Chillicothe — A city council committee will hold their last hearing today on a request to allow a veterinarian’s office at 36 North Walnut Street. Current zoning does not allow them at that location.
I had the opportunity to interview the veterinarian in November, at the start of the city review process. Natalie Baldwin says she has been a vet since 2011, but does not have a practice yet.
She said she has been looking for the right site for six years, and the one-story 1950s medical building there near the intersection with West Second Street is perfect.
Baldwin says she is very picky and is aware of people with bad manners who don’t clean up after their dogs, with experience at her home on Paint Street. She said she would want to keep her office exterior clean and not smell bad, and in addition, nervous dogs visiting the vet tend to not relieve themselves there.
Also, she would not be housing dogs like a “doggie daycare” or kennel, so there would be little barking with the typical doctor visits.
Hear her in her own words in the below interview video recorded at a friend’s home a few doors down.
Randi Uhrig and Ron Rutherford spoke to Chillicothe Council’s Engineering Committee on June 12th, voicing their objections to possibly allowing the proposed veterinarian office. (Baldwin was not present at the meeting.)
Randi Uhrig partners with her husband Joe as Uhrig Financial. They recently moved from East Second Street to the former Gustin Insurance agency at 110 West Second.
Uhrig pointed out that the proposed vet office building is literally five feet away from their building. She said her two concerns were barking dogs and cleanliness.
She said she looked at other suggested example ‘downtown’ vet offices such as in Hillsboro, but said they were not comparable.
(Uhrig told me my video-recording of her commentary in the committee meeting was sufficient in lieu of an interview.)
The last zoning meeting to allow 36 N Walnut to become a vet hospital is 5pm today, July 10th, in Council Chambers at 26 South Paint Street.
