An art studio for learning and creating two- and three-dimensional art may be coming to a business in Crothersville if a funding grant through the Indiana Arts Commission is approved.
School Board member Tiffany Reynolds and Crothersville 6th grader Zoe Prince sought the local town council’s approval to pursue a $5,000 grant from the state arts group when the council met last Tuesday.
“The studio will not just be for school students,” said Reynolds. “It will be ‘art for all, big & small.” She noted that the art learning facility is important for the community’s youth because the school abolished art classes as a result of state funding cuts.
Local business owner Kyle McIntosh has offered a room at the rear of his Art From Ashes tattoo business for the art studio project, Reynolds said.
“We hope to include some structured instructional time each month,” she said
“Art is important. It gives us something to do, to be creative,” said Prince.
The town council was asked to be the grant funding conduit for the project. The council approved the project on a 4-0 vote.
In other matters, the council approved the purchase of a vacant lot from Hubert Ashley for $1. The lot on Armstrong Street between Howard and Main Streets where the local landmark Snow’s Restaurant was located. Under Ashley’s ownership, the two-story brick structure had fallen into disrepair and the council, fearing a collapse and need for public safety, negotiated with Ashley to raze the building last year if he would sell the town the property for a dollar.
•The council gave approval to the Crothersville Library to close a portion of an alley between the senior citizens center and Subway for half a day on June 1 for the library’s Summer Reading kickoff. Youth activities will occur in the outdoor space.
•The council appointed Jamey Greathouse and Alissa Sweazy to fill vacancies on the Crothersville Redevelopment Commission.
•Approved All-Star Paving to complete resurfacing projects at the police department on Moore Street, the alley east of the post office between Main and Howard Streets, and a section of curbing in the 400 block of West Howard Street.
•Approved $1,500 in funding for a swing and slide set for the Countryside Park. The Crothersville Youth League will pay $1,000 toward the project and install the playground equipment.
•Approved water utility expenditures for updating the town’s well head protection program, chemically cleaning the screens on the town’s three wells, and the purchase of a new chlorine measuring scale at the treatment plant.
“The water is hard in Crothersville and our wells are not producing the volume of water they should,”said Chris Mains, water superintendent. “That usually a sign that minerals are clogging the filtering screens at the bottom of the wells.” The town approved National Water company to clean and video the wells at a cost of $10,550 per well.
He told the council that the wells will be out of service one day at a time for cleaning. “I’ll make sure the high tower is full each day before they start cleaning. We should be fine” for adequate water supply, he said.
