In front of family, friends, colleagues, the Swanton Village Council and Swanton Fire Chief Ed Dziengelewski, firefighter Culyer Kepling was sworn in to the rank of Lieutenant by Mayor Neil Toeppe.
Lieutenant Kepling started his career in the Fire Service 10 years ago at a small volunteer department in Wood County down by the Bowling Green area. In September of 2013 he joined the Swanton Fire and Rescue (SFRD) and served until June of 2016 as a part-time firefighter. In April of 2021, Kepling returned to the SFRD in the full-time capacity. He has a combined service time of just about five years with the SFRD.
During Kepling’s brief time away from the SFRD, he continued to be active in the Fire Service with the City of Napoleon and Delta Fire Department both of which he still remains an active member. Kepling recently graduated paramedic school from Owens Community College and is set to complete his certification process in about three weeks.
Currently, Kepling holds a Firefighter II, Advanced-EMT, Fire & EMS Instructor, Bluecard Command and several other specialty certifications. He plans on returning to Owens Community College for the Spring semester to complete his degree in Emergency Services Technology.
Pictured: Kaitlyn Kepling, Culyer’s wife, pins the Lieutenant Badge on his lapel.
The First Reading of Ordinance 22-13, authorizing the Village Administrator to execute documents required to sell easement rights of a perpetual easement specifically for the operation of communications tower on Village owned property was unanimously approved by the Delta Village Council at their August 15th meeting. In a letter to Mayor Frank Wilton and Council members, Administrator Brad Peebles broke down the reasoning behind the sale:
In 1999 the Village executed the original lease for the agreed space inside the fenced area of the west tower on County Road 10 to Sprint Communications, who later sold the lease to Crown Castle Investments. The 25-year lease has provisions for renewal of an additional 25 years at the previously agreed rate increase every five years.
Looking at the financial options of selling perpetual easement rights to the same parcel for the same purpose made sense. The negotiation concluded with Crown Castle willing to pay $322,500 for the easement rights. When applying these funds to one of two improvement projects that will require financing, the additional value with these funds being applied up front, reduces interest payments totaling $428,640 when calculated at the current interest rate of 3.0% over 20 years. This calculation brings the total value of the sale to $751,140.
The improvements projects referenced in Mr. Peeble’s letter were the Fernwood Street repair, rebuild and resurface and the replacement of the water tower on Helvetia Street. Crown Castle’s initial offer was $277,000.
A free concert was held in the gymnasium of St, Richard Catholic Church in Swanton this Sunday afternoon. Two food trucks were stationed just outside on the driveway and three different bands provided the entertainment.
Click on the link above to access photos from the concert. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for no charge courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Click on he link above to access photos. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for FREE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
The Rossford Bulldogs out of the Northern Buckeye Conference (NBC) broke open a scoreless game with 20 points late in the second quarter and went on to defeat the Swanton Bulldogs 34-0 in the season opener for both teams.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for FREE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
The Fall high school sports season, the busiest of the three, has begun in earnest. During this time, FCM, a website and blog, will be covering as many events possible with photography and brief write-ups of as many Fulton County events possible with our one-man staff. All photographs will be placed into Google Photos files and will be in a jpeg format that will allow for any type of editing. Each file can be accessed through a link that will appear in a posting.
If you chose to follow the blog through fultoncountymedia.com, you will be notified by e-mail of every posting. There is NO CHARGE to follow the blog. Posted photos can be downloaded to your computer, also for NO CHARGE and there will be no watermarks. All postings can be found after opening the website and selecting MENU/BLOG or just BLOG and paging down.
Postings in FCM will also include occasional village council and school board articles, feature articles, human interest stories, editorials and ribbon cutting ceremonies.
The Swanton Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Classic, also known as the Drew McNeill Memorial Golf Outing, was held this past on Wednesday at Valleywood Golf Club on Airport Highway in Swanton. As always, the format was a four-person best ball scramble.
For the second consecutive year, Team Pilliod, composed of Dick Perkins, Bill Pilliod, Kevin Thornton and Robert Truckor, won the Men’s Team Championship with a -14 score of 57. Taking the Mixed Team Title was Team McNeill, with the foursome of Henry Cockerill, Jenny Salyers, Jerry Salyers and Andy Tena shooting a -4 score of 67.
Individual awards went to Julia Hage of Anne Grady Services with the longest drive on the women’s side and Robert Truckor with the longest drive for the men. Mike Fischer of PT Link had the longest putt on the day for the men.
Pictured: Team Pilliod – Kevin Thornton, Bill Pilliod, Swanton Chamber Executive Director Neil Toeppe, Robert Truckor and Dick Perkins
Click on the link above to access photos from the Classic. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
At the August 15th Delta Village Council meeting, results of the recent Delta Community Park survey were discussed with the primary focus on questions related to the pool. Prior to analyzing the numbers, Village Administrator Brad Peebles addressed the issue of a significant number of residents not receiving the survey questionnaire in the mail.
“We received 110 (questionnaires) of the approximately 1200 that were mailed. It does appear that there is a lack of understanding on the part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Delta office as to where the Village limits are. We have provided them with maps and helpful information so they know exactly where the boundaries of the Village are. There are areas of the Village that did not receive these,” explained Mr. Peebles.
