Lagoon is Fort Recovery’s top priority

FORT RECOVERY — Its wastewater lagoon is at the top of the village’s list of projects for 2015.
Fort Recovery Village Council heard Monday from village administrator Randy Diller about a preliminary list of plans for the village in the coming year, with expansion of its lagoon the No. 1 priority.
The addition of a third lagoon would make the most sense to deal with a possible Perham Egg Ohio expansion, which would double the company’s water usage to 100,000 gallons a day, said Diller. Without the new construction, the current system would be at 80 percent capacity with Perham’s increased usage.
The village had originally planned to renovate the two existing lagoons by changing the piping and hydraulics to better utilize the space, but Diller believes trying to create a third lagoon would be a better option, given the amount of grant money available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other entities.
At an estimated cost of $800,000, the process to construct a third lagoon won’t be easy — four to six months are designated for acquiring approvals — but Diller said it’s worth it to maximize a grant he’s pursuing, which could pay for 50 percent of the project.
“We’re going to shake the bushes on every idea we can … Nothing’s quick, nothing’s easy, nothing’s cheap,” said Diller, adding that constructing the lagoon would be a more long-term solution. “Our system is going to be in great shape … for longer than we’ll have to worry about it.”
He will be meeting with EPA officials this week to discuss options and has already ordered soil-boring tests to begin decision preparations.
The potential project puts other ideas for the year on hold until the lagoon can be budgeted to see how much funding will be left over.
A preliminary draft shows plans for purchases of a police cruiser, bucket truck and pickup truck. Asphalt overlays will also be looked at, with some work needed following the recent completion of the sewer separation project.
Diller said Choice One Engineering is putting together estimates on the cost of such projects, but for now, it’s best to overestimate the cost of the lagoon so other projects don’t get pulled later.
“Prudent planning says let’s get the best idea we can,” said Diller.
Council members were asked to review the budgetary plan to see what they value as most important to better solidify plans for the coming year.
In other business, council members Rod Thobe, Cliff Wendell, Al Post, Dave Garman, Dave Kaup and Dave Bretz:
•Approved on first reading retaining Dave Bruns as the village attorney. Council also approved on first reading wage increases for village employees, averaging 2.59 percent per employee, with new salaries of $29.54 an hour for village administrator, $20.50 for police chief and $17.50 for fiscal officer.