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WELLMAN
Economic development advances, searches for new businesses
Reporter: Gigi Wood
gigi@corridorbiznews.com
Their plate is full.
The residents of Wellman spent 20 years planning a new activities center, which is finally expected to be complete by the end of next year.
The $6 million, 38,500-square-foot Parkside Activities Center will be the community’s first fitness center and will offer the town’s only meeting space that can seat 300. The center will include a preschool and day care, doubling the capacity of the city’s day-care services, which are in a church basement. It is one of many projects going on in the town of 1,500, which has grown 15 percent since 2000. Wellman is located about 26 miles southwest of Iowa City.
When residents were asked to vote on a bond referendum to help pay for the project, it received the highest approval rating in Washington County history, at 88.3 percent and record turnout, city officials said.
An active city council, new city staff and the loss of a key business are responsible for the town’s new spark, officials say. Two years ago, the city for the first time hired a city administrator to help the council move projects ahead. That hire came at about the same time the town’s only pharmacy closed, alerting residents that action was needed to keep its business district vibrant.
“Two or three years ago when the pharmacy left, that’s really when it started coming together,” said Dave Ross, Wellman’s city administrator, who was hired two years ago.
Since then, the city has submitted grant applications left and right. It received funding to add Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms to nearly every city building, including the town’s skating rink, which had over the years fallen into disrepair. The city bought it and gave it a major facelift.
“The skating rink had been here for 50 years but no improvements had ever been done,” said Ryan Miller, Wellman’s mayor. “The city took over about four years ago and what we did we totally redid the bathrooms, put in glow-in-the-dark carpeting, black lights, maple flooring and some video games.”
Last year, the city replaced all of the skates. Now, more than 75 organizations rent the facility annually. The rink’s Halloween party was at capacity, attracting more than 450 people.
“For years, this was just a bedroom community and people just kind of went along with their lives and didn’t see how things could change and weren’t interested in getting together (for project planning),” Mr. Miller said.
After the pharmacy closed a group of residents and business owners started talking about not only saving the town, but improving it.
“People just realized that if you invest in your own community you can do all that,” Mr. Ross said. “And we have a lot of projects going on and it’s a great community, people look out for each other.”
Wellman started its Downtown Business Incentive Program to motivate companies to improve and repair buildings along Main Street.
“Last year, the city contributed $15,000 to various businesses, to six, $2,500 per, and what happened is we ended up seeing about $100,000 in improvements,” Mr. Ross said. “And it’s become contagious, one business starts cleaning up a little bit and the guy next door is like, ‘well I want to get fixed up and have my place look really good, too.’”
New awnings were installed at many businesses, several of the downtown buildings have fresh paint, and general repairs were made to several locations. A streetscaping program was started. Now there are uniform trash cans downtown, as well as a four-way-facing clock. Street lamps with banners will soon be added. Wellman is also investing about $3 million for a reverse osmosis system to improve the water supply. Meanwhile, the city decreased property taxes to the lowest rates in 10 years.
The activity has attracted several new businesses. A pharmacy, medical clinic and ice cream store recently moved to spots downtown. A senior center was started.
“I’m very glad to be here, this is fantastic,” said Brian Murphy, an advanced registered nurse practitioner from Iowa City who opened Southeast Iowa Family Practice on Main Street last year. “This is what I always envisioned, to be in rural Iowa, it’s me.”
Now, the city is actively recruiting more businesses.
“We would love to have a new restaurant, we’d love to have a new hardware store, and eventually a subdivision. Our last subdivision came in in ’95 and we’re pretty much ready again,” Mr. Ross said.
The city’s telephone co-op owns two of the buildings for rent and is willing to offer incentives to potential tenants, such as free rent for a period of time. Rent for one space is $400 a month for about 1,000 square feet. CBJ
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