February 5, 200718 yr Having another refinery operation in Ohio, upwind, is not going to help (even if God did bless Valero Oil Company).What exactly do you mean? The Lima refinery has been around since Mr. Rockefeller built it in 1886, so they have been polluting Ohio for well over 100 years...so this is nothing new :-) You're right. I reread the thread and they dropped the plans for refining Canadian "sour" crude.
February 5, 200718 yr ^ Although it does sound like any future plans (by whoever ends up owning it) will have to include changing over to refining Canadian sour crude.
February 15, 200718 yr From the 1/12/07 Blade: OSU Lima campus plans to open 1st dorm in fall BLADE STAFF LIMA, Ohio — Ohio State University’s Lima campus announced yesterday that it will open its first residence hall by fall. In partnership with West Central Ohio Property Management, Ohio State plans to convert a rehabilitation center on Ada Road, about three miles from campus, into Buckeye Hall, a dormitory-style building that will house 130 students. The Lima campus has traditionally been a commuter campus, but began exploring the idea of residence halls in 2000 as its student base expanded into a 10-county area, including Allen, Hancock, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam, and Van Wert. More at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS21/70111035/-1/NEWS From the 1/5/07 Lima News: UNO expansion going strong BY BETH L. JOKINEN - Jan. 5, 2007 LIMA — University of Northwestern Ohio officials say they are in conversations with two major retail companies to bring shopping to their expanded campus. They are also at work to bring a hotel and a large health and fitness facility, all part of the 10-year expansion plan started three years ago. "These are all pretty aggressive projects. They are all on the drawing board and they are going to happen," President Jeff Jarvis said Thursday. "We’ll have pretty much a mini city out here. We’ve taken a 40-acre campus and turned it into an 180-acre campus." Several projects have been completed, including a $7 million high performance motor sports complex, a corporate training center, an addition to the student services building and additional parking. Case International Harvester and Ford employees have received training at the new center. Work is ongoing on renovating the gymnasium, including installing a new floor and adding locker rooms and coaches offices. It is expected to be completed by May. Men’s and women’s basketball, tennis and golf programs will start next fall. More at url=http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=34225
February 21, 200718 yr From the 1/3/07 Lima News: Group forming to lobby for LCI Bart Mills - 01.03.2007 LIMA — Local officials are hoping a new administration in Columbus could mean a new life for LCI. With less than two weeks remaining of Gov. Bob Taft’s administration, local leaders are positioning themselves to approach the incoming administration about the possibility of reopening Lima Correctional Institution. On Tuesday, Lima Allen County Chamber of Commerce Director Jed Metzger sent a letter to some local business and government leaders inviting them to join a task force to help create a plan for getting the facility reopened. Metzger said he hopes to get the group together soon. "He [Gov.-elect Ted Strickland] has indicated he was going to research and evaluate the system. We want to position ourselves to try to establish talks with him and his staff about opening some parts of LCI," Metzger said. MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=33769
February 21, 200718 yr From the 1/10/07 Lima News: Task force explores LCI options Bart Mills - 01.10.2007 LIMA — A group of local leaders is hoping the formula that helped keep the tank plant in business will work for the former Lima Correctional Institution. The LCI Task Force held its first meeting Tuesday. The group of union, business and political leaders was pulled together by the Lima Allen County Chamber of Commerce with the hopes of renewing interest in the reopening of the former prison. A similar task force was formed to help keep the Joint System Manufacturing Center off the Department of Defense’s Base Closure and Realignment recommendations list. That group was successful because they worked together for the good of the whole community. It could serve as a model for the LCI Task Force, Metzger said. http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=34016
