TROY — Troy’s Park Superintendent Jeremy Drake accepted a $10,000 donation from a company to help replace trees damaged by January’s tornadoes last month.
Drake said Pat and Thom Robinson first gifted a $10,000 donation to help restore 65 trees damaged in January’s tornado by starting a “Trees for Troy” program.
David Meurer and Eric Davis, with the Tree Care Inc. contacted Drake to match that donation with $10,000 to completely cover all the trees needed to be planted this spring.
“It doesn’t feel like a enough to just say thank you to these people who care for our community,” Drake said.
Drake said the gift will ease the burden of his staff and he’ll begin to source the trees locally to plant this spring.
President Bill Lutz thanked Smith and Meurer for their donation.
In other news:
• Connor Haren, owner of Haren’s Market, explained he is seeking a D-2 liquor permit and how it will be used in the store. Haren said he’s seeking to sell bottles of wine at the store as well as offer customers wine by the glass. Haren said it is not his intent “to turn Haren’s Market into a bar.” Haren said hours would remain the same and is just seeking to add wine to offer to their customers.
• Aimee Shannon from the Miami County Food Insecurity Council introduced Alisha Barton, a coordinator, to council members. Shannon also gave council statistics from 2019, including: 2,474 people were served in five distributions beginning in June; 46,892 pounds of food was disbursed in 2019; in January, 703 people were served, including 177 seniors at a Piqua distribution. Shannon said the next food distribution will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Stouder Center. The food council is seeking volunteers to help unload the truck, which comes at 11 a.m. and invited council to stop by and help or observe.
The following items were approved by council:
• Council approved three easements including the North Market street reconstruction project. The Kirk Lane and Foss Way intersection signal was improved and the new signal and mast arms were placed outside of the city’s right-of-way due to its limited placement. The easement was signed with the three corner property owners and the city continues to work with Speedway America on its easement portion of the project.
The second easement was for the McKaig Road Reconstruction project and its roundabout. Easements have been made with the five property owners for permanent right-of-way easements.
Plans are in the works for a traffic signal at North Market and Troy-Urbana Road and an easement has been signed with the Staunton Grange.
• Council approved to release mortgages for the sale of a portion of Sherwood Shopping Center to sell the former bank building on the property.
• A public hearing will be held on March 2 for those in favor or against the request to amend the Halifax Villas planned development changes. The changes include: relocate the club house from the northeast section to the southwest section; expand the boundary of the development by adding 8.015 acres to the southwest section to its 107 acres; and rezone 8.015 acre area from agricultural zoning to a residential planned development located north of Finsbury Lane with access off of Nottingham Road.
