01/06/12 Mayor Mark Senter will remain as Chairman of the Plymouth Downtown Revitalization Committee and Brent Martin will remain secretary following the re-organizational meeting Wednesday evening. Meeting dates will continue on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 in the conference room of Plymouth School administration building.
Brent Martin updated the committee on the River Park Square project. At the last meeting of the Redevelopment Commission it was determined they would pay up to $4,000 for appraisals of three properties needed to purchase to complete the park. The properties include the two story duplex on the south side of Garro Street, the multi business strip buildings on the east side of Water Street and the two story commercial building at the southeast corner of Water and LaPorte Street owned by Jerry and Lyn Nikitas.
Committee member Dave Morrow who is President of the Park Board said earlier this week the board approved the final concept for the new downtown park and a three phase completion. The first phase will show improvement east of Water Street and south of Garro including the new Farmers’ Market space and the first stage of the flexible performance space. Phase two would include enlargement plans for the Farmers’ Market and concentrate further east and south to the Yellow River. The final phase would be development of the park north of Garro Street.
Funding the development of River Park Square will be an issued the Redevelopment Commission and Park Board will have to undertake. The committee discussed the possibility of applying for state and federal grants. Mayor Mark Senter said he has talked with Jennifer Laurent, Executive Director of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation for assistance in seeking and applying for grants. There was also some discussion on the possibility of a loan from one TIF fund to another. The Mayor said he learned at a training last week that a loan is not a possible. The committee does think that if a project will have community wide benefits that it’s allowable to use funds from all three TIF funds.
Park Board President Dave Morrow closed the conversation by saying, “The Park Board is excited to move forward. We just need to find a way to get it done sooner rather than later.”
