Artwork from two local organizations provided for Morris Settles Township Center

Click Photo to See the Artwork

LAWRENCE, Ind.  – As a part of the renovation of the Morris Settles Township Center, Lawrence Township Trustee Russell Brown has partnered with two community groups located in the township that will provide art for the building at no cost to taxpayers.

The artwork provided by the two organizations, the Lawrence Art Center and Art with a Heart, has become a final and important component of the updated space.

“The renovation of the Morris Settles Township Center has allowed us to think outside of the box for new partnerships in our community,” Brown said. “We are working with these organizations on how to provide on-going, rotating opportunities for local artists to display their work on the walls and how to make the walls in our building part of the growing art scene here inLawrence.  This effort continues our desire to make the Settles Center an active part of our community.”

“All of us at the Lawrence Art Center are excited to add the Morris Settles Center as another gallery space for exhibitions of local art,” said Judy Byron, Director of the Lawrence Arts Center. “We feel strongly that the arts can not only pull a community together, but also make an impact on our economic growth. We appreciate all the support we’ve received from everyone at the Trustee’s office and look forward to a prosperous partnership.”

“We appreciate the Trustee’s interest and support of arts in the Lawrence community,” said Andrew Lee, Executive Director of Art with a Heart. “The exhibit space in the new building is a great location for Art With A Heart to reach its target audience and provides visitors to the building with an opportunity to interact with art from a variety of sources from kindergarten students to professional adult artists.”

For more information and photos of the artwork, please visit the Trustee’s website at www.lawrencetownshiptrustee.org or visit the organizations’ websites at www.lawrenceartcenter.net and artwithaheart.us

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LAWRENCE, Ind. – On Tuesday evening Lawrence Township Trustee Russell Brown was joined by community leaders to mark the completion of construction on the Morris Settles Township Center. The renovation, which took six months to complete, has created much-needed improvements for residents of Lawrence Township.

“When I toured the entirety of the building for the first time in August 2010, I looked around and saw a lot of potential,” Brown said. “Potential to breathe new life into a proud, but albeit a little tired, fixture in our community. Potential to decrease the cost of operation of the building. Potential to decrease our energy footprint. Potential to make this building a true community asset and a place for community partnerships to flourish.”

To See Photos from the Open House, Click on Picture  

Located at McCoy and 45th Street, near the intersection of Franklin Road and Pendleton Pike, the Morris Settles Township Center is home to the Lawrence Township Trustee’s Office, Lawrence Township Small Claims Court, and the Lawrence Township Constable.

“I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish at this traditional seat of government in our community,” Brown added.  “The project was delivered on-time and under our initial projected budget. We hope that in the months and years to come that this building truly will be viewed, and utilized, as an asset to the taxpayers and citizens of Lawrence Township.”

Highlights of the renovated Morris Settles Township Center:

• Increased energy efficiency with an anticipated decrease of at least 50 percent in heating and cooling costs.
• A community meeting room that is available for use by local groups.
• A functional and professional office and court environment that provides accessibility, dignity and privacy to every user of the space whether they be emergency assistance applicants, litigants, attorneys or community partners.
• Commercially available space with occupancy for up to four new tenants.
• A public computer lab available during regular business hours.

Partnering with Lawrence Township on the project were Construction Planning Management, Inc., Design-Aire Engineering, Inc., and Cripe Architects + Engineers, a Minority Business Enterprise as designated by the State of Indiana.

For more information visit the township’s website at www.lawrencetownshiptrustee.org.

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Morris Settles Township Center
Community Room
4455 McCoy Street
Lawrence, Indiana 46226

Republican Caucus at 6:00 p.m.
Democrat Caucus at 6:00 p.m.

Agenda:

 1.                Approval of minutes from January 17, 2012 of the Lawrence Township Advisory Board

2.                Resolution 2012-5 Change to Lawrence Township Assistance Guidelines.

3.                Presentation of the Township financials for first quarter of 2012

4.                Presentation of Township assistance numbers for first quarter of 2012

5.                Presentation of Court filing info for first quarter 2012

6.                Discussion of Redistricting Plans

Next Scheduled Meeting: July 31, 2012, 6:00 P.M.

Located at McCoy and 45th Street, near the intersection of Franklin Road and Pendleton Pike, the Morris Settles Township Center is home to the Lawrence Township Trustee’s Office, Lawrence Township Small Claims Court, and the Lawrence Township Constable.

The enhanced space creates a better environment for clients of the Township’s services as well as the Township staff.

Among the many enhancements are a more functional layout, an efficient heating and cooling system that will lower energy costs, and space available for lease. Also created by the renovation are amenities that include a public computer lab and a community room.

