Fulton County Ohio Media

Scheduling guidelines, priorities and fees related to the usage of baseball and softball fields and the tennis/pickleball courts at Memorial Park were discussed at the July 19^th Village Council meeting.  “This is to create a more organized way for organizations to request the usage of the ball diamonds as well as the tennis and pickleball court,” explained Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle.  “It is explicitly stated that Swanton Varsity Athletics and Swanton Recreation Program would be first in line at no cost.  There would be no fees associated with their usage of the facilities.”

Ms. Hoelzle stated there would be no fees for any practices or any non-tournament games but there would be a cost for tournament games.  “We don’t get a lot of tournaments but the intent would be to try to entice people to come and have a tournament that would bring a lot of people to the community which would be really great,” she said.  “The fee structure is $25 dollars per field per day.  We’re not looking at charging a tremendous amount of money for an individual to rent a field but it would allow a little bit of revenue to come in to ensure for cleanup.”

Provisions have been established for the reservation and use of the sports facilities.  Reservations must be made through the Village Office (419-826-9515) 30 days in advance for practices and non-tournament games. 

Pictured:  Ballfields on the Upper Level at Memorial Park

At the Swanton Village Council meeting on Monday evening, Council voted to approve the date of October 30, 2021 for the traditional Halloween’s Trick-or-Treating for the Swanton Community.  With that date now in place, the Swanton Lions Club will be putting on their highly-popular Halloween Hoopla event earlier on the same day.

Representatives from the Swanton Shine Committee requested and were granted from the Council the date of November 27, 2021 to hold their Annual Swanton Tree Lighting Ceremony at Pilliod Park.  This committee raises funds every year to purchase and maintain Christmas holiday decorations within the Village.  As in past years, they plan to serve cookies and drinks and will have other family-friendly activities as well.

Times for all these events will be finalized and made public soon.

With the five-year 5 mil levy for the Delta Police Department (DPD) scheduled to expire on December 31, 2022, the Village Council is preparing to place a renewal levy on the ballot by first passing Resolution #21-10, requesting the Fulton County Auditor to certify revenues with the Auditor’s Certificate.  Council approved the First reading of the Resolution at their July 12^th meeting and plan to place the renewal levy on the May 3, 2022 ballot.  Both pieces of legislation must be submitted to the Fulton County Board of Elections by February 2, 2022.

In other news involving the DPD, it has been reported that the roof of the police station is leaking and, after an inspection by G.A. Wilson Roofing of Swanton, it has been determined the roof needs a total replacement.  Wilson will be providing a quote.

In Public Comments, Delta resident Larry Bell of North Main Street addressed the Council about his concerns of what he believed to be excessive noise coming from the MetalX scrap metal recycling plant.  Mr. Bell assumed the noise level was in violation of the local ordinance.

Village Administrator Brad Peebles informed Mr. Bell that decibel readings had been taken at two locations at two different times in response to other complaints.  “The standard is typically 70 decibels at the property line.  They are within that 70-decibel range,” said Mr. Peebles.  “Based on today’s standards, I believe they comply with the industrial setting.”  In conversations with MetalX management, Mr. Peebles said they admitted there are some occasions during the processing of certain materials where higher than standard noises will occur but, on the average, they are within standard.

Regarding previous legislation, the Third and Final Reading of Ordinance 21-09, authorizing the Village Administrator to make an application and execute all required documents with the USDA for the receipt of grant/loan funds for the construction of a water tower to replace an existing and deteriorating structure was approved.

Also approved on the Third and Final Reading was Resolution 21-06, authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Jones & Henry Engineers LTD to complete an inundation report for Reservoir No.2 as mandated by the EPA.  Resolution 21-07, authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Jones & Henry Engineers LTD for service to design sanitary sewer service for areas along County Road H near State Route 109 passed as well.

The First Reading of Resolution 21-09, authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with the State of Ohio Department of Natural (ODNR) resources for a Cooperative Fishing Agreement was approved.  This will allow the ODNR to manage the fish stock within Delta Reservoir No.2 for a period of 25 years, expiring April 30, 2046.

