City Council gets update on VW Forward

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

The progress of the Van Wert Forward downtown renovation project was one of several topics of discussion during Monday night’s meeting of Van Wert City Council.

Van Wert County Foundation CEO Seth Baker said Phase I of the project includes public and private space improvements and has 12 parcels which will be consolidated into five parcels, featuring approximately 13 commercial spaces and 37 residential units.

The project involves three clusters in the downtown area – north, central and south.

He added much of the early work will be inside the buildings, meaning the public won’t see a lot of it and he said demolition work should begin in the next several weeks, with project completion currently slated for late 2022 or early 2023.

“We understand the construction process will take between 12 and 18 months for each of those spaces, depending on the size of the space before a business or resident can begin to move into a space,” Baker said.

He also said a kickoff ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Harvest Moon Festival, Saturday, September 25.

Baker cautioned there will be disruptions and he told council there are two other challenges – parking and trash removal. The results of a recent parking study and a plan will be presented to city council on August 23.

Baker also noted Van Wert Foward and the Van Wert County Foundation have been working with Bowling Green State University’s Center for Regional Development, and he said Van Wert is one of just three cities selected for a new program.

“They launched an initiative called ‘reimagining rural regions’ and it’s a two-stage process that’s community-led to identify assets opportunities and challenges regarding place making opportunities,” Baker said. “The first process involves heavy public outreach and engagement which would result in the identification of two to three place making projects, then part two would then use teams of BGSU undergraduate students to provide the capacity to take those projects from concepts into reality.”

Another topic of discussion centered around dealing with numerous inoperable or junk cars parked on streets or lawns of residential properties around the city. After a lengthy discussion on legality, enforcement and more, council members agreed to address the issue further at future meetings.

During her report to council, City Auditor Martha Balyeat said city revenues are coming in higher than expected and she said the city has received the first of two installments of federal American Rescue Plan funds, with the first payment totaling over $559,000.

Law Director John Hatcher told council members the city will begin cracking down on those who have failed to file city tax forms and Mayor Ken Markward said brush pickup will begin the week of August 30. He also said 23 people have filed petitions to run for 15 Charter Commission positions. The names will appear on the November 2 ballot.

An informational meeting for those 23 candidates will be held later this month, with the date yet to be determined, and a public meeting will likely be held before the start of early voting, which begins October 5.

There was a brief discussion about the city’s Community Clean-Up, which is slated to take place in September, after the Van Wert County Fair. Tickets for the Community Clean-Up will be available at no cost to city residents starting on Monday, August 16 at the Water Department. More information is expected to be sent out by the city.

In other business, legislation was introduced that would permanently waive permit fees when Vantage Career Center’s carpentry students build a house in the city. The measure will be addressed at a future meeting.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, August 23, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St. A committee of the whole meeting will be held prior to that, at 6 p.m. to discuss downtown parking.