Board to consider sale of industrial land
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
The Village of Sharon is on the verge of two new developments that could bring jobs to the area and new life to the heart of the village.
On Friday, the Village Board will meet in closed session to consider an offer to purchase five acres of land in the village’s industrial park.
According to Village President Diana Dykstra, the offer comes from a group of local investors who are interested in creating a small manufacturing facility. She said the venture could create up to 50 jobs paying an estimated $13-$15 per hour.
She declined to provide further details until the Village Board considers the offer.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. at Village Hall, 125 Plain Street. The board will meet in closed session to discuss the offer, but must convene to open session to vote on the matter.
Hobby firm has plans
While Dykstra said she and other village officials are excited about that potential development, they are also hopeful another development that doesn’t involve village-owned land will also come to fruition.
She said Dan Hill, president and founder of HopMeUp RC Inc., a radio-controlled toy and hobby firm based in North Carolina, is working toward moving his company to Sharon.
In addition to bringing as many as 50 jobs, the firm’s plans currently include conversion of the former opera house building into a retail store, redevelopment of the former foundry site at the foot of Plain Street, and possibly use of the former grocery store site for future expansion.
“He’s ready to go,” Dykstra said, noting Hill has already purchased the opera house building and is working to obtain a state grant to perform soil testing on the foundry site. Village has agreed to pay up to $1,000 to assist the site-testing effort.
Hill has already received a conditional use permit from the village Plan Commission.
Dykstra explained that Hill, whose wife grew up in the area, was looking to relocate his business to the stateline area and found what he needed in Sharon.
