Commissioners receive good tourism news from chamber of commerce reps
[Tiffin, OH April 4, 2019] – The Seneca County Board of Commissioners heard some good tourism news from Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Services personnel during a board meeting Thursday morning.
Brittany Cook, the marketing director for Destination Seneca County, the visitor services’ arm of the chamber, said tourism figures were on the rise in the county in 2017.
According to an Oxford Economics study, Seneca County tourism-related statistics increased across the board in 2017. The county had about $89.7 million in tourism-related business in 2017, the most recent full year that statistics are available for. In 2017, about $27 million in tourism-related wages were paid, $11.2 million in taxes were paid and about 1,515 people were employed via the tourism business.
Cook said lodging tax revenue also increased in 2018, collecting about $146,000. She noted that this figure has doubled since 2012.
Cook also said the chamber launched a new website and continues to work on promoting events.
In other business, Amy Laird received a proclamation approved by the board last week that recognizes April as Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month.
Laird’s son, Alec Van Beveren, has shaken baby syndrome and quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
Laird shared some of her story with the commissioners and stressed the importance of being aware of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention during April and during the rest of the year.
The commissioners thanked Laird for sharing her story. Commissioners’ office staff plan to wear blue on April 10 to recognize and bring awareness to the cause.
In other action, the commissioners previewed an upcoming event held by a group of local college students that is to benefit Seneca County residents diagnosed with cancer.
The Alpha Phi Tau Men’s Fraternity of Heidelberg University is to host a film showcase of the documentary Legends of the Knight.
The event is at 7 p.m. April 9 at the Ritz Theatre, 30 S. Washington St. Tickets for the showcase are $10 and can be purchased at the event. All proceeds will support Financial Assistance for Cancer Treatment, or FACT. All donations remain local to help our neighbors with cancer-related expenses.
Also during the meeting, County EMS Director Ken Majors said a committee was being formed by joint ambulance district leaders to explore the possibility of a full-time, paid county ambulance service.
The current system relies on volunteers. Currently, townships provide personnel, while the county provides training, equipment and vehicles. The joint ambulance districts also offer stipends for on-call hours, but the pay is less than minimum wage. Commissioner Holly Stacy is to serve as the commissioners’ representative on the committee.
The board also received bids for the CR 38 Bridge Rehabilitation Project. The engineer’s estimate for the project is $618,125.38. The following bids were received:
- Crawford Construction, of Galion, for $566,531.90
- R&I Construction, of Tiffin, for $548,317.60
- Mosser Construction, of Fremont, for $635,656.35
- RG Zachrich Construction, of Defiance, for $575,835.79
Commissioners also set April 11 at 11 a.m. to receive bids for a farming lease of county agricultural land in Eden Township. To view the advertisement for the lease, visit our website.