![]() ![]() Schalliol said that the process to bid and sell the land, taking almost three months, hasn't yet been scheduled. Baxmeyer is hopeful that the county could sell that parcel through public bidding later this spring. The founder of Magnus spoke publicly with officials last spring about such a project. Though he didn't name Magnus, Baxmeyer said discussions have continued with a developer who's presented sketches of the housing, but nothing definite. The city’s boundaries have grown to include it since the home opened in 1907. The city is involved because the home and its 100-plus acres of county-owned land sits within the city of South Bend. The city of South Bend has been working with a developer, Magnus Capital Partners, based in Grand Rapids, who's interested in possibly buying and building “workforce housing” on a northern parcel of the Portage Manor property, close to the Indiana Toll Road, that had been leased out for farming.īut the city has also been talking with other potential developers for that or nearby parcels, Bill Schalliol, the county’s director of economic development, said. Are there plans to sell Portage Manor or the surrounding county-owned property? He just recently suggested rehabbing the home so that it could house current tenants as well as, in a separate wing, people who have below 30% of the median income. In 2000, Portage Manor was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ![]() He sits next to county council member Mark Catanzarite, foreground, and other Democrats on the council who support efforts to save the home.īut Zeiger, with Indiana Landmarks, said the county has failed to consider historic-preservation tax credits from the government that could help to finance the renovation. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend. Todd Zeiger, of Indiana Landmarks, listens to county Commissioner Deb Fleming on March 6, 2023, at the Save Portage Manor town hall at the St. There were still some funding options that it hadn’t yet explored, but Hesterman said that, as he studied the various possibilities, it was looking as if the home wouldn’t support itself.Ĭounty officials also paid for studies of building a new home: a 144-bed facility for $10 million or a 75-bed facility for $20 million. While they were working on that, the county changed course and started to pursue other options. The Fort Wayne firm Bona Vita Architecture was three-quarters of the way through studying whether the renovations - and Medicaid waivers - could have led to enough income to support itself, project manager and designer Andy Hesterman said. Misch, the county attorney, recently argued that the home could lose at least half of its residents through the Medicaid waiver adaptations and concluded, “It doesn’t make any sense to renovate.” Construction estimates have ranged between $9 million and $12 million. Under her leadership, former administrator Robyn Challinor made a plea in 2021 to do needed building repairs but also to create a memory care unit and add 30 bathrooms so that Portage Manor would qualify for Medicaid waivers, which would provide better income for the home. So, could a renovated Portage Manor be a viable option? "It’s a solid old building and deserves to be renovated,” he said. He’s been in the building several times, and he’s director of the northern regional office of the preservation advocacy group Indiana Landmarks. Repairs may be needed, but Todd Zeiger doesn’t think they’re any more than a good restoration project could handle. Joseph County Public Library sponsored by the local chapter of the NAACP. Todd Zeiger with Indiana Landmarks makes remarks on what projects could be pursued in efforts to save Portage Manor on Monday, March 6, 2023, at the Save Portage Manor town hall at the St. Commissioners had previously approved by 2-1 a resolution to close the home, and the council had voted 5-3 on Feb. ![]() meeting this coming Tuesday, the county council is poised to make the final vote to close the home, triggering staff to alert the state and formally begin a shutdown that could take years. Some county leaders, though, say so much time has already been spent over the last couple of years looking at options for a home that's stricken with deficits and needs several building repairs.Īt its 6 p.m. They believe there could be a chance to keep the 101 residents of this county-owned home together - people with mental illness and disabilities who need the daily guidance of staff. Joseph County Commissioners this past Tuesday after yet another vote inched the county toward closing Portage Manor.Īdvocates are pleading for time. SOUTH BEND - “Why the rush?” a man asked St. A sign greets the public at the entrance drive to Portage Manor in South Bend on March 2, 2023. ![]()
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