Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
CRA proposed to spur Fort Recovery development
By Abigail Miller
FORT RECOVERY - School board members heard a proposal from village administrator Randy Diller and assistant village administrator Aaron Rengers about a potential Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) within Fort Recovery's corporation limits at their regular meeting on Monday night.
The state's CRA Program serves as a direct incentive tax exemption program benefiting property owners that renovate existing buildings or construct new buildings, per the Ohio Department of Development website.
The program allows municipalities or counties to designate areas where investment has been discouraged as a CRA to encourage revitalization of the existing housing stock and the development of new structures.
In a presentation to the school board, Rengers said the village is proposing a CRA encompassing the entirety of the village, in which property owners would receive a 100% property tax abatement for new construction or the remodeling of residential, commercial and industrial properties.
Specifically, the 100% abatements would last 15 years for a residential remodel; eight years for a commercial remodel; 10 years for the construction of a new residential property; and eight years for the construction of a new commercial property, Rengers said.
Property owners would have to add square footage to their existing commercial or residential properties in order to qualify for the renovation abatements, and the exemptions given would only be to the square footage added on, not the existing structure.
There is no minimum square footage; however, there is a $2,500 minimum cost to qualify, Rengers said.
The village can move forward with a CRA with an abatement of up to 75% without the school board's approval; however, councilors would like to pursue a 100% abatement as to compete with future, neighboring CRAs. This will require school board approval.
Rengers and Diller answered several questions from school board members, though they did not receive much feedback. Councilors hope to implement the CRA in 2026.
"You guys certainly have time to discuss this," Diller said. "We're not trying to pass something this month or next month. We'd like to have it in place by the end of the year, is what we'd like to do, to start January 1, 2026, with this program. We're trying to get it out there so you guys have an idea of what we're talking about."
In other business, school board members awarded 2025 Fort Recovery graduate Anna Roessner, who took home the state championship in the 100-meter dash in June, with a board of education certificate of recognition.
Her win was just the second state championship for a Fort Recovery track athlete. The first came in 1968 when Ben Timmerman won the Class A 2-mile title.
In addition to the 100 win, Roessner finished third behind Coldwater's Isabella Zahn in the 400. Then, in the final race of her high school career, Roessner finished second behind Zahn in the 200.
The lone representative for Fort Recovery, Roessner finished with three top-three finishes to score 24 points, good enough for the Indians to finish eighth in the team standings in Division III girls, three points better than ninth-place Minster, which had seven athletes.
Roessner also received a certificate of recognition from U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green.
"I can speak on behalf of the district and personally, it's been really fun to watch you over the last four springs, and especially this spring, seeing you bring home the gold for your school district and yourself," superintendent Tony Stahl said.
In other business, school board members also:
• approved the resignation of office assistant and transportation coordinator Stacy Laux, effective July 31. They also approved a personal services contract for Laux for up to 80 hours at $24 per hour to be used from Aug. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025.
• approved a myriad of student fees for the elementary and middle schools for the upcoming school year.
• approved a 60-month copier lease with Modern Office Methods of Cincinnati.
The board meets next tentatively at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18 in the community room.
- Sports editor Gary Rasberry contributed to this report.