Village council welcomes new members

Fort Recovery Village Council has some new faces.

Village residents Amy Wendel and Shawn Thobe have joined the council. Wendel was sworn into office Monday prior to village council’s regular meeting.

Fort Recovery officials opened applications late last year for the two open seats previously held by council members Cliff Wendel and Erik Fiely. The village interviewed Wendel, Thobe, Eric Albers and Jerry Byram in December, with the board ultimately selecting Wendel and Thobe.

Wendel has lived in Fort Recovery for nearly 18 years. She works as a business coordinator at Wabash Mutual Telephone and has been involved with Fort Recovery Chamber of Commerce and Fort Recovery Jubilee Committee.

She said she’s looking forward to learning more about the community and how local government operates.

Thobe was absent from the meeting but will be sworn in at a later date. He has worked as the information technology director at Cheeseman Transport for 20 years. During his interview with council members in December, he advocated for following through on water treatment projects, fostering safety and youth retention.

Mayor Dave Kaup pointed to the council’s decision, saying all four candidates would have been great selections. He noted both Thobe and Wendel’s business backgrounds.

“(They’re) very level-headed people,” he said. “It takes time once you get involved in the village to understand everything that goes on … they will speak their mind and give us their opinion on all the matters, and that's what we need.”

Other changeover with the village includes plans for village administrator Randy Diller and fiscal officer Roberta Staugler to retire this year, with Aaron Rengers and Jennifer Schoonover slated to take over their positions.

“We’ve got fantastic people that we’ve filled their positions with, and hopefully everything transitions (well),” he added.

In other business Monday, council formally approved a resolution authorizing the village administrator to enter into an agreement not to exceed $130,000 with engineering consulting firm Kleinfelder for work related to a new wastewater system plan.

Council discussed the topic in December, tentatively approving a contract with the company. Village administrator Randy Diller explained plans to move forward with final designs for a wastewater system with Lemna Environmental Technologies. The new system would meet Ohio Environmental Protection Agency limits for phosphorus, ammonia and E. coli starting in 2028. Next steps include creating a 35% plan for final design work.

For years, the village has been looking into options for how to approach the new EPA limits. Village council moved toward a project last year with Lemna Environmental Technologies that utilizes the existing wastewater lagoons with mechanical aspects.

Plans call for a dual system with two separate locations and a building near the lagoons for testing.

Also Monday, council members Greg Schmitz, Scott Pearson, Luke Knapke, Al Post and Wendel, absent Thobe:

•Transferred $109,687.08 from the general fund to the Ohio Department of Transportation grant construction fund. The amount serves as the village’s share in a the sidewalk project along Ohio 49 and Sharpsburg Road. It’s 90% funded through a Systemic Safety Funding grant. Plans are to open bids Jan. 26 for the project. Construction will follow in the summertime to avoid school traffic.

•Approved increasing lot prices and updating rules for Fort Recovery cemeteries Spring Hill and Green Mound. A single grave lot is $550, two grave lots are $1,100 and four grave lots are $2,200. Regarding rule changes, village administrator Aaron Rengers noted the cemeteries now require vaults for cremated remains that aren’t placed in brass or stone urns.

•Discussed making changes the village’s sidewalk maintenance policy, which was last updated in 2021.