Gatke Development Eyed; Meetings Set For Airport Annexation
November 7, 2017 at 6:47 p.m.
For the next half year, Michael Kinder & Sons Inc. (MKS) will be looking at the potential development of the Gatke property.
During the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission meeting Monday, the board approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the commission and MKS. The paperwork gives MKS the exclusive right of first refusal for acquisition of the Gatke property for six months.
It commits the commission to sponsor applications for, and to provide local match funding toward, mutually agreed upon grants for site clearance, demolition or related activities. The commission also pledges to enter into a development agreement with MKS or its assigns for redevelopment of the Gatke property upon satisfactory completion of “due diligence,” according to a copy of the MOU.
The Gatke property is between Durbin Street and Winona Avenue and west of Argonne Road.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner told the commission, “We’ve been in conversation with (Economic Developer) Alan Tio, representing Michael Kinder & Sons, as well as some parties interested in doing something with the Gatke property, doing a project on the Gatke property. This has kind of been coordinated through our contract with HWC (Engineering) as they’ve tried to partner some people together to do a project there.”
He said MKS was asking for a six-month period where they could start spending some time and potentially money on developing a project without someone coming in and taking the property out from under their feet.
As for the commission helping sponsor some applications for grant money for the project, Skinner said they’d do that anyway.
Tio said the company was looking for projects “like this one where we can help put a team together” and get projects on the sidelines moving forward. MKS finds both viable users, right financing and incentive tools and looks at how everyone can work together on projects.
Some of its local work has been for Indiana Tech, Grace College and the School of Pharmacy at Manchester University, “all real high-level work,” Tio said.
He said the six months would give MKS time to see if they have a viable project for the Gatke property.
In another matter, Skinner announced the six public meetings dates for the airport industrial park annexation.
The annexation area in general is between the airport and U.S. 30. It includes the entire industrial park, and is about 400 acres from CR 200N to 250N, but may change during the public hearing process. The purpose is to provide sanitary sewer service to industries in the park.
The meetings will be in the Warsaw City Hall, 102 S. Buffalo St., at 5 p.m. Dec. 4; 10 a.m. Dec. 7; 5 p.m. Dec. 11; 11 a.m. Dec. 13; 5 p.m. Dec. 18; and 10 a.m. Dec. 19.
The meetings will have an open format, and city representatives will be available to discuss the annexation plans for approximately an hour.
After the meetings, Skinner said it will be “settled” what is and what’s not part of the annexation. The ordinance will then be presented to the city council, followed by a remonstration period, with the annexation presumably taking effect sometime in late 2018.
The sanitary sewer then will be expanded to the area.
Seventy-seven properties are part of the proposed annexation.
The commission also approved claims, including: $220,738.94 to G & G?Hauling & Excavating for CR 300N trail work; $10,057.78 to H.J. Umbaugh & Associates for professional services for the Eastern Northern Tax Increment Finance District regarding the fiscal and financial plans for the airport industrial annexation; $1,577.50 and $866.25 to Troyer Group for ongoing professional services for the CR 300N trail project; $392 to HWC Engineering for professional services to oversee project development for the Gatke property and a potential downtown project; $82,215.75 and $121,402.92 to Wessler Engineering for engineering services for the wastewater treatment plant expansion project; $614.50 to Barnes & Thornburg LLP for legal services for the airport industrial park annexation; $98,562.50 to Regions Bank for the city hall bond payment; and $38,139 to Graycraft Signs Plus for the design documents and drawing fees for the Warsaw Technology Park signs and site plan.
As for the Warsaw Technology Park signs, Skinner said he hoped to have them bid out and the board accept the lowest bidder by the Dec. 4 commission meeting.
“My goal is to get these signs under contract with this year’s money because we had set aside money to do road project and/or signs, so I want to try to use that money from this year for the Tech Park,” he said.
Skinner projected the actual cost for the signs will be a “tad more” than the cost of the design documents and drawing fees. He said there will be three different types of signs – two monument signs at the entrance of Polk Drive and a smaller monument sign that will sit off CR 300N.
The commission later approved for Skinner to seek bids for the signs.
The Warsaw Technology Park is a development on U.S. 30 and Silveus Crossing for the attraction and growth of high-technology business.