February 21, 200718 yr From the 1/27/07 Lima News: Strickland: Re-opening LCI a logical choice Heather Rutz - 01.27.2007 OTTAWA — With Ohio’s prison population on the rise, opening Lima Correctional Institution would be a “logical” choice if the state chooses to increase inmate housing, Gov. Ted Strickland said Friday. However, the new Democratic governor is just beginning to study the state’s overall “bleak” budget situation, including prison expense, and doesn’t yet know how the spending will shake out. Strickland will present his first budget in mid-March, he said, and prison spending will be a large part of that. “We will look at prison population, the overcrowding situation and we’ll look at the options,” Strickland said. “The state put millions of dollars into that not long before they closed it. Certainly that means if there’s going to be an expansion of housing for prisons, that would be the logical place to look.” State prison population January 2005: 44,000 January 2006: 45,000 January 2007: 48,500 Source: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction more ; http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=34606
February 21, 200718 yr From the 2/13/07 Lima News: LCI group to hire lobbyist Bart Mills - 02.13.2007 LIMA — The fate of the Lima Correctional Institution may rest in upcoming decisions by the state’s new governor. Members of the LCI Task Force have planned for a long-haul strategy to get the state to reopen the prison. But two of the biggest factors in that decision could be announced very soon, namely what Gov. Ted Strickland’s budget recommendations will look like and what is going to happen to the Department of of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Terry Collins. “Part of the issue is, we don’t know what the governor’s doing. We don’t know what’s going to be in that budget and we don’t know what’s happening with Terry Collins,” said state Rep. Matt Huffman, a member of the committee. more: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=35201
March 3, 200718 yr Grove asking voters to fund new school Lima News, 2/23/07 School funding issues highlight the May 8 election ballot. Columbus Grove schools, which had a levy fail in November, seeks a 0.25-percent income tax and 7.72-mill bond to raise $9.8 million for a new kindergarten through 12th grade facility. The district also seeks a 0.5-mill maintenance levy required through its deal with the Ohio School Facilities Commission Classroom Facilities Assistance Program. Grove could get $17.6 million to build a new school if voters approve the proposal. The deadline for issues to be placed on the ballot was Thursday.
March 18, 200718 yr Agency passes on Whittier Place homes Lima News, 3/17/07 A housing agency has backed out of its plan to partner in building new homes at the Whittier Place subdivision. Allen Metropolitan Housing Authority’s board on Friday passed on purchasing two homes built by New Lima Housing for the Future, as part of a dozen homes to be built on the former school site near Reese Avenue. After a 15-minute executive session, board member Miriam Adams made a motion to purchase the homes and the motion died for lack of a second. Other board members said details of the agreement between the two agencies have changed since the housing authority originally signed on. In 2005, the authority agreed to purchase two lots in the subdivision, board President Lamont Monford said.
March 22, 200718 yr Grove board picks 35-acre site for school Lima News, 3/17/07 When voters decide on May 8 about whether to fund a new school, they’ll know they’re deciding on a single-story building on 35 acres of land adjacent to the Columbus Grove school’s athletic fields. The Columbus Grove School Board picked the site just outside the village limits at a special meeting Friday. The board picked that plan over a second that would have put a three-story school on a tight space next to the current school. The 35-acre site comes with fewer unknowns that could drive up costs and an expected price tag that’s about $900,000 less than the three-story option, district Superintendent Bob Jennell said. The district can build a new pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade facility if voters pass a combination 7.72 mill property tax and a 0.25 percent income tax to raise its portion of the $27.4 million project.
