Tag:Volunteering
Cost of doing business
The Pointe has been all over the news and social media lately due to the City of Plymouth deeming the property unsafe to occupy. This has forced the charitable community to jump to action to help the residents of the 16 units there. On top of the general low income housing shortage in Marshall County, there is the issue that this property was renting at the very low rate of $400 per month. To the best of my knowledge, this is not a subsidized housing site.
As has been described to me, the facility is a former nursing home, so the “units” are small rooms with half baths, i.e. a sink and toilet. They are set up with common (shared) men’s and women’s showers and a community kitchen. There has been some deferred maintenance that includes roof leaks leading to other damage. Pictures from the Pilot News indicate that there is some mold/mildew, but the level and danger from that would have to be professionally assessed.
The landlord is taking it on the chin for this. Again, I know none of the background, reasons for deferred maintenance, etc. But I do think the $400/month is an unworkable business model. So if all the work that is projected to be needed there is done, there’s no way it supports itself at that rental rate. Here are some numbers to start the conversation:
- The property was purchased by the current owner for $126,000 in 2006 per county records.
- The county lists the square footage of the property at 9,840sf. That’s roughly $13/sf which is dirt cheap. Assuming it had to be financed, most commercial loans require 20% down ($25,200), can only be financed for 20yrs (unlike a home with a 30 year mortgage) and with an interest lock of only 5 years, i.e. it has to be refinanced every five years. Lets assume a 5% loan rate (low right now, high a few years back), that gives you a monthly payment of $665/month or $7,980/yr.
- The county lists the yearly taxes for this property at: $5,634
- There was a past roof repair estimate of $85,000. Apparently there has been deterioration since then and we all know what inflation has done. For discussion, lets round that up to $100,000.
- Someone shared an estimate of $10,000 for a mold assessment.
- A low estimate for mold remediation would be $100,000, which assumes $5k per unit plus common areas.
- Mold remediation will require tearing into walls, ceilings, etc. From looking at the pictures, there is a lot of repair and remediation needed without that. Let’s put $160,000 towards the units and $40,000 for the common areas. (probably low.)
- For discussion, let’s put $60,000 towards clean-up and updates to the exterior.
- This will require building permits and since it’s commercial, so architectural plans to go to State. Architect fee: $25,000
- Permit fees and such: $5,000
- Minimum of 8 months to get it done, so no rent during that period.
So lets total that up as if someone were to buy this this and puts it back the way it should. That comes to $626,000. I think this is probably a cheap number, but it’s a starting point for this discussion.
First pass: 20% down = $125,200 The remaining $580,800 financed per the above at 5% = $45,996 in loan payments, against fully rented 16 units x $400/month x 12 months = $76,800. Seems like a decent return of $30,804, but remember, right now, plunking that $626,000 into a government bond funds would pay in excess of 5%, or a yearly return of $31,300 with no risk.
But lets do a second pass the way a developer would look at this:
- Rent: 16 units x $400 each x 12 months = $76,800
- 7% vacancy and bad debt = ($5,376)
- 7% management fee = ($5,000)
- Property Taxes = ($5,634)
- Administration and leasing = ($3,000)
- Maintenance Payroll – tax, benefits, etc. = ($9,000)
- Maintenance Contracts & Supplies = ($5,000)
- Utilities (All included) = ($12,000)
- Insurance = ($13,000)
- Misc = ($1,500)
- Debt Service = (45,996)
Now we’re at a loss of $28,706 despite some of those numbers being generously on the low side. Not including the time value of money, i.e. the $125,200 down payment would earn $6,350/yr at 5%. So looking at the first three numbers in the above list, it would take a rent increase of $173/unit to get to break even. Most banks won’t finance a break even project and most developers want to make some money and have some cushion for unforeseen things. And nowhere in there was any maintenance reserve savings for when the roof needs replaced again or whatever unforeseen problem comes up.
Granted, this is an extremely simplified analysis. It doesn’t take into account the benefits of depreciation, since those are only a benefit when there is profit. Likewise it doesn’t take into account any taxes on the theoretical income. It also doesn’t take into account any escalators for inflation. There would be a large spreadsheet that a commercial developer would run this through to make their analysis.
