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Copyright 2009
Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce
45 E. Main St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-702-2722
Chamber board backs city’s
purchase of former AEP building
By Marvin Jones
President and CEO
The chamber’s Board of Directors voted Thursday to urge the Chillicothe City Council and administration to acquire the former AEP building for use by the Municipal Court.
The board endorsed the purchase in a letter that will be going to the council and the administration in advance of the expected vote by council on the issue at its meeting Monday evening. Here is the text of the letter:
“About six months ago, we urged you to have a professional study conducted to consider all of the space needs of the city and to explore all possibilities. Since you chose not to conduct the study, you have limited those possibilities. In addition, you apparently have not received a bona fide offer from any other source.
“We recommend you purchase the property of Herbert Friedman at the northwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets for these reasons:
- The courts for too long have endured cramped quarters that do not meet simple standards such as access by the disabled.
- The courts in the past decade or more have pursued other options downtown that were not viable.
- The purchase price for the former AEP building is more than reasonable.
- The courts can finance the purchase by the city through its fees with no extra burden on taxpayers.
- A separate building for the courts is the most desirable option, for purposes of security.
- The AEP building, with a few modifications, will meet the space needs of the court for years to come.
- The court will remain in a downtown location, possibly spurring more development and investment in the downtown.
- The present building can be mothballed or modified for use for other purposes, but in no way will be a detriment to our downtown.
“For these reasons, we believe the city should acquire the former AEP building for use by Municipal Court.”
Chillicothe, county recognized for technology advances
“The seat of Ross County, in southern Ohio, has fiber optic within 3,500 feet of every building and wi-fi spots at many locations around the city,” claimed an article in Business Facilities magazine recently. Randy Davies, public relations manager for Horizon, is quoted: “The abundance of fiber capabilities is great here and continues to grow.” Now, the rest of the business world knows of another of our many attributes for setting up shop here. Read the entire article, with Chillicothe near the end of it: Business Facilities
Plans moving forward on nuclear power plant
AREVA, the company that would build the planned nuclear power plant in Pike County for Duke Energy, recently held its second U.S. Supplier Day in Columbus “to identify and begin certification of new partner companies to help supply and build I.S. EPR nuclear plants in the United States,” according to a blog in the Nuclear Power Industry News. AREVA and Duke, along with USEC, are three of the partners in the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance announced for the Pike County site back in June. According to the blog, one new plant project would create up to 11,000 direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase and 400 permanent jobs to operate the facility. Read more: Nuclear plant
Census office looking for hundreds of workers
The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting between 300-400 temporary, part-time census takers for Ross County. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses. Best of all, census takers work right in their own communities. Census taker jobs are excellent for people who want to work part-time, those who are between jobs, or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community. For more information: Census jobs
IRS looking for local office space
The government is looking for 2,880 square feet of Class A office space for offices in Chillicothe for the Internal Revenue Service. The General Services Administration posted the opening this week for space that needs to be available June 6, 2011. It anticipates leasing the space for 10 years, with five years firm. Greg Thomas at CB Richard Ellis real estate firm in Columbus is the main contact at 614-430-5057 or greg.thomas@cbre.com. For the complete listing: IRS office space
Only a few hours left to sign up for document workshop
Last chance to register! Cut-off is 2 p.m., today (Dec. 11);
Fundamentals of Document Management: Tuesday, Dec. 15, Christopher Conference Center, 11 a.m.-noon, free to chamber members, includes free lunch; learn how to convert paper documents to electronic ones, manage electronic documents, protect them; by Advantage Data Systems and its partners; to register: Document Management
