Supercenter may open next year (8/9/04)

One of the few potential hurdles that could have blocked a new Wal-Mart Supercenter near Jay County Hospital has been cleared.

And a spokesperson for a company representing the world’s largest retailer said this morning the new store could be open for business before the end of 2005.

Jay County Commissioners, meeting this morning as the county drainage board, gave final approval this morning to drainage plans for the proposed 155,000-square foot store.

James E. Malone III of Carlson Consulting Engineers, a company coordinating the supercenter project, said construction could begin this coming January, with completion expected in less than 12 months.

The proposed site for the store is zoned highway service — a broad multi-use classification that would include a use such as a Wal-Mart. Because the land was already zoned properly, drainage was one of the few questions.

No timetable for construction of the new store on West Votaw Street (Ind. 67) has been announced. Located just west of the hospital and Heritage Commons Retirement Community on land that is currently planted in corn, the center will include groceries and a tire/lubrication auto service center along with traditional Wal-Mart items.

Jay County surveyor Brad Daniels told Commissioners Mike Leonhard and Gary Theurer this morning that Wal-Mart plans to re-route two sewer lines as part of the project. Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. was not present this morning.

The McNeil Sewer, which largely carries household wastewater, runs northwest from the corner of the Heritage Commons property and would be under the northeast corner of the new store. Also to be re-routed is the Hospital Sewer, a mostly-stormwater line that runs straight west to Industrial Park Drive along a line parallel to the front (south) of Jay County Hospital.

Also today, commissioners were notified of a possible lawsuit against a variety of local law enforcement agencies and personnel by a Pennville man arrested after a chase and stand-off in February.

Jason B. Brown, who is currently an inmate in the Jay County Jail, recently filed a tort claim notice in connection with the incident, which happened Feb. 7 and 8 in and around Pennville.

Brown, who is facing five felony counts, is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 25.

The tort claim notice, which is a required step before suing any government agency in Indiana, was filed by Brown pro se, or without the assistance of an attorney.

Commissioners’’ attorney Brad Burkett, who is also prosecuting attorney for Jay County, said he would use a narrative written by Brown about the incident during Brown’s upcoming trial.

In the notice, Brown claims he was shot at multiple times and injured after he was taken into custody following a standoff at his father’s home.

At one point during the incident, Brown fled on a snowmobile, striking Jay County deputy Matt Simmons. Simmons, who was not seriously injured, fired one shot, missing Brown and the snowmobile.

In other drainage board business this morning, Theurer and Leonhard approved drainage plans for an expansion at FCC (Indiana) Inc. The company plans a 49,000-square feet on the west end of its current plant, and is constructing a detention area for storm water that is roughly twice as big as called for in the county’s drainage ordinance, Daniels said.

The drainage board gave preliminary approval to the project two weeks ago so construction could begin.

Drainage plans also were approved for the Jay County Gas Recovery Facility, which will be constructed at the Jay County Landfill by Wabash Valley Power Association.

The plant, which won local approval last year, will use the methane gas collected from decomposing trash at the landfill to power electric generators. The electricity will be purchased by local electric utility companies.[[In-content Ad]]