Broadband to their neighborhoods

I'm opening this thread on both blogs to address an effort under way to permanently ban communities from creating their own communications infrastructures. You should expect comments from fellow readers shortly with more details. Our friends in Scottsburg can tell you all about it.

To prepare for it, just read this: Yet another state bought

And go here to let your legislators know how you feel about the idea:

http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/

FYI, here are the local members of the General Assembly and the state Senate

House 70 - Paul J. Robertson (Depauw)
House 71 - James L. Bottorff (Jeffersonville)
House 72 - William C. Cochran (New Albany)
House 66 - Terry Goodin (Crothersville)
House 73 - Dennie Oxley (English)

Senate 45 - James Lewis
Senate 46 - Connie Sipes
Senate 47 - Richard D. Young

The state Web site makes it tough to just e-mail a lawmaker, but they do provide a form so they can filter incoming e-mails. I, for one, would like to know how our lawmakers stand on this issue.

New Visions for Downtown New Albany

We are soliciting suggestions for citizen panelists for our winter Public Affairs Symposium on March 2. We'll strip down the store for this event and are expecting a large turnout.

We will not be putting any elected or appointed officials on the panel, but rather, would think that these officials may want to come and listen to their constituents offer their thoughts on the chosen topic.

This blog is designed to facilitate comments and suggestions in advance of the event. We invite you to be as forthcoming and imaginative as you desire and we'll try to bring it all together for the symposium itself.

We're looking to have a panel of 4, which I will moderate, but to which questions and comments from the audience will be solicited.

In the coming days we'll be announcing the details of our essay contest for elementary and secondary school students.

Making a statement

This statement will be given to the County Council this evening and was provided to us by board members of Develop New Albany. The board has been helpful to us in the past and we present this statement as delivered to us.

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As a non-profit organization promoting economic development and historic preservation of the downtown and historic business districts, Develop New Albany has been an avid supporter of the Scribner Place/YMCA project since its inception. Our board has maintained non-partisan cooperation with all city officials and offered assistance and encouragement where needed.

With this in mind, we have looked at Floyd County Councilman Randy Stumler’s proposal for keeping the local government center within the downtown. With great respect for the past and current County Council, Develop New Albany would request the council take the time to look at locating the current Grant Line Road annex offices and overcrowded offices within the City/County Building within the downtown before agreeing to purchase more property on Grant Line Road.

It was the late Governor Frank O’Bannon who encouraged communities to return their government agencies to the historic business districts and it has made a difference in communities throughout the state. Former First Lady Judy O’Bannon was one of the founders of the Indiana Main Street program of which Develop New Albany is a certified community.

We would also like to see the County come on board the Scribner Place project. Their help could make a public plaza to the riverfront a reality. In conversation with Councilman Stumler, he supports the placement of the government complex at Scribner Place. We would like to learn more about this plan and how the addition could help support private development in the Main Street area of the downtown and bring a true public gathering place to New Albany.

We realize much has been researched to find a solution to the deteriorating Floyd County Annex and the overcrowding situation in our City/County Building. Please take the additional time to look at keeping our governmental agencies within close proximity while looking to support a tremendous downtown development project.