Post-meeting release 7/11

County hears update from Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership
Board also receives two bids for 95-percent grant-funded airport project

[Tiffin, OH July 11, 2019] – The Seneca County Board of Commissioners received updates from Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership personnel Thursday morning during its board session.
TSEP President and CEO David Zak began the report by giving a high-level overview of work being done by the economic development agency.
He said the 4CG Partnership is one of the initiatives currently underway. The organization, which includes Crawford, Sandusky, Ottawa and Seneca counties, works toward developing workforce development strategies. Zak said a grant was received to help fund wage and benefits surveys for the area and surrounding counties.
Zak also said the annual manufacturing showcase for local high school students is to be held Oct. 11.
TSEP Development Manager Audrey Flood, whose focus has been on rural economic development, also updated the board.
She said she is in the process of visiting each of the townships and villages in the county to make people aware of the services TSEP provides. She also is taking an inventory of ongoing projects in the rural areas of the county.
Flood said there currently are about 27 rural projects she is working on, while she also continues to call existing businesses to receive feedback and learn how the agency can best work with them.
TSEP Development Manager Nick Dutro reviewed accomplishments of 2019, including being named 14th in the nation among micropolitans for large economic projects. He also said the county’s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in May and there have been no mass layoffs in recent years.
Dutro said he is actively working on more than 20 projects. He said this includes two major industrial projects in the townships that could be announced soon.
Dutro, who was a 10-year veteran at The Advertiser-Tribune, also handles media for the organization. He said 62 stories have been generated from 29 press releases from the organization in this year alone. He said the releases have reached more than 104,000 people directly on social media.
TSEP Downtown Main Street Manager Amy Reinhart said downtown growth continues to occur rapidly. She said 14 projects utilized the city’s Façade Enhancement Grant Program this year, resulting in about $275,000 of investment into the downtown area. Since 2014, the program has spurred about $2.4 million in investment.
To learn more about upcoming downtown Tiffin events, visit downtowntiffinevents.com.
In other action, Erie Blacktop of Sandusky ($345,797.57) and Gerken Paving of Napoleon ($364,957.86) each submitted bids for the taxiway resurfacing project at the Seneca County Airport. The project is to be 95-percent grant-funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and the state.
In other action, the commissioners altered their upcoming schedule. The board will meet for its normally scheduled meeting July 18 but then will meet on Wednesday, July 24. The July 25, Aug. 1 and Aug. 8 meetings are canceled, but the board is adding a session for Friday, Aug. 9 at 9 a.m.
During resolutions, the board approved everything from yesterday’s release. The $1.1 million appropriation into the Maintenance and Repair Fund is for a pavement resurfacing project on CR 592 and CR 26.