The third annual “Prospectus and Achievements Night” hosted by the Starke County Economic Development Foundation will be Thursday, Oct. 3 at Knox Middle School.
One of the highlights of the meeting will be the awarding of the Robert E. Hamilton award. This award is given to a person who has contributed a great amount of service in the field of economic development as well as the community as a whole.
Crews are set to demolish the old Knox theater and the structure that formerly housed the Starke County Economic Development Foundation’s office.
The demolition will begin at 6:30 a.m. today at 2 and 4 N. Main Street in Knox. Knox Mayor Rick Chambers told WKVI that crews will take one day to completely knock down the building and they will take three days to remove the rubble.
Governor Mike Pence this week unveiled a map of the 11 regions for the Indiana Works Councils, councils which he said will bring educators and employers together to evaluate and develop career and technical education that meets the demands of employers in each region. The Indiana Works Councils were created with the passage of Senate Enrolled Act 465, which the governor signed into law on April 15.
The Knox Board of Public Works was to approve bids Wednesday morning for the demolition of the old Knox theater and the former office of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation in the downtown area, but that process was put on hold.
A representative of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs was at the meeting Wednesday morning and informed the board members that since asbestos was found in the two buildings, the federal wage will have to be used by bidders. The representative informed Territorial Engineers, who then informed the four bidders that their bids would not be submitted as the wage system will have to reflect the federal Davis-Bacon wage system.
The entire process will be re-advertised with a pre-bid meeting set for July 12 at 9:30 a.m. and bids will be opened during the Board of Public Works’ next meeting on July 24.
The Knox Board of Public Works will be meeting this morning at 9:30 a.m. at Knox City Hall.
The board members will be awarding the bid for the demolition of the old Knox theater and the building that previously housed the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.
The buildings at 2 and 4 N. Main St. in Knox will soon be but a memory as the Knox City Council will soon be taking bids for their demolition. Engineering firm Territorial Engineering has put together a bid package for their destruction and the Knox City Council Tuesday night approved the bid letting with a pre-bid meeting to be held on June 10 at 9:30 a.m. at Knox City Hall. Bids will be accepted up to June 26 at 9:30 a.m.
To ensure that the historical buildings are not forgotten, however, the Starke County Economic Development Foundation recently received final approval from all the agencies required to sign off on a book to be composed with the history and pictures of the two buildings. A copy of the book was presented to the council and another will go to the Starke County Museum.
The Knox City Council this week reviewed the efforts made by Toll Brothers in keeping with their tax abatement and approved a motion stating that the company is in substantial compliance or has made reasonable effort to keep with the terms of the abatement. Charlie Weaver, the executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, and Toll Brothers owner Brian Trapp approached the council requesting the compliance statement.
Weaver explained that it doesn’t appear that the project will require any imminent domain acquirements, and they are now on track for a Feb. 14 project bid letting. Hopefully, Weaver said, this project will be done during the construction season in 2014.
A demolition date has not yet been set for the former home of the Knox theater and the offices of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.
City Planning Administrator Greg Matt said the city of Knox is in the midst of applying for a grant to take down the building at the corner of Main and Lake streets. The grant’s matching funds will be paid by the Starke County Economic Development Foundation. If the grant is obtained, a date will be set for the demolition of the building in downtown Knox.
An archiving company has been inside the building to take out the antique theater chairs, the limestone from the outside of the building, and the tin ceilings.
The Starke County Economic Development Foundation honored three companies who have opened operations in Starke County over the past year during their “Prospectus and Achievements Night” on Dec. 5. Kemin Industries, Inc.; Chester, Inc., Ag Services Division; and Selected Furniture, LLC were honored along with two companies who announced plans to expand operations in the county: American Oak Preserving Company and Knox Fertilizer. Executive Director Charles Weaver also gave a report on the economic development highlights of 2012 and what might be expected in 2013 for Starke County.
