Fulton County Ohio Media

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Dozens of Delta residents and Pike-Delta-York Local Schools faculty, administrators and staff members gathered in a cold and windy pouring rain in the parking lot of the Barn Restaurant this past Saturday afternoon to show their support for the upcoming 1% income tax levy to benefit the PDY Local Schools District.  Officially, the vote will be taken on May 4, 2021, but early voting is now available at the Fulton County Board of Elections on Fulton Street in Wauseon.

Helping to draw people to the rally was the Barn Restaurant which served take-out lunches for no profit.  A steady line of cars from Airport Highway rolled through the parking lot to show their support and take advantage of the meal deal.

This is the second attempt to pass the levy after going down to defeat 2309-1714 in November of 2020.  The PDY Board of Education has already approved a list of reductions if the levy fails again.  These include a reduction in force of 18 faculty and staff positions, program reductions including all extra-curricular activities and the high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) program and a reduction in transportation including the elimination of bussing to the high school.

The elimination of the FFA is especially concerning for participating students growing up in this agricultural community.  FFA is very important to me,” said Delta student Blake Hilton.  “If we didn’t have FFA I would not be going to Delta schools.”  Blake went on to say how much he enjoyed learning about animal husbandry, soil management and many other aspects of the agricultural industry.

In a town the size of Delta, many of the residents are deeply rooted in the local school system and the ancillary programs, school-related and others, that act as a bonding agent for the community.  “My husband (Mark) is a teacher and a coach.  He is a middle school football and wrestling coach and a special education teacher.  He was born and raised in Delta, graduated from Delta, went to college and came back.  We have two sons and two daughters in the program right now,” said resident Rachel Nagel relating her family’s close connection to the school.  “There is a tradition and a legacy being part of this community.  The only thing I try to impress upon people is our kids are representatives of this community.  When they go out and represent the school they wear “Delta” on their uniforms.”  Ms. Nagel also mentioned the Two-Year Kindergarten program which she described as “an opportunity like no other” being on the list of cancellations. 

A town hall event is being held on Tuesday, April 13^th at 7:00 p.m. in the Delta Middle School to have more discussions on the significance of the levy vote.  “School is more than just the 8-5 every day.  There are a lot of other activities that go hand-in-hand with producing a well-rounded student,” explained Dr. Ted Haselman, PDY Schools Superintendent.  “We’re in a position right now we need additional funding to continue those great experiences and activities for our students.”

The result of the vote will have a major impact not only on the Delta community but other communities and school systems in the area and the Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) as well.  A coach from another NWOAL school commented on the possible affect on their team if the levy were to fail.  “It will be interesting to see how many kids we get from Delta,” said the coach.

Pictured: Some of the many supporters that braved the rainy weather at the Delta levy rally.

The Village of Delta was recently recognized for its efforts in helping rank the State of Ohio number one in new economic development projects in the country.  A corporate real estate economic development magazine, “Site Selection”, awarded Ohio its Governor’s Cup 2020 for topping its ranking for bringing in more new corporate facility projects per capita than any other state in the nation. 

So, congratulations to Delta, Swanton’s closest neighbor just a few miles west down Airport Highway.  And congratulations to Delta’s village administration, its village council and its residents for this achievement and the well-deserved honor that came with it.  The expansion at North Star BlueScope Steel is the centerpiece of the economic development effort but there are several more including the construction of the Nova Steel and Tube plant on County Road H, just east of SR 109.

Meanwhile, back here in Swanton, we have a village council that wants very little to do with economic development and growth, even as our local economy continues to get battered by a global pandemic.  We have a village council president, Craig Rose, who will no longer allow the issue of forming an Economic Development Commission (EDC) to be placed on the council meeting’s agenda despite Mayor Toeppe’s efforts keep having discussions on it.  We have another council member, Mike Rochelle, who strongly supports Mr. Rose’s stance on the issue and we have the other four council members who, by agreement or by their silence, keep the issue and chances for growth suppressed.

Economic development could include anything from small business enterprises to large corporations building a manufacturing facility or a distribution center.  But unless the Village of Swanton can put its story out there for potential businesses to see what it has to offer, it’s a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it.  An all-volunteer EDC serving as an advisory board to the council just might be able to help shine a light on our town but not unless the village council allows it.

