Vigo County CIB approves $400,000 for Wabash Valley Crew boathouse and programming
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Summary
The Vigo County Capital Improvement Board voted to provide up to $400,000 toward a temporary ‘boathouse in a box’ and associated programming for Wabash Valley Crew in Fairbanks Park, approving the measure by voice vote and instructing counsel to draft final terms.
The Vigo County Capital Improvement Board voted Jan. 28 to provide up to $400,000 to Wabash Valley Crew to fund a temporary boathouse and related equipment and programming in Fairbanks Park. The board approved the funding in a voice vote during its regular meeting after a series of questions about timeline, site control and safeguards.
Wabash Valley Crew’s presenter described the proposal as a turnkey “boathouse in a box” backed by national partners and local programming. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be the first of its kind," the presenter said, outlining components that included an estimated installed boathouse cost of $173,000, a low-profile dock for about $124,000, instructional electronics and safety equipment listed at $272,000, and a $130,000 scholarship fund. The presenter said the group had raised $355,000 to date toward a total equipment-and-programming cost of $887,000 and that the request to the board would address a remaining shortfall.
Board members pressed for detail on site, ownership and timelines. The presenter said the structure could be sited temporarily on the parking lot east of the Girl Scout building on a revocable permit and estimated roughly six weeks to order materials and three weeks to assemble, with a target completion in late spring or early summer. The presenter said the facility would become part of the City of Terre Haute’s portfolio and be covered by the city’s insurance.
Concerns centered on whether CIB funds should be used to acquire the Girl Scout building. One board member said, "My one stipulation would be that the CIB has no role in the purchase or the acquisition of the Girl Scout building," and sought assurances the board’s money would be restricted to the boathouse, dock and program-related costs. The presenter responded that the Crew’s current funds could cover the building conversation without CIB dollars and that the $400,000 requested would be used for the boathouse, dock and equipment.
Rather than attaching detailed contractual conditions during the meeting, members directed legal counsel to prepare a short agreement spelling out allowable uses, performance triggers and potential clawbacks. The board instructed counsel and staff to handle standard invoice-and-claim procedures (the usual process used for prior museum and convention-center payments) and to return a final agreement for board review. The motion to provide up to $400,000 was approved by the board; the chair declared the motion passed.
The presenter said that national partners including US Rowing, Riversport America and the YMCA were ready to support programming and that orders would be placed as soon as the board’s approval carried through to contracting. Board members asked staff to return the final negotiated terms to the board at or before the next regular meeting so the board could confirm compliance with the agreed conditions.
Next steps: counsel will draft the funding agreement that specifies permissible uses and any disbursement conditions; staff indicated that payments would follow the board’s standard invoice and claim process. The board set a timeline for follow-up and left the project’s implementation contingent on completing that paperwork.
