Update on Kris Bex at Culver Kiwanis

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Jeff Kenney

Just as an update to our previous post here, Jeff Kenney wrote a piece regarding Kris Bex’s presentation to the Culver Kiwanis Club in the June 14th edition of the Culver Citizen.   (You can click on the article to the below to enlarge it.)  Thanks for the plug Jeff! 

I would imagine Jeff found a kindred soul in Kris Bex, knowing Jeff’s interests in writing and history.  The Remnant Trust’s focused mission to preserve documents promoting Liberty and Dignity makes it a unique asset to Northern Indiana.

I will be attending a Remnant Trust event this evening.  There will be a tour of the facility, some period character actors and a social gathering for local supporters.  I’m looking forward to the event (even though I’m forced to wear a tie!).  It is always interesting to go back to completed projects and see how they evolve from the original plans.  The Remnant Trust is a particularly interesting example since the facility serves as somewhat of a museum and is constantly changing their displays and presentations.

MCEDC Culver Update

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Jennifer Laurent, Executive Director of Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), gave an update to the Culver Town Council last night.  Aside from giving a report on some of the activities MCEDC is involved in throughout the County, she discussed some of the specifics for Culver.  One these was her interactions with Elkay Wood Products, formerly Medallion Cabinetry.   Jennifer facilitated a radio interview June 15th on WTCA with Rick Coffman, Operations Manager, to discuss what they do and what their plans for the future are.  I think a key point here is that no one else in Culver is making these kind of contacts and making sure our largest industrial client is helped.

Jennifer also commended the Plan Commission and Redevelopment Commission for making the first steps towards a new Comprehensive Plan.  (20/20 Vision for Culver!)  She stressed some of the visioning needs that the plan should address along with the nuts & bolts infrastructure and land planning functions.

This is much like what I’ve been trying to promote with the various groups…  We need to use the development of the new Comprehensive Plan as the catalyst for new ideas about Culver’s future.  Communities are either growing or dying.  Maintaining the Status Quo is impossible.

Jennifer is also working with Culver’s new Town Manager, Jeff Schoeff, to coordinate some training sessions for the Redevelopment Commission, Plan Commission and Town Council.  One important topic will be TIF Districts.  Others topics relating to finances and the various powers of these boards will be considered as well.

I hope the council members and those in the audience recognize the value Culver gets from leveraging their funds in with Marshall County and the other Marshall County communities.  Budgets will no doubt be tight again this year, but without MCEDC, who would be doing these things for Culver?  We have so many individuals with good intentions, but they can’t make up for someone with dedicated time and tenure based on performance.

Red Shirt Fridays

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Easterday Construction Co., Inc. is once again participating in Red Shirt Fridays this summer to show our support for our troops.  The field crews reinstated this on their own this year.  We’re happy to support them with new shirts as they need them.

The pictures herein show John Singleton and Murgurel Stephan in their red shirts at our Deborah Road remodel project.  They’re installing siding as we prepare to wrap up this project.  Dave Epley (not shown) was also on site in his red shirt today  Thanks guys!  Way to go!

Any past or current clients that would like a shirt to show your support, stop by our office and we’ll hook you up.  Support the Troops!

Culver Redevelopment Commission

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Last night the Culver Redevelopment Commission met for their regular monthly meeting.  Kathy Clark spoke to the group in support of some projects that had come before them.  (Kathy was the chair of the Redevelopment Commission when it was first formed.)

She was there to help my cause of getting the Redevelopment Commission to fund the new Comprehensive Plan.  She stated that the Comprehensive plan is an integral part of retaining and bringing new business to Culver by setting goals and planning on where development should occur.  She cited examples of how the original Redevelopment Commission used the Comprehensive Plan to determine how to layout the TIF districts and where to spend the money that was provided by the TIF districts.  She also gave her reasoning on where TIF money should be spent.  The Commission was moved by her insights and has chosen to fund the Comprehensive Plan.  They did put some caveats on the cost and they did ask for involvement in selecting the consultant, but overall it was a big step forward.  Culver just may get 20/20 vision before 2020 arrives!

Bob Porter, Culver Utilities Superintendent, was there to request funding for a clock to be added to the Downtown Revitalization Project.  The Commission agreed to fund this too, probably due to Kathy’s pep talk.  Bob didn’t give a lot of details other than that it would be a four faced post clock which would be set in the Right-of-Way somewhere around the intersection of Main Street and Jefferson Street.

Tom Kearns and Mike Stallings were there from the Culver Tree Commission requesting funding for a tree project to improve School Street starting at the intersection with S.R. 10 and running south to Academy Road.  (See sketch)  Tom indicated that they had the support of all the property owners involved.  He also stated that the tree selections were made with the power lines in mind as well as a goal of having color throughout the year.  It was a good night to visit the Redevelopment Commission as they chose to fund this project as well!

Grace Baptist Church Railings

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[slideshow type=”cycle” category=”144″ size=”normal”]The Grace Baptist Church in Plymouth has a traditional pulpit with a curved dais at the front of the Church.  The Pastor has a lectern in the center of this and the choir has seating behind that.  They contacted us because it has become an issue over the years with choir members  coming down the curved steps without railings.  They asked us to come up with a railing that would fit in with the existing woodwork and give choir members something to hold on to while they come down the stairs.  They were most concerned with safety and aesthetics.

We came up with several options for them and provided sketches.  There were different things that could be done with locations and volutes.  They selected a curved rail option with newel posts at either end and decorative balusters under the railing.  This was the most stable option as well as fitting well into the existing style of woodwork.

Curved railings are always challenging as the railing comes in a sliced profile (See image to the left) that must be bent and glued in the field.  In this case it was further complicated by the need to bend the rail around the location where their baby grand piano sits.  Also, the rail runs with a curved counter to the curve of the steps.  To add one more complication, the existing planters and stairs had different dimensions on either side of the pulpit despite looking symmetrical from the sanctuary.  To accommodate this we formed and bent the railing on the grand piano side first and then duplicated that curve with slight adjustments to account for the symmetry issue.  The new woodwork was then stained to match.  The Church is pleased with the final outcome.  Pastor Matthew Elliott said, “They look so nice people do not want to even touch them!  I think if you had completed them between services most parishioners wouldn’t have realized there had been a change.  They look like they’ve always been there.”

Dave Epley was our carpenter for this project.  We’re pleased with Dave’s work on this.