Premium membership provides exposure, discounts
Chamber members who decide to become a premium member in 2010 will receive added exposure in the way of recognition each week in the email announcing the arrival of the Weekly Update newsletter and signage in the chamber office as well as receiving discounts on tickets for the Annual Dinner in February and exhibit space in the annual Expo/BAB. For those members wanting premium status, but want a customized package, we urge you to call the chamber to work out the details. The Platinum level is $1,000 and the Gold level $500; both are in addition to a member’s regular dues. Call us at 702-2722 for details or click here: Premium memberships
Pike to join us at Wednesday’s BAB at Bristol Village
Members of the Pike County chamber will be joining us at the Glenn Activity Center at Bristol Village in Waverly for Wednesday’s Business After Business on Wednesday (Dec. 16). The holiday event is a good opportunity for folks to touch base with the facility’s manager, Pat Nichols, who formerly was in charge of Traditions of Chillicothe, another property of National Church Residences. Appetizers and beverages will be served and door prizes handed out. Sign up now if you plan to attend and also click here for a map to the site: BAB registration
Leadership class gets up close with industry
Participants in the chamber’s Leadership Chillicothe Ross program toured the county’s two largest industrial facilities this week following a mini-workshop on meeting management. The group toured Glatfelter in the morning, then headed out to the Kenworth Truck Company plant in the afternoon. At Kenworth, the company’s newest model, T700, was getting ready to go on the assembly line. Next month, the group visits the two largest healthcare facilities: VA Medical Center and Adena Health System. To learn more about this program and sign up for next year’s class: Leadership program
Tickets now available for celebration
It’s less than three weeks now until the last day of 2009 and the start of a new decade, so make sure you have tickets to the chamber’s New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Elks Lodge ballroom. They are now available at the chamber office for $25 per person or get nine of your friends together and buy a table for $200 so you can decorate the way you want. The Gravity Cats will provide the music and beverages of all kinds will be at the cash bar. We’ll watch on big-screen TVs as the ball drops in Times Square to signal 2010.
SBA offering free advice on tax preparation
An officer in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants will be on hand to answer questions and provide advice to small business owners in a web chat on Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. You’ll have an opportunity ask questions in advance. Here is the link: SBA Web Chat Series
Building permits issued recently by the Ross County and Chillicothe Building Departments:
- SBA Network Services, 1959 U.S. 23, new cell tower, value $135,000.
- Jane’s Corner Market, 633 Charleston Pike, install kitchen hood system, $4,595.
- Believers Church, 1322 England Hollow Road, sign, no value given.
- Adena Health System, 4437 Ohio 159, alterations, $73,000.
- Ross County Water Company, 1356 Rinehart Road, water storage tank, $488,938.
- Adena School District, 3367 County Road 550, new playground shelter, no value given.
- Kenworth Truck Company, 65 Kenworth Drive, roofing, $307,000.
- Railway Express, 13040 Pleasant Valley Road, addition, $100,000.
- Chillicothe Board of Education, 235 Cherry St., fire alarm control panel, $1,450.
- Wagner’s Real Estate, 95 Renick Ave., alterations and signs, $50,000.
- Lorac and Steven Houseman, 249 S. Paint St., roof repair, $9,000.
- Richard Johnson Jr., 250 E. Main St., electric, $2,057.
- First Baptist Church, 65 W. Fourth St., roof, $22,000.
- Hermanson Partnership, 230 Cherry St., fire alarm, $37,100.
- Western View Townhouses, 402 W. Main St., electric, $10,000.
- O’Bryant, Uhrig and Vaughters, 87 E. Second St., roofing, $13,847.
- Litter Corporation, 422 S. McArthur St., siding and HVAC, $3,546.
Vendors licenses issued recently by the Ross County Auditor:
- D&D Shooters Supply, 117 Malone Road, by Douglas Terry.
- Hettinger Electric Company, 11932 Main St., Adelphi.
- Wagner Rental and Supply of Chillicothe, 95 Renick Ave.
Area business seminars and workshops of note:
- Fundamentals of Document Management : Tuesday, Dec. 15, Christopher Conference Center, 11 a.m.-noon, free to chamber members, includes free lunch; leanr how to convert paper documents to electronic ones, manage electronic documents, protect them; by Advantage Data Systems and its partners; to register: Document Management
Have an item for the newsletter? Email CEO Marvin Jones at mjones@chillicotheohio.com.