10 March 2025 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes

 

10 March 2025 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes

Present: Jim Deaton, Chairman, Dennis Kraus,Jr., Tom Tepe, Trevor Bischoff, Jordan Hoffman.

 ABSENT: Jim Mansfield and Daryl Cutter (non- voting school board member)

Also present: Sue Hayden, county administrator and minute taker, Anthony Smart, attorney, Connie Fromhold, Auditor and DCRC treasurer. 

Also present: Jeff Lyness, Maxwell Construction, Ryan Kopp from Turkey Processing Co., Kendall Eberhardt from Bright Fire, Glenn Wright, Council, and Uncle Sam (filming) 

Title VI statement read as legally required.

EXECUTIVE SESSION @ 4:30 p.m. preceded this meeting

IC §5-14-1.5-6.1(b) (2) (D) which pertains to discussing strategy with the respect to the purchase or lease of real property by the governing body up to the time a contract or option to purchase or lease is executed by the parties;

IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b) (4) (A) to discuss interviews and negotiations with industrial or commercial prospects or agents of industrial or commercial prospects by the Indiana economic development corporation, the office of tourism development, the Indiana finance authority, an economic development commission, a local economic development organization (as defined in IC 5-28-11-2(3)), or a governing body of a political subdivision. 

 Memorandum for Executive Session- Board certified that they only discussed what was advertised in executive session.

Action from Executive Session- NO ACTION from Executive session.

Housekeeping:

Approval of Minutes for February 11, 2025 Meeting- Approved

Claims: Bayer Becker $2,280.00 for Task #7 and DOT Permitting Fee.  Bayer Becker $532.50 for Task #4 (missed invoice from October 2024), Intera for Development Impacts Evaluation February billing $10,472.00 Baker Tilly $3550 for annual reports to Gateway and Baker Tilley $3,575 for assisting with Project Fresh.       TOTAL: $20,409.35 All Approved

FINANCIALS:– Review- Perleberg submitted a different version of the financials with more input on what funds were committed for other project etc. Deaton asked him to explain it. There is a cash flow analysis behind its in the packet produced by Baker Tilly last November per Perleberg.

OLD BUSINESS:

Meeting Decorum - Deaton presented- resolution patterned after the ones used by County Council- and it controls public access to the floor in public meetings. This is the same. This resolution put that into place. Jordan Hoffman asked if the agenda was also posted on they door and the county Facebook page. Per Sue Hayden- yes. Approved and signed the resolution.

Intera Report- Deaton said they contracted Intera to do a study on the impact on the environment for this new business coming into the county. ( The Kopp Turkey Processiong Facility)

Brett Moore and Brad Schrader- from Intera. This is regarding the Project Fresh- The turkey processing plant. 90,000 sq ft processing plant. Try Township Water is supplying water. Using the Whitewater River Aquifer system. If wells damaged or run dry etc- it would be the company’s responsibility. 

Brad Schrader- Wastewater- most of water for cooling. 180,000 gps. Not unusual. BOD- biological oxygen demand. 3-4 times the normal wastewater treatment demand from this plant. NPDES  permit thru IDEM will determine what level can discharge to river. This will have its own NPDES permit from IDEM. They have applied- but we do not know the limits yet. In their Ohio plant they do not exceed their permit limit. They think this will fit into the Indiana limits. There can be secondary filtration if limits need that to be done too. There is also a cooling system.  

Jordan Hoffman- Heard there are no commercial wells influenced by this. Moore- Harrison Sand and Gravel is up river from this. There were no well logs indicating an issue. 

Ryan Kopp said that all the processing is in the plant And all by products go thru the wastewater treatment plant. Other parts leave the site for a rendering facility. Bischoff asked if the cooling system gets contaminated- Answer was no. 

Kendall Everhardt- asked about Avian flu and if it can get thru the filtration etc. 

Ryan Kopp said the disinfection system ( UV light and peroxide) will take care of that. They fight it hard and get daily info from the state on that. They test before they bring the birds in etc. 

Deaton thanked them for the presentation.  

Bright Meadows Park Pledge - $100,000 is pledged and Tabled as they have no more info yet. 

READI Grant Information- Perleberg - Jody Blasdel is on READI directors. Getting $250,000 for the Moore Drive Grant. This will lower DCRC amount. They go thru a formal process with  IEDC. They also need to  go to other boards for this in the county.  

Revised EDA (Economic development Agreement between DCRC and Whitewater Processing ( Project Fresh)- was voted on-  Approved signed and notarized. 

Payment of Professional Fees - Deaton said the issue is where the money comes from. He wants to take different amounts depending.  

Bayer Becker Report - Mark Rosenberger- Some concern over some slides missing from the on ramp to 74 east. This letter is to try to  push this fix forward with INDOT. Signed it. 

Rosenberger is on his fifth person with trying to get the RR crossing approved. He wants a new task to engineer that next. 

Per Rosenberger, Nicole Daily - provided permits with Billboards. Trying to get to the trees that are blocking visibility. 

NEW BUSINESS:

Working Meeting- Deaton wants a working meeting for their next meeting on creation and management of TIFS and what’s happening and the income stream etc. This is because all of the new members on the board. Might do a little business too. Plan to have it at One Dearborn? Not in the county meeting room. 

2025 West Harrison Farming Lease Agreement with Tom Stone. This is 26 acres? They lease it to farmer to grow corn instead of mowing it. They get $2500 from the farmer for his lease. Tom Stone subleases and gives the $2500 to the DCRC. He could lease it for more than that and keep telling difference. Approved lease for this year. Will seek bids on the farm lease next year. ( DCRC owns the property, so why are they leasing thru Tom Stone still?)

NOT on agenda- Request from Bright Fire and EMS Dept. regarding their $25,160.08  request for 5 vehicles which was handed to the board tonight.- State is upgrade and rebranding radios. Things are going to encryption. This affects all these depts. We do not have this budgeted to cover. Could we get some that trickle down from TIF’s to benefit the dept. (Harrison Fire also covers this TIF area paid from county for that annually.) Approved out of FUND 4305.

ONE DEARBORN REPORT: Perleberg- said the board could think about different ways he could feed them info with less paper.

Chris Drake Landscaping ok for mowing- will have them same rate.

Dearborn County Comprehensive Plan is being updated- DCRC should participate in this. This is a workshop style meeting here and in the lobby area. 

Last year Bright TIF RFP was approved- sitting on this for now with the Update to Master Plan. 

One renter has not paid on the one billboard. Still no answer from the invoice sent in November. Maybe someone reach to Dave Deddens- renter is Wingate. Kraus and /or Tepe will contact. 

Cushman Wakefield - meeting again. Door is open to the board if they want to join the meeting. Just let him know

ATTORNEY’S REPORT- no update

OTHER BUSINESS- none

ADJOURNMENT - 6:14 PM.

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township