After three years of hard work (and some speculation on the part of community naysayers) several thousand emails, hundreds of phone calls and text messages, Mayor David Bower, members of the Salem City Council, Board of Works and the City’s marketing director gathered on Salem’s eastside about 11:30a Friday to break ground on the largest Wal-Mart SuperCenter in the Kentuckiana area.
“This wasn’t a completely done deal until July 7,” said Bower. “I’m honored and so pleased to have brought this project to Salem. The benefits will be far reaching in the years to come.”
Mayor David Bower leads the groundbreaking for the new Walmart Supercenter in Salem with, from left, Justin Green, Pat Persinger, Kelly Sweress of Cedarwood, Jorge Lanz of Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz consulting engineers, Randy Hake of Cedarwood, Truck Jones, Terry McNeely, Wally Terkhorn, Greg Fitzloff and Walmart officials.
Randy Hake, Vice President of Commercial Development at Cedarwood Development, said the property on State Road 56 includes a total of 27 acres that will not only be anchored by the 155,000 square foot Walmart Super Center but will have five development pads along the main road frontage and a four acre development tract for future businesses on the northeast side.
“This site will feature future jobs, future retail and future prosperity for the City of Salem,” Hake said to about 100 who gathered to watch shovelfuls of dirt turned over to start the process that will take about a year to complete.
Kevin Thompson, Walmart Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations, said the new store will hire about 300 associates. The Murphy’s Oil fuel station will feature 8 gas pumps.
Thompson said annual sales at a store this size could be in the tens of millions of dollars per year.
Contributions to the local economy haven’t been figured yet, but Bower indicated it could be millions of dollars a year.
“We Look forward to being part of the community for many years to come,” Thompson said.
Bower said two businesses were already secured for the site but declined to mention their names.
Commercial property along the corridor has cropped up for sale but there haven’t been any takers.
“Things are going to begin changing,” said Bower.
Greg Fitzloff, the City of Salem’s Marketing Director, said he was proud of the work that had been done.
“This is an important day. Three years ago we started down this path,” he said. “ I know a lot of you had been wondering if this would come, today’s the day. Economic development is a process of inspiration and perspiration and celebration. Tomorrow we go back to work.”
PROGRESS HAS A BEGINNING
Randy Hake of Cedarwood Developments shows off a rendering of the new store in Salem.Afterwards, guests were treated to a meal from John Apples’s Pig Miracle BBQ.
Hake pointed out in his address to the public that former Mayor Frank Newkirk Sr. had wanted to bring a Walmart to Salem during his multi-term office in the 80s and early 90s.
“It’s significant that I have his daughter-in-law – Denise Newkirk – here today who has been a big supporter and has been a great help,” said Hake.
Hake said the project began about three years ago and “could not have happened without the can-do attitude of our team leader – Mayor David Bower.”
Hake said the first email that exchanged between Bower and he was on April 24, 2012.
“We had a very positive meeting with the City of Salem,” he said. “Over the next 1165 days….thousands of emails, hundreds of text messages, dozens of tele conferences and a few good old fashioned face to face meetings took place.”
The project has been a long one for city officials as well as the public, who have contacted local radio station owner Becky White almost daily to ask the question – “Is Walmart really coming?”
“I have probably bugged Mayor Bower and Greg [Fitzloff] more about this than any other topic,” said White. “But they have always been optimistic and said, “It’s coming.” So I would go back to social media, emails or just on the air or in the community and repeat that “It’s coming” – and it’s nice to finally see it get here.”
Hake said the land has finally been purchased from local developers and he sent an email to Bower on July 7 to let him know:
“Mayor, congratulations! Wal-Mart now owns property in the City of Salem. Will break ground ASAP.”
Ten days later the ground was broken and the project is now underway.
Bower admitted that “Lot of days I didn’t know this was going to happen.”
He said the bypass and hotel were projects that brought plenty of naysayers.
