More grant funding is available

More funding means more money for Fort Recovery businesses.

Village administrator Randy Diller told Fort Recovery Village Council on Monday he expects all businesses that applied to get some funding through the COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant Program.

Diller reminded village council members Monday that 15 applications were submitted for the grant program, which is providing up to $5,000 to local businesses for coronavirus-related expenses. He noted House Bill 614 recently passed in the U.S. Senate, meaning Fort Recovery received another $52,000 for its grant program.

He said he’s waiting to hear back from some applicants for extra information, but Diller will share more about the businesses that applied later this week. After funding those who applied, Diller noted any extra money might also go toward the Fort Recovery Public Library or another public entity, such as Fort Recovery Local Schools. He estimates the village will have between $10,000 and $15,000 left to spend on COVID-19 expenses.

“I guess the idea is we’re going to try to keep as much of it (in the village) as we can,” he said.

In road-related business, council members approved the installation of stop signs at the intersection of Broadway and Elm streets as well as the intersection of Wayne and Broadway streets. Construction on Broadway Street is ongoing, Diller said. The project, which will widen and connect Broadway and Elm streets, is being completed in hopes the Ohio Department of Transportation will approve it for the Ohio 49 route.

Diller told council members curbing has been completed along Broadway Street, and now sidewalks and driveway approaches are being installed. Most of the work on Elm Street will not begin until next year.

During the meeting, council members also agreed to invest in an approximate $2,500 study on Ohio 119 as the road leads into Fort Recovery from the east. ODOT requires a study before requests for speed limit changes are reviewed. Concerns have been raised by community members about incoming traffic going 55 mph taking the curve near Fort Recovery-Minster Road too fast. ODOT has agreed to move the 35 mph sign to west of the curve without additional studies, but council members agreed to do a study in an effort to get the speed limit dropped to 25 mph at village limits.

Diller noted the Merchants Cruise-In, a car show hosted by the Fort Street Car Classics Club, has been rescheduled to Saturday after show organizers were notified that outside car shows are now permitted. Because the ongoing construction in town results in fewer parking spaces, council members voted to close Wayne Street between Butler and Center streets on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. for parking.

Mayor Dave Kaup also shared updates from the recently formed Mercer County Joint Ambulance District. He announced the new medical director, Jordan Brunswick, will start at the beginning of 2021. Kaup explained the district is still discussing on-call worker pay, which is disputed between $3 and $5 an hour. The district will keep its equipment and will be swapping its oldest vehicle for one that is almost 12 years newer. Mercer County will also pay the district $85,000.

In other business, council members:

•Heard from police chief Jared Laux that one of the police cruisers is not working.

•Corrected previously accepted appropriations from the last meeting. Fiscal officer Roberta Staugler explained the former total did not include CARES Act funding.

•Agreed to hold off payments for Ohio Public Works Commission loans, which are at 0% interest, and instead pay $13,000 on a United States Department of Agriculture loan, which has a 3% interest rate.

•Learned Diller’s zoning ordinance amendments are ready to be discussed with the planning commission. The ordinance hasn’t been updated in about 11 years, and Diller looked through the document to make changes for better clarification. He said he would be setting up a meeting soon.

•Heard from Diller that Fort Recovery will hold trick-or-treating hours from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 25.