Post-meeting release 3/2/23

Commissioners approve Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month proclamation

[Tiffin, OH – March 2, 2023] – The Seneca County Board of Commissioners spent time with self-advocates and officials from the Seneca County Opportunity Center Thursday morning to celebrate the kickoff of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
The board approved a proclamation, recognizing March as DD Awareness Month, and learned from self-advocates Paula Bollenbacher, Nick Frisch, Jerry Recker and David Adkins about many upcoming events to celebrate the cause.
Events include a luncheon on Friday, Bakery BINGO on March 21st, the Celebrity Basketball Game on March 30th, an Easter Egg Hunt on April 1st and the annual Palm Sunday Dinner on April 2nd.
The doors open at 5 p.m. for the bingo event at the Opportunity Center Gym, with bingo going from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The cost is $5 for your first card and $2 for each additional card. There will be a 50/50 raffle and a concession stand. Donations of baked goods are being accepted on March 20th and 21st.
For the 65th Palm Sunday Dinner, a ham or chicken meal can be pre-ordered for $12 (Cash or check only). To order, call Joan at (419) 447-7521, ext. 1134 or email jfredritz@senecadd.org. Checks are payable to ACT or SCOC. Dinner includes chicken breast or ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, roll with butter, coleslaw and a cookie. The dinner must be pre-ordered by March 20th.
In other business, Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bryce Riggs visited the board meeting to give a brief update and discuss a three-year contract extension, which the commissioners unanimously approved.
The contract is the same as the three-year deal that was due to expire at the end of the year. As part of the deal, lodging tax funds are directed to Destination Seneca County to be reinvested in tourism and marketing the community. The new contract is to run from 2024-2026.
In other action, Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership Development Manager Adam Gillmor provided an update on a major project in downtown Tiffin. He said the project is expected to provide 75 leasable housing units, including five floors of residential space and one ground floor with space for three retail businesses. Gillmor said the project is slated to include a publicly accessible riverwalk as well.
Also during the session, County Administrator Jaime Wolfe said that issues were found while crews were undergoing duct cleaning at the RTA Building. Wolfe said it was recommended that the ducts on the first floor be replaced. She said Wadsworth, an HVAC company that has worked with the county on several projects, put together a quote of about $98,000 to replace the ductwork.
“Currently, the system is shut down,” Wolfe said. “We are kind of in that emergency situation where it does need to be handled quickly … hopefully, in the next few weeks.”
Wolfe said crews could do some of the work on a weekend, but that offices may need to be shut down for one day.
She said she is working with the prosecutor’s office to forego the bidding process, which is typically required for projects above $50,000, because this is an emergency and work needs to be completed soon. The commissioners did not take official action Thursday, but Wolfe said she would finalize her work with the prosecutor’s office and bring a resolution in front of the board in the next two weeks.
In other news, County Fiscal Officer Barb Patterson provided February’s General Fund financial report. She said revenue was about $1.9 million, while expenses were about $3.5 million last month. She said the expense figure is somewhat misleading because about $1 million was moved for capital projects. For the year, General Fund revenue is about $3.3 million, with expenses at about $5.4 million.
In new business, the commissioners approved all resolutions and budget adjustments from the agenda.