Briefs: Get involved

In an event that draws attention to Indianapolis’ lack of a significant public access television outlet, the Alliance for Community Media will be holding its spring 2005 conference here at the downtown Radisson Hotel, 31 W. Ohio St., from March 31-April 2.

The conference comes at an important time. The city of Indianapolis is about to renegotiate its cable franchise agreement, which means this could be the last chance for another decade or more to provide for public access production.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for us here, since we don’t have a public access channel, to be able to interact with and learn from people who are doing this successfully in the surrounding states,” said Andrea Price of Public Access Indiana. “There will be workshops targeted to different segments of the community that use public access channels. Indianapolis and Philadelphia really stick out as the problem cities right now.”

Thursday’s activities will include a Ministering Through Media mini-conference, focusing on religion and ministry television. Friday will feature a variety of workshops that teach the nuts and bolts of working with public access. Media Salons, presented by the Association for Independent Video and Film Media, will be the major event Saturday.

Price said that this year was a particularly good time for such a high profile event, since the city’s cable franchise contract re-negotiation will begin soon.
“We want to make sure that this time around the provisions are firmly in place for public access TV and that the city code and the franchise agreements support that,” Price said. “This contract is going to set the course for 10, 15, maybe more years.”

For more information and registration forms, check out www.indyaccess.org.

The smoking ban currently being considered by the City-County Council is one of the most controversial local measures in quite some time, and citizens will get their chance to have their say in the next few weeks.

Proposal 45, citing health concerns, in particular secondhand smoke-related deaths, bans smoking in all public places, places of employment, city-owned parks and facilities, bars and restaurants, plus outdoor spaces within 50 feet of prohibited areas.

The measure has attracted considerable controversy, with public health advocates lining up in favor of the ban and bar and restaurant owners against. It’s not just the experts and business owners with a stake in this, however; the measure stands to have an effect on every person in Marion County, and so citizens will have an opportunity to speak out and be heard by the council at four meetings in different parts of the county.

The dates and times of the hearings are March 30, 5 p.m. at the Pecar Health Center, 6940 N. Michigan Road; April 6, 6 p.m. at the Warren Performing Arts Center, 9500 E. 16th St.; April 7, 6 p.m. at the Perry Township Government Center, 4925 S. Shelby St.; April 14, 6 p.m. at Shortridge Middle School, 3401 N. Meridian St.

The committee is scheduled to vote on the proposal May 5 in the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St., at 6 p.m.

The 17th Annual White River Clean-up will be held on Saturday, April 2 from 8 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will be removing debris from the White River between I-70 and Raymond Street. Staging area is across from the DPW Facility, 1745 S. West St. (south of Morris Street). Call 327-7431 to sign up or visit indygreenways.org/forms/wr-cleanup.htm.