Closings, cancellations due to coronavirus threat

Staff Reports

The following are closings or cancellations that have been reported related to the coronavirus threat.

Facilities

• The Indiana Department of Corrections has suspended all visitation at all prison facilities in Indiana.
• The Bartholomew County Jail has suspended all visitation.
• kidscommons has announced that it will be closed through April 7 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The children’s museum is located in downtown Columbus.
• Foundation For Youth will close the 405 Hope Ave. and 12454 Youth Camp Facilities through April 5.
• The ASAP Hub will have limited staffing. Call 812-418-8705 or walk in to receive assistance with recovery-related serves. Transportation services are being halted until further notice.
• The Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum at 4742 Ray Boll Blvd. is closed.
  
• Thrive Alliance announces it will limit in-person options counseling appointments and is encouraging use of telephone and electronic communications technology for any inquiries rather than in-office visits. These policies will begin immediately and remain in effect until further notice.For more information, go to the Thrive Alliance website at www.thrive-alliance.org or call (866) 644-6407.The Columbus Area Visitors Center will be closed to Monday, April 6. All architecture tours and public gatherings at the Visitors Center during this period are postponed or canceled. Visitors Center staff will continue to support the tourism industry by working remotely.
• Mill Race Center (all senior programs and services).
• The Commons
• Donner Center
• Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena
• Columbus Gymnastics Center
• Cal Brand Meeting Room in City Hall
• Park Operations Service Center
• Lincoln Park softball diamonds
• Clifty Park softball and baseball diamonds
• Blackwell Park soccer fields

Churches

• North Christian Church has closed the church and canceled services.
• First Presbyterian Church has canceled all in-person gatherings, including worship and committee meetings, until further notice. Streaming of worship services is available here facebook.com/groups/56933406910/.
• St. Paul Episcopal Church will suspend worship services until at least the end of the March, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.
• Unitarian Universalist Church is closed.
• St. Peter’s Lutheran Church has canceled services for March 21 and 22.
• Garden City Church of Christ is canceling services until April 5. The church will provide weekly sermons at gardencitychurch.com or on the church Facebook page.

Events

• Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting scheduled for March 25 is postponed.
• Bartholomew County Public Library programs and events (and meeting room usage) today through at least April 5.
• Comic-Con scheduled for the Columbus Learning Center April 2.
• The National Weather Service Weather Spotter Classes planned for March 18 have been canceled.
• The state robotics competition to be hosted by GalacTech at Columbus North High School March 20 and 21 has been postponed.
• The Indiana State School Music Association is canceling all competitive music events through April 11.
• The J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program has canceled lectures on April 2, 16 and 23 that were part of the Miller M.Arch series.
• The Bartholomew County Library is canceling Show-and-Tell with Antiques, Fine Art and Collectibles on March 17 and Irish Music on March 19.
• Feminism Club and IUPUC Office for Women event “Feminist Ethics in Roller Derby” March 31 at the Columbus Learning Center at 4555 Central Ave. is postponed, and will be rescheduled at a later date.
• Columbus Area Arts Council programs through April 12 are canceled.
• The Columbus Bluegrass Jamboree originally scheduled for March 21, at Donner Center has been canceled.

Athletics

• The NCAA Men’s and Women’s 2020 basketball tournament is canceled.
• The IHSAA boys basketball tournament series is postponed.
• Indiana University is canceling the men’s and women’s Little 500 bike races and all qualifications. A decision on commencement ceremonies will be made in the coming weeks.

Schools

• Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. will suspend all school-related activities beginning March 16, including athletics. Schools will be closed and eLearning days used from March 23 to April 3.
• At the completion of spring break, the Flat Rock-Hawcreek campus will remain closed to students on March 23 and March 24 as teachers prepare for extended e-learning days. Students will receive instruction from home through the e-learning platform from March 25 to April 5, the school corporation said. All spring athletic practices and events will also be canceled until students return, tentatively planned for April 6.
• Ivy Tech Community College, currently on spring break, will deliver courses online through April 5, initially. The college will post updates on scheduling to ivytech.edu/COVID-19.
• Indiana University has announced that it is extending remote learning through the end of the spring semester due to the coronavirus epidemic. To make this adjustment, spring break has been extended an additional week, with remote instruction beginning March 30. IU Fort Wayne, given its location on the Purdue campus, will remain on its current schedule, returning to remote teaching March 23. IU is also requiring students to return to their permanent residences or live off campus for the remainder of the spring semester, with residence halls closing March 20. There will be guidance for students who cannot return to their homes, including some international students.
• Purdue University has announced that it will move its courses to online or alternative delivery by March 23 and possibly continuing to the end of the semester, which is May 2.

Utilities

• Bartholomew County REMC is temporarily suspending late fees on member accounts and non-pay service disconnects until April 20. With the growing concerns about the pandemic, REMC would like to limit foot traffic in its office so that we can continue to provide reliable electric service. Payments may be made in the drop box at the REMC office or the drop box at Horizon Bank on Second Street in Columbus. For more information, or to pay online, visit BCREMC.com. Call 844-344-4369 to use the automated pay by phone system or call a customer service representative Monday through Friday at 812-372-2546. REMC’s annual meeting on April 7 may be rescheduled, with a decision to be made March 24.
• Duke Energy has announced it will not disconnect any customer’s service for non-payment, in order to give customers experiencing financial hardship extra time to make payments. The company will continue to read meters and send bills. Customers should pay what they can to avoid building up a large balance. Duke Energy technicians will continue to respond to power outages and other emergencies and complete service orders. Customers may perform nearly all customer service functions online, through the company’s automated voice phone system or through the company’s mobile app.