Knox residents may have noticed a construction team working on the old movie theater building on Main Street, but don’t worry – that building isn’t being torn down yet.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charles Weaver told WKVI that a well-known Kokomo company has expressed interest in removing salvageable items from within the building at 4 N. Main Street, which was once home to a movie theater as well as the SCEDF office.
Step by step, the demolition of two buildings on North Main Street in Knox is becoming a reality. Two buildings, 2 N. Main St. and 4 N. Main St., are dilapidated and many feel they pose maintenance and safety concerns for the city.
According to Mayor Rick Chambers, the Starke County Economic Development Foundation has been looking to have the buildings torn down. The foundation was previously located at 4 N. Main St., but later moved to 1915 S. Heaton St. in Knox. The building at 2 N. Main St. has been abandoned for nearly 15 years.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-established Kemin Industries facility in North Judson drew an unexpectedly large crowd as more than 50 people turned up to celebrate the new industry brought to the town.
Kemin is an innovative bioscience company dedicated to manufacturing ingredients that provide nutrition and health benefits for humans and animals alike. Through their commitment to feed and food safety, the company manufactures more than 500 specialty ingredients for the global feed and food industries as well as the health, nutrition, and beauty markets.
A special meeting was held at the North Judson Community Center last week regarding the industrial park, and while nothing definite was decided, the meeting brought together members of the community to share ideas and gather information.
The industrial park has been dormant for quite some time, and the Starke County Economic Development Foundation wanted to work with the North Judson Town Council to put their heads together and come up with some potential possibilities for the development of the park. The meeting also reviewed any current issues with the park.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Board Member Wendy Hoppe has been named the recipient of a Northwest Indiana Most Influential Woman Award, presented at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville on May 31.
This was the second year for such awards, with Hoppe being named as the Most Influential Woman in the category of construction.
This is the second year a SCEDF Board member has won an award. Diane Thalman, vice president, was the inaugural winner in the 2011 category of Most Influential Woman in Economic Development.
Wendy Hoppe is currently the North Judson Town Council president for 2012. She was the first licensed female plumbing contractor in Indiana. Wendy is well known at the state level and is sometimes the subject of referrals when other females inquire about the possibility of obtaining a plumbing license.
Her next goal is to hold classes for females in the community to learn the basics of plumbing so that they might feel comfortable in performing some of the more routine tasks that they might face. Hoppe is in her eighth year on the Starke-Pulaski Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors.
Sparks may soon start flying at the Knox Middle School, as the Knox Community School Corporation has been working with the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, the SCILL Center, and North Central Vocational Area School representatives to set up a vocational welding class in the middle school.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charles Weaver says that the class would benefit not just students, but adults as well.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charles Weaver recently discussed the county’s strategy to expand rail access in Starke County during the recent Society of Innovators’ “Pride and Pedestal” event in Hammond.
Weaver explained that the cooperative effort between the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, City of Knox, Starke County officials, Knox Civic Development Corporation, and Territorial Engineering helped shape industry and economic development in the Knox area.
Ron Gifford from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation appeared before the Knox City Council last week seeking a Statement of Benefits document for the Toll Brothers plant in Knox. Toll Brothers is the preeminent luxury home-builder in America.
The Statement of Benefits document that Toll Brothers is seeking is to certify that they are in substantial compliance with the original tax abatement that was granted.
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa has been meeting with representatives from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Jerry Hollenbaugh, North Central Area Vocational Director, and Jerry Gurrado, Director of the SCILL Center in Knox. Superintendent Gappa told the Knox Community School Board that the group has been meeting to coordinate welding classes to be conducted at the Knox Middle School.
“With just a little bit of work, our former wood shop in the Middle School could be converted to a welding class area,” said Superintendent Gappa. “What I was asking the Board was permission to continue those talks and the Board seemed pretty excited about the idea themselves. This could be a win-win, not only for the school, but for community and the businesses in the area because people learn how to weld, they would become employable and they could improve their skills in the places they do work. This is just our opportunity to work with the business community and the Economic Development Foundation.”