Minimum Rent to make this begin to work would need to be $700/month, when existing tenants say they are struggling with the current $400/month. Reality is more like $800 – $900 to get to comparable rates in Plymouth that make economic sense to cover the myriad of additional things that will come up in the renovation and the probably greater management, vacancy and bad debt costs that are likely. The significant age of the building warrants a large maintenance reserve.
But lets take a step back and do really, really rough math (because I don’t know their expenses) on existing conditions assuming with the initial investment of $126,000. Assume 20% down leaves $100,800 financed. Using the 5% interest rate number in the previous scenario, that’s $665/month = $7,980 per year.
- Rent: 16 units x $400 each x 12 months = $76,800
- 7% vacancy and bad debt = ($5,376)
- 7% management fee = ($5,000)
- Property Taxes = ($5,634)
- Administration and leasing = ($3,000)
- Maintenance Payroll – tax, benefits, etc. = ($9,000)
- Maintenance Contracts & Supplies = ($5,000)
- Utilities (All included) = ($12,000)
- Insurance = ($13,000)
- Misc = ($1,500)
- Debt Service = ($7,980)
This would give us a profit of $14,944/yr. There may be other expenses I haven’t put a number to and conversely there are those that would suggest the maintenance line items should be zeroed out, since maintenance has been less than needed. In any case, this is not a gold mine as it exists today.
This is the real life example of what I’ve said for years… I would rather have a leaky roof over my head than no roof at all. Some of these residents have been living that situation, but the City has (rightly) cited safety concerns that removed their leaky roof.
the $626,000 number is a low number for the renovation, but it’s an impossible number to duplicate that building. $626,000/9,840sf = $64/sf. New construction on a facility such as this would be in excess of $200/sf. It is also questionable that a new facility such as this would meet current zoning standards, though a variance might make it possible. Then there is the issue of where to put it. Even if built on the same site, rezoning would be required along with the variance. That would prompt the same NIMBY protests that Garden Court ran into with the two sites they considered for their project. Theoretically, Garden Court’s GC Horizons project should have been less objectionable as fully functioning apartments.
Plymouth as a community has some hard decisions to make regarding housing. Complaints are rampant about facilities like The Pointe, but solutions are few. As seen with The Pointe, just shutting down the problem facility without a viable alternative creates a different crisis. As seen with Garden Court’s GC Horizons project, those that step up with a solution are often disparaged. Mayor Listenberger is making efforts, but is getting a lot of pushback. It’s tough when there’s a cry to “Do Something!“, but it’s accompanied by a chorus of “But Not That!“… no matter what “that” is…
Some things never change… That’s just part of the cost of doing business…
Blight
It seems odd to talk about Blight and missed opportunities at the same time, but here we are.
I attended the SBERP RDA ( South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership Regional Development Authority) board meeting last week and heard presentations of several properties that would benefit from the Lilly Foundation funds that have been pledged to them for blight elimination. As a sign of the times, all of them included some form of housing, as additional and better housing is the biggest perceived need at this time. The project that would be most recognizable to those in our area contemplated a multi-million dollar renovation and repurposing of the old Kamm and Schellinger Brewery in Mishawaka currently known as the 100 Center.
Several properties in St. Joe and Elkhart Counties were submitted. Marshall County was conspicuously absent… thus the missed opportunity.
Blight, as referred to when talking about communities, is generally a reference to systemic vacancies. But it is sometimes referring to buildings with deferred maintenance. I’m sure we all can think of properties in our communities that would fall under one of these definitions. Without even trying, I can name seven properties that fit this definition in Culver. I can think of half a dozen in Plymouth. I know of several in LaPaz and Argos. I’m sure those familiar with Bourbon and Bremen could name similar properties there. So how did we allow this opportunity to pass us by? Couldn’t we have put together something? We are the smallest county by population in our three county regional partnership. There would have been strong incentive to try and share some of the largess if we would have presented something.
We’re at a disadvantage in these things that we need to figure out how to overcome. The internal staff available in South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart to throw at these opportunities far outweigh the capacity of any Marshall County community. One Marshall County is being touted as a possible answer to this, but they couldn’t muster the effort to make a presentation as they are still fighting to gain acceptance locally. This is sad, as this could have been an easy win for them that would have shown their value.
