Villages set to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars

Fort Recovery, St. Marys and New Bremen are expected to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for improvement projects as part of the first phase of the capital budget rollout.

Every two years, the Ohio Legislature passes a capital budget bill supporting local community projects and infrastructure. This year, the General Assembly has an additional $700 million available via the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund (OTSCIF) created in House Bill 33, the 2023 operating budget, according to an Ohio Senate news release.

Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, on Monday announced a list of communities in the 12th District selected for funding through the Senate's OTSCIF budget. The 12th District consists of all of Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Mercer and Shelby counties and portions of Darke and Logan counties.

Hearings for Senate Bill 288, which appropriates $700 million in OTSCIF funds, will be held today and Wednesday in the Ohio Senate Finance Committee, according to Huffman.

"This additional $700 million gives the General Assembly an opportunity to reinvest in our communities," Huffman said in a statement. "It gave many organizations a second chance for funding, much like the $600,000 allocated to the new water tower project for Fort Recovery,"

Fort Recovery Village Council last month unanimously awarded a $2.4 million contract to Caldwell Tanks Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky, to construct a second water tower to handle an increase in daily water consumption. The $600,000 from Senate Bill 288 would be applied toward the project.

"Quality water service is vital for any community," Huffman said. "I'm pleased that the project will receive $600,000 to help pay for the construction costs."

St. Marys' Reservoir Mill is in line to receive $250,000, according to Huffman. The city owns the mill but wants to update the interiors before leasing it out.

Built to mill flour in 1847, shortly after the Miami-Erie Canal was completed, the Reservoir Mill underwent a first phase of rehabilitation a few years ago. The work focused on stripping away modifications and additions to restore and stabilize the original foundation and frame of the structure.  

Back in 2021, city officials had estimated the next round of improvements at about $2 million. One option floated was to go with minimal construction and basically utilities, with tenants responsible for the next level of improvements for whatever business they're engaged in.

Huffman also noted that the New Bremen Public Library, a branch of the Auglaize County library system, will receive $200,000 for renovations.

The Auglaize County Public District Library in December announced the New Bremen library would undergo renovation in 2024 at an estimated cost of $500,000.

"This project will be filled with the latest and greatest in library design and technology," the district library said in a Facebook post, with plans calling for updated furnishings, community spaces, quiet areas, a dedicated genealogy area and an interactive children's wall.

Other projects in the 12th District chosen for OTSCIF funding are Lima Veterans Memorial Hall, $10 million for renovations; Allen County Airport Fuel Farm, $1 million; Rhodes Sate Advanced Manufacturing Lab, $440,000; Allen County Child Support Enforcement Agency facility, $375,000; Shelby Community Workforce Training Center, $500,000; Midwest Regional ESC Resilient Heights, $600,000 for improvements; Logan County Sewer District Flat Branch, $1.5 Million in upgrades; Fort Loramie Industrial Park, $724,000; Eldora Speedway, $400,000 for public safety improvements; Temple Christian School Building, $250,000 for an expansion project; Heir Force Community School, $250,000 for a land acquisition; Bellefontaine Calvary Christian School, $250,000; and Champaign Aviation Museum, $20,000 for improvements.  

"Our purpose with these one-time funds is to return taxpayers their money through community projects throughout the state which enhance our quality of life," said Senate Finance Chairman Matt Dolan in a staement. "These projects are in addition to the $3.1 billion in tax cuts passed in our last operating budget."