BELPRE — With an economic development plan featuring a variety of proposals and recommendations in hand, Belpre officials want to start taking steps to address and adopt some of the ideas and actions outlined in the plan.

Belpre City Council held its regular meeting Monday evening. Due to COVID-19 cases, the Belpre City Building has been closed since Nov. 18, with all business conducted by mail, phone and electronically or by appointment. Monday’s meeting was held by Zoom, with most council members meeting in-person in the Belpre Council Chamber and the public attending virtually.

Jesse Roush, executive director with the Southeast Ohio Port Authority, presented the Burton Economic Development Plan which was developed in 2020 for Belpre.

The plan had been scheduled for presentation to city officials during the year but COVID-19 caused delays.

Among the issues identified in the plan are affordable housing, creating a community investment program, workforce development and quality of life issues like recreation.

Roush said among the first strategies outlined in the plan which he would recommend would be the creation of a community investment corporation, working with the area school system, land redevelopment and housing strategies and looking more closely at Civitan Park, which he described as an untapped resource.

The city council and administration will moving forward with the recommendations, beginning with the community investment corporation and moving on from there, Mayor Mike Lorentz said. The city will work with the port authority and others on those efforts.

In other business, council approved the second readings on three resolutions — one for supplemental appropriations for 2021 and the other two involving the annual contracts for the management of the Belpre Senior Center and for Soil and Water Conservation services for the city. The final readings will be held at a future council meeting.

In his Mayor’s Report, Lorentz said he has been contacted by Bill Harpold, president of the Belpre Area Veterans, regarding participation in the “Support the Blue” program, a series of nationally held local support programs that show community support for local law enforcement agencies

The Belpre Area Veterans Inc. will have a sales table set up in the parking lot in Howes Grove Park, at 1614 Washington Blvd. beside the Belpre Senior Center, beginning on April 3 and every Saturday through May 8 where the group will be selling Blue Light Bulbs as a way to “Support the Blue.”

The Belpre community will have its lighting ceremony at 8:30 p.m. May 9, during National Police Week from May 9-15. The cost of each bulb is $2 and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Belpre Police Department for the purchase of equipment.

Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com