Airport Authority to sue Ivy Tech

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Airport Authority to sue Ivy Tech

By Greninger

The Tribune-Star

http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_131233617.html

TERRE HAUTE — Struck by tornadoes in February and again in April of

2006, the former Ivy Tech Community College's airport campus

building remains in need of extensive renovations to its roof and

repair of water and mold damage.

For more than a year, airport officials said they have been trying

to get a settlement with Ivy Tech's insurance company, Chubb Group

of Insurance Companies. The airport in the last few weeks received a

check for just more than $1 million.

However, airport officials say damages are closer to $2.5 million

and say that money is not an acceptance of a settlement offer. The

building remains condemned and empty.

Now, the Terre Haute Airport Authority board of directors, which

oversees finances at Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field,

this week voted to have a Detroit attorney decide if a lawsuit will

be filed against Ivy Tech and its insurance company.

Airport Director Dennis Dunbar said Friday " the attorney [

Shay] said he is moving forward with a lawsuit and I polled the

majority of the board and they agree. "

Dunbar said airport officials for more than a year unsuccessfully

attempted to get " rights " from Ivy Tech to go directly after its

insurance carrier.

" We need at least an additional $1.5 million to get that building

back, " said Darryl Huyett, vice president of the Airport

Authority. " We have tried everything we know to get Ivy Tech to help

us with their insurance company. We are hoping this will get their

attention.

" I don't think we have a choice. Our lease was with Ivy Tech. It has

been way too long and we need that space and with the flight school

now in the terminal, we need to relocate them back, " Huyett

said. " One of the big issues is the unseen damage of mold and water

damage and there may be more structural damage. "

Jeff Pittman, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College, Wabash

Valley region, said " it is unfortunate that they are doing this.

Most of this stuff is between them and Chubb [Group of Insurance

Companies]. Ivy Tech was the tenant there for a number of years,

since 1992. We leased the facility and converted what was then an

empty hangar into a very useful and attractive building.

" I think we have had a great partnership with the airport over the

years. We put a little over $2.4 million into the building in

renovations and have paid the airport authority over a $1 million in

rent since 1992, " Pittman said.

" We are disappointed that this is what they decided to do. Because

of the storms in 2006, the building was condemned and we had to do

something, so we moved the programs to another facility and the

college then elected not to extend the lease beyond [Aug. 31] 2006.

We are sorry they are suing us. It will be up to Chubb for the next

course of action. "

Ivy Tech spent $2.8 million renovating the former Brentlinger

building in the Vigo County Industrial Park for several programs and

eliminated its aviation maintenance program that had been at the

airport.

Greninger can be reached at howard.greninger@....