June 24, 2008

Progress not hard to find throughout Wells in 2008

We have said many times in this space that life in Bluffton and Wells County is simply the best.

If you’ve ever doubted that statement, today is your day because we are going to show you just why Wells County is a great place to live.

In fact, we are going to show you more than 50 times why life in Wells County is so good.

Beginning today and continuing through Friday, The News-Banner is publishing its annual Progress Edition to highlight different people, communities, businesses, technologies, schools and much, much more. A different section will appear in your newspaper for four days to tell you — and show you with pictures, graphics and sidebars — how much progress Wells County has witnessed this year. At the same time, much is on the horizon for Wells residents, including new jobs, growing industry and new faces.

Our main package on today’s front page of the business section shows how historic 2008 has become for Wells County.

Thanks to a lot of work by more people than we can probably imagine, one-third of one billion dollars is being spent on the city’s southwest side as new businesses locate there and old businesses grow. That’s right ... $300 million ... $300,000,000.00

So what does that mean for you?

First, with the development comes 100 new well-paying jobs from two of the businesses alone, IBE and Alexin.

Second, several business leaders on the city’s southwest side are optimistic that they will add more employees in the coming months.

Third, all the job growth will likely lead to a trickle-down effect throughout the community that will benefit many others, from sales at restaurants to newspaper advertising and purchases.

“I firmly believe that our best days are ahead of us despite talks of a recession and (increasing) fuel prices,” said Mike Row, Wells County economic development director. “I know it’s difficult for some businesses but we are all in this together and we’ll work through it together and we’ll get through it together.”

We would like to list everyone’s name who has worked tirelessly to bring the west-side projects to fruition, but space doesn’t permit that today. We commend those people from the city, county, state and nation who have united to make Wells’ biggest one-time simultaneous economic-development projects a soon-to-be reality. We know of no other community in the nation our size that can boast of more than $300 million being spent on development.

The historic west-side development now under way in the Adams Street area, however, is just one piece of the progress pie.

Over the next few days, you are going to read about more happenings in Wells County than even a person who has lived here his whole life knew about. Afterward, we hope you come to the same conclusion we have: Life in Bluffton and Wells County is the best, and it’s getting better each year. After Friday, we hope your view is the same as our outlook: The glass is two-thirds full, not two-thirds empty.

As you read stories by more than nine News-Banner reporters and freelancers, see if you can find the answers to these question. Look for the answers at the bottom of my column next week. Good luck!

--JUSTIN PEEPER

Progress Edition Quiz

1. This person was a police officer, college professor and president of a county council in Indiana before coming to Wells County last year to lead an organization.

2. This person has taught government to thousands of students in Wells County over the past 40 years and has been involved in county government for about 12 years.

3. This organization provided more than 27,000 trips to Wells residents and traveled more than 126,000 miles in 2007.

4. Wells County’s Emergency Management Office is now located here.

5. Bluffton Mayor Ted Ellis would like to use money from this fund to encourage property owners to make their land “shovel-ready.”

6. This type of park might be built in the 800 block of W. Market Street if officials can raise $165,000.

7. Some new Wells County residents are now breading suri, a breed of this type of animal that sometimes spits.

8. This person, who will retire this month after ending a 38-year-career in education, spent four years of his life on a farm near Holdrege, Neb.

9. If this person is reelected to city government in 2011, he will become the state’s longest-serving council representative.

10. This person holds the record in his sport as the winningest coach in Bluffton High School history.

11. This business is likely to remain operational until the year 2158.

12. This person spent seven years in full-time Christian ministry before joining law enforcement in Bluffton.

13. This Bluffton business located to an 1891-built home last year on the city’s north side.

14. Several high school teens stayed up all night so they could be the first in line at this reopened Bluffton eatery.

15. A “Field of Dreams” is being built here.

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