Fulton County Ohio Media

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A public hearing was conducted during the April 12^th Swanton Village Council meeting at the request of Valleywood Golf Club who was appealing an increase in their storm water charge from a misapplied residential rate of $3.00 per month to a discounted business rate of $67.85 per month.  The storm water charge, it was noted, is separate from the water and sewer rate.  The new rate represented a 30% discount from the original rate of $96.64 per month.  

The 30% discounted rate was the maximum authorized to be granted to Valleywood by Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle and a further discount would have to be approved by the Council.  After a lengthy discussion, the Council ruled the initial discount was fair and would be maintained.  Despite the hearing being requested by the golf club to push for a lower storm water rate, no representative from Valleywood was present to speak on their behalf.

In other news, approximately two years after the Beard Pavilion in Memorial Park was destroyed by a falling oak tree, construction on its replacement has begun as planned and is scheduled to be completed sometime in August.  The main building frame was recently erected and materials for the roof are staged in the park next to the construction site.

In Old Business, the Third Reading of Resolution 2021-XX, authorizing the Village Administrator to submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) State Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation Program and to enter into any agreements as required for Crestwood Road improvements was approved.

In New Business, the First Reading of Ordinance 2021-XX supporting and joining the Toledo regional Chamber of Commerce in strongly urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) to consider returning mail processing operations to its sorting facility in Toledo, Ohio was approved.

In General Updates, brush pick up began on April 5^th and will continue weekly until May when it will shift to monthly pick up.  There were six water shutoffs on April 5^th.  Flushable wipes still continue to be an issue as they do not dissolve as advertised and cause havoc on the wastewater collections system.

Mr. Randall Trausch has successfully completed the Firefighter I course.  Council approved a wage increase to $15.00 per hour which became effective April 18, 2021.

The next meeting will take place in person in Council Chambers on Monday, April 26, 2021 at 7:00 PM.  COVID-19 safety protocols remain in effect.

Picture:  New Beard Pavilion under construction.

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Wauseon’s Connor Penrod pitched seven scoreless innings and Evergreen’s Landen matched each goose egg until one out in the bottom of the seventh when Kolton DeGroff scored from third base on a long fly ball to centerfield off the bat of Clay Stump and the Indians beat the Vikings 1-0 in NWOAL action.

It was a brilliant pitching performance by both Penrod and Vance that ended with two errors sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt in the final inning.  Penrod, a Bowling Green State University commit, allowed only three hits and had 11 strikeouts but also issued four walks and had to get himself out of several jams.  “They had runners all night long.  We didn’t seem to get that, but we worked out of jams and got the job done at the end,” said Penrod.

In the second inning the Vikings had two on with nobody out then watched Penrod strikeout the next three batters.  With a leadoff double by Vance and a pair of walks, Evergreen loaded the bases with two out in the fourth but a routine flyout to center ended the threat.

Another leadoff double in the sixth, this one by RJ Shunk, and an error put Vikings at the corners with no one out but once again Penrod struck out the side and escaped any damage.  “I still had second base open.  All I knew is that I had to throw strikes,” said Penrod explaining his mindset.  “If I just throw strikes and trust the guys behind me it’s all going to work out.”

Wauseon scored the game winner when DeGroff hit a ground ball to short and went all the way to second base when the throw went over the outstretched glove of the first baseman and deep into foul territory.  Sam Kragula sacrificed DeGroff to third who then came home when Stump’s fly ball to deep center was dropped. 

The win keeps Wauseon undefeated in the NWOAL at 4-0 and 8-4 overall.  “We’re playing well this year,” commented Penrod who earlier this season threw a complete game shoutout against the Archbold Blue Streaks.  “After a slow start we’re getting it rolling.  We were 0-3 and now we’ve won seven out of our last eight.” 

The loss drops Evergreen to 3-1 in the league and 7-4 on the season.  Despite having to take the loss, Vance was virtually unhittable, allowing just one hit, a single, while striking out three and giving up two walks.