March 28, 200718 yr Mayor concerned about some rumored Valero suitors Heather Rutz - 03.27.2007 LIMA — While several good companies with oil refining experience appear to be bidding for the Valero Lima Refinery, Mayor David Berger said Monday he is concerned about some of the rumored suitors. “I have maintained that the sale of the refinery could be good news for us. If the result as a purchase or joint venture that resulted in the investment necessary to sour-up the facility to process sour crude,” Berger said. “The prospect of a purchase by hedge funds concerns me. These are financial players whose interests are too often in turning quick profits. The nature of their expertise is generally in finance and deal making, not in oil refining.” On Feb. 1, Valero's executives announced that Deutsche Bank was hired to help explore “strategic alternatives” for the Lima Refinery. Those alternatives could include sale, alliances or joint ventures with other oil producers. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=36679
March 29, 200718 yr From the 3/27/07 Lima News: Lima West seeking financing for apartment renovation Heather Rutz - 03.27.2007 LIMA — Owners of a subsidized housing complex are seeking housing credits to fund more than half of a $7.5 million renovation project. Lima West Partners Inc., owners of the Lima West Apartments at 1855 N. Cole St., wants to spend $40,000 an apartment on 86 units to gut and rebuild them. City Council approved a resolution Monday lending support to the project, a needed document to help the group secure financing. If the state approves funding for the project, construction would begin a year from this summer, apartment officials said Monday. The company plans to create some fully handicapped-accessible apartments; install security cameras, athletic fields and other play areas; and improve landscaping, exteriors, paving and drainage. More at http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=36685
April 3, 200718 yr City to demolish Longfellow School Lima News, 3/10/07 Marlene Smith’s daughter attended kindergarten in the school directly behind her East High Street home the last year it was open. Then, in 1978, Lima schools Superintendent Earl McGovern closed Longfellow School. Since then for nearly 30 years, Smith and neighbors of the school at North Shawnee East Market streets have watched it fall apart, brick by shingle by broken window. The haven to pigeons and all manner of other critters is finally coming down, and Smith couldn’t be happier. “I’m glad it’s finally coming down,” Smith said. “It’s long overdue. It should have been done years ago.” City Council is expected to approve at its meeting Monday a contract with Ben’s Construction $64,800 to demolish the building.
April 20, 200718 yr From the 1/28/07 Lima News: Mammoth facility: Procter & Gamble now using 1-million square foot distribution center Tim Rausch | [email protected] - 01.28.2007 LIMA — It invokes memories of the inside of the ships of the Star Trek: The Next Generation enemy, the Borg, with 2,000 tons of steel criss-crossing from floor to ceiling. At 1.1 million square feet, it is large enough to hold four Lima Senior high schools. Anyone who can run a 5-minute mile will finish over that time in a run around the outside. There are 140 dock doors to load and unload trucks. The parking lot can hold more than 1,000 trucks and trailers. P&G distribution center timeline April 2005: P&G officials say they are interested in two sites, one in Jackson Township and another in Bath Township, for a new warehouse. May 2005: Officials pick a site in Bath Township on Reservoir Road for a 1.1-million square foot distribution center. July 2005: Bath Township trustees vote to change the zoning on 312 acres of land on Reservoir Road. November 2005: Bath Township voters support the zoning change during the general election. January 2006: P&G buys the land for the distribution center, paying $6.2 million. March 2006: Bath Township trustees approved rezoning 136 acres of land for a mile-long private connector road between the plant and the distribution center. May 2006: P&G buys 150 acres of land for $3.4 million for the connector road. December 2006: P&G takes occupancy of the low bay area. April 2006: Expected completion of the first module of the Automated Storage Retrieval System, also known as “The Rack.” May 2006: Shipping will begin from the Rack. November to December 2007: All five Rack modules running. January 2008: Shipping customization area ready in the low bay area. The center is complete. http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=34579
April 21, 200718 yr Canadian company moves to top of Valero list Bart Mills | [email protected] - 04.20.2007 LIMA — A Canadian company’s solid first-quarter numbers may push it to the top of the list of potential suitors for Lima’s Valero refinery. Husky Energy Inc., a Canadian integrated oil and gas company, announced what industry experts say were better-than-expected earnings last week, making it a strong candidate for the Valero purchase. Andrew Potter, analyst for the investment banking firm UBS, told Canada’s National Post that Husky could unlock “substantial value” by purchasing a U.S. refinery such as the Valero refinery. In March, Valero Chief Executive Officer Bill Klesse said the company would likely sell its Lima Refinery and that the list of potential buyers had shrunk from about 30 to nine. Those comments prompted a flurry of stories in national publications, including The Wall Street Journal and the industry publication Oil Price Information Service. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=37571
