| Reflecting on how
CDS has assisted LaGrange REMC, Mark Leu stated, “The
completed facility assessment was exactly what we were looking
for. It included all the information we needed to make informed
decisions about our future building plans. In fact, I believe
the information provided saved us from making a very poor decision
and I can think of no higher accolade than that.” |
|
| LaGrange County Rural
Electric Membership Corporation (LCREMC) was wrestling with
a dilemma. They had purchased some land for a possible new facility
but weren’t sure if they should build a new headquarters
office facility, build a new consolidated office/operations
facility or renovate the existing operations facility. The existing
office was located in an old three-story brick building in downtown
LaGrange, and the operations were located in a wood-framed pole
barn on another site. |
| The facilities have
outlived their usefulness, don’t meet current codes and
design standards, and hamper LCREMC’s ability to efficiently
serve its’ members. Of particular importance was to answer
the question of whether the new land that had been purchased
would be sufficient to accommodate the current and future needs. |
| Seeking a company that
could meet that planning challenge, LCREMC General Manager Mark
Leu was referred to CDS Associates, who has assisted other cooperatives
with similar challenges. |
| On-site review of the
existing facilities and sites, as well as intensive interviews
with the staff, provided a basis for the assessment and recommendations.
A Design Program was developed that addressed LCREMC’s
spatial needs and inefficiencies. Schematic Site Concept Plans
were developed for the different alternatives. |
| A major outcome of
the study was the discovery that the newly purchased site was
significantly inadequate to meet the cooperative’s needs.
This led the Board to decide to abandon that site and pursue
getting another site with the appropriate characteristics. |
| LaGrange County Rural
Electric Membership Corporation is an electric cooperative located
in LaGrange, Indiana that provides electricity and other services
to 7,000 members. |
