MY "Black" FRIDAY COLUMN

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN:

THE PILGRIMS HAD A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR

For this holiday week column I try a little sarcasm and satire in my own little version of "Fractured Fairy Tales"


     When the pilgrims sat down to eat with the Native Americans for the first Thanksgiving in 1621, they had a lot to be thankful for.  Besides leaving England and sailing to what would become the greatest country in the world, that day they were mostly thankful for the harvest.   They were no longer under the direct thumb of King James and would not have to endure a constant barrage of tabloid media about his children’s pending nuptials, and for that they could also be thankful.

.
Without television they were also thankful that they were spared the never ending onslaught of “reality” television.  It seems the networks have taken people’s 15 minutes that Andy Warhol so graciously granted,  and extended it for an hour each week on Bravo or TLC.  The latest to be escalated to “star” of their own show is the family of Sarah Palin.  Impregnated too early to land a role in MTV’s “Teen Mom” oldest daughter Bristol has made quite an impact on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars(?)”.   Before I get angry hate mail for attacking a poor young girl,  she says she wants a private life for her and her family yet accepts a role on a show she is clearly not qualified.  Luckily her mom doesn’t read any newspapers or magazines to realize how bad of a dancer she really is.

Bristol also co-stars with her parents in “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” (check local listings). I caught a few minutes of the show the other night and basically Mrs. Palin looks out of her element trying to look common and doing things that the folks of Alaska are notorious for.  The real star of that show is the State of Alaska and its beautiful scenery.  Having to bear (pun intended) her whiny nasal voice is a high price to pay for the wonder and majesty of our 49th state.

The Pilgrims could also be thankful that the Wal-marts and Best Buys of the new world had not yet invented “Black Friday”.   They were able to sleep off their “Turkey Tryptophan High” without having to think about standing in line to get a chance of nabbing that 87 inch Plasma Television for only $79.99 (quantities are limited/No Rainchecks).  I am sure that no one was ever trampled or shot standing in line overnight at the local mercantile.

In those first few years when the Pilgrims went over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house they didn’t have to pay a toll, for which they were most assuredly thankful.  These were the years before Sherman Minton, John F. Kennedy, and Clark Wilhelm Griswold Jr. (Namesake of the Clark Memorial Bridge) had built their respective bridges connecting Metropolitan Louisville to Southern Indiana.  It would be a number of years before the Bi-State “Authority” would be created (or any State for that matter), so the Pilgrims were safe from an unelected body imposing a “tax” on Southern Indiana commuters.

The Pilgrims could also be thankful that they did not have to attend city council meetings.  This bi-monthly Ringling Brothers adventure where the citizens of New Albany witness the worst that government has to offer, has only gotten worse recently.  The members disregard for civility, the endless grandstanding and the overall  distain for rules and decorum are probably a contributing factor with apathy on election day.  I personally thought that as next year’s election got a little closer that the members would be on better behavior.  It has only gotten worse.

The Pilgrims had to endure a lot of hardships those first few years establishing their settlement in the New World.  They were just starting out and had a long road ahead, they knew there would be obstacles, but they would persevere.  We can all take a lesson from the example that they set for us.  There are some things that I dislike about this community, our region, and the world but they are far outweighed by the many things that I am thankful for.

Does the Superintendent deserve a Raise?

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I discuss the recent events facing the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation.

SUPERINTENDENT'S SALARY SHOULD BE BASED ON RESULTS

New Albany Floyd County School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Bruce Hibbard is in the middle of his second year of a three year contract.  This week some members of the school board considered giving him a large raise.  Some school board members believe that he has made some tough decisions and has done a good job as superintendent.  One board members says he was gotten on the “cheap” and should be rewarded before he leaves for higher pay.  

Mr. Hibbard's salary is $142,000 this year.  The average salary for a superintendent in the state of Indiana is $115,000.  The NA-FC School Corp. is said to be the 15th largest school system in the state.  Dr. Hibbard's salary is ranked 32th out of 296 school systems. The $24,000 raise the the school board was proposing would have reportedly put him at the average of school systems with above 10,000 students.

Dr. Hibbard and the school system board did not have that great of a year last year...

• Four elementary schools closed
• 5th graders moved to middle school
• elementary school athletics eliminated
• Music programs cut
• No Field Trips
• support staff benefits cut

Dr. Hibbard began the school board meeting on Monday night by announcing that he would not accept a pay raise if it was offered... This didn’t stop some members from insisting that he deserved a raise. ..

