FREDERICKTOWN — Nearly 20 Fredericktown residents attended Knox Pages’ “Talk the Vote” discussion at the Mill Street Nature Center on Oct. 14.
The event served as an opportunity for residents to make their voices heard – and to help shape the narrative this election season, sharing what they believe should be top-of-mind for local elected officials as they run for (and potentially take) office.
Candidates running for Village Council in the Nov. 2 general election were invited to attend the Oct. 14 session, but were not allowed to speak. Instead, village residents drove the 30-minute discussion, which was moderated by Knox Pages reporter Grant Pepper.
The discussion touched on a wide range of topics, including population growth, communication between the village and the public, and economic development.
Following the discussion, Knox Pages used residents’ feedback to craft three follow-up questions for the Village Council candidates running this fall. There are five candidates running for four seats, marking the only contested council race among Knox County’s villages this election cycle.
Below are the candidates’ responses.
One of the main topics covered at “Talk the Vote” was the idea of growth coming to Fredericktown. The village grew 6% over the last decade and is expected to continue growing, as central Ohio and Columbus region expand.
If elected (or re-elected), what attitude would you bring to Village Council when it comes to potential growth? What specific measures would you take to help prepare the village for growth, while also working to preserve Fredericktown’s “hometown feel,” as described by voters in attendance?
Mollie De Rojas: “While I believe it is important that Council, in collaboration with the Fredericktown Community Development Foundation, Knox Area Development Foundation, and individual community members, continue to be drivers in development efforts within the community, I agree there needs to be specific strategies that control and influence growth so our distinctive rural and ‘hometown’ feel is preserved.
“We can accomplish this by carefully planning where development should and should not go, remaining committed to protecting our rural landscape and open spaces, and using marketing strategies that promote our distinctive history, agriculture, Amish influence and traditions to potential new residents and businesses. We can support growth while still preserving our distinctive “hometown” feel.”
Rita Fenton: “That’s the thing, keeping that hometown feel. I came from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., so coming to a small town was a huge difference for me. … I believe we need to keep it that way. … We need to start talking to landlords. One of the biggest problems here has been people fixing up a building, then the landlord raises rent to where the residents can’t afford it. We need to talk to landlords about that. And we need to bring in more small businesses. Because I think the bike trail would benefit bringing in that kind of stuff.
“Another thing is water – as a consumer in town, it’s hard to afford Fredericktown water. There’s two people in our house and our water bill is $100 per month. That’s unacceptable. And if you don’t have softeners, the water is crap. We need to figure out how to make this better, so people want to come here and they can afford to come here.”
James Hobson: “I have an optimistic attitude towards growth. … We launched the Downtown Revitalization Program during my prior tenure on Council. This endeavor is intended to foster positive growth within the downtown corridor. The majority of our downtown businesses are operated by independent business owners who need supported by this momentum to gain a return on the many investments they have made in our Village.
“The separate housing developments have also provided additional options to those wanting to remain, return or implant into our community and thereby should receive our support of their infrastructure, when available.”
Rick Lanuzza: “I would accept growth with open arms. In the past, the Village has utilized tax abatements to help encourage growth, looking for continued ways to help encourage growth outside of the village is also very important, because those folks will come into the village and spend money also. I did hear folks speak about the ‘hometown feel’ and I believe that currently we have great working relationships when it comes to preserving the ‘hometown feel.’ Unfortunately, times change and the ‘hometown feeling’ is bound to change but encouraging the community to stay true to its roots is very important.
“Fredericktown has state approved, ‘shovel ready’ industrial sites being marketed for development. Working with the Knox County Area Development Foundation (KCADF) to promote this ground and bring industry to our community is very important. With access to the interstate, this is a real possibility and if this were to happen, continued growth would be sure to happen.”
Ryan Shoemaker: “Fredericktown must prepare for growth. If we fail to do so, other municipalities will out-compete us in attracting and recruiting new businesses and residents. If re-elected, I would help Fredericktown prepare for growth by using our Strategic Plan (adopted in 2020) as a framework for making decisions concerning the future of our village. As a member and chairman of the Steering Committee, I will help see Fredericktown’s 2023 Streetscape Project to successful completion.
“I will also work with my colleagues on the Planning Commission to ensure that our zoning ordinances are up-to-date and are development-friendly. Lastly, I would make sure that we continue to work closely with the Knox County Area Development Foundation, which has and continues to do exceptional work serving the Village of Fredericktown and helping us with our revitalization efforts.
“In order to maintain our ‘hometown feel’ and small town identity, I believe the relationship between Village Council and Fredericktown School District needs to be strengthened. In a small town, the school is our identity. School events are gathering places for the community and provide residents with a sense of unity and belonging.
“Therefore, we must have a positive relationship with our schools and support each other because what benefits one will benefit the other. We can also maintain our ‘hometown’ identity by continuing to work with and build relationships with our community organizations, such as the Knox County Area Development Foundation and the Fredericktown Community Development Foundation.”
Another issue brought up multiple times by voters was transparency and communication between council and village residents. What specifically would you do, if elected (or re-elected), to increase transparency and communication between the village and its residents?
De Rojas: “Improving transparency and communication is one of my top three priorities if elected. Council must find new ways to engage residents and obtain community input in the strategic direction of the Village.
“Conducting town hall style meetings with targeted topics, providing a more interactive website and social media presence, providing informational fact sheets and comment periods on important projects or proposals, and simply joining residents where they tend to gather are examples of things I would promote and do as a council member.”
