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Madison County needs a larger banquet and meeting facility, according to Madison County Chamber of Commerce Director Sean Hughes, who says he has found the right spot. Now, he just needs a businessman to step up to the plate to renovate a West Jefferson building.
Hughes told members of the West Jefferson Business Council on Feb. 16 that the former Ohio Seed Co. building, located on Depot Street in the village, could be turned into a conference center and banquet hall or a community market.
"The building’s 16,000 square-foot open space is ideal for a full-service banquet-conference center facility sim-ilar to the Made From Scratch facility located on Industrial Parkway outside of Dublin," Hughes said.
"The entire county area is in need of more options for large banquet and meeting rooms for the growing business community, as well as for fundraiser events for area service organizations and business organizations."
The open space also would lend itself well to the development of a large inside market area similar to the North Market in Columbus, Hughes said of other possibilities. At such a market, gardeners and individual businesses would rent booth space to market produce and other commodities throughout the year.
"The building’s proximity to Columbus makes it an ideal location for either venture. All we need is an entrepreneur who is willing to develop it," Hughes said.
In other matters, the business council discussed progress on a slate of upcoming events, including the National Road Yard Sale in May, ideas for West Jefferson’s Ox Roast and Christmas in the Park, and summer and fall farmers’ markets. Committees are in the planning stages on all four projects with no firm details ready to report.
Hughes reported that the Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting is set for March 26. Guest speakers and a meeting location are yet to be determined. The West Jefferson Business Council is a subsidiary of the Chamber.
Business council members also were reminded of the countywide candidate debate set for 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at London High School.
The West Jefferson Business Council will hold its next regular meeting at 9 a.m. March 8 at Hurt-Battelle Memorial Library in West Jefferson. For details, call the Chamber at 740-852-2250. For directions, call the library at 614-879-8448.
