Friday, February 27, 2015 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com 75 cents Dunkirk project denied credit By RAY COONEY ration, said those options and private investment to The Commercial Review include leftover IHCDA funds as address the rehabilitation and DUNKIRK — A proposed sen - well as the Stellar Communities adaptive reuse of existing struc - ior housing project is still in grant program through the Indi - tures, support larger communi - search of a funding source. City, developer to continue ana Office of Community and ty development initiatives and Buckeye Community Hope Rural Affairs. further efforts towards stabiliz - Foundation, which is working seeking funding sources for Ellspermann on Thursday ing neighborhoods,” said with the City of Dunkirk on the announced more than $12.5 mil - Ellspermann, who chairs the project, was denied its request senior housing complex lion in tax credits and another $5 IHCDA board, in a press release. for more than $900,000 in Indi - million in additional IHCDA “Affordable housing options are ana Housing and Community funding for 16 projects. The a vital component to promoting Development Authority tax cred - largest awards went to Flagstone Hoosier self-sufficiency and its Thursday when Lt. Gov. Sue “It’s disappointing. It’s anoth - break. It just hasn’t happened Village in Lake County and revitalizing our communities.” Ellspermann announced awards er setback,” Dunkirk Mayor Dan yet.” Jasper Lofts in Dubois County, Buckeye, a Columbus, Ohio, Thursday. The credits would Watson said this morning. “We Watson said he plans to con - each at about $1.2 million. Music company, was one of 36 appli - have been part of about $3.4 mil - just keep trying and keep plug - tinue working with Buckeye to City Place in Richmond received cants denied funding in this lion Buckeye is seeking for con - ging along. Hopefully one of find a funding source for the $790,000 in tax credits and anoth - round of grants. It had request - struction of a $4.3 million senior these days, something will come project. Ami Huffman, director er half million in additional ed $501,360 in tax credits and housing facility — Crown Cross - through. It’s just frustrating. of community development for funding. $400,000 in additional funding. ing — in downtown Dunkirk. “We just need to get that Jay County Development Corpo - “These projects utilize public See Denied page 2 City, Committee INDOT selects scale combine Central Indiana Building Trades in advocating for projects the AFL-CIO scale, while ABC representative Ken By DEVIN ZIMMERMAN Portland Neumeister recommended The Commercial Review his organization’s num - Members of the Port - Water Park bers. Kelly Watson Jr. of land Board of Works Laborers’ International approved a plan Thursday project Union of North American they are hoping will save was the lone member of the the city $200,000 on the will use public to speak and favored Indiana 26 East (Water the AFL-CIO scale. Street) project. The board AFL-CIO “I’ve done my homework also hired a new police offi - wages and I just don’t see that it’s cer. going to make that much The biggest change to difference when you’re the estimated $4.6 million talking about a $3 million project includes combin - project,” said Geesaman. ing bids for road work, By RAY COONEY The Commercial Review “I’d rather have people who which is being paid for by have been through an Indiana Department of The AFL-CIO common construction wage scale apprentice program and Transportation, and utili - are skilled people for it.” ties and sidewalks, which will be used for the Port - land Water Park project. The projected $3.3 mil - are mostly being paid for lion water park, which will by the City of Portland. The Common Construc - tion Wage Committee voted include a lap pool, slide, lily According to Mark Jesse 3-2 in favor of the American pad walk, dump bucket and of GAI Consultants, the Federation of Labor and zero entry, is being partial - single bid will consolidate Congress of Industrial ly funded (68.4 percent up to costs, including those for Organizations wage scale $2.25 million) by the City of movement of personnel after rejecting a motion to Portland. The rest of the and equipment. use the Associated Builders money is coming from local Jesse added that INDOT and Contractors scale by fundraising efforts. will be paying for the the same margin. The scale, County commissioner asphalt and pavement which is required for all Doug Inman, who along repair associated with the projects more than $350,000 with Neumeister voted in trenches, waterlines and sets minimum wages for favor of the ABC scale and sewers. those working on the proj - against the AFL-CIO num - Combined, the changes ect. bers, said