Madison Messenger - March 3rd, 2024

PAGE 8 - MADISON MESSENGER - March 3, 2024
www.madisonmessengernews.com
City considers hiring strategic planning company
By Kristy Zurbrick
Madison Editor
The city of London is experiencing growth in terms of development.
Local leaders are taking steps to ensure that it is done in a
controlled manner.
At the last city council meeting, council member Shannon
Treynor suggested the city look into putting together a strategic
plan with professional help.
“There’s been some question as to whether the city should engage
in some sort of strategic city planning before a lot of properties
currently for sale, especially as pertains to the (Route) 42 corridor,
are actually transferred and subject to whatever the design wishes
are of whatever the developers have in mind,” she said. “It would
be good to have a road map moving forward on how the city should
look, instead of leaving it to chance.”
Earlier in the meeting, London resident David Mars made a similar
suggestion. Mars is a real estate investor whose primary focus
is downtown London but also other parts of the city.
“I’m sure everyone here is aware of the growth that is happening.
When I came here and started working, our downtown (business)
vacancy was around 50 percent. And if you go try to find a vacant
storefront in downtown right now, it’s getting much, much more difficult.
Within the next year, I would expect full occupancy in downtown
which is really tremendous,” Mars said.
“But as a business owner, I know that growth isn’t always inherently
good, and that’s certainly the case with municipalities, too,
I’m sure. So, I just encourage council, as we look towards the future
and all the growth that’s happening—revitalization going on downtown,
building eminent toward the freeway—just to think about
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what makes London great and makes it unique.” has forwarded the quotes to all council members, along
Mayor Patrick Closser agreed with Treynor and with a copy of the city’s existing comprehensive plan
Mars, reporting that the city administration has been which was last updated in 2008.
looking into the idea of hiring a company to put together Council’s finance committee will consider the information
a strategic plan and has secured a couple of quotes.
and, if they want to see the city hire a strategic
“It’s not cheap, but it is needed,” Closser said. “I don’t planning company to put together a plan, make recommendations
think it’s something that we can do on our own right now
to council. Council would then need to put
at the pace we’re moving and where we’re at economically.”
the job out to bid, appropriate funds to pay for the work,
and enter into a contract.
Since the last council meeting, the administration
Should festivals stay downtown?
By Kristy Zurbrick
Madison Editor
Serving tea
The Mount Sterling Friends of the Library hosted
their annual Victorian Tea Feb. 10 at Mount Sterling
First United Methodist Church. The fundraiser
recorded an all-time high for attendance, attracting
more than 150 guests. Members of the Madison-
Plains High School Key Club helped to put on the
event: (front) Tronny Monahan; (second row) Advisor
and Madison-Plains Librarian Heidi Fletcher,
Rayanna Beery, Gwynneth Robinson, Alyssa Geyer;
(back row) Matthew Harris, Will Payne, Fenja Berner,
Amanda Vacheresse, and Caitlynn Dunaway.
Should the Strawberry Festival, Rhythm & Rib Fest,
and Old Fashioned Christmas events continue to take
place on the streets of downtown London or move to another
location? City officials are seeking input from residents
and downtown business owners.
These annual events require the city to close streets
for one or more days, resulting in impacts on traffic
around town, including on state routes, and accessibility
to downtown businesses. Safety is another concern.
Mayor Patrick Closser said the city is looking at different
options should a decision be made to hold these
events elsewhere. He did not name specific sites.
To find out how residents feel about the subject, the
city administration recently posted an event feedback
survey on the city’s Facebook page (“City of London,
Ohio - Government”). The questions are as follows:
• Do you feel it would be beneficial to move the street
closure events out of downtown?
• Rate your satisfaction with the Strawberry Festival,
Rhythm & Rib Fest, and Old Fashioned Christmas.
• Share any problems you’ve encountered with the
events.
• Share your favorite parts of the events.
• Rate how likely you are to attend the events if they
are held downtown.
• Rate how likely you are to attend the events if they
are not held downtown.
• Do you have any suggestions or comments in general
about the events?
The city will collect completed surveys through
March 4. They also will circulate a separate survey to
downtown business owners. Residents and business
owners also can send additional thoughts and opinions
via email to admin@londonohio.gov. The data from both
surveys will be compiled and shared at council’s regular
March 7 meeting.
“We will do an open forum at the beginning of the
council meeting, where we’ll share the data we’ve gathered
and talk about different ideas. People can come
and speak on the matter. Everyone who wants to speak
will have a chance to,” Closser said.
The March 7 meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. in the
public auditorium and theater at city hall, 20 S. Walnut
St. For more information about the road closure event
surveys, call the city offices at (740) 852-3243.
TORNADO
Continued from page 1
damage reported,” Swaney said on the afternoon of Feb.
28.
Deb Sims, director of the Madison County Emergency
Management Agency (EMA), reported that she
and Holly Langham, deputy director, went out to the
hardest hit properties to provide assistance where
needed. They were accompanied later that morning by
representatives of the Ohio EMA to assess damages to
the area. Sims also reported that representatives of the
National Weather Service were scheduled to visit the
county on Feb. 29 to make assessments.
Messenger photo by Jeff Pfeil
Sheet metal is shown caught high up in pine trees
along Gregg Road.