Pictured:  Connor Penrod delivers for Wauseon

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For the calendar year of 2021, the Swanton Village Council appropriated $30,000 for their Downtown Façade Enhancement Program, a program that was adopted in November of 2019 and implemented in 2020.  A detailed explanation of the program as well as an application can be found in a six-page document on the Village’s website under Resources/Doing Business in Swanton/Assistance.

Funds from the program come in the form of a grant which is explained on the website. “This is a 50% reimbursement of expenses directly related to qualifying building improvements, to front facades, of properties within the downtown target area up to a match of $10,000.  Property owners may re-apply annually for available funds, but priority will go to first-time applicants.  The Village of Swanton will pay the contractor directly for approved grant funded project,” it states.

The website also describes what an “Eligible Improvement” is.  “Eligible improvements include all exterior improvements of an eligible downtown building front façade.”  This statement is followed by a list of what that may include.

This year, six applications for the grant money were sent to Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle who, in turn, gave them to the committee responsible for reviewing and determining the eligibility of the applications.  Kevin Young, a member of the committee and an architect by trade, presented the committee’s decisions to the Village Council at the April 12 Council meeting.

“After reviewing them, the consensus was that they were all maintenance related, not enhancement related.  And it didn’t really meet what we’re intending and wanting for the program to achieve,” explained Mr. Young.  He recalled a zoom meeting from 2020 that was attended by several business owners as well as himself and Ms. Hoelzle where the objectives of the program were explained and suggested it would be a good idea to now have an in-person meeting where he would use a PowerPoint presentation to better explain “what we’re actually looking for.”

Ms. Hoelzle, who does not serve on the committee but does attend the meetings and takes notes, gave an example of the difference between an “improvement” and an “enhancement”.  “Two of the of the six applications were painting them (facades) the same color, she said.  “Though painting is an eligible criterion, but this is literally the exact same color.  You’re looking at it from afar there’s not that potential for enhancement.  It just looks like you painted it the same color.  That was part of the conversation.”

Mr. Young cited two other applications that were more maintenance related in the committee’s thinking such as replacing a roof or completing a soffit project.  “There’s nothing in there that says the funds have to be used, said Ms. Hoelzle.  “I think what Mr. Young is saying is maybe it’s beneficial to take a step back.  This is intended to try and bring people downtown and frequent these businesses.  They (the committee) want this program to really be that ‘wow’ factor.  To really do something to enhance it.”

Ms. Hoelzle recommended to take Mr. Young up on his offer to give a PowerPoint presentation to the downtown property/business owners to give them a better understanding of what the intent of the program is, keep the six applications active and reevaluate after.  There was no more discussion on the issue.

Pictured:  Kevin Young explains committee decision on Downtown Façade Enhancement Program Grants

A group of Swanton residents and business owners met in the banquet room of the Studio 101 Salon and Spa on Sunday, April 18, to discuss a strategy seeking to make changes on the Swanton Village Council as well as supporting legislative initiatives for economic development and transparency in government.  The event was organized and hosted by the Studio 101’s owner, Janet Ritter, after numerous appeals for assistance on these matters were made to the Council by Ms. Ritter and many others but were either ignored, dismissed, rejected or otherwise went unaddressed.

Ms. Ritter spoke first and explained her motivation for organizing the event and creating a Facebook page called “A Community Forum” for anyone interested in these efforts.  One of her suggestions to enact change would be to have candidates who have the best interest of the Village run for office this November.  Currently, four Council seats are up for re-election.  Those seats are held by Council President Craig Rose, Mike Rochelle, Kathy Kreuz and Anthony Stewart.  Rose, Rochelle and Kreuz all obtained those seats by running unopposed in the 2017 general election.  Mr. Stewart was appointed to his seat to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Councilman Paul Dyzak in 2020.

