Grant will provide new signs in village

Fort Recovery will be drawing additional attention to its historical sites with grant money secured by Ball State University's Applied Anthropology Laboratories.
Archaeologist Christine Thompson told village council Monday the labs received a $45,000 National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program grant that can be used to plan and design 12 to 15 signs.
The signs will be "very visual," Thompson said, with maps, timelines and other images. “I tell people they look like museum exhibits except they’re outside.”
Thompson said she and anthropology students have been talking with residents to find out where they think signs should go. She does not expect any signs to be placed on residents’ property.
The grant does not pay for manufacturing and installing signs.
“But the museum and the historical society have already talked about ways to fund that,” Thompson said.
She added that a map of all sign locations could be created.
“I kind of like the idea that it gets people coming through town,” Thompson said, noting that signs aren’t likely to just be near the fort area.
Applied Anthropology Laboratories has been working in Fort Recovery for several years, including mapping the Battle of the Wabash and the Battle of Fort Recovery and creating a documentary about the battles.
In other business, council members Rod Thobe, Dave Garman, Dave Kaup, Dave Bretz and Allen Post, absent Cliff Wendel:
•Unanimously passed the village’s new tax ordinance, which was created to bring the village’s code in line with new Ohio requirements. In response to council members’ concerns about the state-mandated 50 percent penalty for businesses late in remitting withholdings, tax administrator Amanda Wyerick said she can partially or fully abate the penalties.
“It’s brand-new. Am I going to hit you with the 50 percent right away? Probably not,” Wyerick said, adding that she will have to be consistent in handling the penalties.
•Were visited by former mayor John Wolf, who thanked council president Thobe and mayor Roger Broerman for their service to the village. Both are retiring at the end of the year. Wolf also congratulated Kaup on being elected the village’s next mayor.
•Heard from village administrator Randy Diller that the intersection of Butler (Ohio 119) and Elm streets (Ohio 49) has been widened and the village is waiting on the Ohio Department of Transportation to put signs back up.
•Were encouraged by village solicitor Erin Minor to attend an annexation hearing at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Central Services Building, 220 W. Livingston St. The Mercer County Commissioners will decide whether to annex 12 properties in Gibson Township.
Council was reminded by affected resident Dillan Schulze that he does not want to be annexed.
•Unanimously voted to donate $250 to the Business Enterprise Center at Wright State University’s Lake Campus in Celina. The village has been donating that amount for seven years.
“They do a lot of neat things for small businesses as far as counseling them on setting up businesses and doing things to help them get on the right track,” Diller said.