Commissioners speak with and honor local amateur radio enthusiasts Thursday
[Tiffin, OH – June 22, 2023] – The Seneca County Board of Commissioners presented a proclamation to local amateur radio enthusiasts during a board session Thursday morning.
The proclamation honors the group by making it “Amateur Radio Weekend in Seneca County” June 23-24th.
Mike Mastro, a member of the local Seneca Radio Club, thanked the commissioners for recognizing the importance of amateur radio operators. He said volunteer radio operators are vital in providing communications during emergencies and important events.
“We do a lot of work with emergency agencies,” Mastro said. “It’s an honor and a pleasure to serve the way we do.”
According to the proclamation, radio operators through Seneca Radio Club and Seneca ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) provide invaluable services to organizations such as Seneca County EMA, FEMA, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Healthcare Facilities (Hospitals and Extended Care), Community Emergency Response Team, the National Weather Service – SKYWARN and others.
The ARRL Amateur Radio Field Day exercise will take place on June 24-25, 2023 and is a 24-hour emergency preparedness exercise and demonstration of the radio amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications without further infrastructure being required.
The Seneca Radio Club/Seneca County ARES will host the Field Day event at Meadowbrook Park in Bascom, beginning on June 24 at 2 p.m. and continuing through 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. The commissioners thanked those who selflessly provide these important services.
In other action, the board agreed to move forward with the Seneca County Façade Enhancement Program for 2023. Commissioner Tyler Shuff introduced the program for 2022, a year in which about $23,800 of local investment spurred $44,309.80 of additional private investment into structures across Seneca County. This investment was disbursed for eight different projects, with four in Fostoria and four in the rural areas of the county.
Businesses in all areas that do not have a local façade enhancement program are eligible to apply for the program.
The program is designed to assist with the revitalization of exterior facades across Seneca County, providing a 50 percent match up to $5,000. Not all applicants request that much funding, meaning that 10 businesses, at minimum, can be impacted.
Seneca Regional Planning Commission is to administer the second year of the program, and details on how to apply are to be released in the coming weeks.
Also during the session, Ohio State University Agriculture Extension Office Educator Pressley Buurma provided an update from her office.
She said she is planning to attend the June 24th Farmers Market in downtown Tiffin from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
During the market, several scheduled speakers are to attend to provide informational and educational sessions. The sessions, which are each expected to last about 30 minutes, are as follows:
Session One (9 a.m.) – How to make goat milk soap
Session Two (10 a.m.) – Pop-up programming: Summer camp fun
Session Three (11 a.m.) – My plate: Eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies
Session Four (12 p.m.) – Which goat is right for you?
In new business, the board approved all resolutions and financial matters, including setting:
* July 20th at 10 a.m. at the Commissioners’ Office for the continuation of the public hearing regarding the vacation of two alleys in Springville, Big Spring Township.
* July 20th at 10:10 a.m. at the Commissioners’ Office for the continuation of the public hearing for the vacation of two alleys located in Alvada, Big Spring Township.
* July 20th at 10:20 a.m. at the Commissioners’ Office for the continuation of the public hearing concerning the vacation of an unnamed alley located in the hamlet of Caroline, situated in Venice Township, Seneca County, Ohio.