Terre Haute, IN Development News [Archive]

cjfjapan

March 1st, 2005, 02:54 AM

State budget may slow ISU projects
By Sue Loughlin/Tribune-Star

The state's budget difficulties may slow down Indiana State University's plan to renovate University Hall as the new home of the College of Education.

ISU's 2005-07 capital budget request to the Legislature includes $29.9 million for the University Hall renovation project. The College of Education is currently housed in one of the Statesman Towers on North Ninth Street.

University Hall, the former Lab School, is on Chestnut Street.

The proposal includes funds to demolish the Statesman Towers, which house both the College of Education and College of Business. The College of Business eventually will relocate to the federal building at Seventh and Cherry streets.

On Friday, Greg Goode, ISU's executive assistant to the president for external affairs, updated trustees on the status of the operating and capital budget requests.

The legislative session is almost at the halfway point. "We knew going into this session there would be some difficulties on funding issues. Those difficulties remain," Goode said.

The House budget flatlines university operating budgets, and it calls only for limited repair/rehabilitation funds. It does not include funding for quality improvement initiatives.

"Perhaps one of the things that hurts us the most right now, there is no discussion about funding construction projects," Goode said. That would include funding to renovate University Hall.

The university has provided legislators with a seven-minute DVD discussing the importance of the University Hall/School of Education project. ISU also had requested the capital funding for the 2003-05 biennium.

The Statesman Towers were built in 1968 as residence halls but converted for the Colleges of Business and Education in the 1970s.

The towers are neither energy-efficient nor space-efficient; only about 50 percent of the space can be used for academic purposes because of the design. They are expensive to maintain and operate, officials have said.

While university construction is not currently on the table, "We remain cautiously optimistic that before the Legislative session ends, there may be an opportunity for funding some construction projects for universities," Goode said.

The renovation of the federal building to house the College of Business will use federal and private dollars; ISU is not seeking state funding for it, Goode said. ISU hopes to take possession of the federal building by 2008, he said.

In other matters, the board of trustees authorized ISU to move forward with plans to renovate Burford Hall, a residence hall. With the changes, each room designed to accommodate two students will have a private bath and its own temperature controls.

The project also calls for a new west entrance, fire sprinkler system, elevator upgrade, exterior changes, new windows and remodeling. Pickerl Hall would receive a new roof.

Work is scheduled to begin this summer, and the project cost can't exceed $8.5 million. Funding will come from residence hall operating budgets, reserve funds and interim borrowing.

In personnel, Bonnie Saucier is stepping down as dean of the College of Nursing effective July 1. She will take professional leave from July 1 to Dec. 31 and return as a full-time professor. She has been dean for about six years.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
___________________________________

Here are the two former dormitories (Now the Schools of Business and Education) that are scheduled to be abandoned and demolished in the next few years. They are currently the tallest buildings in the city.

http://www.garmong.net/images/state.gif

http://www.indstate.edu/archives/Buildings/buildingimages/StatesmanTowers.jpg

http://www.indstate.edu/schbus/school.jpg

http://image04.webshots.com/4/1/5/5/56710505lgqeyx_ph.jpg

http://image04.webshots.com/4/6/78/30/56967830lyVEdd_ph.jpg

http://image05.webshots.com/5/0/50/62/64405062aRNnwV_ph.jpg

http://image02.webshots.com/2/1/1/77/82610177DmpqFH_ph.jpg

http://image03.webshots.com/3/9/68/34/92996834CFDwWv_ph.jpg

LouisvilleJake

March 1st, 2005, 03:05 AM

Terre Haute. Here in West Lafayette, that conjures up images of a failing, dying city with a bad scent. Everyone I've met from "The Haute" is glad to be gone and never looking back. I classify Terre Haute with Muncie and Anderson. They're all small Indiana cities that were once important, but have fallen on hard times, and honestly, have little prospect for coming back strong.

I do not mean it as a rip, but I feel bad for Terre Haute actually. You can see how the city was once very successful and nice, but driving through the place now is sad indeed. Downtown is a patchwork of many abandoned structures and parking lots, the commercial corridor is not particularly well kempt, and the campus is quite different from my personal college experiences (and not a very good type of different).

I honestly wish I had a better vision of Terre Haute, but from my experiences there, it is not a place I would ever consider spending more than enough time to eat.

HumbleHoosier

March 1st, 2005, 04:08 AM

Terre Haute is your typical midwestern city of one hundred to two hundred thousand people that grew in the late-1800's and early to mid-1900's because of manufacturing, but then suffered when the factories all left. It's got an interesting history and at one time was a fairly important city for it's size. Those days are long gone. The one thing that I believe gives it a worse rap than other similar midwestern cities, is it's smell. Those factories on the west bank of the Wabash stinking up the place really affect people's opinion more than anything. In essence the city really isn't given much of a chance after people get hit by that smell.

cwilson758

March 1st, 2005, 03:45 PM

[QUOTE=LouisvilleJake]Terre Haute. Here in West Lafayette, that conjures up images of a failing, dying city with a bad scent. Everyone I've met from "The Haute" is glad to be gone and never looking back. I classify Terre Haute with Muncie and Anderson. They're all small Indiana cities that were once important, but have fallen on hard times, and honestly, have little prospect for coming back strong.

BINGO! Anderson, Muncie, and Terre Haute are one in the same. All three were very important and somewhat known (not that they aren't still today) outside of Indiana during the '50's - '70's. Manufacturing was the key to success. I know that at one time all three were very near 100,000 people in size and had a very strong middle-class. Now, all three struggle to get to 60,000 people and people have been quoted as saying," The last one to leave (insert any of the three) turn of the lights."

HumbleHoosier

March 1st, 2005, 04:31 PM

cjfjapan

March 1st, 2005, 09:08 PM

Actually Cory, I was using metro numbers when I mentioned 100,000 to 200,000. It's only fair to use their metro numbers, since that's where quite a few of the city residents moved. And metro wise they're as such:

Terre Haute 170,943
Anderson 133,358
Muncie 118,769

It's hard to say whether Terre Haute is really "Dying"--I don't find that it has the industrial blight of Anderson--which was much more of a factory town than Greater Terre Haute ever was. Terre Haute is probably as industrial now as it ever has been--given the factories north of town. The City itself has pretty much deindustrialized, except for that potent mix of Creosote and Poo wafting over the city when there is SW wind. The current mayor is talking actively about that, and doing something about it--he has pushed to shut down an industrial waste processing plant for environmental violations.

In addition, TH has one of the largest per capita retail spending rates in the country--owing to its continued monopoly on shopping for the surrounding counties in Indiana and Illinois. It also is one of the few cities left in Indiana, I think, where the major bank is still local--Evansville might be another. Most other cities' banks have been bought out.

Physically, I would agree that the town is in bad shape--downtown looks like a 70 year old alley cat, with half his teeth knocked out. The remaining old buildings are quite nice--but what has since filled the gaps in places is awful--almost no sense of continuity. I really blame the city for this, but then again, there isn't a lot of demand for downtown space, and they are often just happy to get the land back on the tax rolls (see the awful buildings at 4th and Wabash).

I do think that Terre Haute could much more rapidly improve with more attention to quality of life issues--which it has started to do. A recently survey found that TH has more miles of pedestrian only trails per capita than Indianapolis, and there are plans for several more miles. The city is working hard on making road connections that will improve traffic flow, and open more urban land to--hopefully quality--development.

Long term, I think TH has to focus on reducing the impact of the railroads that crisscross the city--this is a serious noise and quality of life issue. The decaying urban neighborhoods north and east of downtown I don't think will ever improve while there are constantly blaring train whistles noon and night. The city would also have to invest some serious money in those neighborhoods, practically paying graduate students and young families to fix them up---which is what Bloomington does with the "HAND" program. Indy's Fall Creek Place is another good example.

HumbleHoosier

March 1st, 2005, 11:08 PM

It also is one of the few cities left in Indiana, I think, where the major bank is still local--Evansville might be another. Most other cities' banks have been bought out.

Actually, Indiana has lost all of it's really big banks, but there are several cities in Indiana whose hometown bank is still the largest bank in town based on local market assets. Here's a list of the cities in Indiana where the hometown bank has the largest local market share:

Terre Haute ----- First Financial ----- $2.2 billion total bank assets
Evansville ----- Old National ----- $8.9 billion total bank assets
South Bend ----- 1st Source ----- $3.6 billion total bank assets
Muncie ----- First Merchants ----- $3.2 billion total bank assets
Bloomington ----- Monroe Bancorp ----- $634 million total bank assets

cwilson758

March 2nd, 2005, 01:27 AM

cjfjapan

March 2nd, 2005, 03:58 AM

Terre Haute's population dropped from a high of about 72,000 in 1970, and has hovered around 60,000 since then. Most of the growth in the city since the 1920s has come from annexation, first all of Harrison Township, then areas south and east of the city, including the Federal Pen, which skews the city's poverty level.There are large subdivisions north and south of the city that could easily add another 10,000 if annexed, although I don't know of any discussion to do this. There are ongoing discussions about consolidating Terre Haute and Vigo County governments, which, if it was a true UNIGOV-type consolidation, would increase the city population by about 40,000, making it the 4th or 5th largest city in Indiana, right about the size of South Bend. This would probably break the Blue Dog Democrat stranglehold on City government, and make Republicans electable. As for the consolidation, most of the western and southern parts of the county are so rural that it probably won't happen, but one can dream...

cjfjapan

March 2nd, 2005, 04:06 AM

Census: Terre Haute population dips

(Terre Haute) Tribune Star
By Howard Greninger

Tribune-Star

More people have left Terre Haute and Vigo County since the national 2000 Census than any other county in the Wabash Valley, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Vigo County's population dipped 1.2 percent -- 1,308 people -- to 104,540, while Terre Haute dropped 2.7 percent, or 1,588 people, to 58,096, according to the 2003 Census estimates released this week.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/SiteImages/Article/12607a.gif

It's a trend that's closely tied to employment, said Vincent Thompson, economic analyst for the Indiana Business Research Center.

"Unemployment rates show the biggest factor in lower population rates. The area has experienced higher than state average unemployment pretty consistently," Thompson said.

The 2003 average unemployment in Vigo County was 5.5 percent, while the state's was 5.1 percent, Thompson said. Several Wabash Valley counties were above the state's 2003 average unemployment rate, with Vermillion County at 6.5 percent; Parke County at 5.7 percent; Clay 5.6 percent; Sullivan 6.4 percent; and Greene at 8.3 percent.

The 2003 Census estimates are based on information as of July 2003. A recent upswing in employment in the Wabash Valley may show a change for the positive in population in 2004, said Carol Rogers, associate director of the Indiana Business Research Center.

"It is a mobile society and people go where there is employment. Over the last 10 months, Terre Haute has seen increases in jobs, so by next summer for the 2004 estimates, it may begin to see a boost in population," Rogers said.

"The population losses are not as significant as people feel they are, or the perception," Rogers said. "Certainly we look at the economy of the areas pretty constantly and I have noticed over several months [that] manufacturing is holding its own and is experiencing a slight increase," Rogers said.

Between May 2002 and May 2004, manufacturing jobs rose to 70,700 from 66,900 in Vigo County. "That is better than other parts of the state," Rogers said.

Health and education employment rose to 11,100 in May up from 10,400 in May 2002.

"There is a greater diversity in the [Terre Haute] economy. I would suspect that diversification has helped stop some [population loss] problems that hit other metropolitan areas," Rogers said.

The population decline shown in the 2003 Census estimate for Vigo County and Terre Haute mirrors a nationwide trend, Rogers said.

"Folks who work in Vigo County might decide to move to other parts outside of the Terre Haute incorporated area and into unincorporated areas. It could be the typical effect we have seen over the past 10 to 20 years of people moving outside cities," Rogers said.

Rogers said Vigo County is holding its own in population, remaining the 16th-largest county in Indiana, with a population of 104,540, and ranks 513 out of 3,100 counties in the nation. Terre Haute remains as the 11th-largest city in Indiana.

"Nationally, Vigo County compares to several other counties that have had about a 1 percent population loss from 1990 to 2002, such as counties in Kansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New York as well as Henry County in Illinois. I would suspect those counties have similar characteristics, where manufacturing has been dominant," Rogers said.

Vigo County's population ranks higher than the state average for people aged 65 and older, making up 14.2 percent of the county's population. The state and national average is 12.4 percent.

With Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Ivy Tech State College and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, Vigo County also has a higher number of people age 18 to 34 than the state or national average. That age group makes up 14.3 percent of Vigo's population, compared to 10.1 percent for Indiana and 9.6 percent nationally.

Steve Witt, executive director of the Terre Haute/Vigo County Department of Redevelopment, said he doesn't put much stock in the annual Census estimates.

"I think the national Census figures done every 10 years are what we need to hang our hat on as a community," Witt said. "That is what is used to determine federal funding appropriations to our community."

Witt said the 2000 U.S. Census showed a population increase over the 1990 Census for Terre Haute.

"I think recent data that indicates we are one area in the state experiencing job growth tends to bode well for our future," Witt said.

In other Wabash Valley counties, Brazil and Clay County are the only city/county combination to show a population growth in the Wabash Valley since the national 2000 Census, according to 2003 Census estimates.

Clay County grew 0.8 percent - 216 people -- from 2000 to 2003, according to the estimates. The county, with a population of 26,772, remained ranked 61 out of 92 Indiana counties. Brazil, the county's largest city, grew by 1.6 percent, or 126 people to a population of 8,166.

Vermillion County and the city of Clinton showed a decrease in population, with the county dropping 1.3 percent, or 216 people. The county's 2003 population estimate is 16,572. Clinton fell 3.4 percent, or 175, to a population of 4,951.

While the cities of Rockville in Parke County and Sullivan in Sullivan County each showed a population decrease, the counties showed a slight population increase. Rockville lost 43 people, dipping to 2,722. Sullivan lost just 14 people to a population estimated at 4,603.

Parke County grew by 88 people to a population of 17,329 while Sullivan County grew by 110 people to 21,861, the estimates show.

Copyright © 2004 Tribune Star

cwilson758

March 2nd, 2005, 03:35 PM

Terre Haute only got to 72,000! Hmmm. I would have thought it was larger than that. I think that both Anderson and Muncie got to 80,000 people. Anyway, these three cities are showdows of their former selves. Too bad.

cjfjapan

April 10th, 2005, 12:01 AM

Organizations push for hotel's restoration

Deadline for Terre Haute House proposals Friday

By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star

With the deadline for proposals just a day away, two community groups have entered their plea to turn the Terre Haute House back into a hotel.

The Vigo County Historical Society and Terre Haute Landmarks on Wednesday issued news releases announcing their endorsement of reclaiming the property.

"If all the options really are on the table, let's err on the side of a hotel," said Todd Nation, president of Terre Haute Landmarks. He said the resolution from the group was an attempt to bring attention to the situation, a milestone of which is looming.

The Terre Haute Department of Redevelopment issued a request for proposals in January to either rehabilitate the former downtown hotel, along with two buildings on the same block - the Fort Harrison Savings and Loan Building and the Bement-Rea building - or to use the property in some other way that may require demolition.

Deadline for submission of proposals is 4 p.m. Friday.

"I hope that a decision will not be made quickly," said Marylee Hagan, executive director of the Historical Society. "I certainly hope that the city will look at the historic significance."

Noting that a hotel has been on the corner for about 170 years, and that the current building, built in 1927-28, has anchored what has become known as the "Crossroads of America," Hagan said, "Restoration of the Terre Haute House, Fort Harrison Savings Association building and the Bement-Rea building would certainly be assets in the revitalization of our downtown."

Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said the city had not received any proposals as of Wednesday morning, but expected to receive at least two. One will come from local development group Haute Maison, the other from an Indianapolis developer. What those proposals contain remains to be seen, Witt said.

Resolutions from community groups gave an important indication about the process and the proposals, Witt said, but the ultimate decision will depend on other factors.

"We welcome people's input, and appreciate interest. We want to know the sentiment of the community. That being said, anything that happens to the Terre Haute House is going to be dictated by economics," Witt said.

All the plans will be evaluated by the criteria contained in the request for proposals, Witt said. Five criteria are outlined: Compatibility of use with the surrounding environment, relevant experience of the developer, having the developer providing at least 5 percent of the project funding out of pocket, financing for the plan and an aggressive timeline.

The Department of Redevelopment will review the proposals after they are received.

In the meantime, Nation said, Terre Haute Landmarks and the Historical Society, along with a similar resolution advanced by Downtown Terre Haute Inc., are advancing the issue as a key part of downtown Terre Haute's future.

"There are so many compelling reasons to reopen these three buildings. Somebody needs to say it," he said.

Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com

cjfjapan

April 10th, 2005, 12:05 AM

I'll post more information about the project as it progresses (if that is the right word)--there are five proposals to redevelop the site--unclear how many would reopen the hotel, or even renovate the building. The second article illustrates the emotional hold the building has on city residents--the current mayor called the empty structure "a monument to our inability to move forward." The hotel closed 35 years ago...Stay tuned!

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/09/news/local_and_bistate_yesterday/lb01.jpg

City Receives Five Proposals for the Terre Haute House
( Air Date: 4/8/2005 )
Friday was the deadline for proposals about what to do with the vacant Terre Haute House in downtown Terre Haute.

An aggressive schedule for work to start and be completed are two of the criteria the city set for the Terre Haute House proposals.

Steve Witt, president of Terre Haute`s Economic Development, says they want someone with experience on projects like this.

The plan must be compatible with the surrounding environment and have an aggressive time schedule.

A developer should also have a five percent financial stake in the project and have firm financial backing for the rest.

By the afternoon deadline, five proposals were submitted. We`ll find out more about them once they are made available by the city.

Terre Haute House Survey
- Megan Jennings
4/8/2005 5:21:04 PM

And a new survey came out Friday about how people living in Terre Haute feel about the Terre Haute House. When it comes to the Terre Haute House, some want to save it, and others want to tear it down. But a phone survey by the Indiana State University Sociology Lab found most people think it should be renovated.

In fact, an overwhelming 72% of people surveyed wanted to renovate the former hotel. Most of those say some taxpayer money should be used for the project if necessary.

Pollsters also found out that for folks in Terre Haute, the topic is an emotional issue. Dr. Tom Steiger says, "There's a strong emotional attachment here, which when you start trying to talk about the logic of redevelopment, those emotional kinds of feelings can often get in the way."

Many of the people who wanted to renovate the house say they'd like to see it used as a hotel, a conference center, or a combination of housing and shopping.

Pranksters welcome visitors to old hotel as April Fools' Day joke

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/04/news/top_stories_yesterday/top02.jpg
Is it true? Bellhops Jon Campbell and Noah Gambill wave to drivers as they pass by the Terre Haute House on Friday. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)

By Nicole Mullins/Tribune-Star

After being closed for nearly 35 years, the Terre Haute House welcomed visitors for its grand opening celebration Friday afternoon.

The chilly weather didn't keep passersby from being a part of the history-making event. Joni Moore of Brazil was the first of many to arrive at the hotel for her chance to see the inside of the once-bustling building. As the bellhops greeted her on the red carpet in front of the revolving door, she soon learned she was in for quite a surprise.

"April Fools!" exclaimed prankster Boo Lloyd, owner of Crossroads Cafe and Corner Store at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue.

Disappointed yet in good humor, Moore admitted her folly.

"I thought maybe they had it open for tours," she said, admitting she would have paid to walk through the building, which closed to traveling guests July 4, 1970. "It was before my time and I think it would be interesting to see what it was. It piqued my interest."

Moore's reaction was exactly the kind Lloyd hoped the joke would generate. Nearly two months ago, the idea for the trickery came while sitting with a customer in a corner booth at her restaurant. The two had been talking with discontent about the dilapidated building across the street.

"I said, 'I'm just dying to see some life,'" she recalled Friday in front of the hotel. "Next thing you know, I'm talking to my employees [about the joke]. We thought it would be a funny April Fools thing to do."

The bellhops' vintage clothing along with luggage and signs in front of the Terre Haute House indicated that the hotel was again up and running. Bellhop Jon Campbell, who is a cook at Crossroads, said he hopes he and fellow bellhop Noah Gambill were able to give people a glimpse of what the Terre Haute House could be.

"Hopefully people will see that it's more than a piece of stone," he said. "Hopefully the city will do something with it."

Jimmy Jenkins, who dressed in suit as a traveler, also provided some of the clothing from his store 7th Street Vintage. Jenkins said he gladly accepted the invitation to become part of the prank.

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/04/news/top_stories_yesterday/top02-2.jpg
A walk back in time: Jimmy Jenkins hands a flier to a passenger in a vehicle at 7th Street and Wabash Avenue on Friday. Jenkins proclaimed the fliers were for the "grand reopening" of the Terre Haute House, but they were actually ads for the Crossroads Cafe as part of an April Fools' Day joke. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)

"I'm a supporter of downtown Terre Haute and I don't think we have enough fun in this town," he said, adding that the joke would be on Terre Haute if the building remains neglected. "I just want something done with it [the hotel] as soon as possible. I think if we care about downtown Terre Haute, we should do something immediately."

Ellen Hughes of Terre Haute, walking downtown on Friday, agreed. "They need to make a decision. They need to decide what would be best," but added with a laugh and smile, "It's a wonderful joke. It was very clever."

Nicole Mullins can be reached at (812) 231-4299 or nicole.mullins@tribstar.com.

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/04/news/top_stories_yesterday/top02-3.jpg
May I take that for you, sir? Bellhop Noah Gambill takes Jimmy Jenkins' luggage as Jenkins approaches the entrance to the Terre Haute House on Friday. The two were pretending the hotel was open for business as an April Fools' Day joke. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)

cjfjapan

April 10th, 2005, 04:43 PM

Terre Haute House Home to upscale student housing?

- Action 10 News Staff
4/9/2005 9:59:31 PM

Friday marked the deadline for proposals for renovate the Terre Haute House.

Offers to save the old hotel poured into City Hall the city expects three or four good bids to restore the building.

One developer's plan would turn the historic hotel into upscale student housing for Indiana State University students.

Beaver Development LLC of Brownsburg would turn the vacant property into student lofts.

That $10 million plan was one of five submitted before Friday's deadline.

The 9 story Terre Haute House, built in 1927 just off of ISU's campus has been on Indiana's most endangered historic structures list since 1998.

Without a reasonable plan to redevelop the building city officials say they may demolish the Terre Haute House.

cjfjapan

April 11th, 2005, 01:16 AM

Developer wants to turn historic hotel into upscale student housing

The Associated Press
April 9, 2005 11:26 AM

TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- A historic hotel that could face demolition would be turned into upscale housing for Indiana State University students under one developer's plan.

That $10 million plan was one of five proposals submitted to Terre Haute officials before Friday's deadline for reuse plans for the nine-story Terre Haute House.

The hotel, built in 1927 just off the ISU campus, has been on the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana's list of Indiana's most endangered historic structures since 1998.

Without a viable redevelopment plan for the hotel, city officials have said they may demolish the building, which has been vacant for 30 years.

Beaver Development LLC of Brownsburg proposes restoring the hotel into upscale housing, converting the upper floors into student lofts and turning the first two floors into a restored ballroom and conference rooms open to the public.

The proposed renovation would take about 18 months.

Funding already has already been lined up, said Kyle Beaver, who runs the firm with his father, David. He said investors have agreed to put up $7 million and the Hulman family, which owns the hotel, would provide another $1 million.

Another developer, Haute Maison Development LLC, proposed restoring the hotel as a 138-room Courtyard by Marriott at a cost of $19 million.

cjfjapan

April 11th, 2005, 01:26 AM

March 2005 Survey Regarding the Future of the Terre Haute House, Terre Haute, Indiana

http://specials.tribstar.com/terrehautehouse/ (http://)

The survey, conducted by the Indiana State University Sociology Lab, found that most people preferred to have the former hotel renovated by private investors and reopened. A majority did not want tax money used for the project, though many agreed that tax money allocated for its demolition could be used for its renovation. The survey found that respondents did not want the structure given to the university for housing, although as you can see in the story below, one of the proposals would turn the building into private student housing, much like a similar monstrosity in Bloomington called Smallwood Plaza.

http://www.smallwoodplaza.com/ (http://)

wheelingman

April 13th, 2005, 12:16 AM

I wouldn't want to live there. There are too many racist people in that city.

cjfjapan

April 13th, 2005, 01:24 AM

I think it's pretty typical of small, industrial cities. There hasn't been any measureable international immigration there for many, many years, outside of students/profs associated with the universities, and some professional immigration from India in the 1970s and 1980s.

There is a pretty sizeable African-American population (about 10%) that his historically been confined to two neighborhoods on the south and east sides of the city--although now those neighborhoods are just poor--not exclusively black.

There have been a couple of issues related to the white-black populations in the city recently, namely the refusal of the city to rename a section of 13th Street after Martin Luther King, Jr.--tellingly, the proposal would only rename the section of the street that passed through the historic South 13th Afr-Am neighborhood, not the "whiter" northern sections. More recently, problems between the city and the board of directors of the Hyte Center, which has traditionally served the African American community on the south side.

Overall, most of Indiana, especially the western parts, has a very small non-white populations. I don't know if that contributes to the fact/perception that it is racist--but I would say that the surrounding counties--Sullivan, Clay, Parke and Vermillion--have very racist and anti-gay attitudes. I think the attitudes in Terre Haute reflect those areas.

Wheelingman, why do you think TH is particularly racist? I sometimes think of Wheeling as a city comparable to Terre Haute--do you get the sense that Wheeling is a particularly racist community? I don't know it well...
Thanks

cjfjapan

April 13th, 2005, 01:28 AM

Historic Ohio Building receives contemporary upgrade

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/12/package/package.jpg
Casa Urbana: Ohio Building owners Al Ruckriegel, Dave Adams and Jack (center) have turned the historic building into a state-of-the-art loft. The building features an in-home theater, rooftop lawn, Jacuzzi, exercise room and ballroom. Here, the trio stand in the hallway that leads to three different bedrooms, all with balconies. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)

By Sue Loughlin/Tribune-Star

Al Ruckriegel mowed his lawn for the first time Sunday - and anyone passing by on Ohio Street might have done a double take.

The lawn, which has an irrigation system, is on the rooftop terrace of the luxuriously refurbished Ohio Building, formerly the Goodie Shoppe.

Owners Ruckriegel and David J. Adams have spared no expense in renovating the historic downtown building into a modern-day loft with contemporary architecture. They call their classy, second-floor digs "Casa Urbana."

The building in the 600 block of Ohio Street also formerly housed the 40-room Hotel Tuller.

Ruckriegel is co-owner of Sidal, Inc., which operates the Rally's restaurants in Terre Haute. He and Adams used to have offices directly across Ohio Street; now their offices have relocated to Casa Urbana.

"We kept looking at this old building," Adams said. "We knew it could be a really neat project for someone."

After touring the building and considering the possibilities, they purchased it in December 2003 for $100,000 and construction began last May. The loft is just about complete, and the owners have been making it their home for the past three weeks.

Ruckriegel's dog, Jack, also seems at ease in his new home and wanders casually through the foyer, solarium and open-sky courtyard, which is tiled with concrete pavers and has a heating coil underneath to melt snow and ice.

While the second-floor loft is Ruckriegel's and Adams' home, they will share much of the space with the community by renting out the common areas for receptions, parties and other events.

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/12/package/package-2.jpg
http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/12/package/package-2.jpg
http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/12/package/package-2.jpg
http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/04/12/package/package-2.jpg

Nice place: At top, the billiards room waits for a game of 8-ball in the newly refurbished Ohio Building at 672 Ohio St. Second from top, a buffet sits in the butler's pantry. The newly renovated building features five indoor fireplaces, including the one pictured second from bottom, as well as one on the roof. Above, a kitchen with all the modern amenities now occupies a portion of the building. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)

The common areas include a ballroom with a fireplace and skylights; a bar; conference room; rooftop terrace and a 17-seat theatre furnished with chairs that are from Radio City Music Hall.

About two-thirds of Casa Urbana will be available to rent for more-upscale functions, Ruckriegel said. "The rooftop would be great for bridal showers," he said. It includes a jacuzzi, deck and view of downtown Terre Haute. And a small yard.

About 10,000 square feet of ground-floor space will be available for lease for offices, businesses or other purposes. It can have up to four tenants.

On Monday, the owners opened their doors for a media luncheon and tour. Representatives of United Way of the Wabash Valley, Junior Achievement and the Terre Haute Humane Society also attended. The three organizations will conduct an inaugural fund-raising event there called Abbondanza on June 25.

When Adams and Ruckriegel took possession of the building, "it was in such terrible shape," Adams said. "It was infested with pigeons. There were floors falling through. The ceiling had leaks all over."
View from above: Ohio Building owners Al Ruckriegel and Dave Adams stand on the manicured lawn that sits atop their building. The two have spared no expense to refurbish the historic downtown building. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)

More than 361 tons of material were removed, which does not include 12 layers of roofing or any of the restaurant equipment.

"It took us a little more money than we anticipated, but it has been worth it," Adams said. "I'm just amazed. I'm in awe" of the finished product.

Both Adams and Ruckriegel say one of their favorite areas is the rooftop terrace. "I love the yard and the grass. If we didn't have that, we wouldn't have the building," Ruckriegel said. "I have to have a yard," which took him 71/2 minutes to mow Sunday.

Ruckriegel also enjoys the large, contemporary kitchen, which features dark cherry wood and a large center island. "I love to cook, so the kitchen is fantastic," he said.

The total investment will be more than $2 million. The owners received facade grants through the city Redevelopment Department as well as Historic Tax Credits, which amount to 20 cents for every dollar spent restoring the building.

Casa Urbana has 13,000 square feet. The garage, first-floor storage area and basement add an additional 5,000 square feet.

Other features include five indoor fireplaces and one on the roof; four full and five half-baths; four bedrooms, including three that have a balcony; an exercise room with a sauna; and a billiard room that reportedly was a "speakeasy" - an illegal barroom - during Prohibition.

Another feature, located in the foyer, is an inlaid wood floor made of several types of wood; it is designed to look like a Frank Lloyd Wright stained-glass window.

Now that Casa Urbana is nearly complete, the partners give special credit to John Conner, project manager; Janice Monteith and Pat Redenbarger, who assisted with design; and John Crispin, who restored the beautiful hardwood floors and did the foyer, which is up for an international award.

Adams and Ruckriegel are interested in memorabilia and pictures associated with the building's history, in particular when it was a hotel.

Those interested in renting Casa Urbana can contact Adams or Ruckriegel at (812)235-1145

cjfjapan

April 13th, 2005, 01:31 AM

Valley activist group looking to pull Wabash River into play in city's development

By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star

Terre Haute is a riverside community, but to most residents, the Wabash River might as well be invisible.

Emblematic of that fact, said Max Miller, are the concrete barriers that form the sides of the highway bridge across the river in downtown Terre Haute.

"You can't see the river when you cross the bridge," Miller said. "That's an example of how we take the river for granted."

Ignored for years, Miller and others believe it's time for the community to look at how the river might be fit more prominently into Terre Haute's landscape.

Miller is a team leader for the natural environment and community appearance team of Terre Haute Tomorrow, a group of local activists interested in improving the community. Among their points of emphasis: Finding ways to take greater pride in and make greater use of the river through town.

John Mutchner, former coach and athletic director at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, is chairman of a subcommittee focused on what the community might do along the river. With so many property owners along both banks, and with so many other critical changes afoot for the area, the team from Terre Haute Tomorrow is trying to make contacts, bring people together, develop community support for improvements and get the ball rolling.

"One of the things we have to do to get it started is to get people thinking about it," Mutchner said.

The vision might be anything, Miller said: restaurants, condominiums, homes, expanded recreational facilities, or combinations of them, but it has to start with community buy-in.

"Vision is key here, because right now that's all we have," Mutchner said.

They aren't asking for any public money, he said.

Many challenges, public and private, remain. Among the major ones: Terre Haute still must reduce its combined sewer overflow - an old construction technique that means Terre Haute, along with more than 100 Indiana communities, still allows raw sewage to flow into the river during heavy rains.

The city has 11 combined sewer outflows along the east bank of the river.

Troy Swan, sanitary engineer for the City Engineer's office, said the city's plans were submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in 2002, and while approval for some improvements already has been received, the city still is awaiting final approval for a plan that will eventually cost at least $40 million.

With a plan and community effort, the results are positive.

West Lafayette, Lafayette and Tippecanoe County formed a Wabash River Parkway Commission in the 1970s, said Norman "Lucky" Neiburger, a past president of the commission and a past president of the statewide Wabash River Heritage Corridor.

Before that commission got to work, and with the aid of a grass-roots group called Vision 2020, the Wabash River through that community created something out of nothing.

"It wasn't anything," Neiburger said of the river through Lafayette 30 years ago. "Basically, the river was something that was between West Lafayette and Lafayette. It was a dividing thing. Now it's a unifying thing."

The riverfront through that community now is host for festivals and river-based events and has helped revitalize parts of both cities.

Terre Haute can take advantage of the same opportunities, he said.

"That river is to Indiana what the mountains are to Colorado," he said.

Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke said he first learned of Terre Haute Tomorrow while deciding to run for mayor in 2002. He said the idea of a public/private partnership, bringing all elements of the city and county together, is the only way for the community to make something positive of the riverfront.

"We need each other," he said. "We need both sides of the river for this to work."

Burke said Terre Haute Tomorrow is a good venue for those different groups to come together.

"I truly believe it is our best chance of something taking place in our lifetime," he said. Acknowledging that the riverfront in Tippecanoe County has taken 30 years to get where it is, and is still a work in progress, he added, "Us not getting started now helps us how?"

Terre Haute Tomorrow traces its roots to a study commissioned by the Alliance for Growth and Progress in 2000.

Undertaken by George Puia, a former assistant professor of management and finance at Indiana State University, it pointed to areas where the community should concentrate resources to help Terre Haute grow.

The group brings together civic groups and private individuals who want to see Terre Haute grow, lose a negative image and plan for the future.

In September 2001, the group formed action teams in five areas of development: arts and education, economic development, communications, resources and funding, and natural environment and community appearance.

"It's slow, but sure," Mutchner said. "We don't need a bunch of experts from outside of town telling us what to do. It has to start from within, and it's happening."

Terre Haute Tomorrow teams are part of that activity.

"There are a lot of good things going on behind the scenes that people just don't know about," Mutchner said. "Instead of this veil of negativism that has hung over the city for so long, we're now seeking to make Terre Haute the can-do city."

For more information about Terre Haute Tomorrow, call (812) 232-2391.

cjfjapan

April 19th, 2005, 05:42 AM

Aerial view of Downtown, 1931
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=75&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

The Third Terre Haute House, 1933--Mae West sleeping here...
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=91&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Terre Haute House Sign, looking west down Wabash Avenue, 1934
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=88&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Second Terre Haute House, 1914
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=412&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Warren Mcintyre Orchestra in the Mayflower Room of the Terre Haute House
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=173&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Wabash Avenue, looking east from Tribune Building
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=8&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Wabash Avenue, looking West from 6 1/2 Street (yes there are half streets in Terre Haute)
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=5&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

View from 6th and Wabash
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=12&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

West from 7th and Wabash
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Wabash Ave, 1920
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=31&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Wabash Avenue from the Terre Haute House, 1936 (a year before the General Strike)
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=84&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Image of 1913 Flood, looking west toward Wabash River
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=401&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Christmas Decorations on Wabash Ave, 1940
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=224&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

St. Mary of the Woods College, 1945
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=57&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Washington HS Graduates, 1942--TH's segregated HS
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=279&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Train arriving at Terre Haute Union Station, "the only station with a silo attached to it" --Will Rogers.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=49&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=45&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Eat-a-teria, 1941
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=244&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=250&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Entrance to the Indiana Theater, 1941
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=229&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

The Root Department Store, 1914; This department store moved to the suburbs, and remained in business until just a few years ago.

http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=120&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

The Second Terre Haute House, 1902

http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=165&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

FDR speaking at the Big Four Station, 1932

http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=146&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Garfield HS Prom in the Terre Haute House Mayflower Room, 1942
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=317&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Gone With the Wind at the Grand Theater, just north of the Terre Haute House, 1942

http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=107&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Interior of the Gillis Drug Store, Downtown, 1942
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=206&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Interior of Church of the Immaculate Conception, St. Mary of the Woods, 1940

http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=171&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Knights of Columbus Bldg and the Terre Haute Tribune, 1929 (?)
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=118&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Mother's Club at Gilbert Park, Central East Side, 1942
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=322&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Markle's Mill and Dam; Today, the building is gone, only the foundation and the dam remain.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=26&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=166&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Cahill Grocery, 1942
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=393&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Paitson Bros. Store--now a large hardware store serving the east side
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=204&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Pet Show at the Boys Club, 1942. The Terre Haute Boys Club was founded after a generous grant from Madam Edith Brown, the wealthy owner of a popular brothel.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=225&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Race Track at the old East Side Fairgrounds. This is now Memorial Stadium.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=410&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Interior of the Race Track Restaurant
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=201&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Old excursion riverboats passing under the Wabash Ave/National Road/US 40 Bridge.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=129&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

St. Anthony's Hospital, on the South Side--where I was born. Now demolished.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=150&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Standard Hatcheries and Farm Supply Store, Wabash Ave, 1942
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=388&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Terre Haute Commercial College, now the Swope Art Museum
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=108&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Terre Haute Brewing Company Tanks, 1934--right after Prohibition ended. You can get local beer again in TH--"Champagne Velvet--the beer with the million dollar taste."
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=85&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=407&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

Tornado Damage, 1913
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=404&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=418&DMDIM=500&DMDIMW=600&DMDIMH=600

LouisvilleJake

April 19th, 2005, 06:02 AM

Wow. Look at how beautiful Terre Haute once was. Now, what a waste.

cjfjapan

April 23rd, 2005, 05:38 AM

Officials review Terre Haute House proposals, say funding is key

Plans include making hotel an Embassy Suites

By Howard Greninger/Tribune-Star

http://www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/04/22/news/top_stories_yesterday/top04.txt

Converting the Terre Haute House into an Embassy Suites hotel is the idea from Indianapolis-based The Puller Group Inc., one of five proposals city officials are now reviewing as a way to rejuvenate downtown.

It's a $19.9 million plan to convert the building at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue into a 118-suite hotel, said Kenneth A. Puller, who founded the company in 1973. Puller is a 1959 graduate of Indiana State University and 1954 graduate of the former Gerstmeyer High School.

It's an idea the company has been working on for the past eight years and a concept that was discussed with former Mayors Jim Jenkins and Judith Anderson, Puller said, but did not move forward.

Mayor Kevin Burke in October announced the city had received an option on the Terre Haute House and the nearby Bement-Rea and Fort Harrison Savings & Loan buildings to seek proposals to renovate and/or demolish the buildings.

City officials received five proposals before the April 8 deadline.

The Puller Group's proposal includes an additional nearly $1.7 million project to convert the Bement-Rea Building into 23 large luxury apartment units, Puller said.

The Fort Harrison building would be torn down, with the building's facade saved. A three-story glass dome, with a pool, fitness center and arcade, would connect the Terre Haute House with the Bement-Rea Building, with residents of both buildings using the facility, Puller said.

"We also propose two restaurants and using the ballroom and meeting rooms in the Terre Haute House," Puller said.

The proposal, Puller said, includes providing space for Future Artists and Contemporary Educators Showcase Inc. aka FACES, an Indianapolis not-for-profit group that hires instructors to attract students for training in art. That art would be on display in a mezzanine in the Terre Haute House.

Hunt Construction Group would renovate the Terre Haute House, Puller said.

Hunt Construction Group, a subsidiary of The Hunt Corp., is the leading builder of sports complexes, including the Great American Ballpark for the Cincinnati Reds, according to Hoover's Online, a business information company.

Hunt Construction also works on aviation facilities, convention centers, office buildings, hospitals, hotels, industrial facilities and universities. It was founded in 1944 as Huber, Hunt & Nichols.

Puller said that while the Puller Group's proposal does not require it, he would like to see city officials become more involved, either by passing a Tax Increment Financing district that would return all property taxes back into improving that block of downtown, or a special district that returns all sales taxes.

The other four proposals include one by Haute Maison LLC, headed by Terre Haute native John Bischoff and attorney C. Joseph Anderson. They propose a $19.4 million project to convert the Terre Haute House into a 138-room Courtyard by Marriott. Funding would come from 11 different sources, the largest being a $6.5 million mortgage loan from Marshall Group.

Beaver Development LLC and City Properties Group LLC propose a $10 million project to convert the Terre Haute House into a privately owned luxury dorm for students at Indiana State University and restore ballrooms and conference rooms for public use. The Bement-Rea Building would be converted into 20 to 22 loft-style apartments, under that proposal.

The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana proposed to spend $750,000 to $950,000 to rehab the Fort Harrison Savings & Loan Building into an office. The proposal does not include the Terre Haute House or the Bement-Rea Building

Mark H. Branaman, president and chief executive officer of Indianapolis-based engineering and surveying firm Congdon Engineering Associates Inc., said his company has a three-phase proposal.

The company would spend $150,000 to conduct an in-depth market research study to determine the best long-term catalyst for the downtown, which may include renovating the Terre Haute House. The company would use Colliers, Turley, Martin and Tucker, a national real estate marketing company for that study, Branaman said.

"We also believe there is a possibility that the city, while no such arrangements have been made, may be looking to move or build a new government center," Branaman said. "That would be a tremendous anchor to redevelop the downtown."

The company could help develop such a center as the second phase of its proposal. Then the property including the Terre Haute House could be renovated, if that is determined feasible under a market study.

"We have as a partner a larger major hotel chain developer. If a hotel is a part of it, we have the ability to do that with Royal Bank of Canada Dain Rausher and Great Lakes Financial. If the government center is part of it, it can work," Branaman said.

"I want to see something succeed there and succeed long-term," he said. Branaman is a 1984 graduate of Terre Haute South Vigo High School and 1989 graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Whatever proposal is finally recommended, funding is the key element.

"We are looking at the proposals, but primarily with the financial aspects of each proposal," said Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. "We are following up on every single piece of financing in each proposal. All [the proposals] are good ideas and fit well with the property. That is not the concern. We are focusing on the financial aspects to see where funding is coming from."

It will be a matter of weeks, but Witt declined to put any timetable on completion of the review. "We will provide the summary of our work in a report that will be presented to the city Redevelopment Commission," Witt said, adding that report will include a recommendation on which project will work best, based on criteria established in the city's request for proposals.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

IF YOU GO

-- A public "Terre Haute House Forum," with Downtown Terre Haute Inc. as host, will be staged from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Swope Art Museum near Seventh and Ohio streets.

-- Downtown Terre Haute Inc. Director Andrew Conner has contacted each of the developers who responded to the city's 90-day Request for Proposals with plans for the Terre Haute House and Fort Harrison Savings Association and Bement-Rea buildings.

-- The forum will be set up similar to a trade show, in which developers are willing to meet the public and explain their proposals, Conner said. Four of five developers are expected to attend, Conner said.

-- For more information about the forum, call Conner at (812) 239-3825.

cjfjapan

April 23rd, 2005, 05:44 AM

The Future of the Terre Haute House

http://www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/04/22/opinion/editorial_yesterday/edit03.txt

With interest high in hotel, so should city's efforts be

It's impossible to predict at this early stage in the city's redevelopment process just what the future has in store for the Terre Haute House.