Each of the Council members had a copy of the tabulated numbers from survey.
Question #1 – Do you members of your family use the public pool in the park? YES = 48 NO = 62
Question #2 – If you don’t, would you if there were new or additional attractions such as slides, infant wading pool, splash areas, rock climbing wall? YES = 24 NO = 62
Question #3 – Would you support a NEW property tax levy if placed on the ballot to support a new pool with an estimated cost $4M to $4.5M which would require 6.5 mills ($227.50 for each $100,000 of value) for 20 years? YES = 39 NO = 71
Question #4 – Would you support a NEW tax levy to make the required repairs and renovations to reopen the current pool in the amount of 3 mills ($105 for each $100,000 of value) for 10 years, estimated repair costs of $1.2M? YES = 57 NO = 49
Question #5 – Do you believe the pool should be eliminated completely? YES = 38 NO = 69
A NOTE included in the survey said, “If a new pool were constructed, additional operating funds would be needed to adequately staff. This would require a minimum of an additional 1 mill ($35.00 for each $100,000 of value) levy to support the operation.” Total millage for a new pool would be 7.5 mills ($262.50 for each $100,000 of value).
“You can see the numbers pretty much speak for themselves as far as the responses,” said Mr. Peebles. “Council is going to have to make some decisions on how you want to go forward on planning. Based upon this, it’s pretty apparent that if there is to be any pool updates it’s going to be to your existing pool. That’s basically what the survey indicates they would support if they were to vote on it.”
The survey also included questions related to other activities in the park.
Question #6 – Does your family have anyone active in the Delta Youth Leagues? YES = 41 NO = 68 Baseball (13), Softball (9), Soccer (19)
Question #7 – Do you find the fields adequate? YES = 82 NO = 17
Recommended improvements for the fields included better dugouts, more field lighting, better field maintenance, better concessions and better restroom facilities.
Questions regarding general amenities for all age groups were also asked.
Question #8 – Do you believe tennis court(s) would be utilized? YES = 31 NO = 69
Question #9 – Do you believe pickleball courts would be utilized? YES = 60 NO = 37
Question #10 – Do you believe other attractions are needed within the park? YES = 28 NO = 52
Other attractions listed were walking paths, disc golf, exercise equipment and an enclosed shelter facility. Mr. Peebles said that some of the survey recommendations have been discussed as things that are needed.
“Once you, as Council members, have had a chance to digest these numbers, we need to talk again, maybe the next meeting, as to what you think needs to be done going forward,” he said.
Former Swanton Bulldog baseball and softball players got together last Friday night for the Second Annual Bulldog Alumni Softball game. There were enough players to form three teams and two games were played in front of a large crowd. There was no injury report following the contests but both Rite-Aid and Kroger reported a run on over-the-counter pain relievers the next morning.
Pictured: Carter Swank heads for home after crushing a home run to left-center field.
Click on the link above to access photos from the games. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for free courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
A new and exciting chapter in the history of the Village of Swanton began this Tuesday morning when a ground-breaking ceremony was held for Birchwood Meadows, a soon to be constructed entertainment venue located in the Turtle Creek area on Airport Highway. Below is a press release submitted by the Swanton Chamber of Commerce:
The Village of Swanton is excited to welcome Birchwood Meadow to our community. This is the first large scale project in Swanton in over a decade. The owners could have selected anywhere in northwest Ohio for their venture but selected Swanton because of our access to the turnpike, the airport and our strong demographics.
They are already booking weddings for couples from all over Ohio and Michigan and even from other states. “We are fulfilling a longtime wish to create something together, and can’t think of a more life affirming, festive project than providing a venue and atmosphere that will help others fulfill their lifelong wedding dreams,” said Birchwood Meadow Proprietors Dave and Pam Mills.
No stranger to organizing and managing staff and events, Dave just retired as a Master Sergeant in the Air National Guard after 36 years and over 40 deployments, and Pam has been in Marketing and IT for over 25 years. They have six children together, with three married and three in college.
“It was after overseeing three of our five daughters’ weddings that we felt there was a need for a modern country venue,” said Pam, whose daughters craved a warm and rustic wedding. The Birchwood Meadow premier wedding and event venue will accommodate up to 350 people for a wedding with ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. Reserved entirely for you and your guests, this unique “Big Timber” barn features impressive 40’ vaulted ceiling in the main hall with Arched Big Timber trusses that span the entire main hall with three open air copulas. The 8,000 square ft. venue on 27 acres in Swanton, Ohio is modeled after a very popular barn venue in Oklahoma.
Dave and Pam estimate the external structure will be erected by sometime in December, allowing work to begin on the interior. Once the interior work is completed, estimated to be in March of next year, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held along with public tours.
Pictured: Pam Mills addresses a large crowd of family, friends, local business owners and politicians. (L to R): Swanton Village Councilwoman Sam Disbrow, Ohio State Representative Jim Hoops, Swanton Village Administrator Shannon Shulters, Swanton Village Councilman Dave Pilliod, Pam Mills, Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe and Dave Mills
Fulton County Ohio Media 