FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A new RediMed location will be opening downtown Fort Wayne in the fall.
City and Lutheran Health Network leaders announced on Wednesday morning that the urgent care clinic will be opening in the Anthony Wayne Building on East Berry Street.
In addition to the Anthony Wayne location, Lutheran Health Network plans to open new clinic in New Haven and a new facility in Bluffton. These will both open in the fall as well.
There will also be operational changes instituted at all RediMed location. Clinics will now have permanent staff instead of temporary staff. The change is in an effort to keep all visits to 60 minutes.
FORT WAYNE – The ice is the same, only the name has changed.
Canlan’s ice sports complex at 3869 Ice Way is being christened the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse, officials announced Friday.
Ortho NorthEast, popularly known as ONE, and Parkview Health reached a sponsorship agreement with Canlan Ice Sports Corp. for naming rights to the facility that was known as the Lutheran Health SportsCenter until this month.
The dollar amount and terms were not disclosed. But the deal includes in-kind services, Eric Clabaugh, Parkview spokesman, explained.
“Parkview will be providing AEDs (defibrillators), staff education on the AEDs, CPR and first aid, as well as sharing resources regarding well-being through our Parkview LiVe program and injury prevention through Parkview Sports Medicine,” he said in a statement.
Canlan Ice Sports Corp. is the largest private-sector owner and operator of recreational ice sports facilities in North America, with 20 sites in the United States and Canada. The facilities boast 62 surfaces, including ice rinks and indoor soccer fields.
Canlan Ice Sports Corp. is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ICE.
The Canlan-managed facility off Fernhill Avenue between Wells and Lima opened in April 2010 and adopted the Lutheran Health SportsCenter name six months later.
The deal for naming rights was a 10-year agreement for an undisclosed amount, but both parties reached a mutual agreement to discontinue that association early, Lutheran spokesman Geoff Thomas said March 11.
“Lutheran Health Network continues to explore various opportunities to further its ongoing objective to promote wellness and help increase physical activity while being good stewards of healthcare resources,” he said in a statement Friday.
Parkview, a nonprofit health care provider, also pays for naming rights to the TinCaps ballpark. Announced in September 2008, the deal is $3 million over 10 years.
Like the Harrison Square ballpark, the ice skating complex also fits the organization’s goals, said Julie Fleck, Parkview Ortho Hospital’s chief operating officer.
“The facility is designed to host a number of activities that promote health and well-being. Parkview and ONE are committed to supporting competitive and recreational sports as a way for members of our community to stay active,” she said in a statement.
Dr. Alan McGee, Ortho NorthEast, said the ice skating complex has had a positive effect on the community in the four years since it opened. “It’s also played an important role in driving our local economy, helping to attract dollars through hosting tournaments and other activities,” he said in a statement. “It is a good fit for ONE and Parkview to step in and help to support the facility when the opportunity recently became available.”
Shari Lichterman, Canlan’s vice president of Eastern Operations, said the Canadian company is excited to attract the new sponsor.
“This agreement provides the support from a strong community partner and ensures that our successful facility will continue to benefit the Fort Wayne and surrounding area,” she said in a statement.
The icehouse, which includes a full-service restaurant and banquet center, offers ice skating and hockey programs for all ages and experience levels.
For more information, go to www.icesports.com/fortwayne.
First Financial Announces Site of Regional Hub and Banking Center The building will be renamed the First Financial Center at the Anthony Wayne Building
Fort Wayne, IN – July 31, 2014 – First Financial Bank continues to grow in Fort Wayne and is proud to announce the site of its regional hub and downtown banking center. Located at 203 East Berry Street, this prominent building is in the central business district and is currently known as the Anthony Wayne Building. The building will be renamed the First Financial Center at the Anthony Wayne Building.
“This is an exciting day for all of us at First Financial. We’re proud to expand our presence in Fort Wayne,” said Rob Slusser, First Financial’s Fort Wayne market president. “The new regional hub provides us with the opportunity to establish the First Financial Center and provide permanent space for our corporate and sales associates. We also look forward to opening our first local banking center.”
First Financial entered a long-term lease agreement and will occupy a total of 9,700 square feet. Fort Wayne leadership and key commercial, mortgage and wealth management sales teams will have offices on the sixth floor. In addition, downtown clients, residents and visitors will enjoy a full complement of personal banking, business banking and wealth management solutions at a new banking center on the first floor of the building. Drive-thru and ATM services will also be available at the downtown banking center.