The Athletic Department of Swanton Local Schools has sent a letter to local businesses soliciting for donations as part of an effort to raise funds to finance the construction of a baseball/softball complex on the grounds of the high school.  There are 11 Donation Support Tiers ranging from $100 to $250,000 with naming considerations attached to each tier.  The letter reads as follows:

To Whom It May Concern:

As part of the Swanton community and surrounding area, we wanted you to know about exciting things happening at Swanton Local Schools, in particular with our sports facilities.

Since 1939, the Swanton Bulldogs’ home baseball field, located in Memorial Park in Swanton, OH, has been owned by the Village of Swanton.  Set nestled between a WWI Monument, Main Street, Swan Creek and a playground, the surrounding environment creates an unmistakable ambiance.  This vintage atmosphere, however, has created problems.  In twenty-five years, there has been minimal upgrades due to funding priorities within the Village park expenses.  The baseball and softball fields are in dire need of upgrades, such as infield tiling and rebuilding of mounds, dugouts and bullpens.  In addition, the park setting creates sometimes dangerous obstacles, particularly in regard to handicap accessibility and lack of parking space.

As you may be aware, it has been the goal of Swanton Local Schools Administration to, one day, get all facilities on a centralized campus.  We have started a fund to build our own baseball and softball complex on the high school campus, bringing all sports facilities used by Swanton High School into one location.  We have decided to apply for several grants in addition to the fund to help us bring this dream to fruition.  We are asking interested parties to donate to this worthy cause.  Any type of donation would be greatly appreciated.  We are asking local businesses to lend a hand in making our dream a reality by either sponsoring a part of our project, donating an amount of your choice to our field complex fund, or donating building materials or labor toward the project.

We hope you are just as excited for our new adventure as we are.  We would love to set up a time to discuss your potential sponsorship of our project and answer any questions that you may have.  Please contact the Board of Education at 419-826-7085 to set up a time to meet with our team.  If you like to donate directly, checks can be made out to Swanton Local Schools with “Baseball and Softball Complex in the memo line and dropped off or mailed to the Swanton Board of Education, 108 N. main St., Swanton, OH 43558.

Thank you for your consideration in supporting Swanton Athletics.  We look forward to partnering with you.

Sincerely,

Swanton Baseball & Softball Complex Committee

Chris Lake (Swanton Superintendent), Wade Haselman (Swanton Athletic Director), Joshua Siewert (Swanton Head Baseball Coach), Becky O’Shea (Swanton Teacher and Parent), Amy Remer (Swanton Community Member and Parent)

Amy Lawson, Swanton High School Class of 2021, has been awarded a $1,000 college scholarship from the Swanton Chapter of Lions Club International.  The primary criteria for consideration are community service and high school grade point average (GPA) along with other smaller factors.

Amy was a member of the Swanton Leos Club, a Lions Club youth organization, through all of middle school and high school.  She was able to complete over 400 hours of community service in the Swanton area and other parts of Northwest Ohio.  “Community service brings a sense of togetherness and a bond to the people around us.  It brings people of all backgrounds in a community together for one common goal; to make the community better for everyone,” she explained in her essay that was submitted with the scholarship application.

In the classroom, Amy was an outstanding student, achieving a 3.9 overall GPA and garnering top-level honors for 11 quarters, scored high on all state tests and received the Teacher’s Award for Physics and Government.

Her performance in extra-curricular activities was equally impressive.  Playing the trombone, Amy was a member of the Marching, Concert and Pep band all four years of high school, serving as a section leader for three years.  She also played softball for the Lady Bulldogs and was on the bowling team every season. 

Amy’s career as a bowling Lady Bulldog was legendary.  She was First Team All Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) three consecutive years after being named to the Second Team as a freshman.  As a sophomore, Amy won the NWOAL Tournament Individual Championship and, as a senior, helped lead her team to the NWOAL Tournament Team Championship.

Ms. Lawson will be attending Bowling Green State University (BGSU) this Fall and will major in Adolescent Earth Science Education.  She plans on becoming a teacher upon graduation.

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

The Defiance College baseball program has added recent Delta High School graduate Hunter Hamilton to its list of incoming talented recruits for the 2021-2022 academic school year.  Hunter manned the shortstop position for the Panthers the past three seasons after playing third base during his freshman year.

He waited until about one month after the high school baseball season to make his decision on which college to attend to continue his education and baseball career. “They really sold me.  I like the culture they have over there and I think I can help them out,” said Hunter, explaining his reason to become a Yellow Jacket baseball player.

