As previously discussed here I attended the Comprehensive Plan Breakout Session for businesses on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Mr. Ralph Winters was also at that meeting and made a statement I thought was somewhat profound. I jotted it down so that I could get it right. “We are not so much a resort community as a community of second homes.” That idea resonated with me… While we do have lots of “rentals”, we do not have any hotel space to speak of. The Cove has mostly gone private, to the point that I don’t remember the last time I saw a conference there. This suggests a different kind of resort community.
The work on the new comprehensive plan has begun and I attended three meetings in this week. On Monday evening there was a Steering Committee meeting with Houseal Lavigne where we were given information regarding doing small group outreach. This was for the Steering Committee to make presentations to groups that are unable to attend the regular community meetings or groups that have special interest. I honestly do not know how effective this will be since everyone on the Steering Committee is already active in the community as well as their individual businesses but it was an interesting exercise. I told the Town Manager, Dave Schoeff, that I would be willing to help with one of these, if approached, but I do see that I would go out looking for groups to give presentations.
In conjunction with and immediately following that meeting was the first community meeting. While participation was less than stellar (only about 25 people were in attendance) there were some consistent themes that came out of the meeting. It did not take long for affordable housing to bubble to the top. Unfortunately affordable housing is a hard one for people to get their arms around and everyone’s definition seems to be somewhat different. Probably the second most discussed issue which was touched on several times was “identity” of Culver, i.e. are we or do we want to be a resort community. (More on that later.)
On Wednesday, Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) held a meeting at Swan Lake Resort with some of the leaders from each of our communities. This was presented as a follow-up to the successful Econ 101 seminar MCEDC held last fall. Approximately 30 individuals representing the County Commissioners, Town and City Councils, Redevelopment Commissions and area businesses held a frank discussion on what needs to be done to move their various communities forward.
Shawn Peterson from the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth (CPEG) did an excellent job of facilitating the conversation. His former position with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) allowed him to share insight into the interactions the state and LEDO‘s have with site selectors. “Generally requests come in with a requirement for a 48 hour turn-around. If the information is not readily available, a community will not make the cut.”
While the root causes varied, there was a consensus that we need to streamline our processes and work towards having properties and buildings ready for immediate sale in order to attract new business to our communities. It was gratifying to hear some community representatives share what was working for them. It was also good to hear their willingness to expose their problems and share in discussions on what can be done that will benefit all of Marshall County. I think many there were relieved to hear that the problems were common and not just something they were dealing with alone.
MCEDC is looked to by our communities to market them and bring in new business. While we’re eager to help, the individual communities need to do the ground work and provide MCEDC something to sell. One of the key discussion points was Comprehensive Plans. Currently three local communities, Culver, LaPaz and Plymouth are in various stages of new or updated Comprehensive Plans. We discussed at length how those plans should include long range plans for growth and preserve land for future industrial growth. The communities not currently involved in new Comprehensive Plans should dust theirs off and see what their plans say in this regard. It may well be time for them to address these issues as well.
The conversation was well received and seemed to have generated some excitement. Hopefully the attendees take that enthusiasm back to their communities and it spreads. We have a lot to offer and I sincerely hope we can work together to showcase the possibilities.
I was disappointed to hear that the Culver Beerfest died. It’s always sad when people with enthusiasm for promoting Culver get shut down. Unfortunately the Culver CAVE society wins out.
I think we’re fortunate that the Peseks have been innovative in reinventing the former Marmont Grille as the Evil Czech Brewery. There have no doubt seen some growing pains, but this is the kind of entrepreneurial spirit we need, i.e. if the first effort fails, try again!
There was an article in January/February 2013 issue of Building Indiana titled “Locally Made Brews Brings Dollars to the Community”. It talks about the Shoreline Brewery in Michigan City, Indiana. From the number of employees hired to reuse of abandoned buildings to increased visitors to Michigan City, the brewery has been a boon to the community. The brewery sponsors concerts and events that bring people from across the border in the Chicagoland area. That in turn stimulates the local economy. (I’m going to put Shoreline on the list for Becky and I to visit!) Micro Breweries are on IEDC‘s radar. Recently MCEDC was notified of a seminar that was being put on by IEDC for entrepreneurs interested in starting craft brewing operations.
We’ve attended events in the past at the Round Barn Winery near Baroda, Michigan. While it was started as a winery, it has expanded to include Vodka (from grapes) and a micro brewery. A couple of years ago they attracted us with a one time event with Duke Tumatoe performing. Apparently the success of that and other one time events led them to have outdoor concerts every weekend throughout the summer and fall of 2012. It was apparently successful as Jammin’ in the Vineyard is on their events calendar for late May through October. Becky and I have attended several of these events and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were not drunken free-for-alls. In fact, I don’t recall seeing anyone over indulging, let alone being asked to leave. Did we do anything but visit the vineyard the first time we went there? No. Did we explore Baroda on our last visit? Yes. In fact we actually made a trip up there specifically to buy a Christmas present based on something we’d seen on a previous trip.
I was unable to attend the Park Board meeting where the Park Board voted it down, but I did hear some of the congratulatory comments expressed by the audience at the Town Council meeting on February 19th:
Comment: The Park is for our children and people that can’t otherwise have access to the lake. (Uh, remember Lakefest, Tour de Max and the Corn Roast? Don’t those fundraising events take up parking and limit access to the Park? Doesn’t the park rent the Pavilions on a regular basis?)
Comment: They wanted to use the event for breast cancer fundraising and call it Beer for Boobs! (Really? And that slang is more crass than the nationally recognized Susan G. Komen for the Cure‘s breast cancer events called MargariTa-Ta’s? Beer for Boobs is actually the brewing version that works with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Some would like to go back to the past, but in a world where there are restaurants named Big’uns, Hooters and Chi-Chi’s… that ship has sailed…)
Comment: We really didn’t want the kind of people this would draw. (Again, Really? We’ve become alcohol snobs now? A winefest (Chamber event) is okay, but a beerfest is beneath us?)
Comment: Someone volunteered a vacant corn field for the event and it wasn’t considered. (Yes, I want to trek through a furrowed, dusty field rather than have a nice view of the Lake under shade trees. That promotes Culver…)
I’m paraphrasing the above comments. Those are just some that I remember.
At the end of the day, I don’t know whether I would have attended the beerfest. If I didn’t, it wouldn’t have been because I was offended. I had conflicts last year and didn’t attend the winefest, though I heard it was well attended and should grow this year. For that vocal crowd that thinks Culver should concentrate on being a tourist town, we just missed an opportunity.
Read Jeff Kenney’s article in the Culver Citizen reporting on the Park Board meeting where the festival was killed here. His opinion piece on this issue in the Citizen and repeated in the Pilot is spot on as well, but I couldn’t find a link to that. He makes my point better than I do! I guess that’s why he’s a professional writer…