July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Ceremony for plant set Aug. 3 (07/12/06)
Jay County Development Corporation
By By MARY ANN LEWIS-
Despite a lawsuit seeking to halt the construction of the Premier Ethanol facility west of Portland, plans for a groundbreaking ceremony have been set.
Bob Quadrozzi, Jay County Development Corporation’s executive director, told members of his board Tuesday afternoon that plans continue to progress for an Aug. 3 groundbreaking.
A reception will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. that day at Arts Place with the actual turning of dirt to be held between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m. at the site.
Opponents of the project, proposed to be constructed on 180 acres located southwest of Portland near the Meshberger Bros. Stone Corp., are seeking an injunction to prevent its development, arguing that rezoning procedures were not followed correctly. Several residents who live within a half-mile radius of the site of the planned Premier Ethanol LLC plant filed the suit June 30 against the ethanol company, the state’s attorney general, the city of Portland, the Portland Planning Commission and the Portland City Council.
“The injunction doesn’t set well with me, personally. Things about this don’t set well with me,” Quadrozzi told the board. “There are very, very positive things about that project. This company has been great to work with.”
Quadrozzi added that he also continues to work with The Andersons Inc. at the Dunkirk grain terminal to construct their ethanol plant near that facility.
“Both (projects) are alive and well,” he said.
Also Tuesday, Quadrozzi told the board that plans for the construction of a Honda manufacturing facility in Greenwood is expected to have a ripple affect for Portland’s FCC/Indiana plant.
“FCC is a tier-one supplier to Honda and the plant could positively be impacted by Honda in Greensburg,” he said.
An expansion currently underway at FCC is adding $14 million in automotive clutch manufacturing and assembly equipment and that expansion is expected to create 30 jobs with annual salaries totaling $750,000. FCC currently has about 455 employees, Quadrozzi added.
“We’re in a position for FCC to benefit from that,” Quadrozzi said about the proposed Greensburg project.
Additionally Tuesday, Quadrozzi told the board the sale of the last site in the Bryant Industrial Park has fallen through.
“We were ready to close on the deal, but they’re going to back out of the deal,” he explained about Hoosier Harvestor, a supplier of agriculture related products,
He told the board that representatives of the company said they weren’t able to find the right person to do the work they needed to do and felt Bryant was not the place to locate.
He explained he will now be looking at other options for the 3 acre site.
In other updates, Quadrozzi told the board progress continues on bringing wireless broadband Internet to the entire county.
Omnicity has plans to set three new towers in the county — one in Portland, one in Dunkirk, and one in Bryant — and is still looking for a site in Salamonia.
“That should provide most of Jay County with broadband,” he said, “but there are still pockets that can’t be covered,” including the Foxfire addition west of Portland, where tall trees interfere with signals.
Plans call for phase three, the last of Omnicity’s wireless broadband Internet project, to be completed by September, Quadrozzi said.
“Jay County still stands in front of many rural communities with broadband,” he said.
In other business the board turned down a request by Quadrozzi to help with fundraising for the John Jay Center for Learning. Quadrozzi serves as an ex-officio member of JJCL’s board.
Board members felt that public perception of his efforts would not be favorable.
“If you’re going to solicit funds I’d rather it would be for JCDC,” said board member, Raymon Loucks.
The board agreed and, by consensus, voted against the request.
Jay County community developer Ami Davidson, updated the board on grant applications currently being sought for county projects.
Davidson explained that the grant application for a new fire station in Dunkirk has been put on a fast track to be submitted before changes in state regulations go into effect in January.
A $500,000 grant was being sought to build a new location for the fire department as well as a place to keep the Jay Emergency Medical Service ambulance.
Davidson said she learned Friday that beginning in January the state will only provide $350,000 for such project.
Additionally, she said a grant for $500,000 for the Bryant storm sewer project will be resubmitted this week. The initial request was turned down.
The deadline to submit both the Dunkirk and Bryant intent to file for construction grant requests is Thursday.
Work on the Salamonia school has begun, she told the board, with Taylor Construction doing the work.