Whatever happens, we take comfort in knowing there is no lack of interest in the grand old building's fate.

There has never really been any community ambivalence about the structure. The Terre Haute House is an important part of the city's physical and emotional landscape. And let's be honest. Lack of concern, real or perceived, is probably not what led the Hulman family to allow the building to sit empty and deteriorating the past 30-plus years.

There are many and varied forces at work. Most, if not all, are driven by money. It will take private investment funding, and plenty of it, to save the historic building. That is not a trivial matter. If it was, the building would have been put back into use long ago.

Renovating the 10-story hotel will be a risky business venture. Face the facts, Terre Haute is not a booming community. Our population and our economy have been stagnant. Putting millions of speculative dollars into an old downtown hotel will take about as much courage and creativity as it does cash.

With all that in mind, we applaud the five development groups that stepped forward last week to submit proposals for revitalizing the hotel. The city, under the leadership of Mayor Kevin Burke, holds an option on the building and has been given the opportunity by the owner to find a suitable way to deal with the building once and for all.

The city's Redevelopment Department solicited proposals, and the five plans submitted are more than twice as many as expected.

Knowing now just how much people care about the Terre Haute House and its place in the city's history should motivate redevelopment commissioners to work extra hard to find a way to make one of these proposals work.

While demolition of the structure remains an option if development proposals don't pan out, now is not the time to worry about those prospects. With so many people caring so much about putting new life into the Terre Haute House, we can only hope that this last revitalization hurrah will turn to be the best.

cjfjapan

April 28th, 2005, 07:31 PM

Public receives glimpse of Terre Haute House proposals

Look at historic structure's potential future draws crowd to Swope Art Museum

By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star

About 100 Terre Haute residents attended a gathering Tuesday to study three possible futures for the Crossroads of America.

"I can't say that I'm surprised," said Todd Nation, a board member of DTH Inc., about the turnout. "This is clearly an important issue to the community. This is a direct response to the community's appetite for information about these proposals."

Downtown Terre Haute Inc. was host for the trade-show format in the Swope Art Gallery.

Developers showed two separate proposals to redo the historic building as a hotel/meeting place, and one proposal to create a luxury dormitory for Indiana State University.

A fourth potential developer, proposing a three-phase plan to first study the potential of the building, did not attend.

Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana also displayed its plans to restore the Fort Harrison Savings and Loan building that sits between the Terre Haute House and the Bement-Rea building on the corner of Eighth Street and Wabash Avenue.

David Beaver of Beaver Development LLC plans to invest about $10 million into creating luxury dormitory rooms for ISU students.

"We feel like we might as well capitalize on the market that is available," he said. The proposal would build about 250 rooms in the Terre Haute House, and 18 to 22 loft apartments in the Bement-Rea building. Their proposal originally involved the Fort Harrison building, Beaver said, but they would work with Historic Landmarks Foundation to accommodate the latter's plans.

Beaver said they also would restore the ballroom, making it available for community activities, and would have a multipurpose theater in the Terre Haute House that could be used either for films or for business presentation.

He said their plan would put 400-plus people in downtown 365 days a year, whereas the hotel proposals would bank on it becoming a destination, which was not a sure thing.

John Bischoff, from Haute Maison LLC, a Terre Haute-based developer that would turn the hotel into a Marriott Hotel, said his study indicated that it would become a destination.

"The product is so unique that you produce demand that isn't there now," he said.

Haute Maison's proposal to restore the lobby, ballroom and corridors to historic standards would allow them to claim historic preservation tax credits. On the upper floors, they would create 138 rooms from the original 250, and would have a pool and workout area in the vacant lot east of the Terre Haute House.

The Puller Group would follow similar lines to restore the hotel as Embassy Suites, with 23 luxury apartments in the Bement-Rea Building that would share the pool and amenities of the hotel, said Ken Puller. Their proposal also would build onto the hotel to the east for a pool.

Puller said it would be developing the hotel in coordination with an Indianapolis-based arts group.

"It will help grow the arts community that is already here," Puller said.

The Terre Haute House sits on Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue, an intersection commonly referred to as the "Crossroads of America" and one that connects two corridors already earmarked for state grant funds as a scenic byway or an arts corridor. Those plans have been slow to develop and execute.

"There's been a lot of talk about revitalizing downtown property," Puller said. "But if you don't start with the biggest property, it's not going to happen."

Mayor Kevin Burke, who did not attend the presentations Tuesday evening, said he expected the Department of Redevelopment staff to perform its due diligence in analyzing the proposals, and the Redevelopment Commission to make its decision based on the staff's work.

Dave Heath, president of the Redevelopment Commission, said he has had nobody tell him they would like to see the building torn down, but many have told him that they'd prefer it torn down if it is simply going to remain empty.

While he said the Redevelopment Commission will be looking over the proposals and recommending the one most viable, the developers still have alternatives if the city doesn't fail to exercise its option.

"I think we lose track of this. It's still a privately owned building," he said. The owner could entertain any of these proposals, or others that come along.

Heath said he expected to see some staff evaluation of the proposals at the Redevelopment Commission meeting in May.

The city received an option on all three buildings - the Terre Haute House, Fort Harrison Savings and Loan and the Bement-Rea Building - in October, giving city officials the ability to publish a request for proposals.

The city put out its request in January, receiving proposals April 8. They are currently under evaluation. The city is not obligated to select any of the proposals.

Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said last week that each group presented a reasonable use for the property, but that financing would be a key element in the study.

No timetable has been set for selection of an alternative.

Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com

Preservation on minds of those in attendance

Joanne Hammer/Tribune Star

Opinions were mixed during the Terre Haute House proposal presentations on Tuesday, but many said the Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission should choose any plan that preserves the historic building and provides feasible funding.

Out of the three plans presented for the renovation of the Terre Haute House, most of those interviewed preferred the hotel concept, presented by both Terre Haute-based Haute Maison Development LLC and Indianapolis-based Puller Group Inc.

Many favored Puller Group's Embassy Suites building, which would house a hotel, conference center, ballroom and retail space.

Receiving a less enthusiastic vote was the Indiana State University luxury dorm plan, presented by Brownsburg-based Beaver Development LLC.

"I like any plan that does not involve the wrecking ball," said Phil DeSanto of Terre Haute, who attended the presentation with his wife, Marianne.

Many attendees carried a stack of materials they planned to study and did not want to say what proposal they favored.

"The city has to understand they must help," said Nick Agresta, Terre Haute. "This old building is the heart of Terre Haute."

Terre Haute officials earlier this month received proposals to renovate and/or demolish the Terre Haute House, Bement-Rea Building and the Fort Harrison Savings & Loan Building in the city's downtown.

Five proposals were submitted:

-- The Puller Group Inc. A $19.9 million proposal to convert Terre Haute House into 118-suite hotel. It will be an Embassy Suites. Convert Bement-Rea Building into 23 large luxury apartment units under $1.7 million plan. Connect both buildings with three-story glass dome, with pool, fitness center and arcade. Tear down Fort Harrison Savings, but keep facade.

-- Haute Maison LLC. A $19.4 million project to convert Terre Haute House into 138-room Courtyard by Marriott. Restore ballroom and conference rooms.

-- Beaver Development LLC and City Properties Group LLC. About $10 million plan to convert Terre Haute House into privately owned luxury dorm for students at Indiana State University. Convert Bement-Rea Building into 20 to 22 loft-style apartments.

-- Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Convert Fort Harrison Savings & Loan building into office space. Cost $750,000 to $950,000.

-- Congdon Engineering Associates Inc. Propose spending $150,000 on in-depth market research study to determine long-term catalyst for downtown. Proposes if City Hall moves, could develop new government center. If Terre Haute House feasible as hotel, would join with Royal Bank of Canada Dain Rausher and Great Lakes Financial.

Rural King

April 29th, 2005, 03:54 AM

FAN-Freakin-TASTIC!!!!!!

That was a fanatastic grouping of historic photos! Really shows how great Terre Haute was. Times change and things decline, but I still don't think Terre Haute is all that bad of a place now....nothing like it was as its height, but its still a fair enough small city.

cjfjapan

May 26th, 2005, 04:07 AM

Terre Haute House options shot down

Mayor Burke says demolition of landmark will be considered

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/05/25/package/package.jpg
No one's home at this house: The Terre Haute House looms over downtown Terre Haute on Tuesday afternoon. A report issued Tuesday by the Terre Haute House Project Review Committee says that none of the proposals advanced for the rehabilitation of the Terre Haute House and the adjacent buildings fits the required financial criteria. (Tribune-Star/Elizabeth Goodman)

By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star

Not one of the proposals advanced for the rehabilitation of the Terre Haute House and the adjacent buildings fits the financial criteria the city placed in its request for proposals.

A report was issued Tuesday by the Terre Haute House Project Review Committee, made up of Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. and Mike Kass and Phil Kessner of the Department of Redevelopment.

It read that no recommendation will be made to advance any of the five proposals, " Š due to the significant level of financial uncertainty that surrounds each project."

"In light of the criteria outlined in the [Request for Proposals], we believe that none of the proposals are adequate, therefore, no additional action of the Redevelopment Commission is required," the report concluded.

Mayor Kevin Burke, whose administration asked for an option on the property last year from its owner, Hulman and Co., sought the opportunity as a way to press forward with the future of either the building or the site.

Burke said he was disappointed in the findings.

"I'm disappointed. Like many in Terre Haute, I was hopeful," Burke said, adding that the report shed light on the difficulty of making the former hotel, empty for 30 years, into a financially feasible enterprise.

"As the report clearly outlines, what has happened in the previous decades has reared its head again," Burke said.

Developers' reactions were angry or indifferent.

"That's bull," said David Beaver, of Beaver Development LLC., of the report's conclusion that they lacked commitments on the majority of their funding. "For crying out loud, we don't own the building."

Beaver proposed building luxury student apartments in the Terre Haute House, commercial space and apartments in the Bement-Rea building, and renovation of the Fort Harrison Saving and Loan building between them into office space for Historic Landmarks Foundation.

The report said Beaver included no correspondence regarding a mortgage loan that would finance more than 70 percent of the work.

Beaver said the banks they work with have been partners with them for more than 10 years, and would provide the loan when they acquired the property.

"We're standing ready with our project," Beaver said.

Beaver said $1 million of their project would come from a grant from the owners to cover lead and asbestos remediation, and he was told by Witt that it would be available.

"That's ridiculous. I never said that," Witt said. Some talk in the past had been made of the owner providing some help with environmental remediation, but that commitment would have to be worked out between the developer and the owner.

The report included a letter from W.C. Brighton, of Hulman and Co., stating that the owners made no financial commitment to any of the developers.

Beaver also complained that no meetings were scheduled to allow him to explain his proposal.

"If they had asked for presentations, a lot of this would have been cleared up," Beaver said.

"They have to provide documents on their financial backing," Witt said. "They can't rely on rumor or innuendo."

John Bischoff, of Haute Maison LLC, who has been working on his proposal since 2001, said the report is " Š exactly what I expected."

Haute Maison's proposal would turn the Terre Haute House into a 138-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel. It does not reference the other two buildings.

Bischoff said they have had an "adversarial relationship" with City Hall for years over his efforts, and expected the report to downplay his proposal.

"It's a cover-your-ass document," Bischoff said. He said the only purpose served by the city's request for proposals has been to generate public interest in renovating the three historic buildings. Other than that, "We didn't go anywhere, I guess."

Bischoff said the report is an example of " Š the no-can-do attitude. If we were in Indianapolis, we'd find a way to do it."

Both Bischoff and Beaver said they'd be taking their proposals to Hulman and Co. outside the city's RFP process.

Burke said the lack of recommendation from the project review committee would not stop any of the developers from taking their proposals directly to Hulman and Co.

The report also evaluated the Puller Group's proposal, which would turn the hotel into an Embassy Suites Hotel, demolishing the Fort Harrison Savings and Loan, with the exception of the facade, to make a recreation area, and turn the Bement-Rea building into apartments. It too, failed to meet the committee's standards for financial support.

Representatives of the Puller Group could not be reached for comment.

The remaining proposals also were discussed, but neither recommended. One is from Historic Landmarks Foundation for renovation of the Fort Harrison building alone, and the other asks for further study about a possible location of a city government complex on the site.

With the option due to expire June 30, Burke said he would explore other options with the Redevelopment staff, including tearing the building down.

"We do need to find out what all is entailed in demolition," Burke said. "We need to research that. My purpose in taking the option Š was to remove urban legends."

The city announced in October that it had acquired the option. The Redevelopment Department asked for proposals in January, and received them April 8.

Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com

Story created May 24, 2005 - 23:39:33 CDT.

cjfjapan

November 11th, 2005, 05:59 AM

The Terre Haute House is coming down, although there is talk that a new 7-story Hilton Garden Inn will be built on the site

Some pictures of the demolition, courtesy of terrehautehouse.net (http://www.terrehautehouse.net/)

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/nov529.jpg

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/nov57.jpg

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/nov95.jpg

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/nov910.jpg

The new hotel has not been formally announced yet, but if you go to http://www.dorabros.com/ and scroll over the Hilton Garden Inn icon at the top, you will see an image of a new hotel in Terre Haute scheduled to open in 2007...with the bad news comes some good...

cjfjapan

November 11th, 2005, 06:08 AM

Here are some shots my elementary school friend took, and posted on his website purplepug.com (http://www.purplepug.com/thh3.htm)

http://www.purplepug.com/thh/DSC_0295.jpg

http://www.purplepug.com/thh/DSC_0348.jpg

http://www.purplepug.com/thh2/DSC_0367.jpg

The view from the roof, looking west at the Vigo County Courthouse

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0383.jpg

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0386.jpg

North, toward the campus of Indiana State University

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0389.jpg

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0390.jpg

East--the tower is the vantage of the WTHI Towercam (http://www.wthitv.com/towercam.asp)

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0396.jpg

Love that paint job...

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0403.jpg

The hotel closed in 1970...

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0413.jpg

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0414.jpg

http://www.stromtrooper.com/purplepug/thh2/DSC_0416.jpg

cjfjapan

November 11th, 2005, 08:32 AM

Maybe not as nice as the old one, but definitely an improvement over an abandoned building. Link to the story is here (http://www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/11/10/package/package.txt) .

Hilton to replace landmark hotel

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/11/10/package/package01.jpg

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/11/10/package/package.jpg
Facade: The old signage of the Terre Haute House is being saved for use on the new structure that will rise from the rubble. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)

New structure at Seventh and Wabash to keep Terre Haute House name; construction scheduled to begin in spring

By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star

If all goes well, Terre Haute will have a new Terre Haute House at the Crossroads of America in mid-2007.

A 127-room Hilton Garden Inn is planned at the corner of Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue. Construction is planned to begin in the spring, with the hotel and convention center to open in summer 2007.

“It's not a done deal by any stretch,” said Tim Dora, co-owner of Dora Bros. Hospitality Corp. of Fishers, the company that will own and operate the hotel. “We have put a lot of work into this. Invested a lot of time and money. I'm pretty optimistic we can get this done.”

The hotel will include four suites, a Great American Grill serving breakfast and dinner, a lounge, indoor pool, fitness center and a 24-hour complimentary full business center.

The project will include 3,000 square feet of banquet room/meeting space: three 750-square-foot rooms, two of which can be combined into a large room, and two board rooms of 375 square feet each.

In spite of the renderings showing the design in a park-like setting, the hotel will be placed at the sidewalk of the corner of Seventh and Wabash. It will be designed to be a downtown hotel, and will carry the name Terre Haute House.

The hotel will cost about $12 million, Dora said. Dora Bros. will be working with Pinnacle Asset Management, a Bloomington, Ind.-based company, in the project. Details of the financial arrangements are not available.

Representatives of Pinnacle could not be reached for comment.

Greg Gibson, principal of Seventh and Wabash LLC, which owns the property at the corner, said he is not involved in the financial arrangements at this point.

“I'm going to make the property available,” he said. “I think it's a great thing - exactly what I hoped would happen.”

Gibson said he is working with Dora Bros. and Pinnacle to ensure the final arrangements come together quickly.

According to the Dora Bros. Web site, the company also does some of its own construction. Tim and his brother, Bob Dora, are principals in Prestige Building Co. LLC.

Additional details about the development are expected at a 10:30 a.m. news conference today at Clabber Girl.

Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com.

Mayor pleased new hotel planned downtown

By Joanne Hammer/Tribune-Star

The city's top official is pleased economic life will begin anew at the corner of Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue.

Construction for a Hilton Garden Inn is planned to begin in the spring, with the hotel and convention center to open in summer 2007.

“This is exhilarating news,” said Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke when called by the Tribune-Star on Thursday night. “I heard things were afoot, but there are no deals until everyone has signed.”

Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., could not be reached for comment.

Burke said his hope was that a business in the private sector would make its home on the corner, increasing jobs, tax revenue and prosperity.

“I can very easily tell you one of our absolute goals was that something happened there quickly,” Burke said. “For the developer to have success in getting someone to take advantage of the opportunity before getting the building down is great.”

The deal has not been finalized, but the principals in the development are optimistic.

Burke said he is pleased a company showed interest in the site so quickly.

The city had hoped once the area was cleared it would take only a short time to fill the corner with something economically advantageous, but officials did not expect it to happen before the building was torn down, Burke said.

“When downtown prospers, Terre Haute prospers,” he said.

Although nothing can replace the memories made in the city's third Terre Haute House, Burke said he felt the name was appropriate for the new hotel and convention center.

“This is in the best interest of Terre Haute,” Burke said. “Now we will have something on that corner to make memories again.”

Joanne Hammer can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or joanne.hammer@tribstar.com.

Fast facts about the Hilton Garden Inn Terre Haute House

-- The six-story interior corridor will feature a restaurant offering breakfast, dinner and evening room service, pavilion lounge, heated indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, 24-hour complimentary business center and 24-hour pavilion pantry. Enjoy dinner and drinks on the restaurant terrace.

-- The guestrooms will come with the following amenities: refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron, ironing board, high-speed internet, electronic door locks, two dual-line speakerphones with data ports, large work desk with desk-level outlets, adjustable lighting and ergonomic chairs, free USA Today and alarm clock radio.

-- The 127-room hotel will include whirlpool suites, 3,000 square feet of banquet room/meeting space: three 750-square-foot rooms, two of which can be combined into a large room, and two board rooms of 375 square feet each.

Story created Nov 10, 2005 - 23:33:03 CST.

Indyman

November 11th, 2005, 01:45 PM

It is sorta sad. Thos cities have become very worn down looking and the just arnt cuting it. What would it take for a city like Terra hauteto begin to rebound from its current state or will it pretty much stay as it is?

choyak

November 12th, 2005, 07:15 AM

That is so disturbing that the beautiful old building will be replaced by another building? WTF??? Why not just renovate the original building and put the 'Hilton Garden Inn' in it???

cjfjapan

November 12th, 2005, 11:11 AM

That is so disturbing that the beautiful old building will be replaced by another building? WTF??? Why not just renovate the original building and put the 'Hilton Garden Inn' in it???

Definitely my thought too. One of the problems that developers had in recent years was a reluctance of city officials to "contribute" tax dollars to any redevelopment plans. The developers who were turned down over and over by the city commented that these kinds of rehabs require some public outlay, but the city, for some reason, wasnt buying it. Now, the developers of the new hotel are asking for "public input" to the tune of, Im guessing about $1.5 million.

Here is the article (http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?id=15829) laying the groundwork for that...

The six-story Hilton Garden Inn will occupy the site of the former Terre Haute House. Construction is slated for Spring of next year with completion expected by early 2007.

Source: Inside INdiana Business

Press Release

Terre Haute, Indiana (November 11, 2005) – Representatives of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation joined principals of Dora Brothers Hospitality Corporation in announcing the development of a new Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Downtown Terre Haute. The new facility will be known as the “Hilton Garden Inn – Terre Haute House” and will be located in downtown Terre Haute at the northeast corner of 7th Street and Wabash Avenue (U.S. Highway 40), the original “Crossroads of America”.

The new urban-style hotel, which will occupy the site of the former Terre Haute House, will rise six-stories and offer 127 guest rooms.

“We are very excited about this unique opportunity,” said Dora Brothers Hospitality Corporation partner Tim Dora. “We hope that the community will be as excited as we are about this project.”

The Hilton Garden Inn – Terre Haute House will feature a full-service restaurant, lounge, room service, heated indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, 24-hour complimentary business center, 24-hour pavilion pantry and three meeting rooms. Each guest room will offer a refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, two dual-line speakerphones with voicemail and data ports, high-speed Internet access and other amenities.

“If all goes well, we intend to start construction in the spring of 2006 and open the facility in the early spring of 2007, “ said Tim Dora. “We have placed the property under contract to purchase and have initiated our due diligence efforts. We are announcing this project at this time due to the necessity to be active with the final stages of our investigations. While there are still several factors that could stop this project from happening, we are 90 percent there. Local public participation will be required to assure this project will become reality. Assuming our request for local assistance is approved, we should be able to wrap up the final details in the next 60 days, actually close on the property, commence the design and engineering and begin construction by next spring.”

“It is common knowledge that several suitors expressed interest in the old Terre Haute House over the years,” said Steve Witt, President of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation. “While we all would have loved to see that facility rehabilitated to its former glory, the fact was the economic feasibility of restoration declined over time to the point that risk-laden “wing and prayer” financial schemes were the only apparent avenues for the redevelopment of the facility. Due to the purchase of the property by Greg Gibson for speculative redevelopment purposes, the Dora Brothers Hospitality Group is now stepping forward to invest millions of dollars of its own capital to build a brand new hotel facility in our downtown. This proposed project is something our downtown desperately needs and is worthy of consideration with regard to local public incentives.”

“This is the exact activity that I hoped to spur by taking the step to purchase and demolish the existing structures,” said Terre Haute-based entrepreneur Greg Gibson. “While this deal is not final, I believe the project that the Dora Brothers have put together will be successful and of huge benefit to our community. I’m looking forward to consummating the sale of the project site to the Dora Brothers and watching the new facility take shape.”

“From a nostalgic perspective, my father – Robert E. Dora – built his first Holiday Inn in Terre Haute 40 years ago. I am excited to be back in Terre Haute with a new hotel that will be Terre Haute’s finest lodging facility for the next 40 years,” added Tim Dora.

About Dora Brothers Hospitality Corporation

Dora Brothers Hospitality Corporation, owned by Bob and Tim Dora, is a second-generation hospitality management group continuing the Dora family tradition of outstanding hotels. Dora Brothers Hospitality Corporation currently operates 15 hotels, consisting of over 1,500 rooms, in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Bob and Tim Dora have principal ownership positions in most of the hotels that they manage. Bob and Tim Dora are also principals in Prestige Building Company, LLC. Prestige has a proven record in constructing high-quality projects on time and under budget. Additional information on Dora Brothers Hospitality Group can be found at www.dorahotels.com.

About Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation

The Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation is Terre Haute/Vigo County, Indiana’s lead economic development organization. THEDC’s membership is comprised of representatives of greater Terre Haute’s governmental units, manufacturers, financial institutions, utilities, universities, health-care providers, retailers, professional service providers and non-profit organizations. Additional information on the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation can be found at www.terrehauteedc.com.

Source: Terre Haute Economic Development Corp.

cwilson758

November 12th, 2005, 05:37 PM

Too bad it has to come down. I am sure some crummy building made of "drive-it" and partial brick will replace it, which will look just horrible!

cjfjapan

December 8th, 2005, 08:16 AM

This is the first new major construction in downtown Terre Haute since the 1980s, when the headquarters for First Financial Bank was completed.

Terre Haute commission OKs using $1 million to develop Hilton Garden Inn

http://www.tribstar.com/content/articles/2005/12/07/news/top_stories/top01.jpg

By Howard Greninger/Tribune-Star

A Terre Haute commission unanimously voted Tuesday to use a maximum of $1 million from a special property tax fund for the development of a new Hilton Garden Inn in the city's downtown.

The nearly $12 million, 127-room hotel project will replace the Terre Haute House, which is being demolished. The new hotel will be built and owned by Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. of Fishers.

The five-member Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission voted to approve the use of accumulated and uncommitted funds from the city's downtown Tax Increment Finance, or TIF, district.

The TIF currently contains about $800,000 and will reach about $1.1 million after a December property tax disbursement is made by the Vigo County Treasurer's Office. Some of the TIF funds are committed to paying off bonds for the Terre Haute Center City building.

The funds that go to the hotel will pay for site preparation, professional services, civil engineering, survey and title work, soil investigations and other environmental and engineering services.

In addition, the Redevelopment Commission will purchase a parking lot at Seventh and Cherry streets from Hulman & Co., and then provide that land to Dora Brothers for use by the hotel.

The lot contains 43 parking spaces currently used by the State Office Building at Eighth and Cherry streets.

When Terre Haute developer Greg Gibson acquired the Terre Haute House and adjacent properties for the new hotel, those parking spaces were not included in the deal with Hulman & Co., said Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp.

The state will lease 43 spaces from the city in a multi-use transportation facility slated for construction next year, Witt said.

Timothy J. Dora, co-owner of Dora Brothers, said the Hilton Garden Inn is not contingent on the city building that parking garage, but does need use of the parking lot at Seventh and Cherry streets.

Witt, using a conservative figure of $7 million as an example for investment, estimated the new hotel would generate $190,715 in property tax in its first year. Witt said Dora Brothers will not seek a property tax abatement.

The city's investment would be recouped within six years, Witt said. Over a 20-year period, the business would provide an estimated $3.8 million in new property taxes.

“Doing business in downtown Terre Haute in a hotel will not be a cake walk,” Witt said. “Dora Brothers are in a very competitive environment and obviously [have] the resources to build this type of facility anywhere they want to be.”

Prior to the 5-0 vote, commission member George Shumay asked why the city did not offer TIF money earlier this year to any of the individuals or groups who made official proposals for renovation of the Terre Haute House.

Witt said he was following the direction of Mayor Kevin Burke. Burke was opposed to restoration of the old hotel because he did not consider it a good investment.

Witt said the “main difference between [the Dora Brothers] project and others, and by that I mean not just the ones who responded to the RFPs [request for proposals], but others before that, was that [the others] were, for the most part, seeking seed capital from the city to try to build upon and put their package together.

“I see this as gap financing, to put this over the top. Tim [Dora] comes to the table with a track record, financial strength and the ability to do the deal,” Witt said. “I have been involved in start-up companies that have gone bad. I see this as a tremendous difference. I'll take the guy with a track record any day over the guy who has good intentions. Good intentions are fine, but at the end of the day you have to put the deal together.”

Witt said Indianapolis law firm Ice Miller has reviewed the commission's resolution to ensure that all of the work to be done will conform to the state's law on TIF money use.

Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. owns and operates 16 hotels.

Construction of the Hilton Garden Inn, which will incorporate some building materials from the existing Terre Haute House, is to begin in March. Construction will take about a year to complete. The Doras say they plan to open the hotel by March 2007.

The first floor of the hotel will include a two-story vaulted ceiling in the entrance, a requirement for Hilton Garden Inn.

Attracting business travelers will be the main thrust of the hotel, providing up to 80 percent of its business, Tim Dora said.

“That is really an important aspect of this project. Š For a downtown property like this, we need something to attract people downtown when it is easier to go near the interstate,” he said. “The quality of this hotel will attract a clientele that has a very good demographic profile and income, the type of commercial traveler that is on an expense account.”

To encourage weekend business, the Doras plan to work with Indiana State University to offer special deals to visitors attending sports or other special events, Dora said.

The hotel can financially succeed by staying at least 60 percent occupied, he said.

“A lot will depend on ISU and us being creative to create new events. We have to have a real strong brand to drive that commercial business down the week and overcome somewhat of a perceived less than desirable location. I'm confident we can do that,” Dora said.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

MONEY MATTERS

A maximum of $1 million from a Tax Increment Financing fund will be used for development of a Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Terre Haute. The money will be used for:

-- Design and engineering

-- Survey and site plan development

-- Soil testing

-- Development fees to Prestige Building Company, a subsidiary to Dora Brothers Hospitality Group

-- Environmental testing and reporting

-- Legal services

-- Tap-on fee for the sanitary sewer system

-- Purchase of a parking lot at Seventh and Cherry streets

-- Filling and compaction of basement area

-- Site work

-- Utility work

Story created Dec 07, 2005 - 08:13:21 CST.

cjfjapan

December 17th, 2005, 05:07 AM

Check out the last days of the old hotel at www.terrehautehouse.net

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/dec15th16.jpg

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/dec15th13.jpg

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/dec15th2.jpg

colts0315

December 20th, 2005, 08:04 AM

cjfjapan

December 20th, 2005, 02:20 PM

It's sad to see it taken down--I dont know why, but I've been fascinated watching the building being reduced to rubble. I used to walk by it several times a week, and always wished it would be reopened. Apparently, the mayor decided that it wasn't economical to refurbish it. Terre Haute is not the kind of city where money is lavished on old buildings---yet. At least the courthouse IS being refurbished with great care. If the building has to be torn down (too late to argue over that now, I suppose) Im glad that a new hotel will be built there. While it would have been infinitely better to have refurbished the old building, plans for the new one don't look terrible. Espcially compared to the majority of structures that have been built downtown in the last 20 years--which are almost all AWFUL.

If a new hotel will jump - start some sensible rebuilding of downtown Terre Haute, I'm all for it.

rider_of_rohan

December 20th, 2005, 05:58 PM

Why dont they build malls in downtown areas? I have seen some like that and I loved them. THey have a large mall in downtown toronto that has a glass top and you can look up at skyscrapers. Its very cool and its hooked into mass transit. I would rather go to a downtown multistory mall than a suburban sprawl mall.

mohammed wong

December 20th, 2005, 06:02 PM

What the hell is the matter with society these days???? I swear the 1960's ruined everything. All that shitty architecture, suburbs, and destruction of beautiful buildings. Why can't downtowns survive? Because people are to damned lazy and selfish and need their gas-guzzling vehicles and sprawling strip malls. I am so sick of seeing things like this happen. I agree, why couldn't they have used the old hotel for the new one??? The thing was built to be a hotel!!! Now, like cwilson said, they will build some interstate-exit looking structure with no character. Way to go, another beautiful landmark wasted because nobody gives a shit about the past.

wow where in gary do you live? my dad grew up there, and he is old, like 80, so he remebers when it was nice there,

and btw i agree if terre haute hoped to regain some semblance of its former self, it may have just shot itself in the leg, this is a total travesty, thankfully they arent so retarded in milwaukee, they just restored a grand old hotel, the ambassador hotel, looks swell,

i like your adjective interstate exit looking, definitely agree,

great pics of old terra haute, im sad of how far its fallen, as my dad is a hoosier,

colts0315

December 20th, 2005, 07:40 PM

colts0315

December 20th, 2005, 07:49 PM

How did this building not fall under some historical preservation code or ordinance? If Terre Haute doesn't have something like this, you'd think the state of Indiana might. In an article posted earlier in this thread, it said the Vigo County Historical society was trying to save the building. What happened with that?

mohammed wong

December 20th, 2005, 08:09 PM

Actually, I live just south of Gary in Merrillville, a suburb if you will. Both sides of my family are from Gary. I, like yourself Mohammed, have heard from my older family members how beautiful Gary used to be. I drive through their quite a bit. It is VERY sad to see how such a large city has been reduced to nothing. There are TONS of city blocks that used to be filled, that are now just open fields. It's almost surreal. There are still a few of the old buildings still standing, though most are abandoned. I know people will say they need to be razed to start redevelopment, but it will take something more than a few new developments bring people downtown. Gary built a minor league baseball stadium and two casinos, and it has not kept people downtown. So, why not rehab buildings and allow their history to draw people downtown. Getting back to the Terre Haute House, does anybody think this new hotel will be successful? Is their really a demand for a hotel in that location, and if so, why didn't the original succeed? What a sad fate that has fallen on cities like Terre Haute and Gary. They've become disposable to this throw-away society

yeah i kinda figured that you didnt live in gary,
sigh,
but i do have hope for gary in the future, its right by chicago, and the southside is picking up quite a bit, and its bound to continue heading south and catch up to gary, i really want to take my dad on a trip and visit gary and miller beach, which is where he spent most of his time, i think gary can be nice again, i guess its kindof like camden nj right now, a previous industrial boomtown that has fallen on extreme hard times,

i am with you, better to save as many old buildings as you can, its more fun to restore an old building than to build a new one IMHO,

this is ridiculous that terre haute couldnt save their landmark hotel, what hope now is there for their city? im sure they will do alright, but it wont be the same, thats for sure,

cjfjapan

December 21st, 2005, 03:11 AM

Good questions.

Regarding historic preservation, I do not believe that Terre Haute has an ordinance with any kind of teeth. In this case, the argument was that the hotel was open for 42 years (1928-1970) and closed for 35 (-2005). If something could not have been done with it in those 35 years, then it was time to tear it down.

As you might have read farther down, there were several proposals to refurbish the hotel, but the city rejected them. There was a lot of speculation of favoritism toward a local developer who subsequently bought the hotel and is now tearing it down. I dont know if any of that is true or not, though I suspect some of it might be. Hard to know.

Another argument in favor of tearing it down was that the rates that would have to have been charged to break even on a refurbished hotel would have been too high for the market. There is a need for a good hotel downtown---there is a 11000 student university and a convention center a block away. I dont think the hotel will ever be empty. The city can (at this stage) support a downtown hotel that charges $89 or $99 a night, but cannot support one that would have charged $169 or more.

The mall question came up about 25 years ago, just as the suburban malls were starting to deplete the downtown. The city proposed to build a mall in the center of the city, with a 10 story commercial tower, and room for the (at the time) two or three remaining local department stores to relocate there--Schultz, Meis and Root's. The plan died because of the rotten national economy of the early 1980s. Shortly thereafter, Meis and Schultz closed their downtown stores. It's kind of hard to believe that I went shopping in those stores as a (very young) child, and very hard to imagine that there will ever be that kind of shopping downtown again.

Anyway, I for one am looking forward to a new hotel downtown, now that the old one is just about gone. I hope this will mean a corner is turned. The rest of downtown Terre Haute is not doing too badly--the hotel was a huge, empty reminder of the failure of that area. Hopefully with a new, occupied hotel, more interest will be generated in that area.

cjfjapan

June 4th, 2006, 02:18 AM

Finally...

http://dorabros.com/HiltonGI_TerreHaute/photos/HGI_IMG034.jpg

01 June 2006

Construction on the Hilton Garden Inn slated to start in July
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

Construction on the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House is slated to start in early to mid-July, said Paul Thrift of Thompson Thrift Construction Inc.

“It is a done deal. We closed on the property [Thursday morning] and the hotel is going to be a reality,” Thrift said.

Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. is the owner of the hotel, Thrift said, declining to say if Thompson Thrift is involved in a partnership for the hotel. The new hotel is to be built at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue on the site of the former Terre Haute House, which was demolished last year.

Story continues here (http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_152235830.html)

cjfjapan

June 20th, 2006, 01:45 AM

double post

cjfjapan

June 20th, 2006, 02:06 AM

Union Hospital, Terre Haute's oldest hospital, has recently announced expansion plans for their northside campus. Construction of the new hospital will require the closure of one block of North 7th Street, one of the longest thoroughfares in the city. The TH City Council is studying the plans and will consider the request to close the street.

Here is an image of the new building, about a mile north of downtown.

http://thjournal.com/Campus-Site-June092.gif

And a story about the new building is here (http://thjournal.com/unionhospital.asp)

The hospital opened in 1892, in a home on North 7th Street, and was expanded many times:

http://brisray.com/th/unhsptl1b.jpg

This building was constructed in the 1920s I believe, and was used for offices for the past 30 years. It was recently torn down to make way for the new building.

http://brisray.com/th/unionhsp1b.jpg

A new section of the hospital was completed about two years ago (sorry about the odd angle--not my photo)

http://www.terrehauteareaedc.com/images/rotation/tech_working/company_buildings/union_hospital.jpg

There is a cafe at the top with views of the city (bad picture...)

http://www.temple-studio.com/images/CocoMokaCafe200.jpg

I'll get up there and take some pictures when I'm back in town later this year...

bungalowbuck

June 20th, 2006, 06:38 PM

why do so many of these new buildings look so tacky and cheap? why do so many cities seek to impose such an ugly, impersonal "aesthetic" on older cities?

cjfjapan

June 21st, 2006, 04:13 AM

why do so many of these new buildings look so tacky and cheap? why do so many cities seek to impose such an ugly, impersonal "aesthetic" on older cities?

Because there is almost no pressure in these cities for good architecture, and there is very little money to support it.

For example, many people are complaining that the hospital wants to close a major street to build this new box.When some people suggested a parking garage and an elevated walkway across the street, the CEO of the hospital (which employs many of my family members) said that would increase the costs way too much, and jeopardize the project.

But, they will get their way likely because the two buildings I've shown you here are the first multi-story construction in the city (outside of a few mall hotels) since the mid 1980s. People in cities like Terre Haute are just happy that there is any investment in their cities. I would imagine the same could be said for a lot of smaller towns in the Midwest? Decatur, Danville IL? Springfield, Youngstown OH? As far I can tell, there isn't much going on in these cities.

choyak

June 21st, 2006, 06:02 AM

The only word that properly describes this is TRAVESTY
http://dorabros.com/HiltonGI_TerreHaute/photos/HGI_IMG034.jpg
http://www.historiclandmarks.org/images/terrehaute.jpg

I have lost hope in the human race!!!

At least I have not lost hope in my original hometown, Wausau, WI!
that is how you revitalize your downtown.

Here is Wausau's. I think it is 10 floors built in 1920s WOW LOOK AT THE GARBAGE ON TOP!!!
http://www.jmarcoz.com/sirens/wausau_wi.jpg

I couldn't find a frontal view on the web!!! Thanks Siren Archive for this

Sorry I lied on Emporis it is listed as 9 floors!!!

cjfjapan

June 21st, 2006, 02:32 PM

Im with you Choyak--it is a travesty. But it's done, and people have moved on. At least it won't become another one story suburban office building, as has happened with so many other beautiful buildings in Terre Haute.

How has Wausau managed to keep its beautiful old buildings? How has your city kept its downtown afloat?

choyak

June 22nd, 2006, 04:08 AM

Well it is my original city, since I have been in cali for like 20 years. The downtown has been revitalized and is ongoing, getting office tower/ condos etc. Not to hijack the Terre Haute House thread, As for Wausau, the thread http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=265858
has it all.

I will agree it is alot better to build a 6 story hotel than a parking lot (argh), or as you stated a one story sprawlamatic 4000. I am wondering, in Terre Haute, I see quite a few older 6 or 7 story buildings. Hopefully they are not going to be destroyed,

cjfjapan

June 22nd, 2006, 02:12 PM

Thanks for the link--that thread is so busy I can't keep up with it.

Terre Haute still has many beautiful buildings, but many of them are surrounded by parking lots or really ugly suburb-o-crap.

There are very few good images of downtown Terre Haute though--

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/thh2-2-2006.jpg

Some old pictures of extant downtown buildings:

Terre Haute Tribune building (now vacant)
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/thtribbuilding.jpg

Sycamore Building
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/sycamorebuilding.jpg

Deming Hotel, now senior housing
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/store34177.jpg

Vigo County Courthouse
http://www.coffeedrome.com/images/natrds.jpg

http://image24.webshots.com/24/4/26/36/40542636cYYNRF_ph.jpg

choyak

June 23rd, 2006, 05:07 AM

Whoa that courthouse is COOL! Also, Sycamore Building is nice!!! The courthouse reminds me of ...... Manitowoc courthouse
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/Photos/wisconsin08.jpg

The one in Terre Haute has a better roof, I like the mansard roof

cjfjapan

June 23rd, 2006, 07:36 AM

Thanks--the courthouse is probably the most beautiful building in the city, although some of the churches at St. Mary's outside of town are amazing too.

The Vigo County Courthouse was clearly built when leaders imagined a much bigger and brighter future for Terre Haute, was (here's a piece of very nerdy trivia) the 76th largest city in the US when this building was completed in 1880. If it had maintained that ranking, it would be around the size of the cities of Lexington, KY/Lincoln, NE, or the metro areas of Syracuse NY/Toledo OH.

And end to the coal mines and Prohibition stunted the city's growth early in the 1900s, and it never really grew much after that.

cjfjapan

July 2nd, 2006, 12:17 PM

From terrehautehouse.net:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/goodnews.jpg

choyak

July 3rd, 2006, 02:31 AM

Sorry but Wausau had sort of a travesty also in the late 70s I think
http://www.wausaudevelopment.com/images/pic_downtown.jpg

The one on the left is the earlier one I posted viewed from east side instead of north side, the one on the right was built to replace a building similar to the one on the left. I was too little at the time to really remember though!!!

Wausau also had this, and it is destroyed. I guess Wausau had morons in charge in the past
It was built in 1900, no less. If this Court House was still there, it would definately be in national register of historical whatever it is. I just dug online and saw this and remembered it. I am now depressed. I hope the beautiful Court House in Terre Haute will stay there.
http://images.wisconsinhistory.org/whi_images_new/700004110125/0411001540-l.jpg
It was replaced with this
http://www.cd-smith.com/images/full/cor_marathon.jpg
I have just vomited and completely filled my living room with vomit.
The rendering of the hotel looks weird like it is in the countryside instead of downtown, like they did not bother to paint the surrounding buildings. The hotel building however looks OK, not as nice as the one destroyed by far, but a lot better compromise than a surface parking lot!!

cjfjapan

July 3rd, 2006, 05:09 AM

choyak,
That's quite a shame about the courthouse in Wausau.

I had an interesting architectural experience last week when I was in Tokyo (I live in Japan)--I visited what I thought was a very old temple in the center of Tokyo, but it turns out it was reconstructed in 1973--like many old temples, it burned down, but was rebuilt almost exactly as it had been before.

I don't always mourn when old buildings are torn down--sometimes the replacements can be much more functional and beautiful, though in the case you presented, the scale of the old building was certainly more human.

Here is a small shot of how the new Terre Haute House will probably look in context. Im still waiting to see other renderings of it. While I miss the old building, like you said, Im happy that a functioning hotel will be built on the corner.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/bld4.jpg

cjfjapan

July 25th, 2006, 05:37 AM

http://www.tribstar.com/local/images_sizedimage_205130216/xl

Officials commemorate Hilton groundbreaking
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

Saratoga Restaurant owner George Azar remembers how his restaurant’s hours changed after department stores left downtown Terre Haute, taking some of his customers with them.

Now he hopes more business might be just a summer away.

Azar, who also is City Council president, grasped a shovel in his hands late Monday morning as he and other prominent officials symbolically dug into the earth at the site of the old Terre Haute House to mark the beginning of construction for a new hotel they anticipate will add to downtown business.

“Unfortunately the foot traffic isn’t there right now,” said Azar, who owns the Saratoga at Fifth Street and Wabash Avenue with his wife, Cathy. “Hopefully this will bring them in.”

The new hotel is expected to be completed in about a year and will have 109 rooms, including four suites and feature an indoor heated pool and fitness center. Local firm Thompson Thrift Construction Inc. will build the new hotel, which is expected to cost at least $11 million.

“My entire career this corner has been talked about, and we’re excited just to be a part of it,” said Paul Thrift, co-owner of Thompson Thrift.

