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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
October 30, 2007
10 a.m.
Contractors to review South Bend Lathe demolition site
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications&Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-
1564; Carl Littrell, City Engineer, 235-9251; or Ann Kolata, 235-9371
Contractors eligible to demolish the former South Bend Lathe facility, 400 W. Sample
St.,toured the site today as part of a 30-day evaluation period in preparation for the Nov.
29 deadline to submit bids.
The Board of Public Works will open bids Nov. 29 in anticipation of awarding the
demolition contract in its Dec. 20 meeting. The selected contractor would be able to
proceed with demolition in January with substantial completion of the demolition
required by July 2009.
Tuesday's walkthrough tour provided a summary of the project, establishing limits and
requirements and giving contractors an opportunity to take necessary samples of soil or
other materials.
Located directly across from South Bend Police headquarters, the 15-acre site with its
500,000-square-foot building represents about 20 percent of land and structures in the
Studebaker corridor's Area A. The project will bring the total demolition in the entire
Studebaker corridor to nearly 2.5 million square feet with another 1 million square feet in
the Oliver Plow area.
"This demolition will have a very visible impact on the entire area It will open up the
land for new jobs, new investment and new pride," Mayor Stephen J. Luecke said.
"These sites will be reused as productive business parks where people once again can
find employment opportunities in the central city. This is not only good for the
environment. It is also an important part of our Smart Growth strategy."
Following demolition and environmental remediation, the city anticipates new
construction of a light industrial park with private investment of up to $46 million and the
creation of as many as 1,700 new jobs over the next 15 years. The effort is being funded
by the city of South Bend as well as federal and state grants and loans, including a recent
$9 million Housing and Urban Development loan.
The South Bend Redevelopment Commission bought the property for $665,000 in 2006.
In January, the commission ordered the installation of a perimeter fence around the site
and authorized the South Bend Police Department to patrol and train on the site to
prevent trespassing, looting and security problems.
In 2006, the city began demolition of the adjacent 40-acre Studebaker/Allied Stamping
Plant property to make way for a new Transpo headquarters and maintenance facility, as
well as to clear land for the light industrial park. Design work is under way, and Transpo
expects to be in a new facility in 2008.
The former South Bend Lathe facility was built in 1917 as the machine shop and engine
plant of the Studebaker Corp. South Bend Lathe moved to the site in 1965 when
Studebaker went out of business. The firm grew to become the world's leading
manufacturer of precision lathes, employing 900 at its peak. South Bend Lathe was 94
years old when it stopped production on site in May 2002.
The facility has been vacant since 2003, but South Bend Lathe has continued to provide
jobs in the community from a new location on Bendix Drive near the airport.
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