Fulton County Ohio Media

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The host team Swanton Bulldog Golfers shot an 18-hole total of 330 to finish in third place at the Bulldog Golf Invitational held at their home course, Valleywood Golf Club this past Monday.  Swanton missed second place by one stroke as the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets finished with a 329 score.  The Ottawa Hills Green Bears captured the first-place trophy by carding an impressive 322 total.  Rounding out the eight-team field were the Otsego Knights with a 354, the Springfield Blue Devils at 357, the Emmanuel Christian Warriors at 434, the Delta Panthers at 470 and the Northwood Rangers with a 503.

Pacing the Bulldogs was Garret Swank with a 79 and Sam Betz with an 80.  Both scores placed the Swanton golfers on the All-Tournament team.  Also contributing to the Bulldog total of 330 was Mazin Rukieh (83) and Ryan O’Shea (88).  Adam Lemon (90) and Lucas Bloom (119) competed for Swanton as well.

Michael Budge of Otsego took medalist honors with a +3 score of 74.  He also made the All-Tournament team along with Eddie Griffin (78), Anthony Adduci (80) and Will Swigart (80), all of Ottawa Hills.

Swanton will be in action again tomorrow, August 12^th, in the Paulding Golf Invitational at Auglaize Golf Club in Defiance.  Tee time is 9:00 AM.  Delta next takes on Evergreen at Woodlawn Golf Club in Adrian, Michigan on Friday, August 13^th.  Tee time is 10:00 AM.

Click on the link above to access FREE photos.

Pictured: Swanton Bulldogs

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Big Shout Out to the Swanton Corn Fest Committee for great job they did this past weekend. The Village of Swanton is very lucky to have dedicated people committed to put on this wonderful event. We know it takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work to pull this off and we really appreciate it.

Here are over 300 photos for the Swanton Corn Festival events that were held at Memorial Park. Just click on the link above for access. Any or all photos can be downloaded for no cost.

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After a one-year hiatus, the Swanton Corn Festival Parade returned to the streets of Swanton in spectacular fashion. Great job by the Corn Fest Parade Committee and welcome back!

Click on the link above to access over 600 photos in a Google Photos folder. Any or all photos can be downloaded to your computer for free. All photos are in jpeg format which will allow for editing.

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Two teams of Swanton High School graduates got together on the varsity baseball field at Memorial Park to play in what they hope will be the first of many alumni co-ed softball games. The teams were divided into the older seasoned-by-life veteran Bulldog grads wearing purple versus the younger still-finding-their-way-in-life Bulldogs wearing white. The Purple Bulldogs were hoping to prove they still had it going on while the White Bulldogs wanted to send the message, “Make way for the next generation.” to their older fellow alums.

When all was said and done, the Purple Dogs schooled the White Dogs in convincing fashion and sent their younger over-confident fellow alums the message, “Not so fast my young friends and next year you need to bring your ‘A’ game if you want to have any chance of being the Top Dogs.”

Click on the link above to view the photos.

In 2019, Swanton resident Neil Toeppe ran for the office of mayor with local economic development being the defining issue of his overall platform.  The voters chose Mr. Toeppe by almost eight percentage points over two-term incumbent Ann Roth and it appeared that a much-needed effort and focus on boosting the Swanton economy was in the making.

However, several members of the Swanton Village Council were not only against the new mayor’s economic incentive plans, but pushed back on virtually all of his community-enhancing initiatives.  Several citizens and business owners came forward to address the Council and express their support for Mr. Toeppe’s ideas to no avail.  When local businesses began to suffer heavily under the weight of pandemic-related restrictions imposed by Governor Mike DeWine, the Council, sadly, was not moved to change its stance.   It was not long before Council meetings devolved into contentious affairs, creating an almost toxic environment at times. 

Frustrated by Council’s lack of response to the concerns of the Swanton community and unwillingness to enact positive change, resident and business owner Janet Ritter organized a grassroots effort earlier this year to give a voice to the voters of Swanton.  And, with four Council seats up for reelection, find citizens willing to challenge for those seats and work for the community.  She created a Facebook page called “A Community Forum” and began to hold meetings for with the following objective: “Creating a safe space where Swanton residents can equitably discuss ideas and solutions. A platform where residents can become involved with their community through social programs, event organization, and politics.”  And a Mission Statement: “A Community Forum will provide information and tools necessary for Swanton residents interested in becoming involved to improve their community in a manner that is impartial for everyone.”

What developed from this political movement over several months of meetings was a strategy and a game plan, if diligently followed, would give the Swanton community a path and an opportunity to be taken seriously by its leaders and have an impact on its future.   Four individuals, Patrick Messenger, Mike Disbrow, Derek Kania and Sam Disbrow stepped up and solicited for petition signatures to put their names on the November ballot to replace any incumbent that decided to run for reelection.  Registered voters flocked to organized petition signing events, giving the hopeful candidates more than enough signatures for eligibility.  The citizens of Swanton answered the calling, choosing to take the right path to change.  No torches.  No pitchforks.  No storming Village Hall. Just a pen and later, a short trip to the polling station.

