Wal-Mart project discussed more (6/15/04)

A spokesperson for several people who own condominiums near the site of a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter in Portland asked county officials Monday to be included in any meetings regarding drainage for the new store.

Jay County Commissioners, who had several questions about drainage plans for the proposed Wal-Mart while meeting as the county drainage board during the morning, discussed several issues surrounding the project in the afternoon with Scott Neff.

Neff is an employee of Heritage Medical Group, which built the condos at Heritage Commons, located just east of the site proposed by Wal-Mart at the northeast corner of West Votaw Street and Industrial Park Drive.

Neff, who said he is serving as point man for condo residents who have concerns about the new Wal-Mart location, said the biggest issues are privacy and drainage.

Residents would like to see a relatively tall earthen berm between the parking lot and the condominiums, and would also like assurances that there will be no flooding resulting from run-off from the 155,000-square foot store or parking lot.

The total site for the store is about 18 acres. Company officials have not announced a timetable for construction, although it might be timed to coincide with a proposed widening in 2006 of West Votaw Street to include a center turn lane.

Because the current highway service zoning of the property would allow operation of the supercenter, the drainage plans will be the only local control over the new store.

“They don’t want to look back and see the building,” Neff told Commissioners Gary Theurer, Milo Miller Jr. and Mike Leonhard.

Currently, the area along the east side of the Wal-Mart property — an area directly behind (or west) of the condominiums — is shown on plans as an area that is slightly raised above the level of the parking lot and planted with vegetation five to six-feet tall.

Because a retention pond in front of the assisted living center at Heritage Commons is currently handling surface run-off water from both the east (Jay County Hospital) and south (Haynes Park and surrounding areas), Neff asked the commissioners to consider asking Wal-Mart to pay for increasing the size of a storm drain that runs to the north and west to the Sipe-Wehrly Ditch. Neff said such an action would ease future development around the proposed new Wal-Mart.

The commissioners told Jay County surveyor Brad Daniels Monday morning they wanted to talk with the engineering firm representing Wal-Mart, Carlson Consulting Engineers of Bartlett, Tenn., before approving proposed drainage plans.

The commissioners told Neff he would be contacted when that meeting was scheduled.

Also Monday, the commissioners approved a request for a $50,000 planning grant for renovation work at the Jay County Retirement Center.

Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey, who is handling the grant request, said that the Indiana Department of Commerce has allowed him to combine requests for physical improvements with a request for help in running city of Portland water lines to the center, located northeast of the city on county road 200 North.

Bailey said officials from the DOC are expected to visit the retirement center in two to four weeks.

The grant requires a 10 percent ($5,000) match.

In another drainage board matter Monday morning, Daniels told the commissioners he has inspected a new water retention area at Patriot Paints Inc. but has not discussed a solution with company officials.

The area was supposed to dry up after rainy periods, but is constantly holding about a foot of water, Miller told Daniels several weeks ago.

Daniels agreed with Miller’s conclusion, saying that tile releasing the water from the area near Middle Street was not laid properly.

Daniels said he would also talk to the company officials about construction a fence around the area — a requirement under the county’s drainage ordinance.[[In-content Ad]]