With 2015 in the rearview mirror for three weeks, Greenfield’s city manager presented at the Greenfield Village Council meeting on Wednesday the village’s annual report, with highlights positive things like employment, local investment and reports on day-to-day operations.

“The best social welfare program I can think of is a job,” Coffey wrote in the portion of the report concerning Corvac Composites.

The auto industry supplier is slated to begin production early this year, and over time plants to add more jobs as production ramps up. About 175 jobs are anticipated to be added at Corvac over the next three years.

Greenfield’s rail spur, which supports nearly 1,000 jobs in the region, Coffey wrote, is nearly through the multi-million dollar improvement project that began last year.

And local investment, Coffey said in the report, occurred in 2015 and included two new restaurants, new businesses, improvements to established businesses, and investment in homes.

Coffey, in the annual report, also touched on the village’s “sound finances,” volunteerism, the McClain Centennial Celebration, and Greenfield once again being recognized as a Tree City USA community.

Along with other reports contained in the document that have to do with Greenfield’s day-to-day operations were the statistics for 2015 for the village police department.

Those statistics include: 5,099 calls responded to, 532 offenses reported, 126 traffic accidents investigated, 8,321 home security checks, 235 inmates at the jail, and 482 arrests.

The annual report in its entirety can be found on the home page of Greenfield’s website at www.greenfieldohio.net.

Council passed legislation Wednesday to reappropriate railroad funds not used last year into this year’s budget. The matter was passed unopposed with only council chair Betty Jackman not voting as she was excused from the meeting.

In Coffey’s city manager’s report that he presents at each council meeting, he said he attended an Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) caucus meeting Wednesday morning in Hillsboro. He said a matter he touched on with OVRDC was the possibility of grant funding for a transloading facility off South Washington Street, something that Corvac has expressed an interest in. Coffey said such a facility could be used by other companies as well.

The city manager also reported that Greenfield’s industrial park has been selected to be a part of the 2016 Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth (APEG) Featured Facilities Sites Initiative, which will allow the industrial park to be showcased.

“As we still have a large area of industrial park land that could be developed, it is my hope that we can bring additional jobs to Greenfield through this initiative,” Coffey said.

According to Coffey, he recently met with Todd Bruno, plant manager of Johnson Controls. He said that earlier this month it was announced that Johnson Controls “will spin off a new company” in October of this year called Adient.

“This company will focus on automotive seating and interiors and look at other innovative ways of growing its business,” Coffey said.

He said Bruno believes “this will provide new opportunities for the company.” Coffey added that he didn’t believe there would be any employment changes, adding that Johnson Controls has a lot of money invested in Greenfield and the company wants “to stay.”

He said there would be signage changes around July.

Coffey reported to council that he served as moderator at the Jan. 11 meeting of a neighborhood watch group that began meeting in November. The next meeting, he said, is scheduled for Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers on the first floor of the City Building.

Council member Brenda Losey told council members of a Y-Gradale Frosty 5K Run set for Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. at Felson Park. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. that day.

According to the event page on Facebook, preregistration is $20, and registration on the day of the event is $25. Registration forms are available at Jett’s Pro Embroidery and at the Corner Pharmacy.

Losey also reminded council members of SPARK! Creative Artspace’s upcoming Souper Bowl Sunday event on Jan. 31. For $15 participants will receive a handmade ceramic stoneware bowl and will be able to choose from a selection of homemade soups, cornbread and beverages.

The event will be held at Spark’s studios, 251 Jefferson St., Greenfield, from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. A special children’s price will be available for kids 15 and under. It will not include a ceramic bowl. Payment will be at the door with cash, check or credit card. For more information go to SPARK!’s Facebook page or go to sparkcreativeartspace.org.

The Greenfield Village Council meets in regular session on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers on the first floor of the City Building. The meetings are open to the public. To be put on the agenda, call 937-981-3500.

Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.