County commits to loan money

The City of Dunkirk received a monetary commitment from the county to help in its effort to build a senior housing complex.
Jay County Council approved Wednesday evening a $150,000 loan of county economic development income tax (EDIT) funds for Dunkirk’s proposed senior housing, contingent on the project receiving a $3.4 million grant for tax credit investment from Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). Recommended by Jay County EDIT Advisory Committee, the 16-year loan will come with 0 percent interest.
Dunkirk has already pledged $110,000 to the project.
Jay County development director Ami Huffman has been working with the city and Buckeye Community Hope Foundation to apply for the grant, which would pay three quarters of the project’s total, estimated at $4.36 million.
The proposed three-story facility, situated on the west side of Main Street between Center Street and the railroad tracks, would keep its historic façade and include 28 units. Units would be available to low-income seniors 55 and older.
The complex is planned to also have a courtyard, social hall, library and computer room.
Council members were concerned about pledging the money to a firm they’ve never worked with before, but Huffman assured them that all that’s needed is a commitment not a disbursement, as construction won’t begin until early 2016.
“If we approve it, we’re approving that we’ll help with the project if everything else falls in place. … We’re not just handing over $150,000 for somebody to start a project,” said council member Ted Champ. “It’s $150,000 for a $3 million, $4 million project. If everything comes around, that’s a pretty small investment.”

Dunkirk Mayor Dan Watson is confident in the city’s chances of receiving the grant as it’s based on a point system and the city’s application is scoring high with the use of a blighted building, the city’s ownership of the property and the historic nature of the building.
The idea has also received a lot of attention from residents, who have already spoken to Watson about the timeline of when the project could be finished.
“I don’t think they’re going to have any problem filling this up,” said Watson. “This is something that’s been needed in the western part of the county for a long time. We’re continually losing seniors to Muncie. There’s no place for them to go. They don’t want to leave the community, but there’s no affordable option for them.”
Council members Mike Leonhard, Gary Theurer, Bob Vance, Mike Rockwell, Jeanne Houchins, Cindy Newton and Champ approved the loan unanimously.
In other business, the council:
•Adopted the county’s 2015 budget totaling $15.3 million on second reading. This is an increase of about $80,000 from 2014 and includes a general fund of $6.4 million.
•Approved additional appropriations of $7,000 to Jay County Jail for equipment repair through the end of the year and $3,312.50 in Superior Court user fees to pay Meridian Health Services.
•Transferred $14,600 to Jay County Jail’s overtime fund to pay for hours correction officers have had to work to cover those who have left and for training new officers, and $1,500 to Jay County Courthouse’s part-time account to cover the rest of the year.
•Discussed ordering a wage study to check for discrepancies between the lowest tier of pay groups and the highest that may have arisen from raises being given to employees’ across the board. The board tabled any action until a later meeting.