July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Green light for SA (09/10/07)
South Adams School Board
By By JACK RONALD-
The light has turned green.
A $25 million South Adams school construction project that appeared to be stalled at the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance is going forward after a face-to-face meeting with DLGF commissioner Cheryl Musgrave Friday afternoon.
"It had a lot to do with David (State Sen. David Ford) and Mike (State Rep. Mike Ripley)," South Adams school board president Tony Mellencamp said this morning.
Both local legislators had supported the project, and Mellencamp enlisted their aid when he learned it was possible to meet with Musgrave in an effort to break the logjam.
The South Adams project, which will construct a new kindergarten through grade eight facility adjacent to South Adams High School, had been delayed by the DLGF amid the political uproar over rising property taxes. School officials feared it would be January 2008 before the design/build project could move forward.
"We're good to go," said superintendent Cathy Egolf this morning. "We're going full steam ahead. We hope to move dirt before the end of the year."
Mellencamp and Egolf traveled to Indianapolis for the meeting with Musgrave, where they were joined by Ford and Ripley.
"Mrs. Musgrave said, "sell me on this,'" said Mellencamp. "It was an easy sell because it's a good project."
Several factors boosted the case for going forward he said, citing:
•The use of a design/build approach, which is being promoted by the Daniels administration to reduce construction costs.
•The school corporation's low debt load.
•Safety concerns, particularly at the middle school in Geneva.
•The fact that the project had weathered a remonstrance petition drive and had strong community backing.
"We could not have done this without the support of the community," said Egolf. As part of her presentation at Friday's meeting, she presented Musgrave with 294 hand-written local letters of support that had been gathered since Labor Day.
Egolf and Mellencamp credited Sen. Ford with providing the opportunity for the meeting with Musgrave.
"Bureaucracy gets so tied down," said Mellencamp. "Sometimes it takes a face-to-face."
Still, both were stunned by the rapid approval at Friday's meeting.
"It was surreal," said Egolf.[[In-content Ad]]
A $25 million South Adams school construction project that appeared to be stalled at the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance is going forward after a face-to-face meeting with DLGF commissioner Cheryl Musgrave Friday afternoon.
"It had a lot to do with David (State Sen. David Ford) and Mike (State Rep. Mike Ripley)," South Adams school board president Tony Mellencamp said this morning.
Both local legislators had supported the project, and Mellencamp enlisted their aid when he learned it was possible to meet with Musgrave in an effort to break the logjam.
The South Adams project, which will construct a new kindergarten through grade eight facility adjacent to South Adams High School, had been delayed by the DLGF amid the political uproar over rising property taxes. School officials feared it would be January 2008 before the design/build project could move forward.
"We're good to go," said superintendent Cathy Egolf this morning. "We're going full steam ahead. We hope to move dirt before the end of the year."
Mellencamp and Egolf traveled to Indianapolis for the meeting with Musgrave, where they were joined by Ford and Ripley.
"Mrs. Musgrave said, "sell me on this,'" said Mellencamp. "It was an easy sell because it's a good project."
Several factors boosted the case for going forward he said, citing:
•The use of a design/build approach, which is being promoted by the Daniels administration to reduce construction costs.
•The school corporation's low debt load.
•Safety concerns, particularly at the middle school in Geneva.
•The fact that the project had weathered a remonstrance petition drive and had strong community backing.
"We could not have done this without the support of the community," said Egolf. As part of her presentation at Friday's meeting, she presented Musgrave with 294 hand-written local letters of support that had been gathered since Labor Day.
Egolf and Mellencamp credited Sen. Ford with providing the opportunity for the meeting with Musgrave.
"Bureaucracy gets so tied down," said Mellencamp. "Sometimes it takes a face-to-face."
Still, both were stunned by the rapid approval at Friday's meeting.
"It was surreal," said Egolf.[[In-content Ad]]
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