My favorite thing so far has been my fitness orientation. The fitness coach helped me make sure that I knew how to use all the machines, and saved all my settings in the FitLinx system so that I don’t have to remember how weight to use or how many reps to do. The little computer even measures my range of motion to be sure I’m doing the exercises right. I’m proud to say that after only 2 attempts, I can do ALL of the exercises assigned to me, and do all my reps

There is a Subway inside, as well as the pool, sauna, rock climbing wall, basketball courts, fitness center, classrooms, and locker rooms. My next goal is to attempt some Zumba classes! Who’s in?

Why do you care about that? Fewer homes on the market means fewer homes for buyers to choose from. This could help create a sense of urgency and get some buyers off the fence. It could also possibly create a shift in demand (remember supply vs demand?). Hopefully we will see this trend continue!

Here’s the issue–

An Operating Fund Referendum was created by the Indiana Legislature to allow local school districts to request permission through a direct vote to assess property taxes above the property tax cap (1% for residential property) for the purpose of allowing a community to support its schools through additional revenue or to help replenish monies lost from recent state funding cuts.

The school district will add a referendum question to the May 3 ballot asking the community to support a property tax. The question will read: “For the seven (7) calendar years immediately following the holding of the referendum, shall the Avon Community School Corporation impose a property tax rate that does not exceed 17.05 cents ($0.1705) on each One Hundred Dollars ($100) of assessed valuation and that is in addition to all other property tax levies imposed by the School Corporation?”

Why are they asking for this referendum? With recent property tax caps, reduced state funding, and loss of investment income, the school budget has already been cut drastically. We are fortunate that our community is growing, and we are adding schools to fit the population, but it takes money to do that. This referendum is asking the community to pay additional property taxes that would go directly to help the schools operate. Voting will take place on May 3.

There has been a lot of discussion among the residents of Avon about this referendum, obviously, some support it and some do not.

MY OPINION? Avon has a reputation for great schools in the Indianapolis area, which is certainly an important factor when people are considering moving to the community. Having great schools benefits us all, whether you have kids that attend those schools (like me) or not. I want this to pass both for my own children, and for the benefit of the entire community. I think it is important to help support the schools in the community, and I am willing to pay for that through my property taxes.

I would love to hear your thoughts, I am sure that some readers will not agree with my opinion, and I”m ok with that as long as the discussion is polite. 

For a lot more info, you can go to www.SupportAvonChildren.org or www.NoMoreAvonTaxes.org

Here’s a hint, I mentioned HENDRICKS COUNTY for a reason.

Click here to view the Town of Avon Newsletter

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Even though the weather outside is truly frightful, I’m still here and ready to work! I can still help you, answer your real estate questions, and take care of business!! So, don’t be afraid to call, email, text or send me a tweet or facebook message as we wait out the ice storm.

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Let’s say you’re in a neighborhood that you love, and you want to find more homes for sale nearby. At callcarpenter.com, you can search for homes for sale and they will be sorted by the nearest home within a  mile of your location. Drive to a different neighborhood, and your search results will change.

You can be in front of a home and download all of the info about that house right to your phone.

“We’re thrilled to be the first real estate firm in metro Indianapolis to offer a GPS search option on our mobile website,” said David Caveness, Senior VP of Carpenter Realtors^®. “Home buyers will find this extremely helpful, convenient and fun when they’re driving a neighborhood looking at homes for sale.”

No need to use any other address, callcarpenter.com will automagically detect that you are on your smartphone and will redirect you to the mobile site. The GPS HomeSearch is completely free to use and will pull up ALL listings, not just Carpenter’s.

 “This reinforces our company’s commitment to offering the most cutting-edge technology to home buyers who want more information and more convenience during their search,” said Caveness. “Everyone at Carpenter Realtors^® is excited to take the next step in offering a very cool feature to our “techie” customers.”

Once you find a home that you would like to tour, all you need to do is call me (317-450-4527), and I will be happy to show it to you!!

The nearly $6 million park expansion includes 89 acres of woodlands and pastures for hiking and biking, a new 12,000-square-foot Washington Township Pavilion Center, large amphitheater, two shelters, a splash pad, playground and plenty of parking. A free grand opening celebration is scheduled for Oct. 9.

So how do you get there if nobody knows where it is? The new facilities are located about a mile beyond the current park. You will follow Broyles Road (That’s the road the runs along the back side of Washington Twp Park) through wooded areas, under and old bridge, over the river and through the woods… oh wait… sorry, follow it about a mile to the secluded recreation area. Sounds like it will be beautiful!

The pavillion will be able to handle large parties with up to 300 people, it includes a warming kitchen, fireplace, cathedral ceilings, and temporary walls if you prefer a more intimate setting.

Second Helpings is running dangerously low on their suplies of pasta and rice, and they use up to 100 POUNDS per day to help fight hunger right here in Indy.

“At Second Helpings, we fight hunger and empower people. We rescue prepared and perishable food, re-prepare it into nutritious meals, and distribute those meals to over 50 social services organizations that feed hungry people. We also use rescued food to train disadvantaged adults for careers in the culinary field, helping to eliminate hunger at its source.”

To do our part, we are using our office as a collection point and spreading the news that WE WANT TO HELP! Please drop off donations of pasta and rice at the Carpenter Office right behind Best Buy in Avon before September 14. On the 15th, my car (Cleo) will become the Pasta Mobile and I will load her up and drop off all the pasta we collect at Second Helpings.

Pasta and rice are inexpensive and go a long way, so please help do your part!

Currently, Indy Connect is in the “listening” phase, they are holding about 30 public hearings around central Indiana to gather the public’s comments and ideas. The next meeting in Hendricks County is 7pm on March 16th at Avon Town Hall. If you want your voice to be heard, you should go!

Some ideas being considered are toll lanes in the city’s most congested areas, significantly expanded bus service, light rail and commuter rail and of course more bike lanes and walking trails.

If you’d like more info about Indy Connect, I suggest visiting their website, and watching their video! http://www.indyconnect.org/

What would you like to see happen with Central Indiana transportation? What are your biggest concerns and biggest wishes? I want to hear them!