“When there was a swatch being cut for the bypass, people would come up to me and say, you’re not going to get a bypass. When the roof was being built on the hotel, people said…gosh, you’re not gonna get a hotel,” said Bower.
“I wish I had a dollar for every time a lot of folks came up to me and said, ‘David you’re not going to get that done. We’re here today. I’m proud of that. I’m proud we can succeed. This community has far more to offer than anyone will ever realize. It’s time to communicate not just to the people in the community but to the world. Walmart will help us do that. “
FUTURE GROWH IN SALEM
Mayor David Bower led the groundbreaking. “It’s been a long time coming.”Kevin Thompson and Toni Rodriguez of Walmart
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Mayor Bower. “As time goes on the things that are happening here today – there are many things to come. Many things in the works. I’m very proud of that I learned that it’s about stepping stones and not stumbling blocks.”brea
Bower couldn’t say enough about his support staff in the City of Salem – council members, board of works, building inspectors and marketing team members.
“If we’ve expressed a great can-do attitude,” he said. “It’s because I’ve had the great support and belief….if you believe in what we can do, then we want to perform. Without these gentleman, we couldn’t have done this.”
Bower said there were other projects in the works.
“We’ve been taken seriously now by other companies. This is just the start of good things to come,” said Bower. “It’s about jobs and about opportunity. It’s about revenue for the city to do things you want us to do on a daily basis.”
Bower has been a frugal mayor and noted that the assessed valuation in Salem had not raised in about 10 years.
Yet he continues to keep streets paved, utilities running and one of the nicest looking cities around with no additional revenue.
“The city just this year had to reduce the budget by $390,000 mid year,” Bower illustrated. “I continue to make sure your government operates as efficiently as possible. The additional revenue that Walmart and other businesses will bring in, will be critical to the city to continue to pave roads, put in water lines. We estimate that over the next 20 years. Over $10 million in revenue will be created by these businesses. We would never have had that without this business.”
Referring to local merchants facing competition from Walmart, Bower recalled his days as a local merchant before going into city and county politics.
I spent many years as a local merchant. It’s here. I’m proud of it and I believe in our merchant base,” he said. “I believe that our businesses in the community can co-exist with Walmart and the businesses to come.”
Fitzloff pointed to other achievements over the past couple of years – “Kimball just brought in the new facility from Idaho and about 100 jobs, Summit Seed coating just opened this spring and has continued to grow. Cobblestone hotel became our first hotel and recently John Jones GM City moved into a new location and H&R Bakery is making plans to move to the square. We’ve seen the effort pay off. This is kind of the benchmark.”
WALMART BY THE NUMBERS
There are 92 Supercenters in Indiana and Salem’s will bring that number to 93.
Walmart employees approximately 35,687 in Indiana with an average wage of $12.65.
Walmart spent $1.3 billion with suppliers in Indiana.
No estimates were given for the amount of local taxes that would be generated by the new Walmart store, but Walmart contributes $342.3 million in taxes and fees in 2014, alone.
In 2013, Walmart gave $39.9 million to local communities .
The Salem Fall election lost two candidates — a Democrat and an Independent and neither will be replaced on the ballot.
Washington County Democratic Chairman Doug Leatherbury called a caucus to appoint a candidate to run in the fall election on Monday, July 12 in place of Johnny R. Sullivan, who won the spring primary to be the Democrat Candidate for Salem City Council At Large.
Leatherbury called all four Democratic precinct representatives to meet:
Judy Chastain, Salem 1 Precinct ; Mary Mead, Salem 2 Precinct; Nancy Walton, Salem 3 Precinct and Troy Merry, Salem 4 Precinct.
There were no candidates selected and therefore Justin Green will not be opposed in the fall election.
In other election news, Tommy Brown III, an independent candidate for Salem Council Member District 3, dropped out on July 8 due to health reasons.
“I was fully intending to serve the people in a way that they had not had in the past,” said Brown. “I also ask my supporters to remain loyal to the voice they have and to put their support behind Republican candidate Steve Crane.”
Brown had been endorsed by the Indiana Veterans Party of America.
