Joe and his staff worked closely with the River Ridge Development Authority for more than a year to resolve a longstanding dispute with the Army and allow River Ridge to acquire hundreds of acres of high-value property that will help create more jobs and opportunities in Clark County. In October 2015, Joe welcomed the Army officially transferring major land parcels to River Ridge.

With negotiations to resolve community concerns about an old Army landfill stalled for years, Joe began working in September 2014 with the River Ridge Development Authority on a new round of talks with the Army. With Joe’s help, River Ridge had an opportunity for the first time to share their concerns with the defense oversight committees in Congress, and in the following months Joe continued to facilitate meetings among key stakeholders to narrow down issues and address each side’s concerns.

Joe called for and convened a meeting in April 2015 at the River Ridge Commerce Center with federal, state, and local stakeholders to discuss the status and future of the River Ridge Commerce Center. Following this meeting, he facilitated talks among River Ridge, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to address concerns about potential public health and environmental risks associated with the landfill.

Joe believes that government works best when we get all the right people in a room together talking through problems and solutions directly. Day after day, week after week, he worked with the Army and River Ridge to put the best interests of our community first and reach a resolution.

Through the negotiations, Joe secured assurances from the Army that it would stand by a commitment to protect the local community from risks posed by the landfill, now and for decades to come. Then, in late September 2015, Joe participated in the River Ridge board meeting to go over outstanding issues as the board neared agreement on approving the land transfer. The River Ridge Development Authority board ultimately passed a resolution approving the land transfer. 

Joe said, “I’m the hired help and was pleased I could help facilitate negotiations and play a role in making sure River Ridge could attract new business and proceed with projects that will fuel economic growth. Over the past year, I have been grateful to work with extraordinary partners, including River Ridge, Army headquarters, the Army Corps, and IDEM, who all worked tirelessly to ensure a positive outcome. ”

Jerry Acy, River Ridge Development Authority, Executive Director, said October 12, “Today marks a major milestone in the transfer of Army property to the River Ridge Development Authority (RRDA) for the purpose of replacing the loss of economic activity as a result of the shutdown of the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant. We are grateful for all the efforts by Senator Joe Donnelly.”

The final transfer of land, which Donnelly also helped facilitate, from the Army to River Ridge was completed in late September of 2016.

Joe said, “River Ridge is an example of how we can improve our economy when we focus on solving problems by working together. I got involved after years of stalled negotiations between River Ridge and the Army and was proud to bring key stakeholders together to ensure we got this to the finish line. These are exciting times in Clark County, and River Ridge is a hub of economic growth that will continue to bring more jobs and opportunities for hardworking Hoosier families in southern Indiana.”

Acy said, “Senator Donnelly was instrumental in assisting River Ridge in securing a positive outcome on several outstanding issues with the Army. Those issues were delaying the transfer of some very prime developable property near the new I-265 interchange and potentially could have also delayed this last conveyance. It was critical for River Ridge to obtain ownership of all those parcels in order to continue our path of new developments and job creation for our region.”