NEWS
RELEASE
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010
The Board of Defiance County Commissioners met in regular session at 8:30
a.m. on Thursday, July 8, 2010 in the Conference Room in the Commissioners
Office at 500 Court Street, Suite A, Defiance, Ohio
43512. Chairman James E. Harris,
Jr. called the meeting to
order. Also present were Commissioners Otto L. Nicely
and Thomas L. Kime, Laura Howell, Administrator, and Stephanie Metz, Clerk.
The Commissioners met in General Session and approved and signed
various resolutions, contracts and documents.
The Commissioners also reviewed the calendar of events and discussed
upcoming meetings.
The Commissioners approved Submitting to the Electors of Defiance County Pursuant to R.C. § 5705.19 the Question of a Replacement of 1.9 Mill Tax Levy for the Purpose of Community Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Programs and Services, Including Good Samaritan School, Early Intervention Services, Adult Services, Residential Services, Service Coordination, and Transportation, pursuant to R.C. Chpt. 5126. This was requested by the Defiance County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War, the Republic
of Korea 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee has various
plans to thank, honor and remember Korean War Veterans and their achievements. One of the meaningful projects is to send letters
of appreciation from the President of the Republic of Korea to as many living
Korean War Veterans as possible to express tribute and profound gratitude for
their service and sacrifice that laid the foundations of peace and freedom that
we enjoy today.
We strongly recommend that a living Korean War Veteran, who wants to
receive the letter, should contact the Defiance County Veterans Affairs at
419-782-6861.
The Board approved Ohio Public Works Grant applications for the Watson
Road Reconstruction Project in Defiance Township ($180,000.00 of the
$300,000.00 project); the Canal Road Reconstruction Project in Defiance
Township ($319,733.00 of the $639,456.00 project; and the Banner School Road
Project in Adams Township ($274,720.00 of the $343,400.00 project) for the
Defiance County Engineer.
Laura Howell, Defiance County Administrator,
met with the Commissioners for her weekly report and project updates. Laura reported that the County Engineer’s
Office will be installing the remainder of the road
dedications signs for General Livingston.
Laura also reported that Julie Voll, Family and Children First Council, is planning for the Wraparound Facilitator
Training that will take place from July 27-29. Wraparound is a team-based
process to plan and implement services and supports for children and families
with unmet needs. A trained facilitator guides the team through developing a
family-focused plan on the strengths and needs of the child, family, community
and team. This training is for FCFC members, social workers, counselors, case
managers and workers, probation officers, and health care professionals who
work with multi-need children and families.
The Bid Opening scheduled for 10:30 am was cancelled by Maumee Valley Planning Organization because the legal notice was not advertised.
Bruce Clevenger,
Teresa Johnson and Barb Rohrs, OSU Extension, met with the Commissioners for an
update.
Bruce reported During
April, May and June, more than 160 phone calls and/or personal visits were made
to the County agriculture/natural resources educator.
The OSU Extension
Defiance County and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center were
asked by four chemical companies to field test new seed treatment active
ingredients to protect soybeans from seedling diseases. Seedling diseases such as pythium and phytophthora
are problems in heavy clay soils throughout Ohio and the Midwest. 101 treatments were replicated 6 times each
in two fields and results will help determine efficacy and directly impact what
new treatments farmers will use in the next 8-10 years. A Soybean Production Field Day is scheduled
for July 2 to highlight the seed treatment research, returns to farm drainage
and max yield profit soybean practices.
The western bean
cutworm is a relatively new insect pest for Ohio corn growers. A monitoring/scouting project began June 1st. Ohio’s first WBC moth caught in 2010 was
found in Defiance County. WBC traps will
be monitored weekly and adjacent corn fields scouted for egg masses and larvae
damage to corn ears.
The 2010 class of
Master Gardeners have completed their 50 hours of horticultural training. Thirteen intern Master Gardeners each
volunteer 50 hours of community service to become certified. Master Gardeners and office staff answered
over 30 phone calls or personal visits from residents seeking horticultural
information and recommendations. The
Defiance County Master Gardeners hosted a plant sale and a community garden
tour. Funds raised by these events were
used to buy a digital camera and trinocular stereoscope adapter kit at the OSU
Extension Defiance County Office.
Barb Rohrs
reported five families attended first time homebuyers class that included
consumer credit, shopping for a home, the mortgage process, the closing
process, home insurance, home maintenance, and creating a budget that helps
applicants set money aside for the purchase of a home and meet financial
obligations. Parenting enrichment
classes continue to be offered using Active Parenting, a research based and
evidence based national parenting curriculum.
Five parents attended the classes.
Two food preservation classes were offered and more are planned at
County libraries. Family and Consumer
Sciences teacher in-service provided 22 area FCS teachers with current
information and new resources for use in the classroom. The family nutrition program presented 81
educational sessions with approximately 428 participants.
Teresa Johnson
reported the 76 students at Hicksville High School participated in the Real
Money, Real World program. The program
utilized 15 business and professional volunteers from the community in provided
the real like simulation experience. The
4-H educator developed and conducted six programs for 314 FFA and 4-H youth and
11 Livestock Committee members for youth livestock exhibitors that addressed
the 10 good production practices and involved interactive activities that
reinforce at least 3 good production practices.
The 4-H robotics project continues to grow through partnerships with
Holy cross Catholic School and the Sherwood Library. Seven youth are participating in the six week
summer program at the library. Five 4-H
youth have participated in the Ohio 4-H ATV safety program known as the ASI RiderCourse. This course teaches the correct and safe way
to operate and ride an ATV. The 4-H
educator has collaborated with many area organizations to provide educational
programs to county youth.
Release Approved: ____________________________________________________
James E.
Harris, Jr., Defiance County Commissioner