FR looking at street options

FORT RECOVERY — The village is weighing its options for street work.

Fort Recovery Village Council OK’d seeking engineering designs Monday for a couple street reconstruction projects.

Village administrator Randy Diller explained costs are anticipated at $450,000 for reconstructing portions of Gwendolyn and Wiggs streets and $300,000 for reconstructing two blocks of Main Street. (He indicated these estimates may be high.)

Diller suggested council select one project, pointing out the village has about $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars available for road work.

“If we had enough money, I’d love to do them both,” said Diller, who referenced his previous plan to apply for a grant through the Small Government Program offered by Ohio Public Works Commission. (He recently found out the village will not be eligible for the grant until next year.)

He asked council if it would like to move forward. Council gave Diller the OK to seek proposals from Choice One Engineering for designs.

Regardless, Diller said, he would like to patch portions of Butler Street (Ohio 119) this summer, which will be paid for using some of village’s overlay budget.

Also Monday, council learned the village has received its $300,000 from Mercer County Commissioners — the dollars are allocated from American Rescue Plan Act funds — for installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Elm and Butler streets (Ohio 49 and Ohio 119). Choice One Engineering is putting together information for the village to submit to Ohio Department of Transportation in order to get the department’s approval to install it.

Council members also approved an extension on two tax abatements with J&M Manufacturing per a recommendation from the village’s tax incentive review council. (Per Ohio law, tax abatements are reviewed and approved annually.) Both are 10-year abatements, with one set to expire in 2024 and another in 2025, that were established for separate building projects. The company is expected to save $22,000 total in taxes with the abatements.

Diller noted the company is at its highest employment level to date with 228 jobs, 202 of which are full-time positions.

“Things are going really well for them right now,” Diller said.

In other business, council members Greg Schmitz, Scott Pearson, Al Post, Cliff Wendel and Erik Fiely, absent Luke Knapke:

•Were reminded Fort Recovery Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual awards banquet at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the auditeria at Fort Recovery Elementary/Middle School.

•Heard the village’s wastewater lagoons have had a drop in dissolved oxygen levels but that they are still getting OK results from testing and that the lagoons have not been emitting bad odors. Diller pointed out Kainos Ag, which has been applying product to the lagoons, will modify its regimen as the weather changes.

•Learned the village has received initial renewal information for its health insurance, which is expected to increase by 28%. (The village currently uses Anthem brokered by McGohan Brabender out of Dayton, Ohio.) Diller noted the village is looking into its options.

•Transferred $100,000 from the general fund to the street construction, maintenance and report fund and $40,000 from the general fund to the water capital fund.

•Approved a five-year renewal with Park National Bank as a depository for village funds.

•Heard both village trucks posted on auction website GovDeals.com sold for more than anticipated, with the 2011 Ford F-150 selling for $7,501 and the 2006 Ford F-750 dump truck selling for $41,500.

•Learned new signs were installed at cemeteries in town. Plans are to also install solar lights beneath them to illuminate the signs at night.