By Katie Rogers, Truth Staff
ELKHART -- A $16 million allocation marks the halfway point to a new Ivy Tech campus in Elkhart, but working to secure the money might make the second half much tougher.
"The $16 million is a big deal," said State Sen. Marv Riegsecker, R-Goshen, whose work helped secure the money in the state's biennial budget. "But it's not the whole deal. Just because the Legislature allocates all of this money doesn't mean it's going to be spent that way."
Along with Riegsecker, Elkhart County Commissioner Mike Yoder was among community leaders who initially met with Ivy Tech officials to discuss ways Elkhart residents could strengthen the case for a new campus.
"Different people in the county are getting together ... to see if we can get a new building here," Yoder said. "We're in the early stages of planning all of that."
Since most of the allotted $16 million will be used for design and infrastructure, said Tracie Davis, executive director of marketing and communications for Ivy Tech's North-Central region, community involvement is key.
"There's a better chance of the commission, state budget committee and the governor approving the project if we have community support in the form of donations," said Davis, listing the steps the proposal must take before the allocated money can be accessed.
From a community standpoint, Yoder said, formulating an effective plan to raise funds for the proposed $42.3 million building -- and locating 70 acres for it to sit on -- will be crucial to bolstering the final proposal. But even then, nothing is guaranteed.
"Lots of competition for not enough dollars," he said.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education weighs Ivy Tech's Elkhart proposal later this year against others submitted by publicly funded institutions across the state. If the proposal is approved by the commission, it will be submitted to the state budget committee -- "the final authority," Riegsecker said -- for assessment.
The proposal ultimately needs approval from the governor, and that's when the $16 million would be accessed. Until then, nothing's certain.
Riegsecker said the organization of a capital campaign is still in the early stages, but he's hoping local economic leaders who would benefit from Ivy Tech graduates will consider financially supporting the proposal.
"We hope that those out in the manufacturing community will see the value of this as an investment rather than a donation," he said.
Until a capital campaign targeting potential donors is formally organized in Elkhart, securing land is a main concern. Those involved say it's too early to pinpoint an exact location, but one site in particular has received attention.
Located at C.R. 17 and C.R. 18, "Greenfield College Site," marketed by FM Stone Commercial Properties, is a 112-acre parcel split into six sections, the largest of which is 70 acres. The size of the property, and its location adjacent to the U.S. 20 Bypass, fits Ivy Tech's initial proposal specifications, but whether it's a front-runner for purchase or donation remains a matter of speculation.
"There has been talk about doing something out there for a long time, both with community development and the school," said County Attorney R. Gordon Lord.
But Lord said the process for Ivy Tech "would be in its infancy -- people don't get a lawyer involved until they know what they want them to do."
Though he said nothing is final, County Administrator Tom Byers said the process of examining the Greenfield site has involved development of plans "in relationship to who is doing what with the county and sewers, donating land and the City of Elkhart in terms of where the site would be."
Riegsecker confirmed that utilities could be configured to reach the site, also confirming that a commitment to donate an unspecified percentage of the land had been made on behalf of the site's owner. He did add, however, that it's too early to say whether a formal deal will take place.
An examination of public records determined the site owner to be Thomas Corson.
Asked about the Greenfield property, County Council President John Letherman, the property's broker, said, "We can't say anything publicly until commitments are made from a dozen different entities" and indicated that any movement toward securing the site would not be made public until formal action is taken.
Reluctance to be more open about possible land sites may lead back to Yoder's "lots of competition for not enough dollars" theory.
"Politics play into this a great deal," Yoder said, suggesting that even if enough money and land is donated, the Elkhart Ivy Tech proposal might still be denied in favor of more politically aligned regions. "(A new campus) should absolutely be a no-brainer -- we want this so badly we're trying not to mess it up."
Riegsecker doesn't believe regional politics play into the development of Ivy Tech, but feels it's a precarious process.
By his calculations, Elkhart's case for an Ivy Tech is stronger than ever.
"I've worked for this for years," Riegsecker added. "I really feel that this is as close as it's come yet."