05-01-09 Longtime firm to make way for Transpo, Ignition Park

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Ziolkowski Construction Inc. into this area will be an asset to the park, put a vacant building back into use and allow for ZCI to have a unified campus site.” Ignition Park is one of the two locations in South Bend that make up Indiana’s first two- site State-Certified Technology Park. The other is Innovation Park at Notre Dame, located on 12 acres on the city’s northeast side across from the Notre Dame campus, where the first building already is under construction. Companies formed at Innovation Park will be encouraged to move to Ignition Park, yet continue to receive support services and other benefits from being part of the same state-certified technology park. While construction won’t begin at Ignition Park for some time, Ziolkowski’s immediate relocation is prompted by efforts to begin construction June 1 on the Transpo site, which includes a portion of the Ziolkowski property. Transpo had planned for years to move to the former Studebaker Corridor, now known as Ignition Park. But when the potential community value of an undivided Ignition Park became clear, Transpo officials worked with the City to relocate their planned facility from the center of the site to its edge. This allows Ignition Park to concentrate on high- potential technologies and ventures, as well as the commercialization of nanotechnology concepts inspired by the Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery. Ignition Park sits on the grounds of the former Studebaker Corp., the legendary auto manufacturer that was the economic and innovative backbone of South Bend until closing its doors in 1963. Since 2000, old abandoned buildings on the Ignition Park site have been demolished in the state’s most aggressive brownfield reclamation effort to make way for a high-tech manufacturing, commercialization and office complex of buildings arrayed in a park-like environment Also on Friday, the Commission approved an eight-month, $420,000 contract with The Blue Waters Group, a Wisconsin firm with offices in South Bend. The contract will continue the second phase of marketing/communication activities related to the promotion of Ignition Park and economic-development activities in South Bend. The contract, extending from May 1 through Dec. 31, includes development of electronic communication initiatives, national media relations, outreach to entrepreneurs and business leaders along with other promotional efforts. Funding for the efforts comes from Tax Increment Financing revenue from the west-side Airport Economic Development area. By law, TIF funds must be used for infrastructure investment or services that benefit economic development in a designated area. TIF districts are a public-financing method designed to capture the increased property tax value that results from economic growth because of public and private investment. This growth generates new tax revenues, which finance improvements in distressed or underdeveloped areas where economic growth would not otherwise occur. The Airport Economic Development Area, the largest TIF district in South Bend with more than 60 percent of the overall TIF resources, was expanded in 2007 to include LaSalle Square, the Marycrest-Hurwich area along Western Avenue and the Sample-Ewing Development Area, home to the Studebaker Corridor and Ignition Park. - 30 -