One addition to the ballot was the filing of Sally Hattabaugh as a Republican challenger to Democrat Kevin Stewart.
MAYOR City of Salem
(R) Ron Haendiges 105 Lacey Court Salem IN 47167
(D) Troy Merry 708 Anson St. Salem IN 47167
CLERK-TREAS. City of Salem
(R) Sally Hattabaugh 314 W. Wendy Lane #102 Salem IN 47167
(D) Kevin W. Stewart 510 N. Main St. Salem IN 47167
Council Member At Large City of Salem
(R) Justin T. Green* 106 Macon Ave. Salem IN 47167
(D) Johnny R. Sullivan Withdrew candidacy 6/22/2015 – pending party caucus on for replacement. Caucus to be held on 7/13/2015 @ 12:30 pm. No candidate filings for party caucus.
Council Member Dist. #1 City of Salem
(R) Dan R. Libka* 601 Old State Rd. 60 East, Salem IN 47167
(D) John Smedley 110 Macon Ave. Salem IN 47167
Council Member Dist. #2 City of Salem
(R) No candidate filed.
(D) Warren N. (Truck) Jones* 604 S. Main St. Salem IN 47167
Council Member Dist. #3 City of Salem
(R) Steven A. Crane 1 Cavanaugh Ct. Salem IN 47167
(D) Lesle Gilbert Leis 912 N. Main St. Salem IN 47167
(I) Tommy Brown III Withdrew candidacy on 7/8/2015
Council Member Dist. #4 City of Salem
(R) James (Jim) Snelling 106 Virginia Ave. Salem IN 47167
A groundbreaking is planned for Friday, July 17 at 11a for a 150,000+ square foot Wal-Mart Super Center, a little larger than the one in Scottsburg, that will be constructed on East Hackberry Street in Salem.
In fact, according to Randall Hake, VP of Commercial Development with Cedarwood Development, the store will be the largest Wal-Mart in Southern Indiana.
The aptly named street will soon be the home of the largest Wal-Mart Supercenter in Kentuckiana. The public is invited to the event and lunch will be served at the Future Development Building on Progress Way.
Randy Hake, Director of Cedarwood Development, Inc., will be on hand along with Salem Mayor David Bower, Greg Fitzloff, Salem Marketing Director, along with other city and county officials.
The public is invited to the event and lunch will be served at the Future Development Building on Progress Way.
Although the timeline – which originally called for the store to be open by this fall — has been pushed forward. Further details will be provided next week.
Employment is expected to be 300-400 with additional employees for restaurants and ancillary businesses located around the facility.
There will be approx. 640 parking spaces in the parking lot.
The store will feature a garden center, tire and lube center, pharmacy, full grocery selection as well as general product lines.
The project hasn’t moved along as fast as some in the public have wanted or expected and earlier this year, Bower responded to questioning and negative comments made on social media with positive remarks on the development.
A view from the rear of the property looking towards State Road 56Looking at the eastside of the property and the north-south rear boundary.Temple and Temple built this entrance to the property in just a few hours.Work began ramping up this week in preparation of the groundbreaking ceremony to be held on Friday.An alcoholic beverage permit will be discussed at the next ABC meeting on July 20
“I just got out of a meeting with Cedarwood Development and everything is going great with the Wal-Mart project. Most of the permitting is finalized” said Bower earlier this year. “They have to have permits for IDEM, road permits….it takes a while for Wal-Mart to cross these hurdles. We also have to get the utilities on to the property so they are able to hook into them.”
Other plans for the site include a Murphy Oil Fuel Center (located across the street from WSLM) and several retail outlets in a mini-mall setting as well as restaurants – both fast food and menu-style.
Bower said dirt work would begin soon to begin the work of moving water and sewer lines to the property.
Mayor Bower is excited about the benefits the store will bring to the community – a shot in the arm of getting an additional $18 million per year in tax revenue.
Bower has been operating the city in a very frugal manner with decrease in state and federal revenue as well as lower local revenue.