Mayor Neil Toeppe spoke next and explained the process for filing a petition with the Fulton County Board of Elections (FCBE) to appear on the November 2021 ballot.  According to the FCBE, a minimum of 50 valid signatures of Swanton registered voters would be required to run for a seat on the Village Council.  A minimum of 10% of the number of Swanton votes in the last gubernatorial election would be required to have a legislative initiative appear on the ballot.  All petitions must be notarized and filed with the FCBE by 4:00 PM on August 4, 2021.

The Mayor also related some of his proposals to the Council that were turned down, such as the creation of an Economic Development Commission (EDC), the live streaming of all Village Council, Village Committee and Village Commission meetings and the increased cooperation with Swanton Local Schools with respect to the youth sports program.  He also explained how Council President Rose was able to change the Rules of Council beginning in 2021 to have the Mayor’s Report removed from meeting agendas and, by extension, Council meeting minutes and also have the Mayor removed from serving and providing input as an ex officio on Village Committees for Water and Sewer, Public Safety (Police & Fire) and Finance.  All meeting agenda items must now be approved by Mr. Rose.

There was a great deal of discussion among the attendees and before the meeting concluded, a committee was formed to work on three goals.  The first is to find four individuals willing to run for a seat on the Council and serve for the benefit of the Village of Swanton.  The second is to place a legislative initiative on the November ballot to form an all-volunteer Economic Development Commission to serve as an advisory board to the Council to bring more business and businesses into Swanton and expand the tax base and minimize the tax burden on Swanton residents.  The third is to place another legislative initiative on the November ballot to live-stream all Swanton Village meetings to allow the public-at-large to remotely attend the meetings or view the proceedings at a more convenient time in order to be more aware of the direction of the Village.

The next meeting is scheduled for May 2, 2021 at 1:00 PM at the 101 Salon and Spa located at 124 North Main Street in Swanton.  Everybody is welcomed and encouraged to attend.

Pictured:  Janet Buckenmeyer Ritter, Community Organizer

Not many of us can say we found our passion at the young age of five years old.  However, Swanton senior Brodie Stevens is convinced it happened to him when he first stepped onto a wrestling mat and began a journey that has taken him to mats all over the country and now, to college, at Ohio Northern University (ONU) in Ada to fuel his passion at the next level.

“Wrestling is the only sport I’ve done since about five.  The past fourteen years, actually, I’ve been wrestling,” said Brodie on the day he signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his education and his wrestling career at ONU.  It is that kind of devotion and focus to the sport that has paid and continues to pay dividends.  “He’s dedicated,” said his father, Wes.  “When other kids are still in bed at 6:00 in the morning, he’s in the garage lifting weights, four or five days a week during the season.”

Mr. Stevens also credited several coaches in the area for Brodies quick maturation and early successes, including Swanton Assistant Coach, Xavier Taylor.  “Wrestling is his life.  He does it year-round,” said Coach Taylor.  “He doesn’t take a whole lot of time off.  It’s his only sport.”

Brodie has benefited by wrestling for a Bulldog program that has had a long history of turning out champions at the top weight class and sending some of them to wrestle in college, including Coach Taylor.  “Wrestling in college is never an easy thing.  I did it and I found out It’s a full-time job,” explained the coach.  “You have to be committed.”

Brodie’s success has come in the 285-pound weight class where he qualified for the State Tournament the past two seasons.  Last year his lost his opportunity to compete at State when the complete shutdown of all Ohio high school sports due to COVID-19 concerns was ordered by Governor Mike DeWine just two hours before he was to leave for Columbus.

This year, fortunately, Brodie was able to compete the entire season and went on to win championships at the NWOAL Tournament, Sectional and District Tournaments and carried a 28-2 record into the State Tournament.  He won his first two matches and finished with a 4-1 record for third place. 

Brodie was also able to capture his 100^th career win this season, a challenging milestone to reach and a testament to his dedication, hard work and commitment, assets he will be bringing to the ONU Polar Bear program.

Pictured:  Brodie Stevens signs with ONU alongside his family.