A key component of revitalization is turning the old into the new.
But first, one must own the old.
The city of Anderson has undertaken the process of using eminent domain to obtain ownership of the former Delco Remy Plant 18 on Scatterfield Road.
The property, purchased by Hy-tech Machining Systems in 2008, is on the Oct. 20 Madison County tax sale list, with $72,963 in taxes owed. The company also owes $8,131 in utility bills to the city.
The city has been negotiating with Hy-Tech to transfer ownership, but has failed to reach an agreement. Thus the eminent domain proceedings.
Should that process be successful and Hy-Tech not act in the 30 days it has to appeal, the city will demolish the building and the land will become the site of the Purdue College of Technology and Flagship Makers Space facility.
Announced earlier this year, the Purdue College of Technology will provide space for 500 students and hundreds of entrepreneurs. The Makers Space will be its centerpiece, a place where inventors can produce and test prototypes. The space will also include specialized learning labs and incubator spaces as well as light industrial space.
Invention by way of reinvention.
Which is exactly how Anderson officials must continue to think as the city looks to reinvent itself.
There are dozens of other properties in this city – former plant sites, abandoned homes and businesses – that could be reinvented to serve a new purpose. And not just for business, but for community needs and services.
Imagine the abandoned home next door as a neighborhood “clubhouse,” a place to host CrimeWatch meetings and fundraisers. Imagine the empty storefront as a bodega to serve residents moving into the growing number of apartments in the downtown area. Imagine the former factory as a soundstage for independent films.
Opportunities for reinvention, making the old into the new, are out there. The city and its residents just need to be open-minded enough to embrace them.