PENDLETON — Pendleton Town Council voted against establishing a Riverfront Development District, passed a resolution asking the state to take action on gun safety, and passed a resolution paving the way for the town’s park board to potentially spend $1.8 million on park maintenance. It took these actions in the Thursday, April 12, meeting.
The town had been working on establishing a Riverfront district, which was part of the town’s 2006 comprehensive plan and the 2015 downtown revitalization plan.
The goal of the district was to attract additional development, expand the tax base and add local jobs.
Part of the district plans had included making a limited number of below-market-rate liquor licenses available.
The council was set to vote on the district in November but delayed the vote after many in the Pendleton business community opposed the measure. It agreed to let the Pendleton Business Association study the plan and give its recommendation.
Jack Wilson, president of the association, presented its view after many meetings and public forums that the district would not be a good fit for Pendleton and stands to harm existing businesses, especially those with liquor licenses.
The council voted against the district in response to the association’s recommendation.
In other business, the council:
• Gave its approval for the Pendleton Fall Creek Township Board of Parks and Recreation to borrow $1.8 million for park improvements.
Park Superintendent Rob Barnhart outlined a list of repairs and projects that he said prioritized safety but also included enhancements.
Included are new sidewalks around the pond in Falls Park, removal of dead trees, replacement of rusted-out lamp posts in the park and updates at Fall Creek Golf Club.
“It’s kind of a multitude of things that we’re working on,” Barnhart said. “A lot of it is just fixing things that we already have, and it’s pretty much the things everybody likes about Falls Park.”
Councilman Chad Wolfe said it was hard to understand how the town has fallen behind on maintenance to the point where almost $2 million is needed to fix it.
But he supported it along with the rest of the council.
“The park is our greatest asset, and I think we have to invest in it,” Councilwoman Jessica Smith said.
A public hearing on the borrowing was scheduled for Wednesday, April 18 (after press time), prior to the park board meeting.
According to town council President Bob Jones, the final decision whether to move ahead with the park improvements rests with the parks board.
• Approved sending a resolution calling for “state legislative action regarding gun safety.”
The resolution reads, “The Town Council respectfully requests that the Indiana General Assembly address gun safety and gun violence in its upcoming special session and pass laws that, at a minimum, ban so-called ‘bump stocks,’ ban high-volume ammunition magazines, tighten and strengthen background checks, and provide state funding for school safety, police training, and mental health programs.”
There were people who spoke out on both sides of the issue, some citing the Second Amendment and others pointing out the need to do something to help stop mass shootings.
“I don’t want you to make this recommendation on my behalf,” resident Julie Shnepp said, after stating she thinks it’s not the town council’s business to get involved in the gun issue.
Resident Marty Parlos said he thinks laws have to keep up with the times.
“You’re not going to walk into a school with a knife and kill several people in a matter of minutes,” he said, adding, “Until it hits one of yours, you’re not going to change your mind.”
The council amended its original resolution, removing wording asking to limit access to assault-style rifles and adding the part about funding for mental health programs.
