NEWS RELEASE
Monday,
July 17, 2017
The Board of Defiance County Commissioners
met in regular session at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 17, 2017 in the
Commissioners’ Session Room at 500 Court Street, Defiance, Ohio 43512.
Commissioner Ryan Mack called the meeting to order. Also present were Commissioners Mick Pocratsky
and Gary Plotts, Sherry Carnahan, Finance Manager/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.
Warren Schlatter,
Defiance County Engineer, met with the Commissioners to provide an update from
the Engineer’s Office and the Landfill. Warren stated that they recently
replaced a culvert on Cicero Road south of Buckskin Road; this road should open
on Monday. The crew will then begin the replacement of a culvert on Switzer
Road east of Dowe Road. Warren also reported sales of
$399,168.30 from 12,798.65 tons and 47,594 cubic yards in June; this compares
to sales of $398,708.03 from 13,519.68 tons and 45,237 cubic yards in June,
2017.
Jerry Hayes,
Defiance County Economic Development Director, met with the Commissioners to
provide a monthly update.
Heather Barth,
ACRES Land Trust, met with the Commissioners to inform them that the Black
Swamp Audubon Society recently donated Preston Island in the Maumee River to
ACRES Land Trust. She reported that ACRES Land Trust is a non-profit land
conservancy organization based in Huntertown, Indiana. They preserve and
protect land forever. As of last week, the organization had approximately 6,700
acres preserved. She then inquired as to if there were any ideas of uses of
Preston Island. The Commissioners explained that there are steps being taken
for a bike trail along the river from Defiance to Independence Dam State Park
and to make the Maumee River a Blue Water Trail. They stated that to have
Preston Island as a destination for canoe and kayak trips, along with signage
on the island detailing the history of the island. She did state that the
island cannot be used for overnight camping, since it is a preserve. She stated
that the first step in the process is for their organization to survey and
inventory the island (wildlife, plant life, archeology, geology, hydrology, etc.).
The next step would be to find a Steward for the land; this person would be a
volunteer that would visit the site on a regular basis, and if willing, provide
some maintenance of the land.
Randy Vogel,
Defiance County Dog Warden, met with the Commissioners to provide a quarterly
update. Randy reported that for the first half of the year there were 459
complaints investigated that resulted in 81 dogs taken to the shelter, 58
warnings, and 155 citations. There also was $4,490.11 received in Municipal
Court Fines.
The Commissioners
met with representatives from Historic Homes of Defiance, Andrew Tuttle
Memorial Museum, Fort Defiance Chapter DAR, and Black Sea School to discuss
their applications for Community Historic Preservation Funds. Defiance County
received $50,000.00 as a result of the proposed construction of the Rover
Pipeline. This is a one-time opportunity for the County to bolster the history
of the County without expense to the budget and without any on-going
obligations. The Commissioners committed funds to each of these entities, with
the final dollar amounts to be determined after additional information is
received from some of the organizations.
Release Approved: ____________________________________________________
Ryan
Mack, Defiance County Commissioner