For the next half year, Michael Kinder & Sons Inc. (MKS) will be looking at the potential development of the Gatke property.
During the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission meeting Monday, the board approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the commission and MKS. The paperwork gives MKS the exclusive right of first refusal for acquisition of the Gatke property for six months.
It commits the commission to sponsor applications for, and to provide local match funding toward, mutually agreed upon grants for site clearance, demolition or related activities. The commission also pledges to enter into a development agreement with MKS or its assigns for redevelopment of the Gatke property upon satisfactory completion of “due diligence,” according to a copy of the MOU.
The Gatke property is between Durbin Street and Winona Avenue and west of Argonne Road.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner told the commission, “We’ve been in conversation with (Economic Developer) Alan Tio, representing Michael Kinder & Sons, as well as some parties interested in doing something with the Gatke property, doing a project on the Gatke property. This has kind of been coordinated through our contract with HWC (Engineering) as they’ve tried to partner some people together to do a project there.”
He said MKS was asking for a six-month period where they could start spending some time and potentially money on developing a project without someone coming in and taking the property out from under their feet.
As for the commission helping sponsor some applications for grant money for the project, Skinner said they’d do that anyway.
Tio said the company was looking for projects “like this one where we can help put a team together” and get projects on the sidelines moving forward. MKS finds both viable users, right financing and incentive tools and looks at how everyone can work together on projects.
Some of its local work has been for Indiana Tech, Grace College and the School of Pharmacy at Manchester University, “all real high-level work,” Tio said.
He said the six months would give MKS time to see if they have a viable project for the Gatke property.
In another matter, Skinner announced the six public meetings dates for the airport industrial park annexation.
The annexation area in general is between the airport and U.S. 30. It includes the entire industrial park, and is about 400 acres from CR 200N to 250N, but may change during the public hearing process. The purpose is to provide sanitary sewer service to industries in the park.
The meetings will be in the Warsaw City Hall, 102 S. Buffalo St., at 5 p.m. Dec. 4; 10 a.m. Dec. 7; 5 p.m. Dec. 11; 11 a.m. Dec. 13; 5 p.m. Dec. 18; and 10 a.m. Dec. 19.
The meetings will have an open format, and city representatives will be available to discuss the annexation plans for approximately an hour.
After the meetings, Skinner said it will be “settled” what is and what’s not part of the annexation. The ordinance will then be presented to the city council, followed by a remonstration period, with the annexation presumably taking effect sometime in late 2018.
The sanitary sewer then will be expanded to the area.
Seventy-seven properties are part of the proposed annexation.
The commission also approved claims, including: $220,738.94 to G & G?Hauling & Excavating for CR 300N trail work; $10,057.78 to H.J. Umbaugh & Associates for professional services for the Eastern Northern Tax Increment Finance District regarding the fiscal and financial plans for the airport industrial annexation; $1,577.50 and $866.25 to Troyer Group for ongoing professional services for the CR 300N trail project; $392 to HWC Engineering for professional services to oversee project development for the Gatke property and a potential downtown project; $82,215.75 and $121,402.92 to Wessler Engineering for engineering services for the wastewater treatment plant expansion project; $614.50 to Barnes & Thornburg LLP for legal services for the airport industrial park annexation; $98,562.50 to Regions Bank for the city hall bond payment; and $38,139 to Graycraft Signs Plus for the design documents and drawing fees for the Warsaw Technology Park signs and site plan.
As for the Warsaw Technology Park signs, Skinner said he hoped to have them bid out and the board accept the lowest bidder by the Dec. 4 commission meeting.
“My goal is to get these signs under contract with this year’s money because we had set aside money to do road project and/or signs, so I want to try to use that money from this year for the Tech Park,” he said.
Skinner projected the actual cost for the signs will be a “tad more” than the cost of the design documents and drawing fees. He said there will be three different types of signs – two monument signs at the entrance of Polk Drive and a smaller monument sign that will sit off CR 300N.
The commission later approved for Skinner to seek bids for the signs.
The Warsaw Technology Park is a development on U.S. 30 and Silveus Crossing for the attraction and growth of high-technology business.