Van Wert preparing for downtown restoration

The Van Wert County Foundation is aiming to kick off its downtown restoration project on August 1.

A local small town is getting a much-needed upgrade.

The van wert county foundation is gearing up for an ambitious 26 million dollar project... and that's just phase one.but the group says its for buildings they say have been left by the wayside for too long.fox 55's kelsey mannix reports on the details for the upcoming changes.

Hall block, property manager: "it's just exciting to think about the opportunity to bring back the liveliness that people know and love."

That's the goal of the van wert forward project a 4-phase plan to remodel the downtown area.the van wert county foundation has been teasing phase 1 on social media.and it's happening at the perfect time.county foundation ceo seth baker the buildings need a lot of structural work.

Seth baker, ceo van wert county foundation: "if we don't work on these buildings, we're gonna lose our assets as a community, we're not gonna have a downtown for future generations, so this is really important."

Stand up: here at the old antique mall on main street, you can see some cracks in the windows here, the carpet's a little bit old, which is why this is just one of the buildings that's getting an upgrade.seth baker, ceo van wert county foundation: "we're focused on saving those unique little quirks that make this place special."property manager hall block says phase 1 is supposed to start on august 1st and take 12 to 18 months.the estimated price?

26 million dollars.and phase 2 could potentially start before phase 1 is finished.

Hall block, property manager: "so the community, the public, may not actually see a break between construction."

Jenna dailey owns a bridal boutique on main street near some of the phase 1 buildings.

She's excited for what the project could bring to the community.jenna dailey, owner sister's bridal boutique: "i think you know it's worth it.

It's worth all the money, all the time, all of that weight to get us to where we want to be in the future."dailey hopes more people will eventually appreciate all van wert will have to offer.jenna dailey, owner sister's bridal boutique: "it's just a really special community and i hope that once all the revitalizations are finished that people just flock to our town and want to build a home here."in van wert, i'm kelsey mannix, fox 55 news.

The county foundation says the whole project could cost around 80 million dollars... and estimates it could take 5 to