attended with a fire extinguisher or garden hose.
Not Permitted: Leaves, household trash, any wood products (lumber, crates, pallets,etc). In addition, please note: Any burning complaint to the Wayne Twp Fire Dept of discomfort or distress to other residents will be cause the fire to be extinguished by order of Wayne Twp Fire Department. "Knozone Days?” are NOT acceptable days for burning. Protect our Air Quality

MOTORIZED SCOOTERS, MOPEDS, GO CARTS, ATV- FOUR WHEELERS: Two or three wheeled vehicles must be not more than 2 horsepower/50cc, may not exceed 25 mph and driver must be 15years old or older and have an ID card or license If under age 18, drivers must wear glasses (goggles) and head gear. ATVS, Go-Carts or other four wheeled vehicles MAY NOT DRIVE ON STREETS.

CRIME WATCH REPORT AND UPDATE: Farley?’s Crime Watch Program has been successful and we have seen some reduction in incidents. We have more patrol cars in the neighborhood. Teenage mis-demeanors is still a problem and we ask that you report vandalism to Marion County Sheriff?’s Dept. Non-emergency Number 327-3811 so they have a record for patterns of vandalism. If you see a crime in progress, call 911 and report immediately! Do not call crime watch captain first. Valuable time is lost and immediate response to the crime is the goal. If in doubt--
Call 911...better to be safe than sorry!
SAFETY AND TRAFFIC INFORMATION/UPDATES: As the traffic increases around our neighborhood, we continue to have comments regarding more 4-way stop signs or traffic signals in various locations. Due to the increased traffic load on Girls School Road because of the bridge construction on Rd. 136 (Crawfordsviille Road)
we will continue to have difficulty getting out of Farley on Doris and Carlsen. This is a temporary situation requiring patience. Traffic studies are done by the city wnen there Is a verified need. Additional signals or signs will not be installed by the city. Be patient, be calm and be alert in slow traffic!

SPRING CLEAN UP-YARDS, JUNK CARS, NEWSPAPERS, CREEKS & DITCHES, HEAVY TRASH REMOVAL: Now is
the time to get your home and yard spruced up. Remove winter debris, junk or abandoned vehicles, old newspapers in the yard, trim shrubbery, paint, repair windows and doors, etc. If you have yard debris (twigs, limbs, cuttings, etc.) cut into 3 foot OR less lengths and place in trash bag or container or tie into bundles not more that 3 feet wide and set bundles out for pickup.Loose items will not be picked up. If you have large items (furniture, crates, etc.) call Republic Services at 823-6881 for information. They will advise you about items and pickup schedules. For heavy appliance removal you can call Home Appliance Recycling Center at Plainfield 317-838-8208 or 1-800-487-1010 for scheduled pickup.Check ditches and creeks for debris and trash. CREEKS and DITCHES must flow in
order to prevent stagnation. Keep ditch and creek banks cut or mowed. Do not place cuttings in ditches or creeks.

RENTAL PROPERTY INFORMATION NEEDED: We need all rental property addresses for our records. If you have a rental property near you, please call Nan at 247-0171. We will add that address to our records and determine the owners information from the assessor?’s office. Many investor owned properties are not maintained and the property
owners are NOT paying association dues. We need to correct that. Rental properties have become a major problem in our area.

WE NEED 3 - 4 AREA REPRESENTATIVES FOR SECTION 6: We currently have NO ONE to serve as representative for area six. Can you help? Call Nan at 247-0171.

WE MUST HAVE AN ELECTED BOARD TO CONTINUE AS ASSOCIATION: Farley Association cannot continue without a board of directors. The current board
has served two consecutive terms and cannot continue. We have asked repeatedly for volunteers for board members but have only one elected member, Pat Landgraf, who will serve as treasurer. We need two co-presidents and a secretary. Can you help? Current officers will train and assist new officers for as long as necessary. Please give consideration to what will happen to Farley if no one is willing to step up to the task of being on the board. Who will represent you at zoning hearings, who will
fight for your neighborhood in matters that affect you? Who will have the answers you need for resolving neighborhood problems? Who will be concerned about your property values and your safety?

MESSAGE FROM NAN OBERHOLTZER & OTHER BOARD MEMBERS: We want to thank Farley Neighborhood for their support and encouragement in the many matters that we have supported or fought gainst. We felt that if it affected our neighbors and our neighborhood, it was our responsibility to stand up and speak out. We were heard and we had some successes and some failures. Over all, we followed our hearts and our sensibilities, knowing that Farley is a fragile, older
neighborhood that needs leadership. We did our jobs proudly and hope that you are satisfied with our four years of leadership. We are grateful for all the residents we have come to know as friends as well as neighbors. Thank you all for helping make Farley a good neighborhood! Best wishes to all of you for the future.

Sincerely,
Nan Oberholtzer, Past Co-President
Linda Stamatkin, Past Co-President
Linda Vollrath, Past Treasurer


DON?’T FORGET THE FARLEY GARAGE SALE
SATURDAY JUNE 14TH
8:00 AM TO 4:00 PM