DATE: February 18, 2025
START TIME: Meeting 8:00 AM
LOCATION: Town Hall {Council Chambers}
9312 Smith St, Yorktown, IN 47396

Agenda:
7:45-8:00: Doors open/Coffee served
8:00 am Call to order/Pledge of Allegiance

Introduction: Marissa Earls – Members: Question of the Month- What was the last book you’ve read or podcast you’ve listened to?
We had 28 people in attendance.

Breakfast Bonus: Breakfast Sponsor- Sam Schlagel with FC Tucker: Sam is out of the New Castle office. They sell residential and commercial properties. They also handle DPO’s as well. He covers Henry, Delaware, and Madison counties. They are licensed in the state of Indiana. Current rates are 6.09% for 15 years and 6.87% for 30 years. In Delaware County, there are 66 houses (3-bedroom homes) are selling for an average price of $191,000 and are on the market for an average of 69 days.

Presentation of last month’s Minutes: Erin Ailstock – Approved as submitted

Treasurer Report: Tony Coston – (Tony wasn’t present) Kat stated that Tony will present the annual budget in March to membership. There is $53,000 in the bank.

School Report: Dr. Greg Hinshaw – Wrestling, basketball, and swimming all had winning records this season. The wrestling team won sectionals. Yorktown schools is financially stable. They are keeping a close eye on what is taking place at the state house due to it being a budget year. The schools “rainy day” fund has grown, so this helps if there are budget cuts for the school. The school board is in the process of sending out RFPs to help with their strategic plan. The high school roof is over 35 years old and it needs replaced. The Onward Tiger fundraiser is still going strong.

Town Report: Chase Bruton/Erin Hurley – Chase gave an update during his portion of the meeting.

Program: Chase Bruton presents “State of the Town” Includes Q&A – There are a number of new and existing companies making private investments in Yorktown. The town continues to make investments on both sides of the river and in itself. Public safety is still the top priority. The police department was given a new position, while the fire department was given two new fire trucks. The Yorktown community is still making strides and progressing forward. The town continues to look for funding outside of the community to help with the citizens concerns. The town received a $1 million dollar grant in Roadway Funding which is outside funding. They secured the funding for roads for this year and received a Next Levels Trail grant for over $1 million to connect the trail from Nebo to the front of Woodland Trails and also Tiger Drive in front of the high school. New basketball courts will be put in at Marrow’s Meadow in April/May. Challenges ahead: funding and financial outlook. The water department rates haven’t been raised in years, they adjusted rates to help with repairs. The town is going to continue a smart sustainable growth model (steady). They will be reaching out to local leaders and stakeholders to do a strategic plan and make sure procedures align with what the community wants. Safety improvement for the future that they are currently looking at is the intersection at Tiger Drive and River Road. They have a busy year ahead and are thankful for the community’s support!

Lunch and Learns: TBD

Shafer Leadership News: Ted Ward – You can find all the programs that Shafer Leadership offers to the Yorktown Chamber for our membership with them by going to their website at: https://www.shaferleadership.com/yorktown-chamber/

Ambassador news: Lena Reid – Marissa sent a sign-up sheet around for the members to sign up if they are interested in hosting an After-Hours, lunch, be a sponsor, or donate a door prize. They are still looking for people to help with the July picnic. The next After-Hours is March 13th from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at Four Day Ray Brewing.

Civic Green Report: Kat Blankenbaker – The concerts are almost fully funded. There are 13 concerts scheduled with the first one kicking off on May 30th!

2 minute Tip of the day: Mark Goodpaster – tips on cell phone security

Member Announcements:
Kat – She only has 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to sell if anyone is interested in purchasing them!
Mary Ann Stroeh – She wanted to thank everyone for supporting Reach Ministries.
Isaiah House-They have a couple of fundraisers going on and upcoming. The Spread the Love Campaign is currently taking place and they are having a golf outing on April 26th. They are looking for sponsors for their golf outing.

Adjournment: Promptly at 9:00 am

Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 18th at Town Hall (Council Chambers) located at 9312 Smith St, Yorktown. Julie Metzger will be our speaker.