TOP STORY OF THE DAY Brought to you FREE by WICU: Redevelopment Commission takes moment to honor memory of Bill Sisson

Frank Phillips photos - Jan Howell and Tom Ames sit next to an empty chair that was used by Bill Sisson until his passing.

Bill Sisson fought through pain with charm and good grace in his last years of service on the Clay County Redevelopment Commission. He passed away last month following a lifetime of public service.

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Redevelopment Commission, President Tom Ames took time to remember Bill’s life, offering the opportunity to members of the Commission and the public to share their memories of Bill.

Ames and Commission member Jan Howell said they were both recruited for service on the commission by Bill Sisson. In the case of Jan Howell, Bill worked on her for more than a year, she said.

Frank Phillips photos - Bill Sisson takes the oath of office in 2017 from County Commissioner Paul Sinders.

She laughed, “I finally told him, when your number comes up on my phone, I’m not going to answer it!”

In business before the Commission:

• Jim Coffenberry, West Central Economic Development Inc., reported on plans to improve Industrial Park.

“We are quickly starting to whip stuff together,” Coffenberry said.

He learned from the Indiana Economic Development Administration that the state will receive $15 million in CARES money from the federal government to fund five projects for COVID-19 relief.

Coffenberry said the projects planned for Industrial Park, including a new water tower to better provide utility for Great Dane and other plans in the Park and improvements to a road servicing the Park are “good projects.”

He thinks the facts that Great Dane is the largest employer in this district and the planned projects will help them retain employees and that Great Dane trailers carry food and other necessities is “a big deal.”

Coffenberry plans to have the paperwork put together for County Commissioners and the County Council in August.

“It looks like we will need about $150,000” more than what is available in tax increment funds to meet the match for the CARES grant the county hopes to get from the State.

“So far, I don’t see any issues,” Coffenberry said.

The City of Brazil is participating in the match in kind but the money will come from the county, he said.

• Property that has been owned by the County for several years at 348 Colfax in Brazil will be donated to Clay Community Schools at the request of the school district.

The house on the property has been demolished. The property was part of the Blight Elimination Program.

“I’m sure it will be well used,” said Amy Burke-Adams, who represents the school board at Redevelopment Commission meetings.

The next meeting will be at 6 p.m., August 19, in the Court House.