FCC plans to add again

One local industry is ready to grow again and many will be working with Jay County High School to offer opportunities to soon-to-be-graduates.

Representatives from FCC visited Portland City Council’s meeting Monday to request a tax abatement on new equipment and Jay County High School teacher Kyle Love shared plans for a “Signing Day” event this month.

Also Monday, council learned about plans for this year’s Indiana Run for the Fallen.

Travis Richards, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, presented FCC’s tax abatement request. It is seeking a three-year abatement on $1.4 million in new manufacturing equipment.

The abatement would save FCC about $35,000 in taxes. The new equipment is expected to help create 11 new jobs.

Council sent the request to the city’s tax abatement advisory committee for its review.

Love told council about “Signing Day,” an event designed to bring representatives from local industries to JCHS to talk about job, internship and summer work opportunities. Fourteen companies have committed to being part of the event May 18 and 19, with about 200 interviews scheduled over the two days.

Donald Gillespie told council members about Indiana’s Run for the Fallen, a three-day from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis in honor of those who have lost their lives in military service. Gillespie, who coordinates the run, noted that it is scheduled to enter Jay County at 3:42 p.m. and end its first day at Freedom Park in Portland about 5:30 p.m. There will be a ceremony at Freedom Park to present an Honor and Sacrifice flag to the family of Paul Prater, a Jay County Sheriff’s Office deputy who died in the line of duty on Jan. 4, 1983.

Council members Kent McClung, Janet Powers, Don Gillespie, Michele Brewster, Mike Aker, Matt Goldsworthy and Dave Golden also approved an ordinance to create a new budget line item to accept federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The city is expected to receive about $1.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

They also approved requesting money from the state revolving loan fund for the first phase of planned upgrades at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The first phase, at a cost of $6.9 million, involves building a new equalization basin at the facility. The second phase, estimated at $8.1 million, will include creating a new oxidation ditch.

Portland Mayor John Boggs also reported the city will likely be putting the former Sheller-Globe south building at 510 S. Bridge St. on the market again. Boggs explained the city’s agreement to sell the building to John Goodhew of Goodhew’s Roofing and Metals allowed the buyer an out if the city could not provide a clean environmental study. (Portland Board of Works is expected to address the issue at its meeting Thursday.) The city has been in the process of trying to sell the building for several years, first opening bids in December 2018 and finally choosing Goodhew’s offer in summer 2019.

Boggs also reminded council that Portland Redevelopment Commission at its meeting April 23 approved $350,000 for the planned Meridian Street storm sewer project to mitigate downtown flooding. He said a meeting with Wessler Engineering, accounting advisory firm Baker Tilly and Jay County Development Corporation representatives is scheduled for Wednesday to review additional funding options for the estimated $1.2 million project.

In other business, council:

•Heard the following from Boggs: a groundbreaking for the Portland Municipal Airport runway extension project is scheduled for 3 p.m. June 2; the city’s clean-up week — large items will be accepted for regular trash pick-up — will be May 24 through 28; and reverse-angle parking lines are scheduled to be removed from Main Street between Commerce and Pleasant streets during the first week of June.

•Agreed to close Ship Street between Main and Walnut streets from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m. May 22 for an American Legion benefit ride for Skyler Esparza, an 11-year-old Portland boy who is battling leukemia.