his main concern dropped the total estimat - Portland Mayor Randy was controlling costs. ed local costs of the project Geesaman, taxpayer repre - “I think that the wages from $1.86 million to $1.63 sentative Dru Hall and presented by the ABC were million, a savings of AFL-CIO representative very fair and having knowl - $228,700 for the city. Kevin Cope voted in favor edge of the fundraising “It’s a complicated proj - of the AFL-CIO scale, that’s going on locally, ect, especially on the sewer which set higher wages every dollar is very pre - side,” said Jesse. “There’s than those proposed by the cious to this project. I think going to be one big hole the adoption of the AFL- The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney ABC. down the road between all For example, the AFL- CIO rates are just going to this. The sewer on the city CIO hourly wage and fringe cause the price of the over - side, all the storm sewer on benefits come in at $34.81 all project to go up.” the INDOT side and the 7UP, 5 below for laborers and builders Portland Park Board water main too so we’ve Justus Bennett, Columbia City, a 7Up delivery driver out of and $35.45 for truck drivers. plans to open bids for the got a lot of activity going Fort Wayne, stacks cases of pop about 8 a.m. this morning at Pak-A- The same workers would project in March. Construc - down.” Sak, 1300 N. Meridian St., Portland. The temperature when he was have been paid $18.35 and tion is slated to begin in Activity that is warrant - making his delivery was minus 5. $20.78 respectively per hour April or May, with the proj - ed, said Mayor Randy under the ABC scale. ect to be completed by the Geesaman. Cope represented East end of 2015. “We have 75 to 100-year- old sewer lines and there’s no sense in putting in new roads over 75 to 100-year- Germany approves bailout extension old water and sewer lines,” he said. By GEIR MOULSON this program,” Finance Minister the eurozone is on the right Chancellor Angela Merkel’s con - Bids for the project will Associated Press Wolfgang Schaeuble assured track. “We must stick to this servative bloc has consistently be opened Wednesday. Con - BERLIN — Germany’s Parlia - Parliament ahead of the vote. course and we must say to our refused to support bailouts for struction is slated to begin ment overwhelmingly approved “It’s about providing additional colleagues in Greece that, with European strugglers. Today 29 in late April, and a comple - the four-month extension of time to complete this program all respect for voters’ decision in of the 311 conservative lawmak - tion date is set for Novem - Greece’s financial bailout today, successfully.” Greece, Greece alone cannot ers voted against, a few more ber. despite unease over the new gov - Comments by Greek officials decide in Europe what the right than expected, three abstained The project includes con - ernment in Athens. casting doubt on privatization path is.” and another 17 didn’t vote. struction of a new road Lawmakers voted 542-32 to deals and raising the possibility Left-wing Prime Minister Still, Merkel’s current coali - from Meridian Street (U.S. back the bailout extension. of further debt relief had irked Alexis Tsipras, who led the win - tion with the center-left Social 27) to the eastern city lim - There were 13 abstentions. some in Germany in the run-up ning party in Jan. 25 elections, Democrats holds four-fifths of its. There will also be new Greece was granted the exten - to the vote. promised to scrap bailout agree - the parliamentary seats and, sewer and water lines, side - sion by its European creditors, Schaeuble said that “we Ger - ments and supervision, and with opposition support as well, walks and LED lighting. ensuring it remains solvent and mans should do everything to demand a massive write-down of approval for the bailout exten - Other improvements does not run the risk of falling keep Europe together and bring Greece’s 240 billion-euro ($272 sion always looked assured. coming with the project out of the euro, but only in it together, as far as we can.” billion) bailout debt. “If you’re not traveling in the include the widening of exchange for a commitment to Germany, a key creditor However, his government has right direction, there’s no point Wayne Street in front of budget reforms. Germany is nation, has been among the backed off key demands and in always speeding up — you just East Jay Middle School among the countries that needed strongest advocates of unpopu - secured a bailout extension by get further from your destina - and a widening to the to approve the deal in its nation - lar spending cuts and insists aid pledging a series of policy meas - tion,” said Klaus-Peter Willsch, a entrance to Morton Street al parliament.