NILES — With a new power plant on the horizon and businesses budding along the downtown and commercial corridor, officials said they see the year 2018 as full of possibilities.

First, reflecting on what was accomplished in 2017, City Administrator Ric Huff and Mayor Nick Shelton agreed that finalizing city and state plans to bring Indeck Niles to fruition was a major accomplishment.

The Michigan Strategic Fund announced in late December that they were approving more than $34 million in local and school tax capture for Brownfield redevelopments, a final hurdle before the construction phase is to begin. Michael DuBois, vice president for project development at Indeck, said the company is expecting to break ground on the three-year construction phase in the summer.

Looking ahead, Huff said he looks forward to helping the city of Niles continue to reach a sound financial basis.

“The City of Niles has been recovering from the Great Recession but it is a slow process that has been further hampered by the state’s reductions in revenue sharing and slow property value recovery,” Huff said. “2018 looks like it will be a very good year for the city.”

Huff noted that there is considerable interest in new commercial and residential developments and that home sales have been moving briskly. In 2017 alone, the city saw a proliferation of new businesses and looks to be expecting more, especially with four medical marijuana companies looking to set up shop.

The mayor said he hopes to continue his efforts to beautify Niles by conquering blight issues.

“I look forward to continuing to make Niles an attractive choice for new businesses,” Shelton said. “I will continue to do my best to keep residents informed about things that are happening in the city, and I will work hard to get more people involved with the city of Niles, whether it be attending meetings, joining committees and boards, volunteering, or starting new businesses in Niles.”

This year, Huff advised residents to work with the city and notify them when they have issues or questions, rather than using social media as their only source of information. While Shelton advised residents to be proud of calling Niles home and to lead by example.

“Shop at your local Niles businesses. Play at your beautiful Niles parks. Help your Niles neighbors, and those who are less fortunate,” Shelton said. “Get involved in the city; join a committee, attend city meetings, ask questions, and share ideas with council members and me. And most importantly, be proud to call Niles home. You have a lot to be proud of.”

Notable accomplishments in 2017:

• According to Huff, the city started negotiating the conversion of the local power distribution system from 4 KV to 12.5 KV, which will comply with current industry standards and seek to reduce electric line loss, while making electric distribution more reliable.