People have worked for longer than a decade to revitalize the site, said Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke.

Past proposals included renovations of the old Terre Haute House, which was demolished to make way for the Hilton Garden Inn.

“The people of Terre Haute need this,” Burke said at the ceremony. “They’ve waited long enough.”

The city committed $1 million to the project, which facilitated the decision to build the project at the site at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue, said Tim Dora, who is part of companies that will own and manage the hotel.

“So really, cities like this kind, have to make it happen,” he said of the development.

The Hilton Garden Inn will be a four-star hotel with rooms costing near $119 to $129 per night, Dora said in a previous interview.

Once built, the hotel will add between 40 and 45 full-time jobs, along with other part-time jobs, Dora said Monday. He added that he hopes to work out an agreement with Indiana State University to help students fill some of the part-time positions and receive “real Hilton training.”

ISU President Lloyd Benjamin, who witnessed the ceremony, said a partnership between the university and the hotel is possible, though he noted it could contain a variety of possibilities.

“Well I think [the hotel] has multiple benefits for Indiana State,” Benjamin said. “I expect that we will be hosting some events in the hotel.”

Many people are hoping for positive results. Azar kept the shovel he used at the site, which he said he will hang up in the Saratoga.

“I just think it’ll be a nice reminder to a new start to downtown,” he said.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

November 23rd, 2006, 06:27 PM

edit

cjfjapan

November 23rd, 2006, 06:50 PM

Two beautiful buildings on Ninth Street in Terre Haute

St. Benedict's Church
the large central dome was lost in a fire about eighty years ago

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/xx1459.jpg

Today:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/523822435XXtVTp_ph.jpg

Hulman and Co headquarters (makers of Clabber Girl Baking Powder, and owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

Grand Opening, 1892
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/hulmangrand_opening.jpg

1930:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/hulman1931.jpg

1960:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/hulmanandco1960.jpg

Recent Picture:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/hulman60202817WcPqtW_ph.jpg

cjfjapan

November 25th, 2006, 01:44 PM

It's a little funny to me to hear the local press describe Terre Haute as "booming" when the majority of the evidence is the invasion of chain stores: a second Wal-Mart, a new Bob Evans "Resturnt" as the locals are wont to grunt. There have been other significant developments in the economy, though: An expansion of the Clabber Girl Factory downtown; the new downtown Hilton Garden Inn, and industrial investments. The article claims nearly $2 billion in recent investments in the metropolitan area. I hope this isn't just a flash in the pan before the city goes back to sleep for another generation.

From ethanol to bricks, major investments are a public matter

By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE— A recent flurry of public and private investment in Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley has business and government leaders optimistic this Thanksgiving.
“I don’t recall … a time in our history when we’ve seen this significant of investment in our community,” said Rod Henry, president of the Greater Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. Henry estimates around $2 billion recently has been or soon will be invested in the Terre Haute area.
The optimism isn’t confined to the city or Vigo County. There are new investment projects taking root all over the Wabash Valley.
“The outlook is good right now for a lot of places,” said Jim Coffenberry, economic development professional for the West Central Indiana Economic Development District (WCIEDD), which covers Parke, Putnam, Clay, Vermillion, Sullivan and Vigo counties.
He points to a number of new investment projects around the Valley, including prospects for several ethanol plants and major new investments in Sullivan and Clay counties.
“I’ve been doing a whole lot of work lately,” Coffenberry said.
But there may be more to the picture than the overall investment figures indicate. Some of the spending is public, meaning it is paid for by tax dollars that otherwise would have been spent or invested privately. Some of the investment is a public-private mix, such as the ethanol projects, where again the net benefits may be less than what appears. Even much of the private investment has a public side in the form of tax abatements or public financial assistance, again, making the net gains to overall living standards difficult to discern.

Now we’re cookin’ with corn

Ethanol plants are presently a big part of the economic investment picture in Indiana and the Wabash Valley. While Gov. Mitch Daniels has lamented that Indiana — despite being the fifth-largest corn producing state — only recently got into the ethanol game in a big way, the state has since made up ground. In 2005 and the first half of 2006, a dozen new ethanol plants were unveiled for Indiana. Additionally, there are plans for “24 [new plants] on the drawing board [for Indiana] right now,” according to West Central’s Coffenberry, “and there could be as many as 42 in a couple of years.”
Sullivan County soon could be home to two ethanol plants. U.S. Ethanol is expected to build a $180-million plant near Shelburn next year, employing between 60 and 65 people. Construction of the plant, which is expected to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year, will require several hundred employees, Coffenberry said.
A second company is expected to announce plans for another ethanol project in that county by the end of this month, Coffenberry said. He added that Vermillion County and Putnam County each have ethanol plants planned for the near future, near Cayuga and Cloverdale, respectively.
But not everyone sees ethanol, which is basically corn alcohol that can be used as a fuel, as an economic plus, at least not for the broader population. While it may well help corn farmers, its costs and benefits for others are a matter of debate.
“Without [government subsidies], the ethanol industry would collapse to dust. Nobody would make ethanol,” said Jerry Taylor, an economist with the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., who is just completing a lengthy study of the ethanol industry. He calculates the ethanol industry receives $5 billion to $6 billion annually in government subsidies and, even so, the fuel costs around $2.50 per gallon, making it “far more expensive than conventional gasoline.” Taylor also disputes that ethanol production could reduce American “dependence” on foreign oil, and points out that while ethanol may reduce some greenhouse gases, it does so “at a ridiculously exorbitant cost” and contains other pollutants that are more of a problem at present, such as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
Others, such as Michael Maurer, Indiana’s secretary of commerce and president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., see ethanol as “a big win for Hoosiers.” Ethanol plants “add jobs, bring new opportunities for Hoosier farmers and create a renewable fuel that reduces our dependence on foreign fossil fuels,” Maurer said in a recent press release from Renewable Agriculture Energy Inc., the Colorado-based ethanol company planning to build a $150-million ethanol plant near Cayuga. The Cayuga facility is expected to employ 45 people once it is up and running and to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year, according to the company press release. Construction will require 16-20 months, the company said.
In neighboring Illinois, Midwest Bio Management, an Indianapolis-based firm, has announced plans to build a $185-million ethanol plant near Casey. The plant is expected to employ 40 to 50 full-time workers and produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year, according to Bob Brown, president of Casey Industries.

Investments in clay

Apart from corn, clay is making a resurgence as an important natural resource for the Wabash Valley. Natural clay in the soil has drawn at least two new brick-making facilities to the area in recent months.
Boral Brick, an Australian-based multinational corporation, broke ground on a $55-million brick plant in Pierson Township in southern Vigo County early this month and Brampton Brick, based in Canada, is finalizing plans this week for a $41-million plant near Farmersburg in Sullivan County. Brampton’s plant will employ 27 full-time workers earning between $30,000 and $40,000 annually, WCIEDD’s Coffenberry said. Boral Brick’s plant in Vigo County is expected to employ more than 50 full-time workers.
The brick and ethanol plants also will create work opportunities in transportation services since both products must be transported by truck or rail. Ethanol cannot be shipped through pipelines because of “its ability to absorb water and cause pipeline corrosion,” according to a paper published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.
“Our natural resources are benefiting us in a big way,” said Marilyn Salesman, vice president of the Sullivan County Council.

Other investments

Vigo County, the most populous of the Wabash Valley counties, has gotten the lion’s share of the recent investment boom. Union Hospital’s $178-million investment in a new hospital is “the largest investment in the history of the City of Terre Haute,” the Chamber’s Henry said. He also pointed to the recent Hulman Street renovation project, saying it is the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history.
Other major area investments include Pfizer’s $330-million outlay for making and distributing its new insulin drug, Exubera; Sony DADC’s $162 million for Blue-Ray disc operations; steel company CSN’s $50-million expansion project; CertainTeed Corp.’s $70-million production facility for building products; and Aisin Brake & Chassis’s $35-million plant expansion.
“It’s been a busy year,” said Steve Witt, the president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. The THEDC was involved in many of the investment projects in the area, in many cases assisting companies receive tax abatements or other government-provided incentives.
“We looked at probably 70 potential sites,” said Archie Kappel, director of operations for Aisin Brake & Chassis. Eventually his company, which has headquarters in Japan, selected Terre Haute for its recent expansion because of the city’s favorable business climate, its workforce, its infrastructure, access to highways, the Vigo County Industrial Park, cost of living and “very good support system of schools and universities.
“The [Terre Haute] community is a very strong supporter of business,” Kappel said, “as is the local government.” He added that “Terre Haute has a … very strong economic development group with Steve Witt and the business community.
“Doing business in Terre Haute has been very good for Aisin,” Kappel said.

Battling for and about incentives

Nearly all the companies that recently have expanded or located in Terre Haute applied for and were granted some sort of tax break or other economic incentive.
The Sullivan County Council voted last month to give a 10-year tax abatement to Brampton Brick while the Vigo County Council granted a similar abatement to Boral Brick. Other incentives companies have received include a $450,000 training grant and $8.5 million in tax credits from the state Economic Development Corp. for Pfizer along with a tax abatement from Vigo County. Abatements also recently have been granted to Black Dog Ranch, a Colorado-based roofing materials company that plans to invest around $5 million in a Terre Haute plant, and Lenex Steel Corp., which also is investing millions in a new Terre Haute operation. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered $160,000 in training grants to CertainTeed, up to $287,500 in infrastructure assistance and up to $2.25 million in tax credits. Vigo County offered the company 115 acres in the county industrial park for 99 cents an acre plus an $875,000 railroad extension paid for with tax dollars.
“Economic development officials and politicians never consider the unseen [costs of such incentives],” said Michael LaFaive of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Mich. LaFaive, who just completed a 126-page study on Michigan’s statewide economic development program, calls economic incentive packages “political development programs, not economic ones.” Incentives allow politicians and officials to “appear as if they have created jobs … when what they have actually created are job announcements,” LaFaive said. He and other researchers have found that areas that offer few abatements and where taxes are low across the board do better economically than areas with higher taxes that offer frequent tax abatements, he said.
Terre Haute City Councilman Ryan Cummins, R-2nd, a longtime opponent of tax abatements and other government-provided incentives to business, agrees. Abatements create a greater tax burden for other taxpayers while things like Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and other more direct financial incentives force existing businesses to subsidize their competition, he said. Cummins also doesn’t buy the argument that incentives affect company decisions on where to locate.
“We have given abatements for projects that were already well under way or even completed,” Cummins said. “We approved an abatement for DADC even when the [company] representative said the only other location they were considering had … higher costs in terms of labor, utilities and [regulations].”
Companies tend to choose their locations first “then go shopping for economic icing on their location cake,” LaFaive said.
“I don’t buy the argument that [abatements] create an additional expense for the other taxpayers,” THEDC’s Witt said. “Your tax rate is a function of your total assessed value and your levy, so the more assessed value we can get on the books … it’s going to cause people’s tax rates to go down or at least stay the same,” Witt said.
“Where would we be … today if we didn’t have the assessed value of the DADCs and the Pfizers because of tax abatements and incentives that were given 10 or 20 years ago?” Witt asked.
Gov. Daniels, speaking in Terre Haute last month, said the state government can facilitate economic development by creating a positive business atmosphere, marketing the state, reducing burdensome regulations and, he added, offering financial incentives. But, Daniels said, financial incentives are his lowest priority in economic development.
“I like to put [incentives] at the end of the list,” Daniels said, “because those have a cost, namely to other taxpayers.”

Attitude and gratitude

Disagreements aside, one thing appears certain this Thanksgiving: There is a sense of optimism in the air and the Wabash Valley is seeing new public and private investment at a level economic development professionals are calling significant.
There is a new “attitude” in Terre Haute, the Chamber’s Henry said. “I have never seen Terre Haute more positive about where we are today and where we are going,” he said. “There has been a sharp upswing.”
“We’re all feeling pretty good” about new development prospects in Sullivan County, Councilwoman Salesman said. “We have a lot of good people who would like jobs or better jobs,” she said. Sullivan County, like its neighboring counties, has an unemployment rate above the state average and well above the national average. Sullivan County’s unemployment rate is more than 7 percent. Vigo County’s is 6.8 percent and Indiana’s is 5.4 percent. Nationally the rate was 4.4 percent in October.
But this may be changing radically. According to Coffenberry, there has been more investment announced for Sullivan County alone in the past month than in the previous 20 or 30 years.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of people that are going to be thankful for it,” Coffenberry said. “It could get really interesting.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

November 25th, 2006, 01:48 PM

Upgrades at area hospitals impact health, economy
Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

Current and soon-to-be expansion projects at medical facilities in Terre Haute likely will have a strong impact on the city’s economy during the next two years.

Both Terre Haute Regional Hospital and Union Hospital are expanding and investing in new facilities.

On the city’s south side, Terre Haute Regional Hospital plans to construct a new $6-million Medical Office Building, containing about 50,000-square-feet. The new building, still under design, is scheduled to be constructed on the hospital’s campus in mid 2007, said hospital spokeswoman Meredith Swaby.

The three to four-story building will “offer more office space to physicians as well as housing physical therapy and other services,” Swaby said.

Regional Hospital in 2003 finished a $41 million renovation of its Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit and Outpatient services.

In December, Regional Hospital will stage a grand opening for its new Wound Care Center, a $270,000 project that will offer treatment to patients who have non-healing wounds, caused by inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins and immobility, symptoms most frequently found in people with diabetes.

The center will use Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to accelerate healing.

The hospital is adding seven full-time employees at the center, which initially will contain two hyperbaric oxygen chambers. The center has capacity to add a third chamber. The chambers allow a patient to breathe 100 percent oxygen in a pressurized chamber to assist in the healing process of wounds.

“If you save a limb, you save a life,” Swaby said. “Sixty percent of amputees, people who had a hand or limb cut off because of non-healing wounds from diabetic complications, die within the first five years. When you are talking about an aging population like we have, this is very important because it reduces the death rate. It will be a brand new service for the Wabash Valley.

“A physician can refer a patient to the center. It is an added resource for physicians to utilize as well,” Swaby said.

Union Hospital also is opening a wound healing center. Union’s facility will open Jan. 15 on the fourth floor of its Professional Office Building, 1520 N. Seventh St. The center will introduce Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy about a month after it opens. The hospital signed an agreement with Florida-based management firm National Healing Corp. to establish the wound healing center.

Regional upgrades technology and equipment

Since 2004, Regional Hospital has been spending money on new technology and equipment, spending more than $2 million in 2004; $3.87 million in 2005; and more than $1.92 million this year.

In 2005, the hospital made upgrades to its cardiac catheterization lab and replaced all its beds with high-tech “Hill-Ron” beds. The hospital also opened a new in-patient rehabilitation unit for physical rehabilitation for care such as knee replacement or recovery from a stroke. That unit added 13 employees to the hospital.

Investment this year includes a second-generation Stryker high-definition camera used in surgeries such as arthroscopy, laparoscopy and cystoscopy. “It allows physicians to get a much clearer picture for certain kinds of surgeries” that require only small incisions in the patient to perform the operation, Swaby said.

Also, the hospital invested more than $204,000 for smart IV pumps, which will be fully in use by mid-December. “It helps in controlling the dispensing of medications. It is an another layer of protection against medication error,” Swaby said.

The hospital this year also renovated its sleep lab, adding two employees and has invested $500,000 for a Picture Archiving Communication System or (PACS) that allows physicians to quickly review a patient’s images and reports at the hospital, their office or at home. That system will be fully functional in 2007, Swaby said.

Regional Hospital employs 894 workers, with 720 full-time equivalents, with an annual payroll of more than $33.2 million, plus more than $8.1 million in benefits. The hospital this year paid $928,877 in property taxes and $101,277 in sales taxes.

Union Hospital adding facilities,

medical services

The largest expansion is ongoing at Union Hospital on the city’s north side.

A new central energy power plant addition and renovation is under way at 1606 N. Seventh St. The plant is on the south side of Beech Street at the intersection of Seventh Street, on the north side of the hospital.

The addition will use natural gas and house steam boilers and heating/ventilation/air-conditioning systems. The nearly 11,000-square-foot, two-story addition is a $10-million project, scheduled for completion in summer 2007, said Kristi Roshel, hospital spokeswoman.

Ground was broken last summer on the Hux Cancer Center, a $15-million, three-story, 70,000-square-foot project scheduled for completion in January 2008. The comprehensive cancer center combines the hospital’s cancer treatment under one roof, including radiation therapy, medical oncologists, diagnostic imaging including PET and CT scans and support services for cancer patients.

That center is also on the north side of the hospital, on the north side of Beech street at the intersection of Seventh Street.

Union Hospital, in partnership with AP&S, soon will dedicate the new Wabash Valley Surgery Center, at 1421 N. Seventh St. The center will open in the first week of December, with an open house planned for Nov. 30.

The 28,000-square-foot center will be managed by AP&S surgeons, who will practice an estimated 11,000 surgical cases per year at the center, up from about 6,500 surgical cases. The center will have eight operating rooms and four procedure rooms. That project is a $10-million investment by Union Hospital, which will own the facility.

The hospital’s largest project is a $178-million construction project to build a six-story, 350-private bed, 575,000-square-foot new hospital, possibly adding 200 new jobs, Roshel said. That project is scheduled to start next summer and take two years to construct.

That $178-million investment is projected to make a nearly $2.45-billion impact on the Wabash Valley economy over 10 years, hospital officials said. Much of that is annual payments to vendors and suppliers of the hospital.

Union Hospital employs 1,971 workers, with about 1,700 full-time employees, with an annual payroll of more than $85 million. That annual payroll is about $110 million with benefits. The hospital pays nearly $400,000 in property taxes, with $362,000 of that paid in Vigo County.

Some other investment this year from medical facilities include a nearly $4-million project at the Providence Medical Group at 2723 S. Seventh St. Construction is under way on a 33,000-square-foot addition for a diagnostic and oncology center. The addition, to be completed next summer, will add 40 workers at an annual salary of $2.8 million. The facility prior to the addition employs 270 workers at an annual salary of $7 million.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

November 25th, 2006, 01:54 PM

No Tiffany's or even Nordstrom; just a craptacular parade of mid-level retail.

Retail keeps coming to Terre Haute market

Second Bob Evans, Steak-n-Shake, Wal-Mart and two more hotels among newest arrivals
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — In the past three years, about $100 million has been invested in new retail business in Vigo County and Terre Haute, according to the Greater Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce.

“When you look at the greater mix of retail that has located here in the last 18 months, it is an indicator that regional groups are looking at our market,” said Rod Henry, president of the Chamber.

Examples include Towne South Shopping Plaza, renovated through an $18-million project that attracted Gander Mountain and Goody’s and retained Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar.

Honey Creek Commons, a $20-million project, attracted Kohl’s, Boston’s Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery.

The Sycamore Terrace shopping center, with a Wal-Mart Supercenter, the second in Vigo County, was at least a $25-million investment, Henry said.

Shoppes at Honey Creek, a $2.5-million strip mall owned by Cleveland-based Doppco Enterprises LLC., soon will add two more retail stores, possibly a dental store [???-cjfjapan] and a package store. Verizon already has a store in that strip mall.

Penn Station East Coast Subs will open Dec. 12 at 3642 S. U.S. Highway 41 at Towne South, said Henry Stadler of Thompson Thrift, which owns the shopping center. The first Penn Station restaurant opened in 1985 in Cincinnati. The business serves grilled East Coast-style submarine sandwiches, fresh-cut fries and hand-squeezed lemonade.

Terre Haute’s second Starbucks, a coffee shop, opened Wednesday at 2500 Wabash Ave. A $300,000 renovation and addition of International House of Pancakes is under way by owner Scott Womack. The restaurant is open during the renovation.

Two new hotels are scheduled to open in 2007 and a third opened last week. Construction of Springhill Suites of Terre Haute, located behind the Holiday Inn off Interstate 70, will be completed in June, with the new hotel expected to open in August 2007, said Bill Berdine, who will serve as general manager of both hotels.

Construction on the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House is scheduled for completion at the end of August, said Paul Thrift, co-owner of Thompson Thrift, which is building the hotel.

Also downtown, Clabber Girl, which manufacturers many retail baking goods such as baking powder and corn starch, is adding a 70,000-square-foot addition, an $8-million investment. Also under construction is a new $13.4-million, 216,000-square-foot parking/bus garage, the second garage in the downtown.

Best Western Terre Haute Inn and Suites staged its grand opening last week at 3053 S. U.S. Highway 41. It was previously the Signature Inn. The facility has 146 rooms, with 19 mini-suites, 12 in-room Jacuzzis, nine two-room suites and a studio board room suite. Forty-three rooms are non-smoking.

The board room accommodates 10 people and connects to a two double-bed room, said Denise Story, marketing director of the hotel. The hotel also offers two meeting rooms — a professional conference center, with 936-square-feet, holds up to 80 people and an executive meeting room, with 780-square-feet, for about 35 people.

Some features include an outdoor pool, on-site fitness center, on-site guest laundry facility and same-day valet cleaning service from Trimpe Cleaners, Story said, as well as romantic packages.

Another retailer, Hollister Co., a clothing store targeted at teenagers, is planning to open in the Honey Creek Mall at 3401 S. U.S. Highway 41.

While retail is expanding, many of the new stores will be names already established elsewhere in Vigo County. That is the case on Terre Haute’s east side.

The newest retail area on the east side is Sycamore Terrace, a Lauth Property Group development along Indiana 46, just north of Interstate 70. A second Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in the shopping center in August.

And, in the adjacent retail strip area, Maurices — a men’s and women’s fashion store — Dollar Tree, Verizon, Rent-A-Center and a Real Hacienda restaurant will open in the first quarter of 2007, said Peyton Bailey-Brown, marketing coordinator for Lauth Property Group.

Bob Evans and Steak-N-Shake own lots fronting Indiana 46. Neither store has released construction or opening dates.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
print this story email this story comment on this story

cjfjapan

November 25th, 2006, 01:56 PM

Exubera breathes Pfizer expansion into county
Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Pfizer Inc.’s effect on Vigo County continues to grow as the company adds to its worldwide production of its new inhaled-insulin drug Exubera.

In March, the company announced it will hire more than 450 employees by 2009 plus invest $170 million at its plant in southern Vigo County. Now Pfizer has leased a 86,000-square-foot speculative building in the nearby Vigo County Industrial Park for warehouse space.

Vigo County officials last year entered into an agreement with David Hannum, board chairman of Garmong Development Co. Inc. Hannum was to obtain a loan of at least $2.1 million to build the speculative building to attract manufacturing, then market the building for sale or lease.

Vigo County has been paying $5,000 per month to cover interest costs on Hannum’s loan as part of the agreement to construct the speculative building.

The building was finished this year and the county paid $35,000 from May to October in interest payments. The county will be reimbursed, with that money going back to the county’s Economic Development Income Tax fund, said Vigo County Auditor Jim Bramble.

In addition, the county’s general fund will receive $120,000 to pay for industrial park property on which the building was constructed, said Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp.

“That sale price is based on the buildable acres. There are 28 acres, of which 20 acres are actually buildable acres,” Witt said.

“We initially sought a manufacturing facility, yet as long as the jobs are created up the road, we feel like it serving its purpose and helping to facilitate job creation at Pfizer,” Witt said.

Because it is a lease, Garmong is the owner of the building and property, Witt said.

Pfizer’s growth will not likely have an immediate impact on Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field. Cargolux, an international freight company based in Germany, has designated Terre Haute as a secondary landing site in the event the carrier cannot land at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Airport officials had hoped to attract that air traffic to Terre Haute. The airport could activate its Foreign Trade Zone or FTZ to allow shipments into the airport.

Rick Chambers, a Pfizer spokesman, said the FTZ is not the key element. The main factor is Terre Haute does not have regular commercial flights.

“We don’t use much air freight at the Terre Haute [Pfizer] site; almost all of what we ship in or out goes by truck. The insulin that is shipped in [via air freight] is very concentrated, so we are not talking about large bulk quantity in any given shipment,” Chambers said.

“When we do use air freight, we tend to use airports that have commercial carriers and existing commercial schedules, because otherwise we would get involved in chartering flights, which is far more expensive,” Chambers said.

Cargolux began weekly service from Luxembourg to Indianapolis in February. The weekly international air cargo service between Luxembourg and Indianapolis is the result of a partnership among Roche Diagnostics, Schenker Logistics, Cargolux, Indianapolis International Airport and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Roche Diagnostics has its North American headquarters in Indianapolis. In 2005, Indianapolis International Airport handled a record 1.13 million tons of air cargo, making it the ninth-busiest cargo airport in the country and 20th-busiest cargo airport in the world.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
print this story email this story comment on this story

cjfjapan

November 25th, 2006, 02:11 PM

$8 million investment in Terre Haute will mean 42 new jobs

Thursday, October 26, 2006
By Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - Not long ago, Tony George, chief executive officer of Clabber Girl Corp. and other Hulman-George family companies, said he believed the Terre Haute-based baking goods company may have reached its pinnacle.

"It wasn't 10 years ago that we were thinking that there wasn't much opportunity left for baking power or Clabber Girl brand," he said Tuesday.

That's all changed.

Clabber Girl, which makes the nation's top-selling baking powder and second-highest selling corn starch, produces 80 million cans of product annually in Terre Haute and serves markets in 44 foreign countries.

The company will soon introduce brownie mix and corn muffin mix onto the retail market in 2007.

Gary Morris, president and chief operating officer of Clabber Girl, over the past six years has brought many changes to the 156-year-old company, expanding its product line to include corn starch, baking soda, cookie and brownie mixes and an all-purpose baking mix.

The company has diversified distribution channels to include the industrial, food service, export, private label and fundraising markets.

On Tuesday, George, along with Gov. Mitch Daniels and Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke, among other dignitaries, ceremoniously broke ground for Clabber Girl's new 70,000-square-foot facility, near Ninth and Cherry streets, which will add 42 jobs. It is an $8 million investment, which includes about $2 million in new machinery. The building is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2007.

"This is the first major physical plant expansion of Clabber Girl since the 1920s," George said. "It is a vote of confidence for the city of Terre Haute and the state of Indiana."

The new facility will add a fully automated production line and incorporate principles of lean manufacturing and just-in-time production. Equipment can be modified quickly and efficiently to move from one product to another with little down production time. The equipment segregates allergen ingredients, such as gluten, peanuts, tree nuts and soy, giving it the ability to meet a growing demand for nutrition and ingredient labeling regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

George said Clabber Girl first considered Terre Haute because its existing plant was located in a tax increment finance district. Yet, despite that district being dissolved, the product of Clabber Girl warranted an investment in Terre Haute.

"There is opportunity in spite of that. It is an opportunity to grow our business. The team here had enough creative ideas to expand on business opportunities that made it worthwhile going forward," George said.

"You certainly like to have the incentives that are afforded you and want to take advantage of them, but you don't base necessarily your decision solely on that if there are other good reasons to go forward.

"The fact, based on this enterprise's history, it will be here a while and in the end, it will be a worthwhile investment that pays handsome dividends. That is my expectation," George said.

Clabber Girl plays an important role in Hulman-George companies, George said.

"It is the foundation from which we built the enterprise. In the last five or six years we have seen renewed enthusiasm at Ninth and Hulman in Terre Haute. The entire team has worked very hard to put together a business plan to leverage the brand Clabber Girl and grow our business into new market segments and to come up with new products lines that we can package and distribute.

"This is an exciting time," George said.

Terre Haute, George said, has a deep connection to his family, which came to America from Germany in the 1840s, starting business in Terre Haute in 1850. George said his children represent the sixth generation in the privately owned company.

Clabber Girl is receiving state incentives of up to $120,000 in training grants and about $150,000 in tax credits based on the company's capital investment. The city of Terre Haute has granted 10-year real and personal property tax abatements.

Hulman & Co. founder Herman Hulman's grandson, Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr., bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. in 1945, transforming it into the "greatest spectacle in racing" with the Indianapolis 500.

To recognize that, Mayor Burke on Tuesday was lifted in a cherry picker and given a flag, which he waved to start construction. Two large trucks and a tractor immediately drove onto the site to begin work.

The existing Factory:
http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/5/50/Terrehaute-Clabbergirl.jpg

The new factory - crappy image - sorry
http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/images/news/ClabbergirlSept06.gif

cjfjapan

November 25th, 2006, 02:14 PM

Artists relocate into arts corridor area of Terre Haute
http://www.wabashvalleyartspaces.com/images/win_banner.gif
(Terre Haute) Tribune Star
By Austin Arceo, The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - Raven Art Gallery owners Marty and Debi Martinez closed their old gallery when Marty was diagnosed with cancer and needed treatment.

But after he received treatment and wanted to head back to work, the couple relocated to downtown, an area known for its arts venues.

They weren't the only ones with that idea in mind.

Raven Art Gallery, which the couple opened earlier this year, is just blocks away from the arts corridor along Seventh Street in downtown Terre Haute, near Indiana State University. Several artists have opened galleries in the area, which is undergoing a nearly million-dollar construction project that will include more downtown parking, trees, flower boxes and decorative light posts to illuminate the area.

"Well, this is the most public demonstration to recognize the arts corridor," said Andrew Conner, executive director of Downtown Terre Haute Inc., an organization that promotes downtown Terre Haute.

The Martinezes closed their old gallery, M.D.'s and Granny's in the 1700 block of South Seventh Street in August 2005. In January 2006, after Marty had received treatment in Indianapolis, the couple opened the Raven Art Gallery downtown. They opened the gallery in the 800 block of Ohio Street because Marty knew of the city's arts corridor project, and wanted to take advantage of it.

"[With] the location, I wanted to be downtown," Marty Martinez said. "A lot of businesses and art places were coming over here."

Other artists jumped at the opportunity. Mary Ann Michna and Petra Nyendick, who had their own studios, in late September opened Halcyon Art Gallery, which is next to the Swope Art Museum on Seventh Street.

Michna and Nyendick work in the gallery, while displaying work of other artists in monthly exhibits. Nyendick noted that she wanted more room than she had in her old studio, so she and Michna approached Swope Museum officials about leasing the 1,200 square-foot gallery.

They also hope to lease the space next year.

"The response from the public has been all positive," Nyendick said, "and people are really hoping that we're successful and that we just keep doing this."

Construction crews are working on the arts corridor renovations along Seventh Street. The construction, which began in the fall, is expected to continue until next spring, said Conner, who was part of a group that helped the city engineer's office create plans for the project.

The city will pay only for about 20 percent of the project, thanks to a grant received in 2001 to help cover the costs.

Seventh Street was deemed the arts corridor because of existing arts venues on the street, which include the Indiana Theater, Swope Art Museum, the ISU Center for Performing Arts and ISU's New Theater.

The Hippodrome Theater, which Conner noted is the nation's oldest vaudeville theater, also is located in the area.

"So we're recognizing what's there already," Conner said, "and trying to build on that to draw even more artists and arts attractions to that corridor."

cjfjapan

December 17th, 2006, 06:10 PM

Another possible downtown hotel in Terre Haute, coupled with a new home for the Children's Museum:

Second hotel, Children's Museum in works for downtown

By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE— The Terre Haute Children’s Museum and a new extended-stay hotel will unite in a project designed to further resuscitate downtown.

Previously announced plans called for the museum to move to a new facility at North Third Street and Fourth Avenue. The Tribune-Star has learned from a source close to the project that the museum now will be part of a new construction venture along the 700 block of Wabash Avenue. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the person is not authorized to discuss the issue.

Current strategy calls for the museum to move to a new facility next to the Tribune Building. which is at 721 Wabash Ave., the source said. The project is expected to be announced in the next few days, although several people emphasized that negotiations are still in the works.

The enterprise would not be the first major building project in the downtown area. The Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House currently is under construction at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue.

Greg Gibson, who bought the former Terre Haute House and had it demolished, is also part of the group that owns the Tribune Building. He said that negotiations for the building are under way, but declined to elaborate.
Children’s Museum officials previously had announced plans to move out of the museum’s current downtown location to a new building that the museum’s Web site indicates will open in 2008. On Friday afternoon, a sign remained posted at that site.

But those plans appear to have changed, according to several sources who confirmed the joint museum and hotel project but also requested anonymity.
In the past six months, downtown has undergone a series of changes. Construction crews are raising the new Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House and a new parking facility, which also will feature the city’s bus depot. Hulman and Co., makers of Clabber Girl baking powder and other products, at Ninth Street and Wabash Avenue is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion as well.

The previous Terre Haute House shut its hotel doors in 1970. A survey by Indiana State University and commissioned by the city reports that nearly 70 percent of people surveyed noted that they are “pleased” or “very pleased” with the demolition of the building and the creation of the new hotel, which is expected to open next summer.

“I think it vindicates what we suspected all along, that people wanted to see something positive happening on that corner downtown,” said City of Terre Haute communications director Peter Ciancone. “They seem to be pleased with what’s going on.”

Gibson said that he has been trying to get some projects in the Tribune Building property since he bought it in 2004, and especially since the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House project began.

“I think downtown’s really on the move, and I think there are a lot of things happening there…,” Gibson said, “and I think people are upbeat and excited about what’s going on downtown, and I think there’s a whole new attitude about Terre Haute.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

cjfjapan

December 19th, 2006, 10:41 AM

Museum, hotel announcement expected today
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The company that will manage the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House is involved in a new downtown project to be announced today.

The Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. sent e-mail invitations on Monday to inform people of a gathering at 10 a.m. today at the Tribune Building regarding “two new major downtown development announcements.” The Tribune-Star reported Sunday that the Terre Haute Children’s Museum will join with an extended-stay hotel in a construction project that includes the Tribune Building at 721 Wabash Ave.

Tim Dora of Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. confirmed Monday that his company, which will manage the Hilton currently under construction at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue, is part of the new project, although he declined to elaborate.

The Dora company’s Web site shows several of their extended-stay hotels in Indiana, including a Charwood Suites in Columbus, a Candlewood Suites in Indianapolis and a Staybridge Suites in Plainfield. Extended-stay hotels offer weekly and monthly rates for visitors rather than nightly rates that are typical of regular hotels.

Terre Haute developer Greg Gibson, who owns the Tribune Building, said late last week that negotiations for the facility were ongoing, but he would not provide further details. Gibson did not return several messages seeking comment by the Tribune-Star’s deadline Monday night.

Officials from the Terre Haute Children’s Museum initially planned to move the museum from its current downtown location at 523 Wabash Ave. to a new facility at Third Street and Fourth Avenue.

But a source close to the project told the Tribune-Star the museum is included in a new construction plan for the 700 block of Wabash Avenue.

Along with a renovated Tribune Building, the new building also will house part of the extended-stay hotel.

The source requested anonymity because the person is not authorized to discuss the plan.

The Children’s Museum leased the land for its northside expansion plan from Union Hospital. The land will revert back to the hospital because the museum no longer will be built there, said Kristi Roshel, marketing and public relations manager for Union Hospital.

The joint effort will allow the Children’s Museum to remain a downtown attraction in an area that includes several other museums, art galleries and specialty shops.

“We like to talk about the Children’s Museum already as an attraction for families,” said Andrew Conner, the executive director of Downtown Terre Haute Inc., a group that promotes the area. “If these plans come through, I think it’s going to be a bigger and even better presence downtown.”

Downtown Terre Haute has been engulfed by a flurry of major construction activity in recent months: the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House, a parking garage, a multimillion-dollar renovation of Clabber Girl and the arts corridor renovations along Seventh Street.

While Terre Haute communications director Peter Ciancone would not comment on the newest plans, he said city officials are “pleased that projects are moving forward.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

December 19th, 2006, 10:42 AM

Despite the loss of the Terre Haute House, 2006 was a good year for Downtown Terre Haute: Here is a list of projects under construction, recently announced, and recently completed. This is more investment in the area than has been seen in 20 years, at least. Glad we caught the tail end of this boom!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/dthlight.jpg

LouisvilleJake

December 21st, 2006, 11:20 AM

Thanks for the updates and how you've kinda turned this into a Terre Haute development thread.

Everytime I visit Terre Haute (which is often as my partners family lives near there) I am terribly dismayed at the state of downtown. Vigo County has such a beautiful courthouse to stand as a grand centerpiece...but much of the citys core was lost.

I do hope that as the years continue downtown will continue to grow back to life and that perhaps Indiana State University will become a stronger partner in helping the rebirth. I have always thought Terre Haute was not maximinzing the effects this student population could have on the city's core.

but, here is to hoping for a bright future for Terre Haute!

cjfjapan

December 22nd, 2006, 02:03 AM

http://www.dorabros.com/Candlewood_TerreHaute/CandlewoodTH_rendering2.jpg

Dora Bros. to renovate Tribune Building into extended-stay Candlewood Suites with Terre Haute Children's Museum

By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A developer already investing in one downtown hotel believes that the time is right for a new hotel right across the street.

His company is spending the money to prove it.

The Dora Bros. Hospitality Corp., which will manage the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue, also will manage a Candlewood Suites, which will be built on the other side of Wabash Avenue. Tim Dora, a partner in the company, was on hand as the project was announced at the Tribune Building at 721 Wabash Ave. on Tuesday morning in Terre Haute.

“I noticed that there was no extended-stay product in this market,” Dora said during the announcement. “It’s a very growing product.”

The extended-stay hotel will not be alone in the project. The Terre Haute Children’s Museum will occupy three floors of a new building next to a renovated Tribune Building. The top three floors of the new building, along with the Tribune Building, will house the new extended-stay hotel.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring, with the new Candlewood Suites to open in spring 2008. The Children’s Museum is slated to open in August 2008.

Dora said that a firm analyzed Terre Haute to see if an extended-stay hotel would be a good fit. He added there were some concerns about the downtown location because of a lack of entertainment venues, which Dora feels can be overcome.

Vigo County currently houses 1,805 hotel rooms, which includes the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House and an additional hotel that have yet to open. But the new, 99-room Candlewood Suites fills a niche, and the quality of the rooms will help ensure their success, said David Patterson, the executive director of the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau of Vigo County.

“It will raise the bars for those other hotels [in the county],” Patterson said, “and so consequently they’ll either sink or swim from there.”

The city of Terre Haute is contributing up to $2 million for the project. A $1 million loan backed by funds in the downtown tax increment finance district, or TIF, is for the hotel project, which is estimated to cost $8 million.

The city will spend up to $1 million more from the Economic Development Income Tax fund to match up to $1 million in new contributions for the Children’s Museum.

During the announcement, museum board chairman John Thompson said that a foundation has donated $100,000 to be matched by city funds.

Thompson said after the announcement that the museum has $2.9 million — which includes the $1 million commitment from the city — of the $4.7 million needed for the new project.

Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke was impressed that the public and private sectors teamed with a not-for-profit in the new project.

“That’s an amazing level of cooperation,” Burke said, “and I tell you what … when people start cooperating together and working toward a common goal, there’s no stopping them.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

December 22nd, 2006, 02:05 AM

Given the recent development in this area, it may only be a matter of time before some of these projects are initiated...

ISU survey: More than 75 percent think development would enhance TH quality of life

By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute native Kim Slaven likes the idea of having more things to do near the Wabash River.

She’s not the only person who feels that way.

A survey conducted by the Sociology Research Lab at Indiana State University and commissioned by the city of Terre Haute found that more than 75 percent of people believe that development along the Wabash River would enhance the quality of life in Terre Haute. Nearly 90 percent of people surveyed think that a riverfront walk is a good idea, and more than 85 percent of people felt a public garden near the river was beneficial.

“They should build it up … because we need it,” Slaven said of the riverfront while at The Meadows on Wednesday evening.

The survey of about 600 people was the first of six that will be conducted for the city of Terre Haute. The city paid $16,550 for the surveys, which will be conducted each spring and fall until early 2009.

More than 20 questions on the first survey dealt with riverfront development. Other results from the survey will appear in a future edition of The Tribune-Star.

The Wabash Riverfront Development and Beautification Inc., a committee that recently received approval for status as a not-for-profit corporation, has designed a long-term riverfront development plan for the Wabash River. The group proposes commercial and residential development along the eastern bank of the Wabash River, with a wetlands preserve and green space west of the river.

“Our committee welcomes input from the survey,” said John Mutchner, chairman of the not-for-profit. “We are concerned about what people think.”

About 57 percent of survey respondents who knew of the committee’s plans before the survey approved of the riverfront development project, and a similar amount of people who first learned of the project during the survey approved the plans.

“As a committee member, I feel like we’re obviously moving in a direction that the city is interested in moving us towards,” said Terre Haute communications director Peter Ciancone, “so we’re very interested in the results.”

Tom Steiger, director of ISU’s Sociology Research Lab, noted that it’s interesting that a similar percentage of respondents favored the plan regardless of when they learned of it.

Only 16 percent of people who were aware of the plan opposed it, compared with 11 percent of people who first learned of the project during the survey.

Twenty-four percent of people who already knew about the committee’s plans at the time of the survey had no opinion, while 28 percent of people learning for the first time had no opinion.

In addition to favoring a riverfront walk and a public garden, more than four-fifths of respondents indicated that restaurants with river-view dining were good development projects.

Less than half of respondents believed that a casino was a good idea, which Ciancone noted “didn’t tell us anything that we didn’t already know.”

Mutchner said that the committee discussed the prospect of a casino with government officials but committee members decided “that we simply would not go there.”

Some controversy stirred this fall when Terre Haute officials approached residents from Dresser, a small, unincorporated residential area just west of the Wabash River, about buying land for the project. But several committee members have previously told The Tribune-Star that eminent domain would not be used to obtain land in Dresser. Rather, property would be acquired from willing sellers.

Mutchner said that the committee is about to begin applying for grants for the project. The city of Terre Haute allocated $200,000 this year and $200,000 in 2007 for riverfront development. Vigo County allocated $100,000 more this year and $100,000 in 2007.

Mutchner believes the plan “is the best public project to come down the road in Terre Haute in many, many years.”

“We’re not talking about [fixing] potholes here,” he said. “We’re talking about changing the face of Terre Haute.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:29 PM

http://www.indstate.edu/isu_today/archives/2006/jan/images/rec_center.jpg

ISU gets approval to build new $21.7 million Student Recreation Center

Thursday, February 15, 2007
By Sue Loughlin, The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - Indiana State University received final state approval Wednesday for a $21.7 million Student Recreation Center.

The State Budget Committee approved the 109,420-square-foot facility, which will house a three-court gymnasium; a recreational aquatics facility and "wet" classroom; a fitness center with machines and free weights; climbing wall; elevated jogging/running track; multi-purpose activity rooms; a multi-activity court suitable for indoor soccer, roller hockey and other activities; locker rooms and meeting rooms.

The center will be located on the parking lot north of Cunningham Memorial Library.

The project will now go to bid, and construction is expected to begin in late spring. The targeted opening is spring semester 2009.

"I'm pleased this project has been approved," said ISU President Lloyd Benjamin.

It will become a destination for students, whether they live on campus or commute, and it will help recruit students, he said.

"It will add to the quality of student life," Benjamin said. Students today are health conscious and want a place where they can work out regularly and be with friends.

He praised Student Government Association leadership for its efforts to move the project forward.

The project, initially slated for groundbreaking last fall, underwent some revisions and cost reductions before securing state approvals.

The cost has been reduced from $24 million to $21.7 million.

Among the revisions, the facility will use more brick and less limestone and the ceiling height in the gym will be lowered. There are other changes affecting interior finishes, furnishings and equipment. The aquatics area will not have a "lazy river," as had been proposed in some preliminary renderings.