What I find perplexing is that the two strongest opponents to the EDC, Mr. Rose and Mr. Rochelle, are business men.  Mr. Rose sells commercial real estate.  You know, property such as land, buildings or other structures for tax-paying businesses to use.  Mr. Rochelle is a bank executive.  Banks make a profit from lending money to tax-paying businesses and people wanting to start a business.  You would assume that economic development would be right up their alley.  And maybe it is, but apparently not if that alley happens to be located in Swanton, Ohio.

Mayor Toeppe’s primary goal from the time he took office in January of 2020 is to expand the tax base of the village to maintain and even improve all village services without increasing the tax burden on the residents.  The best way to do that is to bring in new businesses and increase business for ones that are already here.  However, only the Swanton Village Council has the authority to make that happen and their actions and decisions on the economic from have been nothing short of counter-productive.

How long can Swanton sustain the current situation?  It may be difficult to say but in giving her presentation of the village’s Permanent Budget for 2021 to the council in March, Finance Director Jennifer Harkey said, “Overall, the financial health of the Village is stable.  However, as discussed previously, it will be a challenge to maintain the level of services provided by Governmental Funds as costs continue to rise at a faster rate than revenues increase.”

Where will the money come from when the financial health of the village is no longer “stable”?  Mr. Rose and Mr. Rochelle represent just two of the six votes on council, but their anti-business agendas receive little opposition from the other four voters.  It does not look like there will be any help soon coming from the rest of the council.  Fortunately, four council seats will be up for grabs in November, including the seats currently occupied by Mr. Rose and Mr. Rochelle.  My hope is that the names “Rose” and “Rochelle” do not appear on the ballot.  If they do, my remaining hope is the Swanton voters will cast their ballots accordingly.

Swanton does not need to be exactly like Delta and do what Delta has done economically but it needs to pay attention and learn from Delta’s example.  Swanton needs to be economically smarter and better than it is right now and that needs to start in the Village Council Chambers.

An article in the April 2021 edition of the Toledo Business Journal (TBJ) announced that the State of Ohio led the nation for new economic development in projects per capita for the second consecutive year.  The article stated, “Site Selection, a corporate real estate economic development magazine, ranked Ohio number one in its Governor’s Cup 2020 state economic and business attraction rankings for bringing more new corporate facility projects than any other state in the nation.  Ohio also ranked number two among the nation for total projects overall.”

Pictured in the article was an aerial view of an expansion construction project in progress at North Star BlueScope Steel’s mill in Delta.  “The Village of Delta received a plaque from the State of Ohio Jobs Ohio for our efforts and activities in economic development,” announced Delta Village Administrator Brad Peebles at the April 5^th Village Council meeting.  “One of the more significant projects in the state in 2020 was the North Star expansion with their extension of more than $500 million dollars was about the same as their initial investment 26 years ago at $500 million dollars.  It does play a significant role in the state’s being recognized in the top of (economic) development.”

 Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was quoted in the TBJ on the ranking.  “Ohio continues to attract new corporate facilities and businesses to invest here,” he said.  “In Ohio, we have a strong business community that will work along side new companies who are looking to invest and utilize our skilled workforce.”

In other Council business, Mr. Peebles, in his Administrator’s Report, informed the Council that his office continues to work through the USDA loan/grant program learning part of the new stipulations may be tied to Low to Moderate Income (LMI) Level status.  “We are learning with the 2020 census data yet to be released publicly that Delta will no longer be classified as an LMI community.  This may prohibit our being qualified to take advantage of the program,” the report states.

Morlock Paving submitted the lowest and winning bid for the Wood Street resurfacing project and a contract has been forwarded to the company.  Based on the pricing, the decision has been made to use asphalt instead of tar and chip to resurface the alley between Wood and Madison Streets parallel to Main Street.  Knowing the asphalt will have a longer life expectancy, draft legislation to prohibit vehicles greater than 6,000 pounds in the alley will be presented.

