COMMUNITY
January 7, 2014
Current in Noblesville
January 07, 2014
www.currentnoblesville.com
DISPATCHES
Contact the Editor
Have a news tip? Want to submit a calendar event? Have a photograph to share? Call Robert Herrington at 489.4444 ext. 206 or e-mail him at robert@ youarecurrent.com. You may also submit information on our website, currentnoblesville.com. You can find the Contact Us form under About Us in the upper-left corner. Remember our news deadline is typically eight days prior to publication.
Join our community
www.facebook.com/currentinnoblesville www.twitter.com/CI_Noblesville
Want to advertise?
Current in Noblesville reaches 100 percent of the households in 46060 and 46062 by U.S. Postal Service every Tuesday. For more information about how to reach that audience, call Cathy Pimley at 840.6550 or e-mail her at cathy@youarecurrent.com.
On the Cover
Downtown Noblesville is one of the city’s major assets for tourism as events like the Old Mill festival fill the streets with patrons. (Photo illustration by Zach Ross) Founded Sept. 15, 2009, at Noblesville, IN Vol. V, No. 14 Copyright 2013. Current Publishing, LLC All Rights Reserved. 30 South Range Line Road Carmel, IN 46032 317.489.4444 info@youarecurrent.com The views of the columnists in Current in Noblesville are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of this newspaper.
3
Dance rescheduled – The Winter Snow Globe dance at Noblesville East Middle School has been rescheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 24. Student council members will be re-issuing tickets to only those who have already purchased tickets during lunch periods starting Jan. 20.
From left, Assistant Planning Director Andy Wert, Planning Director Christy Langley and Zoning Administrator Denise Aschleman look over blueprints. New technology changes within the planning department will make files digital and easier to access. (File photo by Robert Herrington)
Free design seminars – Case Design/Remodeling Indy is holding two free kitchen and bath seminars in January. During these sessions, CaseIndy designers will provide homeowners with the basic building blocks, plus tried and true advice on what to expect from a remodeling experience. The first seminar will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Indiana Design Center, 200 S. Range Line Rd. Complimentary h’ors dourves will be served. The second opportunity is from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Indiana Design Center. This event features a complimentary light breakfast. Register by Jan. 13 at www.CaseIndy.com or by calling 846-2600.
Web upgrades create efficiencies
By Robert Herrington • robert@youarecurrent.com As technology changes and becomes a more vital role in the daily lives of residents, Planning Director Christy Langley is adapting her planning department to be cutting edge. Langley said a new permit management database is an overhaul to how people interact with the planning department. “People can apply and pay online and check on it,” she said. “We realize the world has changed on how they know use technology.” Langley said the database will go live at the end of June. “People can still come in. We’ll have work stations and staff will be happy to assist them,” she said. The overhaul will provide more efficiency for the planning staff and consumer. “It assists us in the field. Inspectors can access the system in the field. Now everything is going to be in real time,” Langley said. “No longer input by hand. With automatic field population takes out a lot of human error.” The planning department also is working on a
scanning initiative. Langley said 470 file boxes from 1974 to today are housed in the basement of City Hall. The files have been scanned and saved by permit number, subdivision and lot number. “They are all completely digital now,” Langley said. “When a person comes in asking about their house that was built in 1978, we don’t have to go to the basement and pull it.” Langley said the files will be available to other departments like engineering and economic development. “We’re excited about that because it adds a new efficiency component,” she said. “The city is more versatile.” Another file going online is the Unified Development Ordinance, where the public can access all PDFs. “There are 17 articles and it is very difficult to search. It’s kind of confusing. The city code is in there with intelligent search for words and phrases,” Langley said. “A static PDF is very difficult to navigate period. This is more friendly and searchable.” The planning department also intends to create info graphics with nuts and bolts of common procedures in March and April.
ON THE WEB
DVD Review “The Act of Killing” is one of the best documentary films columnist Christopher Lloyd has seen in a while, even though it diverges quite a bit from the standard format of journalistic exploration. By eschewing the modus operandi of the documentary film, “The Act of Killing” provides a unique and unforgettable lesson in the loss of humanity. Read more at currentnightandday.com
First baby of 2014 – Indiana University Health North Hospital welcomed its first baby of the new year, a baby girl born to Bobby and Becky Sutton of Indianapolis. Riley Sutton was born at 8:23 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long at birth. Mother and baby are each doing well. (Submitted photo) Local play auditions – The Carmel Theatre Company will conduct auditions for “Next of Kin” from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 7. The theatre company would like to have as many relatives performing as possible: fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, sisters, etc. Auditions also will be held for “The Dining Room” from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan 7 at Studio 15, First Ave. N.E. in Carmel. For more information, call 688-8876 or visit www. carmeltheatrecompany.com.
Decorating
Pets
Interior design is about the big picture and the big picture works when it is the result of a carefully planned compilation of elements and principles. Good taste, on the other hand, is the sum of one’s life experience and one’s exposure. A person can be born with a sense of design, while the quality of good taste is gleaned, collected and polished. Read more at currentnoblesville.com
January is Train Your Dog Month. Much like fitness-based New Year’s resolutions, pet owners probably gave up on resolutions for training their dog in midJanuary. This week’s column reviews clicker training, a positive reinforcement-based training that owners can easily use with their dog. Read more at currentnoblesville. com
Travel King Ludwig’s fairy tale castle, built by an eccentric king deposed for claimed insanity, is the model for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castles. Every day in the summer, about 6,000 visitors to Neuschwanstein pour money into Bavaria’s economy, helping make it the richest state in Germany. Read more at currentnoblesville.com