FR approves street lighting agreement

FORT RECOVERY — Village representatives have been discussing a street lighting agreement for months.

A final version came to Fort Recovery Village Council for approval Monday.

Council authorized village administrator Randy Diller to sign a five-year contract with Miami Valley Lighting of Dayton, Ohio, for continuing to use its street lights across the village.

Miami Valley Lighting offers street light services, which include designing, installing and maintaining lights. The company provides street light services to other communities, including the City of Oakwood, Ohio, and the Village of Pitsburg, Ohio, as well as the University of Dayton.

Out of the 250 lights on public grounds and streets in Fort Recovery, Miami Valley Lighting owns about 75. Diller explained the village spends about $3 a month per light it owns and approximately $15 to $20 per light Miami Valley Lighting owns. The village has been slowly purchasing its own lights over the years, and Diller shared hopes for the village to remove most of the remaining 75 lights owned by the company within the next five years.

Also Monday, council heard Ohio Environmental Protection Agency recently inspected the village’s water plant and gave the village a notice of violation regarding its sand filters. 

“They are noticing that the sand filters are getting too much growth too quickly,” said Diller.

He explained OEPA is requiring the village to hire an engineering firm to conduct a study on the filters, which Diller reminded council will be eliminated if the village decides to move forward with a project that involves switching the village’s water softening process to reverse osmosis membrane treatment. (Currently, it uses a lime and caustic soda treatment.)

In related news, council approved a $9,675 pay request from Marvin Gnagy of PMG Consulting and Rob Shoaf of Shoaf Consulting. Gnagy and Shoaf are putting together final design plans related to the water plant project.

Also, Diller noted he and water supervisor Aidan O’Dell will meet with Eagon and Associates on Jan. 17 to discuss plans and possible locations for a third well. Diller explained their next steps will be contacting property owners and finalizing a plan, which is required prior to submitting details for the water plant project.

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

•Decided to move council’s next regular meeting to 6 p.m. Jan. 20. (Last month, council scheduled a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 20 to discuss a request for a zoning map amendment from Brandon and Amanda Wyerick for their property at 105 S. Elm St.)

•Approved a $105,202 pay request from Caldwell Tanks for work related to installing a second water tower in the village. Council also agreed to transfer the dollars between funds to pay the company, which estimates the project should be completed by July.

•Received officer Haiden Stidham’s resignation letter, effective Dec. 31.

•Approved various appointments from mayor Dave Kaup, including: Post as the village’s representative on Southwest Mercer Fire District; Kaup as the village’s representative on Southern Mercer County Joint Ambulance District; Roberta Staugler as records training officer for council; Lori Koch for another two-year term on income tax board; Jose Faller for another five-year term on park board and Steve Diller to fill Bill Bechtol’s term — Bechtol, who has been on park board since its formation in 1981 and served as president since ’93, recently retired from the position — through the end of 2026; Tina Bechtol and Rose Cain both for another two-year term on design review board; and Ron Koppelman for a three-year term on tree commission.

•Appointed Post as village council president.