Discussions Underway Concerning Public Housing

Over the last several years, the City of New Albany has been analyzing the local public and private housing inventory and needs of the community.  Just recently, Mayor Gahan and his staff worked with the New Albany City Council to develop and pass legislation requiring rental units to be registered within the City limits.  However, the existing stock of public housing also needed to be examined.  During this review process several areas of concern arose:

The facade of a public housing unit in New Albany.

1.    The current physical condition of our public housing units is in need of improvement, with estimates for such repairs being nearly $138 million.

Tarps cover the roof at a public housing unit in New Albany.

2.    The current concentration of public housing units is too high and their proximity to each other is too close. According to officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), New Albany has a very high number of public housing units (nearly 1100), especially for a city with a population of only about 38,000.

3.    The residents of the New Albany community deserve to live in healthy neighborhoods with access to quality education, job opportunities, reliable transportation, and other amenities.

What is the City of New Albany doing to help?

It is the City’s intention to begin the process of addressing these concerns in order to bring a higher quality of life to the residents and the community.  

First, Mayor Gahan brought these concerns to the New Albany Housing Authority Commissioners and the Director.  He has met with the Commissioners and Director on several occasions to discuss the current state of public housing and a vision for the future.  Then, with assistance from Senator Joe Donnelly’s office, Mayor Gahan and other city officials traveled to Indianapolis to meet with officials from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.  The Mayor and his staff along with the various officials discussed the areas of concern and began to develop a plan to address these issues.  In order to ensure proper requirements are met to address the concerns, the City retained public housing experts from Faegre Baker Daniels who have experience in dealing with HUD to help develop strategies to move forward.

“We are committed to working with the New Albany Housing Authority Commissioners and Director in order to develop a long-term plan and strategy for public housing – one which invests and preserves some crucial public housing units, reduces density by moving to a more scattered site model as adopted by HUD, and assesses our ability to provide and maintain current levels of quality public housing units,” stated Mayor Gahan.

Meet the NAPD's Newest Officer

K-9 Warro, New Albany's newest officer.

Patrolman Robert Carter and Warro outside the New Albany Police Department.

Meet K-9 Warro, the newest addition to the New Albany Police Department.  Warro has traveled a long way to fulfil his goal of becoming a K-9 (canine) Officer.

“Warro joins us all the way from Czechoslovakia,” explains Officer Robert Carter, Warro’s handler.

As a young pup, Warro began learning commands and training that would help him in his future career.  “The commands that he learned at a young age were all given in Dutch, so it was a fun process getting to learn those commands,” stated Officer Carter. 

Warro, a German Shepard, has the genetics in his breed for the job.  But intensive training is required to focus those skills into a positive force for the community.  Officer Carter and Warro traveled together to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for two months of K-9 training.  There, Warro learned how to channel his inherit abilities to assist communities and police departments.
When most people think of K-9 units, they think of narcotics detection, but Warro has many more skills than just that.  For the sake of example, let’s say a young child has gone missing in a large wooded area.  Warro is able to pick up a latent scent from a personal item (a toy, clothing, etc.) that belonged to the missing child, and then enter the wooded area and begin tracking.  The K-9 unit is able to speed up the tracking process immensely, given he is able to use his powerful sense of smell to follow the trail. 

“Warro can search a huge area very quickly, much faster than officers would be able to,” explained Officer Carter.  “He truly is a force multiplier for the department, and he allows us to serve the community on a much higher level.”

Patrolman Robert Carter, Warro's handler, is pictured with the former K-9s of the NAPD.

Warro also assists in checking suspicious packages, and has been used to conduct building searches.  It may take officers a certain amount of time to conduct a building search for a missing person or a fugitive on the run, but Warro is able to find and detect those people in a much quicker timeframe.  He is also called to assist with search warrants, and has been utilized by the ATF, the FBI, and the NAPD Narcotics Unit.

It’s not all work for Warro though, and once his shift is over, he gets to go home with his friend and co-worker Officer Carter.

“Other than my wife and my son, Warro is my best friend – he’s just such a great dog,” said Officer Carter.  

All-in-all, it’s a pretty good life for Warro.  He gets to use his skills to help the community during the day, and he gets to enjoy a warm and loving home at night.  

Spring Cleaning in New Albany

With winter subsiding and spring weather arriving, it’s time for some Spring Cleaning in New Albany.  

Recently, the city has freed up some additional staff through some contracting changes with our Trash service provider (Eco-tech) that will assist in helping keep New Albany clean.  Eco-tech has been a partner with the city of New Albany for years, and an extension with the company was approved late last year with some operational changes that will benefit residents in New Albany.  

In the past, street department employees followed trash trucks to collect any additional piles of refuse, such as yard waste and old furniture.  With the new agreement in place, Eco-tech employees will handle everything.

Street Department paints stop bars.

With Eco-tech having a more pro-active effort, the city’s street department employees will be freed up to concentrate on their main mission of street work, such as painting traffic lines for clarity, repairing potholes for improved safety, maintaining street signs, and helping improve the overall cleanliness of the city.

The best part? The price for garbage pickup will not change from previous years. Through some minor operational and contractual changes, the city is able to offer a higher quality service at the same price.

What can you do to help keep our city clean?

Residents can help in numerous ways each and every day.  Besides picking up trash around your home, neighborhood, or business, the number one thing that you can do is make sure debris does not block any drainage or storm sewer system.  Trash and debris that makes its way into the storm sewer can prevent proper drainage and create flash flooding.

Residents can also help by signing up to participate in our first Neighborhood Beautification Day, set for April 23rd from 8am to 1pm.  The City of New Albany will host a neighborhood cleanup throughout the downtown, midtown, and uptown areas. The cleanup will focus on the areas from Scribner Drive to Vincennes Street and Billy Herman Ballpark to the Ohio River.

Residents are encouraged to join the fun by creating teams to assist in the neighborhood cleanup. Those interested in participating should e-mail Courtney Lewis at CLewis@cityofnewalbany.com with the subject line “Neighborhood Cleanup.” All registered teams will be provided with a t-shirt and gear to assist in the cleanup, but are encouraged to bring gardening/work gloves.

Mayor Gahan Proclaims April 4th New Albany Bulldog Week

The Bulldogs hold up their first state championship since 1973.

Mayor Gahan presents Coach Shannon with a proclamation naming April 4th "New Albany Bulldog Week."

After claiming the first state title victory since 1973, the Class 4A State Champion New Albany Bulldogs celebrated with the community this past Sunday at The Doghouse.  It was the culmination of untold hours of hard work and determination, and the entire community is proud of the way that these young men represented New Albany.

Mayor Gahan was invited to share a few words at the celebration, where he proclaimed the week of April 4th "New Albany Bulldog Week" and praised the team, coaches, managers, administrators, and fans on their very successful season.  

After the formal celebration, the team held a meet and greet and signed autographs for excited fans, some of whom were very eager to meet the players they had been following all season.

You can read the full proclamation for New Albany Bulldog Week below.

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."