On the evening of the big announcement of a Publix grocery store officially coming to Shelbyville, Mayor Troy Ethington added to the excitement with another announcement during a Shelbyville City Council Meeting.
Steris Corporation will soon open its first facility in Kentucky, a 6,000-square-foot site in the Hi-Point Industrial Park. The facility will provide off-site surgical instrument processing for hospitals and surgical centers throughout the region. Twenty new full-time jobs are expected to be created.
In a release, Ethington announced that the target operational date for Steris Corp. is early 2027, pending planning and permitting approvals. He also stated that Steris has indicated its intent to hire locally and partner with area high schools, technical schools and workforce development programs.
In January, Ethington submitted a formal letter of support to Secretary Jeff Noel at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, requesting favorable consideration before the KEDFA Board. The KEDFA Board has since approved the company’s incentive package, and Steris has confirmed the project is advancing into its next phase, according to Ethington.
“This project strengthens Shelbyville’s role in the regional healthcare system while bringing quality jobs, long-term investment, and sustainable growth to our community,” said Ethington.
Special call for help
On Dec. 27, Shelbyville Police Officers were dispatched to a reported victim suffering from a gunshot wound. Upon arrival on the scene, they discovered there was no injury, but instead a person suffering from a mental health crisis.
As officers continued assessing the situation, a vehicle was located nearby that was connected to the parental abduction of a small child. A 19-month-old child was found in the vehicle and identified as the abducted juvenile.
“With limited staffing, your team was able to transition from one type of call to another, identifying the needs of the suspected victim and locating a small child in need of your intervention,” said Shelbyville Police Chief Bruce Gentry.
Officers Wesley Tingle, Stephen Ates and Nicklas Fiscante, along with their families, attended the meeting to be congratulated for their dedication, teamwork, and quick thinking.
Shelbyville Police Chief Bruce Gentry congratulates Officers Wesley Tingle, Stephen Ates, and Nicklas Fiscante for their dedication, hard work and quick thinking.
Food truck park
Back in April, the council heard plans from Rebecca Mullins for a food truck park called The Lot. After much discussion, the creation of a food truck park committee, and finally, the adoption of zoning regulations pertaining to food truck parks, The Lot is officially ready to open this spring on 7th Street.
The ordinance approved by both the City Council and the Triple S Planning and Zoning Commission adds definitions for food trucks and food truck parks, as well as specifying which zones food trucks and food truck parks can operate in. The ordinance also bars the construction of microbreweries or microdistilleries in the city’s warehouse district.
Those who made The Lot food truck park a reality: Attorney Cy Dutton, and The Lot owners Rebecca Mullins, Derrick Mulls and Nick Waurio.
In other business:
Cyndi Chaney spoke on behalf of the Shelby County Community Theatre to address structural concerns about the theatre building.
She reported that since May of 2004, the theatre has spent $145,000 adressing water damage caused by old and faulty drainage. Oftentimes, when it rains, flooding occurs on 9th Street and Main Street, and unfortunately, the water doesn’t stop there; it trickles down to the theatre, causing water damage.
“We are a non-profit organization. Every dollar we spend on water mitigation is a dollar that cannot go to our programming, our youth education, our facilities improvements, or our community outreach,” she said.
Chaney did not come to the meeting to assign blame; she came to ask for help and to ask the council to consider prioritizing funding for mitigation efforts to redirect water flow.
“With your help, we feel these drainage issues could be overcome,” said Chaney.