FR council decides to form plan

FORT RECOVERY — The village is looking to the future.
Fort Recovery Village Council gave the okay on Monday for Paul R. Sullivan Jr. AIA LLC to create a proposal that will plot a long-term community plan for Fort Recovery. The plan would outline future zoning changes in the village as well as economic growth opportunities that may benefit the area for the next 25 years.
The plan, said village administrator Randy Diller, will focus primarily on commercial and residential zoning in Fort Recovery.

“What should (Fort Recovery) be doing to try to survive in today’s economy?” said Diller. “What’s working in other communities, and what’s not working? If we are going to spread out our retail what’s the best way we can do it to make it as viable as possible?”
The plan will not entail final decisions for zoning in Fort Recovery. Rather, it will supply suggestions for the village that Diller hopes can be agreed upon with community feedback.
“What they think makes sense will be a consensus of what we decide, but it will have their knowledge and expertise applied to it,” said Diller.
Economic analysis will also be included in the plan, with Sullivan evaluating what small businesses could be added to the village to improve its growth.
The village administrator said several meetings will be held so residents and business owners can voice their opinions on any zoning changes that may be suggested. Also, a digital survey to gather community feedback will be sent out to residents of the area.
Project Recovery will be paying for $10,000 of the $20,000 project, and the rest will be paid for by the village. Work on the plan is slated to begin in May, and is estimated to take between 120 and 150 days to complete.
In other business, council members Rod Thobe, Cliff Wendel, Al Post, Dave Garman, Dave Kaup and Dave Bretz:
•Approved a $2.5 million payment of real estate taxes to the state of Ohio.
•Approved payment of $357 to Mercer County Homeland Security and Emergency Management as part of an annual assessment, which ensures Fort Recovery is covered by the organization.