Improving New Albany Roads

IMPROVING NEW ALBANY ROADS:

As the colder weather continues to creep in, the City of New Albany is laying the final touches on its street paving and road improvement program for the season. Dozens of different roadways, areas, and neighborhoods throughout the city received street milling and paving, concrete work, sidewalk installations, curb and gutter replacements, street patching, striping, crack-filling, had detector loops installed, or had some combination of the aforementioned items.

The City of New Albany applied for and received a $1 million “Community Crossings” grant from the State of Indiana which helped supplement the City’s ongoing paving efforts. Over $2 million worth of roadway and infrastructure investments were completed this year.

The City is currently finishing up the remaining few roadways and alleyways on this year’s paving schedule, including Glenmill Road, Schell Lane, Bulldog Alley, as well as some additional alleyway repairs throughout New Albany.

Work on Glenmill is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed this week. Milling and paving for Schell Lane is expected to begin on Monday, December 6th, with a completion date scheduled for Friday, December 10th.

Mayor Gahan Appoints Third Generation Firefighter to Battalion Chief

Third Generation Firefighter Appointed to Battalion Chief

At today’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Mr. Ron Brown, a 24-year veteran with the New Albany Fire Department, was promoted to BATTALION CHIEF.

Mr. Brown’s father Ron Toran served (1975-2007) as Chief with the NAFD and his grandfather Marion “Bunky” Toran served (1952-1981) as Battalion Chief with the New Albany Fire Department, making Mr. Brown a third-generation fire fighter in New Albany. Ron graduated from New Albany High School in 1994 and has served with the New Albany Fire Department for over 24 years. Ron is married with two children, and is excited about his new leadership role with the New Albany Fire Department. He has previously served as a Sergeant and Captain with the department, and has experience serving with the ambulance team.

“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Brown into a leadership role with the New Albany Fire Department,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “Ron has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and leadership skills, and I’m proud to welcome him in this new role.”

NEW ALBANY: PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE

PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE

HOSPITAL WAIT TIMES IMPROVE DRAMATICALLY

Late in October, Mayor Jeff Gahan met with Baptist Health Floyd President Michael Schroyer to discuss ambulance services and 911 response times, among other items. Mayor Gahan and Mr. Schroyer had a very productive meeting, and early reports indicate that hospital wait times and ambulance drop-off times have returned to a much more-acceptable timeframe. At the meeting, Mayor Gahan asked Mr. Schroyer if additional ambulances would expedite services, however, Baptist Health Officials did not have any issue with ambulance availability inside the service area of Baptist Floyd in New Albany.

Baptist Health disputed AMR’s original 5 hour drop-off time claim. Regardless, the City of New Albany can now confirm that current drop-off times for ambulances at Baptist Health Floyd have been reduced to just about 15 minutes. New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey has been in contact with AMR Ambulance Service leadership and they also confirm that wait times have been reduced to under 15 minutes.

“I want to thank Baptist Health Floyd President Michael Schroyer for meeting regarding wait times and ambulance response times,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “We are very pleased that hospital wait times have returned to normal. We will continue monitoring the situation, and we look forward to moving past these temporary problems associated with COVID-19.”

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY NEEDS

Reports in the News and Tribune indicated that Floyd County officials are planning to renovate the former City-County Building located at 311 Hauss Square, but their plans don’t include space for the New Albany Police Department, even though the NAPD has been stationed there for decades.

According to statements made by Floyd County Building Authority Member Scott Stewart, “the Building Authority’s recommendation was to put the probation offices in the adjoining Frank C. Denzinger Criminal Justice Building, which is now occupied by the New Albany Police Department and the Sherriff’s Department.” Stewart also stated that it “would be appropriate for the county to consider getting the space back.”

Given these statements, Mayor Gahan, along with Councilpersons Bob Caesar and Jason Applegate (Public Safety Chair) recommended that the Public Safety Committee take a look at facility needs for the New Albany Police Department. New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey remarked at a recent City Council meeting that the Floyd County-owned space currently utilized by the Police Department is in disrepair and is not large enough to meet future needs of the New Albany Police Department. Public Safety Committee members began analyzing the need for a new Police Headquarters.

“A new Police Headquarters would give us the opportunity to improve, train, and equip our public safety officers with the tools and capabilities a modern police force requires,” stated NAPD Chief Todd Bailey. “As the field of policing continues to evolve, a new space would also allow New Albany to have a facility that can host and dispatch mental health experts and other specialty community-based needs.”

NEW PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS SWORN IN

The New Albany Police Department is currently hiring both experienced and new recruits! Two new police recruits were sworn in recently, and another two are expected to be sworn in later this week.

Are you interested in serving your city as a Police Officer? Applications are open through midnight on December 1st. Applications can be found at newalbanycityhall.com

IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY: New Officer Sworn In Today

IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY: The New Albany Police Department welcomed another new recruit this morning. Mayor Jeff Gahan was pleased to swear in Mr. Trey Harrison as a new Police Officer with the NAPD. Mr. Harrison graduated from Whitefield Academy in Louisville in 2017. Mr. Harrison has experience in electrical work and has also held positions with the Post Office. He played All-State baseball in 2017 and has been involved in Martial Arts for over 13 years.

“New Albany is a very safe and friendly City, and I’m proud to welcome another officer to our ranks that will help us improve public safety in our River City,” stated Police Chief Todd Bailey.

“’I was very pleased to welcome Mr. Trey Harrison to the New Albany Police Department,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “New Albany is lucky to have such wonderful individuals stepping up to serve and protect our City.”

Are you looking to serve your community? The New Albany Police Department is hiring both experienced and new officers! Applications are open through midnight on December 1st. Applications can be found at https://newalbanycityhall.com/police-applications

VSIMPLE CHOOSES NEW ALBANY FOR HEADQUARTERS & EXPANSION

VSIMPLE CHOOSES NEW ALBANY FOR HEADQUARTERS & EXPANSION

Vsimple recently announced their intentions to relocate their Headquarters to downtown New Albany to a facility at 318 East Fourth Street and invest $1.8 million over the next five years in improvements, lease payments, equipment, hardware, and software.

Tech firm Vsimple, a leader in the Software as a Service (SaaS) space, provides end-to-end systems for manufacturers and distributors encompassing record management, internal coordination, customer communication and data insights.

The move will create 70 full-time, salaried positions over the next four years, with a focus on research and development, sales and marketing, and customer success.  These are high-paying, salaried positions, with compensation well above the average for Floyd County.

“We’re very excited to expand to establish our new headquarters in southern Indiana,” said Buddy Bockweg, CEO of Vsimple. “We were looking for a location that would allow us to grow aggressively and attract top talent as we continue to build our SaaS platform.  The State of Indiana, the City of New Albany, and One Southern Indiana have been critical in making this important decision for our company’s future a simple one.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) is offering Vsimple up to $1,100,000 in Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credits which may be certified over a period of up to ten years. These incentives are based on the expected creation of 70 net new full-time positions for eligible Hoosiers.  The company also requested $120,000 in training grants at today’s  New Albany Redevelopment Commission meeting.

“I am proud to welcome Vsimple to New Albany,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “We will continue to work hard to improve the environment for residents and businesses here in our River City. Best of luck to our friends at Vsimple.”