Post-meeting release 9/11
Commissioners award funding to historical preservation projects
Approve a proclamation recognizing national disaster preparedness month
[Tiffin, OH Sept. 11, 2018] – Seneca County commissioners awarded more than $25,000 in grant funding to area historical organizations Tuesday morning. The county had received two new applications for Historic Preservation Trust Fund money, after awarding about $27,000 to historical projects in May 2017. The fund was created after the county, and several other counties, received $50,000 because a house with historical significance was destroyed by the Rover Pipeline. Seneca Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Charlene Watkins, who helped administer the grant, said St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Tiffin applied for $10,000 to paint the metal cornices as part of a larger roofing project. Meadowbrook Park in Bascom applied for $15,551 to coat and seal the roof of the Historic Redwood Ballroom. Commissioners approved the use of funding Tuesday, but about $2,572 was leftover. Commissioners are to use the additional money to supplement projects that received funding through the grant last year. The Tiffin Glass Museum and Seneca County Park District are to receive extra funding. The glass museum is to create videos of tours, museums and historic buildings and the park district are identifying and recording historic properties. Other organizations to receive grant money last year include Scipio-Republic Historical Society, Fostoria Rail Preservation Society and Fostoria Area Historical Society. On the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Adam Ingram spoke to the board about the importance of being prepared for a disaster.
“We have to shift our community’s mindset to being prepared,” he said. “Here in our county, our biggest concerns are straight-line winds, snow storms, ice storms and flooding.”
Ingram suggested that people memorize or write down 5-10 phone numbers of emergency contacts. He also said families should create fire-safety plans and have backup copies of important documents.
“Disasters aren’t easy, they are just chaotic,” Ingram said. “but, we can do our best to prepare for them, so when the day comes at least we have an idea of what to do.”
After Ingram’s remarks, the commissioners approved a proclamation recognizing September as Disaster Preparedness Month.
During appropriations, the commissioners approved:
* A $152 supplemental appropriation to the County Sewer District Fund for travel.
* A $6,465.20 supplemental appropriation to the General Fund. The request is from County Clerk of Courts Jean Eckelberry. The money will wage increases for employees.
* A $5,804.06 supplemental appropriation to the General Fund and a fund transfer in the same amount from the General Fund to the Note Retirement Fund.
* A $5,302.03 appropriation adjustment within the General Fund, moving unused funds budgeted for the Court of Appeals to pay for other legal expenses.
* A $30,291.40 supplemental appropriation to the Maintenance and Repair Fund on behalf of the county engineer for bridge work.
* A $10,990.78 supplemental appropriation to the Juvenile Program and Service Fund and a $1,000 appropriation adjustment within the General Fund, both on behalf of the county juvenile and probate court.
* A $1,000 supplemental appropriation to the Bascom Sewer Bond Service for a note payment.