A push to put a community college in Henry County's industrial park has been halted, at least for now.
Ivy Tech Community College had picked the former Delphi building on East Road 300S as its top choice for a new location. County officials now say that's no longer an option.
County Commissioner Kim Cronk was told a proposal was already made to buy the building and bring in a business whose identity has not been made public. Unless the sale falls through, Ivy Tech will have to pick another location.
About five other locations are on the table, including the former Staples buidling on Memorial Drive and a facility in Northfield Park. The county could also build a new facility in the industrial park or at the Interstate 70 and Ind. 3 interchange.
Jeana Davis, New Castle director of public works, wants Ivy Tech to reconsider moving downtown in light of the new development.
But where the new campus goes is up to Ivy Tech, Cronk said.
"We're starting over again," he said. "But it will be a win-win. We're not giving up on Ivy Tech. They're welcome in our community, and we'll do everything we can do to get them here."
Ivy Tech has had classes in New Castle for at least 30 years and currently operates out of the Danielson Learning Center. But as demand for classes has grown and more students have enrolled, Ivy Tech has outgrown its classroom space.
The hope is that Ivy Tech could triple its enrollment and expand its program offerings if it had its own building.
The college began looking at the former Delphi building this summer, when the County Commissioners presented a plan to use $1.2 million in food and beverage tax dollars to purchase and renovate the facility.
The 91,039-square-foot building had an office space and manufacturing area that could've been remodeled to house more Ivy Tech programs.
Ivy Tech had told Cronk, who is the county's primary contact with the college, that it wanted the building. They liked the newer facility and said they preferred it over the older buildings in the downtown.
But in recent weeks, the building's Cassidy-Turley realtor has informed the county that it's not available.
On Friday, Jack Pence, Cassidy-Turley senior vice president for industrial, said the building has not been officially sold, but it's not available. The building's status will not be final for about 30 days.
Pence would not comment on who had purchased the building.
Cronk is disappointed that the facility won't work for Ivy Tech but is glad to hear that a business could be moving in.
The next step is a meeting with Ivy Tech and a committee of Cronk, two County Council members, Davis and Bob Grewe, president and CEO of New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corp.
Cronk's plan is still to give Ivy Tech multiple choices that fit in the county's budget and let the college make the final decision.
Grewe agrees that the committee should let Ivy Tech decide where it wants to go since it would help the community create a better-trained workforce. The county needs to do everything it can to make sure the college is here and is happy, he said.
As of this week, Cronk does not expect to list a downtown building as one of the options unless he hears that the college is interested.
Ivy Tech had considered the Castle Place building in downtown New Castle but turned down the city's offer in June. At that time, Jeffrey Terp, the college's vice president for engagement, said Ivy Tech couldn't afford to pay the annual lease amount that the city wanted.
Now, Ivy Tech has told Cronk it won't consider the downtown because the buildings are too old. School officials want a newer building that would have fewer maintenance issues, he said.
Davis has not spoken with Ivy Tech since she learned the Delphi building isn't an option but hopes the college will reconsider its decision. Having a college downtown would be a major step in the city's revitalization efforts, she said. She also believes there's ample parking for students and plenty of nearby buildings in case the college wants to expand.
One thing that might change school officials' minds is if the community supported a downtown project, Davis said.
"The message would somehow need to be very clear that the majority of our community would like to see Ivy Tech downtown," she said.
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