May 3, 200718 yr From the 5/3/07 Lima News: Apartment complex getting stripped to walls Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 05.03.2007 LIMA — Right now, it’s a place not many would want to call home. When the Levin Group finishes with the Northwood Maplewood apartment complex on Brower Road, the 196 apartments will have been gutted, at a cost of about $50,000 each, with everything except the walls replaced. Work on the apartments will begin in July, with exterior work, such as replacing the roofing, windows and siding and adding balconies and security lighting, happening first, Levin Vice President Linda McConnell said Wednesday. The project is expected to take about 18 months. Complex managers have been accumulating vacancies so that when crews move indoors residents will move to another apartment. No one will have to leave the complex, McConnell said. More at http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=38038
May 3, 200718 yr From the 2/8/07 Lima News: Dormant Kibby Corners group reorganizing Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 02.08.2007 LIMA — Like the area it represents, the Kibby Corners Neighborhood Revitalization group has faded with time. And like that neighborhood, the group is rebounding. While Kibby Corners Neighborhood Revitalization has existed for 30 years, it hasn’t had a public meeting in a decade, said group board member John Schneider. That is changing. The group will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at Grace United Methodist Church, 125 W. Kibby St., to elect officers, report on progress and hear ideas from the public, Schneider said. “We want to build on the success there, with the development of Global Energy and the South Main Street corridor planning, and we want to be an agent of change to improve the economic and quality of life in the Kibby Corners area,” Schneider said. Full story at http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=35023
May 3, 200718 yr From the 2/9/07 Lima News: Plan for South Main Street corridor laid out Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 02.09.2007 LIMA — Improving the city’s South Main Street corridor requires strengthening the commercial district along that artery, revitalizing neighborhoods and increasing local organizations’ capacity, according to an early draft of an enhancement plan for the area. A group working on the plan, created by a consultant, heard details of the draft Thursday and prepared to fine-tune it before a Weed & Seed steering group approves and presents it to the public, expected to happen before the end of the month. Full story at http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=35061
May 3, 200718 yr From the 2/21/07 Lima News: Kibby Corners development group reorganizes Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 02.21.2007 LIMA — A group instrumental to reviving the South Main Street corridor took its first steps reorganizing Tuesday. Kibby Corners Neighborhood Revitalization held its first meeting in six years and first public meeting in 10 years. The group formed a board of directors and changed some bylaws. Full story at http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=35447
May 3, 200718 yr From the 4/19/07 Lima News: New lighting coming to Kibby Corners this summer Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 04.19.2007 LIMA — The Kibby Corners area will see its first improvement this summer, thanks to another city project that came in under budget. The decorative lighting first installed in the area of South Main and Kibby streets 30 years ago will be replaced, Public Works Director Howard Elstro said Wednesday. The lights and posts have been damaged or taken down from normal wear, weather and during some demolition projects in the area, city officials said. The project has long been on the books but the money hasn’t been there, until now. The city and Kibby Corners Neighborhood Revitalization are working to renew the area’s business and residential districts. “It’s an important way to jump-start the plan,” Mayor David Berger said. “It’s something of immediate substance to go with the efforts that are under way.” Full story at http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=37526
May 4, 200718 yr Valero to sell Lima Refining Co. for $1.9 billion Business First of Columbus Thursday, May 3, 2007 - 11:04 AM EDT Valero Energy Corp. has agreed to sell a refinery in Lima to a Canadian company for $1.9 billion. Husky Energy Inc. will also pay $200 million for working capital when it completes its acquisition of Lima Refining Co. in northwestern Ohio. The sale is expected to close during the second quarter. San Antonio, Texas-based Valero employs 400 in Lima, where it produces 165,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel a day. The company said it expects Husky to maintain those workers once the sale is complete. Valero reported $91.8 billion in revenue last year. Including the Lima plant, company runs 18 refineries in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Husky, which produces crude oil, natural gas and liquids, reported revenue of $12.6 billion last year. MORE: http://mobile.bizjournals.com/smartphone/mobile.php?UMPG=article&UM_SCTN=Latest+News&MKT=columbus&UM_ARTICLE_LINK=http://www.bizjournals.com%2Fcolumbus%2Fstories%2F2007%2F04%2F30%2Fdaily26.html%3Fsurround%3Dlfn
May 10, 200718 yr Schools hoping to replace old, deteriorating buildings Lima News, 5/6/07 It’s been 91 years since Elida High School was constructed. And seven years before then, the Columbus Grove school building went up. With the age and condition of the two buildings, officials in both districts think they have a pretty good case for a new building. “Over the course of 100 years, little minor things you have to fix start to add up,” Columbus Grove Superintendent Bob Jennell said. “To continue to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into 90-year-old buildings, that is just not a wise use of taxpayer dollars,” Elida Superintendent Don Diglia said. Both Elida and Columbus Grove schools hope voters will support ballot issues for new schools on Tuesday. Both experienced large defeats in November. Fifty-nine percent rejected the Elida levy and 63 and 61 percent of voters said no to two Columbus Grove issues.
