132 replies to this topic

[deerhunter]

Does anyone know whats going on in Utica? I keep hearing about it everywhere I go.  Rumor is the township trustee signed it over to a group and they are gutting the inside and making it an apartment.  Its suppose to be in the News/Tribune. The Town Board just sitting by and not doing anything about it.

[Indiana82]

A Christian group is in the process of making it a transition home for women and kids.  The property was in decay and they saved it.  Nobody seemed to care until they moved in.

[Quasar]

From the News and Tribune...

UTICA — Renovations at the former Utica Elementary School will continue for now, but for how long remains uncertain.
Town officials last week failed to grant a request from residents to impose a stop-work order on renovations being done at the site by the group Jacob’s Well. Instead, the town’s planning and zoning board tabled the request with the hope that a judge’s ruling in a pending lawsuit regarding the property will make it unnecessary for the board to have to take its own action in regards to the project that aims to rehab the facility into the House of Hope — a transitional housing facility for single mothers and their children.

http://newsandtribun...or-Jacob-s-Well

[Tina]

I'll admit it sounds like a legal mess and that the town residents are more than likely on the legal side of the argument.  First of all, if GCCS still owns it, but is leasing it to something other than for simple educational purposes - that just doesn't seem correct.  Sell the building like they did GRC.  

If they are indeed still paying taxes on the school I wouldn't be happy about it being leased by the school corporation either.  My fiscally conservative position is - GCCS should offer the building for sale at auction.  If the residents of Utica want the school so bad, fork over the dough to keep it.

I agree that the townspeople's fuss does seem a bit NIMBY style.

[TLIES]

Quote

a transitional housing facility for single mothers and their children.
  

I assume it is a good deed and all, but .... IMO if I were a single mother trying to transition back to work and life. Utica is not where I would want to be.
Emergency shelter , maybe?

[Mary]

 Tina, on 23 January 2013 - 06:41 PM, said:

I'll admit it sounds like a legal mess and that the town residents are more than likely on the legal side of the argument.  First of all, if GCCS still owns it, but is leasing it to something other than for simple educational purposes - that just doesn't seem correct.  Sell the building like they did GRC.  

If they are indeed still paying taxes on the school I wouldn't be happy about it being leased by the school corporation either.  My fiscally conservative position is - GCCS should offer the building for sale at auction.  If the residents of Utica want the school so bad, fork over the dough to keep it.

I agree that the townspeople's fuss does seem a bit NIMBY style.

If I remember correctly-not saying my memory is so good-didn't GCCS GIVE the old school to the town? I remember the town tried to do several things with the building, but all fell through. My children attended the old Utica School and I hate to see the decay of the building. I think the transitional housing is a wonderful idea, I think it would benefit Utica and not hurt Utica.  The only concern I have is that unless those mothers have vehicles, that location is just not a great choice as there are no stores close by and no other resources close by.

[Indiana82]

The organization is going to provide transportation.

[Tina]

 MaryH, on 24 January 2013 - 01:24 PM, said:

If I remember correctly-not saying my memory is so good-didn't GCCS GIVE the old school to the town? I remember the town tried to do several things with the building, but all fell through. My children attended the old Utica School and I hate to see the decay of the building. I think the transitional housing is a wonderful idea, I think it would benefit Utica and not hurt Utica.  The only concern I have is that unless those mothers have vehicles, that location is just not a great choice as there are no stores close by and no other resources close by.

Maybe, but I wonder why they didn't just "give" the Corden Porter (no idea if that is spelled right) building to Jeffersonville? ;)

[Oldgoat]

 Indiana82, on 23 January 2013 - 06:19 PM, said:

A Christian group is in the process of making it a transition home for women and kids.  The property was in decay and they saved it.  Nobody seemed to care until they moved in.