The Street Department has started cleaning and inspecting storm water catch basins throughout town.  This has not been a regular practice in the past it is hopeful this effort will reduce possible surface flooding in the event of a heavy rain event.  This will also allow the department to be proactive in basin repairs before they deteriorate to the point of replacement.

The next Council meeting will take place on Monday, April 19, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

Pictured:  Delta Mayor Frank Wilton with Economic Development Recognition Plaque

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Taking advantage of a great opportunity, Swanton Bulldog Brier Cook has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his education and soccer career at Bluffton University.  “It’s the best school for me and the best fit,” explained Brier.  “And hey, it’s college soccer, why pass up on that?  They really wanted me so, why not?”

Another attraction for Brier was its close proximity to Swanton being a little more than an hour’s drive away.  “I’m really excited to have all my friends and family watch me there, some of my old teammates, too,” he said.  Brier also cited Bluffton’s academics as a reason to choose the school.  “Bluffton has a great business program,” he said.  “It’s small.  It’s really the size of Swanton but in a college form.”

While playing soccer for the Beavers, Brier plans on studying for a double major in accounting and another business-related field, possibly finance.  He knows playing a sport in college and tackling a double major will be challenging, but he feels he is ready for it.

“He’s a good kid, a lot of personality.  Works really hard and he’s always been in fantastic shape,” said Swanton Soccer Coach Mark Kahl.  “He’s one of those kids you can rely on to play the entire game.  He doesn’t have a stop button.  It’s good to have kids like that on your team.  Coach Kahl also commented on Swanton student-athletes playing a sport in college.  “It’s great to see these kids moving on with their careers and knowing where they came from.  I’ve seen several of them over the past couple of years go up and live that dream,” he said.

Pictured:  Brier Cook signs with Bluffton as mother Anne and father Don look on.

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In 2021, the Scotts Field Refurbishment Program will provide grants of products and services, with a value up to $50,000 to four youth-serving organizations that are in need of renovations to existing ballfields.  Applications will be accepted from February 24, 2021 to April 9, 2021.  A panel of judges, including Ryan Howard, Jennie Finch, and representatives from Scotts and Major League Baseball (MLB).

Each refurbishment will include one infield makeover that incorporates a new infield with sod and infield dirt.  Other enhancements may include a new pitcher’s mound, new home plate and batter’s boxes, new bases and anchors.  It is not clear if the community would have to perform the work or if it would be 100% by the program itself.  The grant application, which was submitted before the deadline, is part of an effort by Swanton Local Schools with assistance from the Village Administration.

At the most recent Village Council meeting, discussion on the grant centered around maintenance of the high school baseball field going forward.  Councilman Dave Pilliod, suggesting it would be “nice” to have a grass infield posed a question to Public Service Operations Superintendent Neil Tedrow.  “Is there a reason why we don’t have a grass infield up there?  Is that something sustainable?” he asked.  “I would think it would be,” responded Mr. Tedrow.

There was still more discussion regarding the potential for increased maintenance which would be the responsibility of the Village as is the outfield grass now.  “It’s not for lack of desire.  It is the lack of individuals and the lack of equipment to maintain a varsity baseball field in a public park,” remarked Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle.  “It’s not that we don’t want to.  They want it manicured and I get it.  I absolutely understand that.  But your question about maintaining it, how many more seasonal people do we have to hire?”

Ms. Hoelzle also expressed concerns about maintaining the field during the off season.  “The concern is, when it’s not in season, how frequently are we dragging it?  How frequently are we doing ‘XYZ’ to it?” she asked.  “Unfortunately, the same crews, as I’ve mentioned many times, that maintain the park are the same ones reading meters door to door, that are cleaning sewers, that are fixing water main breaks, etcetera, etcetera.”

Decisions on the grant applications will be made between April 10, 2021 and June 1, 2021.  The grant awards will be announced on June 3, 2021 and project implementations will take place between June and September of 2021.  If the grant application is successful, the Village Council said it could decide to reject the awarded grant if they determine the cost of maintaining a grass infield is too high.  Separate grants from MLB for other Swanton ballfields have also been made.

Pictured:  Swanton High School baseball field at Memorial Park