Just from attending public meetings, I know of three properties in Culver, two in Plymouth and one in LaPaz that have asked for help and would have qualified for this program. A Marshall County regional submission could have been a combination of projects that would have helped all of our communities. A rail transfer facility was floated at the PIDCO annual meeting for one of Plymouth’s blighted properties. There were opportunities there.
Submitting something would have helped our larger region as well. It’s been clear from the feedback from the Regional Partnership that they need to use some of the funding in Marshall County, but if we fail to give them something to spend it on, it’s hard for us to complain. At some point this could be a problem when the region goes for additional funding. The down state entities want to see the wealth shared.
Some of the issue has been disorganization and some has been a lack of cooperation. Both should be things that can be remedied for the greater good. The sad thing is that most Marshall County residents don’t even know about this missed opportunity. It is likely that most of the property owners of the above mentioned sites don’t know they missed an opportunity. But by definition of the program, the projects must be put forward with government support. Unfortunately, I would guess that the majority of our elected representatives aren’t aware of this either. At least that’s my hope. If they knew and did nothing, that is worse.
There will be more opportunities like this coming down the line. We need to take steps so they aren’t missed too…
GC Horizons at the Plymouth Common Council
It was a very disheartening meeting of the Plymouth Common Council this past week. What should have been a relatively easy vote for the council, acting on the Plymouth Plan Commission‘s recommendation to rezone property for Garden Court’s GC Horizons project, went nowhere because of misunderstandings, miscommunications and emotional responses. The arguments at the plan commission meeting, some of them not much more than mudslinging, were apparently repeated over the last week, inundating the council with calls, texts and emails. The Plan Director, Ralph Booker, was not allowed to make his presentation nor present the recommendation of the Plan Commission. With no discussion, a motion to deny the rezoning was made, seconded and passed 4 to 2.
Some of the comments from the board after the vote were difficult to hear. It was said that this wasn’t the right location… This site was found after a year of searching, because the council voted down the site we presented last year. We vetted a dozen sites, some turned down by the City in pre-discussions and some because property owners were unwilling to sell or unable to make a decision to sell. This was a good site, following the Comprehensive Plan in a transitional neighborhood, adding apartments and single family homes in an existing neighborhood with apartments and single family homes.
The project was conflated with the motels on the north side of town, but not as a solution… just a spreading of the problem. Paraphrasing one statement made, “We (City, Council) should be directing our funds and efforts towards the motel issue instead of this project.” This is a specious argument since Garden Court has not requested any funds from the City. This project would bring in $14MM in outside investment to the community and put a new property on the tax rolls, maybe delayed by an abatement, but still, a property paying taxes above the current farmland rate. There is nothing preventing the City from investing in a different motel solution. These are different projects!
The volunteer Garden Court board stepped up to the challenge of helping with the housing problems in Plymouth with this project. They were encouraged by IHCDA, providing training and offered $14MM in capital investment. It is not the total solution, but it would have been a great first step. Hopefully, the effort hasn’t been completely in vain, but like me, many involved are feeling unappreciated and beaten down. Garden Court’s name has been dragged through the mud throughout these discussions. These were undeserved attacks on their reputation. We’ll see how or if this moves forward. Disheartening…
GC Horizons
GC Horizons, Garden Court’s latest project was before the Plymouth Plan Commission last week. There were a lot of people there to speak on both sides. Jamie Fluery did a nice job on an article in the Pilot News that went through a lot of it before the meeting. The drawing from the paper shows the concept plan. Along with the new apartment complex, the City of Plymouth will sponsor some single family homes.
There was a lot of Vitriol spent attacking Garden Court and the potential tenants for these units. Sister Connie spoke in favor of the project and was shouted down at the end. After the meeting she commented, “People look at these things with compassion or fear. Tonight there were a lot of people speaking from a place of fear.”
