Chamber of Commerce urges blight study to unlock downtown grant funding; announces staff changes

The West Point Chamber of Commerce told the city council it will start interim staffing and urged the council to pursue a blight study as the first step in downtown revitalization efforts.

A Chamber representative said Bonnie will retire this week and that Erica Eichelberger will begin on Monday in a temporary capacity to support upcoming events and operations. The representative said the Chamber will advertise a permanent, part-time position in March after an interim evaluation.

On downtown revitalization the Chamber reported that the leadership application they previously submitted was not funded and that, because West Point likely does not meet the low-to-moderate-income (LMI) threshold required by some grant programs, the recommended route is to perform a blight study so the downtown could be considered eligible for funding. "go ahead and do the blight study," the representative said, adding that the Department of Economic Development recognizes the program gap and plans to look at it this year.

Council members discussed how a blight designation can feel uncomfortable to business owners even when businesses show visible investment; staff and the Chamber emphasized outreach to affected businesses before any formal study or designation is pursued. The Chamber also mentioned coordination opportunities with pending wastewater and downtown infrastructure work so grant funds and SRF-eligible sewer replacements can be aligned to reduce costs to local businesses and property owners.

The Chamber noted an end-of-January regional meeting to be hosted in West Point and said David Branch and other regional partners are engaged in the leadership and housing priorities for northeast Nebraska.

The council took no separate formal action on the blight study at this meeting; the Chamber urged next steps in outreach and study preparation.