School board member, Neal Smith, who supported the salary increase said “…I will continue to try to find some money, somewhere, to try to reward this person for making tough decisions…”. How hard did Mr. Smith look for more money to keep our schools open?  Is he still looking to looking for extra cash to return music and elementary athletics to our schools?

Where did this decision to give Dr. Hibbard a raise  come from?  

You have to wonder if one of the reasons that some believe that a raise is in order has anything to do with the pay of the leader in neighboring Greater Clark Schools.   Their Superintendent, Stephen Daeschner, was hired last year with a total salary of $225,000 paid partly by private donations.  Mr. Daeschner is now the highest paid school superintendent in Indiana, but has many years of experience having led Jefferson County (Kentucky) Schools for many years.  This is Dr. Hibbard’s first job as superintendent.  

I don't have a problem with paying a school administrator a reasonable salary.  I just think it should be made based on measurable results as opposed to just "doing a good job" or "making tough decisions"

 I could understand an increase in pay if there was a track record of higher ISTEP test scores.  If there was a significant improvement in the number of students dropping out of school,  I could understand some kind of reward.  If our more of our kids were going on to college after graduation I would approve of a raise.  There is no way to track the progress of how Dr. Hibbard decisions have improved our schools after just one year on the job.

Mr. Hibbard should honor his current contract and when it is over there should be an evaluation based on goals and criteria that the school board determines.  He does not deserve a raise for basically doing the job he was hired to do.

Moving forward with Bike lanes

This week My Friday Column:

MOVING FORWARD WITH BIKE LANES



I had not heard any plans for more bike lanes in New Albany but was pleasantly surprised when more turned up a few blocks from my house.  Now Charlestown Road from Vincennes Street to Hedden Park  has freshly painted bike lanes and signs.  While a relatively short distance was actually added   it showed that our city was committed to the idea of new bike lanes.




...Every one on the road must follow simple rules and proper etiquette no matter whether they are driving a Chevy or a Schwinn...

...Within the first week of spotting the new bike lanes on Charlestown Road, I witnessed a couple of cars parked in them.  Just outside the Tri-City Baptist Temple in the 1800 block of Charlestown Road a pick-up truck parked in the lane that is designated for bicycles.  This would cause a cyclist to have to swerve needlessly in to traffic and defeats the purpose of the bike lane...








I would like to see a comprehensive plan that links all areas of our city together with bike lanes.  The Ohio River Greenway Project is moving forward connecting Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany and The Big Four Bridge plans to get bicycles across the river more safely.  Soon we could have miles and miles of bike lanes connecting the entire region.  

Do we really need another doctor's office???

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I discuss a development that was brought before the New Albany city council this week.

WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER MEDICAL BUILDING

...Several years ago the New Albany City Council gave approval  to allow developers to build on land that had previously been zoned for residential property.  The intention was to create a “medical corridor” on Green Valley Road, for Doctor’s office space that was said to be in need in that area...


Tribune June 22, 2006: PLAN PANEL APPROVES MEDICAL OFFICE

The Trinity Plaza building at the corner of Green Valley Road and Daisy Lane was initially built as a medical office building.  It sat empty for two years until the city council allowed them to put a furniture store in the first floor.

 ... the same developer would like to build yet another medical office building. The new proposal is to build a single story medical office building on the  site where two houses sit now.  Part of the approximately two acre area is wooded with a creek running through the property...

...The developer has claimed this is a very “green” project that everybody is in favor of.  They have plans for an underground retention basin to combat any drainage issues.  Someone needs to explain to the developer that tearing down existing structures, removing trees, and covering grass and wooded area with asphalt is the least “green”  plan that there is....


The proposal was approved 7-2 on the first two votes at the November 1st City Council meeting. Council President John Gonder voted against the project along with Diane Benedetti who said she would like the Sewer and Stormwater Boards to review the proposal.

The third and final will be taken at the next meeting on November 18th.

Looking for a place to put a Doctor's office???

Here they go again

Around this time last year I wrote a column about the expanding medical corridor on Green Valley Road just South of Daisy Lane.  The focus of the article was basically unchecked development that was contributing to some of the drainage problems that were plaguing our city

WHO TO BLAME FOR ALL THE RAIN

This week at the New Albany City Council meeting a new development was proposed on the North/West corner of Green Valley and Daisy Lane.  It was approved on two votes, with the deciding  vote to be taken at the council's next meeting on November 18th.