2020 certainly proved to be a difficult year in terms of the pandemic, which affected not just us but every community. Early March 2020 council and administration had met to put forth a plan moving forward as to what capital projects we would suspend not knowing how COVID-19 would affect our community.
Ultimately with careful planning we finished the year surprisingly well. Final income tax numbers were down less than 2%. That’s not to say business and industry didn’t suffer as they have, but with a lot of diverse industry Archbold held its own.
I feel our local restaurants were probably hit the hardest by the pandemic, and still are, but they have been creative and are still operating. The community needs to continue to support them as well as the rest of our businesses.
Looking forward to 2021 we are extremely hopeful. We have two major street projects in the works. Woodland Oaks II is currently going through a complete rebuild with new infrastructure, pavement, and curbs.
East Holland Street will also undergo a major rebuild with upgraded infrastructure, new pavement, and curbs. A new water tower is planned for start up this year along with a new sanitary pump station soon to be started in North Archbold near Brush Creek. We are currently undergoing a major Wastewater Plant upgrade and renovation.
This is partly due to our local ConAgra Plant which is currently going through their own renovation and expansion. They will be adding a new product line and the wastewater facility will need to be able to handle the additional waste load. We are fortunate to have two Food Processing plants here in town, Con Agra and Frozen Specialties.
It is my understanding that both are doing well. The pandemic has provided both with unique opportunities as their food products are in high demand although Covd-19 has certainly presented them with many challenges.
Our Water Treatment Facility will be undergoing a major improvement starting very soon. They will be installing a GAC Granulated Active Carbon and Ultra Violet Treatment System designed to help us meet demanding EPA regulations for water quality.
Archbold has always been proud of the water quality we provide our community and are committed to always improving. Leadership and staff take this very seriously.
The hardest hit Department in 2020 was, of course, Parks and Recreation. Parks Director Jen Kidder no doubt will be looking forward to bringing back the many sports and recreational programs she has developed over the years.
Two brand new ball diamonds should be available for play this spring or summer and she is currently working on a new splash pad park for our community.
Jen is working on grant funds and donations for this project. It will still be a challenging task for Jen this summer, but I am very confident she will do everything in her power to move forward toward some normalcy.
There are far to many things in the works in our community to mention but 2021 looks to be a successful year for us. Midsummer we should be completing a comprehensive overhaul of our Zoning Code and Ordinances. Also a major Comprehensive Plan is being finalized to help guide our community into the future.
We’re fortunate to have excellent Administration and Department leadership in our community as well as a dedicated staff of employees including our Engineering and Zoning, Water and Wastewater, Streets, Parks and Rec, and of course a strong Police, Fire, and EMS Departments to keep us safe.