Also under the changes, private fundraising will cover $6.5 million of the facility's cost, while the remainder will be paid through student fees. ISU agreed to raise the private funding share by $1 million.

In another change, the maximum fee students pay will be reduced from $120 to $100 per semester.

Last fall, students already began paying fees for the facility. Upperclassmen, who are less likely to use the facility, currently pay less than freshmen and sophomores.

As its name suggests, the facility would be dedicated to student recreation and fitness, and it would not be used for academic instruction or intercollegiate athletics.

The state budget agency requested additional information on the project before granting approval.

A.J. Patton, Student Government Association president, said the new recreation center "is a positive addition to the campus ... It symbolizes growth within the university and a new spirit of cooperation between student government and the administration."

The project will bring together various existing fitness facilities and replace outdated ones, such as the Arena Pool, built in 1961.

The student recreation center concept received early support from student leaders on campus who agreed that more recreational opportunities were needed.

A student referendum was conducted in 2005; about 10 percent of ISU students voted, and they approved it by a 2-1 ratio.

Although no state funding will be used to build the facility, state approvals were required before construction could begin.

"We are grateful for the legislative support given to this project, especially from our local representative, Clyde Kersey, in moving this project forward. It has been two years of hard work on behalf of a number of people to make this a reality for our students," Benjamin said.

Not all students are enthusiastic about the facility. James Narmore, an ISU junior, doesn't expect to benefit from the facility much even though he is helping pay for it through student fees.

He believes the money could be spent in better ways than a new recreation center.

Natalie Scott, a freshman and music major, said the new recreation center "sounds really nice, but I probably won't use it." She's a music major, and has very little free time.

Scott is a little bothered that she's paying a fee for something she may not use much, but she still supports the project. "It will benefit a lot more people, so I'm willing to help pay for it," she said.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:32 PM

2/9/2007 5:00:00 PM
Terre Haute City Council OKs financial incentive for extended-stay hotel

(Terre Haute) Tribune Star
By Howard Greninger, The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - A financial incentive for a private developer to build an extended-stay hotel in downtown Terre Haute received approval from the City Council on Thursday in an 8-1 vote.

Earlier Thursday, the city's Economic Development Commission unanimously recommended the City Council approve a revenue bond as an incentive to build Candlewood Suites, at the former Tribune-Star building on the southwest corner of Eighth Street and Wabash Avenue.

The commission conducted a public hearing before its vote, however no public comment was given. Councilman Ryan Cummins, R-2nd, was the lone dissenter on the issue.

Under the agreement, the city of Terre Haute agrees to allow taxes generated from the Hilton Garden Inn, currently under construction, and the proposed Candlewood Suites in the city's downtown tax increment finance or TIF district, be used to make bond payments.

City taxpayers would not be responsible for payment of the bonds, under the agreement.

The bond issue would not exceed $1.38 million. It will likely be around $1.37 million, said Gary Malone of H.J. Umbaugh & Associates, an Indianapolis accounting firm.

Of that, $1 million would be paid to Wabash Valley Hotel Partners LLC, owner of Candlewood Suites. The principle partner is Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp., which is building the Hilton Garden Inn.

A separate account containing $212,864 from the bond would be established to pay interest costs through Feb. 1, 2009 while the Candlewood Suites is built.

Any TIF payments for the Candlewood Suites project, under the agreement, would be secondary to TIF payments for a 1998 bond that funded the city's existing downtown parking garage and a bond for the construction of the city's second garage/bus transfer center now under construction on the campus of, and in cooperation with, Indiana State University.

If TIF funding is not enough to make a bond payment, Wabash Valley Hotel Partners LLC would have to pay the difference. The annual bond payment is projected at $180,000.

The maximum interest rate anticipated for the bond is 8.5 percent, over a maximum of 15 years. The bond essentially allows Wabash Valley Hotel Partners to use its property taxes to pay off the bond.

Candlewood Suites is projected to generate $80,000 in taxes and the Hilton $153,000, both in 2009, according H.J. Umbaugh & Associates.

An estimate for taxes in 2010 was based on a 2 percent circuit breaker law taking effect, which would reduce Candlewood Suites property taxes to $65,000 and the Hilton to $124,000 in 2010, enough to cover bond payments.

The extended-stay hotel, with 99 rooms, is expected to create 15 full-time jobs and one part-time job, with the company paying $358,000 annually in payroll and benefits.

In other business, the council amended its city ordinance on standards for the location of adult-oriented businesses to conform to constitutional requirements imposed by state and federal court decisions.

The council unanimously voted to reduce the distance between such a business and a residential area to 500 feet instead of 1,000.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:33 PM

http://www.tribstar.com/local/images_sizedimage_353204718/xl

An old postcard of the Tribune Building. The gutted theater to the left with be torn down, and a twin to the old newspaper building will be built, as seen above.

http://visions.indstate.edu/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/vcc&CISOPTR=28&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=downtown&REC=12&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0

Tribune Building demolition, Candlewood Suites work set to begin next month

By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE— Construction workers toiling on the new hotel sprouting downtown soon will witness their colleagues revamping two historic locations across the street.
Demolition work on the Tribune Building property in the 720 block of Wabash Ave., the future site of an extended-stay hotel and the Terre Haute Children’s Museum, could begin as early as next month.
The museum and Candlewood Suites, which will join the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House across the street as downtown hotels, are part of a joint development project announced in December.
“I think that this announcement and the activity downtown with the extended-stay hotel and the museum is simply one more positive indicator of the dynamic energy that is flowing in our community right now,” said Cliff Lambert, executive director for the city’s Redevelopment Department, “and it will do nothing but help us.”
The Tribune Building’s interior will be demolished, said Tim Dora, a partner in the Dora Bros. Hospitality Corp., which will manage the Hilton Garden Inn and Candlewood Suites.
Some architectural design work needs to be completed and work needs to be put out to bid before the interior demolition can begin, he said.
Demolition of the structure next to the Tribune Building, the new museum site, will likely begin in April or May, said Bill Hann, a member of the museum’s board of directors.
Since the announcement of its new location, museum officials hosted several discussions with local organizations and “just heard nothing but positive feedback about the move,” Hann said.
Dora Bros. Hospitality Corp. recently opened a Candlewood Suites in Indianapolis, which Dora said will be very similar to the Candlewood Suites to open in Terre Haute.
“It really turned out great,” Dora said of the Indianapolis hotel. “I think everybody would be very impressed.”
The City of Terre Haute contributed $1 million for the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House and an additional $1 million loan for the Candlewood Suites.
The City Council approved a financial incentive package for the Candlewood Suites earlier this month, with one vote against. Ryan Cummins, R-2nd, said he disagrees with the government using tax revenue to help finance the hotel.
Councilman Todd Nation, D-4th, whose district includes downtown, voted for it because the projects fall within development guidelines of the Downtown Action Agenda, a city-funded research effort published five years ago to encourage proper downtown development, he said.
City officials also obligated up to $1 million in matching donations for the new Children’s Museum. Hann would not comment on the amount raised to date for the museum, instead referring the inquiry to fellow board member Steve Schrohe. Schrohe, the head of the board’s marketing committee, declined comment, saying a news release is expected to be issued Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, construction crews are a few weeks behind schedule on the Hilton Garden Inn. The hotel previously scheduled to open this summer will likely open by Sept. 1.
The new Terre Haute House will be the first open hotel at the site in more than 30 years.
Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:39 PM

http://www.brauwesen-historisch.de/terrehaute1.jpg

(see also: http://indianabeer.com/breweries/Brew-TerreHaute.html)
2/28/2007 1:09:00 PM
Terre Haute Brewing may shift production to capitalize on changing market

(Terre Haute) Tribune Star
Crystal Garcia, The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE - The Terre Haute Brewing Co. will make more than Champagne Velvet beer by the end of May.

Brugge Brasserie of Indianapolis is in final negotiations with the brewing company to launch the bottling and distribution of its Belgian brews for a statewide audience, according to a news release.

A line of specialty beers also is expected to be produced and developed by Brugge as part of the agreement.

Although Brewing Co. owner Mike Rowe isn't sure when he'll produce more Champagne Velvet, he said he has enough in the reserve to maintain his current draft accounts.

Rowe also noted that neither Champagne Velvet, the trademark nor the business have not been sold. He also emphasized all banquet reservations will be honored and "anyone who wants out will be refunded."

"There's no question the demand in the market is there for CV," Rowe said. "It's just huge, but the resources have to be there for distribution."

Production for Brugge starts as soon as everything is signed and the federal government approves their brewer's notice, said Brugge's Ted Miller.

A possibility for Champagne Velvet, Rowe said, is starting a Champagne Velvet Brew Pub which would be "a typical pub with an older flair," but so far that has only been in discussion.

"I've poured a lot of everything in efforts and resources into this," Rowe said. "I think it's a positive thing for Terre Haute. It's one of those legacies in town that I would like to see continue."

Once production starts, there will be nine to 10 different beers in the regular production cycle throughout the year with six to eight seasonal specialties, Miller said.

Maximum capacity for the Brewing Co. is 3,000 cases in a month, Rowe said. There are five full-time workers and four part-time workers, but Brugge expects to bring in 20 more employees by 2008.

What once was the seventh-largest brewery in the United States in 1892, the original Terre Haute Brewing Co. was established in 1837. It survived Prohibition and closed in 1958 when it was bought by the Atlantic Brewing Co., according to the Brewing Co.'s Web site.

It was re-opened in 2000 after Rowe found the original recipe for the beer when he and his wife were renovating the building, and bought the Champagne Velvet trademark.

Located at Ninth and Swan streets, the Brewing Co. is now the second oldest brewery in the United States.

This history was part of the appeal to Miller, he said, and he hopes to add to it.

"The history is spectacular. The rich, rich brewing tradition of Terre Haute screams cool to me," Miller said. " ... I think we can really contribute to that heritage, especially since our beers are very old world."

Other appeals to Miller about choosing the Brewing Co. were the facility's capabilities and location, he said.

"We're really excited to come over there," Miller said. "This is really a stepping stone on our way to hopefully becoming one of the dominant brewers in this state."

More details will be available once contracts are finalized, including launch activities.

Article © Copyright © 2007 Tribune-Star

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:50 PM

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/cover.gif
Looking south along 7th Street (old US 41/Dixie Bee Highway) from the ISU campus toward the new multimodal parking structure and the Hilton Garden Inn/Terre Haute House, under construction.

Downtown Action Agenda revisited:
Five years later, HyettPalma's proposal nears completion

By Robert L. Flott
WVJB Editor

On February 4, 2002, a large group of Terre Haute residents met in the Vigo County School Corp. to hear a presentation by Doyle G. Hyett and Dolores P. Palma.
Their presentation, known as the Downtown Action Agenda, was hailed as a new blueprint for Terre Haute by some. Others view DAA as just another plan, which would end up sitting on a shelf gathering dust.
Both were proven right.
The city commissioned HyettPalma Inc. in 2001 to determine a Downtown Enhancement Strategy to revitalize the downtown area The study cost $50,000. Hyett Palma met city officials, business owners, and members of the community to determine the desires and needs of the community as a whole.
The 120-plus page report made several recommendations on specific courses of actions, for private and public bodies alike. Depending on how they are counted, there are 44 or so actions required for implementation of the DAA. Some have been eliminated from consideration because the organization sponsoring that action--such as the Urban Enterprise Association--no longer exist.
The group given the task of carrying out the DAA was Downtown Terre Haute Inc. Todd Nation, now city council representative for the Fourth District that includes downtown Terre Haute, was president of DTTH at the time.
"It involved a lot of people back then," Nation said. "If you ask people today, they'd say, 'yeah, well some stuff,' but they would not say most or all of it."
"Most of it has been accomplished, and that's the story that's lost on most people," Nation said. "It rarely gets mentioned in wider circles, but things such as Andrew [Conner's] hiring [as executive director], it's all part of the plan. Few take the time to connect the dots."
Downtown is home for Nation, who lives above his bookstore at 677 Wabash Ave. Nation owns the building and takes pride in having restored the facade to as near its original look as possible.
The building also is home of The Verve, one of downtown's most popular night spots.
"For many of us, it became our blueprint," Nation said. "For once, we had consensus. Instead of saying, 'let's do this,' or 'let's do that,' we got together and embraced it as a plan."
Andrew Conner, now executive director of DTTH, worked for the Indiana Department of Commerce at the time. The Journal of Business asked both men to reflect on the success and failures of the DAA five years later.
"The Downtown Action Agenda has been fulfilled, almost in spite of itself," Conner said. "Many parts of it have been accomplished although not with the intention of completing the DAA."
This review is not intended to suggest that DAA was the primary, secondary, or even tertiary cause of the following events. It simply seeks to compare the DAA's list of actions with those actions that have taken place (Y = accomplished task;ip = in progress task;. N = canceled or not pursued task).

Partnership actions
Y Adoption--The Common Council of Terre Haute passed a resolution supporting the adoption of the DAA in March 2002. While not a rousing endorsement, the council did acknowledge the study.
Y Implementation--While not technically approached by the Burke Administration as a guideline for downtown development, many of the improvements, such as the new streetlights, trash cans and benches were a big part of the overall goal of the DAA.
Y Partnership--Downtown Terre Haute Inc., took emotional and spiritual possession of the Downtown Action Agenda. Indeed, Doyle Hyett placed the responsibility of implementation directly into the hands of DTTH.
He encouraged the group to find downtown office space and hire an executive director. Andrew Conner filled the executive director. Ironically, the building where DTTH was supposed be located, the Prudential Building, was recently leveled.
Y Funding--the Downtown Area currently has a TIF district. The proceeds from this district have been used for several downtown projects including both of the Dora Brothers projects currently underway.
Other projects include the sidewalks around Smith- Barney Plaza at Fourth Street and Wabash Avenue.

Real Estate Development and
Improvement Actions
Y Existing Buildings--Several existing buildings have not only been renovated, they have attracted national attention. The Ohio Building was featured on Home and Garden TV. Other buildings such as the ThompsonThrift Building and Goetz Printing have given new life to old structures.
Hulman and Co., continues to refurbish its building, and has added shops, restaurants, museums--nearly everything the DAA suggested--all in one space.
Granted, the biggest downtown structure at the time of the study, the Terre Haute House, is now gone, as are the other buildings on that half block. Those buildings are being replaced.
One missing building is a bit of a surprise. The ISU Foundation purchased the Prudential Building for use by various departments. During the restoration process, structural faults were discovered that were deemed too costly to repair.
ip Housing--Upstairs housing continues to improve, with approximately 200 people living downtown.
ip In-fill--Construction on the Cherry Street Project, the Hilton Garden and the Clabber Girl Building well underway, and construction about to begin on Candlewood Suites in the former Tribune-Star building, in-fill is clearly successful.
Y Design Review--While not necessarily the same thing as a design review, DTTH worked through the Common Council to pass Special Ordinance 17, which set limits and guidelines for new downtown construction, including number of stories, new parking and building set-backs.
Area Planning is also currently developing a new Comprehensive Zoning Plan, which could also impact new construction downtown.

Traffic, Parking &
Transportation Actions
Traffic
The Traffic portion of the study have been almost entirely ignore, and for several reasons, which are explained below.
N One-Way Streets--Turning Cherry and Ohio streets back to two-way streets would require approval beyond the powers of the city of Terre Haute as both are part of US 40.
Fourth and Fifth streets now have diagonal parking. Thus the city created additional parking spaces instead of reverting one-way streets.
N Third Street--Third Street is an on-going concern for all levels of government. Third Street is also U.S. Highway 41, and as such the Federal and State governments come into play.
ip Traffic Lighting Timing--The various departments responsible for traffic lights continue to work on Timing. Because of the amount of construction currently underway downtown, proper timing is probably several years away.
ip Street Signs--Street signs are fairly consisted within the downtown area.
ip Wayfinding Systems--A year or so after the unveiling of the DAA, DTTH met with several groups from ISU, Ball State, and St. Mary-of-the-Woods to explore several ideas for wayfinding systems.
Parking
Y Existing Parking Garage--With free parking on weekends, the city parking garage provides space during the various downtown events. During the week, use drops off.
ip Cherry Street Parking Garage--Ground was broken on the Cherry Street Multi-Modal Transportation facility in November, much to the delight of many.
Y On-Street Parking Spaces--The addition of diagonal parking on Fourth and Fifth streets, plus some additional spaces on Sixth have considerably increased available parking downtown.
N Parking Study--Several park studies contributed to the new spaces.
Y Reserved for Parking signs--This issue primarily focused on reserved spaces for loading zones. Area Planning tends to frown on these issues, Conner said.
ip Future Parking Supply--Future parking may find a home in the site of the current city bus transportation center, located at Fifth Street and Wabash Avenue.
Transportation
Y Trolley--The Department of Transportation is currently looking for additional sponsors for more "Free Ride Fridays." There is also an aggressive marketing campaign to encourage people to ride the bus.
Y Students--Of 1,737 students who participated in a referendum on the ISU campus, 1,253 voted to add an additional $15.76 per semester fee that would allow students to ride the city busses.

Business Retention Actions
Y Small Business Development Center--The SBDC remains a resource for those seeking to location within the downtown area.
Current director, Tara Lane, is the former director of the Urban Enterprise Association, and is well-versed in downtown development.
ip Targeted One-on-Ones-- Several downtown business owners, such as Boo Lloyd, owner of the Crossroads Cafe, have worked with those interested in locating businesses downtown.
ip Business Hours--"This is a chicken-and-the-egg situation," Conner said. "Without foot traffic, there is little need for extended hours, but without businesses, there is no foot traffic."
Still Conner acknowledges that some businesses have extended their hours.
Y Business Windows--Downtown businesses are constantly working on improving their store fronts. Many do sport new lights and more attractive displays.
Y Public Safety--Crime overall in Terre Haute has dropped significantly over the last few years, primarily due to new laws aimed at curbing meth.
ip Riverfront Development Project Areas--The original concept was to encourage development of restaurants and bars down by the river.
Since last year, a new project, led by local contractor John Mutchner, has been exploring new developments on both sides of the river, including developing a wetlands area near Dresser.

Business Recruitment Actions
Y Recruitment Actions--Several groups continue to work toward recruiting new business to the downtown.
The biggest source for downtown recruitment has been the downtown merchants themselves, who have directed perspective new business owners to landlords willing to work with business start ups.
Y Incentives--The downtown Tax Increment Finance District has been the source for incentives for downtown projects. Other projects, such as the new Clabber Girl facility, have used Tax Abatements.
Y Clustering--The new businesses have clustered naturally. There is now a strip of restaurants, bars, night clubs and coffee shops running from Ninth Street to Third Street.
These include the Terminal, the Copper Bar, The Crossroads Cafe, The Verve, Market Bella Rosa, Wim's, and the Coffee Break. Further down the road are the Saratoga and the Coffee Grounds.

Beautification Actions
Y Street Scape Improvement Projects--Two summers ago, the city begin replacing street lights, park benches and trash receptacles downtown.
ip Maintenance--The original idea was a group of uniquely uniformed maintenance personnel, who would work the downtown area exclusively. This was tried during the Anderson administration.
While not pursed the same way by Mayor Burke, downtown maintenance has been fairly efficient.
In addition, private groups such as Graffiti Busters, organized by Neil Garrison, has brought together high school and middle school students to paint over graffiti downtown, and around Terre Haute.
Garrison, a Democrat candidate for fifth district city council, has funded much of this effort through personal funds and private donations.

Y Focal Points--for the past few summers, Arts Illiana has sponsored Friday lunch concerts at the stage located at the Parking Garage. These events have proven quite successful at transforming this space into a downtown focal point.
Blues at the Crossroads has kept alive the tradition of the "Crossroads of America" by bringing several thousand fans to Seventh and Wabash the second Saturday of September.
The Terre Haute Oberlanders have transformed the corner of Fourth and Cherry into the home of Strassenfest in the spring and Oktoberfest in the fall.
Two events--the Terre Haute Street Fair and the Brickyard Barbecue--have turned Ninth and Cherry streets into a festival area as well, in only a couple of years.
DTTH also sponsors a Farmer's Market at the parking lot at Ninth and Cherry on Saturdays during the summer.
ip Public Art--Much work has been done in this area. Several new commercial galleries have opened Downtown since February 2002. In addition, the space above the Crossroad's Cafe continues to house several artists.
Work continues on placing public art into the downtown area.

Marketing Actions
Y Markets--The downtown merchants have developed along the lines suggested by HyettPalma. There are many specialty shops, coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and more, many of which opened since the DAA.
Image--Downtown Terre Haute is current a work in progress. There have been dozens of new businesses opened, and several major construction projects, with more on the way.
Y ISU Involvement--As ISU continued to expand across Cherry Street, the role of the University in the Downtown will continue to grow. The Downtown merchants benefit greatly from patronage from ISU students and faculty.
ip Image Development--Downtown Terre Haute has seemed to embrace the image of a business and arts center. Several restaurants offer outside dining during warm weather. The various clubs bring hundreds of people downtown on weekends.
Y Arts Corridor Brochure and Web Site--A brochure for the Arts Corridor is available at the Visitors and Convention Bureau, Arts Illiana, the Clabber Girl Museum, the Chamber of Commerce and other downtown locations.
No specific Arts corridor website available as of yet.
Y Events--Several events--Blues at the Crossroads, The Brickyard Barbecue, the Terre Haute Street Fair, the ISU Homecoming Parade and the Holiday Walk have become staples of downtown activity. ISU attempted to move the homecoming parade away from Wabash Avenue, but returned it the following year.
Y Festival Park--Three such areas have been developed: Seventh and Wabash, Fourth and Cherry and Ninth and Cherry.
Y Visitor Information Center--With the Chamber of Commerce now in the Center City Building and the Visitors and Convention Bureau in Commerce Plaza, visitors have two highly visible locations for information on downtown events.
ip Joint Ads-- This part of the DAA is no longer applicable in one sense, but is still alive in another. The DAA called for continued advertising through the Urban Enterprise Association, which was discontinued in 2005 by a vote of the Common Council.
This is not to say that advertising and marketing for the downtown has gone away. In its place, Terre Haute now has the "Level Above" campaign, developed for the city by Miller White LLC.
This Holiday Season saw a step up in the "Level Above" campaign, when several products, such as coffee cups, mouse pads, lunch boxes, pins, hats, and more, were made available as gift items at stores across the city.
The DAA call for a review of itself six years after the fact to determine what has worked and what hasn't. Both Nation and Conner would like to see that happen.
To read the Downtown Action Agenda, visit the Journal web site at www.thjournal.com.

Robert L. Flott can be reached at robertf@thjournal.com.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:53 PM

http://www.indiana.edu/~radiotv/wtiu/hometown/images/postcard2.jpg
An old photo of Memorial Stadium, when it hosted horse racing. The arch was spared when the new stadium was built.

Published: March 03, 2007 12:44 am

Board of Commissioners approves 15-foot tall sculpture to stand outside Memorial Stadium
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Vigo County officials approved an art services contract Friday, paving the way for the first of four possible sculptures to be erected in Terre Haute.

The county Board of Commissioners approved the agreement between Art Spaces Inc. – Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection and artist Mark Wallis to erect a sculpture that at its highest peak will stand 15 feet tall. It will stand on the grounds of Memorial Stadium, which serves as the football field for Indiana State University.

Vigo County owns the ground, but leases the property to the city under a contract that expires after 2016. ISU subleases property from the city of Terre Haute.

Wallis of Spencer was selected from an initial field of 27 artists, later trimmed to five before a final selection by a panel that included representatives from Terre Haute Arts Committee; city’s Department of Parks and Recreation; ISU; Arts Illiana; and Art Spaces Inc., said Mary Kramer, executive director of Art Spaces Inc.

The total project cost is $45,000, with costs of the sculpture at $38,000. Of that, the artist’s commission is $5,100, according to the contract.

The sculpture by Wallis will be fabricated steel, limestone and cast aluminum and will appear to be embedded in gray river rock. It will include a map showing the location of 101 trees and 16 shrubs recently planted around the Indiana Mile walking trail.

“We ask the artist to design a tree marker for each tree and shrub. Those markers will be limestone with cast aluminum,” Kramer said.

The sculpture is to be finished by July 1.

“We expect to have three other sculptures up this year. One will be at Gilbert Park and two will be along the Arts Corridor” along Seventh Street in Terre Haute’s downtown, Kramer said.

One sculpture will be in front of the Vigo County Public Library’s main branch and one in front of the Swope Art Museum, Kramer said.

“We have 100 percent funding for two sculptures and about 75 percent funding for the third. The funding is the major obstacle. The artists for the Arts Corridor have not been selected yet,” Kramer said.

Each sculpture also will have a fund for care and maintenance, Kramer said.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 02:55 PM

http://hometown.indiana.edu/images/postcards/postcard10.jpg
The Collett Park Pavilion, which has probably not been renovated since this photograph was taken.

Published: March 03, 2007 05:25 pm

Mark Bennett: Opportunities can drift past Terre Haute, just like the Wabash, decade after decade
By Mark Bennett
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The following paragraph is an opinion.

“No single thing now under consideration by municipal and civic bodies does the future of Terre Haute depend so much as on the movement for the regeneration of the park system, the construction of a river boulevard and the making of a city plan. What is done in the next year in this respect will exert an influence not only on the physical aspect, but on the cultural and social life of the city for a hundred years or more.”

Shouldn’t the author consider that things here take time? What’s the rush, after all?

Well, unfortunately, the author can’t reconsider his words. They were written in August …

Of 1920.

They appeared nearly 87 years ago in an editorial from a monthly magazine called The Book of Terre Haute, published by the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, whose officers then were J.B. Pfister (president) and S.H. McClary (secretary). They seemed particularly prophetic last week when the second oil spill in a 12-day span oozed into the Wabash, and plans to enhance facilities in the city parks got stalled two months before elections.

Sure, there are lots of people from all walks of life working on the Wabash Riverfront Development and Beautification Committee, conjuring up ideas like a walkway along its banks. And, yes, three out of every four Hauteans surveyed by an Indiana State University group last year said such a project would improve the quality of life here and favored it. But, really, what are their chances of seeing that happen?

Ironically, that 1920 commentary included this caveat: “When a majority of the people of this city want these things then we shall have them, and not before.”

Thus, the quintessential word in that sentence is “want.” Do we merely enjoy harboring these visions, or do we truly want them to happen?

Thank goodness, portions of that old editorial came true. The City of Terre Haute bought 160 acres of wooded land from banker Demas Deming in 1920 to create a park on the east side of town. The city paid Deming $155,000 for the property, with the agreement that he would donate $100,000 of that to then-Rose Polytechnic Institute (now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology).

Using inflation calculations, that $155,000 would equal $2,009,957 today. But because of that great investment, generations of people since then have visited Deming Park to have a picnic, fish, hike, play Frisbee, swim, sunbathe, read, ride the kiddie train, jog, watch a cross country meet, eat snowcones, play on Snow Hill or bounce around the playgrounds.

Probably, 99.9 percent of those Deming visitors entered the park with no memory of the people who helped make that $155,000 purchase a reality. And they shouldn’t have to think about all of those bygone commitments; the whole point of going to a park is to recreate, not pay homage.

Back when the city bought that land, though, The Book of Terre Haute recognized the Park Board for its “wisdom and far-sightedness.”

“No money ever spent by any agency of the city of Terre Haute will pay larger dividends in pleasure and happiness to the people of the city,” that follow-up editorial stated.

Nearly nine decades later, the current parks renovation project — meant to create a new aquatic facility to replace the aging city pools, upgrade the Collett Park pavilion, add splash parks and playground equipment and build a skate park at Vorhees Park — must now move to “the back burner,” said Parks Superintendent Greg Ruark, who was clearly disappointed. The proposal for a $4-million bond issue would’ve required a tax increase (of about $21 a year for residents owning a $100,000 home), and a majority of City Council members had indicated they would vote against that request. So, hours before the Council was to meet, the Park Board withdrew that bond request.

Thus, the two existing pools, built in 1962 and renovated in 1986, will be prepared for the 2007 park season. Last year, it took $40,000 to get the Deming pool ready, Ruark said.

“This is a huge expense, because they’re in such poor condition, and it’s conceivable we’ll be spending more and more each year to get them ready in time for Memorial Day,” Ruark added Friday. “So we’re not helping ourselves by any means.”

Sometimes the disadvantages of the status quo aren’t clearly noticeable.

The river flows on, just as it has for hundreds of years. Many of us drive past it daily, giving it only an occasional second glance if the level’s way up or ice chunks are drifting in it. Unless we stop, close our eyes and allow ourselves a moment for visionary thought, few of us see the Wabash as an unappreciated resource. And all of those ideas about walkways, nature paths and improved scenery along its banks obviously aren’t urgent, are they?

Besides, there are 22 different cities and community groups up and down the Wabash working to turn their stretch of the river into an asset, according to Ronald Turco, a professor of agriculture at Purdue University and director of the Indiana Water Resources Center. Shouldn’t Terre Haute just wait to see how their projects turn out?

The Wabash is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi, with a 411-mile uninterrupted stretch, Turco pointed out. Its recreational potential is largely untapped in Indiana.

“I think we’ve really missed the boat on that,” Turco said. “There’s nothing like it anywhere in the eastern United States.”

A developed canoeing trail, for example, could feature stopping points in towns along its route with restaurants and shops for the adventurers.

Concepts such as that require tenacity to see them through to fruition, Turco said. Yet capitalizing on the Wabash could transform Indiana into a recreational haven.

“That would be kind of a cool thing,” Turco said. “It’s low-dollar and high-impact.”

Of course, there are lots of valid reasons for parks and riverfront projects to wait, just as there were in 1920 when The Book of Terre Haute editorial concluded with this paragraph:

“Plans for the river boulevard and park system have been made, and part of this plan is being executed at this present time. There should be no unnecessary delay, however, in executing all of it, and it can be safely said that this project will go forward just as fast as the people of the city want it to go forward. They must express themselves, however.”

Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstasr.com or (812) 231-4377.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 03:09 PM

Engineer outlines road improvement plans for ’07
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Edgewood Grove resident Pat Malloy intently listened to city engineer Pat Goodwin update him on construction in his neighborhood where his family has lived for three generations.

The Terre Haute native has noticed the major work going on in the area, and can’t wait to see the finished product.

Malloy was one of several city residents on hand early Thursday afternoon in the Vigo County Public Library as city officials briefed them on the Pace of Progress capital improvement plan.

Goodwin explained the infrastructure projects the city worked on in 2006 and planned future projects, including a $6.4 million redevelopment project that includes Edgewood Grove that is currently under construction.

“I think the progress the city has made over the past year is phenomenal,” Malloy said after the presentation.

Goodwin outlined several infrastructure projects expected to be constructed in 2007.

The city will spend $1.7 million on the Brown Avenue Phase I Drainage project, which includes new drainage sewer pipes and structures to prepare for trail development in the area. He also explained more about construction on Margaret Avenue, which could include a trail built near the intersection of Margaret Avenue and Seventh Street.

Goodwin explained after the presentation that six of 10 major city projects in 2006 finished on budget and on time. From the context of how the Indiana Department of Transportation, other communities and how Terre Haute previously fared, Goodwin added that last year was pretty good.

But he didn’t want to rate the city based on that context.

“So from my perspective, six out of ten is not as good as I’d like to be,” Goodwin said after the presentation. “I’d like to say ten out of ten.”

Inflation went up much more than usual last year. The city typically uses INDOT as a reference when creating cost estimates for projects, Goodwin said, and INDOT officials told city engineers to anticipate inflation of more than 20 percent just last year alone.

He added that the Iraq War, rising oil and fuel costs and even construction in China added to the increasing costs.

“These factors have converged,” Goodwin said, “and it’s just killing cost estimates. Everything is up.”

Terre Haute officials are proud of the work that’s been done, communications director Peter Ciancone said. He added that the city gave straightforward answers as to why some projects were not completed on schedule.

“But, in total, I think we did an admirable job of moving these things forward,” Ciancone said, “and I think anybody driving around town can see the difference.”

Despite the cost increases, construction and infrastructure improvements will continue in Terre Haute. Goodwin reassured people during the presentation that the city can afford the projects and renovations into the foreseeable future.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 03:12 PM

Published: February 19, 2007 09:25 pm

Indiana Business College changes along with for-profit college industry
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The Terre Haute campus of Indiana Business College is settling into a new location at a time of change and growth in the private, for-profit education industry.

IBC, part of a statewide system of campuses that includes an online program, moved from behind Honey Creek Mall to its new seven-acre campus on Indiana 46 last April.

“We wanted room to expand,” said Patricia Mozley, executive director of the Terre Haute campus since October. The new building is 4,000 square feet larger than the Honey Creek facility, she said.

IBC in Terre Haute offers 18-month associate’s degrees in subjects such as medical coding, accounting, business administration and health-care management. The local IBC has an enrollment of just under 250 students while statewide the school has 4,000 students, Mozley said.

With an average age of 27, students at IBC tend to be older than students at traditional, not-for-profit colleges and universities. Additionally, many students at IBC, about 85 percent, have jobs outside school, Mozley said.

A for-profit institution

For-profit “career colleges” and universities have been part of a growing and profitable industry for the past several years. According a 2005 article in Slate Magazine, enrollment in for-profit colleges has been growing at about 8 percent per year — about four times faster than overall college enrollment. For-profit college industry revenues were $13 billion in 2005, up a whopping 65 percent since 1999.

Not all the news has been good, however. Some for-profit colleges have found themselves under ethical and legal scrutiny in recent years. CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired a piece on Career Education Corp., which had 100,000 students enrolled in its various colleges in 2005 and has seen its share of financial bad news since. Corinthian Colleges, another for-profit giant with around 65,000 students enrolled, has been the target of investigations and lawsuits.

The traditional “education sector kind of puts [all for-profit institutions] in the same barrel,” Mozley said. “That’s unfortunate because there are some major differences.”

Founded in 1902 and with campuses only in the Hoosier state, Indiana Business College is different from the mega-education corporations, Mozley said. “We don’t run our colleges … looking at stockholders,” she said; however, like any institution, the school has had its “ups and downs,” she said.

“I can see huge improvement” in the quality of education at IBC, said Michelle Whitford, a 1995 IBC graduate working for HealthSouth, a local hospital that often hires IBC graduates. IBC may not have had the best reputation 10 years ago, Whitford said, but it has made some definite improvements.

“I get some great employees” from IBC, said David Dean, project coordinator at NFI Interactive Logistics in Terre Haute. Dean has a good relationship with the college, which he said prepares prospective employees well for work with his company. “Everybody I’ve hired through [IBC] is doing really well in this company,” he said. Dean even works with IBC staff to check on the attendance records of new employee prospects, he said.

IBC graduates “are the cream of the crop,” said George Henley, director of human resources at HealthSouth. Henley’s hospital has been hiring IBC graduates for at least five years, he said, adding that they have no intention of stopping. “They are very well-trained,” he said.

An active “advisory board” of local employers works with IBC administrators to help determine curriculum needs at the school, Mozley said. The board, which meets about three times per year, helps school officials understand what local employers are looking for in new hires, she said.

Students are career-oriented

For-profit colleges tend to charge higher tuition than public universities or community colleges but less than not-for-profit, private, four-year institutions. Tuition at IBC ranges from $173 to $247 per credit hour. Tuition at Ivy Tech Community College is $87.75 per credit hour for in-state students and $178.50 for out-of-state students. Indiana State University’s tuition rate for undergraduates is $220 per credit hour for students taking fewer than 12 hours per semester, according to the university’s Web site; however, that rate drops steadily if students take more than 14 credit hours per semester.

Although often paying more, career college students are drawn to accelerated programs, flexible hours, convenient locations and small class sizes, according to a 2001 report by the Education Commission of the States, a Denver-based nonpartisan education policy institute. Often, career college students are also students who are highly career-oriented and had unsuccessful experiences at traditional colleges or universities, the report notes.

“While most colleges fight furiously over the top 25 percent of high school graduates, for-profits aim for the middle half of the class,” according to a 2003 Business Week article. Nearly half of for-profit higher education students are minorities, many are lower-income working adults “hungry for technical and professional skills,” the article notes. At IBC in Terre Haute, 10-12 percent of the students are minorities and 87 percent are female, according to Mozley.

Another thing that makes IBC different from traditional colleges and universities is its personal appearance standards. The college’s dress code prohibits, among other things, hats or sunglasses worn indoors, T-shirts with “inappropriate advertising” and short pants. IBC campuses also have professional and business casual dress days and the school catalog informs students that “tattoos and body piercings may be detrimental in the pursuit of employment,” adding, “Students with visible tattoos and/or body piercings will be addressed individually.”

Many of the new, for-profit universities, such as the mammoth University of Phoenix, which had 96,000 students in 2003, conduct classes in rented office spaces and other temporary settings. IBC’s new facility in Terre Haute, in contrast, is a new, standalone building with a student lounge, four computer labs, carpeted classrooms, a medical lab and a library. Also, unlike many other for-profits, IBC employs full-time faculty, rather than part-time professionals teaching in their spare time. Of the 14 or 15 faculty at IBC-Terre Haute, six are full-time and 75 percent have master’s degrees, Mozley said.

Targeting growth

IBC’s enrollment has been steady at about 250 students for the past six years, Mozley said. About half the students are in medical training fields and half are in business programs. But by moving to its new location, the school has room to grow. A new Information Technology curriculum should be added next year, Mozley said.

“That’s one area I think will help feed some growth.”

Mozley also would like to see the Terre Haute campus eventually offer bachelor’s degrees, something now available only in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville and online.

More than 100 years old, Indiana Business College continues to meet a need in the Wabash Valley and, as more and more jobs require some post-secondary education or training, that need seems to be growing.

“They want their lifestyle to be better,” Mozley said of the reason students enroll at IBC. They want to move from “having a job to having a career.”

cjfjapan

March 4th, 2007, 03:47 PM

Paul Cox Field, Terre Haute's First Airport, 1939

http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1598&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=terre%20haute&REC=4&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0

Today (or recently, at least):

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/paulcoxfield2006.jpg

Terre Haute Coke and Carbon, 14 Sept 1926:
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1666&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=aerial%20terre%20haute&REC=12&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0

Today:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/thcokeandcarbonlookingeast2006.jpg

NaptownBoy

March 5th, 2007, 02:20 AM

Wow, how could I have missed this thread in the two years I've been here? :wow:

This is some very interesting material you've posted; thanks for sharing. I can understand the concern for Terre Haute and similar cities firsthand. As a student about to graduate from Ball State I can honestly say that the presence of a major university is the only thing keeping Muncie from plunging into the White River for good.

cjfjapan

March 5th, 2007, 04:13 AM

Thanks Naptown- I've kind of turned it into a Terre Haute Development thread, updating it only very occasionally. The last couple of years have been good for the city, which I think is on a little stronger footing than Muncie, because of the strong industrial base, the Federal Pen and the strong retail, middle-brow retail scene. That said, the universities are still the major cultural and perhaps economic forces in the city. ISU is going through a rough transition right now, since many of the students they used to attract are now going to the Community Colleges/Ivy Tech. ISU raised its admission standards a few years ago (from "pulse") and the enrollment has momentarily suffered. I think ISU will have to redirect itself like BSU did a few years ago, and all will soon be well again.

cjfjapan

March 5th, 2007, 04:42 AM

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/95_1_b.jpg

Here are two sites related to the Terre Haute House and downtown that might be of interest:

http://www.terrehautehouse.net/

and the related blog (updated somewhat infrequently)
http://terrehautehouse.blogspot.com/

Enjoy -

cjfjapan

March 5th, 2007, 09:46 AM

And a realtime view of Terre Haute from WTHI-TV:

http://media.wthitv.com/images/LiveWeather/towermedium.jpg?1173080593625

cjfjapan

March 7th, 2007, 03:51 AM

http://www.architecturalconcepts.com/Meadows_02.jpg

New call center on way to The Meadows
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. plans in April to open a call center in The Meadows shopping center, which will employ seven full-time workers and 100 contract positions.

The telemarketing center will initially provide inbound and outbound telemarketing and fulfillment services and database management services for national and local clients.

“We generally represent clients who serve the telecom or health-care industries,” generally pharmaceutical companies, said Rick Hall, vice president and general manager for Consolidated Communications.

“We take orders for services and products or provide customer service functions and we also sell services to business customers or consumers who are already customers of the client that we represent,” Hall said.

Database management provides market analysis reports to clients or includes updating existing customer database information.

The company refers to the majority of its workers as “temporary positions,” rather than contract positions.

“The positions are called temporary because we contract most of the jobs through a temporary agency, but the jobs are expected to be mostly permanent full-time and part-time jobs. We expect steady employment in the Terre Haute area,” Hall said.

The company will pay the majority of its workers between $7 to $9 per hour with potential for bonuses or commissions, Hall said.

The basement of The Meadows shopping center, at 25th and Poplar streets, has been home to three teleservice companies. The space originally was designed for Columbia House. After Columbia House pulled out, the Aegis Communications Group moved in, later replaced in 2004 by TeleServices Direct, which pulled out in November.

“This is a good fit for The Meadows,” said John Ragle of Ragle & Co., which manages the shopping center. “We have been impressed by Consolidated Communications.”

The company will use about 25,000 square feet of space at The Meadows, leaving about 15,000 square feet of available space, Ragle said. The center has been upgraded since its first tenant with computer room, anti-static floors and several fiber optic rings, Ragle said.

Aegis Communication Group, a Texas-based company, employed the most workers. The company opened in Terre Haute in August 2000, but Aegis had several layoffs over a four-year period, including a layoff of 150 workers in February 2001 of about half its work force. The company later reached a peak of 610 workers, but cut 225 workers in December 2003 because of a loss of a major contract. The company closed in May 2004, with about 100 workers.

Hall said Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. is different as it has a long business history, being founded in 1894.

“Most of the contracts we have with our clients are long-term contracts and [the contracts] really don’t come and go very often. We have pretty steady relationships with our clients. We also deal with multiple clients …, ” Hall said.

The company already has a consolidated market response center in Illinois, employing 200 workers in Charleston, Ill. The new center will be the company’s first market response center in Indiana.

“Terre Haute is a bigger population base, with three universities in Terre Haute, whereas in Charleston (Ill.) there is just one,” Hall said. “Indiana State University and Eastern Illinois University are universities of similar size, but the overall population base in Vigo County is much larger than in Coles County (Ill.) and that is a plus for us,” Hall said.

The Meadows space is ideal for the company, Hall said, adding the center has the capability to increase to 200 contract workers.

“We had certain criteria we wanted our sites to have and Terre Haute did the best job of meeting all the criteria,” Hall said, such as “work force, the number of employable people, distance from Charleston, overall population base, average income levels and a center that is readily available and access to transportation, as we bring a lot of clients in, and even though the biggest major airport is Indianapolis, that is just an hour away,” Hall said.

Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc.’s principal business is to provide voice and data communications services to residential and business customers in central Illinois and southeast Texas. It is the 15th largest independent telephone company in the nation.

The company offers local and long distance dial tone, high-speed Internet, digital TV, private line, carrier services, wireless phone and Voice Over Internet Protocol or VoIP. Information about the company can be found at www.consolidated.com.
print this story email this story comment on this story

cjfjapan

March 7th, 2007, 09:08 AM

http://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/photos/debs02.jpg

Eugene Debs (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_V._Debs)' Birthplace, just up the way on North 4th Street. The sewer being replaces was probably built just before this house was demolished many years ago.

