Rockford subdivision plan still a possibility

ROCKFORD - Village officials haven't thrown in the towel yet on a new subdivision.

At Tuesday's council meeting, officials continued to discuss the possibility of a proposed subdivision west of town. At the May 18 meeting, plans were temporarily suspended due to news of a turkey barn being planned in the area. Officials were concerned the stigma and possible odor of a barn next door would deter buyers.

After speaking with the farmer, Larry McDonough, officials learned only a starter barn is being planned, not a finisher. Due to the size of the property and spacing guidelines to limit the risk of a bird-flu outbreak, a finisher barn would not fit on the property.

"There's only room for a starter," councilman Steve Gehle said. "The starters are not that smelly. They put the finishers, where the smell is, somewhere else because they want to keep those separated."

"That was my concern with the smell. It used to be you put in a starter and then you put in some finishers," he said. "That's where you get the big amount of manure. If he can't do that, I don't see a problem. It's still a turkey house, but it's not a super stinky one."

Additionally, McDonough plans to put in a pond and a hill.

"With the mound, you're not going to see it," village administrator Jeff Long said.

Long complimented McDonough on his willingness to work with village officials.

"He's really wanting to work with us. He wants the subdivision to work," he said.

After announcing the subdivision plans were on hold, Long received a call from Coldwater village administrator/engineer Eric Thomas, who said the village has a subdivision with a starter barn 500 feet from a subdivision and residents have not had any issues.

"They have no complaints, no stink, no whatever," Gehle said. "So we're going to get together and go down to Coldwater to look at that."

The Rockford turkey farm is more than 1,000 feet from the proposed subdivision and is separated by a field, Long explained. The barn likely would be 60 feet by 200-300 feet.

Village officials will visit the Coldwater subdivision before deciding on the project. Long said they hope to make a decision soon.

"We'd like to get it rolling as soon as possible," he said.

Plans for the new subdivision began last year when the village acquired about 21 acres of land from Tom Rogers. Rogers, who died in July, had said he wanted to do something for the village and sold the land at no interest for $10,000 per acre.

Also on Tuesday, mayor Amy Joseph said members of the Rockford Police Department had received commendations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for outstanding assistance to the FBI in connection to its investigative efforts. Chief Paul May, Sgt. Brian Stetler and patrol officers Steven Stose, Loren Shindeldecker and Adam Saunders all received certificates.

In other business, council members,

• learned from Joseph more volunteers are needed for the tree commission board. Those interested can contact the village office at 419-363-3032.

• thanked Andrew Baughman, who recently replaced the old batting cage and added soft-hitting stations at Shanes Park for an Eagle Scout project.

• had first reading on an ordinance to assess delinquent water bills on property taxes. A similar ordinance was passed last year.

• rescheduled a public hearing on the 2017 annual budget to 7 p.m. on June 21.

• reminded residents that per the village ordinance regarding golf cart and ATV use on village streets, only licensed drivers are permitted.