FAIRMONT– Linsey Preuss, Fairmont Economic Development Director, provided the Fairmont City Council with a third quarter community development report during Monday evening’s city council meeting.

Preuss said the values of building permits are doing really well. Year to date, she said there’s 62 additions and alternations to residential buildings; 295 maintenance, including roofing and siding and two new permits for single family homes, with a couple more in the pipeline.

She said as for commercial building permits, they currently equal over $23 million. Preuss stressed that that is just for the value of the building, not the equipment or workforce development. She said last year at this time they were at $12 million.

Preuss also talked abut FEDA funding. She said they have $14,000 available in micro loans and $216,000 in CARES loans, which can be used by businesses negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. She also spoke about the child care forgivable loan.

“This is a fairly new program. If you spend $1,000 you can get up to 1,000 and it will be forgiven over 12 months as long as you stay in business. That is to help create and retain child care providers in the area,” Preuss said.

She also talked about the Fairmont Area Life resident recruitment campaign.

“It’s no secret to any of you guys but workforce is a huge concern for our community. Not just the community, but the state and actually the nation, and no business is immune to this,” Preuss said.

She said it’s partly due to the pandemic, but also because of the aging workforce and lack of young people stepping in to fill the positions.

Preuss said employers are looking at how to recruit and retrain workforce by increasing wages, reducing requirements for the position and out-of-the-box thinking.

“As a community we also need to do something. We’ve been working for recruit of residents by a targeted display advertising campaign toward the metro area,” Preuss said.

She said they have noticed that people are interested in the campaign and in coming to Fairmont.

After Preuss’s update, council member Britney Kawecki asked about the available CARES loans.

Preuss said the money needs to be spent by July, 2022, or they lose it. She said they’ve been trying to get the word out and have also been working to inform bankers on the available loans.

“Right now at this point, a loan, something that you have to pay back, is not something that businesses are really looking at, even though it’s zero percent,” Preuss said.

In other news:

–The council proclaimed Oct. 23- 31 Red Ribbon Week in the city of Fairmont. Red Ribbon Week offers citizens the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to healthy and drug-free lifestyles.

— The council approved the new vacant building ordinance regulation.

— The council heard a request from a resident during public comment to consider changing the ordinance to allow a household to have five dogs instead of three.