Decatur County feels the power of dreams

June 29, 2006

Adam Huening The Greensburg Daily News Thu Jun 29, 2006, 09:30 AM EDT

Like the day Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the pivotal words uttered by Honda Motor Company President, Koichi Kondo at Wednesday’s international press conference will be an integral part of a day most local residents will remember forever.

“It’s terrific. It’s historic and so surreal,” David Fry, community relations and development director at Decatur County Memorial Hospital, said. “It’s a great day.”

Fry helped organize the human Honda logo displayed on the courthouse lawn earlier this month.

It all began 10 weeks ago as a proposal, an idea with potential that landed in the office of Gov. Mitch Daniels. Wednesday, Daniels stood at the podium at the Greensburg Community Learning Center with a wide smile to bring the news to Decatur County. As he mingled with people after the official conference, he jokingly had a different take on how he helped put Greensburg on the global map.

“We were sitting around the office a few months ago thinking of how we could get Greensburg in the news and I said, ‘I know, how about we build a giant auto plant there,’” Daniels kidded.

The Governor’s jovial mood was contagious around the Center as other officials expressed their amazement and excitement.

“The graciousness and hospitality shown by Honda is outstanding. We’re grinning from ear to ear and they’re excited they can share this with us,” Jennifer Sturges, executive director of the Greensburg/Decatur County Chamber of Commerce, said.

Decatur County Community Schools Board of Education member Annette Geis and Greensburg Community Schools Board of Education member Valerie Moorman both said they were impressed with the way Honda and local representatives handled themselves during such a huge announcement.

Others took this new information and speculated about the far-sweeping impact.

“It’s great. We haven’t had anything this exciting come to Greensburg, well, ever,” City Council member Helen Gardener said. “They say Batesville has Hillenbrand, Columbus has Cummins, now Greensburg has Honda.”

With the press conference being transmitted to the world via satellite, Decatur County Community Schools assistant superintendent Dan Roach was happy about the Honda effect.

“It’s going to finally bring national recognition to Greensburg and Decatur County,” Roach stated.

For some, the impact will alleviate concerns that have rattled around the community’s consciousness for years now, such as the annual migration of the community’s youth to college and inevitably to other communities.

“The best thing, I think, is young people will have a reason to come back to the community and get a job that is well-paying,” Bernard Hagerty, owner of Hagerty’s Building and Construction, Inc., said.

City Council member Glenn Tebbe added, just like a few weeks ago when Honda’s new plant was mere speculation, the true impact could not be gauged from the present.

“We don’t really know the full impact but it is going to effect a whole generation of people,” Tebbe noted.

Many stated there was work still to be done but, with the community and Honda working together, the road ahead would be a bright one.

To comment on or view reaction to this or other local stories please visit www.greensburgdailynews.com.

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