This and that: Water for SK hynix
A few notes on a Thursday afternoon, including Indiana American Water’s take on SK hynix’s 2.8M-gallon-a-day needs. And plans moving ahead on a near-downtown site once home to The Pub.
Support for this edition comes from Lafayette Master Chorale, presenting Handel’s Messiah at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at St. Boniface Church in Lafayette. Back by popular demand, a performance of Handel’s cherished oratorio returns to Lafayette once again. Celebrate Eastertide by hearing the greatest choral/orchestral masterpiece in history performed by the Lafayette Master Chorale, soloists and orchestra in the acoustically thrilling St. Boniface Church. From the lyrical solos to the rousing choruses, this performance promises a unique chance to hear this monumental work and all of its splendor. Tickets are adults $25/advance, $28/door; students $10; children under 18 free. Purchase tickets at https://www.lafayettemasterchorale.org/concerts-and-tickets.
A bunch of notes to get out on a Thursday afternoon …
SK HYNIX’S 2.8M-GALLON-DAY WATER NEEDS: INDIANA AMERICAN WEIGHS IN
A little more from the SK hynix front, as a controversial rezoning request on 121 acres for a $3.87 billion advanced chip packaging and R&D facility heads for a May 5 vote by the West Lafayette City Council …
INDIANA AMERICAN WATER WEIGHS IN ON SUPPLIES: SK hynix officials confirmed earlier this month that the packaging facility – a “fab” that stacks and assembles chips made elsewhere into high-bandwidth memory used in AI computing – would average 2.8 million gallons of water day in production at its 430,000-square-foot facility north of Kalberer Road.
That would make SK hynix the largest customer in the West Lafayette market of Indiana American Water, which serves the city and nearby area, Joel Reuter, an Indiana American Water external affairs manager, said.
Reuter said Indiana American was prepared for that demand with its existing supply. He said the current average daily use in the West Lafayette system is approximately 4.5 million gallons per day, with a peak usage of approximately 6.8 million gallons per day. He said Indiana American Water supplies the West Lafayette system with groundwater from multiple wells in two wellfields and treated at two water treatment facilities.
“Between our two wellfields and water treatment plants at Happy Hollow and Davis Ferry, we can produce 9 (million gallons a day) and expandable to 12 (million gallons a day) to meet future demand,” Reuter said. “Investments we’ve made, such as the new 1.5-million-gallon elevated water tank near Klondike Road and Cumberland Avenue that was put into service in January, stands as a testament to the company’s commitment and continued investment in West Lafayette for current and future growth.”
ICYMI, WEST LAFAYETTE MAYOR ERIN EASTER MAKES HER CASE FOR SK HYNIX PLANS: In ongoing coverage of SK hynix’s plans – and the pushback by neighbors who live in nearby subdivisions – here’s a Q&A published Thursday morning with West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter on why she defends neighborhood questions while standing by the semiconductor company’s plans ahead of the city council zoning vote May 5. Read it here:
REMINDER, SECOND SK HYNIX COMMUNITY MEETING TONIGHT: SK hynix officials, looking to persuade the community about the project and about its preferred site for the facility, are in the midst of three community meetings about their plans. The second will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. today – Thursday, April 24 – at the West Lafayette Wellness Center, 1101 Kalberer Road. According to the company, the format will be less of a public presentation and Q&A session – as it was during an April 11 session – as it will be a station-to-station setup to answer one-on-one questions over the two hours. Three stations will focus on safety, health and the environment; about SK hynix and a project overview; and what the company called “semiconductor introduction.” SK hynix representatives will be at each station to answer questions.
A third community meeting will be 9-11 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at a location still being determined.
PLANS PROGRESS AT FORMER HOME OF THE PUB
The Lafayette Redevelopment Commission on Thursday morning agreed to a forgivable loan of $250,000 to help site prep work for a $10.8 million townhome project called Centennial’s Edge, on property north of downtown once home to The Pub.
