Commissioners OK 10-year tax abatement between Avon and Advanced Polymer Coatings

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an enterprise zone agreement and tax abatement between the city of Avon and Advanced Polymer Coatings Inc. to build a 20,000-square-foot facility, retain 40 jobs and add 10 new jobs in the coming years. The new facility on Jaycox Road will help the company, which produces protective coatings for the chemical transportation and processing industries, to consolidate operations and expand its product lines, county and company officials said Tuesday. Pam Fechter, planning and economic development coordinator for the city of Avon, said the tax abatement is for a total of 10 years. The city has been working with the company since 2020 after there was "some threat" that it might move out of the city or the state. Advanced Polymer Coatings has been in Avon since 1969. "They're a great company, we'd hate to see them leave," she said. James Machnauer, chief operating officer of Advanced Polymer Coatings, said his company has "a long history in Avon." "We're excited about continued investment and growth of the business in the community," he said. Avon City Council approved the 10-year tax abatement at its Oct. 10 meeting. It alleviates 75 percent of the company's property taxes for three years, and 50 percent for the following seven years. Fechter told Avon City Council that the planned expansion will cost $6 million for construction and more than $2 million for new equipment. The company's payroll is estimated to be just over $3.4 million annually, and the new jobs will add another estimated $960,000 on top of that over three years. "We always like to see expansion taking place within the county," Lorain County Community Development Director Rob Duncan told the board at its meeting Tuesday. In other business, the board accepted a $927,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Aging's Health Aging Grant program to improve the quality of life for senior citizens in the county. The money may be used to help senior citizens in Lorain County with food, housing, internet access, digital literacy, programs, mental health and other social services. In other business, the board entered into a consulting agreement with Tina Carinci Morris, a Wheeling, West Virginia-based grant writer, to do grant writing, research and compliance services. She will be paid $2,500 per month for the first three months of the contract, which starts today and ends Dec. 31, 2024, and $3,500 per month thereafter. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.