Funding questions

Jay County Commissioner Chad Aker wants to rescind the county’s financial support for the purchase of the Hood Building by the Portland Economic Development Corporation.

The building at 309 W. Main St. in Portland is owned by the Graphic Printing Co. Inc. and is the home of The Commercial Review.

Community developer Ami Huffman and others working on Portland’s downtown revitalization plan had identified the building as the potential centerpiece for a multi-story apartment complex. Architect Brent Mather and officials from Forza Commercial Real Estate, Zionsville, approached PEDC asking it to acquire the building as a placeholder while design and financing work is put together, estimating the developer’s investment at $5.5 million.

In June commissioners unanimously approved use of $75,000 in economic development funds from Bluff Point Wind Energy Center and $25,000 in economic development income tax funds by Jay County Development Corporation to help cover the $300,000 purchase price.

The JCDC board unanimously committed those funds earlier this month.

But Monday, Aker asked fellow commissioners Mike Leonhard and Chuck Huffman to rescind the June decision.

“I have not found one person who is in favor of funding this project with taxpayer dollars,” said Aker, reading from a prepared statement. “If we use taxpayer funds to support this project, how can we justify turning down another business that is looking for a bail out, which is what this is being perceived by the public?”

The Graphic Printing Co. has been working with a potential buyer for The Commercial Review and The News and Sun for the past several months. That process has been put on hold while talks continue over the sale of the real estate to PEDC.

Chuck Huffman, who has been deeply involved in the county’s Stellar Communities application and downtown revitalization discussions, defended the decision.

“I’ve been involved in the project for several months,” he said. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there.”

He added, “It takes a certain amount of risk to take on these projects. If you don’t take risks you don’t get anywhere.”

Aker and Jay/Portland Building and Planning director John Hemmelgarn expressed concern that PEDC would be stuck with the building if Forza’s development plans fall through.

“I would feel better if they (Forza) had some skin in the game,” said Aker.

He also urged having an independent engineer evaluate the building.

Huffman noted that the county’s commitment was contingent upon the purchase going forward, which depends on action by Portland City Council and, possibly, the city’s redevelopment commission.

“Why should we pull the rug out from under them?” he asked. “Basically you’re going to kill the project by delaying it.”

Leonhard urged Aker to withdraw his motion and meet with Ami Huffman to get answers to his questions and report back at the next commissioners’ meeting.

Aker then agreed to withdraw the motion, contingent upon having a meeting with all parties involved.

“I’d really like to get a meeting with everybody involved,” he said.

County attorney Bill Hinkle will investigate whether it is actually possible to rescind the funding now that JCDC has made its commitment.

In other business, commissioners:

•Approved the purchase of eight new radios and four spares for the county highway department from ERS Wireless, Cincinnati, for $10,834.99.

•Heard continued complaints about drainage problems in the east 1500 block of Division Road. “Something really needs to be done,” Rose Snow said. “It’s just a mess out there.”

•Asked Hinkle to draft an ordinance that would allow the county to receive 90 percent of sex offender registration fees. Currently 100 percent goes to the state, but state law allows counties to receive 90 percent.

•Reviewed complaints about a new pharmacy service being used by Jay County Retirement Center and received a report on what appear to be extraordinarily high elevator inspection charges. The center’s new financial adviser, Melodi Haley, found that the county was being billed $759 a month for elevator inspections under a contract that no one seems to be able to find.

•Agreed to send one of the highway department’s mowers to Hoosier Equipment in Plymouth for repairs, noting that neither of the new mowers has been satisfactory. “You don’t want to know and you don’t want to print what I think of those mowers,” said Leonhard.

•Approved the purchase of 29 new computers from Cleaver Cabling and Consulting, Martinsville, for $29,639. Cleaver provided the low price quote on the purchase. The state will provide an additional eight new computers.

•Agreed to pay county engineer Dan Watson an additional $15,000, Hemmelgarn an additional $10,000 and county surveyor Brad Daniels an additional $5,000 for work related to the construction of Bitter Ridge Wind Farm. Those funds are expected to come from Scout Clean Energy as part of its agreement with the county.

•Scheduled an executive session for 1 p.m. Wednesday for personnel evaluation.

Editor’s note: Jack Ronald is president of the Graphic Printing Co. Inc. and publisher of The Commercial Review. The discussion of funding for the Hood Building purchase was not on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.