August groundbreaking likely for community center

Monday, May 2, 2022
Courtesy Bona Vita Architecture

First it was all about creating partnerships, then it was Covid, now it’s supply chain issues that keep slowing the progress of Greencastle’s new community center/YMCA.

Regardless, some visible signs of progress lie ahead, Mayor Bill Dory told the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission (RDC) at its April meeting.

“The goal is to get started in August and get as much done as we can before the weather gets bad,” Dory said. “Everything depends on the lead time for materials.”

Commission member Gary Lemon said, “It would be nice to break ground and show some progress.”

Mayor Dory agreed, suggesting that groundbreaking is an August possibility as well.

“We’ve asked the construction manager (Tonn and Blank Construction) to come up with a simplified schedule that we can share with the public,” Dory added.

The community center project “is chugging along quite nicely” now, the mayor said, noting that drawings are 75 percent complete and the project should go out for bids in May.

The city, YMCA and Putnam County Hospital are all involved in the approximately 60,000-square-foot project. The city will own the facility and lease spaces to the Wabash Valley YMCA and the hospital.

The city has already acquired the site from the Ballard Family, 72.3 acres in all, east of the Walmart Superstore on the south side of State Road 240.

The most recent cost estimate for the project -- made public in May 2019 -- has been in the $10 million range, although there has been a significant increase in the cost of steel and other building materials since that number was made public. In addition, the City Council opted for a third basketball/volleyball court to provide greater flexibility for the building.

The city expects to learn the maximum project cost sometime in June, the mayor said. The partners have vowed not to move forward until that number is known.

“We can’t do anything until we get prices,” City Attorney Laurie Hardwick told the RDC group in response to groundbreaking and other issues, “otherwise we’d have already done it.”

“So when will it be done?,” RDC member Lottie Barcus asked.

Mayor Dory said completion is expected in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Architect Tom Salzer of Bona Vita Architecture previously suggested the project could take “15 months from design to construction ... once it gets to that point.”

“It could take 14 months,” Dory said of construction. “I could take a little longer, you never know with the supply chain being so squirrelly.”

Lemon was a little leery about the availability of steel necessary for the project. “From the stuff I’ve read, steel is back-ordered for a year,” he said.

“I’m not seeing it that bad,” the mayor replied, while noting that larger trusses are being held up since they are more of a fabricated piece, but not so much “off-the-shelf pieces.”

The RDC also asked about fundraising efforts on the project.

Hardwick noted that a committee, headed by Rob York of Greencastle, has been set up through the YMCA.

“The Foundation made its commitment recently and made that public,” Mayor Dory noted of the $500,000 commitment. “Some people have already made contributions because of that.”

“And the hospital is 110 percent committed, right?” Lemon asked.

The mayor responded affirmatively with Hardwick adding that PCH officials “are waiting to sign the lease until we know what dollar figure to put in the lease.”

“I was talking to someone at the hospital,” Dory added, “and they can’t wait. They need the space.”

In other reports to the RDC, Mayor Dory noted:

-- The Columbia Street parking lot planned for the northeast corner of Columbia and Indiana street is due to go out for bids May 17 and should be back in front of the RDC with an engineer’s recommendation at its May 25 meeting. The new lot will provide 24 spaces.

-- The city is expected to advertise the Robe-Ann Park improvement project for bids May 6 or 10 with the bids due back May 31 prior to the June 1 Park Board meeting.

-- Bids are due June 15 on the INDOT project on U.S. 231 in Greencastle. Work is expected to start August or early September on the Bloomington Street section of the work from Washington Street to Veterans Highway.

The RDC will next meet in regular session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25 at City Hall.

President Erika Gilmore was joined by the 25-minute meeting by members Lemon, Barcus, Gwen Morris and Brian Cox.

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  • North 231 is disgusting. Please tell us Mr. Mayor, why start on the southern portion of 231. What basis was used for this decision? Please respond

    -- Posted by Keepyaguessin on Tue, May 3, 2022, at 8:51 AM
  • And we continue to wait…. Using words like, “should be”, “would be”, “could be”, let’s throw in “hope to” so it can become a definitive plan the community can get behind, oh wait, is there a plan? At what point do we start holding feet to the fire and demand something actually gets done on this project?

    -- Posted by PCGuy01 on Tue, May 3, 2022, at 12:29 PM
  • Keepyaguessin - Why ask the mayor about an INDOT project?

    -- Posted by unbiased on Tue, May 3, 2022, at 1:38 PM
  • Why ask the mayor, you say? Because the average Joe won't get any answers from INDOT. Hopefully they communicate with the mayor and keep him informed. I agree that North 231 is a bumpy minefield and a disgrace to our town but INDOT must have a very good reason for starting on the South side.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Tue, May 3, 2022, at 3:46 PM
  • Well INDOT could at least patch North Jackson Street...it's like driving on an obstacle course!! I'm quite sick of it!!

    -- Posted by Homegrown765 on Tue, May 3, 2022, at 4:18 PM
  • Because it was reported on in this article. That's why.

    -- Posted by Keepyaguessin on Tue, May 3, 2022, at 9:44 PM
  • Why is the 231 project starting with Washington St. to Vetern's Highway? Simple answer- DePauw is on the Southside.

    -- Posted by Workingthesoil on Wed, May 4, 2022, at 8:22 AM
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