Let me clarify this a little bit. The old Utica School was built by Utica Township 100 years before GCCS existed and was independent until the late '60s or early '70s.  Many schools throughout the county were merged into GCCS at that time and the then Utica Twp Trustee, Bill Morrison, signed the school over to GCCS.  Jump forward 30 some odd years and the new school gets built.  GCCS, for reasons known only to them, returned the school to Utica and Utica Twp WITH RESTRICTIONS stating that it could ONLY be used as a community building or for recreation.  In addition, GCCS stripped out the boilers leaving the building with no heat.  These actions made the building a financial drain on the town and township but with donations and help from the community, heat was restored and many repairs made.  Now, the Trustee and Jacob's Ladder, (the group using the building) are asking that the restrictions be removed FOR THEIR USE.  This is after the fact that they are already likely in violation of those restrictions for what they have already done.  The entire thing was done on the QT hoping no one would notice.  If GCCS had removed the restrictions for the town / township the building could have been leased to some of the many construction companies that will be working on the bridge, creating considerable income and business for the area.  I know for a fact that there was such interest in the past from businesses. In essence, the PEOPLE were told they could not use THEIR building as they pleased but now the powers that be want to GIVE community property to a private concern to use as they please.  The whole thing stinks and the overwhelming majority of people in Utica find it hard to understand how a supposedly Christian organization is involved in such cloak and dagger politics.

Edited by Oldgoat, 24 January 2013 - 04:01 PM.

[Mary]

 Tina, on 24 January 2013 - 02:26 PM, said:

Maybe, but I wonder why they didn't just "give" the Corden Porter (no idea if that is spelled right) building to Jeffersonville? ;)

Because as Quasar pointed out the old Utica School was built by and paid for by the Utica Township and was signed over to GCCS when joined the public school district so GCCS returned the school to Utica and Utica Twp WITH those RESTRICTIONS.  Corden Porter was a part of the old school building wasn't it, and thus never belongs to the city.  What I don't understand is why they tore out the boilers from the old Utica school, it basically made the building useless in the winter months.  I personally always thought that it would make a beautiful condominium complex like the old Middle Road schoolhouse.

[Indiana82]

I don't know how they supposedly tried to do it with out anyone noticing.  Just google Jacobs well and you will see all the news stories dating back to as far as April.  Many churches have volunteered manpower and funds for this project.  I for one will be happy to see it open.

[Oldgoat]

 Indiana82, on 24 January 2013 - 05:44 PM, said:

I don't know how they supposedly tried to do it with out anyone noticing.  Just google Jacobs well and you will see all the news stories dating back to as far as April.  Many churches have volunteered manpower and funds for this project.  I for one will be happy to see it open.

Well, I guess that if someone received a message from God telling them to do a Google search for Jacob's Well, they would have known all about it.  The rest of us had no idea someone was squatting on public property.  .I hope they have the heart for a long fight. No one had the right to give away public property without at least consulting the citizenry.  If the restrictions can be removed, why were they not removed so the town / township could profit?  If David Evancyk thinks it's a good idea and the property was just an eyesore, why didn't he let them use the rusting hulk formerly known as the Star of Louisville  that is an eyesore on HIS property?  I am all for helping people in need but you don't take a much needed potential asset from a small community  to serve people from mostly Louisville.

Edited by Oldgoat, 24 January 2013 - 06:31 PM.

[Indiana82]

Message from god in 2 of our local papers?  That was nice of him...

[oldmanriver]

