projects – Page 15 – Easterday Construction Co., Inc.

Culver Post Office

October 19, 2015 by Kevin Berger

Dedication marker on the south side of the Culver Elementary School Gym which credits R. L. Easterday Construction with the construction in 1929.

Jeff Kenny borrowed a box of pictures I was given by the Culver Post Office a few years ago. He plans to scan them for the history museum. I’ve scanned them all including a large quantity of construction records from the project showing draws and wage rates. All of it is extremely interesting and provides a glimpse into the early history of our family business. Our early history is somewhat sketchy and our earliest project record we have is the concrete marker on the Culver Elementary School Gym which credits us with the construction in 1929. (It was the High School gym then, long before the school consolidation.)

Jeff’s Throw Back Thursday article on the Culver Post Office gives some history of the site and includes a few pictures, one of which I included to here to the left. Purusing through the records from the project, I’m not sure if anyone who worked on it is alive today, but I doubt it. It was a depression era project and I have heard family stories of my great grandfather, Russell Easterday, taking the overnight train to Washington, D.C. with submittals and bids for government work during that time. At that time in our early history, the offices for the company were on the second floor of the State Exchange Bank building (currently First Farmers Bank & Trust). The current building at 402 North Slate Street was constructed on Russell’s farm in the 1950’s.

Image Source: Jeff Kenny – The Pilot News

Entry Level Housing Update

October 12, 2015 by Kevin Berger

Jeff Kenney’s Culver Citizen article on the Entry Level Housing decision by the Town Council popped up on The Pilot News website over the weekend. (You can find The Pilot News version here or the Culver Citizen version in a previous post here.) Unfortunately in the interim, the Council rescinded the decision to move forward this year and instead chose to delay our application until next year. Thus like the wispy home I’ve shown multiple times in the past (see left), affordable housing in Culver has slipped from our grasp until at least 2017. (Wow, that was one of the sappiest sentences I’ve written in a long time!)

I can’t help but be frustrated by this. First because we had been working towards the grant deadline of November 2nd for the last 9 months. Second, after the decision on September 22nd (the meeting in the Citizen article) I was asked to rush around to get the necessary items lined up which included a special Culver BZA Hearing and a tax abatement hearing with the County Council. Both of which had been arranged prior to finding out that the plug had been pulled. (The final piece was completed at 4:55 against a 5:00 deadline. No stress there!)

The abatement hearing has been cancelled. The developer has been told to cool his heels. No follow-up meeting for the Entry Level Housing Task Force has been scheduled. The only thing that is continuing forward is the BZA Hearing. If the BZA is still willing, I plan to go ahead with that hearing. I am thinking that it can’t hurt to vet the location ahead of time. All the neighboring property owners have been alerted.

I hope our development partner hangs with us. I hope we don’t lose opportunities with our target audiences. I hope the grant availability is there next year. I hope the County Council is still supportive next year. I hope any changes in the Council following the election doesn’t realign the will of our leadership. I hope the subsequent changes in the appointed boards and commissions doesn’t change their will to move forward. That’s six “hopes” we now have in trade for the momentum we previously had. Let me throw in one more for lucky seven and say I hope all this works out.

Image Source: www.homeloanstoday.com

Image Source: Unknown (found on Pinterest)

Easterday Dental Clinic

September 14, 2015 by Kevin Berger

Dr. Greg Easterday and Dental Assistant Cindy Tusing

I am again mining from one of Jeff Kenney’s Throw Back Thursday articles. Dr. Greg Easterday is one of our founder’s grandsons and as such commissioned Easterday Construction Co., Inc. to complete an addition and renovation project at his dental clinic at 303 North Main Street in Culver. Unfortunately this isn’t one I can shed a lot of light on since it was well before the beginning of my tenure with Easterday Construction. At that time there were still several employee’s that had the Easterday name here including an uncle and cousin of Greg.

Image Source: Jeff Kenny – The Pilot News

Corner Tavern

August 24, 2015 by Kevin Berger

I need to start watching for Jeff Kenney’s Throw Back Thursday entries. I never know when one of our past projects will show up.

Last week’s entry featured the expansion of the Corner Tavern back in 1995. Will Pearson owned the Corner Tavern then and since his wife Kathy worked here in the office, it was natural that he came to Easterday Construction Co., Inc. to do the work. This was also another collaboration with Don Scearce of Scearce & Associates, now SRKM Architecture. The expansion provided additional seating, better natural light and improved access to the basement. It also improved the kitchen and restrooms bringing them up to code. There were plans to expand into the upstairs, but there were various code issues that prevented that at the time.

The upgraded facility thrived under Will’s management for several years. Will often worked the kitchen and the bar continuing a tradition of Owner/Operator interaction with the patrons. Many local residents worked there over the years and Ginny Munroe, current Culver Town Council President, often comments, “Willie was my favorite boss!”

The restaurant later sold to George Pesek and went through another renovation to become the Corndance Cafe’, its current incarnation. It remains a fixture in Culver and continues to be a source of pride and income to Culver residents.

Expansion Image Source: Jeff Kenney – The Pilot News

Charley Creek Inn Announcement

July 7, 2015 by Kevin Berger

Always nice to be recognized! We were mentioned in the Business Briefs in The Pilot News June 27-28, 2015 Weekend Addition as seen to the right. Charley Creek Inn in Wabash, Indiana has selected Easterday Construction to guide them through their expansion project. We’re pleased to continue our relationship with the Ford family on this project. See our previous post with a rendering of the proposed street view of the project here.