Ovid votes to establish a local development corporation

The Finger Lakes Times:

The Ovid Town Board unanimously — and enthusiastically — created the Ovid Local Development Corp., with the goal of supporting efforts to rebuild the community’s downtown.

Town Supervisor Joe Borst said the LDC, and the group that has been meeting to create it, are positive signs that “good things are going to come” to Ovid in the future, even if it’s not clear quite yet what that means.

“They just don’t know at this point,” Borst said about the property and business owners who were affected by the Jan. 21 fire that started in an apartment over the Ovid Big M. “I think some of them are still working with their insurance companies. They could decide to rebuild and the (LDC) could help, or they could deed the property and the (LDC) could take over.”

The measure adopted Wednesday establishes a temporary board of directors that includes Ellen Smith, Bruce Murray, and Erik Holmberg. Borst said applications are still being accepted for a full board of directors and asked that anyone interested submit letters of intent.

The letters will be reviewed by two members each from the Ovid village and town boards. Preference will be given to Ovid residents and business owners.

Borst said there have been several meetings since the fire with those interested in helping recovery efforts, but things had gone as far as they could go without an entity like the agency being established. He said he was grateful that a group stepped up to the plate to do it.