“I continue to be encouraged by the growth and redevelopment in downtown Fort Wayne. The investment being made by First Financial Bank is a great example of the unprecedented momentum we’re experiencing in our community,” said Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. “Our collective commitment to making Fort Wayne a leader in economic development opportunities and job creation enhances our ability to make a meaningful difference for residents and businesses.”
“We are pleased that First Financial Bank has made a commitment to locate their Northeast Indiana banking center and regional hub in the Anthony Wayne Building in downtown Fort Wayne. We value their partnership and our shared vision of the potential that this iconic building offers,” said John Nichols, Partner RCI Development. “When we purchased this 50 year old building it was mostly vacant and in desperate need of revitalization. This announcement is the culmination of three years of hard work by RCI Development, BND Commercial Real Estate, Design Collaborative, Zumbrun Construction and its subcontractors to revitalize a tired building and make it new again. We also want to thank Mayor Henry, City Council, and City and County Staff for their assistance and continued support which was vital to ensure the project’s success. We believe this is another step in the continued rejuvenation of downtown Fort Wayne and an enhancement to the quality of life for its citizens.”
In addition to the regional hub and downtown banking center, First Financial continues to review opportunities to bring additional First branded banking centers to the Fort Wayne area.
“Our team has been serving the Fort Wayne market for more than 25 years, and we are proud to grow with First Financial and the local community,” Slusser continued. “We look forward to bringing the First brand of banking to more residents and businesses throughout the area.”
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About First Financial Bancorp
First Financial Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company. As of June 30, 2014, the Company had $6.5 billion in assets, $4.0 billion in loans, $4.9 billion in deposits and $706 million in shareholders’ equity. The Company’s subsidiary, First Financial Bank, N.A., founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services products through its four lines of business: commercial, consumer, wealth management and mortgage. The commercial, consumer and mortgage units provide traditional banking services to business and retail clients. First Financial Wealth Management provides wealth planning, portfolio management, trust and estate, brokerage and retirement plan services and had approximately $2.5 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2014. The Company’s strategic operating markets are located in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky where it operates 105 banking centers. Additional information about the Company, including its products, services and banking locations is available at www.bankatfirst.com.
FORT WAYNE – The city’s youth sports study is complete and says Fort Wayne can capitalize on and expand the position it already holds by building facilities, creating an organizational structure and marketing.
The study recommends:
Building an outdoor multisport complex with 12 to 18 fields for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and field hockey with synthetic turf, lighting, locker rooms and a championship field with bleacher seating and lighting
A new or expanded baseball and softball complex with eight or more fields
Leveraging existing programs and infrastructure to create a regional adaptive-sports hub with the potential for national reach for athletes with disabilities.
It also recommends the creation of a new sports commission with a board of directors and full-time executive director focused on youth sports.
This commission would enhance local youth sports through attracting regional events and developing commission-specific events, building Fort Wayne’s reputation for youth sports and creating a youth sports foundation for children from low-income households and adaptive sports participants.
The study also recommends marketing Fort Wayne as the premier regional youth-sports destination through its combination of facilities, proximity to other Midwestern cities, affordable lodging, family-friendly attractions and the community’s reputation for Hoosier hospitality.
“This study affirms that Fort Wayne is truly a destination for youth sports yet offers opportunities for our residents,” Mayor Tom Henry said.
“I look forward to reviewing the recommendations more closely with the advisory committee and identifying initiatives that will enhance what we have and create new ways to engage local youth and families from across the Midwest and country.”
Henry and Parks Director Al Moll will evaluate the findings and release their recommendations in a separate announcement this year.
“The Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department is excited about being a partner in growing the Fort Wayne youth sports market. Some of these suggestions fit squarely with Parks’ mission of providing facilities and programs that enhance the local quality of life,” Moll said. “Others, such as the potential for a sports commission, are better suited for other organizations. Either way, Parks was pleased to be involved in this study and look at how we can better serve youth through sports.”
In May 2013, city officials announced the selection of Aquarius Sports and Entertainment of Gaithersburg, Md., and Victus Advisors of Park City, Utah, to conduct the $115,000 study.
The study was paid for by the Legacy Fund, money from the lease and sale of the city’s old electric utility that is being used for proposals aimed at transformational change in the community.
According to the study, the economic benefit of investing in becoming a regional youth-sports destination depends on how much money is invested.
