By Aimee Hancock
Miami Valley Today
PIQUA — The Piqua City Commission approved a resolution Tuesday for the lease of the restaurant space in the Fort Piqua Plaza to Scottish Thistle LLC.
Proprietors Tim and Janelle Baker of Scottish Thistle LLC currently own and operate the Orrmont Estate, a historic mansion and barn wedding venue on the south end of the city.
“The Scottish Thistle will be a restaurant of hardy food with a Scottish flair,” said Tim Baker, who was in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting. “What that means is you can get a steak or a burger and also bangers n’ mash. There will be something on the menu for everyone to enjoy.”
Baker added the restaurant will implement online ordering on its website for take-away or delivery through DoorDash, and will offer a lunchtime buffet. There will be dine-in seating within the restaurant, as well as on the patio, and bar seating on the pub side of the restaurant. Decor will be Scottish in style, with lighting “that might make you think of a castle,” Baker said.
The three-year lease will include the option to renew and will allow for alcohol sales at all Fort Piqua Plaza events and catering in the fourth-floor ballroom, as well as outside venues. The lease was approved by the Fort Plaza Restaurant Advisory Committee.
“We have trained with Locktenders staff so that we will maintain the quality of service that customers expect at the plaza for events. We have engaged restaurant consultants to help us set up the kitchen, develop recipes, hire and train staff, help with ordering inventory, developing manuals and all the back-of-house items, and in general, to make that everything goes smoothly,” Baker said. “We are looking forward to starting what we hope will be a staple in downtown Piqua for years to come.”
The commission passed a resolution awarding a contract to Grissom Construction LLC for the ADA Compliance Program in accordance with federal law. According to engineer Amy Havenar, 72 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps will be installed prior to the city’s 2021 street resurfacing program. Commissioner Chris Grissom recused himself from the resolution vote.
In addition, the commission passed a resolution awarding a contract to Walls Bros. Asphalt Co. for the 2021 Street Resurfacing Program, work for which will begin after completion of the ADA ramp installations. Money for this project comes from the Income Tax Fund.
Approval was given to authorize the sale of city-owned real estate at 222 Spring St. Part of the building and parking lot at this location encroach a portion of the Miami Erie Canal, and according to Economic Development Director Chris Schmiesing, the lot and structure have encroached upon the canal in this area since at least 1945.
Several years ago, the city of Piqua took ownership of the canal as part of a state of Ohio Governor’s Deed, Schmiesing said. In compliance with the deed, Schmiesing added, prior consent has been given by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the sale of the portion of the canal land in question.
According to Schmiesing, the proposed buyer of 222 Spring St., Winans Chocolates and Coffees, has plans to renovate the structure and “make a pretty significant investment in the property to rehabilitate it and use it to expand its existing business operations” in the form of additional production space.
In other business, the commission:
• Passed a resolution of appreciation to retired account clerk Sheryl K. Debrosse, who served in her position for 26 years.
• Passed a resolution awarding a contract to R.B. Jergens Contractors Inc. for the Hydraulic Canal Spillway Bridge Rehabilitation Project.
• Passed a resolution authorizing the acceptance of real estate into the Land Reutilization Program. These properties are often condemned, have unpaid taxes, and are abandoned.
