Fremont board agrees to help new business with grant
By Laura Collins
Published in News on August 19, 2009 1:46 PM
Beginning steps were taken Tuesday night to turn a vacant eyesore into a new business in Fremont.
The old gas station at 103 S. Wilson St. was recently purchased by Sonny and Cammie Odeh. The two were seeking approval from the board to apply for a grant that will help renovate the property. The grant will pay for half of the total cost to renovate the building, which was estimated at $91,000.
The town's only expense will be in employee time, which is estimated at about $1,365, since the town will handle the paper work for the grant.
The Odehs said they plan to turn the location into a state inspection site and a 24-hour towing service. They will also do "light mechanics," they said.
Mrs. Odeh said they plan to add a fence around the back of the building and property, and will add a privacy fence to hide from view the cars towed there. They plan to fully landscape the front and add security lights.
The new business will bring at least four new jobs to Fremont, according to the grant requirements.
"That will be a big improvement for the town of Fremont," said Mayor Devone Jones.
Board members also received a preliminary engineering report from The Wooten Company for the town's water distribution status and well evaluation. The report cited four possible options for the town.
1. Stay on the Wayne County system.
2. Rehabilitate the existing well and treat it for iron removal and stay on the Wayne County system for back-up.
3. Construct a new well and stay on the Wayne County system for back-up.
4. Construct a new well and rehabilitate existing well for back-up.
The board members did not discuss the report's outcome.
Also at the meeting, the board approved rezoning the property at 403 S. Wilson St. from residential to general business.