Fulton County Ohio Media

By a vote of 4-2, the Delta Village Council approved Ordinance 22-09, Prohibiting the cultivation of marijuana; processing of medical marijuana; marijuana wholesalers; marijuana retailers; and “medical retail marijuana dispensaries” in the Village of Delta, Fulton County, Ohio, on the Third and Final Reading at tonight’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Language in the ordinance referred to the legal right of the Village to prohibit marijuana-related activities despite it being legal in the State of Ohio and stated, “The Council for the Village of Delta has reviewed the pros and cons of allowing these activities and finds it would be in the best interest of the Village of Delta and its inhabitants to prohibit such activities.”

The First Reading, on June 6^th, was approved by a vote of 4-3, requiring Mayor Frank Wilton to cast a deciding vote when the Council deadlocked at 3-3.   When the vote was taken that evening, Council members Lynne Frank, Mike Tanner and Art Thomas voted “Yes” to allow the ban to become law.  Council members Ashley Todd, Tony Dawson and Chad Johnson voted “No” to oppose the ban.  

The vote on the Second Reading, taken on June 27^th, was approved 3-2.  Councilman Johnson, who had voted against the ban, was absent from the proceedings.  The remaining Council members did not change their vote from the previous meeting with Ms. Frank, Mr. Tanner and Mr. Thomas voting for the ban and Ms. Todd and Mr. Dawson voting against.

All Council members were present tonight and only Mr. Johnson changed his vote, voting to approve the ban, resulting in the 4-2 final count.  When asked, after the meeting, why he changed his vote, Mr. Johnson cited, “Lack of support,” as his reason.

Before the vote was taken, Delta resident Rachel Nagel made an impassioned plea to the Council, asking for the legislation to be passed.  “Because my vote, which was in the 62.75 percent that voted against this (marijuana), was not heard loud enough, there was a need to come (forward),” said Ms. Nagel, referring to the results of the advisory issue that was on the ballot in May of this year.

Ms. Nagel reminded the Council members that of the 14 individuals who addressed them on this issue in previous meetings, 13 voiced their opposition to having any marijuana facilities within the Village limits.  She also said, that after contacting the Fulton County Auditor’s Office, the only tax money the Village would receive would come from the value of the property on which the proposed facility would sit.  Ms. Nagel concluded by saying, “I’m begging you guys to understand the repercussions now and in the future.”

Pictured:  Delta resident Rachel Nagel

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Click on the link above to access photos from Friday and Saturday at the Delta Chicken Festival. 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 organizers of the Delta Chicken Festival put together another great parade. Here are just over 400 photos from the event.

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

At the June meeting of the Swanton Board of Education (BOE), Board members approved the hiring of Joe Bolyard as the Dean of Students at the Swanton Elementary School (SES).  Mr. Bolyard, who has been a teacher at SES for 22 years in several different capacities, was approved by four members with the fifth, Ben Remer, abstaining as Mr. Bolyard’s brother-in-law.

The SES Dean of Students is a new position that was created to help alleviate the workload on SES Principal Christie Molter and Swanton Middle School (SMS) Assistant Principal Leigh Pancoast who would typically spend one to two days a week working at the SES.  “We have had the job description for Dean of Students.  We keep it on the books and from time to time, when we feel we really need this we add it back in,” said Swanton Schools Superintendent Chris Lake. 

Mr. Lake further explained that while the SES has the largest student population out of the three buildings, it does not have a dedicated assistant principal as does the SMS and Swanton High School.

“It’s been something we’ve been looking at in the elementary for a while and we felt like the time was right.  So, we posted it internally for a dean.  We had a few people apply.  We interviewed them and decided to go with Joe,” said Mr. Lake.  “Joe has done his administrative licensure stuff.  He’s got all that stuff to be a principal and he wants to someday.”

Familiarity with the school system and the Village are also advantages for Mr. Bolyard in this new position.  “As a teacher there he obviously knows the kids, he knows the staff.  He has been really big into PBIS which is Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.  It’s something the State mandates that all schools have,” explained Mr. Lake.  He also uses a program that helps student learn how to deal better with each other, deal better with their teachers and prevent problematic issues before they begin.

Mr. Bolyard is very much looking forward to his new position within the Swanton Local School District and the next chapter of his career in education.

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With barely a month to go, the Village of Swanton was faced with finding a new location for their widely popular Independence Day celebration when the American Fireworks Company rejected the previously approved location at Faith Lutheran Church. The Village Administration, working in conjunction with the Police, Fire and Maintenance Departments as well as local businesses, relocated the entire event to Memorial Park. What could have been a logistical nightmare turned out to be, like every year, a huge success. There was ample parking, a great viewing area and lots of food and drink offerings as thousands watched the bombs bursting in air.

Click on the link above to access photos from the celebration. 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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Here are some photos from today’s market event. If you have not been in downtown Swanton for a while you may notice a few subtle changes. By the time the next Downtown Market is held on August 6th, you will see several more. But you don’t need to wait until then to visit the shops on Main Street and witness the incredible transformation as it is taking place. Click on the link above to access or download all photos.

Following a lengthy closed-door Executive Session, the Swanton Village Council voted 5-1 to hire Shannon E. Shulters as the new Village Administrator at an annual salary of $65,000, replacing current Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle, whose resignation becomes effective July 5, 2022.  Councilman Dave Pilliod made the motion for the hiring and voted to approve followed by yes votes from Council members Derek Kania, Patrick Messenger, Mikey Disbrow and Sam Disbrow.  Councilwoman Dianne Westhoven cast the lone dissenting vote.

