City highlights $2.5M Town Mall grant, East End planning and approves $3.95M paving contract
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Summary
City staff reported multiple economic development projects including a $2.5 million state grant for the Town Mall redevelopment, infrastructure work at Renaissance Pointe and an East End site-readiness push; council authorized a $3,951,374.20 contract for the 2025 arterial paving project and approved multiple procurement items.
City staff provided a broad update on economic development initiatives June 17 and council approved several procurement and construction items, including a $3.95 million ODOT urban paving contract.
Community and Economic Development Director Lisha Moreland described active projects: the city awarded a developer for the Town Mall RFQ and recently learned it had received a $2,500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development tied to that redevelopment; Renaissance Pointe infrastructure work is nearing the end of a first phase and the city was awarded roughly $1.8 million in infrastructure funding from the Ohio 629 program for public work. "So right now, the developer has a vision for a commercial mixed use residential retail development project," Moreland said of the Town Mall award.
Moreland also outlined East End opportunities, saying the city is targeting clean-manufacturing and biohealth uses on greenfield parcels and that about 90 acres (Union Run Farms) and additional sites could be marketed with site-readiness support; the city was accepted into the Duke site-readiness program and could receive $10,000 for further assessments. She described a community grocer and health clinic project targeting a $10 million total cost; the city has identified roughly $9.4 million of that funding stack and held about $161,000 in CDBG funds for initial work.
On the motion agenda, council authorized the city manager to enter a $3,951,374.20 contract with John R. Jurgensen Company for the 2025 arterial paving project covering Grand Avenue, Manchester Road and Briel Boulevard. City Manager Ashley Combs said the work will include replacement of defective curbs, drive aprons, sidewalks, handicap ramps and pavement markings and that the low bid was about 6% under the engineers estimate.
Council also approved a permanent easement to Duke Energy for airport property, the purchase of a 2026 Ford F-550 truck and chassis for parks maintenance for $185,398, corrected a vendor name for an approved aerial ladder truck contract, and authorized several smaller station and equipment purchases out of the fire station levy and police grant funds. City staff said one of the large development projects, EI Ceramics, awaits an EPA covenant-not-to-sue before moving interior build-out; staff and elected officials noted the timing of that federal clearance is uncertain.
What happened: staff summarized several major development initiatives and funding results; council approved the ODOT paving contract, multiple procurement items and a Duke Energy easement.
Why it matters: the Town Mall grant and East End site-preparation plans could shape near-term job creation and redevelopment; the paving contract funds multimillion-dollar road work that will affect traffic and sidewalks on three arterial corridors.
Next steps: staff will continue developer due diligence on downtown properties, begin contracted paving work per the ODOT schedule, and continue assembling the capital stack for the community grocer and health clinic.