Fenton: “I feel like we need to have more transparency with Council so that everyone knows what is being done before it’s being done. Transparency is one of my top things. … I’ll just be honest. It’s something where, I’d have to say, if I were elected, let’s figure out a way where we can let people know. I’ve noticed, now that I’ve been going to meetings and complaining, there’s a lot more being printed. Obviously, just going and complaining about transparency has made them stop and think about it, too. …
“As a village person, I was amazed at some of the things that had been done, and the people who lived here had no idea. That’s my first goal, so that everyone in this village knows what is being spent before we spend it.”
Hobson: “I applaud the present Council and Village Administration for enhancing Council chambers to provide a space with additional room which affords our residents the opportunity to participate in open meetings to stay informed and make their concerns known. Meeting agendas and minutes are made available electronically. These should also be made available in paper form at the municipal office for those without access to a computer, if not already being provided.”
Lanuzza: “Unfortunately, print media is becoming a thing of the past. Council, over the past year, has identified that this is an issue and has made great strides to bring themselves up to date with audio and visual equipment which will allow for meetings to be recorded and viewed. Along with the update, in conjunction with the Senior Citizens, the existing senior center was renovated to allow for more citizens to attend council, as well as giving the seniors a new, up to date meeting room.
“Council meetings are open to the public and we encourage the public to attend these meetings. As far as other means of communications, Council is working with a private donor to install a digital message board on the square soon. While this may not 100% effective, having more information available to the public is very important.”
Shoemaker: “Fredericktown Village Council understands the importance of communication and transparency and is working on several projects to improve upon both of these areas. The first is the renovation and updates to our new council chambers. These updates will increase transparency and communication by allowing residents to effectively watch our meetings from home. The new council chambers are also more spacious and inviting, hopefully encouraging more public participation and attendance.
“The second project in the works is an electronic message board on the square that will be used for community announcements to inform residents about upcoming events. Lastly, I feel that the village should continue to support the Fredericktown Community Development Foundation (FCDF), who has done a tremendous job publishing the 43019 Magazine.”
Voters also discussed the need to continue the revitalization of downtown Fredericktown, and mentioned several prominent commercial properties (including the old grain mill and the former grocery store on South Main Street), which are now vacant but could become major assets to the community if brought back to life.
What specifically would you do, if elected (or re-elected), to help move projects forward and promote redevelopment downtown? What do you believe the village’s role should be in encouraging redevelopment (and please cite specific examples of how you, as a Village Council member, could or would participate in this process)?
De Rojas: “It is important that Council and the Village’s economic development partners respect the rights and decisions of businesses and commercial property owners. It is also important that we engage with them to understand their interests, intentions and challenges and identify ways we can partner together towards a shared strategic plan and better community. With continued economic progress, a grocery store may become a reality again in Fredericktown.
“When it comes to specific revitalization programs or incentives, I expect such efforts to be well researched, well communicated and carefully executed.It is important that Council, in collaboration with the Fredericktown Community Development Foundation, Knox Area Development Foundation, and individual community members, continue the great development and beautification efforts within the Village.
“I will continue to support programs and improvements that are worth our investment, beautify our community, promote our local businesses, and revitalize our downtown. I will also ensure that our small town atmosphere and unique heritage and traditions are always preserved.”
Fenton: “I understood the grain mill had been bought. So it would be, let’s figure out who bought it and what they plan on doing with it, and then as Council, we should help them in any way we can to get that business up and going. Not monetary-wise, but throwing our general support behind them. And the old grocery store was bought. We definitely need a grocery store.”
Hobson: “We need to leverage the assets at our disposal. The Village pays an annual fee for development services to our local Area Development Foundation. This resource has the staff and expertise to aid us in our development efforts.=
“We are fortunate in this community to have local investors who have chosen to acquire certain properties and enhance them to avoid deferred maintenance brought about by an unoccupied structure. We should remain diligent to support the needs of these local investors to encourage this type of repurpose or restoration activity.”
Lanuzza: “While Council can not 100 percent control what happens with these properties, like mentioned before, Council can offer other benefits to businesses that would relocate to the community. Council has looked at options to create special districts in our downtown area that would allow for grants and loans to be available for those businesses located in this district, unfortunately, our initial attempt did not go so well, but it is my thoughts that we should continue to explore this idea and others like it. Bringing businesses and new residents to Fredericktown will only help with continued growth.
“As for specific types of businesses, the residents themselves must be willing to support those businesses. Council can offer some incentives, but the citizens of the community need to do their part and ‘shop local.’ On the topic of grants, Village Council is always looking for grant funds to help relieve the burden on the citizens. In the past ten years, over $2.6 million dollars has been awarded to the Village of Fredericktown for completed projects and for projects that have not yet been started, most notably, the ‘Fredericktown Streetscape’ project.
“Private donations and the reallocation of funds by the Knox County Foundation will soon bring a brand new splash pad to the residents, along with a newly paved parking lot and new retaining wall, all at little to no cost to the village.”
Shoemaker: “As I mentioned before, Fredericktown is currently in the process of a once-in-a- generation transformation. As part of Fredericktown’s 2023 Streetscape Project, we will have newly paved streets, new sidewalks, decorative street lamps, and traffic signals, as well as matching benches, trashcans, and landscaping.
“Fredericktown is also extremely fortunate to be receiving the downtown splash pad, which will serve as an attraction, enticing people to visit our community and support our local businesses. I have been fortunate enough to serve as an active member and leader on many of these projects, as well as others that are still in the works.
“I also feel very fortunate and proud to be working with such great and dedicated individuals from the Village of Fredericktown, the Fredericktown Community Development Foundation (FCDF), and the Knox County Area Development Foundation (ADF). These organizations are playing a vital role in our village’s revitalization efforts by providing us with the necessary resources to make our shared vision for Fredericktown a reality.”
