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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

City sets sights on new projects to continue momentum / P8

Business growth coming / P2

High school buildings expanding / P4

More opportunities offered at Nickel Plate / P11

Keep on keeping on

8 December 31, 2013Current in Noblesvillewww.currentnoblesville.com COMMUNITY

By Robert Herrington • robert@youarecurrent.com

Despite numerous awards as a best place to live, raise a family and re-tire to, Mayor John Ditslear isn’t letting the city sit idle

and rest on its recent accomplishments.“2013’s been great and we’re looking forward

to 2014,” Ditslear said.Among the city’s developments and construc-

tion for the coming year, Ditslear highlighted the following projects:

Ivy TechWhen Ivy Tech Community College opens in

August, Noblesville will be home to the 32nd Ivy Tech campus and will provide Hamilton County residents easier access to college credits, tech-nical certificates and associate degrees.

“One of my goals from when I became mayor in 2004 was to have an institute of higher learn-ing come to the city,” Ditslear said. “Ivy Tech is a real, real plus for all of us – current students, upgrading skills, recertification and life-long learners.”

Ivy Tech began offering classes in Hamilton County in 1980, and during the spring 2013 semester more than 3,000 students took advan-tage of this opportunity. School officials said Ivy Tech is busy determining what the site will look like and how to best serve the Hamilton County community.

“We look forward to the renovation and open-ing of Noblesville Ivy Tech in the fall. The econom-ic development department, in partnership with the Vision Noblesville Workforce Development Council and the Hamilton County Alliance, will continue to connect businesses from Noblesville and all other Hamilton County Communities with the Ivy Tech Corporate College Staff to align de-sired curriculum and certification needs,” Nobles-ville Economic Director Judi Johnson said.

COvEr STOrY

City sets sights on new projects to continue momentum

Citizen surveyEvery three years the city conducts a

Citizen Survey to provide insight as to what residents believe are the strengths and weaknesses of the community and local government.

“This survey tells us a lot about our citizen’s preferences and allows us to help determine what we’re doing right and what needs to be changed,” Ditslear said, adding the results as-sist city leaders with long-term planning.

From the last survey in 2010, Ditslear said there was a perception of lack of opportunities to volunteer. To address that, Vision Noblesville was created, and one of its responsibilities was creating a volunteer database for those interested and groups needing assistance. Re-sults of the recent survey will be announced in January.

Comprehensive Master PlanNoblesville will have a new Comprehensive Master Plan in 2014. Ditslear said

the last one was revised 10 years ago.“With the new master plan we will do our best and follow what the public

wants,” he said.Noblesville Planning Director Christy Langley said the Comprehensive Master

Plan will be introduced to the Noblesville Plan Commission on Jan. 21 and the Noblesville Common Council on Jan. 28.

Once approved, Langley said the guidance document will take a “tour of sorts.”“We’ll go to the school board, chamber of commerce, Noblesville Main Street and Noblesville

Preservation Alliance to say, ‘Here’s what the plan says and how you are specifically involved,’” she said.

The plan will outline a vision and strategic framework for future development, redevelopment and community building projects. Langley said a community’s comprehensive plan sets public pol-icy in terms of transportation, utilities, land use, recreation and housing over short and long-term periods. The previous plan was prepared in 1995 and updated by the city in 2003.

Langley said a review of the plan will take place annually.“It’s a living plan and we’re talking about it constantly,” she said. “Each year will see minor revi-

sions. We’ll spend three to four weeks working on it each year.”

Eastside ParkOn the even larger scale of Noblesville Parks’ projects is Eastside

Park, which will be the largest in Noblesville at 200 acres. By compari-son, Forest Park is 150 acres. Officials said Eastside Park, at 166th Street and Boden Road, is the city’s commitment to provide accessible parks and recreation facilities for residents living east of Ind. 32, particularly those in Wayne Township.

“It’s an ideal setting,” Ditslear said.The massive park’s plans include a YMCA, aquatic center, events lawn

and stage, softball complex, three athletic fields, shelters, nature center, archery range, disc golf course, playgrounds, sledding hill and a dog park. The area also includes numerous trails and nature settings including grasslands, woodlands and wetlands/pond.

To assist in funding the project, Noblesville Common Council members approved changes to the city’s land-use law in September. The change allows residential developers within a half-mile of Eastside Park to set aside less property as open space in exchange for a fee. The idea behind the change is that residents are more likely to use a municipal park near their home than a neighborhood playground. Less open space means

more homes can be built and the fees cause less of a financial burden on the city.

“It’s an opportunity for us to use our parks as green space,” Ditslear said.

Westside ParkThe next Noblesville park will be on 6.4 acres of flood-prone

land between Ind. 32 and Logan Street along White River. Plans call for an open-air amphitheater (which would be a permanent home for the Noblesville Cultural Arts Commis-sion’s Shakespeare in the Park series and could relocate the city’s free summer concerts and farmers market) and a pe-destrian bridge crossing the river into the downtown square. Officials also are looking at a splash pad, trails and shelters.

“We want that to be the ‘wow’ factor when you’re coming to Noblesville from the west,” Ditslear said.

While construction will begin in 2014, Ditslear said the city cannot financially complete the project next year.

“The desire is to extend downtown west for a long time to kick start other development,” Ditslear said.

Officials hope the project unites the city’s core business district.

“The future West Side Park will be a catalyst for community transformation. New park development adds to the portfolio of Noblesville’s quality of life attributes,” Johnson said. “We hope the West Side Park development creates a more vibrant economy through additional commercial and residential at-traction. It is evident that citizens seek out community. The west side of the river is also a part of downtown Noblesville and will ultimately compliment and sustain our already thriv-ing downtown and historic square.”

Langley