This weeks #GOPCThread takes a closer look at the proposed state transportation budget, debate on which got underway this week in the Ohio House of Representatives Finance Committee.

Not on Twitter, the thread is available online, as well as below.

Greater Ohio Policy Center Read on Twitter

Today’s #GOPCThread will feature #VanWertOhio as the sixth city in our #OHCommunitySpotlight series

Van Wert is in the NW corner of the state, just 15 minutes away from the Ohio-Indiana state line with ~11k residents #GOPCThread

Van Wert was established as the county seat in 1835 and incorporated as a town in 1848. It built its economy around timber in the mid-1800s and by the late 19thC, farming had become an important industry #GOPCThread

Today, Van Wert and the surrounding county continue to be a mix of manufacturing and farming #GOPCThread

Like many downtowns in Ohio, Van Wert’s had begun to show wear & tear. Many of the buildings were built in the 1880s and investments in upkeep and repair had slowed in the last 3 decades #GOPCThread

. @MainStVanWert had done a great job programming downtown events and coordinating businesses, but they lacked the capital needed to stabilize and breath new life into buildings. #GOPCThread

City/regional leaders realized that making downtown Van Wert a destination for returning residents and new ones would help spur investment throughout the city & region #GOPCThread

In 2018, the Van Wert Business Development Corporation decided to buy a critical building in downtown, at sheriff’s sale. This purchase got town leaders comfortable w/ the idea of buying downtown real estate for the good of the community. #GOPCThread

At the same time, staff and board members of @VWCF1925 were seriously talking about the importance of downtown Van Wert to the future prosperity of the city & county. How could they move from being transactional to transformational? #GOPCThread

In consultation with local leaders, @VWCF1925 realized it could endow downtown and its prosperity to the citizens of Van Wert forever by coordinating, executing, and managing a master real estate effort for downtown #GOPCThread

Of their $80M-$85M in assets, @VWCF1925 said “let’s take some of our money off of Wall Street and invest it in our own Main Street”. #GOPCThread

By 2019, @VWCF1925 had begun to acquire properties in downtown. As of today they hold or have majority stake in 40+ key buildings that will go into a Downtown Trust. #GOPCThread

. @VWCF1925 captured the interest of @The_Model_Group & #PagoUSA, who agreed to help Van Wert thru the real estate redevelopment process... #GOPCThread #OHCommunitySpotlight

Model Group & Pago are also doing property management for the Downtown Trust. Eventually local property managers + other staff will be hired #GOPCThread

The effort is now branded Van Wert Forward ( @vwfwd) and it is an ambitious plan to revitalize and restore downtown Van Wert #GOPCThread

Right now, @VWCF1925 projects this will be an $80M project, split into 4-5 phases. Van Wert plans to go after #HistoricPreservationTaxCredits, #VibrantCommunities grants from @JobsOhio & grants from @OhioDevelopment + other state/fed agencies #GOPCThread

Leadership at @VWCF1925 is convinced other communities can replicate this model. But as @GreaterOhio often talks about, it requires shared agreement around priorities and process. #GOPCThread

Many thanks for @VWCF1925 for sharing their story with @GreaterOhio last summer and to @MontroseGrpLLC for their recent podcast on these amazing efforts underway in Van Wert! #GOPCThread