Just so you know the old school was not in decay, the old school is own by Utica Township, The people of the town were told that they were going to have a training center, administrative offices and childcare. When they started working in the building the people were told they were getting it ready for those reasons. At no point were the people told they were putting their own personal apartment in the building. The people were also not told that they gutted 4 old classrooms, an office, teacher’s lounge, and a girl’s restroom to build dorms. This was a historical building and several years back in early 2006 they were told that as soon as the new addition was 50 years old that the whole building would be put on the historical registry. So with less then 5 years this would have happen but now that they gutted the building, and put several new doorways into the outside of the building all that time is lost. They have been there almost 2 years now and the first thing they did was to build an apartment. The first sign that there was any trouble was when they put the new doorway into the front of the building. People had been watching the planning and zoning for any new information on what they had decided to do and there was never any thing about an apartment or dorms brought for the board approval or for any input from the adjoining property owners. The property owners have every right to protect there property and the people of the town have every right to have a say as to what comes into their neighborhood. No matter what it is the people have rights and that is what they are being denide by the way everything was done at the old school building. There is a group that has being trying to get things done in the old school and this same group was told by the previous Utica Township Trustee that we are standing out of the way until they get the training center ready and then we will come back in and continue the work on the other areas. So that is what the group was doing and they didn't know that the new Trustee had made different plans and didn't inform them of it. So ask your self that if anything was coming next to your home after the same thing had been next to it for over a hundered years and it was going to lower your property value, raise your property taxes, and change your life would you not want to have some input on it before it got put there? Just look at all the other businesses that come into a town and see that before they are allowed to do anything they have to provide a lot of information on what they are and what they are going to do. We know of at least 5 different phamlets over the last several months and if you ask the town board or the planning and zoning what they are going to be doing and they all say the same they have no clue because they have not been up there to see what is going on and they have not had them come to meetings to explain what they are doing. So from the oldmanriver something smells fishy in that there river town.

[Exit 0]

its truly a shame organizations trying to help the community only to run into politic stuff.. here is the facebook page of Jacobs well http://www.facebook....175426069175944 & there website http://www.jacobswellproject.com/ They are a great christian family trying to do good for the community this is the group who is involved on this.....

From FACEBOOK Page
The school bd mtg went well last night. They are to consider our request and make a vote at the nxt mtg on Sep 4th. Please continue to pray for God's will to be done in this matter. The support last night was amazing and a blessing. We invite anyone who wants to be at the next meeting to come on out and support us then as well - you can also post support on the school bds website. But more than anything we want God to be lifted up and His name be glorified, regardless of the outcome.

Edited by Exit 0, 24 January 2013 - 09:38 PM.

[Debbie]

Exit 0, on 24 January 2013 - 09:36 PM, said:

its truly a shame organizations trying to help the community only to run into politic stuff..

The best way to avoid dealing with that unwanted baby we call politics is not to get in bed with the government. Abstinence is definitely the way to go!

[enifong]

Exit 0, on 24 January 2013 - 09:36 PM, said:

its truly a shame organizations trying to help the community only to run into politic stuff.. here is the facebook page of Jacobs well http://www.facebook....175426069175944 & there website http://www.jacobswellproject.com/ They are a great christian family trying to do good for the community this is the group who is involved on this.....

From FACEBOOK Page
The school bd mtg went well last night. They are to consider our request and make a vote at the nxt mtg on Sep 4th. Please continue to pray for God's will to be done in this matter. The support last night was amazing and a blessing. We invite anyone who wants to be at the next meeting to come on out and support us then as well - you can also post support on the school bds website. But more than anything we want God to be lifted up and His name be glorified, regardless of the outcome.

Please note the facebook page says SCHOOL BD MTG went well.....NOT TOWN BOARD OR ZONING BOARD MEETING!!

Edited by enifong, 25 January 2013 - 06:38 AM.

[Indiana82]

To say that school wasn't it decay is a joke I volunteered there during the beginning stages of demo and the floors were so rotten they had to be replaced.  When I say floors I'm not talking just about sub floors, many joist had to be replaced as well. As far as historical what about the many school houses around here that our now apartments?

[enifong]

Please if you want FACTS check out the facebook page OS Preservation. This site gives all the town board and zoning board mins.  SEE for YOURSELF how often Jacobs Well came to the meetings....also SEE for YOURSELF the zoning laws that have been broken...being a Christian does not give you the right to break the law.

[Indiana82]

No one said that being a Christian gives you that right.  This is why more people don't get involved in helping others.  There are too many that love to see you fail.