WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — The Washington Court House Vitality Task Force meeting was held Tuesday at the administration building.
An update on the vacant building ordinance was given by Rod Bryant, building official. There was no building code violations report since Ricky Brown was not in attendance.
A discussion was held regarding vacant buildings — with some in a lack of adequate maintenance and repair. Several buildings have been vacant for a number of years. Some have had no action taken, and others have been actively engaged in seeking a tenant for those spaces in good condition. This will be further reviewed, and City Manager Joe Denen will research and present a plan for action — such as form a committee to deal with these vacant buildings, or write a new, updated ordinance, to be presented to the committee at a later date.
It was suggested that the committee meet with the new owner, Herb Graham, regarding 145-147 E. Court St. and 113 S. Fayette St. regarding removing the frame for a sign which is no longer attached on Court Street, and to get his plan for repair of the property, which was condemned on Court Street.
Director of Economic Development Chelsie Baker said that Small Nation was going to visit Washington Court House on Aug. 16 and give the committee a review of the possibilities for revitalization of the downtown area. Small Nation is an organization that helped with upgrades to Bellefontaine, Ohio. Some of the committee members visited Bellefontaine last month.
The committee will be seeking grants for improvements to the downtown area as soon as possible.
There was a discussion regarding the current signage ordinance regarding flat signs against a building. There will be a design review of the standards which can be referred to the Board of Zoning Appeals or the Historical District Review Board for other signage possibilities.
The boarded up windows in the downtown area were discussed, and the ordinance possibly needs a change to remove wooden boards and have the owners replace wood with actual windows on those fronting Court Street. A count of the number of boarded up windows will be taken before the next meeting.
