Demolition complete; what’s next?

By now, folks have likely noticed that demolition of the old car wash and former Comcast building is complete, and the old train station removed from the properties recently acquired by the village. This was action as promised, and the empty site will be improved to make it more usable and attractive until its ultimate role is determined.

There is already significant support for the site as a plaza — as recommended in the downtown development plan — and that is growing. The idea was strongly endorsed by the American Legion, along with the proposed veterans’ memorial in the plaza. Absent an unexpected major force to the contrary, I think the plaza is the likely outcome. Time frame: next five years or so.

Figure in some other downtown initiatives from the private sector and perhaps some further municipal opportunities, and I think we’re looking at some attractive and noticeable downtown improvements — in addition to those already initiated by a number of business owners.

In the meantime, the water park/family entertainment center study funded by the village has been completed with favorable results.  What does that mean for Morton residents?  Boiled down, it says the economic findings show Morton to be an attractive site for a family entertainment center, with sufficient payback to potential investors.  The firm that completed the study has extensive experience with this industry, and management believes developers are out there who would be interested. We’re talking about substantial investment — millions of dollars — so the project can only come from private business.

Candidates include existing hotel owners and potential new hotel and/or entertainment business operators who’d be willing to put up the cash. Seeking those investors is in the hands of the Morton Economic Development Council, but may take a while, especially considering the current economic climate.  Successful implementation could greatly spur leisure spending in Morton, adding new tax revenue plus local supplier purchases and local spending by patrons.

Also making progress in the Business District Council is the façade design for downtown. Completion will allow businesses that remodel or build new in compliance with the design to be eligible for certain funding.  The awards are modest, but will presumably help businesses offset cost for architectural designs they might not otherwise have incorporated. Other funding will be available for certain grants and loans, with proceeds on the loans returned to the Business District.

It’s worth noting, incidentally, that the water park survey, tourist development expenditures, the land acquisition and downtown development are paid from funds generated by their respective sales taxes. Under state law, those funds can be spent only on qualifying projects and cannot be diverted to other uses. For example, money from the tourist fund can only go to specific, qualified uses that are aimed at putting “heads in beds,” that is, hotel room stays, and cannot be used to repair neighborhood sidewalks, for example.

However, infrastructure repair is also in progress. Surveying is under way or completed, and work is scheduled for a number of capital projects, including sidewalk and street repairs in various areas.

We’ve weathered the financial storm of the last few years with limited damage, thanks to a solid community and careful budget management, and Mortonites will now begin seeing action on projects that had to be deferred.

Stephen Newhouse is a Morton Village Board trustee with planning and zoning responsibilities. He agreed to write a column for the Morton Times-News to offer his perspective about village happenings.