The proposed zoning change recommendation that was before the Plan Commission passed. That puts the issue before the Common Council this evening and there has been a lot of pressure put on the Common Council Members. I hope they are able to see that the few speaking out don’t represent the majority, but I know it’s hard when you’re being attacked for doing the right thing. Below are three positive letters that were sent to the Common Council stating the case better than I could. I thought it was important to include them here:
From Linda Yoder, Marshall County United Way:
Good afternoon, Plymouth City Council Members,
Thank you for your consideration of the Garden Court Horizons Project. Last week, United Way hosted a review of preliminary findings from the Housing Gap Analysis launched in February 2024.
For those that were unable to attend, attached is a copy of the presentation slides and, for your convenience, a summary of key findings.
Based on data included in the study, your favorable consideration of the rezoning and annexation request on Monday would:
- Address a projected housing shortage of 1300 units
- Focus on the largest housing need today which is rental units
(Due to multiple factors: high interest rates, high cost of construction making home ownership unattainable for many and a higher than normal % of population under 30)
In addition, a favorable vote will:
- Bring $13 million in investment for a mix of 28 low/moderate (affordable) rental units and 8 permanent supportive housing units
- Set the stage for a potential READI grant proposal to develop an additional 13 single family housing units for even more state investment in housing shortages
The 2019 Marshall County Stellar Designation opened this door to capture additional state funding through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to address a critical housing shortage.
Michael Fortunato, the Housing Gap Analysis Consultant, shared this summary:
The combined effects of a) a large, young renter class emerging, b) another large generation aging in place and therefore locking in the housing supply, and c) suppressed education levels that translate to lower wages overall would create a housing crisis anywhere.
Marshall County’s greatest assets are a) a county working together to be proactive around these issues, and b) a housing supply (with some vacancy) that is still not as constrained as some other neighboring counties.
Those that attended the IHCDA Housing Institute and serving as team members includes:
Bowen Center: Zach Cook
Bradley Company: Rod Ludwig, Alonda Jenkins
- City of Plymouth: Sean Surrisi
- Easterday Construction: Kevin Berger
- Garden Court: John Myers
- SRKM Architecture: Brent Martin, Jeff Kumfer
- United Way of Marshall County: Linda Yoder
Additional advocates invited to the team are Jack Davis and Eric Holsopple.
We would be glad to talk with you to answer questions or provide additional information. You can contact me any time (evenings and weekends included).
Best regards,
Linda
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From Brent Martin, SRKM Architecture:
Dear Council Members,
As members of the Garden Court team know, I have been reluctant to reach out to plan commissioners or city council members regarding this most recent Garden Court project. I am self-aware enough to know invective is thrown my way as my career as an architect is designing buildings. At the same time, my history with Garden Court goes back over 33 years. Longer now, I think, than anyone else on the team. I guess that makes me “the old man”. Given that, if you’ll allow a bit of a ramble, here’s some perspective.
Mayor Glaub was instrumental in creating Garden Court in the early 1970s. I’ve been told he did so as his elderly mother could no longer take care of her home, wanted to remain in Plymouth, and had nowhere to go. So, the founding of Garden Court was based on providing housing for low-income seniors.
The first projects, Garden Court East & West, were funded by USDA Rural Development, back then called the Farmer’s Home Administration. A bit of history:
During the Great Depression, rural Americans needed the power of electricity that had been established in urban areas. Unfortunately, providing electricity to rural places was cost prohibitive and up to 90% of farmers were not able to access electricity because existing distributors would not build lines to their farms. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order to create the Rural Electrification Administration.
My Dad remembered when electrical power came to his Mom & Dad’s farm. He told me the deal was the farmers had to get together and set the poles and the REMC would then string the wire and bring in the service, but I digress……..
In 1984-5 Garden Court was approved for what’s called a HUD 202 project for low-income elderly and adults with disabilities of any age. That project is Garden Court downtown, the three-story building on Garro Street.
Then, in 1986 some crazy young architect moved to Plymouth and in 1991 was hired by Garden Court to design what is now known as Neidlinger Garden Court. The Garden Court board was not happy with a three-story building for seniors (no surprise there) and so I was directed to design a single-story building. However, the three-story design was the “HUD Model” and a real donnybrook ensued. (Long and occasionally humorous story there, best told over a beer). As you can see, Garden Court prevailed.
