Fulton County Ohio Media

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In a game where both teams outscored all the other league teams in action that night, the Evergreen Lady Vikings defeated the Delta Lady Panthers 71-58 in an old-fashioned shootout.  It was evident after the first quarter that the visiting Vikings and the home-town Panthers were zeroed in on the basket when Evergreen blistered the nets for 20 points and Delta kept pace with 19. 

Both offenses cooled off in quarter number two, but not much.  They each managed to score in double digits, Delta with 12 points and Evergreen with 11, and contest was tied at 31-31 at halftime.

In the second half, however, the experienced and talented Lady Vikings opened with an 8-0 run in the first 90 seconds and went on to score 24 points to the young Lady Panthers’ 11 to take control of the game.  Viking senior Bekah Bowser, a serious contender for NWOAL Player of the Year, scored 10 of her game-high 24 points including two of her six three-point shots.  Delta’s Grace Munger had 11 of her team-high 17 points in the quarter including three of her four triples, but was the only Panther to find the net and Evergreen had a 55-42 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

The Vikings pushed their lead out to as much as 20 points early in the fourth quarter before the Panthers battle back to put the final margin at 13 to end the game.

In addition to Bowser’s 24 points, Evergreen got 13 points from Lucy Serna, 11 from Macy Chamberlin and six each from Jocelyn Schuster and Addison Ricker.  Delta got 12 points from Sophia Burres, nine each from Chloe Weber and Alani Haas, and six from Olivia Smith to support Munger’s 17.  The two teams combined to drain 14 shots from behind the arc with seven apiece.

Click on the link above to access all 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.

Following the swearing in of recently elected Council members Derek Kania, Patrick Messenger, Mikey Disbrow and Samantha Disbrow, the Swanton Village Council began the process of assigning members to the four Village Standing Committees and establishing the overall leadership structure.

The first order of business was to elect the President Pro-Temp of Council, the individual who will assume the duties and responsibilities of the mayor in the mayor’s absence.  Councilman Dave Pilliod nominated Councilwoman Diane Westhoven.  The nomination was seconded and Ms. Westhoven was elected with five votes in favor and her abstention.

It was also established that the Council will follow the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and name the mayor as President of the Council, a return to this practice that had been abandoned the past two years by previous Council.  In this position the mayor, currently Neil Toeppe, will chair the Committee of the Whole.  The mayor will also return as “ex-officio” of the Village Standing committees, a position where the mayor will be allowed to give input but will not have a vote on committee decisions.

The four Village Standing Committees, definitions and assigned Council members are as follows:

Finance Committee – Village Council serves as the primary authority over the expenditure of public dollars and possesses the power of the purse in the Village of Swanton.  The Committee addresses matters pertaining to budget and capital improvement plan legislation while conducting oversight on the use of funds by the administration and developing policies to guide the Village.  The Committee also meets as needed throughout the year to consider legislation referred to it by the Council including any proposed changes to the budget and other Finance related topics.  Finance Committee members are Diane Westhoven, Derek Kania and Patrick Messenger.

Water and Sewer Committee – Addresses matters pertaining to the Water Treatment Plant, Water Distribution System, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Wastewater Collection System and the Storm Water Drainage System.  Water and Sewer Committee members are Dave Pilliod, Mikey Disbrow and Patrick Messenger.

Public Safety Committee – Addresses matters which affect the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Village of Swanton such as crime prevention, fire response, disaster preparedness and traffic management.  Public Safety Committee members are Samantha Disbrow, Derek Kania and Diane Westhoven.

Public Service Committee – Addresses matters which affect the functions pertaining to public parks, public places, public buildings, public playgrounds, streets, alleys, waste collection and disposal.  Public Service Committee members are Mikey Disbrow, Samantha Disbrow and Dave Pilliod.

Chairs for each of the Committees will be chosen at their first official meeting.  The Council also chose Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle to represent the Village on the Fulton County Regional Planning Commission.  Ms. Hoelzle is the current representative on the Commission and serves as its Vice-President.

The next Council meeting will take place on January 24, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the Swanton Municipal Building at 219 Chestnut Street.

By: Dave Kina

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On Monday 1/10/22 the Delta Panthers Varsity Bowlers hosted Bryan at the Swanton Sports Center.  The Panthers started very slow with Bryan grabbing a 154-pin lead which they never relinquished.  Kaden Hawkins bowled a 182 game which was the high score for Delta.  Matt Meade had a 216 game and LeLyn Boothman rolled a 200 score to lead the Golden Bears.  In the Baker Games both teams rolled games of 210 for Delta and 213 for Bryan.

The Lady Panthers fell behind by over 100 pins in the first game and could never catch up.  Ciarra Flickinger shot a 199 game for Delta.  Faith Harding and Jessica Federspiel both shot 201 games for the Lady Bears.
 

Delta will host Liberty Center on Friday 1/14/22 at the Swanton Sports Center.  Match time is 4 PM.

Several photos from the match are on the link above.

