Flood recovery is a long process, but one step forward was taken at Monday’s Ontario Village Board meeting.
The board approved applying for a $30,000 search grant from USDA Rural Development. The money would be used to hire a firm to assist the village in finding funding programs and beginning to develop a long-range recovery program.
Initial applications for flood mitigation are due on Monday. After a full application is submitted, FEMA will determine which, if any, properties are eligible for buyouts.
The board expressed interest in buying property for development. Two parcels are being considered: 1) 35 acres near the former MECA sportswear plant on the south end of the village; and 2) the former Ontario Elementary School building and surrounding acreage, for which the owner reportedly is asking $100,000.
Only a few of the businesses directly impacted by the August flood have been able to reopen.
Other business
• The board granted an operator’s license to Bryer Poindexter, who will work at Wildcat Bar. His initial application had been refused last month.
• Raises were granted to the board, with village president increasing from $1,200 to $1,500 a year and trustees from $25 to $30 a meeting. The raises will take effect when the current board members have retired. Village employees will receive a 30-cent-an-hour raise, and the village’s share of employee health insurance will drop from 100 percent to 75 percent.
• Insurance will cover flood damage to the Ontario Public Library basement floor and kitchen cabinets. Damage to the Ontario Fire Station meeting room floor is not covered, and that replacement was postponed until spring.
• A two-year building-inspection contract with Schmitz Inspections was approved.
• Due to year-end costs and flood damage, the village will borrow $60,000 to cover expenses in advance of receiving state shared-revenue payments.
• The village’s old mower was sold to Pete Peterson of rural Ontario for $500.