The Rev. Dr. Ronald Liechty was President of Garden Court by this time. He, along with Dean Byers, had the vision of building a Garden Court in every community in Marshall County. A development team of Ron, Dean, Bob Toothaker (Real Estate Management), Scott Huges (Hughes Associates Grant Administrators), and myself was formed to go after funding.
And we were highly successful without much fanfare getting projects funded in Argos, Bourbon, Lapaz, and Culver, along with Knox in Starke County and Mentone in Kosciusko County. While all this was going on we were also successful in funding Fairfield Garden Court and Hurford House Garden Court. You may notice Bremen is not mentioned. That’s because Bremen has a similar 202 project developed by a different non-profit. I would wager Marshall County may be the only county in the state with a facility in each community. That’s something to be proud of.
There is a part of me nostalgic for those development team meetings. The good conversations, the not-so-good coffee, and the real friendships that developed over time. 2024 isn’t 1995, that’s for sure. Not worse, just different. Rev. Liechty is deceased, Bob Toothaker retired, Scott Hughes pretty much out of the grant administration game, but Dean Byers, at 80 years old, is still going strong with Habitat and soon to be our next county coroner!
Since those days, Real Estate Management Corp. is now Bradly Company and has grown to a very large group based in Indianapolis with property management, real estate, and development portfolios. Plymouth is very fortunate Rod Ludwig, a hometown person, is the managing director of multi-family housing for Bradley.
I would be remiss if I did not note over the past 50 years federal agencies have changed the rules for both the development of, and the management of, these properties. And, depending on the funding source, the requirements vary. It’s the nature of bureaucracy. “Use our money, play by our rules.”
You may ask why Garden Court hasn’t expanded low-income senior housing recently? About 15-20 years ago HUD moved the decision making from Indianapolis to Chicago. I’m sure you can deduce where the funding goes now. Garden Court is consistently asking “where is the need?’ And, over the last 4-5 years, they determined there is tremendous need for the housing insecure.
And Garden Court continues to thrive and serve low-income persons, winning awards for excellence and most recently voted Favorite Apartment Complex 4 years running.
Kindly forgive my rambling history, but context and history are important.
As to the current project, here are a few things I’ll mention.
I’ve heard it said Garden Court could sell off this property or develop the whole thing as multi-family. After a 50-year legacy of doing precisely what was proposed for each project, this all volunteer, local non-profit is not going to pull a “fast one”. To say otherwise, ignores reality. Should the tax credit application be successful, we have an understanding with the City to donate the single-family property which becomes part of the match for the City’s proposed READI 2.0 single family housing grant. If not successful, the option to purchase expires.
I have also heard about traffic and of course this project won’t add a whit to issues with school pick up and drop off traffic as the elementary children living there are certainly going to walk to school. I am pleased sidewalks on Lemler to Michigan are planned in the coming year.
The Plan Commission tenders this petition to you with a favorable recommendation after a lengthy public hearing and your plan consultant recommended approval. Those recommendations should carry great weight as these are the people you appointed to make dispassionate decisions removed from political office. They reviewed the request, heard the comments, and then decided. (I’m sure you’ve also heard plenty of comments that aren’t fit to be in the public domain). And your recently adopted comprehensive plan says this:
1)COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The City of Plymouth’s Comprehensive Plan and any other applicable, adopted planning studies or reports; The new Comprehensive Plan identifies this area to be a Traditional Neighborhood. The traditional neighborhood character area reflects Plymouth’s vision of diverse and inclusive community. This locale offers a range of housing options and living arrangements that cater to every stage of life, all while preserving the historical essence of residential neighborhoods. In this area, you’ll find a harmonious blend of smaller lot single-family detached homes, single-family attached homes like townhomes, apartments, and the versatile option for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The architectural theme aligns with that of the Transitional Mixed-Use area, where homes stand closer to the street, with cozy front yards.
(from the plan consultant’s report)
In other words, the project is a precise fit to your new comprehensive plan, full stop. Note your plan doesn’t speak to who may reside in any of the mentioned uses. To do so, would be inappropriate at the very least.
I’m also sure you’ve seen Mr. Fortunato’s report on housing and the identified need, crisis really, at the bottom of the demographic ladder. I’m not going to repeat that study, simply encourage you to read it.