May 29, 200718 yr From the 2/24/07 Lima News: LCI staying closed, for now Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 02.24.2007 LIMA — Lima Correctional Institution won’t open any time soon, Gov. Ted Strickland said this week. Strickland, asked about a report detailing a projected prison population increase, said reopening LCI is not an option. “This is a serious problem that we have in Ohio. I’ve got some ideas regarding some things that may be done to help alleviate the situation but ... I have not been talking about or planning for the reopening,” Strickland said this week, according to Gongwer News Service. Strickland said he won’t pursue “that particular course of action” of LCI when addressing prison overcrowding. The governor is “seriously considering” reopening LCI in some fashion in the long-term, but Ohio’s tight finances do not allow for it in the next two-year budget Strickland will propose in March, Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said. MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=35584
May 29, 200718 yr From the 3/13/07 Lima News: Task force hires lobbyist to push for LCI reopening Bart Mills | [email protected] - 03.13.2007 LIMA — The effort to reopen Lima Correctional Institution goes on despite the governor’s recent rejection of the idea. The LCI task force met Monday to discuss the next steps in its effort to see the prison reopened. Despite a recent announcement by Gov. Ted Strickland that he is not considering opening the prison, the group has decided to continue its lobbying. “We’ve asked [Director of Rehabilitation and Correction] Terry Collins for clarification regarding the governor’s statement. He suggested there would be no consideration for the next several years, that their focus is going to be on community-based corrections,” said Jed Metzger, task force chairman and president of the Lima-Allen County Chamber of Commerce. “But we’re still going to continue with our efforts because we feel there is a need.” Earlier this month, the group hired lobbyist Daniel Helmick with the Columbus-based SZD Government Advocates. Helmick has connections within the administration and legislature, as well as experience working with prisons, Metzger said. MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=36206
May 29, 200718 yr From the 4/17/07 Lima News: Task force hoping for LCI amendment in state budget Bart Mills | [email protected] - 04.17.2007 LIMA — Local leaders are hoping an amendment in the upcoming state budget will eventually lead to the reopening of Lima Correction Institution. The LCI task force is working with its recently hired lobbyist, SZD Government Advocates, and state Rep. Matt Huffman to insert an amendment into the 2007 state budget calling for a study on the state’s corrections needs and how LCI could be used to serve them. Jed Metzger, task force chairman and president of the Lima-Allen County Chamber of Commerce, said the amendment would be a step in the right direction for LCI. “I think things look very optimistic. We will hopefully be able to insert the study but it’s too early to tell for sure,” Metzger said. The amendment would call for a study of the state of corrections in Ohio. It would also explore alternative uses for the former prison as well as examine costs and identify funding sources. The study is expected to cost between $50,000 and $60,000 and will be funded through the state’s Department of Corrections budget. MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=37406
May 29, 200718 yr From the 5/15/07 Lima News: Task force explores uses for LCI Bart Mills | [email protected] - 05.15.2007 LIMA — Members of the Lima Correctional Institution Task Force know they want the former prison reopened. Now they just need to come up with some ideas of what it could reopen as. The task force, with the help of a lobbyist and state Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, managed to insert language into the state’s budget calling for a $50,000 study of the possible uses of LCI. The language has passed the House and the drafters are optimistic about its chances of making it through the Senate and being signed by Gov. Ted Strickland. The amendment would establish a Lima Correctional Institute Study Committee, effective July 1, and give it $50,000 to fund an independent feasibility study on the condition and value of the facility as well as the cost of reopening and some alternative uses for the prison. The study will also examine state and local correction needs and the economic impact opportunities associated with the closed prison. Task force members toured the prison with Collins and his staff last month. They said paint was peeling and some equipment had been removed from the building, but overall the building remains in good shape. MORE: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=38508
