Park plans presented (8/13/04)

Portland resident and owner of Xtreme to Chaos Glynn Barber presented the second draft of his plan for a $6.1 million extreme sports park to the Portland Planning Commission Thursday afternoon.

Project manager Craig Adolph said phase one of the construction of the proposed 200-acre park, located at 710 East 100 North, is expected to begin sometime this fall. Construction will be done in three phases.

The complex is currently called X Plex, but there might be an opportunity for the community to help come up with a name, Adolph said.

Barber said some area residents have voiced their concerns to him about possible noise pollution caused by the motorcycles and other vehicles, which will be driven on the park’s tracks. To help with the noise, Barber has planned for six to eight feet tall dirt berms to be located along the northeast and southwest areas of the park.

A hotel, which is planned for the 10 acres on the southeast corner of the lot, will help with the noise, said Adolph. Barber said motorcycles with lower decimal levels, also will help.

Adolph said he is currently in discussions with three different hotel chains interested in building hotels in the park. The three companies from Valparaiso, Fort Wayne and Chicago, Ill. would like to build a 100-room hotel of suites.

“I would like to have a commitment (for a hotel) by the time construction begins on phase two,” said Adolph. He didn’t elaborate when that phase of the project might begin.

In regard to vehicular noise, Barber said the American Motorcycle Association has come up with motorcycles which have an 82 decimal noise level. Only motorcycles with the 82 decimal level will be allowed in the park, Adolph said this morning.

“That’s a lot quieter than your lawn mower,” said Barber.

Also Thursday, Jay County Planning Commission advisory member John Knipp asked Barber if any of the three ponds in the park would have fences around them for safety reasons.

Barber said two of the ponds will have fences. The pond to be used for radio-controlled boats, however, located at the south end of the lot, most likely will not be fenced so the Portland Fire Department can have access to the water, Adolph said.

“Safety is our main concern,” Barber said during the meeting.

To fund the project, Barber would like to get a $4.9 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture. A closed meeting at the Jay County Public Library with local bank officials is scheduled for Aug. 19. Adolph said before Barber can submit an application to the USDA, he must first be approved for funding through a local bank.

The loan sought from USDA would cover about 80 percent of the funding needed for this project.

Loans through the USDA are available for any rural industrial program, as long as the community population is less than 20,000 and county population is less than 50,000. Adolph said once the application has been submitted, it could take up to a month for Barber to find out if he has been approved for the loan.

Adolph said the land, which Barber and his wife Julie are in the process of purchasing, is worth $500,000. The existing spec building has a price tag of $600,000, and plans call for the purchase and renovation of the building.

The remaining $1.2 million needed for the project will come from Barber, who has already invested $500,000 in the project, Adolph said.

After Barber spoke, the commission allowed the public to speak. No community member in the full room commented.

Once the final plan is drawn, it must go again before the commission. Barber said the plan will probably be ready by Sept. 13.[[In-content Ad]]