Shelbyville’s downtown revitalization project was recently honored by the American Council of Engineering Consultants (ACEC).

Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun informed the Common Council at its Monday meeting at City Hall that the completed downtown revitalization project was nominated and received the Grand Project Award from the ACEC.

“This is the highest award that the ACEC offers,” said DeBaun.

The award (photo) was presented Thursday.

Councilman Scott Furgeson, who is running for the Republican nomination to be the next mayor of Shelbyville, congratulated DeBaun, a democrat now in his third term as mayor, for the work he has done to bring recognition to the city.

“You are being lauded for your efforts and what’s going on and I know during the election we hear bad things when you start talking about not maybe the positive things that go on in Shelbyville, but we start talking about the negatives and not necessarily the negative things we think we ought to change. Mayor DeBaun has done a great job throughout his efforts to make Shelbyville the best he can,” said Furgeson.

DeBaun also informed the council of his trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy Chamber Regional Mayor’s event where he had the opportunity to talk about regionalism and how the region effects each community individually and as a group, according to DeBaun.

“The point of the mission of that is it was a great day for Shelbyville because we were recognized by an outside group and got an opportunity to sit on a panel at the motor speedway with a group of my peers, other mayors in central Indiana,” said DeBaun. “We have become a community that they are starting to pay attention to. That was very gratifying as well.”

In the only formal business for the board Monday:

• Approved the rezoning of the property at 331 and 335 S. Miller St. from R1 (single family residential) to R2 (two family residential). The house (photo) on the property was stripped down to its bare bones and is now being refurbished to serve as a duplex.
• Bill Kent of PK USA informed the board that the company’s Employee Referral Program is producing results beyond expectations. Kent stated that 25% of PK USA’s current employees have referred someone to be hired. A cash incentive has stimulated employees to bring attractive candidates to the Shelbyville-based company. “The employees doing the referrals are becoming mentors to the new employees,” said Kent, which helps kick in more financial incentives as new employees stay with the company. Kent stated that the production areas at PK USA will soon be going to four-day work weeks with 10-hour days. Employees will work Monday through Thursday and have three-day weekends. Other support areas within the company will stay on five-day work weeks, according to Kent.

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