Tax deal anchors boating company

HURON — A tax break helped bring a boating business to Huron. During a recent public meeting, city council members approved a 15-year tax abatement agreement with Buckeye Sports Center to create a new brick-and-mortar location. It's a business selling boats, offering marine services and providing storage. The abatement forgives 100% of all property taxes for new development for a 15-year period. Officials felt comfortable authorizing this arrangement based on several factors. This would include Buckeye representatives indicating they would: • Invest $10 million in a new facility; Back in 2021, the boat sales and repair shop, based in Akron, purchased 5.5 vacant acres across from Goodwill and near Woodlands Elementary School off Cleveland Road. • Create a minimum of 14 new employment positions with at least a $730,000 annual payroll when fully up and running • Ensure two local school districts are made whole; Normally, these types of deals translate to public educational institutions losing out on a sizable amount of money. Huron city manager Matt Lasko explained. Buckeye "agreed to provide payment to Huron Schools and EHOVE Career Center for the amount of taxes they normally would have received if there wasn't an abatement in place," Lasko said. "In other words, (Buckeye) will make payments to the school districts for an amount equivalent had there not been an abatement at all." With the tax deal now squared away, Lasko expects Buckeye to break ground in April and wrap up construction work by year's end. Lasko appreciates the company's willingness to do business both with city officials and in Huron. He then summarized his feelings on these tax abatements and their evolving necessity to entice companies, like this one, into town. "We believe that it's critical for local communities to look for ways to incentive companies to help offset their construction costs to ensure the long-term viability of the company after opening," Lasko said. Last year, Buckeye representatives expressed an eagerness to operate in Huron. It's headquartered in Akron. The company wants to expand in Huron "because of the strong boating community and easy access to amenities," said Erik Engle, the city's planning and zoning manager. "The folks at Buckeye Sports know the owner of South Shore Marine and were encouraged to open their second location here in Huron. Their products complement South Shore so the two will not necessarily be direct competitors."