He has mentioned several times the way to combat this is to add brick and mortar retail structures in a community.
The Wal-Mart project is the second large retail venture he and new city marketing director Fitzloff have developed in the past two years – the first being the Cobblestone Hotel, Salem’s first major hotel. The city has also added new jobs through a seed company opening this spring.
The hotel is located on the city’s eastside and near the planned Wal-Mart construction.
“The eastside of the City of Salem is ripe for development and you will be seeing a lot happen there over the next few years,” said Bower.
Mr. Frank Lee Murphy age 81 of Salem passed away Tuesday, July 7 at Meadow View Health Care and Rehab.
Mr. Murphy was born February 25, 1934 in Kentucky the son of Douglas and Lettie Murphy. He retired from Smith Cabinet Company after 29 years. He was a Baptist and a Korean War Marine veteran.
He was preceded in death by his companion: Julia Horine, a sister and his parents. He is survived by sons: Frankie L. Horine, Earl Horine and Steve Cole all of Salem, a daughter: Pam Bowers of Little York, a half brother: William Murphy of Kentucky, 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Private services were held at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Mrs. Thelma Yvonne Dishman age 80 of Mitchell passed away Thursday, July 16 at her home.
Mrs. Dishman was born August 30, 1934 in Washington County, Indiana the daughter of Vance and Opal Freed Rife. She was a homemaker, and a member of Saltillo Christian Church and Sassy Hoosier Red Hat Society.
Thelma was preceded in death by her husband: Wayne Lee Dishman in 2000, her parents and a great-granddaughter: Allie.
She is survived by four daughters: Vicky Baumann (Craig) of Saltillo, Vonda Root (Tim) of Mitchell, Vanessa Blaine of Campbellsburg and Valerie Potter (Venon) of Salem, nine grandchildren: Gina, Tiffany, Thomas, Tracy, Kristy, Emily, William, Shelby and Jared and a great-granddaughter: Sophia.
Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11:00AM at Weathers Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Saltillo Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 4-8PM and Saturday from 9AM-time of service.
Around 11:00 am this morning, the United States Marshals Service received information that Kevin Justin Ward, 25, of Louisville, KY, was staying at a residence on State Road #3 in Charlestown, IN.
Kevin Justin Ward was wanted on an arrest warrant issued on July 10, 2015 out of the state of Kentucky.
He was wanted by the Shepherdsville Police Department for Homicide.
After receiving the tip the Marshals Service contacted troopers from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg to assist in his apprehension. Marshals and troopers went to the residence and located Kevin Justin Ward inside. He was taken into custody without incident.
Kevin Justin Ward was extradited back to Kentucky by the U. S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Marshals involved were from both the Louisville and New Albany Field Offices.
The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to close the State Road 46 bridge that spans Leatherwood Creek near Heltonville next Thursday (JULY 23) for up to one week. This will allow INDOT’s contractor to make repairs and apply a thin bridge deck overlay on the 3-span structure.
Motorists are advised to detour around the closure—which is just south of S.R. 58—via U.S. Highway 50 and S.R. 37.
RAM Construction is the state’s specialty contractor for applying a three-eighths-inch “polycarb” overlay atop this 153-foot-long steel beam structure which measures 44 feet side-to-side. The polymeric epoxy will be placed in two lifts. It will seal the deck and extend the service life of the driving surface. Flint chips are to be mixed with the epoxy to elevate the coefficient of friction for improved safety.
S.R. 446’s traffic count at Leatherwood Creek is 1,180 vehicles per day.
RAM’s $136,263 rehabilitation contract also calls for placing a thin polymer overlay on the S.R. 446 bridge at Little Salt Creek, north of the Leatherwood Creek site. That work is tentatively scheduled to begin July 30. It will require a week-long closure.
Dr. Harold E. Bays, Louisville resident, was recently awarded the President’s Service Award at the National Lipid Association’s 2015 Annual Sessions. This award recognizes an individual for service and dedication to the NLA, and advancing the development of the specialty of clinical lipidology. It is presented at the discretion of the NLA president, and multiple awards may be presented annually.
