Alley to get EDIT loan

Portland’s bowling alley will soon have new lanes.

Portland City Council at its meeting Monday approved a seven-year loan of $50,000 to go toward a cosmetic and operational overhaul of Rollin J Lanes.

Council also voted against amending the city’s payroll to possibly allow a one-time stipend to Portland firefighters and police officers.

Employees Tammy and David Jellison Jr. bought what was formerly known as The Brown Bowl at 1616 N. Meridian St., in June.

The Jellisons, joined by David Jellison Sr., went before council and the city’s economic development income tax (EDIT) advisory committee Monday to request a $75,000 loan for the purchase of synthetic lanes, operational machines and more needed equipment from a bowling alley that is closing in Gas City.

“It’s not an easy time for bowling alleys,” council president Kent McClung said, noting the industry’s financial struggles in recent years and the coronavirus pandemic, which forced alleys to close in the spring and possibly could again with the recent rise in cases.

With a loan, Tammy Jellison said the bowling alley could compete against nearby alleys in Berne, Fort Recovery and Celina, Ohio, all of which had taken a lot of the alley’s customers in recent years.

The loan will allow the Jellisons, who renamed The Brown Bowl to Rollin J Lanes after they bought it, to replace its aging wood lanes with more durable synthetic lanes, add an arcade and hire more employees.

“We’re a family owned business and we’re for bringing families together,” Tammy Jellison said.

Terry and Jennifer Vaughn, the owners of the closing Gas City bowling alley known as Victory Lanes, live in Dunkirk and agreed to discount the equipment’s price to have it available in Jay County, Tammy Jellison said.

Half of the loan, which has zero payments required until 2023, will be forgiven if the Jellisons invest $25,000 of their own money into the bowling alley, employ four full-time and six part-time employees and submit quarterly updates to the city and Jay County Development Corporation and an annual update to the council.

At least $18,000 would have to be spent to renovate and keep the wooden lanes, Tammy Jellison said, and even more money would be needed to repair the alley’s current ball return system, which is 59 years old.

The operational system from Gas City is only 15 years old and would be included with the purchase in addition to new electronic equipment.

Tammy Jellison said they would likely approach First Bank of Berne, which holds the Rollin J Lanes mortgage, for a loan to fund the rest of the money it needs for the bowling alley’s upgrades.

The Jellisons said they have a target opening date with new lanes and equipment of Aug. 30 and will stay open year-round.

A proposed amendment to the city’s payroll introduced by council member Dave Golden would have given a one-time stipend of $1,000 to full-time and $500 to part-time firefighters and police officers in Portland.

That proposal was denied in a 4-2 vote, with Golden and Michele Brewster the only members voting in favor and Mike Aker abstaining.

“It’s alright. That’s democracy,” Golden said after the vote.

Golden argued that a stipend would boost the morale of officers and firefighters who are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

In other business, council members Janet Powers, Don Gillespie, Matt Goldsworthy, McClung, Golden, Brewster and Aker heard from Portland Mayor John Boggs that:

•He gave a recommendation to the Jay County Chamber of Commerce that all retail stores require masks to be worn. Monday marked the first day Walmart required masks to be worn inside of its stores across the country to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

•He has received multiple inquiries daily about the 55th annual Tri-State Antique Gas Engine and Tractor Show, which is scheduled to begin next month. Boggs added it is possible that the Indiana Department of Health could require an operational plan from the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association on how it plans to safely host an event with potentially thousands of attendees in the midst of a viral pandemic.

•He attended an informational summit Thursday with Aim, formerly known as the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, to learn more about his elected office and network with other mayors in the state.

•The city is exploring its possible eligibility for a state grant that would fund an electric vehicle charging station in downtown Portland. Boggs noted electric cars’ popularity will only increase and a charging station could lead to more business from out-of-towners who stop to charge their cars while driving on U.S. 27.

After the meeting, Boggs also said that he received a positive verbal update from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management about its recent chemical inspection of the former Sheller-Globe south building at 510 S. Bridge St., Portland.

An IDEM representative told Boggs that no harmful chemicals were found, he said, meaning that, after the report is completed in a few months, the building could be officially sold more than a year after a bid from John Goodhew of Goodhew’s Roofing and Metals was approved by the council.