District borders OK'd (12/16/2008)

The boundaries for Portland's historic preservation district have been set.

Members of the Portland City Council approved the map of the downtown district Monday night, as proposed by the Portland Historic Preservation Commission.

The district map, which was created based on the National Register for Historic Places listing for the city, includes businesses, clubs and churches located downtown. The district will begin on South Meridian Street at Third Street and runs north to North Street, taking in sections both east and west of Meridian Street.

The commission's next step is to come up with guidelines for changes to the facades of the properties in the district.

The commission's goal is to preserve the historic integrity of the structures.

Some of the properties in the district also are located in the tax increment financing district, which means TIF funds could be used for some of the changes.

Among the properties located in the historic preservation district are Asbury United Methodist Church, West Walnut Church of Christ, Trinity United Methodist Church, the Elks Club and the Fraternal Order of the Eagle building.

Also Monday, the council learned that about 70 acres located southeast of the city will officially be annexed on Dec. 31.

Kristi Sturtz, of Sturtz Public Management Group, said the 90 day remonstrance period for annexation passed during the first week of December and no remonstrances were filed.

Local developer Barry Hudson asked for the land located east of Blaine Pike and south of Seventh Street to be annexed because he would like to build a subdivision. He owns a large chunk of the property in the annexed area, which also is bounded by the Salamonie River on the south and on the east by a north-south line which lines up with Western Avenue.

Council members voted in September to move forward with the annexation process.

In other business, council members approved two tax abatement requests for Stoneridge Inc., the parent company of Alphabet Inc.-Portland Division, 700 Industrial Park Drive, Portland.

The two, two-year abatements are for new cutting and splicing equipment and a new security system and employee badge system.

The cutting and splicing equipment is expected to cost $637,841.60 and create nine new jobs with salaries totaling $180,000. The other request is expected to cost $77,038.

Bill Bradley, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, told council members that the Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee met Dec. 8 and decided to recommend that the council approve the abatement requests.

Bradley said this morning that the state allows tax abatements for information technology equipment. He said a new security system would fall under this category because it is computerized.

Also Monday, Brian Lowe, plant controller for Alphabet, told council members that the company continues to grow. It employed 673 in January, and the figure grew to 895 by the end of November. He said business with John Deere and the military has increased this year.

Tax abatements phase in taxes on new investments over a period of several years.

Also Monday, council members:

•Heard Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, report that work on the Boundary Pike/Wayne Street project has ceased for the winter.

He said Wayne Street/Boundary Pike will not be salted between Third Street and Elder Street this winter. Salt could damage the newly-poured asphalt, he said.

•Approved a resolution for three year-end fund transfers.

A total of $620 in city council insurance funds will be moved to the Institutional and medical account. Also, for the fire department, $485.44 unused funds for other contractual services and $1,000 in utilities will both be moved to the repairs and maintenance account.

•Learned that the Christmas party for all city employees will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Portland Fire Station, 1616 N. Franklin St.[[In-content Ad]]