City gets grant for West Main second phase, super site

VAN WERT - The City of Van Wert has received another grant to help pay for reconstruction of a major artery into the city. In addition, the first portion of funds to make improvements to the Van Wert Super Site has finally been received from the state.
Van Wert Mayor Don Farmer was obviously excited to have a great deal of good news when he spoke with members of the media on Wednesday.
"Tuesday we found out we do have, electronically transferred, $500,000, ten percent of the five million, is now in our checking account," he announced. "So we'll be asking the auditor to advance the additional $500,000 from the general fund rainy day account as passed by council."
The first payment of money from the $5 million Job Ready Site Grant has been a long time coming. It took a special request to delay the running of a natural gas line from the Convoy area to the 1,600-acre industrial site in order for the state to finally agree to release the money.
"We're there. We are there," Farmer emphasized.
The first portion of funds will go to extend the purchase options on the land at the site northeast of Van Wert. According to Farmer, checks will be ready no later than next week which will be given to landowners through the Community Improvement Corporation and the Port Authority.
Farmer and Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming met with representatives from the state, the railroad, the rail commission, and engineers to start putting together bid packages for the work. The packages should be ready to advertise for bids before the end of the year with construction slated to begin next spring. The improvements should be complete by the end of 2013.
"That is great news for the mega site. We are just pleased to be where we're at," beamed Farmer.
Beyond the news about the Job Ready Site Grant, the city received more good news. This announcement involved a second phase of a street reconstruction project on the city's west side.
Farmer revealed, "We got word through a the filing of the Small Cities Grant, that we were awarded another grant for the Small Cities and that will enable us to continue with W. Main St. from the Orchard Tree on out to the city limits."
The West Main Street Phase 2 project will take place either in 2014 or 2015, depending on when the state schedules the work. The first phase of W. Main St. reconstruction is slated for 2013 between Shannon St. and Fisher Ave. That project is also mostly funded by a Small Cities Grant with a total price tag of around $3 million.
According to Fleming, the estimate of the entire second phase is $2.4 million, of which the Ohio Department of Transportation is covering $1,685,000. Not all the details have been finalized on the engineering, but Fleming did say that curb and gutter will be replaced. A water main will also be replaced due to age and the opportunity to replace it during the construction. The street will not be extensively widened, although there may be places where the width will be slightly changed.
"That will make a nice corridor," Fleming noted. "It probably completes the last of our Small Cities eligible arteries. That was the last street that we have that was eligible by their criteria that they can help us with."
Previous grants had made reconstruction possible on Washington St. and Shannon St.
"That will give us another main entry into Van Wert because that is a total reconstruction," remarked Farmer.
Both Fleming and Farmer explained that the opportunity to receive the large grant awards involved needing to use funds budgeted to the street fund as matching funds. That ties up money that some residents are hoping is used for secondary city streets.
Farmer acknowledged that less work is being done on the smaller streets since the funds are going to the bigger projects.
"We are leveraging that money to get the most bang for the dollar," Farmer shared. The addition of nearly $1.7 million to improve a Van Wert street was too great of an opportunity to pass up.
Lastly, Farmer did announce that the demolition of the recently-acquired house on Wayne St. should begin on Tuesday with equipment showing up at that address sometime this weekend.