Published: March 06, 2007 10:20 pm

Sewer replacement project still shutting down part of Terre Haute

Sewers under construction were about a century old
Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State University student Chelsea Shearer knew about the travel inconveniences created by construction on South Fourth Street, which runs in front of the house she bought last month.

But she was startled when her water meter froze three times during February’s bitter wintry weather, which deprived her home of water until the meter eventually thawed.

The water meter, which usually is buried several feet underground, has been more exposed to the elements since construction crews tore up the street and sidewalks to replace nearly century-old sewer pipes under the roadway.

Crews started work last October and are expected to finish within the next few months. In the meantime, area residents need to deal with some unintended inconveniences created by the project.

Shearer installed a bucket with insulation over the nearly exposed water meter after it froze the first time, but she said it froze two more times.

“It’s kind of a weak effort,” Shearer said of the insulation, “but it’s the best we can do.”

Pipes and water meters froze throughout Terre Haute during the cold wintry weather last month. The lack of insulation and increased exposure to the weather contributed to equipment freeze along South Fourth Street, said Deron Allen, operations manager in central Indiana for Indiana American Water Co.

The construction addresses problems with an aging sewer line to which city workers made several repairs over the last few years. Sinkholes occurred on Fourth Street “at least two to three times a year,” said Larry Robbins, assistant city engineer in Terre Haute. A sinkhole is a void created as dirt falls into a hole in a sewer pipe over time.

Robbins suspects that the old sewers were installed incorrectly, since other city sewer lines older than the one at South Fourth Street have not created as many problems.

“If it’s put in properly, it should last forever,” he said.

Not many complaints have been reported to the city, Robbins said. He added that postal workers walk the route, but the city has received no complaints. Some people traveling along part of South Fourth Street walk on uneven sand which has slight dips in elevation and remnants of the former street.

Bradly Haskett, who delivers the Tribune-Star to customers in the area, said he twisted his ankle last month while trying to avoid construction equipment.

“It’s just very unsafe,” Haskett said of the area.

South Fourth Street resident Jim Sarson believes the construction project will improve his sewers. He said that he needed to have the sewer line in his house drained every few months since about 1998, when his drains started backing up. He added that the connection from his sewer line to the main sewer pipe under the street had gotten damaged.

“I’ll be happy when they get it completed,” Sarson said of the construction.

The project on Fourth Street between Poplar and Farrington streets is the first phase of renovations; a second phase replacing the sewer line from Farrington to Hulman streets will start and be expected to finish later this year.

Meanwhile, Shearer is looking forward to the finished project. She plans to move into her home after she graduates in May.

“It’s a mess, but it seems like they’ve got it under control,” Shearer said, “and once it gets done, I think it’ll be really nice.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cwilson758

March 7th, 2007, 06:44 PM

I always found it odd that Terre Haute does not engage teh Wabash River...at all. Very few Cities in Indiana have such a great natural feature and it seems to be basically ignored.

cjfjapan

March 8th, 2007, 01:19 PM

I always found it odd that Terre Haute does not engage teh Wabash River...at all. Very few Cities in Indiana have such a great natural feature and it seems to be basically ignored.

There has been persistent chit-chat in Terry Hut lately about riverfront development. THe city has been trying to buy out land along the Western edge for a wetland restoration/parkland/trail system, but this is in the very earliest stages.

The Mayor had this to say about riverfront development a few months ago:

RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT

Another issue that has received much attention recently is riverfront development.

Let me make one thing clear. This is a county-wide issue with broad future implications for all of us. For too many years, Terre Haute, along with most of the communities along the river, has used the Wabash as a sewer, with scant regard for its recreational or community benefits. That has to change.

Another important point is that this is not something that can be fixed overnight. It took 130 years of habit to make the river what it is. Reworking the river banks through Vigo County will take long-term commitment and effort.

What hit the news outlets recently – making part of the area west of the river into a wetland – does not take any local government involvement at all. The owners of those farming lands do not need public help or public permission to bring that into fruition.

What is most important to note is that local government has no plans to force anybody out of their homes. The public meeting that took place May 26, conducted by a citizen committee with no vested interest in the property, brought out many complaints to that effect. That is not the case.

The city has investigated the possibility of buying property along the Riverfront at Fairbanks Parkst bank of the river from owners interested in selling. The city does not have the resources to buy all that property, and has no interest in forcing anybody to sell who doesn’t want to. We are looking to buy some of that land in Taylorville (Dresser) with the hope that we will someday be able to design an attractive entrance to a wetlands preserve public recreation area to the west and south.

Here is a very simple map of the area - I dont know the boundaries of the project on the west (bottom of the map) side of the river; the city is trying to buy up properties in Dresser, since the neither the feds nor private insurance companies well sell flood policies to those folks.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/thriverfront.jpg

A lot of conspiracy theorists think the city will be gaming for a riverboat on the Wabash, which I would support, but I just dont see it happening, though it would probably be a great draw from Indianapolis, with ready access from I-70 and two new downtown hotels. Stay tuned...

cjfjapan

March 9th, 2007, 02:45 PM

http://hometown.indiana.edu/images/postcards/postcard403.jpg
Next month, this old, now gutted theater will be demolished, and replaced with a twin of the old Tribune Building. The first three floors will house the Terre Haute Children's Science and Technology Museum.

Published: March 08, 2007 11:51 pm

City council transfers final money for hotel, museum
Staff reports
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The Terre Haute City Council transferred the last of city funds dedicated to a downtown development project during its business meeting Thursday night.

With a 7-2 vote, the council approved transferring about $1.9 million from the city’s Rainy Day fund to the Economic Development Income Tax fund. The revenue was money owed to the city from EDIT funds previously collected by state officials.

The City of Terre Haute allocated $1 million for matching donations for the Terre Haute Children’s Museum’s new downtown location in the 700 block of Wabash Avenue.

Burke wanted $1 million of the new funds to cover the city’s allocation to the museum, which is part of a joint effort with Candlewood Suites, an extended-stay hotel to be built at the renovated Tribune Building downtown.

Although EDIT funds are accounted for when the City Council passes the city’s annual budget, Burke is allowed to utilize EDIT funds as additional projects — such as the Candlewood Suites/Children’s Museum effort — come up.

Councilmen Ryan Cummins, R-2nd, and Norm Loudermilk, D-3rd, rejected the transfer.

cjfjapan

March 10th, 2007, 04:28 AM

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/sports/track/04pics/SCACTourney1/tarrshot.jpg

From wthitv.com, the Valley's [self-proclaimed] News Leader!

NCAA Championship Good for City
03/09/2007 19:21:03

By Liz Nichols

They may not have been to Terre Haute before or even heard the name, but after this weekend, the athletes competing to be the best in track and field are taking notice of what the city has to offer.

Caitlin Perra is an athlete from the University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse. "They're greeting everyone with smiles on their faces and it's really a warming welcome"

700 athletes will be in town this weekend. And while they're here, they'll be staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, and spending time here in Terre Haute.

Local businesses, like the Best Western hotel are glad they're here. Denise Story, sales manager at the Best Western Hotel in Terre Haute says, "We've been booked solid for a month and a half. I've taken 72 phone calls on Sunday about the Track and Field championships."

It's a chance for the city to show the out-of-towners what Terre Haute is all about.

Rose Hulman and Terre Haute host events throughout the year, many of them attracting out of town visitors. And on weekends like these, the city hopes to raise the bar and keep these visitors cheering.

You can catch all the action at Rose Hulman Friday and Saturday. The cost is just $5 a day and events begin at noon.

and this, from the TH Tribune-Star

Published: March 10, 2007 09:32 pm

Rose-Hulman, Terre Haute go all out for NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships
By Deb McKee
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Two years of preparation came together this weekend to ensure student-athletes from all over the United States would have a first-class experience in Terre Haute.

The NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships, hosted at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Sports and Recreation Center, brought more than 1,000 student-athletes, coaches, officials and parents from 30 states to the city.

While it was the fourth NCAA Division III national championship that the college has hosted, this was the first time for this particular sport.

Kevin Lanke, Rose-Hulman’s sports information director, said because track and field is an individual sport, the college was able to serve a much larger contingent than in the past.

“We have hosted team sports with four or six teams involved,” Lanke said. “With this, we had 400 student-athletes from 110 different schools that qualified for the meet. People from all over the country will be talking about Rose-Hulman and the city of Terre Haute … that’s the best thing that comes of something like this.”

Lanke said the championships were made possible by the help of the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau, which partnered with Rose-Hulman and the NCAA committee to fund and facilitate the event.

“Dave Patterson [executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau] and his folks paid for the vast majority of all the signs,” Lanke said. “Without their support, this event wouldn’t be here.”

Several NCAA billboards welcoming teams to Terre Haute were placed along Interstate-70 from the Indianapolis International Airport and at Indiana-46 near I-70, as well as on Indiana 63 at the Covington exit.

The organizing committee included Larry Cole, Rose-Hulman's track and cross country coach; Matt Sinclair, director of Rose-Hulman's athletic facilities; Patterson; John McNichols and John Gartland, men's and women's track and cross country coaches at Indiana State University; and Lanke.

More than 200 volunteers helped coordinate the event, which began Thursday afternoon with registration. The competition began Friday at noon and continued through Saturday evening.

Josh Payne, chairman of the NCAA Division III indoor track & field committee, said his experience at Rose-Hulman through the week had been “wonderful. They’ve done a great job with preparations. Everyone’s been very hospitable, the whole community,” Payne added.

Payne, who also serves as the track coach at Hanover College in southern Indiana, said he hopes Rose-Hulman will host again in the future.

Kristin Steckmesser, assistant director of Championships at NCAA, said Rose-Hulman’s facility was “one of the best I’ve seen.”

In addition, Streckmesser said the planning by Rose-Hulman and the City of Terre Haute was obvious.

“Seeing all the billboards and signage, it brings a special feel to this event, which makes the athletes feel welcome,” she said.

Robin Yerkes, 19, a freshman runner for Roanoke College in Virginia, echoed that sentiment.

Yerkes, who flew into Indianapolis before driving with her coach to Terre Haute, said seeing the NCAA signs along the highway was “so good. Track doesn’t always get the hype that other sports get, so that really meant something.”

Yerkes, the only member of her team to qualify for nationals, said she and her parents took a drive around Terre Haute. Yerkes said she was impressed with the “cute little town” and Rose-Hulman’s athletic facility. “It’s an amazing track – a really fast track,” she added.

Yerkes’ family lives in Annapolis, Md.

Robin’s mother Andrea said they had enjoyed their stay and felt like the city and Rose-Hulman was “well-prepared” for the meet.

Lanke said during the bidding process for hosting the event, Rose-Hulman relied on the quality of the athletic facility and first-class treatment of student-athletes upon arrival.

Rick Witt, track coach for the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, said it makes the students feel special when they come to a town like Terre Haute and the athletic event is “the big thing going on.”

“In comparison to being somewhere like Boston or L.A. where you’re not the biggest thing in town, the kids feel like they’re the main event,” Witt said.

Witt and 15 athletes, both men and women, made the eight and a half hour bus ride to Terre Haute from Wisconsin on Wednesday.

“People have gone out of their way to make us feel at home,” he said.

Patterson, of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, “As cool as it is for the athletes to be led into town by all the signs, when they drive down over that hill at Rose-Hulman and see the athletic facility … that facility, and everyone there, is just first-class.”

Meet director and Rose-Hulman track coach Larry Cole said, “It’s hard to describe when you put two years of your life into something. I’ve been coaching for 30 years, and we’ve taken what we’ve seen at different meets over that time and tried to put on the best meet that’s ever been held in Division III.

“I think we’re heading in that direction,” Cole said.

Deb McKee can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.mckee@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 13th, 2007, 12:47 PM

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/in/vigo/postcards/steeg.jpg
Penny Postcard of Steeg Park, renamed Gilbert Park. The fountain is gone, but a new sculpture will find a home in the park.

Published: March 12, 2007 11:57 pm

ISU alumna sculpture will sit in Gilbert Park

By Crystal Garcia
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — When Vincennes native Lauren Ewing started making art, she wanted to make things about society and culture.

“I wanted to make art that wasn’t about me, it was about we,” she told a crowd of about 25 on Monday afternoon at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. “I’m not interested in doing pieces that have to do with lost love or dark moods. I’m really interested in making work that has to do with ideas in the world and the world that I see.”

Ewing, an Indiana State University alumna, is making a “Terre Haute House” sculpture for Gilbert Park.

She spoke about some of her work, the Terre Haute project and future plans at Rose-Hulman.

Gilbert Park was chosen as the sculpture’s home because of its central location in the city and on Wabash Avenue as well as the fact that the neighborhood around the park is full of houses the project models, Ewing said.

Modeled after what Ewing said is a “very common house type,” the sculpture will be 3 feet tall, 5 feet wide and 7 feet long, made out of Indiana limestone from Mansfield Stone Co. of Brazil.

There will be a space between the edge of the base and the body of the sculpture where people can sit.

This type of house continues to exist for many reasons, Ewing told the crowd. It has a cross bay that lets light into narrow lots and allows each room to have one to three windows.

Its pyramid structure allows the back of the house to be wide and the ceilings to be tall, which lets more light and air in throughout the house, she said.

“We took measurements and then crunched all the numbers of the five or six most typical of these houses and made a hybrid,” she said. “A composite house that appropriates all of the features of this house type.”

Many things must be considered when making a public sculpture, she said. One of the most important is public safety.

The piece shouldn’t have corners or areas people can be trapped in, it shouldn’t be too high in case children try to climb it or have any sharp surfaces, she said.

“There are just certain rules that have to do with public safety that you have to observe,” Ewing said. “I’ve never been in a situation where people try to censor my content, but the physical nature of the piece, yes. It can’t be a dangerous piece.”

One special circumstance for Indiana is that it sits in an earthquake zone, with a fault line running through.

“We have to put it on a foundation that is very sturdy so that in the event of an earthquake, it’s not going to roll over on somebody and squash them,” she said.

Some funding for this project came from a $5,000 Community Arts Grant that Arts Spaces Inc., Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection received in July. Other funding came from an individual donation and some in-kind donations, executive director Mary Kramer said.

Also, Ewing donated some of her time, labor and materials. Arts Spaces is still raising the remaining funds needed, Kramer said.

It is expected to cost $22,000 to complete.

“I’m really excited about it,” Kramer said. “ … I think it’s something Terre Haute can be very proud of.”

Cutting and shaping the limestone has started. Ewing said parts should be moving to the park by the middle or end of summer.

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 13th, 2007, 12:50 PM

http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200407/10/82/a0021482_124327.jpg
Revolutions, once housed in a non-descript strip mall next to the sewage treatment plant, finds on home in an historic building next to the Coffee Grounds , pictured above.

Published: March 12, 2007 11:44 pm

Music, CD shop moves into downtown to be closer to Indiana State’s campus

By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Revolutions, a music and CD shop, has opened for business in downtown Terre Haute.

The music store, which had been on West Honey Creek Drive for about 10 years, now will be at 421 Wabash Ave., next door to The Coffee Grounds.

“We wanted to be close to [the Indiana State University] campus,” said Chuck Crabb, co-owner of Revolutions.

Crabb, 28, and his wife Rachael, 26, bought Revolutions about a year ago, he said.

“I think it’s going to be a nice addition to downtown,” said Pete Wilson, owner of The Coffee Grounds and owner of the building at 421-423 Wabash Ave. “We’re glad to have them.”

Wilson, 40, who also owns the Brazil Coffee Co. on National Avenue in Brazil, has plans to renovate the facade of the 110- year-old building in which The Coffee Grounds and Revolutions are located, he said. The renovations, which may begin later this year, will preserve some of the three-story Victorian building’s original look, Wilson said.

“I’m really excited about this,” said Andrew Conner, executive director of Downtown Terre Haute, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to downtown revitalization.

A CD and record shop is one of the types of businesses Downtown Terre Haute Inc. has targeted in strategic plans to make the downtown more attractive to customers and businesses, he said.

“I think it’s going to be a big draw for college students” and support more weekend and evening business activity downtown, Conner said. “It’s especially gratifying to see this type of business” move downtown, he said.

“I just think it’s really important that we keep these old buildings [downtown],” Crabb said, looking around his new Wabash Avenue location. He also is excited about other recent investment in the city’s downtown, he said.

“I wanted to be a part of that,” Crabb said.

The new Revolutions shop is about “half” the size of the old location, Crabb said; however, lower operating costs, along with a closer proximity to ISU, made the decision to move a good one, he said.

The new music store is about 1,800 square feet, Wilson said.

Bobbi Southwood, the property manager for Revolutions’ former location, on West Honey Creek Drive behind Honey Creek Mall, is hoping to attract a sports or fitness business to replace the former music shop. The anchor tenant in that strip mall is a health and fitness center, Southwood said.

A grand opening for Revolutions’ new downtown location is planned in the coming weeks, Crabb said. The Crabbs also hope to launch a Web site for their business soon.

Revolutions will sell CDs, records, posters, T-shirts and body jewelry, Crabb said. They also will buy used records and CDs, he said.

“We’ve always liked music,” Crabb said. “It’s our generation’s type of store.”

Arthur Foulkes can be contacted at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 13th, 2007, 12:55 PM

http://www.indstate.edu/archives/architecture/buildings/dede/dede-overview.jpg
Dede Plaza, at the center of the Indiana State University Campus. Students in the university's Sociology Research Lab are completing a survey requested by the City of Terre Haute gauging residents' thoughts and concerns about city issues and plans.

Published: March 12, 2007 11:50 pm

ISU survey asks about future, city projects
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The City of Terre Haute’s new survey, which is currently under way, questions local residents about quality-of-life-issues.

The survey, the second in a series of its kind, gauges local residents’ reactions to issues affecting them on a routine basis, from emergency response to garbage collection. Other questions focus on infrastructure projects and local residents’ optimism for the future.

It seems some respondents, who also are registered voters, are quite willing to speak on those issues.

“It’s amazing,” said Tom Steiger, director of Indiana State University’s Sociology Research Lab, which is conducting the survey. “They really have a lot to say about these issues, so our interviews go quite a bit longer than what they need to because we don’t collect all that data.”

While interviewers don’t copy down an entire response, answer options given to respondents are recorded. In one section, for example, people give a letter grade (as if on a report card). For other questions, people choose a multiple-choice answer that best gauges their satisfaction.

“What we want to do is build a firm base of knowledge about public attitudes toward city government and the things that city government does,” Terre Haute communications director Peter Ciancone said.

Last year, Terre Haute agreed to pay $16,550 for six surveys, the first of which was conducted last fall, and will continue twice a year until 2009.

The inaugural survey focused on several issues, including residents’ use of Terre Haute parks and potential government responses to the annual winter crow roost.

Ciancone said the spring survey was kept “shorter, more general” than the fall survey because officials would have more planning time for the autumn inquiry.

The spring survey questions residents on more than 10 recent local projects, including closing part of Seventh Street for the Union Hospital expansion and the arts corridor renovations, also along Seventh Street.

Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke denied that asking respondents about city projects is done to evaluate his term in office.

“I simply want to use any and all avenues we have at our disposal to find out what the wishes of the people are,” Burke said, “and I have to say that, just because it’s an election year” it doesn’t mean “that we stop doing our job.”

The fall survey affirmed city officials’ decision to pursue riverfront development, he added, while respondents also gave them several ideas about how to develop the riverfront.

Michael Faber, a political science professor at DePauw University, previously remarked that it was not uncommon for communities to gauge public response through surveys.

The spring survey also questions respondents about their opinion of Terre Haute as a clean, safe city. It also questions city residents on their expectation of the quality of life in Terre Haute in five years.

Although the survey is about two-thirds of the way done, Steiger said responses indicate that “people seem to be pretty upbeat on the future.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 13th, 2007, 01:22 PM

Sorry these are enormous...

From the Archives of Indiana State University:

1927
http://www.indstate.edu/archives/architecture/buildings/Aerials/1927.jpg

1937
http://www.indstate.edu/archives/architecture/buildings/Aerials/1937.jpg

1959
http://www.indstate.edu/archives/architecture/buildings/Aerials/Aerial1959.jpg

1966 - a good view of downtown, thought it was quickly atrophying
http://www.indstate.edu/archives/architecture/buildings/Aerials/1966.jpg

1973 - another good view of Downtown, and the Hulman Civic Center under construction
http://www.indstate.edu/archives/architecture/buildings/Aerials/1973.jpg

more on the way...

cjfjapan

March 15th, 2007, 12:40 AM

I generally enjoy Marcus' wit and insight, but I think one of his diagnoses of Terre Haute's ills is waaaaay off. He mentions that downtown Terre Haute died when the city routed I-70 to the south side, rather than through downtown, and says (perhaps rightfully) that downtown Indy would have died without the interstates. Perhaps. But there were never plans to run I-70 through the city- the original route was on the north side. Running the highway through the middle of the city (unheard of anywhere in Indiana for a comparably sized city) would have ruined countless neighborhoods and likely would have made the situation worse, not better.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/I70andSR63.jpg
Interstate 70 under construction near Indiana 63, southwest side, late 1960s (?)
Published: March 13, 2007 11:28 pm

IU economist ties education to economic development
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — The best way to promote economic development in Terre Haute, according to Indiana University economist Morton Marcus, is to make area high schools “rank among the very best in the state.”

“High schools are the most important economic development tool in each community,” said Marcus, who was speaking Tuesday evening at Indiana State University.

“Who wants to come to your community if your schools are known to be inadequate?” Marcus asked. Good schools can give a community a step ahead in terms of economic development, he said.

Marcus, director emeritus of the Indiana Business Research Center at IU’s Kelley School of Business, also noted that a college education is not always best use of a young person’s time and he criticized what he called the “trade school” attitude that “we have … had imposed upon us that says you go to school in order to make money.”

“The point of getting an education … is not to earn an income,” Marcus said. Receiving a formal college education is a way to become part of an organization, he said, adding, “if you want to make money, you get a good idea and you push it with all the energy that you have when you’re 18 … 21 years old. Otherwise you’ll be wasting time in school,” Marcus said.

Speaking to a gathering of some 60-80 people in ISU’s Cunningham Memorial Library, Marcus also said Terre Haute’s leaders “killed downtown” years ago when they neglected to allow Interstate 70 to pass through the middle of the city. Indianapolis’ downtown growth, Marcus said, is a result of the highway system being easily accessible from the heart of the city.

“That’s what kept [downtown] Indianapolis alive,” Marcus said.

Marcus does not believe Terre Haute’s downtown is a lost cause, however. He said Terre Haute needs a “reimagining” of its downtown.

“You need a downtown that’s different,” Marcus said, adding that ISU’s student population should provide much of the commerce and direction for downtown development.

Marcus also pointed to what he called Vigo County’s “surprisingly small” Hispanic population as an indicator that “the opportunities for growth and employment are not here. You don’t have enough new restaurants coming in. You don’t have enough people wanting to hire somebody to fix the lawn. Why? Because your wages are too low,” he said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 4.5 percent of Indiana’s population in 2005 was of Hispanic or Latino origin compared with 1.3 percent in Vigo County.

Also at the gathering, sponsored by the Friends of ISU’s Cunningham Memorial Library, Marcus lamented that the steel and automobile industries are the major industries in Indiana today.

“Stupidity reigns” in these industries, Marcus said. The American automobile industry is not meeting the demands of American consumers, he said. He suggested that American car makers should concentrate on making less multi-purpose automobiles and focus on making small, efficient cars for daily, in-town driving and other vehicles for other purposes.

Marcus further noted that he is not concerned about a so-called “brain drain” from the Hoosier state, calling attempts to keep Indiana’s kids in the state a mistake. It is better to encourage young people to leave the state and attract new people from other areas to move here, he said.

“We have an inadequacy of brain-inflow,” not a brain drain, Marcus said. “Too many people in Indiana have not seen the rest of the world.”

In other comments, Marcus said the U.S. economy is fundamentally in good shape, while Indiana and especially Terre Haute are lagging behind.

“We do not see the kind of growth in our communities statewide and in this community in particular that we have seen elsewhere in the country,” Marcus said.

Marcus also spoke out in favor of Indiana’s moves toward all-day kindergarten, criticized government policies restricting the number of people who can be trained as physicians (causing health care costs to be higher than they would otherwise be) and denounced other public policies that he said are detrimental to public well being, such as tax deductions for borrowing, which encourages debt and discourage savings, he said.

“That’s one of the things that we as a society don’t do. We don’t save money.” A lack of individual savings means when something bad happens in someone’s life, such as a job loss or ill health, Marcus said, “we’re on the brink of bankruptcy. We are a society that does not protect itself” or practice “safe economic behavior,” he said.

Arthur Foulkes can be contacted at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 17th, 2007, 05:41 AM

http://www.terrehauteareaedc.com/images/vcip_arieal.jpg
Vigo County Industrial Park, south of Terre Haute.
Published: March 16, 2007 10:38 pm

Terre Haute ranks as one of top small cities for economic development
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — An economic development magazine ranks Terre Haute as one of the top small cities in the nation for creating and expanding corporate facilities last year.

Terre Haute tied for seventh among metropolitan areas with a population between 50,000 and 200,000 people by attracting nine economic development projects to the area in 2006, according to this month’s edition of “Site Selection,” which advertises itself as “the oldest publication in the corporate real estate and economic development field.”

The projects needed at least $1 million worth of investment; or 20,000 or more new square feet of facility space; or 50 new employees, said Adam Bruns, the managing editor of “Site Selection.”

In addition, new construction must be taking place for a development project to be added to the list, he said.

Several companies either relocated or renovated existing facilities in Terre Haute and Vigo County last year. Pfizer, for example, announced a $175 million local expansion that is expected to create 450 new jobs, according to a Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. news release.

CertainTeed Corp., Boral Bricks and Staples also were among the companies expanding local operations last year.

“ …Those are world-class companies and household names who have chosen to make a significant investment in Terre Haute and Vigo County,” said Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., “and I think that’s something we should be real proud of and try to replicate in the future.”

Terre Haute wasn’t the only Hoosier city to make the magazine’s top lists. Fort Wayne ranked ninth among metropolitan areas with a population of between 200,000 to 1 million people; and Indianapolis finished ninth in a category of metropolitan areas with a population of more than 1 million people.

“I would certainly say given Indiana’s economic development momentum over the past year or so, that Terre Haute is a part of that,” Bruns said.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 21st, 2007, 07:21 AM

Four short biz briefs from Terry Hut:

New Indian Restaurant; New pie-house downtown; TH's third Starbucks; Plaza North expects new tenants soon

http://www.gtpie.com/locations/burton/burton_front.jpg

I

TERRE HAUTE — It may not be one of the “seven wonders of the world” like the original south of New Delhi, but a new Indian restaurant, the Taj Mahal, has opened on South Third Street in Terre Haute.

Dharminder Singh, who also owns the Sunoco gas station and Sunmart grocery at 408 S. Seventh St., opened the Indian cuisine restaurant in the old I-HOP building at 1349 S. Third St. on March 2.

Singh said the Sunmart, which features Indian and Middle Eastern dishes and groceries, has had such a great response locally he decided to open the new restaurant. Now the Taj Mahal, which he describes as serving northern Indian cuisine, is exceeding his expectations.

“It’s really working great there,” Singh said speaking on his cell phone while on his weekly grocery and fresh vegetable trip to Chicago. “I was not expecting this much response.”

Singh and his wife, Rupinder, manage the Taj Mahal along with the Sunmart, he said. The couple also owns a grocery store and restaurant in Illinois.

If you’re not sure if you can handle Indian food, Singh said it can be ordered mild or hot. He is considering trying a Sunday buffet to allow customers to try a variety of different foods.

II

The Grand Traverse Pie Co., a Michigan-based franchise restaurant chain, is, appropriately enough, coming to Cherry Street in Terre Haute.

The restaurant, started in 1996 in Traverse City, Mich., by Mike Busley and his wife, Denise, features breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, including pot pies, wraps, quiches, soups, sandwiches, salads and, of course, pies.

“We make [pies] from scratch every day,” said Busley. “We don’t truck them in.”

The Terre Haute franchise will be operated by Wright Properties, an Evansville-based, family-owned business.

“There’s nothing out there like [Grand Traverse Pie Co.],” said Jeff Wright, a co-owner of Wright Properties. Wright’s company plans to open other G.T. Pie Co. restaurants in Evansville, New Albany, Bloomington and Indianapolis, Wright said.

Terre Haute’s G.T. Pie Co. should open in late May or early June and will be at Third and Cherry streets, Wright said. It was just “pure luck” that a restaurant born in northern Michigan’s cherry country will be on Cherry Street, he said.

The restaurant, which Busley describes as fun, warm and welcoming, will have seating for about 125 people, he said. It will offer dine-in and carry out services but no drive through window.

“We want to see people,” Busley said of the decision not to include drive up service. “It’s somewhat of an old fashioned philosophy.”

III

A new Starbucks Coffee Co. will be opening south of town along U.S. 41, said Henry Stadler, senior vice president and director of operations for Thompson Thrift, a locally-based real estate development and construction company.

The new coffee shop, which will be owned by the Starbucks corporation, will be in the former Dick’s Bodacious BBQ and Ritter’s Frozen Custard building at South Pointe Crossing just north of the intersection of Seventh Street and U.S. 41 South.

The Seattle-based coffee company has negotiated a 10-year lease with Thompson Thrift for the 2,200-square-foot, stand-alone building, Stadler said. Once the lease is executed, Thompson Thrift will begin working on plans to renovate the building, he said.

Thompson Thrift already leases space to a Starbucks in Noblesville, Stadler said.

This will be the third Starbucks to open in Terre Haute. The others are at 25th Street and Wabash Avenue and at Third Street and Margaret Avenue.

IV

The new owners of Plaza North shopping center on Fort Harrison Road are pleased with the response they are getting from retailers about opening shop in their newly acquired property in Terre Haute’s north end, said Howard Arnberg, a principal of Coastal Equities of Weston, Fla.

Coastal Equities expects to announce some new lease agreements in the next couple of weeks, Arnberg said. He also said the company is working on a drawing for a new facade for the shopping center.

“We want to make sure that when we redo the facade and we redo the center that it looks the way that we want it to look,” Arnberg said. “We’ve made a lot of good progress so far.”

Coastal Equities, which describes itself as a company that “invests in areas that others don’t find so fashionable,” purchased the 326,000 square foot Plaza North shopping center in January for $9,125,000, according to the company Web site.

cjfjapan

March 22nd, 2007, 02:38 PM

http://www.pfizer.se/FileOrganizer/Diabetes/EXUBERA.gif

Exubera is a new inhaled insulin product manufactured in Terre Haute.

Published: March 21, 2007 11:36 pm

County Council approves $4.515M TIF bond for Pfizer
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Pfizer has cut a temporary work force and reduced its total production days as it stockpiles Exubera, a powdered form of insulin.

The pharmaceutical company already has hired nearly 400 full-time workers over the past year to produce Exubera and Vigo County officials this week approved an incentive package as part of an economic development incentive to Pfizer.

The County Council on Tuesday approved the issuance of a $4.515 million tax increment finance, or TIF, bond. Taxes paid by Pfizer will fund the TIF bond payments, with the county’s income tax serving as a backup to secure the 15-year bond through 2021. The TIF could generate sufficient funds to redeem the bond by January 2019, two years earlier.

The total debt on the bond issue, with more than $2.9 million in interest, would be more than $7.4 million over 15 years.

However, Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said Wednesday he thinks “it would just be good business for the county to meet with Pfizer to get an update on the status of the Exubera project before completing the sale of the TIF bond. We plan to contact

Pfizer officials to arrange

that meeting.”

Rick Chambers, Pfizer spokesman, said Wednesday that Pfizer last year brought in temporary contract workers to “help us build inventory for Exubera. Once we reached that inventory level that we needed to support the product, then the assignments for those temporary workers were concluded. That happened two weeks ago.

“That was always intended to be a temporary assignment,” he said.

In addition, Pfizer has stopped production of Exubera on Sundays.

In any manufacturing, Chambers said, “you base your production schedule in large part on need for the product.”

“We are at the inventory levels that we need and we are still in the process of pursuing the [Exubera] rollout, which began last fall. We’re at the place that we need to be and we have the inventory of Exubera that we need. We’re expecting that this product will continue to gain attention among physicians and patients,” Chambers said.

Brandweek, a publication that covers marketing of drugs, reported this month that Friedman, Billings, Ramsey analyst Jim Reddoch published numbers that suggest Pfizer has paid more to acquire and market the bong-like diabetic device used to inhale the powdered insulin than it can make back in sales.

Brandweek reported that in a note covering Nektar Therapeutics, the San Carlos, Calif., manufacturer of the Exubera device, Reddoch wrote: “With lackluster demand so far, Pfizer has built up nearly $800 million in Exubera inventory this year and, based on guidance, will have more than $1.5 billion in inventory by the end of this year (nearly three years’ worth of demand, based on our estimates). Pfizer will re-launch the product in April; this is probably the last chance to get traction with physicians and stimulate demand.”

Chambers said Pfizer has invested more than $300 million in the past five years on its Vigo County plant, south of Terre Haute, and over the past year has hired about 400 people, making its work force at nearly 800 there.

“We are still very much enthusiastic about the product and our future in Terre Haute,” Chambers said.

Pfizer has expanded its Exubera education rollout to primary physicians and has started to increase advertising, with direct-to-consumer advertising to start in the next couple of months, Chambers said. The company already is advertising in trade journals, Chambers said.

Robert Hellmann, president of the Vigo County Council, said the county is keeping its commitment made to Pfizer to provide at least $3.2 million in improvements. Even if Pfizer’s revenue forecast for Exubera sales is below initial estimates, the revenue generated from the established TIF district “is substantially more than the obligation on the TIF bond,” Hellmann said.

The TIF is projected to generate more than $11.7 million from Pfizer over a 15-year period, larger than the total debt on the bond of more than $7.4 million, he said.

The County Council plans to use $450,000 from the County Economic Development Income Tax, commonly called EDIT, to extend a waterline to Pfizer as well as establish a bond debt service reserve of $451,500 on the TIF bond.

Danisco Sweeteners now has use of several water wells formerly used by Pfizer, Witt said. The debt reserve will cover bond payments for a year should Pfizer’s taxes not be enough to cover payments.

In addition, another $552,125 of economic development income tax will be used to pay interest on the bonds through July 15, 2010. “It will be a few years before the Pfizer project is completed, yet interest will still be due on the bonds, so the county will pay that out of EDIT,” said Vigo County Auditor Jim Bramble.

The bond issue would cover $640,000 for a new intersection at Carlisle/Dallas roads; $562,000 for a new intersection at Carlisle/Pfizer roads; $700,000 for a new Carlisle/Harlan roads intersection; $725,000 for improvements to Harlan Road; $480,000 for a rail crossing signal on Harlan Road; and $550,000 for resurfacing Dallas Road from U.S. 41 to Carlisle Road.

It also includes $860,000 as a 20 percent match to resurface Harlan Road from Carlisle Road to Sullivan Place. The project’s total projected cost is $1.07 million, with the county seeking an 80 percent federal match.

Also, $1.6 million as a 20 percent match to resurface Harlan Road from Sullivan Place to Indiana 63. That project’s total projected cost is $2 million, also with the county seeking an 80 percent federal match.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

March 23rd, 2007, 03:22 AM

This should have happened 20 years ago...

New Housing in Terre Haute
Dated: 03/22/2007 17:59:17
from wthitv.com

Story by Liz Nichols

The City's Department of Redevelopment has begun a new project.

But this one's not aimed at commercial development, instead it focuses on residential housing.

We've heard a lot about new "commercial" buildings downtown.. like the two hotels and the new Children's Museum.

Now we're going to start hearing about new homes..

Cities like indianapolis have done this in the past with great success and that's what the city is hoping for Terre Haute.

The plan will give incentives to people that build houses in some of the city's older neighborhoods.

The city hopes to turn vacant lots and condemned houses into bright new affordable homes.

We spoke with Cliff Lambert of the Department of Redevelopment.. and he considers this project a "win-win" situation.

"This brings us the opportunity to enhance our housing stock and make it newer. Put those vacant lots back on the property tax roles and the larger the pie the lower the tax rates and that helps everybody," says Lambert.

The city of Terre Haute has some of the oldest homes in the state.

In fact.. 70% of homes were built before 1950.

42% were built before 1939.

This redevelopment effort is open to private individuals as well as companies, to make streets like this one, a popular place to live.

If you're worried about how these "new" homes will look next to the old ones, the Department of Redevelopment says not to worry.

There are strict guidelines in place so both old and new will be compatible.

It will be interesting to see the changes that come to these downtown neighborhoods, and News 10 will be there.

cjfjapan

March 23rd, 2007, 10:17 AM

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nws/images/wea00230.jpg

Seventy percent of Terre Haute's homes are older than my parents (1950), nearly forty percent predate the German invasion of Poland (1939).

City offers builders’ incentives to develop vacant lots

Residential development program could save home builders as much as $12,000
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A new city residential development program may stimulate developers and licensed private individuals to build new houses in low- to moderate-income areas of Terre Haute.

The program offers incentives in a target area that covers about 70 percent of the city and can save home builders as much as $10,000 to $12,000, said Cliff Lambert, director of the Terre Haute Department of Redevelopment.

“For the private developer to take a risk in some older neighborhoods that have been in transition, but are coming back [with new streets and sidewalks], if the city was to provide a package of incentives, it would perhaps make the financial opportunity of some value,” Lambert said.

Construction is being targeted for new homes in the $70,000 to $80,000 price range, which can be built on city-owned lots or privately owned lots.

Richard Jenkins Construction is building three homes, on South 13th 1/2 Street, Gilbert Avenue and 14th Street, under the program.

“It is an idea we’re hoping that can be expanded,” Jenkins said.

“It is an idea we’re hoping that can be expanded,” Jenkins said. Building new homes in a price range that people can afford can attract people who grew up in the city and want to return, Jenkins said.

The benefit to the city is an increase in the tax base and employment from construction jobs.

The program, with 15 requirements for developers, is available to contractors, as well as licensed and bonded individuals. Some requirements include the size of eligible sites, which must be 40 by 120 feet; the front door of the home must face a city street; and a new home must be completed within a year.

“None of the requirements are impediments and are not ridiculous standards,” said H. Dean Branson, real estate administrator for the city’s Redevelopment of Department.

New homes are wanted since nearly 70 percent of homes in the city were built before 1950, with more than 42 percent of those built before 1939, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

Branson said the city already is incurring expenses to maintain the vacant lots. The city has about 30 available lots that can be used under the program. The city pays about $70,000 annually to mow and maintain the lots, then tries to recoup its costs from property owners.

Terre Haute has had a site recovery program since the early 1980s, Lambert said, and the city’s Redevelopment Department, using federal funds, has built new streets, sidewalks and curbs in many neighborhoods.

The new program does not use federal funds, but is targeted at encouraging the infill of vacant housing lots in some of the older neighborhoods, Lambert said.

“As we look at the continued construction of homes and subdivisions literally outside the city boundaries, we thought that the city, through the Department of Redevelopment and Board of Public Works and Safety, owns many vacant lots … that we believe can be utilized for new, moderate home construction,” Lambert said.

Some incentives for all lots in the program include reimbursement of a $500 sewer tap on fee; and reimbursement up to $5,000 toward the following: repair of substandard sewer lateral pipe or installation of a new sewer lateral pipe between the property line and the public main sewer, repair of sidewalks and curbs “rated 6 or worse” by city engineering standards and repair of sidewalks, curbs, pavement or tree rows above a sewer.

Incentives for using city-owned lots are obtaining the building site for $1; a four-pin survey of the site; providing up to $100,000 of title insurance; and clearing trash, brush and undesirable trees.

Branson is the contact on the program and can be reached at (812) 232-0018, Ext. 13.

cjfjapan

March 24th, 2007, 07:30 AM

http://www.msdwc.k12.in.us/quest/fourth/care.jpg
The Wabash and Erie Canal (pictured here near Lagro), the world's longest upon completion in the 1850s at 453 miles, was routed around the small burg of Terre Haute. Railroad tracks now use the corridors, which run through the middle of the city. Now, a major highway will run along the route connecting the south end of Terre Haute with a new state road bypass, Indiana 641.

$24M Canal Road project ready to roll

Vigo County, CSX agree to build bridge over tracks near Feree Road
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A contract allowing construction over railroad tracks in southern Vigo County has put the Canal Road project on track for the start of construction this year.

County commissioners on Thursday signed a right-of-way agreement with CSX Transportation Inc., allowing the county to build a bridge over railroad tracks near Feree Road to connect to a reconstruction and realignment of McDaniel Road with Canal Road.

The new bridge, 2.4 miles south of Interstate 70, will be 40 to 45 feet tall as it stretches over the railroad tracks, said Jerry Netherlain, county engineer.

“The railroad agreement was the last step, so we’re on schedule to make a July letting for the project,” Netherlain said.

The entire Canal Road project, to be built in two phases, will cost nearly $24 million. It will link to the 641 bypass, a 6.2-mile road now under construction that will extend from U.S. 41 northeast to I-70. It also will link with the second phase of the City of Terre Haute’s 13th Street project.

Phase one is a $12 million project, with $8.8 million in federal funds and $3.2 million in county funds from the County Economic Development Income Tax, commonly called EDIT. This phase is scheduled to be completed in 2008.

Phase two is an $11.8 million project that will bring a four-lane road from the bridge to I-70 along Canal Road. That phase will include $8.8 million in county funds and $3 million in federal funds.

The county is still working to obtain parcels for the required right of way on phase two, Netherlain said.

“Funding for Canal Road and McDaniel Road is in place,” said Robert Hellmann, president of the Vigo County Council. “The funding and engineering approvals are complete and we’re on schedule to have phase one bid out this year and completed in 2008.”

Hellmann said phase two is on track to be bid in 2008 and completed in 2009.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
print this story email this story comment on this story

cjfjapan

March 25th, 2007, 02:03 AM

I happened on to the new Google News archives, and found this headline from 1910:

MORE SMALLER CITIES GROW.; Terre Haute. Ind., Shows Most Growth (58.6 Per Cent.) on Latest Returns.

September 28, 1910, Wednesday

I couldn't access the text of the article (for free), but the headline shows how much has changed in the Midwest - few small cities ever record that kind of growth (suburbs excluded). However, it also shows that the processes going on today in the desert Southwest and California are not that different from a century ago.

cjfjapan

March 30th, 2007, 05:55 PM

After delays, construction crews finishing Seventh Street Arts Corridor
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — After design issues had created delays, construction crews are forging the final touches on the million-dollar Seventh Street Arts Corridor project.

Construction crews removed about an inch and a half of asphalt Thursday from South Seventh Street, said Brad Utz, director of inspection for the Terre Haute engineer’s office. Crews will level all the manhole covers before new asphalt will be poured, he added.

“They’re actually a little bit ahead of schedule of what they thought they’d be right now,” Utz said.

New decorative lighting, benches, trees and more than 20 parking spaces will be created along the stretch of South Seventh Street between Poplar Street and Wabash Avenue.

The project started last fall and was expected to be finished by the end of the year. But bump-outs, which narrow the street and provide additional sidewalk space for objects such as sculptures, created a drainage issue and delayed the final finish date.

