Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Shell Building Construction Update topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RDC hears update on shell building; contractor plans to resume work in late January
Summary
Staff and Runnebom representatives told the Lebanon Redevelopment Commission that work on the city’s shell building stalled in 2024 after a potential buyer sought modifications; the contractor plans to return to site by late January with a target for full completion by April weather permitting.
The Lebanon Redevelopment Commission received an update on the city-owned shell building project and a timeline for restarting construction.
Ben Bontrager (staff member) summarized events: the prime contractor, Runnebom, paused on-site work in 2024 while the city negotiated with a potential buyer that had requested modifications. The buyer negotiations fell through in April, and the contractor then reassigned crews to other jobs, which created scheduling challenges to remobilize. Bontrager said Runnebom acknowledged delays and has made the project a priority.
Chris Leasure, who identified himself as a construction representative for Runnebom, said that once crews return to the site he expects roughly four to five weeks of work to “button up” the building and get electrical tied in; he said Runnebom planned to be back on-site by the end of January and that full completion could occur by the end of April, weather permitting. Bontrager added that some concrete work (dock pours and curbs) and site asphalt and landscaping would wait until spring weather allows.
Bontrager said Runnebom completed an electrical trench to the building in December and that an inspection and power activation were expected soon; the building currently has only basic lighting. He told commissioners the city is still getting leads from prospective tenants and that the project team — the city, the broker and the technical owner Greg Martz — are coordinating on identifying an appropriate end user. Greg Martz was identified in the meeting as technically still the owner of the property and developer.
Commission discussion centered on scheduling and the risk of repeated stop-start work. Commissioners pressed staff about preventing future pauses; Bontrager said the team decided the contractor will finish the shell regardless of future buyer interest so the city does not repeatedly pause work to accommodate prospective buyers. Commissioners acknowledged that Indiana weather creates scheduling uncertainty and that metal panel construction used on the building was chosen in part because panels can be removed and reinstalled more easily than concrete components if a user later requests modifications.
No formal action was taken; the update was informational and directed at scheduling and completion planning.
