Dog Park Update

Recently, concerns were raised to the City of New Albany that the proposed dog park at Cannon Acres would disturb Native American cultural and historical sites. The City felt the need to clarify the steps taken during the planning of the dog park. Under no circumstances would the City knowingly disturb or disrespect any cultural or historical site. 

During the planning stages of the dog park at Cannon Acres, the City hired an architect firm, Michell Timperman Ritz (MTR) Architects of New Albany, to research the construction site and provide plans for construction that would respect the archaeological sites in the area.  Larry Timperman of MTR is listed on the Qualified Professional Roster by the State of Indiana Historic Preservation Office for historic architecture and archeology.

During the early research and investigation of the area, the City was made aware of possible historical and cultural sites near the construction zone. In 2005, three possible historic sites were located (12FL90, 12FL91, 12FL92).  After further review, it appears that only two of the three sites have historical significance.  In 2014, The City corresponded with the State of Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources Archaeologist, Cathy Draeger-Williams.  Ms. Draeger-Williams indicated the following:

“Sites 12Fl90 and 12FL91 should be avoided by any ground disturbing activities… Site 12Fl92 was determined not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and no further archaeological investigations are necessary.”

The National Register of Historic Places reviews nominations submitted by states, tribes, and other federal agencies and then lists eligible properties in the National Register.  They offer guidance on evaluating, documenting, and listing different types of historic places.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources. (from www.nps.gov/nr)

After research was done and the National Register reviewed, the layout of the dog park project was completed.  The park does not disturb the two areas that have been identified by the State of Indiana Department of National Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (site 12FL91 and site 12FL90, highlighted red in the layouts above). These two areas have been respected and will not be disturbed by this project.  To further protect the sites, fences will be installed to prevent workers from disturbing the historic ground while construction occurs in other areas.  The city is also in talks with Mr. Nathan Underwood, commissioner of the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission, regarding the preservation of these two historic sites.

“We want to be respectful of historical and cultural sites that exist near the property,” stated Mayor Gahan.  “Our goal is to construct a family-friendly park, and do so while being respectful of historical and cultural sites that exist near the property."

New Street Sweeper Routes to Begin April 4th

Spring is just around the corner in New Albany.  After a long winter, its time to break the warm-weather clothes out of storage and do some Spring Cleaning. In that same spirit, city staff is hard at work improving the cleanliness of our city. 

New street sweeper arriving at the Street Department HQ.

Recently, a new street sweeper was acquired by the Street Department, allowing for additional street sweeping routes to be created.  These new updated routes will begin on April 4th. To make it easier for residents to identify when the sweeper will arrive in their neighborhood, a series of daily maps have been created.  Please click below on each day to view the full sweeper schedule maps.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY

Streets outlined in GREEN are swept from 8 am - 10 am.
Streets outlined in BLUE are swept from 10 am - 12 pm.
Streets outlined in RED are swept from 1 pm - 3 pm.

In the maps above, you can search your address in the search bar to see how the routes will affect your home or business.  We ask that residents and businesses avoid parking vehicles along these routes during the scheduled street sweeping times so that this important maintenance can be performed..

Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance Update

At the last City Council Meeting (March 7th, 2016), the New Albany City Council unanimously passed a rental registration program on its first and second readings.  The City Council is set to vote on final approval of the rental registration program this Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.  The ordinance will require landlords to register any properties within the city limits that will be rented to tenants.  

New Albany is now over 200 years old, and the city needs to be proactive in its approach to protecting the housing stock. By passing this ordinance, we have taken a huge step forward for the city of New Albany. The passage of a rental registration program will allow our building commissioner and his team to address issues that may arise in a timely manner and immediately contact the owner to remedy the situation. 

However, at the March 7th Council Meeting, the council voted to remove the inspection portion of this ordinance. The inspection component of the ordinance would have aided in setting minimum housing standards to improve safety for residents, and protect the character and stability of the City's homes and neighborhoods. The pictures below help illustrate some of the issues that inspection can help address.

