City provides $$ for downtown agency

Van Wert independent

Van Wert City Council approved an appropriation of $25,000 this year for Main Street Van Wert and also agreed to participate in an online electric power auction that could net the city savings of nearly $90,000 a year in power costs.

Main Street Van Wert Project Manager Adam Ries made a presentation to Council’s Finance Committee Monday on the benefits of his organization, as well as a request for $25,000 in funding for this year. Positives for Main Street Van Wert included the creation of 26 net jobs and investment of $1.4 million in improvements and renovations for 16 downtown buildings. Those improvements included new roofs, window repairs, building code upgrades, freshly painted storefronts and complete renovations.

“These are buildings seeing the necessary improvements and maintenance to make sure they are serving today’s business needs, while preserving the buildings that continue to be such a unique part of our community’s heritage,” Ries told Council members.

The MSVW manager also noted that volunteers donated more than 1,500 hours in 2012 to downtown projects. “These are not only business owners, but residents who recognize what we are leading, taking an interest in one or more of the activities we promote and becoming more and more involved with those because they see and experience the impact being made,” he added.

Ries did note that the Main Street Van Wert organizations is working this year on becoming more self-sufficient financially and plans a number of revenue-generating activities and fundraisers in 2013.

Council members and the city administration agreed to appropriate $25,000 from the city’s hotel-motel tax receipts as its financial commitment to the downtown group. The city also uses revenues generated by the hotel-motel tax to fund the Van Wert economic development office and the Van Wert Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Also during the meeting, Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming provided information on an online electric power auction through Energy Market Exchange whereby power providers bid to provide electric power at discounted rates to municipalities.

Fleming said the city could see savings of nearly $90,000 annually over a three-year contract period, although city officials could also contract for a one-year period of time as well. The program would allow the city to realize similar electric rate savings to those individual city residents are receiving through the electric aggregation program.