And of course, the Economy Inn and Red Rock have become conflated with the Garden Court project. Other than the possibility that a small number of the residents may qualify to move to this new project after going through the coordinated entry process, there’s no connection. None. Having said that, I’d encourage you to accompany Sister Connie or Jack Davis when they deliver food. I suspect you will be surprised to find the vast majority of the residents living there are good people.
Does Plymouth have too much low-income housing? A per capita comparison with Columbia City and Logansport says no. Will property values decrease? Studies in both Kokomo and Plymouth refute that assertion. Garden Court can only meet the need. To deny the need is just not supported by the facts.
Much of the vitriol is driven by fear, although generally people are loath to admit it. All I can say to that is I’ve completed about 25 low-income housing projects over the years, mostly in residential and mixed-use neighborhoods. Some controversial, some not so much. One of the comments I’ve heard from opponents after the project is up and running a few years is often: “I didn’t know it would be like that.”
I understand how difficult a vote can be when you’re being hammered by constituents. Keep in mind the loudest voices are not necessarily reflective of what is best for your community, nor the majority of your community for that matter. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the facts matter. I have always believed an elected official should carefully consider what is in the best interests of their community as a whole and then vote that belief.
Thanks so much for your time reading my somewhat rambling thoughts. I urge you to weigh carefully the recommendation before you and evaluate the veracity of comments both for and against this project. I will make myself available this weekend if you wish to contact me.
Brent
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From Gary Neidig, ITAMCO
Dear Plymouth City Council Members,
Our community is experiencing a dilemma. Everyone is concerned. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone wants something done. Everyone knows the need is real.
However, we all have a “not in my back yard” concern when it comes to something that is different than what we are accustomed to in our neighborhood.
I have a personal story that speaks to this subject.
A few years ago, I was made aware of a variance being requested for a home in our neighborhood across the street from my home. It was being requested by Pathfinders to open a Group Home.
Some of my neighbors, and myself were not pleased with that possibility, and began to investigate what could be done. After some investigation, we then discovered that there was already a Pathfinder Group home in our neighborhood, and that I didn’t even know about it. The variance was granted, and there have been no problems with the tenants. In fact, the house has been well maintained, and there have been no negative incidences that would have warranted the concerns we had.
I realize that this is a different demographic, organization, and project. However, Garden Court, and Bradley Company have done an outstanding job to vet residents, and to maintain a proper and safe environment.
The affordable housing crisis is a problem for all of us. Allowing the two former motels on the North side to be the nexus for aggregating citizens that are working but lack the resources to get a down payment, or security deposit is not the answer. This is now giving the appearance of a magnet, and is not indicative of what Plymouth has to offer.
Distributed projects like the Garden Court Horizons project are not the final answer, but it is a step in the right direction. If we can work together to create a strategy of helping people that are doing their best to succeed, then our whole community will benefit.
Duane, Don, Shiloh, Randy, Linda, Kayla, Dave, I’ve known you all for many years. You have caring hearts, and you want what is best for our community. We’ve witnessed together our community grow, and have seen improvements in so many areas. Let’s start the process of reducing the blight on the North side by allowing Garden Court to build this project.
Please vote yes for this zoning request.
Gary L. Neidig
President
ITAMCO
6100 Michigan Road
Plymouth, IN 46563.
O: 574.936.2112 D: 574.935.6903
glneidig@itamco.com
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 KJV
Positive Collaboration
September 3, 2024
Kevin Berger
Commentary, Marshall County, MCCF, Personal, Politics
Community, housing, Volunteering
I was pleased to be one of the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) board members to attend a regional meeting of MCCF with the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County (CFSJC) and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County (CFEC). The basis of this was to foster regional collaboration on a Lilly grant that would help create more housing in our respective counties. It was great to see the groups come together and work towards a common goal. MACOG was also there, having stepped up to consider offering their services towards a Land Bank or similar vehicle to help move this forward.