The project near Union and North Fourth streets will include 36 townhouses on the empty, 1.4-acre site where the bar closed in 2010. Developer John Teibel told the redevelopment commission that the planned development, proposed in 2024, would be built in three phases. He said most to the owner-occupied homes would have two bedrooms and attached garages. He said they would be similar to the Centennial townhomes built over a decade ago a few blocks away on North Fifth Street. Teibel said the homes will start in the $300,000 price range.
The money from the redevelopment commission, he said, would help with vacating an alley between Union and Wall streets, remove existing power poles and deal with some underground storage. Teibel wouldn’t have to pay the loan back if the project meets benchmarks for construction and completion set by the redevelopment commission.
“We're very excited about that, because they’re owner-occupied, which is a big deal,” Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said. “And that block’s been sitting empty for a long time. So this is a great project. That $250,000 for an $11 million project is a good return on our investment.”
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THIS AND THAT/OTHER READS …
Days after a federal judge denied temporary relief for seven international students who had their visas revoked – including five studying at Purdue – the ACLU of Indiana refiled the case on behalf of the students, adding two more students, including another from Purdue. Indianapolis Star reporter Noe Padilla had more details here: “ACLU adds two students in its lawsuit against DHS claiming student visas wrongfully revoked.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Casey Smith had this update on a sex ed bill being considered by the General Assembly: “After pushback, requirement for Indiana schools to teach consent in sex education returned to bill.”
Among Greater Lafayette’s senators, Sen. Spencer Deery voted yes and Sen. Ron Alting voted no Thursday on Senate Bill 287, which will have school board candidates run with political party affiliations on the ballot. Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Leslie Bonilla Muñiz had more here: “Partisan school board bill narrowly avoids tie vote, goes to governor.”
A bill authored by state Sen. Spencer Deery, a West Lafayette Republican, that would speed the teaching licenses for those in STEM fields cleared the General Assembly and heads to the governor for a signature. "In Indiana, many schools are filling classrooms with teachers who lack classroom training," Deery said of Senate Bill 255. "During the 2022-23 school year, the state issued 17 new teaching licenses in chemistry, 15 in physical science and five in engineering. These subjects, however, are at the leading edge of ingenuity and are important to our state's future workforce needs." Of local note, SB255 also includes a provision on how schools deal with reports of bullying, requiring school officials to notify parents by the end of the next day after an incident if their child is involved in a bullying investigation. The current law gives a deadline of five days. That part of the bill bubbled up from ongoing debate on the West Lafayette school board, with school board member Dacia Mumford taking the matter to Deery after the notification requirement was stalled during local conversations about the district’s policies. Here’s more on that angle in coverage of testimony from the opening days of the General Assembly session:
Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Whitney Downard had details of a Wednesday afternoon agreement on the next two-year state budget: “Senate, House reach final budget compromise.”
J&C reporter Jillian Ellison had more on the FIRST Robotics team from McCutcheon High School and their share of a world title in Houston over the weekend: “Mavericks Robotics takes 1st place at global competition, putting spotlight on robotics.”
Indianapolis Star reporter Hayleigh Colombo had this out of the Statehouse: “Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith's office has signed a no-bid contract with a Noblesville-based law firm that's closely affiliated with the church where Beckwith still serves as a pastor, a move that has raised red flags for ethics experts and lawmakers alike. The state will pay up to $150,000 this year for Adler Attorneys to perform ‘general counsel’ and ‘general consulting services’ for Beckwith and his team during his first year as lieutenant governor, according to the contract and a request for outside counsel Beckwith's office submitted earlier this year to the attorney general.” Read more here: “Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith signs no-bid contract with law firm closely tied to his church.”
Thanks, again, for support from Lafayette Master Chorale, presenting Handel’s Messiah at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at St. Boniface Church in Lafayette. Get tickets and more information here.
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
What does this mean exactly? Are we not teaching boys that "no" means "no"?
I guess the legislature rewatched the first few minutes of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"?