July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
EDIT paying for new building (1/20/04)
Gym City to get new facility
Plans for the construction of a new $284,000 building using city economic development income tax funds will proceed after Portland City Council members approved the project Monday.
The planned 9,600-square-foot building will be leased by Gym City Gymnastics which has outgrown its current 5,000-square-foot facility in Portland, Jay County Development Corporation executive director Robert Quadrozzi told the council Monday.
Gym City is scheduled to lease the building for five years with the option to purchase. He added that the business, currently located at 112 W. Rogers St., is turning away interested customers because it needs a larger facility.
Quadrozzi also told council members that the selected site — located just west of Tyson Foods and owned by Portland Economic Development Corporation — was chosen because the land is available and it is a good location for the facility.
The low construction bid of $284,000 was submitted by Briner Building Inc. of Bluffton. Additional bids were submitted by James Jackson Construction of Bluffton, Gabbard Construction of Portland and Morton Buildings with locations in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Quadrozzi said.
The Portland EDIT Advisory Committee approved the project on Aug. 13, 2003, and the PEDC accepted the project on Nov. 13, 2003. City council members’ approval was needed before the PEDC could sign a construction contract with Briner, Quadrozzi said.
Also Monday, council members voted to draft a letter of support for the Portland Park Board to obtain an Indiana Department of Transportation enhancement grant.
Park board vice president Donald Gillespie addressed the council Monday and asked that letters of support from the council and each member be drafted and submitted to Mayor Bruce Hosier’s administrative assistant Stephanie Arnold by Friday. He also challenged each member to call five friends and request their written support for the estimated $3.4 million project.
Gillespie also asked that council members attend the public hearing scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the Portland Fire Station.
“There is no reason that we can’t have standing room only (at the public hearing)” Gillespie added. “Our time is now. We need to get the letters out.”
In other business Monday, council members:
•Heard Hosier announce that he is putting together a city wide evaluation policy of city employees.
Hosier said he met with city department heads on Monday to discuss the policy. He added that each department head will evaluate the employees in their department every six months, and Hosier will evaluate department heads every six months.
Hosier said he hopes to have this plan in place by the next city council meeting.
The city’s previous evaluation policy was controlled by each department head, Hosier said, adding “as far as I know there has never been a city wide (evaluation) policy executed.”
•Appointed council members Judy Aker, Glen Bryant and re-appointed Councilman Dolphus Stephens to the Portland Planning Commission.
Aker and Bryant will replace former council members Stephanie May and Bob McCreery.
•Were informed that the city is looking into purchasing a second salt bed for $6,000.
The city currently has one truck equipped with a salt bed, and it takes an estimated five hours for one truck to spread salt at all stop intersections in Portland, city street superintendent Jeff Harker told the council.
The city has a 1987 Chevrolet truck which could carry the new salt bed.
This purchase must be approved by the Portland Board of Works.[[In-content Ad]]
The planned 9,600-square-foot building will be leased by Gym City Gymnastics which has outgrown its current 5,000-square-foot facility in Portland, Jay County Development Corporation executive director Robert Quadrozzi told the council Monday.
Gym City is scheduled to lease the building for five years with the option to purchase. He added that the business, currently located at 112 W. Rogers St., is turning away interested customers because it needs a larger facility.
Quadrozzi also told council members that the selected site — located just west of Tyson Foods and owned by Portland Economic Development Corporation — was chosen because the land is available and it is a good location for the facility.
The low construction bid of $284,000 was submitted by Briner Building Inc. of Bluffton. Additional bids were submitted by James Jackson Construction of Bluffton, Gabbard Construction of Portland and Morton Buildings with locations in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Quadrozzi said.
The Portland EDIT Advisory Committee approved the project on Aug. 13, 2003, and the PEDC accepted the project on Nov. 13, 2003. City council members’ approval was needed before the PEDC could sign a construction contract with Briner, Quadrozzi said.
Also Monday, council members voted to draft a letter of support for the Portland Park Board to obtain an Indiana Department of Transportation enhancement grant.
Park board vice president Donald Gillespie addressed the council Monday and asked that letters of support from the council and each member be drafted and submitted to Mayor Bruce Hosier’s administrative assistant Stephanie Arnold by Friday. He also challenged each member to call five friends and request their written support for the estimated $3.4 million project.
Gillespie also asked that council members attend the public hearing scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the Portland Fire Station.
“There is no reason that we can’t have standing room only (at the public hearing)” Gillespie added. “Our time is now. We need to get the letters out.”
In other business Monday, council members:
•Heard Hosier announce that he is putting together a city wide evaluation policy of city employees.
Hosier said he met with city department heads on Monday to discuss the policy. He added that each department head will evaluate the employees in their department every six months, and Hosier will evaluate department heads every six months.
Hosier said he hopes to have this plan in place by the next city council meeting.
The city’s previous evaluation policy was controlled by each department head, Hosier said, adding “as far as I know there has never been a city wide (evaluation) policy executed.”
•Appointed council members Judy Aker, Glen Bryant and re-appointed Councilman Dolphus Stephens to the Portland Planning Commission.
Aker and Bryant will replace former council members Stephanie May and Bob McCreery.
•Were informed that the city is looking into purchasing a second salt bed for $6,000.
The city currently has one truck equipped with a salt bed, and it takes an estimated five hours for one truck to spread salt at all stop intersections in Portland, city street superintendent Jeff Harker told the council.
The city has a 1987 Chevrolet truck which could carry the new salt bed.
This purchase must be approved by the Portland Board of Works.[[In-content Ad]]
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