Metro 09/01/14

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Zoning change is sought for strip mall

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100th anniversary of monument See page 7

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By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com Oregon City Council next month will consider the application of a Special Use Exemption (SUE) for a lot at the northeast corner of Navarre Avenue and Wynn Road for the development of a small strip mall.

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...bad trade deals became the order of the day. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur See page 2

Ice bucket at Fassett

Students and faculty at Fassett Junior High School accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raising over $1,000. Gladieux Lumber and CSX donated buckets for the event. Top photo, student Andrew Collins pours water over teacher Nancy Pevets. Bottom, left to right photos, Brianna Rast, and Jaelyn Prater were among the 170 participants. (Press photos by Ken Grosjean)

Toledo well-positioned

Manufacturing: Renaissance or “rebalancing” By John Szozda Press General Manager The reasons for the rebirth of American manufacturing are the same reasons that could put the Toledo area at the top of the list for the return of American jobs that years ago were outsourced to countries with low labor costs. While there’s debate about the strength of this renaissance, there’s no doubt the playing field has leveled and factors other than labor costs are driving manufacturers to move operations here. D. Paul Zito, vice president of international development with the Regional Growth Partnership, and Matt Sapara, director of development for the City of Toledo, summarized these reasons in interviews with The Press: Shipping issues--Being closer to the American consumer allows for better inventory control to accommodate a change in consumer tastes and a shorter delivery time to the retailer. In addition, freight costs, import duties, quality inspections, freight damage and insurance costs are offsetting America’s higher labor costs; High quality workforce--Zito said, “I was just in meetings with three German

AMERICA

A special to The Press

I was just in meetings with three German owned operations and they all praised our workforce.

Plans also call for a gas station, according to Mayor Mike Seferian. “I know at different times, this might become a little bit of a topic amongst residents and some people in the city of whether that’s a proper use for that piece of property,” said Seferian. The parcel faced foreclosure years ago following several attempts to purchase it, he added. “Each of those attempts had failed. Now there’s an agreement to try and put that property to use,” he said. The Plan Commission will review the application before making a recommendation to council, which will likely vote on it on Sept. 22. Seferian said the city has to decide whether to control “how retail chooses to purchase property.” “We have to make a decision how we enter into the control or lack of control of how retail chooses to do business in our city. I’ve explained to many people who live in the Park Place condos that maybe it’s not the business you would most desire to be in front of your property, but it might not be the least desirable venture either. So the only way you could control the destiny of the property around you is to own it. I just want to make council aware that this is coming up, and you will be facing a decision. I’m sure there will be strong feelings - in some instances against this proposal. Do you really want to be in that position to control the destiny of how the retail goes in here. There is a demand to put that parcel into action. We’re going to face a few of those challenges as applications for a couple of the parcels come up over the next few years. We have to be united on how we pursue each one of them because we have to be known as the community that treats retail business fairly,” said Seferian. Administrator Mike Beazley said the parcel needs a special or conditional use

owned operations and they all praised our workforce. The operations they have in the Toledo area have the best productivity, efficiency, innovation and enthusiasm of any of their operations around the globe.” Although, Toledo is known as a union town, Zito says, labor here is cheaper than in many larger U.S. cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Sapara agrees. “We have a quality,

skilled workforce with a history of making things. Different parts of the country are known for different things. On the east coast, they are known for financial acumen. Here, we build things. That’s what we are really good at;” Access to markets--Sapara said, “We are located in the heart of everything. You can reach 80 percent of the U.S. consumer population in a one day drive;” Other advantages--Our port, rail, abundant water and inexpensive energy due to the fracking boom; Labor costs--While labor costs are rising in the Asian Rim countries, they have stabilized or decreased in the U.S. due to the 2008 recession. These factors have spurred some U.S. manufacturers to return to American soil. Some foreign manufacturers, who produce products for the American market, are joining them. Zito mentioned Whirlpool, which in 2013 moved 80 to 100 jobs from Mexico to its Clyde location citing high electrical and transportation costs. Sapara mentioned Crown Battery, which in 2009 moved its operation in Reynosa, Mexico to Fremont. Zito also cited two foreign based companies which have moved into the Toledo

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