This summer, to help prepare for competition at the collegiate level, Hunter is playing American Legion baseball for the perineal state Legion powerhouse, Napoleon River Bandits.  The Bandits have just returned from a tournament in Minnesota where they won four games and lost just one.

In the classroom, Hunter will be majoring in Education with a minor in Sports Management with the end goal of becoming an athletic director.

Pictured:  Hunter Hamilton signs with Defiance College alongside mother Roxann and father Brian

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s5J1o1c5wG8UCoAp6

Click on the link above to access the photos. This Google Photos folder has photos from different parts of the festival including some of the baseball tournament, basketball competition, bands and rides. Any or all photos may be downloaded onto your computer for no cost.

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Click on the link above to open the file in Google Photos. Any or all photos may be downloaded to your computer at no cost. Photos from the rest of the festival will be available soon.

What may be unprecedented in the history of Swanton politics, a grass roots movement took seed just less than a year ago, organized by Swanton citizens and local business owners, as a response to a Village Council that was too often unresponsive to the concerns and needs of the Swanton community.  This is a Village Council whose all six members gained their position by either running unopposed or being appointed and voted to strip the mayor, who did actually defeat an opponent and was truly a choice of the people, of most of his authority, his voice and his influence. 

However, we need to be honest with ourselves.  The good people of Swanton bear some of the responsibility for allowing certain Council members, who do not have the best interest of the Village at heart, to occupy those seats of power.  No one stepped up to challenge them.  But those days look to be over if this well-organized and committed group of community activists are successful in educating the voters on the real issues and provides them qualified choices at the ballot box.  All indications are that the citizens of Swanton have awakened.

With four Council seats up for reelection this November, this group is petitioning to place four candidates, Derek Kania, Sam Disbrow, Patrick Messenger and Mikey Disbrow on the ballot to help bring the Village of Swanton forward as a community with a focus on economic development and transparency in government.  There are also two petitions being circulated that will create ordinances to establish an all-volunteer Economic Development Commission (EDC) as an advisory board to the Council and to make the live-streaming of Council meetings available to the public.

At a recent petition signing event sponsored by Benfield Wines on Main Street, a large number of voters showed up to sign all six of the petitions which will eventually allow them more control in November over how the Village is run and how their lives are affected.  “I think it’s time for change,” said long-time Swanton resident and military veteran Rick Maynhart who attended the event.  “This whole community has been stifled the last two years.  We need to move forward, not backward.” 

Mr. Maynhart’s sentiment was echoed by Tara Shaver who lives and works on Main Street. “I think it’s important for us to be embracing change right now within the Swanton community.  We’ve had so much positive change,” said Ms. Shaver referring to the increase in downtown economic activity generated in large part by the Swanton Small Business Group and the Swanton Chamber of Commerce.  “There’s a lot more that could be done if we had some open minds and updated opinions.”

What might help the stimulate the local economy and expand the tax base to help counter rising costs would be an EDC as mandated by the voters on one ordinance petition, not the Council, which would work to bring in new businesses into the Swanton community.  The second ordinance petition, the live-streaming of Council meetings, would allow all citizens to view Council proceedings and ensure their concerns, interests and overall welfare was being taken into consideration by Village officials.

“We are circulating the petitions in order to give our residents a chance and a voice as to how things are run within the Village Council and the Village,” said Swanton resident and Federal employee John Schmidt who is spearheading the committee working on the two ordinance petitions.  “Council refuses to have an economic development commission.  The Mayor, Neil (Toeppe), has advocated for that for a number of years.  They continue to refuse and they will not video live-stream Council meetings.  We want to see it where everybody has the opportunity to participate including the elderly and disabled.”

If all six petitions make it on the ballot it will then be up to the people of Swanton to go to the polls and vote their conscience as it represents the changes they support.  Just as important will be for unregistered voters to register and exercise their right to help shape how they will be governed.  August 4, 2021 at 4:00 PM is the deadline for all petitions to be filed.  After that, the voters of Swanton will decide their future.

Pictured:  John Schmidt (center) discusses Village petitions with Council candidate Derek Kania (left) and resident Rick Maynhart (right)

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