Clark County (The Evening News)
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UNCERTAINTY and OPTIMISM: Potential sale of former Colgate plant falls through
Clarksville officials say they’re still optimistic about future development at the site of the old Colgate-Palmolive Co. plant.
That comes despite the fact that a potential sale of the site recently fell through.
“They’d been working on a couple of deals — but there are no offers on the table,” said Greg Isgrigg, president of the Clarksville Town Council and member of the town’s redevelopment commission.
Isgrigg wouldn’t disclose the name of the potential buyer or the amount of money discussed for the property.
Located near the Ohio River, Colgate-Palmolive had used the site to manufacture toothpaste and other personal-care items. During the 1960s, the plant boasted as many as 1,500 workers. Only about 200 of the workers remained when it closed two years ago, moving the jobs to more modern facilities in Tennessee and Mexico.
Colgate sold the plant for an undisclosed amount to Active International, a New York-based corporate trading firm, earlier this year.
Active International seeks to sell the facility as Clarksville officials try to turn the area from an industrial to a retail and possibly residential sector in a mixed-use capacity.
Plans for the property are still viable, but “we just got to wait for someone to buy it,” Isgrigg said.
The potential retail district has been dubbed Clark’s Landing.
Restaurants, bed and breakfasts and shops would line the waterfront west of the Clark Memorial Bridge, according to a concept plan created for the redevelopment commission this year. An overlook and a steamboat dock also are planned — as are condominiums, an amphitheater, a museum, hotel and convention center.
The project would not only encompass the Colgate property, but also several others surrounding it.
Don Fisher, a member of the redevelopment commission, blames the economic recession for the slow progress on the district.
“It’s just the wrong time,” he said, noting that investors are hanging onto their cash at present.
He believes the town is on the right track and that progress likely will be seen once economic conditions improve.
The town is in the process of picking a planner for the project, Isgrigg said. About 40 planners have applied for the job, and a special committee has been formed to make the selection. That step will likely be taken next year, Fisher said.
The Colgate site has historical significance, as well.
It was opened as a state penitentiary in 1847. Colgate purchased it in 1921 and began production there in 1924.
Its huge, illuminated red clock — one of the largest in the world and something officials hope to preserve — has become a recognizable symbol of the area.
HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY
• 1847 — building constructed as the second Indiana state prison
• 1918 — prison closed
• 1921 — Colgate purchased the site
• 2005 — Colgate announced it would shut down the Jeffersonville/Clarksville plant
• 2007 — plant closed for good
• 2009 — Colgate-Palmolive Co. sells to trading firm Active International
— Clarksville Historical Society
- Clark County (The Evening News)
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Reserve funds gone for Clark County
The Clark County Council entered its meeting Friday afternoon with a plan to cover the $3 million gap between the budget it submitted and the certified budget that came back this month from the state Department of Local Government Finance.
It was going to use the $3,185,750 left in the county’s rainy-day fund to cover the difference. Even after the council agreed to move forward with that plan, $96,393 remained in the fund, which the council promptly spent. -
3 Parkview employees facing termination
Parents of students at Parkview Middle School who are potentially affected are being notified that a portion of their child’s ISTEP test may be invalidated because of allegations of inappropriate test procedures and protocols by one teacher. That’s according to Marty Bell, chief operating officer for Greater Clark County Schools.
And that’s not all. Bell said a separate internal investigation found that two people, a counselor and a dean, whom Bell would not identify by name, had significant inappropriate use of the district’s technology system and breached the acceptable use policy. -
Trying to find e-Harmony
Sunshine Week is a nationwide initiative by media outlets around the country to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.
To do its part, The Evening News requested access to e-mails sent by 10 public officials during the month of January. The exercise was less about reading e-mails and more about seeing what would be released. -
What are the rights to public access in Indiana?
In Indiana, state code IC 5-14-3 ensures that the public will be able to access governmental records and IC 5-141.5 is an open door-protection allowing the public to attend governmental meetings.
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Public access bill again dies
An Indiana House Bill that would have imposed fines on public officials who knowingly violated the state’s open records and open door laws did not pass this year.
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New Washington native to compete for Miss Kentucky title
Melanie Brison may call herself a small-town girl, but the New Washington native is preparing to take center stage, competing for the title of Miss Kentucky.
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A parade of information at Parkview
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Ivy Tech students head south to volunteer for spring break next week
This marks the second year that the college is sponsoring a spring break trip south to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. This year the group of 13 students and two advisors are headed to Tampa, Fla.
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River Valley Middle School celebrates inventors
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Reassessment again for Clark County?
The Clark County Commissioners were planning ahead in committing funds to help to resolve some of the issues with the 911-emergency response system, but an issue lingering from the past may again put the county in a lurch as it looks to fund essential services.
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Reserve funds gone for Clark County
