Multi-family

MCEDC Culver Representative 2010-2012

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I have served as the Town of Culver representative to the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) for the past three years. This took the group through incorporation as a 501(c)6 corporation. Since that time I have been vice chairman of the corporation. My term expired at the end of December last year and I volunteered to be reappointed to the corporation board. I am pleased that the Culver Town Council chose to reappoint me at their meeting, February 10, 2010. (Pilot News Article here.) I have represented Culver to the best of my ability and believe I have served the Town well.

MCEDC has made great strides in the short time it has existed. We have established offices in Plymouth and hired an Executive Director, Administrative Staff and just recently a dedicated Grant Writer. We have a functioning website and have established ourselves as a regional leader with State and local officials as well as site locators throughout the nation. We are currently working to increase our regional position through cooperation and strategic partnerships with surrounding counties.

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LaPaz Garden Court Ground Breaking II

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LaPaz Garden Court Ground Breaking
LaPaz Garden Court Ground Breaking

We had the official Ground Breaking for the LaPaz Garden Court yesterday, Thursday, October 29, 2009.  An article and some pictures are in the Pilot News here.  There were about 25 or 30 in attendance, representing various entities that support the project.  This was about 10 days after we began the actual earthwork on the site.  Today’s unfit weather has slowed us down, otherwise we would have been cutting in the footings today.

Lapaz Garden Court under Contract

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Lapaz Garden Court Site Plan

Yesterday was a long day, but a good day.  I went to Indianapolis for the closing on the Lapaz Garden Court.  This project is a 14 unit assisted living facility in Lapaz, IN.  The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  This will be the 6th Garden Court facility built by Easterday Construction Co., Inc.  We’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with Garden Court, Inc. once again.

The closings are interesting as there is a flurry of HUD personnel in and out making sure that their different criteria are met.  As always, paperwork is a big part of any government project.  Fortunately the Garden Court team (Hughes & Associates, Real Estate Management and B.A. Martin Architects)  has been through this multiple times in the past.  I think the HUD personnel appreciate what they do and try to make things as painless as possible.  This closing went smoothly and only took a little more than two hours, but in the past we have been phoning, faxing, emailing and otherwise chasing the necessary paperwork.  It seems there is always one more thing required.

Thanks to the work of Garden Court and the HUD, Lapaz will have a new Garden Court facility ready to occupy by this time next year.

A Garden Court for Culver (part II)

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Culver Garden Court Article from the June 18, 2009 addition of the Culver Citizen

A special meeting of the Culver Town Council was held on June 9, 2009 to discuss the possibility of a Garden Court in Culver next year.  As discussed earlier here, I had approached several property owners around Town about the potential for a Garden Court project on their land.  I was given the opportunity to discuss it with several of them and one, Mr. Wade McGee, has chosen to pursue it with us.  Mr. McGee and I met with the Town Council on the 9th and discussed various goals including water extensions, sewer extensions, fire protection, annexation, rezoning and future plans for that property as well as the adjacent properties.  Some members of the Plan Commission and the BZA attended that meeting as well and the implications regarding their various needs and requirements were also discussed.

All and all the meeting went well.  In premise, it was agreed that Mr. McGee would continue to work with Garden Court on their proposed facility and would request annexation, while the Town Council agreed to extend water and sewer to the property and to support the rezoning of the property from S-1 Suburban Residential to R-2 Residential.  This change is in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan and with other goals currently being pursued by the Town Council.

Following that meeting was the regular Town Council meeting.  At that meeting, Reverend Liechty, President of Garden Court, Inc., renewed their request for the Town Council to support the new Garden Court for Culver and to renew their financial pledge towards the project.  A letter was requested verifying that a Garden Court would be acceptable on the proposed property.  All these things were agreed to by the Council.

It looks like we’re moving forward!