Last night, to begin the first Swanton Village Council meeting of 2022, four first-time Council members, Derek Kania, Patrick Messenger, Mikey Disbrow and Sam Disbrow were ceremoniously sworn in by outgoing Village Solicitor Alan Lehenbauer who had earlier in the day submitted his resignation.  As significant as these changes were, replacing two-thirds of the Village Council and the Village’s attorney, they were just the beginning of constructive changes that were enacted that night with many more to be voted in going forward.

This near wholesale turnover of the legislative body in the Village of Swanton came as a result of a well-organized grass roots effort by local citizens who had become aware of the many counter-productive decisions made by the sitting Council and the detrimental effects it was having on the community.  Through this group’s determination, it was able to recruit four community-focused individuals who were willing to challenge the old guard, reject the anti-progressive decision making, bring the Village forward and not let it get left behind by the surrounding towns. 

The four candidates campaigned on a platform of transparency in government, economic development and pro-business policies among other forward-thinking ideals and took their message to the public with several meet-and-greet events and social media postings.  The four incumbents got the message as well and all chose not to run for reelection.

The first Council meeting was a major step in the right direction, but it was only one step.  There will be more positive changes coming as well as some previous Council policy reversals and these will take time and require patience among the Swanton residents.  Not everyone will agree with every decision this new Council will make, but I have faith they will be made in the best interest of the community.

There is, however, one caveat.  If there is one thing the previous Council has taught us in the past two years, it is this.  We need to pay attention to what our Council is doing.  Call it political vigilance.  We must maintain an awareness long after we cast our ballots.  It benefits us all and, hopefully, will prevent future Council leaders from pushing their own self-serving agenda. 

Understand that we should never be “followers” of politicians.  We can be, on some high level, supporters of their policies and platforms but first and foremost, we are “constituents” and they work for all of us. 

I am excited about the makeup of this Council with the four new members joining with the two remaining and Village-oriented Council members, Diane Westhoven and Dave Pilliod. All six are keenly aware of their duties and responsibilities and are willing to work together, with the mayor and other Village officials for the betterment of the Village.  Expectations are high and early indications are that major positive changes are forthcoming, beginning with the return of Mayor Neil Toeppe’s report to Council, giving a stronger voice to the citizens of Swanton in meetings and providing greater transparency into Council proceedings.

So, stay tuned.  Seriously.  Stay tuned.

Pictured:  Derek Kania, Patrick Messenger, Mikey Disbrow and Sam Disbrow

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The Evergreen Lady Vikings traveled to the McQuade Gymnasium in Swanton for an NWOAL contest and came away with a relatively easy 53-18 victory over the Lady Bulldogs.  Swanton, playing without senior standout Frankie Nelson due to an injury, had no answer for the intense full-court pressure defense employed by Evergreen coach Brittaney Cymbolin.

The Vikings took advantage of multiple Bulldog turnovers and raced out to a 16-4 first quarter lead.  The second quarter was much like the first and Evergreen held a 25-7 advantage when the halftime buzzer sounded.

Swanton managed to find their offense in the third quarter, scoring 10 points, but still allowed Evergreen to put 15 more points on the board to increase the margin to 23 points entering the final frame.  Both teams made liberal substitutions in the fourth quarter with the outcome basically decided.

Bekah Bowser led Evergreen and all scorers with 16 points, including adding three more triples to her school record set earlier this season.  Macy Chamberlin had 10 points and Lucy Serna and Addison Ricker each added nine.

Emma Sullivan and Alaina Pelland each scored four points for Swanton.  Jayden Hendricks, Trista Eitniear and Emma Crow had three points apiece.

Click on the link above to access all photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for no charge courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Three incumbent Village Council members, Michael Tanner, Ashley Todd and Art Thomas, were sworn into office by Village Solicitor Kevin Heban at the first Council meeting of the year on Monday night.  Mr. Tanner and Ms. Todd were re-elected after appearing on the ballot in November.  Mr. Thomas, who was filling a vacancy on Council, was elected as a write-in candidate.

Mr. Tanner was then nominated to fill the position of Council President.  He accepted and was elected unanimously by Council.  As Council President, Mr. Tanner will assume the duties of Mayor Wilton in his absence.

With the approval of Council, Mayor Frank Wilton appointed Andy Welch to the Planning Commission, Tony Chiesa to the Board of Zoning Appeals, Jannel DeBacker to the Income Tax Appeals Board and Chad Johnson to the Fulton County EMA Board.

Old Business:  The Third and Final reading ofOrdinance 21-21 Amended, to place on the ballot of the next general election the issue approving the cultivation, processing and/or wholesaling, retailing and dispensing of medical marijuana in the Village of Delta was approved.

The Third and Final Reading of Resolution 21-21, authorizing the Village Administrator to advertise for bids and enter into contract for the capital improvement projects for 2022 was also approved.

New Business: The First reading of Resolution 22-01, authorizing the Village Administrator to advertise for bids and enter into contract for the construction of the Fulton County water connection passed.

The First Reading of Resolution 22-02, authorizing the Village Administrator to bid and enter into contract for the construction of roadway with utilities to support the expansion of Nature Fresh Farms Distribution Complex also passed.

