Four tax abatement compliance forms for three different companies were approved by the Bluffton Common Council Tuesday night.
The council approved a compliance form held over from two weeks ago, as J&R Wood Products at the Westland Park industrial building, 1955 W. Lancaster Road, was given the council’s approval. Caryn Nave, in answer to a question from the council, said the company has about 20 employees working there.
The council also approved an abatement on real estate improvements at Westland Park. The abatement stems from 2007, when 77,750 square feet were added to the 200,000 square feet that already existed at the site. The original estimate of new employees was 17, but the form submitted by Nave showed 53 people working there.
“It’s very full — the building is completely occupied at this point,” she said.
The other two abatements concerned Alexin, the aluminum recycling company at 1390 S. Adams St.
One of the abatements was from 2007 on real estate improvements at the site and the other abatement was from 2011, also for real estate improvements. The company originally estimated it would have 51 employees on its 2007 abatement request and 57 on its 2011 abatement request; both compliance forms considered by the council showed 88 employees.
Tom Horter, president and CEO of the company, had an update. “We have had 102 (employees) since the end of the year,” he said.
Harter said he was grateful for the improvements to Adams Street — “It’s awesome; I think about it every time I drive down the street,” he said — and said his company would do whatever it could to get the directional sign posted at the intersection of Adams Street/Ind. 124/Lancaster Street.
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