GREENFIELD — A strip-mall storefront on North State Street could be renovated to attract higher education tenants, but much like last year’s proposal from Hancock Community Education Alliance, the potential relies on public funding commitment. 

    Bob Molnar, director of the alliance, made a presentation to the Greenfield City Council Wednesday. Floor plans showed a 9,300-square-foot facility at 1107 N. State St. that could be remodeled into classrooms and labs for Ivy Tech Community College and other institutions. 

    “We’re just excited about what we could provide for our citizens here in Hancock County,” Molnar said. 

    Last year, the alliance proposed a multimillion-dollar facility in Progress Park off of Interstate 70 and Ind. 9 for higher-education institutions like Purdue University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Vincennes University and Ball State University to hold classes. With a commitment of public funds from the city council but not the Hancock County Council, the plans were put on hold and stakeholders went back to the drawing board. The city’s stake last year was $65,000. 

    The new, scaled-back plan is now before the council and will be presented to the county council next month. 

    The new plan calls for space in a Northgate strip mall to be renovated. The space is leased by Greenwalt Corp. from building owner Peacock Properties. CEO Lynn Greenwalt is the alliance’s board chairman and has agreed to move his offices to a different location to make room for the proposed project. 

    “People really misunderstood the structure we had last year,” said Greenwalt. “We had a really good program put together, but timing was wrong for a lot of reasons. This is pared way back.” 

    The proposed space now includes offices and empty cubicles, but it would be remodeled into four to five classrooms, a computer lab and a wet lab, along with a corridor with tables and chairs that could serve as a lounge area. 

    Total build-out cost is about $403,501, including construction, furnishings and technology. Molnar said he is presenting the information to the city and county councils to see whether they would be interested in joining in a partnership to make the plan a reality. 

    “We’d like to start classes by Aug. 15; whether that’s doable or not, I don’t know,” Molnar said. 

    Ivy Tech Community College currently serves around 200 students at Greenfield-Central High School in the evenings. The high school has a lease agreement with the college. 

    Ivy Tech has shown interest, however, in locating in the new space. Jeff Terp, vice president for engagement with Ivy Tech, said classes would be offered there and the school’s student population could grow from 200 students to 2,000. 

    Molnar said what type of classes or associate’s degrees to be offered by Ivy Tech hasn’t been determined yet. 

    Other interest has come from Vincennes University, which could hold dental assistant and phlebotomy technician programs at training sites away from the facility but still in Hancock County. Purdue University could partner with Covance to offer veterinary technician courses at local veterinary offices. 

    Molnar said part of the alliance’s mission is not only to offer classes for students to transfer elsewhere, but to also offer training at the request of local businesses to further their employees’ education. Keihin North America has shown interest in the idea, for example, in using the facility or its resources for training for its employees, Molnar said. 

    Overall, offering higher education to Hancock County could boost economic development, Greenwalt and Molnar said. 

    “I know (Greenfield) is losing out; there’s no question we’re missing out,” Greenwalt said of development opportunities because of the lack of higher education opportunities. 

    A couple of members of the city council showed interest in exploring the idea further. Greg Carwein said the plan shows the board’s perseverance and that it has “the community at heart.” 

    Molnar suggested the city and county councils appoint members to a committee to consider public tax support for the project. 

    Molnar said many communities that have Ivy Tech campuses have had some type of public support to bring the facilities there. He added that the alliance would seek public and business support for the ongoing operation costs of the facility. 

    Molnar expects the programs at the site to outgrow the space. Ultimately, last year’s proposed plan for Universities at Progress Park could still become a reality. 

    “Our focus is to get this up and get this running, and if we have a capacity problem in a few years, so be it; that’s a good problem to have,” Molnar said. “It’s still a concept, but that’s not our focus right now. Our focus is getting this off of the ground because we need someplace we can bring students, attract students.”
© 2025 Daily Reporter