Village Administrator Brad Peebles sent a letter to Mayor Wilton and the Council regarding the two new Resolutions.  The letter read, in its entirety:

With the planned expansion of Nature Fresh Farms and the need to construct a Packaging/Distribution Complex, the extension of roadway with utilities is required.  The design of these facilities will also serve land directly to the north of this complex and be postured to serve property to the west once annexed.

The estimates for the work with design total just under $1M dollars.  Currently, there bare commitments to assist with these costs totaling $736,000.  They include Community Development Block Grant $485,000, Ohio Department of Transportation (Jobs and Commerce) $100,000 and Jobs Ohio $151,000.

With an estimated shortfall of $200,000 to $250,000, it is proposed to create a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District over the property being developed as well as the adjacent properties, redirecting 75% of the property tax for a period of 10 years that would have been paid to a fund for debt service, both current and future, should these facilities require extension to serve other projects.  The TIF would be in place of tax abatement for these designated specific areas.

With the next Council meeting scheduled to fall on Martin Luther King Day, the meeting will be held one week later on January 24, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

Pictured:  Council members Michael Tanner, Ashley Todd and Art Thomas being sworn into office by Solicitor Kevin Heban

By: Dave Kina

The Delta Panthers Varsity Bowlers opened the new year Monday 1/3/22 with a trip to Lenawee Lanes in Adrian, MI to take on the Evergreen Vikings.  The Panthers jumped out to a 127-pin lead heading into the Baker Games but the Vikes put on a great rally shooting a 542 series.  Delta was able to hang on for a 29-pin match win.  Gabe Syverson (pictured) led the Panthers (2-6, 1-4) with a 225 and a 199.  Kaden Hawkins and Brody Waugh each chipped in with 197 games.  Derek Cobb was high for Evergreen (1-5, 1-4) with a 201.

The Lady Panthers opened up a 135-pin lead and cruised to the match win by 102 pins.  Ciarra Flickinger (pictured) led Delta (4-3, 1-3) with games of 191 and 173.  Lexi Brown 166 and Maddy Johnston 160 also contributed to the victory.  Delaney Burghardt 168 was high for the Lady Vikes (3-2, 2-2).

The Panthers return to action next Monday 1/10/22 when they host the Bryan Bears at 4 PM at the Swanton Sports Center.  The Wauseon match, originally scheduled for Friday 1/7/22, has been moved to Tuesday 1/18/22 at 4 PM at Swanton Sports Center.

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The Evergreen Vikings defeated the Swanton Bulldogs 47-25 in boys Junior Varsity basketball.

Click on the link above to access all photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for no charge courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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The Swanton Bulldogs and the Evergreen Vikings opened the boys NWOAL basketball season last night, playing what might go down as the best league game of the year when it is all said and done as the visiting Bulldogs survived a long shot at the buzzer to defeat the Vikings 46-44 in overtime.

With 4.9 seconds left on the clock in the extra frame, Evergreen got the ball to reigning NWOAL Player of the Year Evan Lumbrezer who was immediately triple-teamed by the Swanton defense.  Lumbrezer tossed the ball to a wide-open Brock Hudik, about ten feet out from the top of the key.  Hudik launched the shot just before the clock hit all zeros but the ball bounced off the backboard and the rim, touching off a wild celebration from the Bulldog bench.

Evergreen, playing in front of their raucous home crowd, took control of the game in the first quarter as they jumped out to a 14-4 early lead and led 15-8 after one.  Swanton went on a 9-2 run in the second quarter on the strength of three triples from Nic Borojevich to tie the game at 17 all with 3:30 to go in the half.  The game stayed tight from there with the Vikings holding a one-point lead, 23-22, when the teams headed for the locker room at halftime.

The Bulldogs got five points each from Cole Mitchey and Nic Borojevich, outscoring the Vikings 10-9 to enter the fourth quarter tied at 32-32.  Both teams shared the lead several times during the final quarter of regulation until Lumbrezer scored on a layup to knot the game at 40 apiece with about one minute left.  Swanton was able to get a 15-foot shot off at the buzzer that missed, hitting the back of the rim, sending the game into overtime.

Nic Borojevich scored 21 points to lead all players.  Cole Mitchey had seven points, Luc Borojevich had six, Kayden Davis had five, Sam Betz scored four and Hayden Callicotte added three.

For the Vikings, Ethan Lumbrezer scored a team-high 17 points.  RJ Shunck had 13 points, Eli Keifer scored 10, Evan Loeffler and Brock Hudik added two each.

Click on the link above to access all 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.

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Swanton seniors Carson Santchi and Marty Mosher rolled games of 213 and 210 respectively, in the first round, giving the Bulldogs a quick 194 pin lead that led to a 2136-1988 victory over the visiting Tinora Rams at the Swanton Sports Center Monday afternoon. Mosher led all bowlers with a two-game 405 series and was followed by Santchi’s 347 series. Other series scores were Seth Sweet with a 342, Scot Reside with a 305 and Matt Bates with a 291. The win puts the Bulldogs record at 4-2 on the season.

Click on the link above to access photos from the match.