Corbin Hite talks ticks and mosquitoes at Seneca County Commissioners’ meeting
By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Media Relations Coordinator
The Seneca County Commissioners welcomed Corbin Hite, a vector control technician with the Seneca County General Health District, to their July 18 regular board meeting. Hite gave a presentation on “Insect Vector Safety and Surveillance in Seneca County.”
This summer, Hite has managed a mosquito-trapping project that allows him to trap mosquitoes for disease testing. He collected 640 mosquitos in 12 weeks of sampling.
“Right now, we have no cases (of West Nile Virus),” Hite said. “We’re looking really good, but that could change.”
Hite also talked about the increasing risk of contracting Lyme Disease through tick bites in Ohio. There was a 35-fold increase in Lyme Disease cases in Ohio in the past 13 years.
“Lyme Disease is on the rise,” Hite said.
Hite advises anyone who has a bullseye rash following a tick bite to see a physician, as the rash is a sign of Lyme Disease.
Following Hite’s presentation, the commissioners heard a presentation from Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (TSEP) President Aaron Montz and Sandy Spang, the executive director of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG). The pair attended the commissioners’ meeting to talk about the opportunity for the county to join a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) through TMACOG.
Seneca County is already part of the Sandusky and Seneca CEDS, but Montz and Spang asked the commissioners to consider incorporating the current CEDS into the Lucas, Ottawa, and Wood Counties CEDS beginning in 2025.
Spang gave a comprehensive explanation of CEDS and its benefits. If the commissioners vote to join the new CEDS, it could possibly be a first step toward their participation in the formation of an Economic Development District that could open the door to many resources, including unique funding opportunities for county needs, including road infrastructure, housing and manufacturing projects.
The commissioners plan to research the initiative further before making a decision.
In other business, the commissioners participated by phone in a Sandusky/Seneca Joint Ditch Hearing and a Sandusky/Seneca/Wood County Joint Ditch Hearing during the commissioners’ meeting. They approved seven supplemental appropriations and two budget adjustments and passed nine resolutions, including a resolution to enter into a contract with K.D.H. Construction, LLC, for renovations to the Bettsville EMS building.
During her report, Seneca County Administrator Barb Patterson announced that the Attica Independent Fair opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 9 a.m., and the Seneca County Museum will host “Seneca County Bicentennial Trivia” during the Tiffin Historic Trust Tea on Aug. 24 at noon. The event will be held at the Grammes Brown House located at 172 Jefferson St. in Tiffin. To make a reservation, call 419-448-0370.
There will be no Seneca County Commissioners’ meeting on July 25. The next meeting will be on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m.