The city spent nearly $50,000 to create a trench drain between the bump-outs and the sidewalk, which redirects water away from the sidewalk.

The city spent about $240,000 in all for the project, which cost about $1 million. A state grant in 2001 funded the rest of the initiative.

The last roadwork that will require street closures should be done by the end of next week; all road work should be finished by mid-to-late April, Utz said.

The construction will not finish the corridor. Five sculptures will line the arts pathway. The first will be near the Vigo County Public Library, with the second in front of the Sheldon Swope Art Museum.

Art Spaces Inc. — Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection, an organization working with the city on the corridor project, has issued a request for proposals for the first two sculptures. The group hopes to name finalists by the end of April, with the artists selected in May.

“We expect to get a wide variety of responses,” said Mary Kramer, executive director of the organization. “We usually do.”

Art Spaces hopes to have the first two sculptures up by the end of the year, with the rest soon to follow.

“I think it’s going to be wonderful,” Kramer said of the finished corridor, “and I hope everyone else does, too.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

April 2nd, 2007, 12:26 PM

http://www.indianatrails.org/NRHT/west_labels.gif

Terre Haute's National Road Heritage Trail is, despite it's boring name, one of the gems of the city. Running along the eastern spine of the city, new trails are planned to connect schools, parks, and other trails. However, the growing number of large construction projects in the city has made it difficult to find bidders for these smaller, yet very important quality of life projects.

http://www.storrowkinsella.com/projectwebs/0326_0426_publicweb/Pathway/d_resources/mapimages/bg_roundabout_proposal.gif
Storrow and Kinsella have drawn up plans for the Brown Avenue Connector, a boulevard and trail that will connect the main trail with Terre Haute North Vigo HS.

Problems slowing National Road Heritage Trail projects
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Putting the final touches on two projects on the National Road Heritage Trail along U.S. 40 on Terre Haute’s east side has not been easy.

The job at Twiggs Rest Area, city officials say, is not that difficult — build a new sewer lift station, a new bathroom/storage area and a playground as an added option.

“We went to bid in July and August of last year and had no bidders. Then we went to bid again in September last year and had a bidder; however, the bidder was eventually disqualified,” said Pat Martin, chief planner for the city.

The bid lacked a qualification for “disadvantaged business enterprise” participation, a federal requirement, said Debbie Calder, spokeswoman for Indiana Department of Transportation’s Crawfordsville district.

http://www.thtriathlon.com/trail.jpg
The trail east of Terre Haute, near Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the best undergraduate engineering college in the US, and home of the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts Summer Training Camp.

“We have a lot of statutory requirements and also a tight tolerance for awarding a bid,” Calder said. “Some of these people bidding may not know all of the steps required.”

The Twiggs project was then bid a fourth time last month, and that bid also was disqualified for not providing a drug-free workplace certification, Calder said.

Martin said the city also is having difficulty finding local contractors to bid on the project. Only six in the Wabash Valley have INDOT certification to bid on such projects, he said.

“We hope to bid it again as soon as possible,” Martin said.

The city’s transportation enhancement grant for the Twiggs project is $240,820. The last bid on the Twiggs Rest Area was $588,000. The extra cost is something the city is discussing with state officials. That cost likely will be covered by the state, as the rest area is state-owned, Martin said.

Another project, a trail extension called the Delmar & Betty Jones Trailhead, east of Twiggs Rest Area, has been bid out twice. And each time, the bids received have exceeded engineers’ estimates, said Larry Robbins, assistant city engineer.

The city, which owns the land for the trailhead, has a grant of $849,394 for that project, but the lowest bid on the first round was $1.2 million and the lowest bid increased to $1.6 million on a second round of bids, Robbins said.

“What we will have to do is look at individual costs and see where we can save. We can get more creative. It’s just frustrating as this is now about six months delayed. We were hoping to have it built in 2006,” Robbins said.

The city will soon start construction on a new trail, called the Brown Boulevard Trail, phase one. That will add 3,100 feet of trail from Wabash Avenue to Locust Street and east a block. The city has a grant of just over $337,000 for that project, to be bid in July.

Phase two on that trail includes a new section from Locust Street through new terrain to Maple Avenue, with a 10-foot-wide pedestrian bridge to connect to Maple Avenue, Robbins said. That work also includes grading and installing a storm sewer system. Final costs and engineering on the project will soon be completed, with a bid expected in late summer, Robbins said.

Part of that work is a precursor to developing a new four-lane boulevard from Locust to Maple, he said.

Martin said several projects in the city may be causing fewer contractors to bid on the smaller trail projects. The city in April will start a $6.5 million project, awarded to Feutz Contractors Inc. of Paris, Ill., to build the second phase of the 13th Street project that will link to a county road under Interstate 70. That project will take a year to complete.

There also is construction on Fourth Street, in Edgewood Grove, and construction of a multi-purpose transportation garage near Indiana State University’s Hulman Center. In addition, Martin said, there also is private sector construction under way of two new hotels and an expansion at Hulman & Co.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

April 2nd, 2007, 12:34 PM

http://www.storrowkinsella.com/projectwebs/0326_0426_publicweb/z_images/bg_1000_Regional%20Destination%20Map.gif

cjfjapan

April 8th, 2007, 12:48 AM

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/wabashavesnow.jpg
Streetcars along Wabash Avenue many, many moons ago.
Bus Ridership up in Terre Haute
from wthitv.com

Terre Haute's bus system is doing better than ever these days.

With the new Mall Express and Saturday Service, officials tell News 10 they've seen an all time high in ridership.

And that means an increase in revenue by nearly 50 percent.

Brad Miller with the Terre Haute Street Department says the goal is to see even more people on the buses and make the system more attractive to everyone.

"Bus service is a quality of life issue. It's not something that's gonna make a profit. We're never gonna be able to run it and be profitable, and be like a business would be, because of the subsidy and everything else involved. So, what we're trying to do is making it as affordable as we can for everybody."

As fuel prices continue to go up, Miller expects even more riders to take advantage of the bus system.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

New Streetscaping in Downtown Vincennes
Dated: 04/04/2007 17:39:13 Updated: 04/05/2007 10:58:51
www.wthitv.com

A major downtown revitalization project comes closer to starting.

Downtown Vincennes is old and in need of some sprucing up.

The city now has $750,000 to carry out a renovation project.

Final work is being done on the plans, with bidding expected to start next month.

Construction will begin right after the 4th of July.

"We'll make that as positive as possible," said Vincennes Urban Enterprise Zone Director Buddy Rogers, "We'll probably have some days where we'll have some construction events. We'll have some music downtown for people. We'll have opportunities for people to come visit and view what's going on."

The work on the streets, sidewalks, and installation of new lighting is expected to take several months.

Officials hope to have it completed in time for the Christmas parade in November.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The city of Vincennes has also initiated a loft development program for downtown buildings, with grants of $10,000 for owners to develop unused upstairs space.

cjfjapan

April 8th, 2007, 12:50 AM

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/thaerial1952.jpg
Downtown Terre Haute, looking east, in 1952. Still the center of commerce in the middle Wabash Valley, the slow atrophy soon began as suburban shopping centers bloomed in the 1960s and 70s.

Terre Haute Mayoral elections are coming up - and it looks like the Tribune-Star has endorsed Burke for a second term. I agree, and think he will coast to a pretty easy victory.

Downtown progress jewel on mayor's resume
The Tribune-Star

Historically, incumbent mayors in Terre Haute have not enjoyed much job security.

Since Ralph Tucker served five terms in the 1950s and 1960s, winning re-election four times before retiring from public life, the political road has been littered with the names of incumbents whom voters decided to cast aside: Larrison. Brighton. Chalos. Jenkins. Anderson. Each ultimately failed in their quest for another term.

Pete Chalos was the most successful, winning re-election three times before losing the primary.

Since Chalos lost his final re-election bid in 1995, no incumbent mayor has won re-election. This spring, incumbent Mayor Kevin Burke is trying to break the losing streak.

Burke appears stronger in his bid than his immediate predecessors, although nothing is easy in the rough-and-tumble world of Terre Haute politics. The determined and crafty operatives that work behind the scenes have an uncanny way of making success stories look like disasters.

Still, opponents have an uphill battle. Burke has been an active, engaged and forward-thinking mayor. His key re-election challenge stems from the fact that any public official who works an ambitious political agenda is destined to face hard questions, close scrutiny and sharp criticism. His willingness to address the city’s long-delayed sewer repairs is a good example.

Burke also has something going for him that previous mayors coveted but could never obtain — progress on the property at Seventh and Wabash where the Terre Haute House stood empty and decaying for more than 30 years. On this high-profile issue, Burke succeeded where his predecessors failed.

He did not do it by himself, of course. It took private investors taking a financial risk to get things moving. And the method by which Burke and his administration set the stage for the purchase and demolition of the old building, — and the current construction of a new, modern hotel — generated controversy and criticism, some justified.

As expected, Burke’s opponents in this election so far are discounting the positive impact of the Terre Haute House development, as well as the more recent project to renovate and transform the Tribune Building into an extended-stay hotel and to construct a new Children’s Museum next to it. During Tuesday’s candidate forum, criticism ranged from the low number of jobs these projects will bring, to the tax incentives used by the city to assist the developers.

While challenging the wisdom and implementation of a political agenda is fair game, critics and political opponents must be prepared to offer real alternatives. All five mayoral candidates expressed the importance of economic development in the city. Without viable alternatives to Burke’s chosen methods of achieving this goal, criticism is hollow rhetoric.

No one, we suspect, will ever advocate going back to the way things were, with empty buildings and no social or commercial activity being generated by these large downtown properties.

Downtown development is the most striking success story on Burke’s first-term resume. Political opponents will have to look for a slew of negatives to match a positive of that size and convince voters to make this mayor another one-termer.

cjfjapan

April 10th, 2007, 02:07 PM

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/Meisbuilding.jpg
You've come a long way, baby: Downtown Terre Haute, early 1980s

April 09, 2007 10:46 pm

Project to install wireless network in downtown Terre Haute still in the works
By Emma Crossen
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Unlike cell phone reception, decent wireless internet (Wi-Fi) connection is not guaranteed in all urban areas … at least not in Terre Haute … at least not yet.

Market Bella Rossa is one of several downtown restaurants that do not offer Wi-Fi. Norbert Gottschling owns the store at 669 Wabash Ave. “I have a lot of [customers] who want it and are frustrated they can’t get it [in the store],” he said. Gottschling said he had not considered installing Wi-Fi in his business until recently, when a group of downtown organizations and volunteers began to promote the concept of a public-access wi-fi network.

The people behind that project first met in the summer of 2004. Now, nearly two-and-a-half years later, Wi-Fi is available only in some downtown businesses.

What happened?

Key Players Still Involved

Margaret Merkle has been involved since the beginning, almost a year before she joined city government as information technology director in June 2005. She said downtown wi-fi is coming and the new plans are more practical than the original design. Merkle is a member of Illiana Tech, an association of Wabash Valley information technology professionals, which continues to be a key player in the downtown wi-fi project. In April 2006, the organization secured a $10,000 grant from Urban Enterprise Association to develop an open-access wireless network for the area bounded by Ninth, Cherry, Third and Poplar streets. Illiana Tech was to officially administer the grant and its members would volunteer their time and expertise.

This changed when Illiana Tech realized that its bylaws do not allow it to own and manage equipment.

In its place, Downtown Terre Haute Inc. agreed in February to take on the task of administering the grant. Andrew Conner is director of the organization that promotes downtown Terre Haute. “We’ll be in charge of shepherding the project through,” Conner said. In addition to directing the $10,000 grant, DTH has also committed $150 per month for three years toward the costs of maintaining a downtown Wi-Fi network.

Despite these organizational changes, Merkle explained that “it’s some of the same volunteers working the project, they’re just doing it under the auspices of DTH [now].”

New Design

What has changed is the design for how the system will work. When Illiana Tech secured the grant, the project group envisioned using four or five large outdoor antennas to broadcast a strong signal throughout downtown.

Now, the group wants to help businesses install their own access points (or “hotspots”) within each facility. As before, each access point could be connected to the same Internet provider, but businesses could also opt for a separate provider. Also as before, the network could be arranged so that users at any location would see the same welcome page when they first log on to the Internet. This page would ask users to agree to terms of service and could include a community calendar and advertisements for Terre Haute businesses. Conner mentioned the wifi welcome page at Clabber Girl bakeshop at Ninth Street and Wabash Ave. as a model.

Why the change? An outdoor broadcast signal would not be practical for Terre Haute, Merkle explained. “[Our signal] would interrupt,” Merkle said, because the downtown area already has so many radio signals. “We don’t want to be an interruptive process. We want to help things.”

Also, the majority of downtown businesses are indoors and would not benefit as much from an outdoor signal. Merkle contrasted Terre Haute with Valparaiso, where a broadcast signal works better in the city because the downtown area includes more outdoor spaces where laptops are used.

If the indoor hotspot model is chosen, the $10,000 grant could be used to subsidize businesses’ costs for purchasing the hardware for their facilities, Merkle said.

DTH is currently drafting guidelines for commercial hardware and service providers to offer bids. Before asking for dollar amounts, DTH wants to know what is possible. “Industry and technology change so fast,” Conner said. “We don’t want to limit ourselves to specing requirements that aren’t up to date … we want it to be flexible and expandable for the future.”

Cincinnati’s Project Lily Pad (www.lilypadusa.com) is one model that Merkle is considering. Through public/private partnerships, Lily Pad encourages businesses and neighborhoods to become “Lily Pads,” or Wi-Fi hotspots, by installing the necessary hardware and joining Lily Pad’s network. Participating businesses and sponsors, including businesses that use another Internet service, can benefit by having their name mentioned in Lily Pad publicity. The downtown wireless project could offer similar publicity for Terre Haute businesses.

Not a City Project

Despite Merkle’s position as a city employee, the project group strategically chose to make the project a non-governmental initiative. “The Indiana state legislature [in 2006] was looking at restricting municipalities from being involved in communications projects,” Merkle explained. “I didn’t want the downtown wireless project to slow down because of city government involvement.” Because the city owns buildings downtown, it could be involved by becoming a Wi-Fi hotspot “like any other business,” Merkle said.

Government is also connected through the $10,000 UEA grant, a one-time allocation of tax-related funds intended for urban development. Rick Kesner administers UEA and works for Vigo County’s Department of Redevelopment. UEA was created by the city council in 1994 as part of a state program to establish Urban Enterprise Zones; businesses within the zone could opt to receive a tax credit on their inventory taxes with the stipulation that they give a portion of that credit to UEA for redevelopment projects within the zoned area, Kesner said.

Other UEA-funded projects include matching grants and loan programs to refurbish facades and apartments in downtown buildings. Kesner explained that the tax incentives associated with Urban Enterprise Zone ended in 2005, but that UEA is allowed to operate until all its accumulated funds are spent. The downtown wireless project “is one of the last projects for UEA,” Kesner said.

Making it a Reality

If the new design sounds similar to each business buying its own Internet service, Merkle agreed. “There wouldn’t really … be any difference,” she said. “What I wanted to see when Illiana Tech started this endeavor was just to promote that as a reality.”

“A few years from now, wireless capability will either be overtaken by something else entirely or it will be as ubiquitous as cell phones,” Merkle said.

With an initial grant from UEA and a three-year maintenance commitment from DTH, the project goal is to help businesses install Wi-Fi networks sooner than they otherwise might. Merkle said, “I see it as something that … takes off on its own.”

Getting the project started remains a work-in-progress.

Emma Crossen can be reached at (812) 231-4222 or emma.crossen@tribstar.com.

What’s up now?

• The downtown wireless project group is considering a new model. Instead of broadcasting an outdoor signal throughout downtown, the new model would provide support and incentives to help businesses install their own wireless equipment.

Who is involved?

• Urban Enterprise Association: provided the grant to pay for startup costs

• Illiana Tech: Association of Information Technology professionals in the Wabash Valley volunteering expertise and support

• Downtown Terre Haute: Downtown development organization will administer the grant; DTH has also committed $150 per month for three years toward costs of maintaining the network.

cjfjapan

April 10th, 2007, 07:02 PM

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/cjfjapan/CIMG0917.jpg
Tirey Memorial Union, seen from Downtown
Published: April 09, 2007 11:25 pm

Forbes ranks Terre Haute No. 56 small metro for business
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute ranks in the top third in the nation among small metropolitan areas in best places for business and careers, according to Forbes.com.

The online publication and magazine ranked Terre Haute 56th of 179 small metro areas. Bloomington, in sixth place, was the highest-ranked Indiana small metro. Lafayette was ranked 24th and Columbus 45th.

Other small Indiana metros which were ranked include Muncie at 64th; Anderson at 98th; Michigan City at 99th; and Kokomo at 138th, according to the April 5 publication. The top small metro in the nation was Sioux Falls, S.D., while the last was Victoria, Texas.

The criteria used for the rankings included costs of doing business, job growth, educational attainment and population per thousand in the metropolitan statistical area.

While Terre Haute’s overall ranking was 56th, it ranked 16th in the cost of doing business, based on an index on the cost of labor, energy, taxes and office space; 154th in job growth; 110th in educational attainment (based on the share of population over age 25 with a bachelor’s degree or higher); and the metropolitan statistical area has a population of 168,000.

Bloomington’s overall ranking of sixth includes ranking ninth in cost of doing business; 115th in job growth; 19th in educational attainment; and an MSA population of 180,000.

“I don’t hold a lot on these kind of things, but at the same time, you get excited when all of the hard work that has been going on is being recognized,” said Rod Henry, president of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce.

“There obviously have been significant improvements in this community over the last handful of years. For that to be felt, seen and evaluated according to the way Forbes does it, that says we are doing something right,” Henry said.

“That also ties into, I am convinced, in why there is such an attitude change, a more positive attitude on living, working and doing business” in Terre Haute and Vigo County, he said.

Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said the ranking “is relatively good news. With the success stories we had from 2006, with the Pfizer expansion, and expansions at Clabber Girl and Bemis, plus Certainteed and Boral Brick coming to the community, Terre Haute and Vigo County stock has risen in development circles and companies are looking at our community for projects for the future.”

Mayor Kevin Burke said the Terre Haute MSA also was mentioned in a March publication of Site Selection Magazine, which ranked the city seventh in areas with populations less than 200,000. The rankings were for capital investment in new or expanded business facilities in 2006. Terre Haute tied with Parkersburg, W.Va.; Marietta, Ohio; Decatur, Ala.; and Danville, Va.

“This is even more evidence, on top of Site Selection [Magazine], that the changes we are making are getting noticed and that Terre Haute and Vigo County is being viewed as a business-friendly location, and a place that businesses can come and grow and prosper,” Burke said.

“It is very gratifying after the amount of work that we have put into this to be ranked like this and it is very encouraging,” Burke said.

Forbes.com said the best region to do business or start a career in the United States is the Southeast.

“While most economies in the West have also outperformed their peers in the Northeast and Midwest over the past four years, living costs in those regions have risen dramatically,” according to Forbes.com. “Housing costs in Phoenix, spurred in part by easy lending, are up 57 percent in the past two years, knocking it out” of Forbes’ top 10.

The southeast was chosen because of strong economic growth and keeping business costs down, according to Forbes.com. The best state in which to do business or start a career is North Carolina.

The state is home to banking giants Bank of America and Wachovia. The top spot is Raleigh, N.C., which has expanded its economy 6 percent annually over the past three years. Business costs are 13 percent below the national average and the city has a labor force where 38 percent have a college degree, 12th-highest in the nation, according to Forbes.com.

The rankings relied on a business cost index, which factors in labor, tax, energy and office space costs. For living costs, Forbes used Economy.com for weighing housing, transportation, food and other household expenditures. It also supplied five-year historical figures on job and income growth, as well as migration costs.

Education, crime rates and cultural and recreational opportunities also were factored into the rankings.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

Indiana’s small metros

• No. 6, Bloomington

• No. 24, Lafayette

• No. 45, Columbus

• No. 56, Terre Haute

• No. 64, Muncie

• No. 98, Anderson

• No. 99, Michigan City

• No. 138, Kokomo

cjfjapan

April 15th, 2007, 06:26 AM

http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~roel/huf.JPGhttp://www.thejmoneycollection.com/huf.jpghttp://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~roel/huf.JPGhttp://www.thejmoneycollection.com/huf.jpg
I'm not sure how I feel about the county/airport guaranteeing a positive cash flow for Delta, but it seems like the former could come out ahead in the end. A fine move for Terre Haute's underutilized "international airport." But I really doubt that the city can reach 26K boardings a year, since it barely surpassed that during the peak of the 1980s under Britt.

Delta eyes Terre Haute airport
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Delta Airlines is considering use of Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field as a stopover facility for an east-west route to Cincinnati, returning scheduled airline service to the airport for the first time in eight years.

A 19-seat Beech 1900 turboprop aircraft would provide at least three round-trip, non-stop flights each weekday and two to four non-stop, round-trip flights each weekend to serve as a Delta carrier to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

The Cincinnati airport offers 512 flights per day to 121 non-stop destinations.

Vigo County and Terre Haute officials have agreed to fund the return of air service to the airport in hopes it can become self-sustaining. The Vigo County Council is expected to address funding for the service at its Thursday meeting, said Robert Hellmann, president of the council. Costs include a revenue guarantee for the airline carrier, which would pay the carrier money should it not reach its targeted revenue. The carrier would operate more than 1,900 flights, each costing more than $1,100.

The target goal is to reach 70 percent of available seats sold on each flight, which is more than 26,000 passengers a year. At that rate, the airport would pay the carrier more than $79,000.

In the worst-case scenario, at 50 percent of available seats sold or 18,500 passengers, the airport would pay just over $681,200 to the air carrier, airport Director Dennis Dunbar told the Vigo County Board of Commissioners, Hellmann and Terre Haute Mayor Kevin Burke in a meeting last week.

Dunbar said the airport would need $1 million over four years for that revenue guarantee. The airport would not pay more than $1.75 million over the first 396 days of service, under a proposed agreement.

Dunbar said if passenger levels reach 10,000 boardings annually, the airport would be entitled to receive $1 million from the Federal Aviation Administration, through its Airport Improvement Program.

Ticket price is subject to change and could be lower, but is estimated at $89.

As an incentive, the airport would waive any landing fees during the first year, Dunbar said.

Immediate costs include $30,000 to make temporary renovations to the airport’s existing terminal, required under new federal security requirements. In addition, $175,000 is needed for new equipment, such as baggage carts, belt loaders, tugs and refurbishing a de-ice truck.

After a year, the federal Transportation Safety Administration would require a terminal expansion, costing $3.5 million to $4.5 million from a bond issue, Dunbar said.

Mayor Burke said the city, to facilitate air passenger service as quickly as possible, would pay for the $30,000 needed to temporarily renovate the existing terminal and cover payments, from the city’s portion of the Economic Development Income Tax, on a bond issue for an expanded terminal until the airport generates enough revenue to assume payments.

The county, Hellmann said, would cover the cost of revenue guarantee for the air carrier. The city and county would split the overall costs equally, Burke and Hellmann said.

One hurdle, officials said, would be marketing the service, as Terre Haute has not had airline passenger service since 1999. Great Lakes Aviation, doing business as United Express, operated in Terre Haute from 1995 through summer 1999. The airport reached a peak on the number of boardings in the 1980s at 33,000 a year, Dunbar said.

To restore interest in passenger service, $100,000 would be spent on extensive marketing. Hellmann said he would like to see the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau cover that cost.

State Rep. Clyde Kersey, D-Terre Haute, said Friday he requested and received a proposal to go before a joint state House and Senate conference committee seeking $1.25 million to $1.5 million in state matching funds for the airport terminal/security expansion. The Indiana General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn April 29.

“If we can get it, this would go a long way” to restoring passenger service, Kersey said. “I think the state realizes this is a good project in Terre Haute and is a tool for economic development. When a community has a commuter flight out, it puts it a level above other cities, and the state understands that.”

State Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre Haute, on Tuesday attempted to put the funding into an amendment to the Senate version of the House budget, but the measure was not approved.

Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said the Wabash Valley has travelers who can make the passenger service a success, “but the key is to convince those folks to use it instead of Indianapolis, Chicago or St. Louis. Marketing is the key, but it would be a tremendous plus for the community. If the airport had air passenger service, it would bode well for future projects at the airport.”

The airport may face one other issue, which is fire protection.

Currently, the Indiana Air National Guard provides crash fire protection. The cost is $1.2 million in salary and benefits to 24 firefighters. A joint-use agreement for the fire protection expires at the end of September. Dunbar said the airport needs at least 12 firefighters, costing about $600,000 for salaries and benefits, to maintain the service.

On Saturday, Dunbar said he is more confident the airport will have the firefighter service, as funding was apparently placed into the state’s budget for the National Guard. Dunbar said he did not yet have any specific budget information. The military has a proposed plan for Terre Haute’s airport to be a support base for training.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
print this story email this story comment on this story

cjfjapan

April 16th, 2007, 05:55 AM

Historical Treasure: Downtown U.S. Post Office is a ‘classic’
The absolute saddest thing about these photos is that almost every other building is now gone - the Deming Hotel, and a few church steeples are all that remain of the original structures, and of course, the post office.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1193&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=5&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1194&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=3&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1750&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=17&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1751&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=20&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1998&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=6&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1759&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=18&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1758&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=1&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=1997&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=5&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2014&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=19&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2276&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=19&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2081&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=2&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0
http://images.indianahistory.org/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/P0129&CISOPTR=2082&DMSCALE=100.00000&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=construction&REC=20&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0

By Linda Patrick
Special to the Tribune-Star

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” This quotation from Herodotus has become the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service.

This week’s historic treasure is a familiar feature to downtown Terre Haute — the U.S. Post Office at Seventh and Cherry streets. The present building is actually the second one to occupy this site. It replaced the post office and federal building that opened in 1887. The columns and pediment from that building were moved to Fairbanks Park to become part of the Chauncey Rose Memorial.

The three-story structure, designed by architects Miller and Yeager of Terre Haute, is art deco in style, considered the most modern at the time. It’s faced with Indiana limestone on the exterior and marble on the interior. Work on the building began in 1933 once the old post office was demolished. Funded as a Public Works Project from a grateful Franklin Roosevelt, construction gave jobs to citizens during the Depression. The building was completed on Dec. 1, 1934 and opened in 1935.

Some characteristics of the art deco style are hard-edged, low-relief geometric designs and figures (notice the eagles near the roof), an emphasis on the vertical (notice the windows), multicolored designs of zigzags, chevrons, spirals and scrolls, with machined aluminum detailing. Egyptian forms were popular (notice the papyrus reed pattern on the grill in the elevator area and in the borders). The elevator doors have raised stars on them, symbolizing patriotism. The building is undergoing renovation; the chandelier fixtures have been repaired and the exterior and interior have been thoroughly cleaned, once more revealing the white limestone outside and the brilliant turquoise borders and cream-colored ceiling inside. It’s a classic example of governmental architecture of the ’30s. If City Hall looks a lot like it, that’s because it was designed by Miller and Yeager, too.

Besides the post office, the building originally housed the Social Security Administration, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, the federal court and other courtrooms on the upper floors. A point of interest in the federal courtroom is a 20-foot-by-20-foot mural, “The Signing of the Magna Carta” by Frederick Webb Ross of Shelbyville. Ross painted the mural in his New York City studio and shipped it to Terre Haute in pieces, where it was reassembled and mounted in the courtroom.

Indiana State University plans to relocate the School of Business to the upper floors, with the post office remaining on the first floor to serve the downtown area. There’s so much more detail to see, the next time you’re in the area, stop and take a look at a “classic.”

Extra: Photo of the Vigo County Courthouse from the 1950s? From the IUPUI Image Collection:
http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/getimage.exe?CISOROOT=/IHAS&CISOPTR=922&DMSCALE=17.12329&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=%20Vigo&REC=9&DMTHUMB=1&DMROTATE=0

cjfjapan

May 2nd, 2007, 04:42 PM

Published: May 01, 2007 11:19 pm

ONB commits $200,000 toward Children’s Museum

Museum has raised $3.3M toward new facility
By Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Old National Bank has committed $200,000 toward construction of the new Terre Haute Children’s Museum at Eighth Street and Wabash Avenue.

Groundbreaking for the project is expected in June.

“This is really an exciting day for us,” said Don Schroeder, Old National Bank’s regional chief executive officer, during an announcement Tuesday. “This is going to be the beginning of a great partnership … It will be awesome to have a new neighbor.”

The Children’s Museum is being built in concert with a new, extended-stay hotel called Candlewood Suites.

The museum will occupy the first three floors of a new building next to a renovated Tribune Building. The top three floors of the new building, along with the renovated Tribune Building, will house the new extended-stay hotel, which will be managed by Dora Bros. Hospitality Corp.

The museum has now raised $3.3 million toward construction of a new facility, said John Thompson, president of the Children’s Museum board. The project will cost about $4.8 million.

“We can see the top of the mountain, and we’re almost there,” Thompson said.

A new, state-of-the-art children’s museum “will be an integral part of a revitalized downtown,” Thompson said.

Old National is committing more than money, Thompson said. Through the partnership, it will assist with museum marketing and promotions and employees will be involved in many other ways, including charitable activities to benefit the museum.

“It shows to me a true passion and commitment for this cause,” Thompson said.

The project is on schedule, he said, and demolition crews will begin tearing down the old theater portion (former press room) of the Tribune Building later this week.

Demolition will make way for construction of the museum and Candlewood Suites, with a groundbreaking expected in June. The target opening date for the new museum is August 2008, provided fundraising efforts go as planned, Thompson said.

“We want to make sure we’re fiscally responsible. We’re not going to overextend ourselves,” he said.

The new museum will have about 23,000 square feet, compared with the current site’s 3,000, Thompson said. The existing facility is at 523 Wabash Ave.

In acknowledgment of the bank’s gift, a street-level science store in the museum will be named the Old National Bank Science Store. The museum will operate the gift store.

The bank’s donation was made possible through a $175,000 gift from the Old National Bank Foundation. Locally, Old National will raise an additional $25,000.

The $3.3 million raised so far for the museum includes a $1 million commitment from the city of Terre Haute, Thompson said. The city agreed to spend up to $1 million from the Economic Development Income Tax fund to match up to $1 million in new contributions for the Children’s Museum.

The museum still needs to raise an additional $1.5 million for the facility. “We’re looking for help there,” Thompson said.

Mayor Kevin Burke said the museum is an example of what Terre Haute can achieve when people work together.

The city’s contribution represents neither charity nor a giveaway, but an investment in economic development and an “investment in ourselves,” Burke said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

May 10th, 2007, 03:36 PM

River development organization knows ‘what we want to do’
By Crystal Garcia
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Wabash River Development and Beautification Inc. is out of its conceptual stage.

“We know what we want to do,” said John Mutchner, president of the group. “Now we’re identifying grant possibilities and applying for grants.”

What started out as a citizen committee has become incorporated and received not-for-profit status in the past two weeks.

“We needed to incorporate so we are a legal entity,” Mutchner said. “We can seek grant money and then turn around and spend it.”

As part of this change, the board of directors elected a senior leadership team that consists of Kevin Runion, associate vice president of facilities management at Indiana State University, as vice president; Nancy Brattain-Rogers, American Humanics campus director and director at the Center for Public Service & Community Engagement at ISU, as treasurer; and Rod Henry, president of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, as secretary. Corporate bylaws also were adopted.

“The bylaws are just basic that were drafted by an attorney just to give us structure,” Henry said.

Wabash River Development and Beautification Inc. is dedicated to developing an active waterfront in Terre Haute and Vigo County. It originated from the Terre Haute strategic plan agenda formulated by the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Corp. in 2000, Henry said.

However, the group itself has been meeting monthly for about two years at the Chamber of Commerce.

It is made up of 18 representatives from local government entities and people from the county such as Pat Goodwin, engineer for the city of Terre Haute; Greg Ruark, superintendent of the Terre Haute Parks and Recreation Department; and David Decker, a Vigo County commissioner.

Some plans the group has include buying land up and down both sides of the river, working with the Indiana Department of Transportation to get some work done on U.S. 40 and developing wetlands for nature trails, nature studies and hiking paths. They also hope to add a lake to that area, Mutchner said.

“There’s a lot of exciting things that can happen,” Henry said. “The key is getting something moving forward that the community can look to and say, ‘Wow, this is becoming a reality.’”

All plans for the river development are only in discussion phases. Mutchner said whatever happens first, all projects depend on what the group can get funding for first.

For more information about Wabash River Development and Beautification Inc., call the Chamber of Commerce at (812) 232-2391.

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

May 10th, 2007, 03:38 PM

Classic small town boosterism hyperbole, but after years beating up on itself, the city could use some. Will post images once they become available.

New pedestrian bridge across the Wabash could become Terre Haute’s Eiffel Tower

Bridge would be 130-feet tall, 630-feet long
By Crystal Garcia
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Discussions are under way to build a pedestrian bridge across the Wabash River, a project that some say could make Terre Haute stand out.

“We think this is a great project for the community,” said John Mutchner, president of Wabash River Development and Beautification Inc. “The river is Terre Haute’s, probably Terre Haute’s largest underdeveloped asset, and it’s presently not being used aesthetically or recreationally or in any way, really.”

The project was presented to the public as well as city and county officials Wednesday in the Vigo County Annex.

Five students from the senior civil engineering design class at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology used their project to design the pedestrian bridge for Wabash River Development and Beautification Inc. It would connect Fairbanks Park on the east side of the Wabash River to the west side just south of Dresser, an area many hope to develop into recreational wetlands.

Dustin Duvorak of Cincinnati, Adam Knack of McHenry, Ill., Devin Cook of Greenwood, Jason Bednarko of Athens, Ill., and Josh Heigert of Sherman, Ill., began working on the project in September.

Heigert said the hardest part was coming up with the design because “it was a big project and we hadn’t been through something that extensive before.”

Of four options for bridge structures, the students chose to come up with their own signature structure that has a double thrust arch, is 130-feet tall, 20-feet wide and 630-feet long.

“This was the design option that we felt would, like, shoot for the stars for Terre Haute,” Cook told the crowd during the presentation, “and this was the one that we thought would be the landmark structure, which we thought the city would like.”

Other structures wouldn’t work because they would cost more to build or wouldn’t be visually pleasing, he said.

If built soon, the bridge would cost at least a $4.5 million.

Pat Goodwin, engineer for the city of Terre Haute and member of the development group, explained that because the bridge would be visible from the Historic National Road, such a project is eligible for at least five different types of federal grants.

Mutchner noted, however, grant money will not cover all the costs.

“Can we get a grant for this whole bridge? No, most grants are usually 80/20, 70/30, something of that sort,” he said. “ … Say we get up to $3 million in grant money. You don’t want to throw that away, but that’s going to have to come up, one way or another it’s going to have to be local.”

He said a project such as this as well as development along the river will improve the quality of life for the people in the area.

“If you’ve got a nice town, industry’s more likely to settle here because the people who make the decisions on companies coming to a city, they look at everything … ,” Mutchner said.

City Councilman Todd Nation, D-4th, thinks it’s an exciting idea.

“The idea of making a safe way for pedestrians and cyclists and people not in cars to get across the Wabash River is a big step forward for us,” he said. “I wish we were building it and not just talking about designing it.”

Nation said he’s not sure if the City Council would play a role in its fruition because the mayor would decide if the match money for the grants could come from the Economic Development Income Tax money.

Also, if it takes three to five years for the vision to become a reality, Nation said, people in office now could be gone by then.

“Paris has got the Eiffel Tower, St. Louis has got the Arch, what does Terre Haute have?” Mutchner asked. “This could be its signature piece for Terre Haute.”

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.

IndiexInxIndy

May 10th, 2007, 03:55 PM

That sounds quite lovely in my opinnion! Hopefully, this has better luck getting built than the IC did in Indy. LoL :cheers:

cjfjapan

May 11th, 2007, 07:31 AM

Terre Haute parks officials creating new non profit

Group will help with improvement ideas for parks
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute residents may soon have a direct effect on some future city parks projects.

Members of the Terre Haute Parks and Recreation Board are starting a not-for-profit organization to help create improvement projects. The group will be able to determine park projects and raise some of the funding for them, officials said.

“It’s not only a financial thing,” said board vice president Nancy Cummins, “but it’s a way to involve people in the community in what they want and what they like in our department, too.”

Cities comparable to Terre Haute have similar groups that help the parks systems, officials said.

Terre Haute parks officials will contact people who might be interested in belonging to the group from those who attended the board’s informational meetings late last year, when the board promoted its $4 million capital improvements plan.

The idea for the new not-for-profit came about during the board’s planning for the multi-million dollar initiative.

The group, likely to be named something similar to “Friends of Terre Haute Parks,” will be a way that people donate money and have it spent specifically on park projects, said Parks Board president John L. Wright.

The group will work with the city’s parks department on potential projects that may be undertaken, he added.

“I think we saw it through … the capital improvement process, that there are a lot of people interested in the park system…,” Wright said.

The parks officials are expected to submit documentation to state officials to create the group by the end of next week. The group’s first meeting likely will be conducted in early June.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

May 13th, 2007, 07:40 AM

Cherry Street Transit Facility :

http://www.thredevelopment.com/images/cherry_st_transit.jpg

Location -
7th and Chery Street,
Terre Haute, Indiana

Terre Haute’s new multi-modal transportation facility in downtown Terre Haute, also known as the Cherry Street Facility, scheduled for completion in early 2008, will function as a transit headquarters and bus transfer facility and will have 638 automobile parking spaces on five levels.

The project is a key economic development initiative for the community and a catalyst for additional projects that will bring students and citizens into downtown Terre Haute and stimulate new private development expected to create hundreds of local jobs. The Cherry Street Facility project is a partnership of the City of Terre Haute, Indiana State University and the local business community. It will be maintained and operated by the City of Terre Haute, Transportation Department.

Cherry Street Facility - At AGlance:

* Multi-modal transportation facility
* Automobile parking facility
* City and interstate bus transfer facility

Maintained and operated by the City of Terre Haute,
Transportation Director, Brad Miller

Project representative for the City of Terre Haute,
The Department of Redevelopment,
David Walker, Public Works Administrator

Features:

* Three elevator towers
* ISU land lease - 40 years
* Building square footage - 216,000
* Parking spaces - 638
* Construction time - 455 days
* Completion date - January 8, 2008

Construction cost:
Federal Transportation Grant $8,900,000
Bonding Amount $4,500,000
TOTAL CONST. COST $13,400,000

Original start date of design:
May 28, 2002

Architect:
Sanders and Associates, Terre Haute
Mr. Dan Sanders

Consulting Architects:
Rich and Associates, Southfield, Michigan
Mr. Rick Kinnell

General Contractor:
Hannig Construction, Inc., Terre Haute
Mr. William Biddle, President

cjfjapan

May 14th, 2007, 08:37 PM

Mayor Kevin Burke, elected in 2003 with a promise to "do something" about downtown, appears to have convinced Democratic voters in Terre Haute, who handed him a victory in the recent primary election. He will face, and very likely defeat, Republican challenger Duke Bennett, as Burke did in 2003.

See the Tribune-Star editorial about the rematch here (http://www.tribstar.com/editorials/local_story_128220856.html).

I recently came upon a couple of Burke's reelection videos, posted on Youtube, where he touts the success of his downtown redevelopment initiatives.

Congratulations Mayor Burke, and best of luck in the general election!

Downtown (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqWLubFpwyM) ad

"Phenomenal Progress" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di4izQ0NJBw) ad

Neighborhoods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e27TOYFSDS4) ad

Burke speaking to the Blue Dog Dems (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asan7XCcZcc) on jobs

cjfjapan

May 21st, 2007, 03:19 AM

Vigo County's Census Totals:
2006 103,009 (est)
2005 102,592 (est)
2000 105,848
1990 106,107
1980 112,385
1970 114,528 highest population recorded
1960 108,458
1950 105,160
1940 99,709
1930 98,861
1920 100,212
1910 87,930
1900 62,035
1890 50,195
1880 45,658
1870 33,549
1860 22,517
1850 15,289
1840 12,076
1830 5,766
1820 3,390

Published: May 19, 2007 11:58 pm

Vigo County’s population on the rise

Slight increase in birth rate, influx of international residents leading to growth
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — For the first time in six years, Vigo County’s estimated population is on the increase, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The increase, while slight, is attributed to an increase in the birth rate, plus an influx of international residents, offsetting the exit of residents from the county, according to the Census Bureau.

Overall, the county’s population increased by 274 people, or a 2.7-percent population increase from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006.

The county still remains in a deficient from previous population estimates, losing more than 2,800 residents since April 1, 2000. The Census Bureau had projected Vigo County’s population would increase about 1,000 people from 2000 to 2005.

Vigo County’s estimated population for July 1, 2006, is 103,009. The Census Bureau currently projects the county’s population to be more than 107,100 in 2010.

“I would say the declines were unexpectedly big, but economic or employment trends may be reversed. I would say this is good news for the county to have the first increase since 2000,” said Matt Kinghorn, economic research analyst at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

“The biggest thing that jumps out is the decrease in internal migration, which is folks moving around in the United States,” Kinghorn said.

“In 2005, Vigo County had lost 482 residents, so 482 people moved somewhere else in the U.S. than moved in, but in 2006, that net migration loss was only 98, the lowest of this decade,” Kinghorn said.

In 2004, the net migration loss was about 1,300 residents.

“When you combine the internal migration with the international migration, you get the total migration number. Vigo County gained 28 people for 2006. That is the first time since 2000 the county has seen a positive migration,” Kinghorn said.

The number of births versus deaths has been on the increase in Vigo County since 2004, when there were 100 more births than deaths. That increased to 215 more births than deaths in 2005 and 225 more births than deaths for 2006 (1,288 births to 1,063 deaths.).

Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said a stronger economy in the county most likely is part of the growth.

“I think certainly the strengthening of our local economy can be attributed to some of that positive growth, although small. With some of the new manufacturers who have come into the community coupled with our long-time manufacturers, such as Pfizer, Sony DADC and Bemis, some of the growth they have had, all helps to give people a reason to live here and that is employment opportunities,” Witt said.

“Our population peaked around 1970 and has been on a downward spiral since until most recently with this data, so perhaps we are on the way back up a little bit, certainly it has leveled off,” Witt said.

“By having a base population that is stable or growing a bit, it is positive for so many reasons. It is more people paying local property taxes, which means less for each individual. In terms of federal funding for initiatives, a growing population helps in that regard. The more children we have enrolled in our school corporation, that bodes well for their funding. It is a positive development,” Witt said.

In 2005, manufacturing was the largest of 20 major sectors in the county, accounting for nearly 16 percent of all jobs in the county, according to STATS Indiana, from the Indiana Business Research Center at IU’s Kelley School of Business.

Manufacturing had an average wage per job of $45,375. And Vigo County’s per capita income grew by 14.3 percent between 1995 and 2005 (adjusted for inflation), according to STATS Indiana.

In figures released earlier this week, the Census Bureau reports the nation’s minority population now tops 100 million. The minority population is 100.7 million residents, according to national and state estimates by race, origin, gender and age, the Census Bureau reports. A year ago, the minority population totaled 98.3 million.

“About one in three U.S. residents is a minority,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “To put this into perspective, there are more minorities in this country today than there were people in the United States in 1910. In fact, the minority population in the U.S. is larger than the total population of all but 11 countries.”