In December that town was awarded a $225,000 Community Focus Fund grant by the Indiana Department of Rural Affairs to renovate the former one-room schoolhouse as a community center.[[In-content Ad]]
Bob Quadrozzi, Jay County Development Corporation’s executive director, told members of his board Tuesday afternoon that plans continue to progress for an Aug. 3 groundbreaking.
A reception will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. that day at Arts Place with the actual turning of dirt to be held between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m. at the site.
Opponents of the project, proposed to be constructed on 180 acres located southwest of Portland near the Meshberger Bros. Stone Corp., are seeking an injunction to prevent its development, arguing that rezoning procedures were not followed correctly. Several residents who live within a half-mile radius of the site of the planned Premier Ethanol LLC plant filed the suit June 30 against the ethanol company, the state’s attorney general, the city of Portland, the Portland Planning Commission and the Portland City Council.
“The injunction doesn’t set well with me, personally. Things about this don’t set well with me,” Quadrozzi told the board. “There are very, very positive things about that project. This company has been great to work with.”
Quadrozzi added that he also continues to work with The Andersons Inc. at the Dunkirk grain terminal to construct their ethanol plant near that facility.
“Both (projects) are alive and well,” he said.
Also Tuesday, Quadrozzi told the board that plans for the construction of a Honda manufacturing facility in Greenwood is expected to have a ripple affect for Portland’s FCC/Indiana plant.
“FCC is a tier-one supplier to Honda and the plant could positively be impacted by Honda in Greensburg,” he said.
An expansion currently underway at FCC is adding $14 million in automotive clutch manufacturing and assembly equipment and that expansion is expected to create 30 jobs with annual salaries totaling $750,000. FCC currently has about 455 employees, Quadrozzi added.
“We’re in a position for FCC to benefit from that,” Quadrozzi said about the proposed Greensburg project.
Additionally Tuesday, Quadrozzi told the board the sale of the last site in the Bryant Industrial Park has fallen through.
“We were ready to close on the deal, but they’re going to back out of the deal,” he explained about Hoosier Harvestor, a supplier of agriculture related products,
He told the board that representatives of the company said they weren’t able to find the right person to do the work they needed to do and felt Bryant was not the place to locate.
He explained he will now be looking at other options for the 3 acre site.
In other updates, Quadrozzi told the board progress continues on bringing wireless broadband Internet to the entire county.
Omnicity has plans to set three new towers in the county — one in Portland, one in Dunkirk, and one in Bryant — and is still looking for a site in Salamonia.
“That should provide most of Jay County with broadband,” he said, “but there are still pockets that can’t be covered,” including the Foxfire addition west of Portland, where tall trees interfere with signals.
Plans call for phase three, the last of Omnicity’s wireless broadband Internet project, to be completed by September, Quadrozzi said.
“Jay County still stands in front of many rural communities with broadband,” he said.
In other business the board turned down a request by Quadrozzi to help with fundraising for the John Jay Center for Learning. Quadrozzi serves as an ex-officio member of JJCL’s board.
Board members felt that public perception of his efforts would not be favorable.
“If you’re going to solicit funds I’d rather it would be for JCDC,” said board member, Raymon Loucks.
The board agreed and, by consensus, voted against the request.
Jay County community developer Ami Davidson, updated the board on grant applications currently being sought for county projects.
Davidson explained that the grant application for a new fire station in Dunkirk has been put on a fast track to be submitted before changes in state regulations go into effect in January.
A $500,000 grant was being sought to build a new location for the fire department as well as a place to keep the Jay Emergency Medical Service ambulance.
Davidson said she learned Friday that beginning in January the state will only provide $350,000 for such project.
Additionally, she said a grant for $500,000 for the Bryant storm sewer project will be resubmitted this week. The initial request was turned down.
The deadline to submit both the Dunkirk and Bryant intent to file for construction grant requests is Thursday.
Work on the Salamonia school has begun, she told the board, with Taylor Construction doing the work.
In December that town was awarded a $225,000 Community Focus Fund grant by the Indiana Department of Rural Affairs to renovate the former one-room schoolhouse as a community center.[[In-content Ad]]
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