JEFFERSONVILLE — A historic home in the path of the Big Four Landing failed to get enough votes to be moved at the Jeffersonville City Council meeting Monday.

A request to have the council pay $25,000 to help relocate the historic Fisher House at the corner of Chestnut and Mulberry Streets about one city block away came up one vote short 4-3, with Council President Ed Zastawny and Councilmen Brian Glover and Nathan Samuel voting against. Councilmen Dennis Julius and Zach Payne were not in attendance at Monday’s meeting and an action requires at least a five-vote majority to be passed.

“What we would like to do is remove our house from our lot ... and have the house moved over on our lot,” said Mary Jo Carrico, who along with her husband have offered to purchase the house.

The Carricos said the house would become their private residence.

But the sticking point for many of the council members was that they believed the Jeffersonville Redevelopment Commission should pay the entire cost of the project, about $47,000, to move the home.

“My concern is ... the redevelopment board is sitting there with millions of dollars in discretionary funds and to me it was kind of a shame the redevelopment [commission] didn’t take this $25,000 and move this house,” said Councilman Mike Smith, referring to the Falls Landing Tax Increment Finance fund. “They have the money. No question about that.”

At Thursday’s meeting the redevelopment commission agreed to pay $25,000 to move the house, which passed 3-1, with Julius voting against. He offered a motion — that failed for lack of a second — to pay the full cost of moving the home.

Walter Carrico said even with the money dedicated from the city he would be using $100,000 to $150,000 of his own funds to pay for the relocation. Without the city’s funding dedication he said he would not move the house.

Smith offered a compromise to have the council pay $25,000 out of the city’s gaming revenue fund to pay the remainder of the cost to move the property. However, he added a caveat that he would like the $1 million verbally dedicated to the Vissing Park project earlier in the year with “no strings attached” be handed over by the redevelopment commission.

During a lengthy presentation Smith also offered that Reuben Wells, who invented the Reuben Wells steam engine built and lived in the home. However, it was added that the house is not on the National Register of Historic Places.

The trepidation from the council won out and the funding was not approved.

“I do not like this position because I feel like I’ve been backed into a corner,” said Council Vice President Connie Sellers before she cast her vote. Despite her hesitation she voted for the measure because she said she doesn’t want to see the home torn down.

Samuel, however, did not approve the motion.

“My opinion is this is not a city council project, this is a redevelopment project,” he said. “I’m not in support of using any of the funds that city council controls ... for a redevelopment project.”



No more pain

Jeffersonville’s city council unanimously approved, by passing on all three readings, a six-month moratorium on pain management clinics locating within the city.

The ordinance — 2012-OR-33 — was an answer to Clark County Wellness, LLC, which located along East Maple Street at the end of July. Since the pain management clinic moved in residents have complained about it being placed in a residential neighborhood.

“We not only want this one closed down, we don’t want to move anywhere else in the city of Jeff,” said Dan Christensen, a Franklin Commons resident. “We’ve always had a nice, peaceful neighborhood and this is just not fitting in the neighborhood.”

The ordinance that implements the moratorium is designed to review new zoning regulations. It also outlines that the moratorium pertains to a business that is “primarily engaged in the treatment of pain by prescribing or dispensing substances controlled by federal and/or state law.” A host of exceptions for acceptable businesses were also outlined in the ordinance.

“Basically, what we’re saying is there will be no new pain management clinics located within that time frame,” Smith said. “I feel we need to move on this as soon as possible.”

Despite the quick action, the ordinance will not affect the current clinic.

“This does not affect the current site ... because they’re grandfathered in according to the current zoning ordinance,” said City Council Attorney Scott Lewis.

In the six-month interim Smith said state legislators will be looking at toughening laws pertaining to pain management clinics.

Look for more information from Monday’s council meeting in an upcoming edition of the News and Tribune.