The public computers will give individuals the ability to access the internet and Microsoft Office. The community room is available for reservation during and after business hours. The room includes seating for 20-25 people, tables, internet access and a video projector.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW THE COMPLETED RENOVATION OF THE MORRIS SETTLES TOWNSHIP CENTER

LAWRENCE, Ind. – The office of Lawrence Township Trustee Russell Brown will be moving to 4455 McCoy Street in the city of Lawrence on December 20, 2010. The trustee’s office is moving out of its current location at 9941 East 42nd Street and into the old Morris Settles municipal building near the intersection of Franklin Road and Pendleton Pike that currently houses the Lawrence Township Small Claims Court.

“We are pleased to be joining the small claims court offices in a building that the township now owns,” said Trustee Brown. “As a part of our fire department merger we took ownership of the 4455 McCoy St. building from the city of Lawrence and the move will allow us to save on rent and to increase efficiencies between the branches of township government. Our office is reaching out to residents who use the trustee’s office for services, including child support and energy assistance, to notify them of the move.”

As a part of the move, the office will also adjust the hours of operation of the office. Beginning on Tuesday, December 21, 2010, the office will be open from 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. on weekdays. The office will no longer be closed over the lunch hour. In order to facilitate the move, the office will be closed at noon on Friday, December 17, 2010 and will reopen at noon on Monday, December 20, 2010.

The Lawrence Township Advisory Board unanimously approved the 2011 budget resolution that cuts both the trustee’s and the advisory board members’ salaries. The budget also eliminates the township parks and recreation tax, and makes additional cuts to the salaries of senior staff in the trustee’s office. The budget maintains the same level of funding for emergency relief and aid programs, therefore reducing administrative costs for township assistance by 20%.

“As required, I consented to the pay cut made in the 2011 budget,” said Trustee Brown. “The Advisory Board also made financial sacrifices as did other township employees which do not come easily for their families in this difficult economic time. It was the right thing to do however in order to keep our emergency relief aid at the same funding level with incoming revenues decreasing.”

The 2011 budget includes a $3000 pay cut to Trustee Brown’s salary, an $800 pay cut for each advisory board member, and 10% pay decreases for senior staff. The Trustee’s current salary is $43,000 and advisory board members each receive $5800. Eliminating the parks and recreation tax will save taxpayers $10,000. These cuts were made as a result of property tax caps, drops in income tax collection, and rising employee health insurance costs.

Today Lawrence Township Trustee Russell Brown unveiled renovations made to Lawrence Township Fire Station 17 located at 7139 East 75th Street.

“This remodel was purchased with cash and completed for half the cost of building a new station,” Brown said as he introduced the upgrades. “There’s a new women’s dormitory, a new emergency backup generator that runs on natural gas, and a big increase in the energy efficiency of the building. We have a roof mounted heating and cooling system, automatic lighting, and a balanced HVAC system scoring us many LEED points.”

Station 17 is the busiest of the Lawrence Township stations, carrying out about 2000 fire and ambulance runs per year. Built in 1983 for the volunteer department, the station originally housed two firefighters per shift, and is now staffed with twelve firefighters per shift.

“These upgrades are long overdue,” added Lawrence Township Fire Department Chief Mike Blackwell. “The firefighters at this station who remodeled the kitchen themselves, and the department as a whole, have a lot to be proud of in the evolution of fire protection in Lawrence Township. We are confident as we move toward consolidation that this station will be well received by the Indianapolis Fire Department.”

On Saturday morning community volunteers joined Lawrence Township Trustee Russell Brown in the first Community Cemetery Work Day at Hoss Cemetery located on Pendleton Pike in Lawrence. The group removed dead ivy and overgrown brush, marking the culmination of a year’s worth of planning for cemetery beautification efforts of the township’s fourteen public cemeteries.

“Our public cemeteries are a source of community pride, but unfortunately many of them have not been properly maintained for many years,” explained Trustee Brown. “Using funds from this year’s budget which were already earmarked for cemetery maintenance, we are targeting three cemeteries for improvements this year. In the coming weeks, two of the township’s most visible cemeteries will have their broken down fences replaced and another is going to receive a significant landscaping facelift with the removal of dead trees and new plantings.”

“The 2011 budget we’ll introduce later this week will include an appropriation to make improvements to three to four more cemeteries next year,” Brown added.

Shortly after becoming Trustee, Brown convened a working group to get input on the township’s cemeteries. Neighborhood group leaders, members of the Mud Creek Conservancy, and interested residents met for the past year to put together a cemetery beautification plan. In addition, information about the township’s cemeteries has been added to the township’s website at www.lawrencetownshiptrustee.org/cemeteries. The website includes a map with the addresses of all fourteen cemeteries and a search feature of the names of the deceased known to be buried in each cemetery.