The population in 1910 was 92.2 million. On Oct. 17, 2006, the Census Bureau reported that the nation’s overall population had topped 300 million.

California, according to 2006 figures, had a minority population of 20.7 million — 21 percent of the nation’s total. Texas had a minority population of 12.2 million — 12 percent of the U.S. total population.

There were other milestones reached, as well, during the July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006, period: The nation’s black population surpassed 40 million, while the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group reached the 1 million mark.

Hispanic remained the largest minority group, with 44.3 million on July 1, 2006 — 14.8 percent of the total population. Black was the second-largest minority group, totaling 40.2 million in 2006. They were followed by Asian (14.9 million), American Indian and Alaska Native (4.5 million), and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (1 million). The population of non-Hispanic whites who indicated no other race totaled 198.7 million in 2006.

The Hispanic population is also Indiana’s fastest growing minority, Kinghorn said. It grew by 40.2 percent from 2000 to 2006. The state’s Asian population followed closely behind with a growth of 37.4 percent from 2000 to 2006, compared to 22.9 percent for the nation, Kinghorn said.

The state’s black population grew 9.1 percent, and the white population grew 2.7 percent, each between 2000 to 2006. Indiana’s estimated population is 84 percent non-Hispanic white, compared to 66 percent for the nation, Kinghorn said.

Nationwide, the Hispanic population in 2006 was younger, with a median (equal number above and below) age of 27.4, compared to the population as a whole at 36.4. About a third of the Hispanic population was younger than 18, compared with one-fourth of the total population.

Asian and Black populations, as well as the American Indian and Alaska Native, have younger median ages, compared to the population as a whole. The Asian median age in 2006 was 33.5 and the back median age was 30.1. The American Indian and Alaska Native population median age in 2006 was 31.

The Census Bureau will release data on gender, age and race at the county level in mid- to late July, said spokesman Robert Bernstein.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

May 25th, 2007, 06:07 AM

http://www.terrehaute.in.gov/Dept_Parks/Park%20Pics/DSC01946.JPG
http://www.terrehaute.in.gov/Dept_Parks/Park%20Pics/DSC01958.JPG
http://www.context-design.com/images/portfolio/collettpark02S.jpg

Study to provide neighborhood preservation, development plan
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A study of 512 acres surrounding Union Hospital will serve as a foundation for a new neighborhood preservation and development plan.

The plan will serve as a guideline for developers, architects, residents and business owners around Union Hospital. The Vigo County Area Plan Commission and the Terre Haute City Council are to vote on its possible adoption, but only after public input on the study, expected to take six to eight months.

Vigo County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a contract between the county’s Area Planning Department and Camiros, Ltd., a city planning, development and design consulting firm based in Chicago, pending advance payment to the county of $75,000 from Union Hospital.

The planning department sent out 30 copies of a request for proposals for the study that includes the Collett Park neighborhood and Union Hospital. Four proposals were submitted, with Camiros, Ltd. selected, said Jeremy Weir, executive director of the planning department.

The study area includes 512 acres within Terre Haute city limits. The study boundaries are Florida Avenue on the north, then south down an alley between 11th and 12th streets to Lafayette Avenue, then southwest to Second Avenue, then west to Third Street (U.S. 41), then north and northeast back to Florida Avenue. “Union Hospital feels it needs to have a neighborhood plan surrounding [the announced new hospital building], not only to be a good neighbor, but also to provide them the stability through the future for what they can do. It is in their interest to have this plan prepared,” Weir said.

“It is also a benefit to our plan commission and the city of Terre Haute to have a vision for this community to help us administrate and develop regulations and policies toward this development,” Weir said. “It is a win-win.”

With the closing of Seventh Street, the hospital heard other, separate issues and concerns about the future of the neighborhoods around the hospital, said Lorrie Heber, system director, marketing and public relations for Union Hospital Health Group.

“Issues of safety of kids walking from Ouabache [Elementary] School … and some concerns about historic preservation and concerns about where the hospital would be expanding next and land use issues,” Heber said.

“The notion of doing more of a comprehensive neighborhood plan came up and we said that is a great idea. We are here and our neighbors are here and we need to find the best way to make sure that we live together in harmony,” Heber said.

“We are excited because this is the first study in the city of Terre Haute of this magnitude,” Heber said. “The folks who live in this area love their area. I think they are engaged and thoughtful and concerned about how to make this the best neighborhood possible for now and in the future. This is great place to start this kind of planning process for the city and we can set the example.”

Heber said Union Hospital expects to fund the contract within the next 10 days.

Weir said the study also will help with decision making for land use south of Union Hospital.

“We need to decide whether or not we need a redevelopment program [south of the hospital] and what is the potential land uses between Indiana State University and Union Hospital and what kind of program do we need to accomplish that,” Weir said.

“Does it need to be housing or a mixed-use neighborhood? We want to come up with a decision on development policies for that section of our community,” Weir said.

Under the contract, Camiros must hold public meetings with property owners, residents and other stakeholders to obtain input for development of the study area; make an analysis of the exterior of existing structures for potential designation as historic sites; analyze existing traffic patterns including automobile, public transit, pedestrian and bicycle traffic within and through the study area and assess the accessibility of Collett Park from the neighborhoods and businesses in the study area.

Camiros also must analyze “current massing, density and height regulation in relationship to the residential, commercial, institutional and historic character of the area,” according to the contract. In addition, it must analyze existing parking area and parking regulations and evaluate and assess existing zoning and city planning guidelines, as well as current goals and policies.

Camiros also will investigate existing commercial, retail, and institutional facilities in the area for their contribution to livability in the study area and assess public and personal safety in the vicinity.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

May 25th, 2007, 06:18 AM

http://www.thjournal.com/thom%5Bpsonthriftphoto.gif
WVJB photos by James Hehman

Downtown developers: John Thompson and Paul Thrift (Top) look over plans for their three downtown projects--Candlewood Suites ( middle left), the Hilton Garden (middle right), and the Clabber Girl facility (bottom).

ThompsonThrift builds downtown redevelopment

By Robert L. Flott
WVJB Editor

Anyone who has ever watch A&E's program, "Flip This House" may have wondered if anyone could be successful converting old houses.
After all, They do tend to make it look pretty easy.
Yet, John Thompson and Paul Thrift began their company and their careers just that way, flipping old houses in Terre Haute.
Thompson and Thrift met at Terre Haute Baptist School (now Terre Haute Christan Academy). "We played played basketball and soccer together," Thompson said.
John graduated in 1985 and Paul in 1986. About that time, as both were beginning Indiana State University, they decided to find a common project.
"When Paul graduated, we began talking about going into business together," Thompson said. "We got together and bought our first piece of real estate. That's really how it all got started."
"I believe we bought something like thirty or forty or fifty old homes in Terre Haute," Thompson said. "At the time, there was a lost of opportunities for somebody..it seems like there were a lot of bank foreclosures. We'd buy a house and doing everything from just cleaning it up a little bit to major renovations.
"We had a lot of success at that, but we found out it wasn't something we could repeat regularly. We might buy five house one month, and then go six months and not find anything."
Their first new construction project was the Sycamore Place apartment complex, near Indiana State University on Spruce Street.
"It was the first new apartment complex built specifically for Indiana State students," Thompson said "It was successful, so we built another. We ended up with five units totaling 120 apartments. We had one hundred percent occupancy. About four or five years ago, we sold it."
Soon after, ThompsonThrift was contacted by Ralph Wagle, then with Hannum & Wagle Engineering. Wagle had a project for the pair.
"From a construction standpoint, our first third-party construction project was for Ralph Wagle," Thompson said. "We built some apartments for him. That was our first project where we went out and worked for somebody else for a fee. Ralph had done some engineering work for us. Hannum Wagle and Cline were the architects on the Sycamore Place."
Projects continued to appear for Thompson Thrift. They build Blockbuster Video on the Northside of Terre Haute, and a subdivision in West Terre Haute for the Sisters of Providence."
In 1996, ThompsonThrift went back to its roots, this time flipping an old shopping mall in Noblesville. Around the same time, Thompson and Thrift split the responsibilities with their growing business. Thompson took over operations of the construction side, while Thrift took over construction of the development side.
"We both have very defined roles within our company," John said.
In 2002, Thompson and Thrift began one of the first major renovation projects in downtown Terre Haute when the bought the former Eston Fuson building at 901 Wabash Ave., which they transformed into their new headquarters. The beautiful and spacious offices are spread over one and half floors and include a workout and spa for employees.
From there, ThompsonThrift seemed to explode upon Terre Haute. First in 2004, they purchased at auction TowneSouth Plaza, which had fallen on hard times. At almost the same time, they announced purchase of the former Maryland Community Church property at 5599 US HWY 40 South. This property was to become Honey Creek Commons, a new shopping center anchored by a Kohl's department store.
"The last three years have been extraordinarily busy for us, both on the construction side and on the development side," Thrift said. "It meant a lot both to our company and to the community to see both those properties redeveloped."
Currently, all eyes are on ThompsonThrift's project at the corner of Seventh and Wabash. Literally all eyes: nice days will find several people sitting along the sidewalks watching construction.
"Certainly that corner has a tremendous significance both historically, and hopefully looking forward into the future," Thrift said. "Hopefully, it will have a significant impact on the future."
Thrift points to all the festivals that taking place downtown such as the Brickyard Barbecue, the Blues at the Crossroads, Strassenfest, and the Street Festival as a catalyst for growth downtown.
"Hopefully both hotels will, and the Children's Museum can work together to help create a new and vibrant downtown."
How does it feel to be responsible for constructing a building that replaces a major Terre Haute Icon"
"Certainly, it's an honor have that responsibility," Thrift said. "I don't remember the old hotel ever having been open. It was before my time. I have seen many photos and heard stories. To be a part of this renaissance is exciting."
"It's a project that has a lot of eyes on it," Thompson said. "We're obviously aware of that aspect. I want us to focus on what we do every day. If we do, then the end will take care of itself. I don't want to put additional pressure on our people."
Thompson has a bird's eye view of three of his major projects--the Hilton Garden, Candlewood Suites and the new Clabber Girl facility. All three are visible from the ThompsonThrift offices at 901 Wabash Ave.
"It's nice right now, Thompson said, "but it's going to change rather quickly. It seems to cycle. We'll have a situation where sixty percent of our work is in Terre Haute, then next year it will be thirty to forty percent, and we'll be out about the state." Cobblestone Apartments, a fourth local project located just south of the Ivy Tech campus, is nearing completion.
ThompsonThrift currently has projects under construction in five states including a shopping center in Fort Wayne, another center in Mattoon, and an LA Fitness Center in Chicago.
"We are spread out beyond Terre Haute, and we're going to be for some time," Thompson said.
"We always take it one project at a time," Thrift said "We've had good steady growth for 21 years. It's really been a slow progression. In the last three to five years we've gotten some attention, so it seems as if we just came on the scene. Hopefully we can keep that going."
Keep so many projects straight in so many locations is part of the secret of ThompsonThrift's success.
"It's almost cliche to say it, but we've got good people," Thompson said. "We give them their authority, and we let them do their jobs. I guess it starts at the top. Paul and I both understand our roles. I'm there anytime he needs help, and he's there for me whenever I need it."
The many multiple projects have also constructed some rumors that the pair had added a third partner to mix. Thrift said nothing has changed.

http://www.thjournal.com/thompsonthrift.jpg

Developing: ThompsonThrift is also building an industrial park on the city's north side.

"We have exacting the same ownership structure we have had since we started 21 years ago," Thrift said, adding that he hadn't even heard of the rumor. "My world exists with me coming in at 6 a.m. every morning and working until 6 p.m. each night," Thrift said. "I usually don't even leave me desk."
Thrift is proud of his partner's leadership efforts with the Children's Museum
"I'm very please to see him take on that role," Thrift said. "He really took on a challenge there, and he's really taken the bull by the horns."
ThompsonThrift has come under considerable criticism in recent years for not hiring union labor for its projects, a charge Thrift quickly denies.
"I think every project we've built there has been some element of union labor on it," Thrift said. "Many projects are predominatingly union labor. "
"We simply don't set that as a criteria as to how we are going to staff a project," Thrift continued. "We simply provide the best service, the best warranty, for that particular job. That's our philosophy now. It always has been. It always will be"
Thrift's most important recent "construction project" just appeared on the scene. Harrison Michael Thrift was born March 16. Harrison joins an older brother and sister. Thompson has a boy and girl of his own.
Thrift laughes at the prospect of becoming a "multi-generational" firm.
"I don't know about that," Thrift said. " My children are nine, five and two weeks! [at the time of the interview]."
For now, young Harrison will grow up in a Terre Haute his daddy and uncle John have helped to rebuild.

Robert Flott can be reached at robertf@thjournal.com.

cjfjapan

May 29th, 2007, 11:46 PM

Dozens of farmers readying wares for Terre Haute Farmers Market’s 2007 season
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Nikki and Scott Royer didn’t know what to do with the small family farm in Vermillion County after Nikki’s father died unexpectedly in 2000.

The farm, which is divided into two picturesque pastoral settings north of Clinton, has been in Nikki’s family, the Overpecks, since 1876.

Eventually, the couple decided to leave their jobs with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and operate the small family farm themselves. They would run the farm without chemicals, massive livestock bins or other features of mass production agriculture. They would allow their livestock to roam freely in their pastures and they would offer fresh meats not for national distribution but to nearby customers.

“I love it up here,” Scott says looking out over the 170-acre rolling meadows of the “north pasture,” where cows could be seen grazing on a hilltop in the distance. Pfizer treated Scott well, he said, but he has never regretted his decision to start farming full-time.

The Royers are two of dozens of Wabash Valley small farmers who are selling to local customers through farmers markets and other outlets for fresh, locally raised or grown food. The Royers will begin selling their meats at the Terre Haute Farmers Market on Saturday, the first day of the market for the 2007 season.

“This is a place where business happens,” said Andrew Conner, indicating the Clabber Girl Festival Marketplace north of the corner of Ninth Street and Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute. Conner is executive director of Downtown Terre Haute Inc., which runs the Farmers Market.

Several hundred customers come to the market each Saturday, Conner said. There are usually 15-20 vendors selling fresh produce, meats and other items, he said.

A chance to get

“amazing stuff”

Terre Haute’s Farmers Market started as an every-other-weekend event in June 2005, Conner said. There were just two vendors when the market first opened, but now close to 30 vendors participate every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon throughout the season, which lasts until the last Saturday of October.

“Here’s a chance to get some amazing stuff,” said Aaron Warner, who grows vegetables, fruits and berries at a small “hobby farm” in southern Vigo County. He also keeps bees, allowing his garden to stay well pollinated and giving him the opportunity to sell fresh honey at the Terre Haute Farmers Market.

The berries, including blackberries, strawberries and blueberries that Warner grows sell “like crazy,” he said. They are usually sold out in the first hour of the market, he said.

Warner’s enthusiasm for growing fresh, chemical-free fruits and vegetables is obvious as he walks through his property pointing to pollinating bees he calls “my girls,” digging for worms, which he calls a gardener’s best friend, and eating fresh asparagus taken right out of the ground.

“I don’t put anything on my vegetables I wouldn’t put in my mouth,” Warner says, kneeling over some vegetable plants in his garden. He plans to participate in the Terre Haute Farmers Market at least every other weekend this year, he said.

A growing market

The Terre Haute Farmers Market is growing, said Andrea Lau, who, along with the other owners of L & A Farms near Elbridge in Illinois, was one of the original vendors at the market.

“It was just Saint Mary’s and us,” Lau said referring to the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, a state-certified organic farmland that also operates its own Farmers Market and continues to participate in the Terre Haute market.

L & A Farms raises chickens for meat and eggs at its picturesque setting in southeastern Edgar County, Ill. Just down the road near a small creek, they also raise produce for sale at the market.

Andrea Lau, her husband Brian, and Kevin and Joyce Augustus operate L & A Farms. Their kids also help out along with other relatives, making the operation a real family business, something typical of many Terre Haute Farmers Market vendors.

“Family comes first,” said Warner, saying he allows his kids to eat anything in his garden they want. He never tells them they can’t eat fresh fruits and vegetables he might otherwise sell at the market. He also designates rows in his garden for his sons, William, 10, and Journey, 7, to grow what they want. Warner has also planted numerous berry bushes for his sons to harvest when they are older.

Not necessarily “organic”

Not only is the Farmers Market in Terre Haute growing, but such markets are a growing phenomenon all over the nation. Between 1994 and 2004, farmers markets grew over 111 percent in number across the country, according to a recent report in the Washington Post. The number of markets across the nation had reached nearly 4,000 by 2004 and there is little to indicate that number has stopped growing.

“People are voting with their food dollars,” said Nikki Royer. More and more people want to feel a connection to the land and want to know where their food was raised or grown, she said.

The consensus from participants in the Terre Haute Farmers Market interviewed for this article is that some of the food is a little more expensive than what you could find in a grocery store, but, they are quick to add, it is much fresher and was grown locally, often without any chemicals or antibiotics.

Many of the vendors at the market don’t use the word “organic” to describe what they sell because there are licensing laws – and paperwork – associated with what can and cannot be labeled “organic.” All of the vendors interviewed said they use natural, chemical-free growing and raising methods, but have not jumped through the hoops necessary to become “organic” farmers.

The cattle, pigs and sheep at the Royer farm, for instance, are all pasture-raised, antibiotic and hormone-free, Nikki and Scott Royer said. By keeping their livestock in a low-stress, clean environment, they said, they are very unlikely to need antibiotics in the first place.

“I think it makes a difference in the ultimate eating quality,” Scott Royer said of raising beef, lamb and pigs in pasture settings.

The Royers also are starting to raise 100 percent grass-fed cattle, something the Royers said enhances the flavor of beef and provides vitamins not found in grain-fed beef. Many of their customers have requested grass-fed beef, they said.

“Our vendors are very responsive to the customers,” Downtown Terre Haute Inc.’s Conner said. Talking directly to vendors allows customers to let them know what items they are looking for.

Giving the customers what they want

Not all items sold at the Farmers Market are more expensive than what you could find elsewhere, some of the participants said. For instance, Warner sells organic fertilizers for half the price it is available to customers shopping for it online, he said. And even some produce, such as rhubarb and spinach, sells for prices very similar to what you would find at a grocery store, Andrea Lau said.

But mostly, the people that sell and shop at the Terre Haute Farmers Market say they are there for fresh, chemical-free, locally grown meats and vegetables.

“There are all of these flavors out there we’ve been missing,” said Warner, speaking of Yukon Gold potatoes and other fresh produce he grows for the market. Most food Americans eat has traveled hundreds of miles before arriving at the local grocery store, he said. Food at the Terre Haute Farmers Market often was picked the same morning people buy it, Warner said.

“Very few people know what really fresh vegetables taste like,” Warner said.

Pasture-raised chicken meat is denser than most grocery store chicken that was not pasture raised, Andrea Lau said. It’s also less likely to be stringy, she said.

The beef and lamb sold by the Royers is “dry aged,” they said. This process, which takes two to three weeks, “makes a big difference in the taste,” Scott Royer said.

The sellers at the Terre Haute Farmers Markets are responding to what seems to be a growing demand for fresh, locally grown, chemical and hormone free meats and produce among many shoppers. The fact that sellers and producers meet face to face means vendors at the market are often told exactly what buyers are looking for, Andrea Royer said.

When the Royers first started selling meats at farmers markets, they tried selling in large quantities. They soon learned most buyers wanted smaller packages of individual servings, so they made the change.

“There’s nothing like talking to the people that actually eat the meat” we raise, Scott Royer said.

Customers at the Terre Haute Farmers Market are generally concerned that their food didn’t travel long distances to be sold and they are also concerned with how their food, especially meats, are raised.

“Usually it’s not all about saving money” for customers at the Farmers Market, Nikki Royer said. “We want the animals to have room to roam and exercise and have a clean environment,” she said, adding that is what their customers want as well.

Getting people

together

Another goal of the Terre Haute Farmers Market is to bring people downtown, Conner said. And it seems to be working. Shoppers at the market discover the Clabber Girl museum and other downtown attractions, he said.

“I think the whole situation brings business [downtown] and connects rural people with the city people,” Andrea Lau said. If the goal is to increase activity downtown, “I think it’s working,” she said.

Downtown Terre Haute Inc. is trying to get more entertainers to perform at the market to crease the fun, family atmosphere, Conner said. The market and other activities aimed at revitalizing the downtown are not designed to return to the “gold age of downtowns,” but rather find new ways to use existing downtowns and make them more attractive, Conner said.

Selling directly to customers is what the Royers wanted to do when they decided to leave Pfizer and start working their farm. They have only missed one market in three years, they said, and that was the day after their now 3-year-old twins were born.

“It’s nice talking with people about how good the meat we sell is,” Scott Royer said. If the customers think it could be better, they will tell you that, too, Nikki added.

The Terre Haute Farmers Market is a fun and, especially in the first hour, a busy place, Warner said. “It’s really nice” meeting so many people and selling fresh produce, fruits and honey, he said. “It’s fun.”

Arthur Foulkes can be contacted at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

June 2nd, 2007, 06:02 AM

This award comes in great part because of T-T's development work downtown. Great job, guys!

Published: May 31, 2007 11:59 pm

Thompson-Thrift named Indiana Small Business Persons of 2007
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

John Thompson and Paul Thrift, founders of Thompson Thrift in Terre Haute, were named Indiana’s Small Business Persons of 2007 by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in Washington, D.C.

“The award challenges us to live up to the standards we’ve set in the past and hopefully will continue to set,” said Paul Thrift at his company’s headquarters at Ninth Street and Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute on Thursday.

Thompson Thrift, a full-service real estate development and construction company, started in 1986 as a two-man operation when the two entrepreneurs were students at Indiana State University. They started in business by purchasing homes and buildings in need of renovation, fixing them up and selling them.

The company now has more than 120 employees, is doing business in several states and has an annual payroll of more than $6 million, Thrift said.

Thompson and Thrift say they owe their company’s success to the team of employees they have assembled.

“Our people have made us successful,” Thrift said.

The Terre Haute-based company represented Indiana at the SBA’s Small Business Week awards luncheon in Washington in late April. Winners from 49 other states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were also at the luncheon.

“There were a lot of neat stories there,” Thompson said.

The SBA award came as a surprise, Thompson said; they did not even know they had been nominated, he said.

Many people believe Thompson Thrift works only on large-scale construction jobs because those are the jobs, such as the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Terre Haute, that receive the most media attention, Thrift said. But the company is geared for doing much smaller jobs as well, he said.

“We want small jobs. We are set up to service that size and type of client,” Thrift said.

Thompson and Thrift do not spend much time dwelling on past successes, and frankly, Thrift said, they have already put the 2007 SBA award behind them and are looking toward the future.

For now, at least, that future looks very bright, Thrift said. The commercial real estate market looks “as good as we’ve seen it,” he said. That’s true inside and outside Indiana, he said.

“We hope that doesn’t change any time soon,” he said.

Locally, the economic picture also looks good, Thrift said. Public and private building activity in Terre Haute, which is still where the largest share of the company’s business is done, is at a level they haven’t seen in their two decades in business, he said.

“People have taken notice [of Terre Haute] around the state,” Thrift said. In the past, people they would meet around the state used to give them “funny looks” or had no reaction at all when the owners of Thompson Thrift said their company was based in Terre Haute. Now, however, they are getting a lot of questions about all the activity, Thrift said.

cjfjapan

July 8th, 2007, 10:59 PM

The NFL champion Indianapolis Colts are starting their summer training camp in Terre Haute again soon!

On the trail: Painted colts attracting admiring attention in Terre Haute
By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — It may be an unusual sight for Terre Haute, people walking around downtown wearing summer clothes, snapping pictures and leading young children by the hands, looking — in short — like tourists.

But that’s what has been going on since the Sheldon Swope Art Museum’s “Horsing Around in Terre Haute” fund-raiser hit the sidewalks of the city and other parts of town in late June.

Several local businesses and organizations have sponsored fiberglass colts that have been decorated by Wabash Valley artists.

The 41/2-foot-tall colts are visible all around town and attracting admiring attention.

“I don’t think I’ve seen so much activity downtown,” said Mary Ann Michna, curator of the Swope Art Museum. “It’s bringing people to the city,” she said.

There are 30 fiberglass colts in total. The bulk of them are downtown, but many are outside the city at places such as the Terre Haute Heart Center, Union Hospital, Honey Creek Mall, the eastside Wal-Mart, Harmonious Hedgehog and Bunch Nurseries. “I think it’s just great,” said Ronnie Jeffers, who, with his wife, Sandie, had just finished snapping a picture of their granddaughter, Stella, in front of a colt on South Seventh Street. “It’s nice to see Terre Haute coming back,” Jeffers said.

Each of the colts has been designed by a local artist.

In some cases, sponsors provided their own artists. In other instances, the Swope selected designs, submitted by local artists, from which sponsors could choose.

Smith Barney, which sponsors a colt in front of its office at Fourth Street and Wabash Avenue, specifically requested local artist Becky Hochhalter to design the colt, titled “Greenback.” The colt is designed using images from a dollar bill, Hochhalter said.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said. To make it even more interesting, Hochhalter included some hard-to-find images, such as 18 horseshoes symbolizing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning’s jersey number. There is also, just for fun, Hochhalter said, a parrot image hidden in the colt’s design. For some reason, kids can quickly spot the parrot while adults often can’t, she said.

Having a colt emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes outside the Old National Bank building at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue has “created a bit of a buzz,” said Don Schroeder, region CEO and northwest region president for Old National Bank. Schroeder, who also sits on the board of the Swope Art Museum, has had to leave his office at least once to snap pictures of people who wanted to be photographed with the colt, he said.

“It’s great to see the enthusiasm,” he said.

Some people are seeing as many colts as they can, using a map provided by the Swope. Others are just walking around finding colts at random.

“It’s fun. It’s different,” said Steve Hardin, a reference/instruction librarian for Indiana State University. Hardin was out taking photos of downtown colts during his lunch hour Friday afternoon and had seen about 12 so far, he said.

Hardin said the colt outside Merrill Lynch on Fourth Street was interesting because it had an old-style stock ticker as a bridle.

“It also has bulls and dollar bills on it … I’m assuming there are no bears,” he said.

Several people have made special trips to the Harmonious Hedgehog south of town to see its sponsored colt, called “Summer Solstice,” said Lesley Wilson, who painted the colt and who works at the shop. One man brought his granddaughter to the store just to photograph her with the colt, she said.

A few of the colts come with 3-D features, such as one downtown that has a small train for a mane and a large black crow perched on its back.

Another colt with 3-D designs is at the eastside Wal-Mart. This colt, called “Colt goes to Camp,” has a backpack, small tennis shoes and a baseball cap.

“He’s a cool kid,” said JoAnne Perigo Fiscus, the artist who designed the camper colt. Perigo Fiscus, who is a member of the Wabash Valley Art Guild and an art teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, has two sons so she was able to capture some of the look and feeling of a small boy going off to camp and what he would look like, if he were a colt, she said.

“I wanted him to have that sparkle,” Perigo Fiscus said.

Another Wabash Valley artist, Karen LeVan of Center Point, had her colt design, called “Colts Gone Wild,” selected by the Village Quarter. Her colt now stands outside the Village Quarter management offices next to a lawn jockey holding the colt by a bridle.

“I suppose he must have looked lonely,” LeVan said of her colt with a laugh.

The fiberglass colts are the centerpiece of a fund-raiser for the Swope Art Museum.

The image of a colt was selected because Terre Haute is home to the Indianapolis Colts training camp, Swope officials have said.

Area businesses and organizations had the opportunity to sponsor a colt for $2,000. For an additional $1,000, the business could purchase the colt; otherwise, the colts will be auctioned Sept. 8 at the ISU stadium. Only a few of the colts have been purchased by sponsors so far, the Swope’s Michna said.

“Working with the people at the Swope has been wonderful,” said Jackie Cossio, advertising and marketing director at Forrest Sherer Insurance downtown, where a colt titled “Smoky Cabin Fever” stands outside the business’s door. Customers and others have stopped to take pictures of the colt, which is designed with covered bridges and other “hometown” images, Cossio said.

Yzabel, an 8-year-old student at Community Christian School, is the third young child in a matter of minutes to be led by adults to a pair of colts at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue on Friday afternoon. Her favorite colt, so far, was the ocean scene colt, titled, “Seahorse,” in front of First Financial Plaza downtown, she said.

While not necessarily a big fan of horses, Yzabel enjoys all the different colors on the colts, she said.

“It’s a natural attraction” to the colts, Michna said. People are making time to come to Terre Haute to see the different colts — in many cases seeing as many as they can in a single day. “It’s getting people out and around the city,” Michna said. “It’s almost like an Easter egg hunt.”

Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or at arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

July 8th, 2007, 11:02 PM

Could Terre Haute support a minor league baseball team?

Financial issues are major concern
By Todd Golden
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — If Field Of Dreams was made about baseball in Terre Haute, its most famous line wouldn’t have the same lyrical majesty that the beloved movie had.

“Build it … and we will come” constitutes celluloid lore from the mystical baseball film.

Terre Haute’s hopes for a minor league baseball team hinge on, “Fund it, renovate it … and they might come?”

Not quite the same. But that’s the reality that Terre Haute faces if minor league baseball is to return to a city that hasn’t hosted a minor league team since the early 1960s.

The Frontier League — a 12-team independent minor league circuit that stretches from Slippery Rock, Pa., to O’Fallon, Mo. — has been interested in Terre Haute for a long time. When Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman arrived two years ago, he immediately began to court potential club owners as well as those interested in funding a Sycamore Field renovation.

Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee met with Prettyman and city officials two weeks ago regarding progress on these matters. It was the second meeting Lee has had with interested minor league parties in Terre Haute in a year.

It is believed that the Frontier League would be interested in moving one of its existing franchises to Terre Haute, though neither Prettyman or Lee would confirm it. Potential owners — none of whom have been publicly identified — are also believed to be considering investment in a franchise, contingent on an available facility.

And the stadium is where the heart of the matter lies as far as local minor league baseball. Lack of money to make renovations to Sycamore Field was cited by Prettyman as the main roadblock to minor league baseball in the Wabash Valley.

“Money ...” said Prettyman in one-word answer about the road block to Terre Haute minor league baseball. “We’re essentially really confident with in a possible partnership with the Frontier League that we could find an ownership group to work with. But our facility doesn’t lend themselves to minimum standards of the league.”

Unlike many other cities that lost minor league baseball in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Terre Haute did not keep its old minor league stadium intact. Memorial Stadium was a suitable home for Terre Haute baseball before cultural changes such as television and greater middle class mobility killed minor league baseball here and in many other similarly-sized cities.

Some Frontier League cities — most notably Evansville with Bosse Field — use the WPA Depression-era stadia that Terre Haute once had in Memorial Stadium, but that was long ago converted to football usage only.

Terre Haute is left with Sycamore Field — a facility that is middle-of-the-road quality-wise for Missouri Valley Conference baseball, but is well behind the curve for minor league baseball.

How far behind the curve? Prettyman estimates that $1 to 5.4 million dollars worth of renovations would need to made to Sycamore Field to make it viable for the Frontier League. Prettyman indicated that a laundry list of things would need to be done to Sycamore Field — including major renovations to the physical plant inside and outside the stadium (see graphic) to make it work.

“We need someone who would love to leave their legacy to the area and attach their name to such a project,” said Prettyman, who said the benefit to the university besides an improved facility would be the opportunity for ISU’s baseball team to have access to a professional team as well as internship opportunities for ISU students.

Lee hinted that Terre Haute might be an important enough market to temporarily lift some of its requirements it desires at Sycamore Field, but not without a long-term commitment in place to make renovations.

“Sometimes I think the league has to go out on a limb and try and groom a city for the league long-term. Maybe we go in a limited type of basis and try to do it, but I don’t know whether we’d do that or not, it’s up to our owners,” Lee said. “The league in some cases has to be flexible in its restrictions and guidelines. It would at least help if there’s a commitment to make improvements in place, but when you are doing something new in a new market, it’s ideal to put your best foot forward with all guns blazing.”

The mayor’s office has given minor league baseball moral support. The economic and cultural benefits of having a team would be a potential economic boost to the city.

“It’s the best possibility we’ve had yet,” said Pete Ciancone, Communications Director for the City of Terre Haute. “The city is interested in seeing what happens and is excited at the prospect.”

Barring an unlikely change of political winds from city government and among city residents, financial support to subsidize stadium renovations is not likely to come from city government.

Which leaves organizers dependent on the private sector. And it seems that the gulf between basic local interest in minor league baseball and real financial commitment needs to be bridged for minor league baseball to happen in Terre Haute.

“I’d agree with that. No matter how you cut it or slice it, a lot of it rotates around the dollar,” Lee said. “Once you get someone to pull the trigger on making a commitment, now you got some potential for some good things to happen. There’s always a silent majority that doesn’t really respond to anything more than basic interest in something like this, but once you get something going, people will be on board.”

But who will get it going? Prettyman said that the quest to get minor league baseball at Sycamore Field has involved a small group of dedicated people to this point. But despite only tacit support among the community at large, Prettyman remains confident it can happen.

“I believe we could have a minor league team here next year if we could find funding and I’m not discouraged by any means as long as we’re in discussions,” said Prettyman, who added the proviso that his athletic director duties will take more of his time as the fall sports season gets closer, and will lessen his time on minor league baseball.

Lee said the Frontier League will maintain interest in the city as long as there’s a chance someone or a group of people could bankroll it.

“It’s a nice market because of the geography, the size of the city, and it’s own media market which is very attractive,” Lee said. “I’ve looked at Terre Haute for many years. It’s been on our radar screen since at least the late 1990s, but its always been about getting the facility where it needs to be for us to be there.”

What needs to be done?

Sycamore Field would need to be renovated to bring minor league baseball to Terre Haute. Here’s a list of renovations that would have to be made to lure minor league baseball:

• Locker rooms with showers

• More bathrooms

• Larger and improved spectator areas with chairback seating

• A dressing room for umpires to dress

• A ticket office that could be accessed during off-hours.

• A covered batting cage area.

• Satellite training room.

• Upgrades to the existing press box or a new one.

The Frontier League

Here are the 12 franchises currently competing in the Frontier League

Evansville Otters

Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints

Rockford (Ill.) RiverHawks

Slippery Rock (Pa.) Sliders

Florence (Ky.) Freedom

Southern Illinois Miners (based in Marion, Ill.)

Gateway Grizzlies (based in Sauget, Ill.)

Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums

Kalamazoo (Mich.) Kings

Washington (Pa.) Wild Things

River City Rascals (based in O’Fallon, Mo.)

Windy City Thunderbolts (based in Crestwood, Ill.)

cjfjapan

August 12th, 2007, 05:03 PM

Published: August 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Historic 12 Points area struggling to survive

But some continue to see potential in the once-thriving area
By Arthur Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute’s 12 Points neighborhood is like a little village all its own.

Called 12 Points because it is at the intersection of Lafayette Avenue, Maple Avenue and North 13th Street — creating three distinct intersections with four corners each — the area has long had its own feel and it continues to play an important role in Terre Haute’s social and economic landscape.

“I love it,” said longtime 12 Points business owner Cecil Tilford, who has operated Tilford’s Variety Store in 12 Points since 1968 and is known to some as the “mayor” of 12 Points. “It’s just like a small town,” he said.

Twelve Points was “hot” when Anita Parkhurst, who now co-owns a business in the neighborhood, was a young girl and would visit the area. Parkhurst, 50, remembers eating Coney dogs in 12 Points and buying candy at Tilford’s Variety Store, she said.

Yet 12 Points also is struggling to stay alive. A large number of vacant and sometimes condemned buildings dot the landscape. Outside several storefronts, the smell of burned wood and plastic from recent fires still lingers in the air.

“12 Points is just kind of a neglected area, unfortunately,” said Jay Jones, owner of the 12 Points Hotel and several other buildings in the area. Jones, who has been active in the neighborhood since 1998, is the landlord for a number of small business tenants and also is an advocate for keeping the historic feel of 12 Points, often using his own money to promote the cause.

Yet Jones, who told the Tribune-Star in 1998 that he hoped the neighborhood could evolve into something like Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, seems a little less optimistic today.

“There’s not a lot of incentive to invest up here,” Jones said. Some of the buildings are beautiful, but much of what he is doing to the historic buildings he owns are just “stop gap” measures, he said. “It’s usually a break-even proposition,” Jones said.

What might be

But Jones and others in 12 Points continue to see potential for much more than the neighborhood currently offers. Many business owners in the district believe that just a few new businesses are all that’s needed for a major breakthrough.

“This is a cool area and we’d like to see it rejuvenated,” said Neil Ward, owner of Medusa’s hair salon on the corner of Lafayette and Maple Avenues. Ward, who set up his hair salon inside the former 12 Points State Bank building two years ago, would like to see a coffee shop, an art gallery and even other hair salons move into the neighborhood.

“You have to make a destination,” Ward said. With a few new businesses, 12 Points “could be very cool,” he said.

People have been saying similar things about 12 Points, however, for several years.

A 1984 Tribune-Star article quoted a 12 Points business owner saying the neighborhood needed a fast-food restaurant to bring in more visitors. Even then some were speaking of the neighborhood’s “deterioration” and looking back several decades to find the district’s “heyday.”

“Sometimes I call it Jay’s folly,” Jones said of his efforts to restore the 12 Points Hotel and other buildings in the neighborhood. There are simply not enough businesses in the neighborhood anymore to maintain the buildings, he said. And the infrastructure, such as the sidewalks, needs a lot of work, he said.

Historic district

Jones and other members of the 12 Points Greater Northside Merchants Association worked recently to get the neighborhood listed on the state and national registers of historic places, something that lends a little prestige to the area, Jones said.

The district also now can receive charitable contributions as a 501(c)(3) organization, Jones said.

But the historic designation does nothing to prevent older buildings from being torn down or changed, Jones said. He has tried hard to bring historic buildings in the neighborhood back to their original looks, he said.

“When we lose a historic building, that’s the end of that story,” Jones said.

Old buildings with a lot of historic character are a fairly common feature in 12 Points.

Apart from the hotel, the 12 Points State Bank building, which later became Merchants Bank and then Old National, there is another historic bank building at 13th and Maple, where Parkhurst’s Sewing Lounge is now. She and the business’s co-owner, Denny Thompson Jr., said they were attracted to the location by the inside of the old building, which includes a bank vault, now used as a fitting room.

“Everyone wants to talk about the vault,” Parkhurst said.

In addition to fixing up his buildings, Jones also worked to restore a historic Coca Cola advertisement on the brick exterior wall of the 12 Points Hotel facing Maple Avenue. He and others worked to make the sign look just as it did more than 50 years ago, he said.

A good place to go

Many people remember when 12 Points was a very active and vibrant part of Terre Haute.

Carolyn Dreher Burke, who grew up a few blocks from 12 Points in the 1940s and ’50s, remembers watching World War II news reels at the Swan and Garfield movie theaters that served 12 Points. She also remembers shopping at West’s Drug Store on Lafayette, window shopping at Mi-Lady’s Dress Shop on Maple Avenue and getting grilled cheese sandwiches and cold Cokes at the Steak ’n Shake.

Burke also remembers when the streets of 12 Points would be closed each year for a fall festival, complete with rides.

“It was just a good place to go,” Burke said. Every Friday night, she and other kids from the area would meet at the movie theater, sit in sections according to which school they attended and enjoy the shows. “It was always a lot of fun,” she said.

The 12 Points Hotel also has a colorful past.

For many years, the hotel was operated by Eddie Gosnell, husband of Terre Haute’s famous Madame Brown and one of the city’s “Red Light District” kingpins, according to a history of the district by local historian Mike McCormick.

At least two or three murders took place in the hotel, Jones said. The most recent murder, in the mid-1970s, remains unsolved.

Low rent, high traffic

The 12 Points area still serves an important purpose in Terre Haute’s economy.

Because of its high level of traffic and low rents, the district is a perfect place for small business entrepreneurs to set up shop on a small budget.

Many of these businesses come and go, but others such as Thomas Funeral Home have been a fixture in the neighborhood for decades.

“The store was perfect,” said Rich Curtis, owner of The Old Piano Shop at 1277 Lafayette. Curtis set up shop six years ago and business has been very good over the years, he said, adding that relatively low rents originally drew him to 12 Points.

“This is a good area, a busy area,” said Amy Lenges, owner of Amy’s Corner Mall at 1239 Lafayette. Lenges, whose father owned Mickey’s Corner on Maple Avenue in 12 Points for several decades, opened her shop just three months ago. “So far, I love it,” Lenges said.

Business also has been good — although for a much longer time — for Don Vrabic, owner of Vrabic Car Center on the corner of 13th and Lafayette. Vrabic has been working in 12 Points since 1954 and remembers well when Lafayette Avenue was U.S. 41.

In those days, there were four gasoline stations just at each corner of his intersection, Vrabic said.

Another 12 Points landmark, A Ring Brings Pizza on Lafayette Avenue, has been doing business since 1963, said manager Marty Patterson. The pizza shop’s sign, which advertises the restaurant’s phone number as both 232-5951 and C-5951, harkens back to an earlier time.

“We didn’t have the heart to change the sign,” Patterson said.

Despite losing U.S. 41, 12 Points continues to see a lot of automobile traffic. A new Circle K gas station and convenience store on Lafayette Avenue resembles a beehive during most of the day and another new, large-scale business, CVS Pharmacy, also sees considerable traffic.

Around 20,000 cars travel Lafayette Avenue each day, Curtis said.

“The traffic is excellent here,” said Pamela Blade, owner of Pamela’s Wigs and Hair Boutique on Lafayette. Much of her business comes from people just passing by, she said.

Here to stay

In addition to being an affordable place to start a small business, 12 Points still has its own charm and character. A small park with a historic marker in the middle of the neighborhood helps remind people of the area’s past and creates a little “green space” in an otherwise urban setting.

“I enjoy being here tremendously,” Blade said. “The people on this side of town are so nice,” she said.

And there are signs things may be picking up.

For the first time in six years, Curtis said, all of the storefronts in the 12 Points Hotel building are rented.

“Business is getting better every day,” Parkhurst said of business at her Sewing Shop.

Tilford agrees that, while business is still a “struggle” sometimes, he enjoys the area and is not ready to quit anytime soon.

“I like it up here,” Tilford said. “I’m here to stay.”

Still, 12 Points, which offers no sit-down restaurants other than A Ring Brings Pizza, or other attractions for casual foot traffic, has a long way to go to become another Broad Ripple or the kind of artistic shopping area many people have wanted to see for decades.

Yet, with a few dedicated business owners and a small-town feel, in addition to affordable rents, the area that was the first suburban shopping district in Terre Haute in the early 1900s remains its own unique part of town with a clear vision and hope for the future.

Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

August 12th, 2007, 05:04 PM

August 12, 2007

Super impact
Terre Haute and its merchants get a boost as fans from across the country arrive to glimpse the defending Super Bowl champion Colts
By Dana Knight
dana.knight@indystar.com
August 12, 2007

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Alvaro Hernandez's family trekked thousands of miles to Terre Haute from California -- and it wasn't just to see relatives elsewhere in Indiana.
So why make the trip? For the blue, of course.
"We just decided it was a great idea to come and see the Super Bowl champs," said Hernandez, as he and his family sat in scorching heat last week just to watch the Indianapolis Colts practice.
Not always a destination draw for visitors from across the country, this city of 60,000 is getting more than its fair share of out-of- towners as the Colts conduct their eighth training camp at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
The city, its retailers, restaurants and hotels are reaping the benefits of fans traveling from as far away as Texas, Maryland, California, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida just to catch a glimpse of a bunch of sweaty guys on a practice field.
So what's different this year? These sweaty guys are the champions.
"It's just amazing. The scope of this camp is bigger than all the previous seven years combined," said David Patterson, executive director of the Terre Haute Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The cachet of winning the Super Bowl has just taken this place by storm, no question."
Terre Haute's Best Western Inn & Suites was booked with Colts fans this weekend, and business during this year's training camp is double what it was a year ago, said general manager Linda Hammond.
"Last year there was a little bit of interest. This year? It is absolutely crazy," she said.
The draw to Terre Haute is just one example of what an impact a Super Bowl win can have. Reebok says Colts merchandise is flying off the shelves with sales up 17 percent in July compared with a year ago. And the Colts' hometown of Indianapolis is getting visits from fans nationwide who just want a peek at the place Peyton Manning calls home.
The first day of training camp at Rose-Hulman drew 500 more fans than in 2006. As of Tuesday, as many as 15,000 visitors had attended a practice, with 12 days left. Last year, 20,000 people visited during the entire camp.
"We've seen a pretty good influx of people from around the country," said Craig Kelley, spokesman for the Colts.
Crystalyn Huegen drove from St. Louis to watch the team practice. The stay-at-home mom left her two kids and husband behind, rented a hotel room and stayed for two days of camp.
"I'm a very die-hard fan," said Hagen. "I live in Ramsville so I catch a little flak, but I wanted to see my Colts."
Friends of Colts' coach Tony Dungy also have visited from Tampa. A group of Colts fans from Wisconsin made the trip. And on a recent day, a family from Dallas sat in a Starbucks in Terre Haute waiting for the 3:30 p.m. practice.
"We aren't going to miss a chance to see the Super Bowl champs this up-close-and- personal," said Harvey Ballard. "I'd never heard of Terre Haute, but now boy do I know where it is and what it's all about."
The Colts' camp is one of the biggest sports draws for this city since 1979 when future NBA star Larry Bird led Indiana State University's basketball team to a dream season that ended one win shy of the national championship.
Located about 75 miles southwest of Indianapolis on I-70, Terre Haute also spawned the Hulman-George family, owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Clabber Girl baking powder company.
And for another week, the Super Bowl champs will make it their town, too, giving restaurants, hotels and retailers a boost of excitement.
Many businesses in a city the size of Terre Haute are guaranteed an economic benefit when thousands of visitors arrive over the course of a month, said Christian End, an assistant professor at Xavier University who studies the economic impact of sports and fan behavior.
"The increased interest in food sales, the Colts memorabilia, the retailers are definitely going to feel it," End said.
Mark E. Nasser, who owns Pacesetter Sports, a small sporting goods store on U.S. 41 in Terre Haute, has seen customers from across the country buying Colts merchandise in his shop. There was the father from Baltimore who took his two sons to the store.
"The Colts have this squeaky-clean image, and he wants his sons to be a part of that," said Nasser.
Pacesetter doesn't have much Colts stuff left. In fact, as Nasser went to show where he thought a Colts cap would be on the shelves, none were left.
"Oops, we're sold out," he said. "We've sold so much Colts stuff it's crazy."
At Texas Roadhouse, kitchen coordinator Bob St. Clair was beaming about a visitor to the restaurant: Peyton Manning. The quarterback appeared after practice last week and ordered a pork chop and loaded baked potato.
"It just seems like I've seen a lot more people coming in this year," St. Clair said.
In the parking lot of the Coffee Cup Family Restaurant, Madeline Short, decked out in a Manning jersey, was headed to the afternoon practice on Tuesday.
"I'm just so in love with the Colts," said the Virginia resident. "I had a few days vacation and thought, 'Why not?' "
Colts fever seems to be catching on nationwide. Season tickets are, of course, sold out -- with a waiting list. And the Colts home of Indianapolis is noticing the same sort of draw, as people stop in just to see the RCA Dome.
"People are coming through town who want a glimpse of the end zone where Joseph Addai took that diving catch that led us to the AFC championship game," said Bob Schultz, spokesman for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association.
But for a chance to see the Colts live and in person, lots of people are heading to Terre Haute.
Dawn Conrad of Evansville traveled to training camp last week with her mom, Jackie Arman, and children, Randi and Cory.
"I usually try to go to at least one game every year," said Conrad. "But the better and better they get, the harder it is to get a ticket. This was our chance to see the Super Bowl champs."

cjfjapan

August 12th, 2007, 05:05 PM

Published: August 11, 2007 11:37 pm

Parks department working to finalize skate park plans
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A skate park still is expected to be created this fall, a city official said Friday.

The Terre Haute Parks and Recreation Department and Parks and Recreation Board have been working to finalize the plans for the park, department superintendent Greg Ruark said. The board’s projected $300,000 will only pay for the main bowl-shaped structure and part of a second, accompanying bowl-shaped structure park officials want in the first phase of the project, he said.

The city is researching funding for that subsequent structure. The skate park, a structure specifically designed for people to ride and perform skateboard stunts, will be built in Voorhees Park.

“What we’re hoping is to be able to build both sections simultaneously,” Ruark said, “and that’s what’s making it come in slightly over budget.”

The company designing the skate park can schedule the city’s project for construction about three weeks after designs are finalized, Ruark said.

The Parks Department hopes to receive help from local groups and volunteers to do some work, such as laying pipes and creating sidewalks, to help save money on the overall project.

“Every dollar that we can get in-kind is a dollar we can spend in building a bigger skate park,” said Richard Shagley, a Parks Board member working with Ruark to finalize the deal.

The project initially was part of the department’s $4 million capital improvements plan, which included several million dollars for a new aquatic facility.

The plan was postponed, which led the Parks Board to create the skate park as an independent project. Money already in the department’s budget will help repay a loan taken out for the project.

Shagley anticipates a contract being signed this week. Construction “should be complete by Halloween,” he added.

“My guess is the kids will utilize it even if it’s cold” outside, he said.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

August 12th, 2007, 05:09 PM

Published: August 11, 2007 07:44 pm

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/in/vigo/postcards/deming.jpg

Historical Treasure: Deming Hotel a familiar landmark
By Linda Patrick
Special to the Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — This week’s historical treasure is another landmark familiar to those in the downtown area, the Deming Hotel at 615 Cherry St.

Named for financier and philanthropist Demas Deming, the hotel occupies the site of the old Congregational Church. The firm Holabird and Roche of Chicago designed the building in the “Second Empire” style, with ornate cornices and plasterwork inspired by French architecture. Construction was by the Sheldon-Breck Construction Co. of St. Louis at a cost of $400,000. F.P.W. Young was the supervisor.

Designed as a fireproof hotel, the eight-story structure is an all-masonry building with poured concrete floors and ceilings. Detailed records still exist of the amounts and kinds of materials used in its construction. The Terre Haute Coal and Lime Co. furnished 4,450 cubic yards of gravel and sand, as well as 7,550 barrels of Marquette Portland cement for the concrete work on the building and sidewalks. Also used were 648,000 various kinds of bricks and 300 tons of twisted steel. It should be noted that during construction, no accident of any consequence occurred.

For the interior, the Connersville Furniture Co. manufactured all the bedroom furniture. Their local representatives, the A.Z. Foster Co., provided everything else except for the linens and kitchen equipment. The Adamson & Anderson Co. was contracted for all the glasswork in the hotel, using 10,000 pieces. When completed, the hotel had 250 rooms and 200 baths. The Mandel Studio of Chicago provided a large painting of Indians with Fort Harrison in the background for the lobby. This painting was removed during renovation and later returned. It can still be seen in the lobby today.

The Deming Hotel opened officially for business on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1914, with a Charity Ball to benefit The Boys Club. “Billie” Cochran was the first manager, with Tom Nelson as his first lieutenant manager. John O. Holmes, a traveling representative for Eli Lilly and Co., was the first name on the guest register. With dinner at 7 and dancing at 10, a good time was had by all. La Betinna, a sprightly little dancer, entertained the guests with her graceful numbers with Mons Narvahes. Their dances in the dining room and tavern were one of the enjoyable features of the hotel send-off. The first noted actor/dancer to stay at the hotel was Joseph Santley, appearing in Phillip Bartholomew’s musical comedy “When Dreams Come True,” at the Grand Opera House on Thursday, Oct. 22, 1914.

If you have access to the Internet and would like to see what the hotel looked like originally, check out “Wabash Valley Vision and Voices.” It’s a digital memory project for West Central Indiana. Select the “Advanced Search” option, and then enter Hotel Deming in the “exact phrase” box. Pick “City of Terre Haute” from the collections list. Hit “go.” You will see some absolutely stunning pictures of the lobby, ballroom, writing room and more.

The hotel was owned and operated by the Deming Hotel/Land Co. until Dec. 28, 1962, when the property was sold to Hulman and Co., effective Jan. 1, 1963. The sale included the 80-car garage at 621 Cherry St. and the 100-car parking lot at 618-620 Cherry St. In 1963, the property changed hands again when it was purchased by Indiana State University for use as a men’s dormitory and later as a conference center. In February 1976, ISU asked Gov. Otis R. Bowen for authorization to sell the conference center/hotel.

On Sept. 21, 1978, Congressman John Myers and Mayor William Brighton announced completion of financial arrangements for the $4.15 million “Deming Project.” A month later, Bethesda Corp. and the Terre Haute Housing Authority began rehabilitation of the hotel into 109 apartments for low-income elderly and the handicapped, with completion set for December 1979. As giving and civic-minded a man as he was, I think Mr. Deming would approve. Today the Deming Center is owned by the Bethesda Elderly Housing Corp. and managed by Pfister & Co. Inc.

Babbage08

August 12th, 2007, 08:10 PM

Hey CtfJapan, thanks for the Terre Haute updates! I'm headed back there to finish college up here in about a week or so. I'll try and post some construction photos if I have time, there's some great history in some of the DT buildings. Anyway here's an article on the new student center if you haven't posted it already.

http://www.indstate.edu/news/news.php?newsid=962

Indiana State breaks ground for $21.7 million Student Recreation Center
July 19, 2007

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- For a group of young Indiana State University alumni, a dream was realized Thursday (July 19) with the groundbreaking of the future home of the University’s Student Recreation Center.

The 109,420-square-foot facility will house a three-court gymnasium; a recreation aquatics facility, with separate pools for lap swimming and instructional/leisure activities; fitness center, outfitted with cardio and strength training equipment; climbing wall; elevated jogging/running track; multi-purpose activity studios suitable for aerobics, martial arts and fitness classes; a multi-activity court designed for indoor soccer, roller hockey and other activities; offices for Recreational Sports, a healthy snack bar, an outdoor equipment center; and locker facilities and equipment rooms.

ISU President Lloyd W. Benjamin III lauded the efforts of current and former Student Government Association Presidents Megan McManana, Hobart Scales and A.J. Patton along with three former student trustees, Doug Huntsinger, Jessica Robertson and Grant Scharton, for championing the project from the planning stages to reality.

“They showed extraordinary leadership with this project,” Benjamin said.

All six students were in attendance and participated in the groundbreaking.

“This project was conceived by, designed by and funded by students,” said Thomas Ramey, vice president of Student Affairs.

Scales recalled the humble beginnings of the project.

“Megan (McManama) and Doug (Huntsinger) were the founders of this idea. I remember sitting in Doug’s office and seeing this idea come to life,” he said.

For Patton, the current Student Government President, it was a momentous occasion.

“We’ve worked very hard in order for this project to materialize for us all. The Rec Center is a fine example of current and past students giving back to the University. We’ve all made sacrifices for this project.”

According to Benjamin, the new facility will enhance the student experience.

“We anticipate this facility will become the center of activity on our campus, and we are excited about the opportunities it will provide our students,” he said.

The $21.7 million facility, designed by Hastings+Chivetta Architects Inc. of St. Louis, will be located directly across from Lincoln Quad, an ISU residence hall, and will be accessible from Tippecanoe Street.

"This building is not only attractive but very functional," said Ramey. "It promotes healthy lifestyles, encourages a life-long commitment to wellness and strengthens the sense of community on campus. This facility, along with the expanded recreational program, will also introduce new forms of recreation to students."

The project impressed Clyde Kersey, a local legislator who helped guide it through the Indiana General Assembly.

“This was a very unique project because it came directly from the students,” he said.

Construction on the two-story facility is anticipated to take 18 months. Targeted completion date for the project is early 2009. Hannig Construction will serve as the general contractor.

During the regularly-scheduled meeting of the ISU Board of Trustees, Mike Alley was selected to serve a third term as president for 2007-08. Ron Carpenter, Indianapolis, was chosen to serve as vice president while Richard Shagley, Terre Haute, will hold the office of secretary.

In addition to selecting officers for the upcoming term, new trustee Joyce Rogers of Indianapolis and student trustee Amy Huntsinger of Frankton were seated. Two other trustees, Norman Lowery and Ron Carpenter, began new four-year terms.

render is here: http://www.indstate.edu/sga/REC%20CENTER

cjfjapan

August 12th, 2007, 10:17 PM

Good deal, Babbage - I don't live in TH anymore, but I try to keep up with development there. Please entertain us with some photos!

There are a good many pictures of downtown TH development at www.terrehautehouse.net as well.

cjfjapan

August 28th, 2007, 02:37 PM

Officials have vision for Collett Park

Public invited Tuesday to first of several ‘visioning workshops’
By Howard Greninger
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A public “visioning workshop” will be conducted at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Ouabache Elementary School, 501 Maple Ave., to develop a Collett Park Vicinity Neighborhood Plan.

The workshop is the first of several the Vigo County Area Planning Department will conduct in conjunction with the city of Terre Haute, Union Hospital and the Collett Park Neighborhood Association.

Union Hospital has paid the county $75,000 for the plan being developed by Camiros Inc., an urban planning and development firm.

The plan should be completed in January or February of next year, said Jeremy Weir, executive director of the Area Planning Department.

The goal of the workshop includes developing strategies to ensure that Union Hospital and the surrounding residential areas are compatible, “in terms of land needs, access and circulation, safety, and character,” Weir said.

Also, the group will study ways to make use of vacant properties and ensure that new housing complements the character of existing homes, he said.

“It is an opportunity for the neighborhood to develop what they feel the character of the neighborhood is and what makes it that way,” Weir said.

Camiros Inc. already has completed an existing land use inventory as well as a drive-by assessment of the condition of buildings in the area, Weir said. In addition, information from the U.S. Census has been collected on population, including a breakdown by age, gender and race, as well as household income. Those findings will be presented at the workshop, Weir said.

The study area is bound by Locust Street to the south, Lafayette Avenue and 12th Street to the east, Florida Avenue to the north and U.S. 41/Third Street to the west and includes Union Hospital, Collett Park and many single family homes and multi-family dwellings.

“The workshop allows the public to tell us what they think and develop what our strategy will be for future use of the properties there,” Weir said.

Once a final plan is developed, Weir said it would be presented as resolutions to the Vigo County Plan Commission and to the Terre Haute City Council for each to adopt as policy for future development.

For more information about the workshop, contact Weir at the Area Planning Department at (812) 462-3354.

Howard Greninger can be contacted at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
print this story email this story comment on this story

cjfjapan

August 28th, 2007, 02:38 PM

Farrington’s Grove Historical District releases results of neighborhood survey

Results show residents unhappy with crime, maintenance, trash
By Laura Followell
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Farrington’s Grove Historical District Inc. held a block party Sunday to reveal what the district needs and discussed a plan with its neighborhood residents.

The group conducted a “neighborhood-plan” survey earlier this month and showed its findings during the three-hour event in the 800 block of South Fifth Street.

Farrington’s Grove board president Michael Carrell said: “The ultimate goal is to set up a neighborhood plan. … In Farrington’s Grove we’ve got a hodgepodge of businesses, fraternities, rentals and home businesses. Our goal is to make this a true neighborhood.”

Group officials want the plan to assist in preserving the historical homes and prevent commercial zoning in the district, Carrell said.

Volunteers distributed 1,100 questionnaires and 145 people corresponded.

The results indicated that people living in the district deemed the following most problematic: litter, trash and junk; crime; maintenance of houses and yards; vacant houses; and the condition of alleys, curbs and sidewalks.

Resident Patricia Pross, who has lived in the area for seven years, said she went to the event out of curiosity and in hopes of meeting new people.

Pross shared her concerns and frustrations with the neighborhood organization.

“I think [Farrington’s Grove] has gone downhill. There’s too many renters. Occupants or the owners should be made to maintain it. You can go and see how the houses are decaying. … Pretty soon there’s not going to be a Farrington’s Grove,” she said.

Farrington’s Grove boundaries are roughly Seventh Street to the east, Fourth Street to the west, Poplar Street to the north and Hulman Street to the south.

The survey asked respondents about their type of living situation, how long they’ve lived in the Farrington’s Grove neighborhood and what they deemed most unsettling about it.

Chris Patterson, a Farrington’s Grove resident for five months, said that many rental-property tenants in the area are problematic due to lack of lawn and facility maintenance.

He went to the event share his concerns and to gain insight on how he can renovate his old house.

“They don’t build houses like this anymore. There’s more craftsmanship in them than you get now,” he said.

The Farrington’s Grove group will conduct workshops later in the fall where people will discuss what they like about Farrington’s Grove, what they want to preserve and to address issues.

The first is scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 2 in the building at Fifth and Crawford streets.

In the next several months, the group intends to research and discuss major issues facing the area as part of the process to create the plan. The group hopes to have a document finished by the end of the year or early 2008.

They will then make presentations about the plan to the Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission and Vigo County Area Planning Commission.

Laura Followell can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or laura.followell@tribstar.com.

Survey results

• Litter, trash and junk

Problem 130

Not a problem 14

No response 1

• Crime

Problem 121

Not a problem 15

No response 9

• Condition of alleys

Problem 120

Not a problem 21

No response 4

• Maintenance of houses

Problem 118

Not a problem 24

No response 3

• Vacant houses

Problem 114

Not a problem 27

No response 4

• Maintenance of yards

Problem 104

Not a problem 38

No response 3

• Condition of curbs and sidewalks

Problem 100

Not a problem 35

No response 10

cjfjapan

August 28th, 2007, 02:54 PM

Candlewood Suites project awaits final plans
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Officials are finishing the construction preparations before building will begin on the new Candlewood Suites along Wabash Avenue.

The extended-stay hotel will be built in the former Tribune Building and an adjacent structure that also will house the Children’s Museum. Crews are finished with demolition work of the building’s interior, but construction costs and plans need to be finalized before work continues, project officials said Monday.

Everything is “in a holding pattern” until the plans are completed, said Paul Thrift of Thompson Thrift, Inc., the contracting company that will supervise construction.

Project bids currently are being reviewed so the construction cost can be finalized for a loan, said Tim Dora, of Dora Hotel Co., LLC, which will manage the hotel.

“Everything looks fine,” Dora said, “and [we’re] anxious to get started.”

The property for the Children’s Museum site still has to be transferred to museum officials, which will be done very soon, Dora said.

The hotel, which will take about 10 months to build, he said, is expected to cost $9.5 million.

The museum and hotel will be created simultaneously. The new children’s facility will cost about $4 million for the land, building and initial exhibits, and $1 million more for an endowment to help continue support operations and exhibits.

The museum’s board of directors had raised $3.7 million as of Aug. 1, board member Steve Schrohe said in a recent article.

Schrohe said in a message Monday that he didn’t have any new information to report, but hoped to have announcements regarding fundraising and a groundbreaking “in the relatively near future.”

“Everything is going along fine, as far as I know … ,” he said.

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

August 28th, 2007, 02:55 PM

Mayor Kevin Burke slated to be new Hilton Garden Inn’s first guest

New hotel could be open by mid-September
By Austin Arceo
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Some unfamiliar people will be working in Terre Haute next Tuesday.

A squad of “star employees” from various hotels operated by Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. will supervise the preparations of various departments of the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House at the intersection of Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue. The hotel is expected to open formally Oct. 1, but officials hope to have a “soft opening” the week of Sept. 17, said Tim Dora, a partner of Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp.

He also owns Dora Hotel Co., LLC [Limited Liability Corp.], which will manage the hotel.

“I think the first of October, we’d be able to operate at 100 percent capacity,” he said, “and we want to make sure that people’s first experiences are good experiences.”

Workers moved furniture into the hotel Monday. The Hilton Web site has begun accepting reservations for people staying Nov. 1 and later.

The opening will mark the first time in more than 35 years that a visitor has stayed at a Terre Haute House hotel at the site. The first guest will be Mayor Kevin Burke, Dora said.

“And I’m going to charge him full price,” he added.

Burke confirmed that he will pay to stay at the hotel.

The administration is excited about the new downtown site, which will be the first active visitors’ lodgings at its location since before Burke first came to Terre Haute in 1974.

“… And we presently sell out all of our hotel rooms about 35 weekends a year,” he said, “so we’re quite confident that they’ll do well.”

Austin Arceo can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or austin.arceo@tribstar.com.

cjfjapan

August 28th, 2007, 03:07 PM

Learn what cultural tidbits you’re missing in Terre Haute

Rose-Hulman professor has Web site: ‘Dr. Tom’s Guide to Terre Haute for the Culturally Bereft’
By Mark Bennett
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Tom and Diedre Adams had just unpacked their belongings after moving to Terre Haute from Atlanta. They sat on the front porch of their house on South Seventh Street.

“We were so bored that we made up a game of counting the number of foreign cars going by,” Tom recalled of that day in 1999. “And after an hour and a half, we found a total of two. And we even wondered if the Toyota pickup truck should’ve counted. And I think of how far we’ve come since then.”

Eight years ago, the Adamses had no idea a little gas station just up Seventh Street stocked an astonishing smorgasbord of Indian groceries. Or that the Terre Haute Community Theater shows international films for a full weekend, every other month. Or that George’s Cafe on Cherry Street serves a Lebanese dish called baba ghanoush “that is to die for.” Or that Sonka Irish Pub & Cafe on Wabash Avenue sells the creamy, black English beer Young’s Oatmeal Stout.

Soon, they discovered all those places and more.

“After my wife and I had lived here for a couple of months, we realized there weren’t the number of cultural activities there were around Atlanta,” Tom said, “but there were more than we realized.”

He figured there had to be other new Hauteans, transplanted from metropolises, who were killing time by counting the passing Hyundais and Subarus.

So Tom created a Web site to enlighten those longing something out of the ordinary. Thus, “Dr. Tom’s Guide to Terre Haute for the Culturally Bereft” was born.

Initially, Tom intended it for new professors and students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he teaches mechanical engineering. Eventually, people outside the Rose community have stumbled upon his Web site, too, just as he and Diedre do when they go exploring for unusual local gems, such as the potato omelets at Harry & Budd’s on South 25th Street.

“We have a knack for finding those out-of-the-way, little hidden treasures that aren’t well advertised but have great things to offer,” Tom said.

His Web site offers suggestions to folks wondering “where I can go to do yoga, or get a good cup of coffee, or hear a symphony.”

As of this month, Dr. Tom’s Guide has gotten nearly 4,000 Web hits. It lists his suggestions for places to eat, drink, view art and films, listen to music and recreate. The Guide also includes the light-hearted and entertaining tale of Thomas M. Adams’ 38-year journey from his birth in Vermillion, S.D., just before the Summer of Love to his life now in Terre Haute, where he works as an associate professor at Rose-Hulman and Diedre teaches at West Vigo Middle School.

The Adamses didn’t end up here by accident. Tom spent four years in Terre Haute, studying mechanical engineering at Rose, before graduating in 1990. Those ties were about as deep as any in Tom’s nomadic life. His parents, two microbiologists, moved their family from South Dakota to Mexico City, the South Carolina cities of Columbia and Beaufort, New Delhi, and Savannah, Ga.

Globetrotting has sharpened his eye for nuggets of cultural gold.

“Maybe that lack of roots is something that always keeps me searching,” he said, leaning back in his office chair, behind a desk that holds a healthy stack of jazz and classical guitar CDs.

A culture of comfort

It was in his family’s last stop, Savannah, that Tom finished high school and met Diedre. That moment, 20 years ago, came at a meeting of the Savannah chapter of Mensa, an organization of people with high IQs. In 1990, they married and settled in Atlanta, and after Tom earned his doctorate from Georgia Tech, he accepted a job offer in 1999 at Rose-Hulman, his alma mater.

“I didn’t want to move to Terre Haute and leave the culture and excitement of Atlanta,” Diedre admitted. “I came because it was Thomas’ dream to teach at Rose.”

Soon, though, she found her work environment here, as a classroom teacher, featured students who were more engaged, talented colleagues and greater access to equipment and training. Terre Haute was safer, too. In Atlanta, she had fears for the family, including her two young children, after having two cars stolen, eight cars wrecked and an armed intruder in their home. By contrast, their “biggest headache” in Terre Haute has been the theft of gargoyle statues in front of their house.

Once, Diedre left her purse in a basket at Kroger in Terre Haute, and didn’t realize it until she’d gotten home.

“I went back to the store, and someone had taken it to the customer service center, complete with money and credit cards,” she recalled.

Eight years after making that apprehensive move to this much smaller city, Diedre is satisfied with its offerings.

“We could go to Indy, Bloomington or Chicago on the weekends, but we don’t often — too much to do here,” she said. “We get up, ride our bikes along the trail to one of the coffee shops, go foraging for antiques, grab a meal at one of the restaurants, check out one of the museums or parks or one of the special events like art shows, plays, music in the park, etc.

“The pace is much slower than in Atlanta,” Diedre added, “but the quality of life is so much better.”

Charm, eggplant, omelets

One of their occasional targets is, of all places, the Sunoco Sunmart at 408 S. Seventh St. Alongside the usual gas station fare of unleaded fuel, cigarette lighters, pop, milk and doughnuts are two aisles devoted to Indian groceries and spices.

The manager, Dharminder Singh, travels to Chicago every Thursday to buy exotic fresh vegetables such as Chinese okra, dhokan white radishes and tiny Indian eggplants. Singh, who came to the United States from India in 1994, also brings back special orders, such as those from Middle Eastern customers preparing for the recent Ramadan celebration. And then there are curious folks like Tom Adams.

“I have American customers coming in here, buying [Indian] spices and snacks,” Singh said, “and I have people come in and say, ‘I’ve never seen a gas station like this.’”

Dr. Tom’s Guide to Terre Haute steers people in Singh’s direction. That station and the other places noted on the site are local ventures. Though Tom has nothing against chains, such as the International House of Pancakes, “IHOP doesn’t need my help.”

Finding Harry & Budd’s, by contrast, requires some inside information. The restaurant at 1440 S. 25th St. has no sign. Its hours are roughly 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays, though owner Jeffrey Marks said those “fluctuate.”

“If somebody asks me to be here early, I can do that,” Marks said.

Tom Adams finds that gray-area in Harry & Budd’s schedule to be “part of its charm.”

Besides that, “He’s got — hands down — the best omelets in town,” Tom added.

Tom likes entertainment, too. He does a little of that himself, playing jazz guitar — an evolution from his long-haired days in heavy metal bands as a Rose-Hulman student. Tom’s long hair remains, as does a bit of his musical tastes. He often performs in a duet with singer Julia Williams, the executive director of Rose’s office of institutional research, planning and assessment. For the college’s annual Engineers in Concert events, they played Tom’s jazz arrangement of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.”

“It took people a while to realize what we were playing,” Williams remembered, “and then at that point, it became very funny.”

Another of Tom’s preferred entertainment outlets is the Community Theater’s international film series. One of the most memorable was the Japanese flick “Afterlife.” Under its premise, people, after death, go to a camp. There, counselors help the recently deceased pick their favorite life memory, film that vision and then let those folks take that clip with them into oblivion.

“Just a delightful film,” Tom said, “and as everybody was leaving the theater, they were all talking about, ‘What would it be for me?’”

Undoubtedly, at least a few of the Adamses’ favorite moments are linked to places listed on Dr. Tom’s Guide.

Diedre and Tom spent most of this summer away from home at workshops and other out-of-town activities. “When we got back, Thomas looked at me and said, ‘I never thought I would be glad to get back to Terre Haute. I guess this means it’s home now,’” she recalled. “I guess it is.”

Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstar.com or (812) 231-4377.

Tips from the Dr.

Here are a few samples from Dr. Tom’s Guide to Terre Haute for the Culturally Bereft:

Dining

The baba ghanoush at George’s Cafe (627 Cherry St.). “This is the best baba ghanoush around, made fresh daily by George’s brother Albert, who … had his lamb stew recipe featured in Gourmet Magazine.”

Imbibing

Young’s Oatmeal Stout at Sonka Irish Pub & Cafe (1366 Wabash Ave.). “At Sonka’s, white collar and blue collar, liberals and conservatives, profs and students all peacefully coexist. Nay, they joyfully co-imbibe.”

Looking

International film series at the Community Theater of Terre Haute (1431 S. 25th St.). “The film makers feel no need to have a typical, formulaic plot, so you never know where the plot’s going to go.”

Listening

Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra (Tilson Auditorium, Seventh Street and Larry Bird Avenue). “We have a surprisingly good symphony for a town the size of 60,000.”

Doing

Yoga at Fun With Yoga (3726 E. Wabash Ave.). “Not only will yoga improve your flexibility and balance, but your strength and endurance as well. And if you choose power yoga, trust me, you will sweat — a lot.”

For more tips

Go to www.rose-hulman.edu/~adams1/bereft.html

cwilson758

August 28th, 2007, 07:16 PM

too bad the beautiful Terre Haute House was demolished to make way for Dora's Interstate Delux Hotel

cjfjapan

August 29th, 2007, 05:01 AM

This is off US 41/Third Street/Dixie Bee Highway - across from the courthouse. Knowing TH, this will be popular - just wish they had housed it in one of the few beautiful old downtown buildings...

Grand Traverse Pie Company comes to Terre Haute

Bakery is first out-of-state site for Michigan-based café

Summertime flavors and aromas will fill the newest Grand Traverse Pie Company location this summer season. Opening its doors for the first time outside the state of Michigan, Grand Traverse Pie Company invited pie and café enthusiasts to visit the newest location at Third and Cherry streets in Terre Haute on Monday. GTPC, with 10 locations in Michigan and now one in Indiana, welcomed patrons with fresh-baked aromas flowing from the open-air, from-scratch kitchen.

GTPC is a full-service bakery café in the growing “fast casual” sector occupied by Panera Bread and Corner Bakery. The big difference is that in addition to a wonderful breakfast, lunch, and dinner offering, it’s all about pie at GTPC. More than 25 varieties of fruit, cream, meringue, and key lime pies will be available every day, made from scratch, on-site.

Summertime fruit pie favorites like cherry, blueberry, and apple pie will be on hand every day.

Franchise owners Don and Barbara Wright, along with their two sons Jeff and Mark, have owned and operated several successful family businesses. One of these is a Blockbuster franchise.

The Wrights learned of the GTPC from a friend in the franchising business, according to a statement released by the family.

They traveled to Michigan to check it out, and were not disappointed.

The GTPC also carries stacked deli sandwiches and other types of picnic fare, and provides catering.

Visitors to the café famous for its cherry pie will experience all of the sights and sensations of an active “real food” kitchen.

Guests were even invited to taste a sample of something just out of the oven.

To learn more about the new cafe and bakery, call (812) 235-1582.

cjfjapan

August 30th, 2007, 03:09 PM

New sculpture will showcase Arts Corridor entrance
By Laura Followell
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Those who travel past the corner of Seventh and Poplar streets might be in for a surprise this winter.

Art Spaces Inc. has found another sculpted masterpiece and anticipates installing “The Gatekeeper” at the corner on the Vigo County Public Library’s grass.

Artist Mary Kramer of Penland, N.C., along with officials from Art Spaces Inc., were on scene Wednesday with a “moquette model,” or prototype, of the artwork to determine just the right spot.

The piece is tentatively titled “The Gatekeeper,” because it will signify the entrance to the Arts Corridor, said Bev Cristee, vice president of Arts Spaces Inc.

“This really is going to be a stunning addition to the Arts Corridor, and it’s just absolutely gorgeous,” Cristee said.

Art Spaces is a not-for-profit organization working to establish a collection of public outdoor sculptures in Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley.

If all goes as planned, the granite and stainless-steel sculpture will be installed by the end of January, she said.

David Vollmer, executive director of the Swope Art Museum, said the ground must be tested by city officials before the site can be approved for the installation.

Vollmer said this project has been in the works since 2003, and he is excited to see it nearing its final stage.

As part of the selection process, a committee, consisting of art experts, community members and Art Spaces board members, submit a call for artists that includes what the organization is looking for, as well as site-specific information.

Artists then submit moquettes and proposals, and the committee chooses the artist and the piece.

“It’s not designed in somebody’s studio and then just plopped down. They are made for that space,” Vollmer said.

Art pieces displayed within a community help build the community’s identity and will make the city more attractive to its residents, according to the organization.

Kramer said her pieces of art are based on what communities want.

The “Gatekeeper” will be designed in a way that offers room for interpretation.

Kramer’s pieces are not readily-identified figures or objects, she said.

The sculpture will be 26 feet wide and 14 feet tall, she said. People will be able to walk under it, “like a portal,” Kramer said.

Laura Followell can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or laura.followell@tribstar.com.

Babbage08

September 4th, 2007, 12:19 AM

A few pictures of construction in Terre Haute:

New Parking, transit facility:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300650.jpg

Snapped a few photos of the Hilton Garden Inn as I was driving by, didn't turn out so well, LOL:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300652.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300653.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300654.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300655.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300656.jpg

Construction on Clabber Girl building:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/S4300657.jpg

The new Hilton Garden Inn Terre Haute House is certainly an injustice to what once stood there:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/terrehautehouse.jpg

At least there is something going on at the site, however. Also downtown is the new Grand Traverse Pie Company, this one in Michigan looks similiar except the one in Terre Haute is blue:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc247/jnannery/terre%20haute/gtpc.jpg

I'm just glad they decided to open DT instead of south of I70. They are attracting a lot of attention as it is the first location in Indiana.

Anyway I'll take some more photos of the "Updated" Terre Haute House soon, as well as the new ISU Student Rec Center, and Childrens Museum/hotel.

Unionstation13

September 4th, 2007, 02:03 AM

terre haute is defianitly going through an urban renewal!

cjfjapan

September 4th, 2007, 03:28 AM

Nice work, babbage - keep 'em coming!

cjfjapan

September 6th, 2007, 12:51 AM

Federal Courts Are Staying in Terre Haute

By News 10 Staff

Terre Haute's Federal Courts will stay in the downtown area.

An empty lot in Downtown Terre Haute, will soon be filled with a new building, and the big news is what's going inside that building.

It was just announced: a new building to house the Federal Court will be built in downtown Terre Haute.

The location, just across the street on 921 Ohio Street.

That's the former site of Bunch Nurseries.

Terre Haute developer Thompson Thrift will build the building and lease the building to the Federal Government for just under $500,000 a year.

Besides the Federal Courts, the building will also house the U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Marshals service, and the U.S. Probation and Pre-trial Services.

There's no set date on when the building will be complete.

The government has agreed to give the building to Indiana State University.

They plan to turn it into their new School of Business.

borninfarrington_g

September 8th, 2007, 05:23 AM

Hello everyone! I've been reading this post for some time and I just want to say how much I appreciate it. It's great to see others interested in Downtown TH development. I have always wanted to find a place to discuss these happenings with others, and "like-duh"...never thought to post here! Those pictures are GREAT; keep 'em comin'! :)

borninfarrington_g

September 8th, 2007, 05:48 AM

In case anyone else has been wondering, I received a tip today that progress should resume on the Trib very soon. I have been worried as to why worked stopped but heard today from someone reliable that it is simply corporate redtape; and not related to the integrity of the structure like others are saying. Actually, I think it'll make you laugh when you find out what the hold up is! :nuts:

cjfjapan

September 9th, 2007, 06:22 PM

There was something about the delay on the Trib project a few days ago, I think. What did you hear?

There are a lot of pictures of downtown TH development at www.terrehautehouse.net - czech it out!

In case anyone else has been wondering, I received a tip today that progress should resume on the Trib very soon. I have been worried as to why worked stopped but heard today from someone reliable that it is simply corporate redtape; and not related to the integrity of the structure like others are saying. Actually, I think it'll make you laugh when you find out what the hold up is! :nuts:

borninfarrington_g

September 9th, 2007, 07:46 PM

Basically I heard that a local bank is being feisty about the loan and that the developers are confident that ANY other bank in town will make the loan if they continue to be difficult.

I wonder if the bank in question is showing a little "corporate jealousy"...because ONB is getting all the publicity; both for their wonderful donation to the Children's Museum, and for the fact that they are next door to the trib and will directly benefit from it's redevelopment.

Meanwhile, the bank in question is surrounded by an empty parking garage, several vacant store fronts, a half-remodeled pawn shop, a few buildings that don't fit downtown, a recently-troubled community center, and several of Dr. S's vacant buildings. However, this is just a hunch...I have nothing to base this on.

What I refer to as "corporate jealousy" is probably more akin to "not helping one's competitors to surpass you in business". Either way, I can see both sides and I feel confident that at least a few of our banks would not blink an eye at making the loan. If the 2nd hotel fails, you've still got some really nifty apartments in an historic building. Sounds good to me!

borninfarrington_g

September 9th, 2007, 11:36 PM

cjfjapan

September 9th, 2007, 11:41 PM

Sorry, upon further reading I concluded that my opinion was a little pushy. I just want to reiterate that everything after the 1st sentence is purely speculation. I do believe things like this happen in TH polotics all the time, however.
Well, true or not, knowing Terre Haute politics it certainly seems possible. I hope that any bank in TH would recognized a good business opportunity (and I think this is one) and not let jealousy get in the way. This will be good for the whole city.

borninfarrington_g

September 12th, 2007, 03:12 AM

So...I took a spin downtown right at dusk tonight. It has been cool and breezy today, so I shut off the ac and rolled down the windows. And then I smelled it...they have been digging up the back fill around the new hotel to pour the sidewalks. You can STILL smell the old Terre Haute House in it's dirt. I know that sounds gross--but it had a distinct smell inside. A little different from the smell of the Trib, and a lot different than the Bement-Rea. I miss the old hotel. I hope this one succeeds; or it was all for nothing.

borninfarrington_g

September 13th, 2007, 03:32 AM

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/images/DSC07711.jpg

terrehautehouse.net has an update today:

http://www.terrehautehousenet.homestead.com/dpusep12th07.htm

Hard to believe how fast that parking garage goes up!

cjfjapan

September 13th, 2007, 04:05 PM

I wish Dora would put a bright sign on that blank 7th/Wabash corner of the new hotel. Have you seen pictures of the old hotel and its corner sign? Im thinking of a vertical sign - it would add a lot of life to that corner...

borninfarrington_g

September 14th, 2007, 03:40 AM

I agree, a nice big sign would be great to set off that "blank piece of paper" look on the corner. I just went by on the way home from work. The lobby was all lit up with work lamps and you could see the two-sided hardwood fireplace hearth (that they all seem to have), the new chandelier, some of the moulding and the color scheme. Looks like the entire restaurant is still in cardboard boxes, however. The balcony railing in the lobby looked like some sort of victorian(?) paneling painted cream(?) with a glaze of antique stain(?)...kinda hard to see as I sat at the light. Guys were still in there working away at 9:30pm!

IndiexInxIndy

September 14th, 2007, 11:00 PM

So the same people are building that hotel in Terre Haute, are building the "suburban hotels" near The Luke in Indy? Psst, let's hope we get better craftsmenship! But yes... Terre Haute is looking rather nice these days! :cheers:

borninfarrington_g

September 15th, 2007, 12:35 PM

Is that what everyone is calling the Lucas Oil Stadium? Man, that looks awesome from I-70! I'm very excited for Indy and I think some of that good fortune will come our way from time to time.

cjfjapan

September 15th, 2007, 05:15 PM

Is that what everyone is calling the Lucas Oil Stadium? Man, that looks awesome from I-70! I'm very excited for Indy and I think some of that good fortune will come our way from time to time.

The Luke, LOS, Lucas Oil Stayjum. Over time, TH's setting will be a definite asset - it's on the airport/logistics end of Indy, but far enough away to keep out of Indy's sprawl. Like Bloomington, Terre Haute is surrounded by beautiful country - take a look at Google Earth and look at all the green to the north and east - If Terre Haute positions itself right, and continues to build on its geographic strengths, it could be a natural setting for a larger, more prosperous city.

borninfarrington_g

September 16th, 2007, 07:51 PM

I don't normally care too much for her liberal bias, but today I believe Ms. Salter really hits the nail on the head and then turns the hammer on Dr. S!

Published: September 15, 2007 11:06 pm

STEPHANIE SALTER: Beautifying Wabash Avenue one ‘Downtown Work In Progress’ at a time

By Stephanie Salter
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — I have a modest proposal: An aesthetics code for Wabash Avenue from Third Street to the railroad tracks at 10th.

Code requirement No.1: No plywood allowed on anything but an active construction site.

Code requirement 2: No grubby, neglected store fronts.

If a building is empty, whether its owner is trying to rent it or is content (for some reason) to leave it vacant and pay the property taxes, the facade must be kept clean and in excellent repair.

“Excellent” means that plate glass windows must be washed regularly and replaced if they are broken or seriously cracked. It means that display areas visible to the public must be free of debris or items that belong in a yard sale rather than a store front on the city’s main downtown street.

Better yet, it means drapes, panels or screens — not paper or plastic that is months or years old — covering windows and sparing folks the sight of empty spaces that virtually scream, “Welcome to Loserville!”

Code requirement 3: If active work is going on, as it is in the upper levels of Pawn It at 622 Wabash and behind the blueprint-covered windows of 675 Wabash (future home of Book Nation), a good-sized, attractive sign identifying the premises as a DWIP — Downtown Work In Progress — must be posted.

“Attractive” means professionally done, colorful, easy to understand and instantly recognizable.

Maybe the Chamber of Commerce or the remarkable Downtown Terre Haute Inc. can handle the creation of an aesthetics code with a cheerful decree. Likely, though, it will take an act with some legal oomph in it. Whether it’s Redevelopment, Planning, the mayor, City Council or all of the above, somebody, please, do it.

All along Wabash and on adjacent blocks, business owners and residents who call downtown “home” are busting their butts to bring life and art and commerce back to this historically important neighborhood. New restaurants — chain and local independents — are committing themselves to the revitalization effort.

Colorful banners hang from light standards, advertising the Arts Corridor, welcoming students from Terre Haute’s three universities and reminding passers-by of celebrations and parades. Last weekend it was Blues at the Crossroads, this weekend it’s Oktoberfest, next weekend it will be the city Street Fair and the week after, the Altrusa Chili Cook-off.

The Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House is only a few weeks from checking in guests who will pay anywhere from $104 to $174 per night to stand at the windows of their rooms and peer out over “The Crossroads of America” at Seventh Street and Wabash. What is the message their view will convey? A mixed, confusing one or a message that reassures, “This city has a grip on its future”?

As disheveled as the old Tribune Building is, an unmissable sign says that something good is coming. If our visitors leave their hotel a