Village Administrator Joe Hardin also reported that the utilities billing computer, which was about eight years old, has been replaced and the replacement is up and running. The invoice from BDL Enterprises for the sidewalk work on Preston Street near the school came to $6,377.21 and will have $5,000 be reimbursed by the Knox Community Foundation. It wasn’t passed as an emergency since she doesn’t gain that title until April 1 and there is more leeway for the trainee position. There was a first reading to waive the residency stipulation on the newly created fiscal officer position to accommodate for the fact that she lives outside of Centerburg. 3, attended the meeting with a warm welcome from both Sands and Village Clerk Teri James. Shawna Hughes, whose first day on the job as fiscal officer trainee will be Feb. Council then elected Beck council president before proceeding with the meeting agenda. Council member Tom Stewart was sworn in and previous mayor Dave Beck was nominated, unanimously agreed upon and sworn in to fill the vacant council seat. Monday was the first meeting with new mayor Greg Sands. There were 106 participants in the original survey. There is still time for residents to weigh in. Council will discuss if it should be passed as an ordinance or otherwise and the plan will continue to undergo changes as needed until it is officially adopted by council.
Strengthening and expanding Centerburg’s branding efforts “to encompass Downtown, its rural identity, and quaint small-town charm,” is the fifth and final theme. The parks and recreation goal is to “Provide high-quality recreation amenities for residents and visitors which complement the area’s rural aesthetic and promote commercial activity.” Strategies involve both Memorial Park and the Heart of Ohio Trail. Mobility and Infrastructure strategies range from getting the speed lowered on Columbus Road/US 36, improving connectivity of the Heart of Ohio Trail, planning utility upgrades to be cost-effective, to increasing walkability of downtown. Moriarty agreed that the collected data confirms this and emphasized that filling that gap creates a cycle it opens up existing family homes to younger couples who will eventually age into the senior housing. Councilmember Ronda Seligman noted that a lack of housing for seniors is a concern for a number of residents. The priority strategy for the housing and neighborhood theme is to diversify the housing stock. Land use and development strategies involve updating zoning codes to promote desired development patterns and enhancing downtown parking options the goal is mostly concerned with supporting a vibrant downtown area and high quality of life for residents. Those topics were then organized into five themes where each theme was broken down into goals, strategies for implementation and specific actions Centerburg can take toward enacting those strategies. According to the presentation, the most salient topics brought forth by the community were: property maintenance historic preservation signage and wayfinding Memorial Park and the Heart of Ohio Trail’s trailhead. The plan also includes breakdowns of the community responses. Gottke shared that the ADF wants to bring more business to the county and businesses want to come to communities, also noting Centerburg is close to all the growth from Columbus and that fact should give the community a sense of urgency. The plan includes recommendations for further funding options. The Area Development Foundation will be working to help the villages with this aspect, writing grant applications and even getting proposals to KCF. Since the $40,000 yearly will likely not be enough to complete the priority projects in the plan, it will be strategic to use that money to leverage for more grant money to complete projects.
Lloyd further stated that this money will roll over, in case a village wants to tackle a larger project it will stay earmarked for that village’s plan. Upon adopting their plan, each village will also have $40,000 per year for the next four years, earmarked for that specific village, to work on projects outlined in their plan. Lloyd said KCF funded this plan as well as those of Danville, Fredericktown and Gambier, in an effort to be more proactive than simply waiting on grant proposals.
Lisa Lloyd with the Knox Community Foundation was present for the meeting, along with Jeff Gottke with the Area Development Foundation. The presentation opened with an overview of the five-stage process which started in March 2019 and ultimately lead to this plan.
Erin Moriarty, the ms consultants representative who had met with the Centerburg steering committee and participated in other events including the interactive tent at the Heart of Ohio Festival, presented a slideshow overview of Centerburg’s Village Strategic Plan.
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