According to the 2010 census, there are nearly 7,000 rental housing units in New Albany that serve approximately 44% of the city population. With such high rental demand, situations can occur where a portion of the city population becomes vulnerable as they are forced into sub-standard housing, by necessity. The city acknowledges that most of the landlords in our community are very responsible, but we all must agree that some do not maintain their rental property to code and are unresponsive to tenant concerns. The inspection portion of the rental registration ordinance would help expedite these issues, and help protect some of our most vulnerable members of our community.

Emergency Notification System

The City of New Albany recently launched an emergency notification system that allows residents to sign up and receive timely emergency alerts directly to their cell phone, home phone, e-mail, or whichever device is most convenient.  This system will allow us to provide residents with critical information during an emergency, such as a severe weather event or a boil water advisory.

To sign up, please visit the link HERE

Photograph by Eric Bartley.

For more information, please read the most frequently asked questions about the program.

FAQ

What is the Emergency Notification Program?
This service allows you to opt-in to receive notifications about severe weather warnings or other emergencies via phone calls, text messaging, e-mail and more. 

When will it be used?
This system will be used to notify you about severe weather warnings or other emergencies. When you sign up for the service, you can specify the type of notifications you would like to receive, along with dictating which platforms you receive notifications on (e-mail, text, cell phone, home phone).  

Will I still get emergency notifications if I don't sign up?
You will not receive any notifications via this system without signing up.

Why do you ask for my address and location when signing up?
This allows us to send out targeted alerts.  For example, say a water main breaks near Spring Street, putting the surrounding residents into a boil water advisory alert.  With this system, the City is able to notify those residents affected directly and timely. 

What if my phone number or email address changes?
The system can only contact you through the information that you provide. If your contact information changes, you can always visit your profile and update your information.

Will my contact information be shared with others?
No. The information that you provide will be used only for notification purposes. We will not give or sell your contact or location information to any vendor or other organization.

"Rental Housing Ordinance a Must for New Albany" - Mayor Gahan

Working with my staff and other city council members, New Albany City Councilman Greg Phipps will introduce G-15-05, Ordinance Adopting Chapter 160: Rental Housing Code at the regularly scheduled Council meeting on Monday, March 7, 2016.  The purpose of the ordinance is to provide for the registration and inspection of rental residential property within the city.

The Rental Housing ordinance will help facilitate in the prevention of deterioration of residential housing, assist in compliance of minimum rental housing standards to improve safety for residents, protect the character and stability of residential neighborhoods, and preserve and increase property values throughout the City.  This ordinance continues my administration’s focus on Quality of Place initiatives regarding the business of residency, while focusing on four main goals:

1.    Increased Safety for tenants and surrounding properties
2.    Improved Cleanliness
3.    Historic Preservation  
4.    Increased property values

---

By improving and maintaining our housing stock, in addition to quality of life initiatives like strong schools and parks, our entire community becomes a more attractive place for private investment of money, time, energy, and enthusiasm.

The ordinance has two major components which will assist in accomplishing the goals outlined.  

1.    Registration of any property in the city which will be rented to tenants
The registration process will require the owner to obtain a rental permit for each property and supply current contact information of the owner to the City.  This will allow the appropriate city officials to immediately contact a rental housing owner of any potential violations or issues with the property should they arise.  The registration will facilitate the timeliness and ability of the City to work with owners to address or fix any issues that may exist.  

2.    Inspection of rental housing properties  
All rental housing properties may be subject to an annual inspection or inspection based upon a complaint as permitted by ordinance and state statute.  

The Rental Housing Ordinance will immediately be of benefit to the community, residents, tenants, and rental property owners.  

We are committed to improving the residential experience for those who have long ago decided to make New Albany their home, as well as those people who are determined to find a great new place to live and grow.