Photo by Mark Webber | The Republic The Bartholomew County commissioners, Carl Lienhoop, left-right, Tony London and Larry Kleinhenz, are shown in this end-of-the-year photo for 2023.
Ask any of the three Bartholomew County commissioners about their greatest achievement in 2023 and you will get three different answers, commissioners Chairman Tony London said.
But inquire which achievement will have the largest impact on the most people and you get a toss up. It is between the King’s Hawaiian food manufacturing facility coming to a location near County Road 200W – or connecting the first house to broadband internet through a partnership between the county and Hoosier Fiber Networks.
“They are both equally important,” Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said. “But this King’s Hawaiian deal? Bartholomew County government has never, ever really done anything like this.”
About 147 new jobs will be created by 2027 that will pay an average wage of $29.94 per hour, the company said. With the approval of $3,746,000 in state and local assistance for off-site infrastructure developments, a number of “shovel ready” commercial development sites will be created in the near future, Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said.
“Shovel ready” is a phrase used to describe a business or industrial area considered to be at an advanced enough stage of development for building to begin almost immediately.
A few developments that will make the “Northern Gateway”sites shovel-ready will be improved water pressure, new or upgraded sanitary sewers, traffic signals and intersection improvements at U.S. 31 and Bear Drive, and a reconfiguration of radius at Hubler Drive at Bear Lane to facilitate truck turns.
“We already have other companies considering locating in this area,” Kleinhenz said. “We’ve had local individuals buying land up there because they knew there was a darn good chance a company like King’s Hawaiian would come in. They tied up some adjoining land, so you’ll see them sell this land to other ventures.”
While King’s Hawaiian was certainly a milestone, it is county government’s partnership with Hoosier Fiber Networks and their internet provider, GigabitNow, that will eventually make broadband internet available to nearly every rural home in Bartholomew County, London said.
About 10,000 rural residents will be eligible to receive high-speed internet at different times throughout the coming new year. Several sections of German Township will receive service next summer, as well as large areas of Clay, Clifty, Flat Rock, Haw Creek, Sandcreek, Ohio and Rockcreek townships.
Many parts of the southwest corner of Bartholomew County, including parts of Wayne, Jackson and Ohio townships can expect service in the fall of 2024, while much of northwest Bartholomew County may have to wait until the spring of 2025.
Bartholomew County government is investing $4 million to reach isolated rural homes where service is considered economically difficult due to the high cost of fiber optic cable.
Kleinhenz said a key reason that county government has been able to pay for both the infrastructure and rural broadband is the $16.27 million in federal funds received through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which was provided to avert a severe financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of other counties haven’t touched it, given it away or don’t know to use (the ARP funds),” Kleinhenz said. “We chose to use it on projects that alleviated pressure on our taxpayers.”
ARP money was also used to provide $100,000 to each township for their rural fire departments to upgrade equipment, reduce debt or expand facilities. All ARP money has to be designated for a purpose by the end of 2024, and spent by the end of 2026.
Other notable developments in 2023 brought up by the commissioners include:
- June’s dedication of the new Bartholomew County Court Services building.
- Investing an extra million dollars in order to double the miles of county roads receiving a new blacktop.
- Completing both Phase One and Phase Two of the annual overlay program by the end of the year.
- Being awarded $5.5 million in federal funds for the Lowell Bridge replacement, and a separate $2.4 million to reconfigure the southern approach to the future new bridge from County Road 325W. Construction cannot get underway until after July 1, 2026.
- Undertaking an expensive replacement of the HVAC system at the Bartholomew County Jail.
- Provide full utility services for campers at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds.
Looking ahead, the county’s top project in 2024 will be extensive renovations at the Bartholomew County Courthouse. A $3.27 million contract was awarded to Dunlap and Co., Columbus, to modify the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system within the nearly 150-year-old building. Upgrades will also be made to select interior and exterior features in what London calls “the iconic centerpiece of Bartholomew County.”
In recent years, the maximum matching grant for road work that each unit of local government in Indiana can receive annually was $1 million. But in 2024, the Indiana Department of Transportation will raise the maximum to $1.5 million a year. That means more miles of rural roads will receive an new blacktop, the commissioners said.
Finally, the county’s Information Technology department will begin to upgrade cybersecurity by switching over to a giant Fortinet system. Fortinet is a California-base cybersecurity company that develops and sells security solutions like firewalls, endpoint security and intrusion detention systems.