Dr. Harold Bays is board certified in endocrinology and internal medicine, and has participated as an investigator for more than 400 Phase I-IV clinical trials regarding treatments for dyslipidemias, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and other metabolic and hormonal disorders. He is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology. As medical director and president of Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center, Dr. Bays has written or served as a contributing author to approximately 200 published scientific manuscripts and book chapters, as well as over 100 scientific abstracts presented at major scientific meetings.
Dr. Bays is a fellow of the National Lipid Association (FNLA), fellow of the Obesity Society (FTOS) and fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (FACE). He has served as an adviser/consultant to numerous pharmaceutical companies with regard to drug development, protocol writing, statistical analyses, regulatory application, FDA Advisory panel presentations and patent assistance. Dr. Bays originated the term “adiposopathy” (“sick fat”), which defines how and when the pathologic consequences of adipose tissue accumulation promotes metabolic disease, including dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
Dr. Bays is a co-author of the NLA Annual Summary of Clinical Lipidology 2015, of the American Society of Bariatric Physician Obesity Algorithm, and was chairman of the National Lipid Association 2012 Adiposity and Dyslipidemia Consensus Conference and chairman of the 2010 American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist Adipose Tissue Pathophysiology State of the Science Conference.
About the National Lipid Association The NLA is a multidisciplinary specialty society focused on prevention of cardiovascular disease and other lipid-related disorders. The NLA’s mission is to enhance the practice of lipid management in clinical medicine; one of its goals is to enhance efforts to reduce death and disability related to disorders of lipid metabolism in patients. Members include physicians (MDs and DOs), as well as allied health clinical team members, including PhD researchers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, exercise physiologists and dietitians.
Indiana senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld secured a place on the watch list for the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy, it was announced Wednesday. Sudfeld is also on the 2015 Maxwell Award Watch List.
The Wuerffel Trophy, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service,” is presented annually by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach Florida. Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
Voting for the Wuerffel Trophy is performed by a National Selection Committee that includes college football television and print media, industry notables, former head coaches and prior Wuerffel Trophy recipients.
Sudfeld, a player speaker at the 2015 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, went on a week-long service trip to Uganda during 2015 spring break. He traveled there with his family to visit construction on an orphanage representing Assist International, the humanitarian group that his grandparents founded in 1990. Sudfeld has also volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club, the Andrew Luck/IU Health Change The Play Program and Read Across America.
The Modesto, Calif., native ranks second in program history in completion percentage (60.6), tied for second in 300-yard passing games (four), fifth in passing touchdowns (34), eighth in passing yardage (4,306) and completions (346), ninth in attempts (571) and 10th in total offense (4,377) in just 25 career games (14 starts).
Sudfeld passed for 1,151 yards on 101-of-167 (60.5 percent) with six TDs, three picks and a 126.6 pass efficiency rating before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the second quarter of game six at Iowa last season.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 3 and finalists will be announced on November 24. Formal announcement of the winner will be on December 8 at the National Football Foundation’s press conference in New York City.
The presentation of the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy will occur at the 47th Annual All Sports Association Awards Banquet on February 12, 2016 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Past winners of the Wuerffel Trophy are: Rudy Niswanger (LSU-2005), Joel Penton (Ohio State-2006), Paul Smith (Tulsa-2007), Tim Tebow (Florida-2008), Tim Hiller (W. Michigan-2009), Sam Acho (Texas-2010), Barrett Jones (Alabama-2011), Matt Barkley (USC-2012), Gabe Ikard (Oklahoma-2013) and Deterrian Shackelford (Ole Miss-2014).
The Wuerffel Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast more than 700 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visitwww.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
Beginning in 2015, The Home Depot College Football Awards will have a new home at the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta. Airing live on ESPN on December 10, 2015, college football’s brightest stars will be honored for their performance on and off the field.