June 7, 200718 yr From the 6/6/07 Lima News: New subdivision planned Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 06.06.2007 AMERICAN TOWNSHIP — Developers plan an 81-home subdivision for 43 acres on the southwest corner of Eastown and Diller roads. The development, Whispering Creek, received approval for its overall development plan Tuesday from Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission’s Developmental Controls Committee. The first phase will include all single-family homes, while the second phase will include what the developer calls “patio” homes, designed for single families, but on smaller lots. A third phase calls for town houses. The subdivision incorporates planned unit design, a more flexible way of designing homes in a denser configuration and then creating open space. More at http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=39258
June 15, 200717 yr From the 6/14/07 Lima News: Towering silos show progress at ethanol plant Bart Mills | [email protected] - 06.14.2007 PERRY TOWNSHIP — The landscape along Interstate 75 picked up its newest addition this week with the latest phase in the Greater Ohio Ethanol project. Crews have been working around the clock to build two, 150-foot silos that will be used to store grain used for the production of ethanol. Brian Holden, safety and health director on the project, said the crew was hired in from Minnesota to run the project. The job requires 65 workers a shift 24 hours a day to lay rebar and pour cement constantly. http://www.medina-gazette.com/Articles.asp?num=59806857
June 25, 200717 yr From the 6/16/07 Lima News: New hotel coming in 2008 Bart Mills | [email protected] - 06.16.2007 PERRY TOWNSHIP — A new hotel for the business traveler is coming to Lima’s east side. Allen Hotel Enterprises Ltd. is building a four-story, 100-room Courtyard by Marriott on the former site of Ryan’s on Greeley Chapel Road. The former restaurant was demolished in May. Work is expected to begin on the hotel this fall, and it is slated to open by summer 2008. Allen Schmidthorst and partners Tom Shumaker and Doug Steinke will manage the property. Schmidthorst said the trio saw a need for a high-end hotel in the area. The Courtyard by Marriott chain is designed for business travelers. The rooms typically include business amenities such as high-speed Internet access, large work desks, dual-line phones and voice mail. The Lima property will include a business center, on-site parking and laundry valet service as well as an indoor swimming pool and health club. Rooms rates will begin at about $90 a night, Schmidthorst said. More at http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=39644
June 29, 200717 yr Leipsic industrial park on schedule Lima News, 6/19/07 With the exception of a few details, plans to construct the Iron Highway Industrial Park are on course and should be completed by Aug. 1, according to village officials. During a council meeting Monday, village officials discussed a short line railroad that will connect the three major railroads running through an area they call “The Golden Triangle.” The three major lines are Norfolk Southern, CSX Corp. and Indiana & Ohio. Village officials want to notify the public the village will have a new railroad crossing with gates at Belmore Street, which is State Route 65, just north of the Norfolk crossing. Council voted to file as quickly as possible for railroad classification and decided the village will be the owner of the short line railroad, but not the operator.
July 16, 200717 yr From the 4/10/07 Lima News: Cafaro still planning American Mall changes Bart Mills | [email protected] - 04.10.2007 LIMA — A year after owners of the American Mall announced plans to renovate the long-standing shopping center, the first shovel of dirt has yet to be turned. But officials say things are happening, even if you can’t see it. http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=37168
July 18, 200717 yr From the 7/17/07 Lima News: LCI group wants Strickland meeting Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 07.17.2007 LIMA — Members of the Lima Correctional Institution Task Force have a question they believe only one man can answer, so the group plans to ask him for a face-to-face meeting. The man? Gov. Ted Strickland. The question? Is he outright opposed to reopening LCI as a prison? The group met Monday to consider its next step now that a $50,000 feasibility study for the facility made it through the state budget. The group Monday also agreed to continue funding, in the short term, the lobbying firm it hired to gain the study. The group wants to retain the firm long enough to have a meeting with the governor to gauge if retaining a lobbyist for several months would be a waste of time and money. The Lima Allen County Chamber of Commerce and Allen Economic Development Group will split the bill for the lobbyist’s funding, expected to be about $4,000. MORE: http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=40690
July 18, 200717 yr This is the former state hospital property, correct? I know they constructed a modern facility next door...
