Concept design discussed

A concept design for developing a portion of county-owned land has been created.

What the county will do with it, only time will tell.

Jay County Council heard an update Wednesday from Rundell Ernstberger Associates of Indianapolis about development plans of the county’s 68 acres on the western edge of Portland. (The county purchased the on the north side of Votaw Street — Indiana 67 — a year ago from Christopher and Tracy Muhlenkamp for about $1.1 million.)

Council approved a $395,000 contract with Rundell Ernstberger Associates in September — Jay County Commissioners approved the contract a month prior — to begin planning development of the 68 acres. Wednesday marked the first major update from the company shared at a council meeting since the work began.

Rundell Ernstberger Associates partner and landscape architect Cecil Penland referenced the ongoing Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative 2.0 (READI 2.0), a statewide grant program available to regions across Indiana. He pointed to housing as a key focus of the grant and said Rundell Ernstberger Associates has submitted information as part of the East Central region’s application. He shared a presentation with council members, showing two potential development concepts for the 68 acres, emphasizing the less-condensed option as a better fit for Jay County. Both concepts would be completed in phases.

Rundell Ernstberger Associates partner and landscape architect Cecil Penland walks through a concept design for county-owned land during Wednesday’s Jay County Council meeting. His firm was hired to develop options for the property the county bought about a year ago. (The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline)

 

The first option calls for 76 single-family homes, eight duplexes and 154 multi-family units and is estimated at a total of $25.5 million for all 10 phases. The project’s initial phase — it’s estimated at just under $7.3 million — would involve setting up the initial framework for utilities, connecting to Industrial Drive Park’s pump station and creating a primary road off Votaw Street (Indiana 67) running diagonally through the property. 

Subsequent phases would include establishing another road connecting Votaw Street to the primary road, setting up more utilities, constructing various types of homes, relocating a large portion of the existing wetland to the north side of the property and building a boardwalk on top of it and developing a public park area.

The second option — its cost estimates and other specifications were not shared during the presentation — calls for 88 single-family homes, 14 duplexes and 409 multi-family units.

In mid-December, Rundell Ernstberger Associates hosted focus groups and an open house seeking public input for the project, drawing about 54 attendees overall. They included a range of community members, such as local city and county government employees and officials, local developers, adjacent business or property owners.

Participants were asked questions about what they would like to see come out of the project. They also utilized visual surveys and questionnaires. According to Rundell Ernstberger Associates’s presentation Wednesday, attendees requested various ideas for the property, including more local eateries, multiple-story buildings with residential areas or additional office space and more retail businesses or grocery stores.

Penland pointed out that participants also noted a need for subsidized housing in Jay County but voiced desires to create more market-rate housing for young professionals.

There were also requests for more park space, according to Rundell Ernstberger Associates’s presentation, with additional trails and a water feature at the top of the wish list.

Penland also noted earlier in the presentation he has been coordinating plans to set up a public forum and rehash the information with local residents. Penland suggested the date could be sometime later this month or in April.

Also Wednesday, council members Dave Haines, Faron Parr, Randy May, Jeanne Houchins, Towell and Bracy, absent Matt Minnich, approved $30,000 in additional appropriations for Pennville Park Board’s revitalization project.

Dollars will be split from economic development income tax (EDIT), American Rescue Plan and wind farm economic development dollars. (Pennville Park Board is looking into an agreement with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and Patronicity, a crowdfunding business that would match up to $50,000 toward the project for a $2,500 administration fee. Patronicity requires funding to split from various sources.) Jay County Commissioners agreed in February to contribute an additional $5,000 from EDIT funds for Pennville Economic Development in order to meet the grant requirements.

Pennville Park Board is looking into a three-phase plan for its park, starting with a project estimated at $100,800 that involves removing the park’s baseball diamond and converting it into three soccer fields, renovating basketball courts on the north side of the park and installing a pump track. 

Also, council agreed, with Towell dissenting, to move forward with allotting $15,000 in EDIT dollars as a portion of Arts Place’s match for the Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The organization was approved for a $75,000 matching grant through NEA for "master regional arts planning and collaborations,” according to Arts Place executive director Carolyn Carducci.

The grant will work in three phases. Initial plans include designing and constructing a portable art studio to be used by any organization in Jay County, Blackford County or Auglaize County, Ohio. The next phase is meant to identify the arts and their location in Jay County. The third phase will serve to create a regional arts master plan for Jay County. (The plan won’t be specific to Arts Place and may be used by anyone.)

Per the grant, Arts Place is raising $25,000 from each of its served counties in order to meet the NEA grant's matching funds. Carducci noted The Portland Foundation has allocated $10,000 toward Jay County’s match.

In other business, council:

•Heard about a potential resolution to allow council members to participate virtually in meetings. (As long as a governing body member can be seen and heard, they are considered present per the resolution, according to county attorney Wes Schemenaur.) Following state guidelines and ideas lined out in an identical resolution passed by Portland City Council, the resolution would allow a council member to attend up to two consecutive meetings virtually, with a few exceptions.

•Made the following additional appropriations: $6,000 in fees for court-appointed doctors and psychological evaluations; $2,500 for a new scanner to upload records online in Jay County Recorder’s Office; $2,280 for pauper counsel; and $1,275 for a new laptop in Jay County Prosecutor’s Office.