Ms. Shulters’ employment will begin on July 11, 2022 and will be subject to the standard background check, drug screening and six-month probationary period.  To facilitate the transition, Council voted 6-0 to have Mayor Neil Toeppe and Finance Director Jason Vasko enter into negotiations with Ms. Hoelzle to remain employed by the Village on a part-time basis to work with Ms. Shulters.

Regarding the traffic lights at the intersection of Main and Church Streets, which have been malfunctioning for over a year now, it was reported in an earlier Council meeting that a safety assessment of that intersection determined there was not a need for traffic lights.  Council solicited a quote for repairs or removal for the lights which came in at $6,000 to repair and $1,500 to remove.

Ms. Westhoven reminded Council the lights were originally installed when Swanton High School and later Swanton Junior High School were located in close proximity to that intersection resulting in heavy student foot traffic.  That building, along with the foot traffic, has been gone for several years.  Council voted 5-1 to remove the traffic lights and place stop signs on the east and west side of the intersection.  Mr. Pilliod cast the lone dissenting vote.  The Village’s maintenance crew will remove the lights to save the $1,500 expense.  The traffic lights at the intersection of Main and Garfield Streets, which were also determined to be unnecessary, will remain in operation.

Council also voted unanimously to contract with Lammon Brothers Lawncare for the next three years to provide leaf collection at an annual cost of $26,800.  Councilman Disbrow recommended the Village look into the feasibility of purchasing and maintaining a leaf collection unit in the future.

The State of Ohio recently passed House Bill 172 which allows any person authorized to possess consumer grade fireworks to discharge, ignite or explode fireworks on their property, or if permitted, on another person’s property on certain designated days of the year.  The Bill also gives individual municipalities to opt out of the new law and disallow fireworks.  The Village Council took no action to opt out and fireworks will be allowed on private property.

The next meeting will take place on July 18, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. preceeded by the Committee of the Whole at 6:00 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers at 219 Chestnut Street.

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The Swanton Bulldogs dropped a double-header to the Findlay Trojans by scores of 12-8 and 23-7 on Thursday afternoon at the Junior Acme Summer High School baseball tournament played at Perrysburg High School. With the two losses, the Bulldogs end their season as Regional Runners-Up. The Trojans move on to the next round.

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

The Second Reading of Ordinance 22-09, Prohibiting the cultivation of marijuana; processing of medical marijuana; marijuana wholesalers; marijuana retailers; and “medical retail marijuana dispensaries” in the Village of Delta, Fulton County, Ohio, was approved by the Delta Village Council last night by a vote of 3-2.

Language in the ordinance referred to the legal right of the Village to prohibit marijuana-related activities despite it being legal in the State of Ohio and stated, “The Council for the Village of Delta has reviewed the pros and cons of allowing these activities and finds it would be in the best interest of the Village of Delta and its inhabitants to prohibit such activities.”

The one vote margin was the same as the approval margin on the First Reading of the ordinance.  However, three weeks ago, when the Council vote was 3-3, Mayor Frank Wilton was obligated to cast the deciding vote.  On this night, Councilman Chad Johnson, who had voted against the ban, was absent from the proceedings.  The remaining Council members did not change their vote from the previous meeting with Lynn Frank, Mike Tanner and Art Thomas voting for the ban while Ashley Todd and Tony Dawson voted against.

Prior to the vote, Delta resident Jennifer Barnes addressed the Council, imploring them to adhere to the results of the advisory issue on the May 3^rd election ballot.  Ms. Barnes cited the 62.6% of Delta voters who were against having any type of marijuana-related facility within the Village limits as a clear validation of a marijuana ban approval.

A Third and Final Reading with a subsequent vote Council vote will be taken at the next regularly scheduled meeting on July 11, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

In other legislative news, the Council voted 5-0 to opt out of Ohio House Bill 172 which allows any person authorized to possess consumer grade fireworks to discharge, ignite or explode fireworks on their property, or if permitted, on another person’s property on certain designated days of the year. 

The Council approved Emergency Ordinance 22-11, opting out of H.B.172 and reaffirming the ban on discharging, igniting or exploding fireworks in the Village of Delta.  The ordinance further stated, “The Council for the Village of Delta has reviewed the pros and cons of allowing these activities and finds that it would be in the best interest of the Village and its inhabitants to opt out of H.B. 172 and continue to prohibit such activities.”  The ordinance was passed as an emergency measure so it would be in effect prior to the July 4^th holiday. 

Pictured: Delta resident Jennifer Barnes addresses Council

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The Swanton Lions Club held their Annual Installation Dinner on Friday evening at the Swanton Community Center and formally installed club officers for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.  The officers, who were elected during a meeting in April and were sworn in by Past District Governor Nick Schmunk, are as follows:

President–Travis Weigel, Vice President-Dr. Mark Jones, Second Vice President-Scot Lawson, Secretary-Holly Lawson, Treasurer-Bill O’Connell, Membership Chair-Jenny Salyers, Lion Tamer-Lloyd Cass, Tail Twister-Dr, Mark Jones

Many members of the club were recognized for their attendance and contributions to the Lions’ programs and events during the past year and outgoing President, Jeff Patch, was given a plaque in recognition of his outstanding leadership during his term.  It was a peaceful transition of power.

The highlight of the evening came when long-time Lion member Scot Lawson was presented with the prestigious Melvin Jones Award by fellow members Dick Notestine and Penny Jones.  This award is not given out very often and requires a large body of benevolent work to even be considered.  The criteria for this award are below:

Exemplary service and dedication by a Lion to their club, their community and to Lions overall. Lions International recognizes outstanding individuals by bestowing on them an award that is named for its founder, Melvin Jones. This Fellowship Award is the highest form of recognition and embodies humanitarian ideas consistent with the nature and purpose of Lionism.

The Swanton Lions Club is looking forward to another great year of community service.