July 18, 200717 yr New Allen East school full of ‘Mustang’ pride Lima News, 7/1/07 There are still a few boxes to be unpacked and workers roaming the building putting the final touches on the new Allen East school. Yet already, pupils are in the school and enjoying their new surroundings. Pupils and staff will begin next school year in their new 180,000-square-foot building; a place which includes constant reminders that they are “Mustangs” and plenty of the school’s blue and white colors. A large ceramic tile mustang takes up a wall in the commons area. Stain glass in the previous high school was incorporated into the commons area too. Lima News: NEW: New Allen East School looking good (6/29/07)
July 18, 200717 yr I believe you are correct on both accounts. The old hospital facility was the Lima Correctional Institution and closed; but the newer, smaller facility is the Allen Correctional Institution and remains open.
February 1, 200817 yr Ball State Architecture Students Propose New Lima Square By Aubree Kaye | Downtown Lima Ohio Friday, January 18, 2008 This is a video prepared by Architecture Students from Ball State University on a proposed Lima Square. The new Square feature an ice skating rink in the winter, with a stage area in the summer. The proposal also identifies several properties to be developed with architectural lighting to enhance the nighttime atmosphere. MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=23
February 3, 200817 yr From The Lima News: Drawing on a dream By Bart Mills | Monday, January 28, 2008 Mike Schulte doesn’t need a crystal ball to show folks the future of Lima; he has YouTube. The Delphos native and graduate architecture student at Ball State enlisted a group of fellow students to draft a vision of Lima’s possible future. That vision is now available as an 80-page book for sale at the Downtown Lima Inc. office and online. A computer-generated flyover of their vision for the town square is also available on YouTube. Schulte said he is hoping folks will look at the ideas and start the long step toward making them a reality. “We hope they’ll take a look at it and get a better idea of what we’re imagining,” Schulte said. “This is a long-term plan but it’s definitely doable.” MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=5
March 7, 200817 yr Cost to re-open Lima prison? $184 million Chillicothe Gazette, March 6, 2008 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A consultant has told legislators that fixing up the closed Lima prison would cost 21 times more than tearing it down. The consultant estimated Thursday that fixing the Lima Correctional Institution’s leaky roofs, buckling floors, dangerous asbestos and mold would cost $184 million. That compares to $8.6 million to tear it down. By contrast, renovating three buildings on the property, rather than the entire facility, would cost just $9.1 million. That would allow the state to house 600 low-security prisoners there. Gov. Bob Taft closed the minimum-security prison that housed about 1,500 inmates in 2004 to save $25 million a year. Lawmakers started the committee to study the site, and the group must report its findings to Gov. Ted Strickland and legislative leaders by April 1.
October 20, 200816 yr From The Lima News: Schnorf remodel on track for February finish By Bart Mills | Monday, September 29, 2008 Work on the future home of the county's economic development groups is on track to be completed by February. Crews have been working on the former Schnorf Hardware building for the past month. So far, they've cleared it of environmental problems - asbestos and mold - and expect to have the new roof completed by week's end, said Lima Allen County Chamber of Commerce Director Jed Metzger. The 110-year-old former hardware store on South Main Street will house the chamber, Allen Economic Development Group and other economic development groups on the first two floors. A third-floor banquet space will be managed by Veterans Memorial Civic Center. The chamber bought the building from the county in May for $1 and expects to spend about $2.4 million on the renovations. MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=7
January 2, 200916 yr Most people may not even know the building exists. I had the opportunity to tour the Lima Metropolitan Building. Constructed in 1887 to house Metropolitan Bank during the oil rush, the building had hundreds of employees. Then after Met Bank merged with Elida Federal, they constructed a much larger and more efficient building at Elizabeth Street. The building was then converted into an office complex where photographers, doctors and lawyers called the building home. For a short while, it served as the "exploratory health" center for the hospital where they would try new techniques such as electro-shock therapy and other grusome medical procedures that were and still are illegal. Many people died and the place got a bad reputation. It then served as the headquarters for a few oil companies and lawyers until the mid 50's when majority of the building was abandoned. Today, it houses a few quaint shops on the main floor, but the upper four levels are dark and interesting. The owners want to sell the building to a developer who would turn the upstairs into offices and loft apartments. They have had great offers, but everyone wants to destroy the building or tear it down. They are waiting for someone to purchase it who will try to restore a majority of the building to its original look. Window replacements alone will be in the ballpark of 1.5 million. However they want to sell the building, and are only asking 200-400K for it. The only requirement is to restore it to as close as possible as it was built. I had the opportunity to take some pictures and wanted to share them with you.
