City buys downtown property
GREENFIELD — The city of Greenfield has bought the building at 18-20 W. South St. for $203,000.
The property is just southwest of City Hall. Part of it houses The Landing Place, a nonprofit organization that provides a recovery program for teenagers.
Mayor Chuck Fewell said there are no immediate plans for the building, but when property so close to city government’s hub becomes available, it’s important to consider it for future growth needs.
The city is in the process of preparing a lease with The Landing Place for the organization’s continued use of the space there, Fewell also said.
Unemployment ticks up
HANCOCK COUNTY — The unemployment rate in the county is estimated to have risen slightly in January 2021 from the month before, and was also higher than its benchmark a year earlier.
It was 3.5% for January 2021, 3.3% for December 2020 and 3% for January 2021.
On a list ranking estimated January 2021 unemployment rates for Indiana’s 92 counties from highest to lowest, Hancock County comes in at 75th. LaGrange County is at the bottom, with 2.7%, while Lake County tops the list, at 7.4%.
Hancock County’s rate rose from 2.7% to more than 14% in April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indiana’s estimated unemployment rate of 4.2% for January 2021 dropped from December 2020’s figure of 4.6%, but remained higher than January 2020’s 3.2%.
The U.S. rate is estimated at 6.3% for January 2021, down from December 2020’s 6.7%, but higher than January 2020’s 3.5%.
Chamber re-brands, changes its name
HANCOCK COUNTY — The former Fortville/McCordsville Area Chamber of Commerce has changed its name to the Northern Hancock Area Chamber of Commerce.
The organization announced on its Facebook page that the change reflects the organization’s “new strategic goals for not just one community, but an entire geographical area that is experiencing wonderful and unprecedented growth.”
The chamber has been undergoing a transition since the recent resignation of its former longtime executive director, whose responsibilities have been adopted by the board.
Restaurant taking on space next door
HANCOCK COUNTY — Sugar Creek Brickhouse, 5821 W. U.S. 40, is expanding its back-of-house operations into a neighboring property.
The restaurant plans to use 5839 W. U.S. 40 for storage, food preparation and catering. The property formerly housed Impressions, a graphics, signs and design business that moved nearby to 5819 W. U.S. 40.
