Tall cranes rise high above Milford at the building site of TruHorizon’s new grain elevator, which is scheduled to be completed in about one year. The new elevator will have a capacity of 4.5 million bushels. (Photo by Keith Knepp)

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — You don’t have to look very far to find new construction projects in the lakes area. Several local companies are in various stages of major expansion undertakings. Additionally, ground was broken last week at the future site of the new Syracuse Elementary School, which is scheduled to be ready for the 2017-18 school year. The new school will replace the building that has housed Syracuse children of various grades since 1954.

Following is a look at some of the ongoing major construction projects going on in the area:

Chore-Time, Milford

This Friday at 9 a.m., Chore-Time will host an official ribbon cutting ceremony in conjunction with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce. The new 45,000 square foot facility has been under construction for about a year and houses Chore-Time’s ventilation fan manufacturing facility. Chore-Time Operations Manager Jeff Miller says the expansion allows the company to meet the ever-increasing demand for its projects where it has seen significant growth in equipment orders, especially from Mexico. CTB Inc., Miller added that the company has been using the new building since last July for its manufacturing, warehousing and shipping needs. Miller estimates that the company has created over 100 new jobs in recent years, which can be easier to support through this new facility.

Syracuse Elementary School

The new building will house the town’s kindergarten through fifth-grade students beginning in two years. It will sit to the west of Wawasee High School on Kern Road next to the Eagles building. Work has already begun on the facility, which is being built by Fetters Construction of Auburn at a cost of just less than $18 million. Fetters also oversaw the construction of North Webster Elementary School and more recently the new Pierceton Elementary School in the Whitko school district.

Construction at Poly-Wood in Syracuse

Poly-Wood Inc., Syracuse

In Syracuse, outdoor furnishings manufacturer Poly-Wood Inc. broke ground on May 28 on its new 230,000 square foot production facility. The new building will eventually house 190,000 square feet of ground level manufacturing, warehousing and shipping area. This is the sixth expansion for Poly-Wood in the last five years and also coincides with the company’s 25th anniversary. The total project cost is estimated at $23,275,000, according to Sharon Howell, lead creative at the company. The new facility is estimated to bring 250 new jobs to the area, mostly in manufacturing. The design of the new building is environmentally friendly and will utilize various natural and reusable resources in its eventual operations.

TruHorizons, MIlford

Having recently completed on major building project, TruHorizons in Milford embarked on another one last spring. In April 2014, following 13 months of construction, the agricultural company completed an agronomy hub, a facility used to store various fertilizers and chemicals it sells to farms in the region. In March of this year, TruHorizons began building a grain elevator to service the needs of local farmers. This massive elevator will be able to store 4.5 million bushels of grain. In comparison, a typical grain elevator stores 1-2 million bushels. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2016. According to TruHorizons General Manager Leland Hartstack, the two projects will eventually lead to 30-40 new jobs at the facility.

Main Channel Marina, Syracuse

Although it has not yet broken ground on the project, Main Channel Marina in Syracuse is planning to  begin construction on a dry storage building at its facility on Lake Wawasee.

Other companies recently completed expansion projects in the area, including Pack Rat Self Storage just north of North Webster. It added new storage units last spring and is planning to add some larger units beginning in mid-November. Two area restaurants also confirmed that they will begin building expansion/replacement projects in the near future, but have not yet officially released information to the public. And, Peterson’s Fish has moved from the South Shore Golf Club to 1009 S. Huntington St., in Syracuse, having completely remodeled the former Grill-N-Grate restaurant facilities. Roger and Susan Peterson say they are pleased with the reception and business since they opened in the new location in September.

The lakes area continues to grow, not only in its appeal to visitors and families, but also for companies who are looking for a business friendly area to expand or set up their operations, in turn bringing with them job opportunities, an expanded tax base and dollars to the local communities.