Seneca County Museum shares improvement plans with Seneca County Commissioners
By Seneca County Media Relations Coordinator, Sheri Trusty
TIFFIN — Seneca County Museum Director Theresa Sullivan attended the Dec. 5 Seneca County Commissioners’ meeting to provide updates on ongoing and proposed museum projects that will improve one the county’s greatest gems. The Seneca County Museum has long been committed to protecting and promoting county history, and the commissioners expressed gratitude for the museum board’s dedication and hard work.
Seneca County Museum building upgrade costs will be incorporated into the county’s capital budget requests to the state, so Sullivan attended the meeting to provide information on needed improvements on the building. The museum requested approximately $200,000 for HVAC and electrical upgrades, as well as related architectural work.
“We want to be good stewards of the museum, but we also want to be fiscally responsible to the county,” Sullivan said. “Cooling and dehumidification are our biggest concerns.”
Attending the meeting with Sullivan were Board Vice President John Huss and architect Amber Clason of RCM Architects in Findlay.
“I respect the fact that you guys have spent three years going through every corner of the building and engaged professional help,” Seneca County Commissioner Anthony Paradiso said.
Sullivan also announced the museum’s wish to construct an addition to the museum that would provide much-needed storage space, additional display space and restroom facilities. The addition would be constructed as an extension of the museum’s Fort Ball room. Sullivan said plans include improving handicap accessibility at the museum and upgrading the carriage house.
The museum asked the commissioners to fund an $8,900 feasibility study for the project. The project, if approved, would be funded by private donations.
The Seneca County Museum is located at 28 Clay St. in Tiffin. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
Paradiso discussed a special meeting of the OSS Solid Waste District that he, along with Commissioner Tyler Shuff and Commissioner Bill Frankart, attended on Dec. 4. The Seneca County Commissioners requested the meeting for the purpose of requesting funding that would be utilized by the Seneca County Board of Health for additional oversight at WIN Waste Innovations’ Sunny Farms Landfill.
“We are trying to represent our citizens here in Seneca County by bringing some needed revenue back,” Paradiso said. “The board of health came to us asking for money, and we really want to help.”
Shuff expressed the commissioners’ unified stance on the issue.
“The three of us are very much aligned on this issue,” Shuff said.
In other business, the commissioners approved five supplemental appropriations and four resolutions, including a resolution establishing the Healthy Aging Grant Fund.