Plymouth

Marshall County has its first Shovel Ready Site!

by

As chairman of Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), I’m pleased to see the announcement that a 57 acre site in the Plymouth Industrial Park has achieved Shovel Ready status.  The property belongs to the Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation (PIDCO).  PIDCO paid the cost of achieving Shovel Ready status with MCEDC completing the necessary legwork and application.  “Shovel Ready” is a term that has been bandied about for years in economic development circles, but Indiana has established a definition and criteria for a site to be considered Shovel Ready.  (You can see powerpoint slides on the requirements here.)  PIDCO’s site is now one of only five in our eight county area with this designation.  That gives us a leg up and gives site selectors another reason to visit us.

For more details, check out the press release here.

Grace Baptist Church Railings

by

[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.

 

IEDC Economic Development Seminar

by

I attended a seminar put on by IEDC (Indiana Economic Development Corporation) in Indianapolis last week.  I was fortunate that it was in the morning before an ABC State Board meeting in the afternoon, allowing me to combine the trip to Indy.  It still made a ridiculously long day since I had to hit the road before 6:00 to be at the seminar at 9:00, driving between the two in lieu of eating lunch and then leaving the ABC meeting I didn’t get home until about 7:30. 

I attended as Chairman of MCEDC (Marshall County Economic Development Corporation) along with MCEDC staff, Jennifer Laurent and Derek Spier.  I was pleased that Grant Munroe, Ralph Winters and and Rick Tompos attended on behalf of the Culver Redevelopment Commission and that Mayor Mark Senter and City Attorney Sean Surrisi attended on behalf of the City of Plymouth.  It was unfortunate that there weren’t others from Marshall County able to attend.

The program centered around creative ways communities and economic development corporations were encouraging growth through the use of TIF Districts, shell buildings and virtual computer presentations.   Several different EDC’s presented on their use of these tools to attract development.

Both Culver and Plymouth have TIF Districts in Marshall County and both have used them successfully.  Plymouth has been more creative than Culver, but nowhere near as creative as some of the presentations that were made last week!  In a nutshell, money taken in by the TIF Districts must be spent on capital projects to benefit the TIF District, which allows quite a bit of leeway in interpretation.  One interesting use involved the coordination of a single county wide TIF District coordinating two City Redevelopment Commissions in conjunction with a County Redevelopment Commission.  Can you imagine if Marshall County communities could foster that kind of cooperation!?!  I think it generated quite a few new ideas in the attendees.

The use of shell buildings was discussed.  Plymouth had been considering contracting for a shell building on  PIDCO property on the northwest side of the City.  I’m sure hearing the success of other communities with these ventures helped spur the signing of a letter of intent with Garmong Construction this past Tuesday night.  (WTCA story here.)  This will result in a new, 45,000 sf (expandable to 135,000 sf) tilt-up concrete building being constructed west of Pioneer Seed on Commerce Drive.  In our just-in-time delivery society, it’s common that we’re passed over by site selectors when we don’t have a building that fits their needs ready to go.  The anecdotal evidence presented suggested that having the building there got prospects to the community.  Even when the building didn’t fit their exact requirements, it often got them there to consider other available sites.

During MCEDC’s discussions with Ady-Voltedge, our marketing consultant, we often heard the benefits of virtual site build-outs.  It was presented that by showing what a building looked like on the site, a prospect would find it easier to make the jump to visualizing THEIR building on the site.  An example of this was shown where an existing, dilapidated, empty building was shown with a virtual facelift, new landscaping and cars in the parking lot.  They were able to sell the client on this vision before ever taking them to see the existing building.

I hope the other attendees came back with the new enthusiasm I gained from these presentations.  Indiana should be poised for a leap forward in economic prosperity.  Indiana is a business tax friendly, Right-To-Work State at the crossroads of America.  Marshall County needs to take every opportunity to be part of the leap in renewed growth Indiana is about to experience.

Election Day!

by

Just a reminder to GET OUT AND VOTE!!!  I was to my polling place just before noon and if the number of signatures I saw in the book are any indication, the turnout is going to be light.  It’s a sad commentary when the news polls show Congress and the President with approval ratings in the basement, but then when citizens have a chance for input in the elections they can’t be bothered.  The majority of seats up for consideration in this primary election are for State and Local positions.  Not as controversial, but still important.  I told you why I was supporting Francis Ellert previously here.  There are many other important candidates to support on the ballot as well.

As a closing note, please make your vote an informed vote.   Even at this late hour it’s not too late to find out about the candidates and vote responsibly.  If you’re not going to do that, then I retract my opening request.  I should have said, Get out and Vote…  RESPONSIBLY!

Ellert for State Representative

by
Kevin Berger presenting ABC's endorsement and check to Francis Ellert at Coca-Cola Bottling in Plymouth

I had the opportunity to meet with Francis Ellert recently and present him with a check and endorsement from Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana (ABC).  Easterday Construction has been a member of ABC for nearly three decades and I have served on the organization’s State Board of Directors through four terms.  Francis has attended several ABC events and the organization has found him to be a like-minded individual that will fit well in representing our Free Enterprise cause.  I consider Francis a personal friend and I was pleased to be able to relay our support. 

This is Francis’s second run at the Indiana House District 17 position.  I supported him in his first run (see here) and will do so again this time.  Currently he has a primary challenger, but no Democrats have filed to run for the position in the Fall.  Turnout will still be important in the primary.  Since the Republican candidate  for President has been decided before the Indiana primary, it’s important to  make your voice heard in this local issue.

Lest you think voting isn’t important in the primary, there seems to be a real divide in the campaigning.  I see very few Harman signs in the Culver area where Francis is well represented.  I see mostly Harman signs in the Bremen area where Tim is well known.  Culver in particularly shouldn’t be complacent and assume that Francis has it sewn up!  We need to get out the vote and support him.

I can’t say anything bad about Tim Harman.  From what I know of him, he is a good person, has run a clean campaign and has the best interests of District 17 at heart.  But he’s not the known candidate that Francis is.  Francis ran a hard campaign against Nancy Dembowski in 2010 and I think he benefited from it.  Not only did it help him better define his positions, but it helped him make contacts that will be crucial when he joins the General Assembly next year.  Those contacts are what have garnered the support of the Indiana Chamber, the Indiana Manufacturers Association and the Indiana Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

Please consider helping me support Francis in the primary.  In less than a week we’ll be making this choice.  I can’t tell you how much I  look forward to voting for a candidate that I can truly support rather than choosing the lesser of evils.  I don’t think Francis tells election fairy tales.

Kevin