Chillicothe — Mayor Luke Feeney praised the resilience and forward thinking of Chillicothe in his “State of the City” presentation in the Chamber’s annual “State of the Community Breakfast.
The Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce hosted the event at the Chillicothe Country Club on March 27th, 2026. It included an update on Bridge Street from ODOT, and an update on changes at Centrus Energy at the federal reservation near Piketon (learn more in an upcoming story).
Hear Feeney’s entire speech in the below two-part video.
The mayor started out noting that about a month after his last State of the City, the shutdown of the largest employer in the city was announced. Pixelle did that on April 15th, 2025, and in retrospect, Feeney said “adversity might test our city, but it won’t define us.”
He pointed out that local governments and nonprofits worked together, including creating the website “Scioto Valley Forward,” to rapidly respond to the crisis. “The challenge was real, but so was the response” – like Chillicothe’s Great Fire of 1852, the flood of 1913, and the flood of 1959.
Feeney said it was a year defined by uncertainty…but less than eight months after the announcement (and about a month after complete shutdown), U.S. Medical Glove bought the entire mill property, and now has more than 100 workers on-site.
But, he said the community has a lot of work ahead.
He said the city had to face a funding crisis since the mill was the largest funder of the city’s income tax, but the city made a 10% reduction in the budget without layoffs.
But Feeney asked, how will Chillicothe stay competitive? He said housing is important: “If we want a stronger economy, we need a stronger housing stock.”
He said the new “Unified Development Code” will help with that. The mayor said the 19-month process involved the public and experts, including the 2022 community housing assessment and the “Choose Chillicothe” forum.
Feeney compared the old zoning code and the new integrated system. He said it allows flexibility in developing housing – which should help the East End, which has been underinvested for too long.
One of the features is a broader range of land uses allowed in “corridors” along major streets. He also said the new code is designed to be adjusted and updated, with the first round of edits recently.
Feeney said the city is working to make streets safer. One action is speed humps (not bumps) on some streets where other traffic controls have not worked – and he said more are to be installed.
He said the Appalachian Community Grant Program in Yoctangee Park included a “road diet” on Water Street, and improved bike lanes on Yoctangee Boulevard. Feeney said he wants the city to be known as a safe place to walk and cycle (especially with his daughter’s new bicycle).
With the park improvements, he joked about the “great armory panic of 2026” when totally confused comments were posted under a city Facebook post about work on Memorial Armory.
Feeney showed reconstruction of the building, including an all-new gym floor and bathrooms, that should be done in September.
The mayor said the city planning and development team has been busy with a cycle of planning and fund-seeking. He said they have a U.S. Department of Transportation grant for a new community safety plan, and are soliciting bids now.
In closing, Feeney said it has been quite a year. “We faced a crisis that tested not just our economy, but our sense of who we are as a city.”
He said the city confronted financial uncertainty with discipline, and is taking on challenges of housing, development, and public safety with focus and purpose. Feeney said the community is choosing resilience over resignation – to plan, adapt, and go forward. “Adversity does not define us – our response does.”