As added insurance to realize true change, John Schmidt circulated petitions to create ordinances for an economic development commission and to live-stream all Council meetings, placing those decisions in the hands of the voters.  Unfortunately, a special requirement allowing Village officials to hold the petitions for ten days before being submitted to the Board of Elections, pushed the petitions past the deadline but can be placed on the ballot in the November 2022 election if still needed. 

Fortunately, a new Council will be in place by then because all four incumbents chose not to seek reelection.  A wise choice given what could be surmised from local social media’s commentary on Council’s behavior and decision making the past 18 months.  At the August 4, 2021 4:00 PM deadline only the four newcomers had filed petitions.  Now, the hope is the four new Council members will join Councilman Dave Pilliod and Councilwoman Diane Westhoven in forming a coalition with Mayor Toeppe and the Village Administration to make decisions that best serve the interest of the Village of Swanton and its residents.

A preliminary study for a new Delta community pool along with a splash pad, which would be performed by the engineering design firm of Peterman Associates, Inc. was discussed by the Village Council during their August 2^nd meeting Monday evening.  The scope of the work, as listed in the proposal from Peterman, would include a site layout, a floorplan for the bath house, an elevation view of a new bath house, an estimate of the probable cost including design and construction, and an estimate of the probable demolition cost.  An evaluation of the existing facility and its potential for reuse would also be included.  The fee quoted in the proposal was $19,750.

Village Administrator Brad Peebles informed Council that Peterman Associates is authorized to perform work for the Village and had performed a similar study for the municipal pool in the city of Napoleon.  “It’s (Napoleon pool) a very nice facility and from all the measurements and data, that layout would basically almost drop on our site.  You could virtually take that layout and put it on our physical site where the pool is currently,” explained Mr. Peebles.  “From a planning perspective, it gives us a tool that has already been designed and developed that we could work from to create the budgeting and the planning we may need.”

Mr. Peebles also said legislation enacted by Council for the study would be required to “educate and inform” the public so the community would know what would be involved.  He inferred the study would better identify the overall costs associated with the project and would give the Village a much accurate number to present to the community in the way of a bond issue or levy.

Another point of consideration Mr. Peebles expressed to the Council was the time required to complete the project for a new pool which would begin with the demolition of the existing facility.  “We’ve also talked to Astro Pools.  Astro Pools is the company that built the Napoleon facility.  They also built the Wauseon facility,” he said.  “There is a strong likelihood that, even if you had this on the May ballot, you may not be having a pool until the 2024 season if it went forward.  Just because of timing and everything associated with getting it approved and built.”

Councilman Art Thomas asked if funding for the study could come from the levy that was recently passed to operate the pool.  Mr. Peebles said he believed that would be allowed and that money would later be reimbursed.  Council members will now consider to go ahead with the study and have Mr. Peebles draft the required legislation or have more discussion.

Pictured:  Delta Community Pool

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Click on the link above to access the folder in Google Photos. Any or all photos can be downloaded onto your computer for no charge courtesy of fultoncountymedia.com

Trent Weigel, Swanton High School Class of 2021, has been awarded a $1,000 college scholarship from the Swanton Chapter of Lions Club International.  It was the second of two scholarships given by the Swanton Lions to this year’s graduating seniors of Swanton High School. The primary criteria for consideration are community service and high school grade point average (GPA) along with other smaller factors.

Trent performed his community service as a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), an organization devoted to academic excellence as well as having its participants actively involved with their community.  “I believe community service is important in showing support and leadership.  I think it is a way of showing your thanks for everything the community has provided for you,” wrote Trent in his essay provided with his scholarship application. “I also believe it shows responsibility and that you take pride in and care for the well being of your community and everyone that resides within it.”

In the classroom, Trent compiled an exceptional Grade Point Average of 4.47, receiving top honors in every quarter during his high school career.  He was also a Scholar Athlete in the Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) and received a Student of the Month Award from the Swanton Rotary.

Outside the classroom, Trent was a three-sport athlete earning a starting position in football as a quarterback, basketball as a guard and baseball at several positions.  He also was involved in the high school’s Show Choir and the spring play.

Mr. Weigel will be attending The Ohio State University this Fall and majoring in business.

Pictured:  Swanton Lion Past President Richard Notestine presents a $1,000 scholarship check to Trent Weigel

This evening, July 29th at 6:30 PM, Benfield Wines on Main Street will be hosting another “Meet the Candidates” event for four Swanton residents that will be running for a seat on the Village Council.  Each candidate, Derek Kania, Mickey Disbrow, Patrick Messenger and Sam Disbrow will also be soliciting for signatures of registered Village voters for their petition that will place their names on the ballot this November.