January 2, 200916 yr yeah...across from the CH. Its a beautiful building and could really make money if someone would do something with it. See pictures of the interior by clicking on the attachment link.
February 23, 200916 yr From The Lima News: Rhodes considering moving health programs downtown By Beth L. Jokinen | Wednesday, February 18, 2009 Downtown Lima could be the future home of some Rhodes State College programs. Preliminary talks are ongoing about the future of the school's health programs, including a possible move to the downtown area, President Debra McCurdy said Tuesday. Officials said such a move would help rejuvenate downtown Lima and bring students and staff closer to the city's two hospitals. "We know we need to grow and downtown Lima may be a viable option for us so our applied health programs can work in closer collaboration with the hospitals," McCurdy said. "It adds value to downtown and allows us to strengthen our relationships with our primary partners, the hospitals and the health entities." MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=1
April 15, 200916 yr From Downtown Lima Ohio: HR Services Moves into New Downtown Office By Aubree Kaye | Downtown Lima Ohio Tuesday, April 07, 2009 HR Services, Inc. announced their move to a new office at 675 West Market Street in Downtown Lima. The newly renovated 17,000 square foot building will provide HR Services with three times the space they previously occupied and will offer prime office space for lease on the main floor. MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=21
April 20, 200916 yr From The Lima News: Commissioner says Civic Center on road to recovery By Greg Sowinski | Wednesday, April 15, 2009 After being on life support and facing a financial death, Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center seems to be on the path to someday being self-sufficient thanks to a new energetic director, a commissioner said Wednesday. Allen County Commissioner Dan Reiff was praising center Director Cindy Wood for slashing the budget by $291,000 and working toward balancing a budget that has ran in the red for years. "The board has gotten a manager who has really hit the ground running," Reiff said. "This is the most encouraging and most viable time I've seen in the Civic Center." MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=24
May 22, 200916 yr From The Lima News: Commissioners, Civic Center reach understanding on Memorial Hall By Bob Blake | Wednesday, May 13, 2009 LIMA - Area veterans' groups who maintain offices in Memorial Hall will no longer have to worry if those offices will remain there. Allen County commissioners this morning approved an agreement that settles "miscommunication" problems earlier in the year. Under the terms of the newly-approved memorandum of understanding, commissioners will continue to be responsible for payment of utilities and general maintenance. The board of the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center will continue to operate the facility and serve as a community point of contact. MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=29
June 21, 200915 yr From The Lima News: Construction to start at R&D site By Heather Rutz | Wednesday, June 17, 2009 LIMA - The city will begin preparations for a new advanced energy research and development center this July, Mayor David Berger said Tuesday. Berger announced the news during a City Focus meeting with Northside Neighborhood Association. The city has planned the center for years at a triangle of land at South Main and Fourth streets near the planned site of Global Energy. The city has acquired the 44 parcels it needs for the site and has vacated the small stretches of Third and Lafayette streets for the project. The city is doing the property purchases and site preparation work with a 2006 $3.3 million state development grant. MORE: http://www.downtownlimaohio.com/news/news.asp?NewsID=35
June 29, 200915 yr An update on the American Mall in Lima from DeadMalls.com: DEADMALLS.COM FEATURE: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMERICAN MALL: LIMA, OH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Samons' Commentary Posted March 6, 2009 (user submitted) Hi, I am a nostalgic Lima native reporting that this mall was closed as of Dec 26, 2008 except for the Andersons. As I understand it, the balance of the mall will be demolished soon but I'm not clear about the plans for the property between Andersons and the theaters. MORE: http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/american_mall.html
Create an account or sign in to comment