I have been involved with several of these types of collaborative efforts in the past. As a Culver Chamber of Commerce (CCC) board member, I helped John Thompson and Eric Freeman create the Culver Second Century Committee. The Second Century Committee used CCC support to pull various non-profits and governmental bodies together to work towards common goals. It was successful for a brief time, creating collaboration among the various entities and was responsible for the 1998 Community Charrette and the new Comprehensive Plan that was born of the Charrette.
I was a founding member of the Marshall County Economic Development Corp. (MCEDC), which brought representatives from the county and each of the municipalities together to foster a collaborative effort towards economic growth. While chairman of MCEDC, I worked with Roger Umbaugh and Kevin Overmyer to start the County Development for the Future (CDFF) meetings. The CDFF meetings were started to bring the communities of Marshall County together to discuss challenges, successes and ways they could collaborate to learn from each other and make things better. One of the successes of CDFF was the community collaboration that brought about Marshall County Crossroads and Marshall County’s successful bid for Stellar Region designation.
I always have high hopes for these collaborative efforts. They really do bring the strengths of multiple people, agencies and entities together to create something bigger than the individual parts. There does seem to be a limited life span for them though. The Second Century Committee came together and did great things by organizing the participating groups. But then as the second generation of leaders took the reigns, it devolved into an executive committee that met and did most of the tasks themselves. They no longer had meetings to involve the underlying groups so the big initiatives went away. As the members of the exec committee burned out, less got done. They attempted to evolve into a Main Street organization, but that transition was not very successful. Main Street reorganized as Develop Culver. While Develop Culver is creating some successes, it’s not with the same larger collaboration of groups that made the Second Century Committee successful.
CDFF was extremely successful. The collaboration between communities broke down the long standing basketball rivalries and had Marshall County Communities working together. Attendees applauded the successes of their sister communities and networked after the meetings on ways to replicate those successes in the other Marshall County Communities. The other communities were all-in when Culver sought Stellar Community designation and helped make it happen. Because of that, I think CDFF was largely responsible for spawning Marshall County Crossroads and the designation of Marshall County as a Stellar Region. But a transition to a new executive director of MCEDC resulted in meetings that were more about his self-promotion and less about the collaboration. CDFF helped move us into the larger region with St. Joe and Elkhart counties when Regional Cities as launched, but at the cost of lost focus on our local communities and the tending of those new relationships. The meetings have devolved further and no longer list the accomplishments and goals of the communities. While they often bring useful information to those that attend, some communities no longer send representatives and there is no longer accountability or celebration of successes.
I was only peripherally involved with Marshall County Crossroads, serving on the larger committee and a subcommittee without having any leadership role. Crossroads took the base collaboration of CDFF and injected it with new life. It was CDFF on steroids for a while! The number of people that it brought in was amazing and the work that got done by the volunteer group was phenomenal. They accomplished the base goal of obtaining Stellar Region designation for Marshall County and set a follow up goal of continuing the collaboration and moving other issues forward as well. But the huge effort required for Stellar became difficult to sustain with a volunteer group. Crossroads has tried to spawn a new and more formal group, ONE Marshall County, but funding has been difficult and communication has deteriorated. Many of the Crossroads leaders have stepped aside and the new group is struggling to sustain the enthusiasm while also fighting some local politicians that (falsely) accuse them of trying to bypass normal government procedures. This has devolved back to infighting among communities. It’s unclear whether the group will survive Wolfe’s Dilemma.
While I continue to be supportive of collaborative efforts and think it results in outsized returns on investment, I’m coming to think that maybe they could work best as task forces in lieu of standing committees or long term organizations. So much of the initial energy and work is done by the original people starting the collaboration, but that energy and focus can become lost as the initial leaders burnout and others come in who don’t understand or agree with the core mission. Maybe they should be treated like fireworks that explode in a bright frenzy that everyone is excited about, and then everyone applauds at the end and everyone leaves happy as the smoke dissipates… Trying to sustain that frenetic energy isn’t possible and lesser results are seen as disappointing.
For this reason, I’m pleased that the three community foundations seem to be coming together for a common goal, but instead of forming a new group, they’re looking to MACOG to expand their services to sustain this. Combining the excitement and energy that bringing volunteers together generates with the infrastructure of an existing organization makes sense. This could be a new model that works. Only time will tell…
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