Four open seats will be on that ballot.  All or none of the individuals who currently hold those seats, Kathy Kreuz, Mike Rochelle, Craig Rose and Tony Stuart may run for reelection as incumbents.  Aside from Mr. Stuart, who was appointed to fill a vacancy last year, the other Council members have all served for far longer than a single term of four years. And each of those three ran as incumbents without any opposition in 2017, keeping the old guard in place and maintaining the progress-inhibiting status quo.

Hoping to bring economic growth to Swanton as a solution to combat rising prices and the need for higher taxes, Neil Toeppe ran against Mayor Ann Roth in 2019 and denied Mayor Roth a third consecutive term by a significant margin.  The Swanton constituency had spoken and sent the message that it was time for a change to a forward-thinking direction.

Unfortunately, led by Council President Rose, the Village Council pushed back against the will of the Swanton voters and enacted legislation to minimize the authority of Mayor Toeppe and prevent any of his initiatives from not only being realized but also from being seriously considered.

It was those kinds of power-grabbing, progress-hindering, self-serving actions by the Council as a whole that triggered a grass roots movement by a number of community residents and business owners; a movement to be part of the solution.  It is a movement that will not just put new names on the ballot to give the voters actual choices, but also to enact legislation on economic development and transparency in government that the Council has denied time and time again since Mayor Toeppe took office.

Along with the candidates and their petitions, Swanton resident John Schmidt will be in attendance with a petition to create an ordinance to form an all-volunteer Economic Development Commission and another petition to create an ordinance to live-stream all Village Council meetings to the public.  When a community is compelled to circumvent its legislative body to fulfill its needs, it speaks volumes as to how unresponsive that legislative body has been to the people it has been empowered by to serve.

Tonight, is a great opportunity to learn about four potential leaders of this community, who they are, what they stand for and what their vision is for the Village.  When you go to the polls this November it will allow you to make an informed decision.  We have seen, for many years, what the current Council’s vision is for Swanton.  I would describe it as short-sighted, at best.

One thing I firmly believe is “status quo” is actually a myth.  Nothing is static.  Certainly not an entire community.  You either move forward or you fall backward.  Backward is a problem.  Forward is a solution.  Be part of the solution.

At the July meeting of the Swanton Board of Education (BOE), Superintendent Chris Lake informed the members of an initiative to bring the district’s baseball and softball facilities up to date by constructing new fields on school property.  Mr. Lake’s statement, taken directly from the meeting minutes, is as follows:

I want to take a moment to highlight a steering committee that I have put together for the purposes of building a varsity baseball and softball field on the campus of Swanton High School. For as long as anyone can remember the varsity baseball and softball teams have played their home games at Memorial Park, but it has long been the dream of many people associated with those programs to see these games be played on school owned facilities. The Swanton Local School District is very appreciative of the partnership we have with the Village of Swanton that allows our athletes to play on these village owned fields, but we recognize that there are difficulties in playing on fields that we do not own.

The committee which consists of Becky O’Shea (SMS teacher), Amy Remer (Swanton resident), Josh Siewert (SHS head baseball coach), Wade Haselman (Athletic Director) and I have been working together to draft a fundraising letter and to create a fundraising presentation to share with area businesses. Our goal is to spread the message about this project and to seek to raise money to help the school district with the cost of this project. Over the course of the last several months we have been seeking estimates on the cost of this project and based on the information we have the district will need around $1 million dollars to install playable game fields at the high school. To add a press box, bathrooms, field lights and other upgrades would cost additional money. For the time being, our goal for phase one is to raise the funds that will help us to install playable game fields so that our students will have a true home field to play on. 

In the fundraising letters that were sent out to local businesses and alumni, the committee has developed several support levels that will allow donors a wide variety of options. The committee is in the process of finalizing our fundraising presentation, and we would love the opportunity to make a pitch to areas business that might be interested in supporting this project. The committee is also brainstorming other fundraising ideas to help us meet our goals. Any money donated to the softball and baseball field projects will be held in a special cost center devoted entirely to this project. We recognize that this project will not happen overnight, but we are dedicated to making the progress necessary to bringing this to fruition. 

If anyone is interested in joining our efforts to help raise funds for this worthwhile project, I encourage them to reach out to one of the committee members listed above. 

The Board also passed a resolution to place a Substitute Levy for an existing levy on the November 2, 2021 ballot.  The Substitute Levy is a renewal of the $825,000 Emergency Levy that will capture new revenue on new homes and businesses built in the Swanton Local School District.  With the Substitute Levy, homeowners will still get the 12.5% owner-occupied discount on their real estate taxes.  For the first year of levy, the same amount of taxes ($825,000) will be collected for the School District.  This levy is for five years and will run from 2022 to 2026.

The final year of a three-year contract for Leigh Pancoast, Middle School Assistant Principal, was rescinded by the BOE and a new five-year contract for Ms. Pancoast, effective August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2026 was approved.

The next meeting will take place on August 18, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the BOE Offices at 108 North Main Street.