Marshall County will soon be home to a new, state-of-the-art INDOT maintenance facility. State and local officials broke ground yesterday on the $7.2 million project on Pioneer Drive north of U.S. 30. It will serve as a base of operations and salt building for the Plymouth Sub District. INDOT Statewide Director of Facilities Management Steve McAvoy says the existing facility dates to 1978 and is no longer capable of meeting the agency’s needs with regard to maintaining roads during the winter months. Continue reading
A flood-prone area of downtown Plymouth is now a park for all to enjoy. U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly was among the dignitaries on hand for Saturday’s dedication of the city’s River Park Center. He praised the community’s ability to see a problem and continue to improve it and make it better, as they did by turning the former G&G Grocery and Harvey Mart location into a family-friendly recreational space. Continue reading
The Marshall County Economic Development Commission (MCEDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning in order for the shell building project to begin. It will be located at 2910 Commerce Street in Plymouth.
The shell building will be built over the summer that will be available for an incoming business or industry to the area.
Dan Zuerner, Vice President of Garmong Construction, talks about the structure and the time frame in which it will be complete.
“This will be a state-of-the-art building made of manufactured precast concrete sandwich panels so they’re heavily insulated and have a very high energy efficiency rating,” explained Zuerner. “This building will be 45,000 square feet expandable to 135,000 square feet. We expect the precast to arrive on site in late June or early July, the steel will be set in July and August, we’ll put the roof on and the product will be 100 percent complete by early October.”
Garmong Construction is based in Indiana and crews from the company have built seven similar structures in the state with five more projects this year. He says they success rate in getting a company into a shell building is quite high.
“They’ve been very successful. Right now, out of all of the buildings that we’ve built, we only have one remaining for sale. We’ve done three for the county of Delaware in Muncie, Indiana, there’s one being done right now in White County and three projects in Vigo County. They’re scattered throughout the state.”
Marshall County Commissioner Deb Griewank said it will be beneficial for the county.
“It’s going to be bringing in a lot of economic development here” said Griewank. “People will be moving in, more business coming to town – I’m really excited!”
Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter said the new shell building will have a great impact on not only the Plymouth area, but Marshall County and the Northern Indiana region.
“Within the next year, we’d love to have a new manufacturing corporation here and bring 100 jobs or more!” smiled Senter.
The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation worked along with the Plymouth Redevelopment Commission, Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation, the City of Plymouth, and Garmong Development Company to make sure this shell building became a reality.
A deal to keep a Plymouth manufacturing plant open has apparently fallen through. WSBT-TV reports that negotiations between AMI Incorporated and Whitney Products have fallen through because the sides are too far apart. Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter tells the TV station AMI officials notified him on Friday that they couldn’t reach an agreement. This latest development likely means Whitney is closing its Marshall County plant for good. About 50 people work there. The company sent WARN notices to employees earlier this year alerting them to the possible closing. The Warsaw-based company makes precision tubular products for diesel engines, agricultural equipment, off-highway, construction equipment and HVAC markets.
Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter, Swan Lake Resort General Manager Geoff Payne, Swan Lake Resort President Pam Smith and others cut the ribbon to officially open the newly remodeled restaurant at Swan Lake Resort on Plymouth-LaPorte Trail. Dickie’s offers updated versions of American classics like buffalo macaroni and cheese and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Join them for the Mother’s Day buffet.
Hoosier allergy sufferers could soon face tougher limits on how much over-the-counter cold medication they can purchase. A bill to set an annual cap on pseudoephedrine purchases passed the House by a vote of 91-1. The goal of the legislation is to curb the manufacture of methamphetamine by crimping the supply of one of the drug’s main ingredients. Plymouth Mayor and former Indiana State Police Trooper Mark Senter testified in support of the limits during a House hearing on the bill. Cold medications containing pseudoephedrine are already sold behind the counter in pharmacies in limited quantities, and purchasers must show a photo identification to buy them. The 61 gram per person limit is about an eight-month supply of the current law’s monthly limit. The bill now goes back to the Senate for consideration of a few minor changes before it can be sent to Governor Mike Pence for consideration.
An area mayor is set to speak to state lawmakers about the effects of methamphetamine manufacture and use on his community. Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter will speak in favor of annual limits on ephedrine and pseudoephedrine sales. They are the main ingredient in many cold and allergy medications as well as in the production of methamphetamine. A bill pending in the House would set an annual limit on how much pseudoephedrine an individual can purchase. The current individual purchase limit is 7.2 grams per month, or 86.4 grams per year. The proposal before the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee would cap annual purchases at 61 grams per year for a consumer. It has already passed the Senate. Senter is scheduled to testify before the committee tomorrow in Indianapolis. He’s seen firsthand the effects of methamphetamine. Senter is a retired state trooper who spent five of his 28 years on the force as a member of the ISP Clandestine Lab Team.
It was exactly a week ago that a spectacular fire occurred in Plymouth. Some even called it the biggest fire ever in that city. Over 100 firefighters fought the blaze that took almost 24 hours to completely extinguish. It was reported that one million gallons of water was used during the fire.
Ted Hayes talks with Mayor Mark Senter this morning about the fire. Ted asked how the city was recovering from the blaze.
“Fortunately, it was an abandoned building. They did have some property, and the owners of the actual business, so no one is out of a home, no one else is out of a property other than that company. So at least we didn’t have people that lost homes and all of their worldly possessions, so that was probably the most fortunate thing of the whole mess,” said Senter.
Senter said he expects clean up to begin soon.
“I just drove by there about an hour ago, and they had some insurance adjustors out there taking a look at it. I would imagine that they would be cleaning it up soon,” said Senter.
Yesterday the fire was termed an arson. Senter, who is an ex-state policeman, said he stays out of the investigation of such events, leaving that to the state fire marshal’s office.
“I try to stay out of that and let the police officers and the fire investigators do their job and I’d love to get in it again, but I just can’t do that anymore. But that’s what I did for a long time, I just let them handle it and they will inform me if and when something breaks,” said Senter.
Ted asked Senter if using a million gallons of water has affected the city’s supply.
“Other than maybe a little bit of rust in the lines that is coming out now, there are some homes that I’m sure are getting some red water but we were able to keep that at a minimum, I think,” said Senter.