At the low end, spending $10 million on building facilities could create $49.5 million in economic output; spending $30 million could draw 100 annual youth sports events and create nearly $200 million in economic activity, including 277 jobs, the study says.
If you question whether you could enjoy living in downtown Fort Wayne, this story might change your mind.
We took a guided tour through a high-rise condominium project that makes your eyes pop.
Right across from the historic Allen County courthouse, you find what’s called the AWB.
15 floors high, there are living units inside that can take your breath away.
Not everybody can stand in their kitchen, or den, and turn to look out the window and see a spectacular view of the courthouse and other downtown landmarks.
The developers that transformed the Old Anthony Wayne Bank Building into 32 high-end condos dreamed buyers would be drawn to the project like a magnet.
Apparently they got it right.
About two years in, 23 of the units, or 72 percent, have already sold.
A 1,465 square foot space on the northwest corner of the 12th floor lets you see the courthouse out one set of windows, the Martin Luther King Bridge and Science Central out another.
Buyers have liberty to furnish their spaces however they want, so no two units look alike.
Genny Roesler moved into a 10th floor unit on the northeast corner of the building back in October.
” The whole panorama of the city is pretty. The lights change, the lights reflect off of the First Source Bank windows, at night it’s kind of like watching Christmas all year round,” Roesler said.
A unit on the southwest corner of floor number 10 is still under construction.
The prices range from just under $200,000 to as much as $800,000 for a 4,000 square foot gem on an upper floor.
” For Ft. Wayne it’s a very big price tag, so you can imagine if you transplant that into Chicago or New York, you’re talking some huge bucks,” said Breck Johnson, who markets the units for BND Commercial.
If you like what you see, get your wallet out now.
The 9 unsold units will see a price increase starting January 1st.
Wider walkway, streetscaping among downtown upgrades
Dan Stockman | The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – Traffic along Clinton Street will get a bit tighter, but pedestrians will see a world of difference between Main and Berry streets.
Work began Monday to remove the easternmost lane.
In its place will be a new, wider sidewalk marked by large planters and decorative lighting.
Mayor Tom Henry and others gathered on the fifth-floor parking level of the renovated Anthony Wayne Building on Wednesday to kick off the project.
“This will be a new and dynamic addition to downtown Fort Wayne,” Henry said. “This will really make the entrance into our city much more attractive than it is now.”
The work, to be completed by mid-summer, will vastly improve the streetscape in front of the Anthony Wayne Building at Clinton and Berry and The Journal Gazette Office Building at Clinton and Main, and it will wrap around the buildings onto Main and Berry and improve the alley that runs from Barr Street to Clinton, officials said.
The $265,839 project, approved by the city’s Redevelopment Commission, is being paid for by the tax increment financing district that covers the area. Within that district, the increase in property taxes collected – caused by projects such as the renovation of the Anthony Wayne Building – can be used for infrastructure projects.
Todd Ramsey, a partner at the Anthony Wayne Building’s developer, RCI Development, said the improvements will be a major selling point for tenants, but there were many who doubted that the Indiana Department of Transportation would agree to narrow Clinton Street to four lanes. Clinton is U.S. 27.
“Everyone said they’ll never let you do it,” Ramsey said. “I said, ‘Did anyone ask them?’ (INDOT) said, ‘Yeah, that’s a great idea.’ ”
Ramsey said INDOT’s traffic engineers determined the street had more capacity than needed, and closing the easternmost lane will allow the lane next to Friemann Square to become a left-turn only lane for turning eastbound onto Main Street.
Journal Gazette Publisher Julie Inskeep said she’s excited about the project, which will beautify a city block that is home to a beautiful building – which was home to The Journal Gazette newspaper until 1950. The Journal Gazette Office Building has been on the historic register since 1982.
“We’re so thrilled it’s happening,” Inskeep said.
Officials said the project will bring:
•A wider, unimpeded sidewalk that will be raised slightly to provide full access for people with disabilities to more of the Anthony Wayne and The Journal Gazette Office buildings’ storefronts.
•A block-long landscape planter to extend the qualities of the Courthouse Green across the street and to provide a buffer against motor traffic; maintenance will be provided by adjacent property owners.
•Downtown-style sidewalks, with patterning and brick accent strips, improved LED historically styled lights, and street trees along Berry.
•Shorter street crossings on Clinton with improved crosswalk markings. These changes will improve safety and convenience for pedestrians.
