September 8, 200618 yr HPD seeking funds to complete trail Findlay Courier, 8/23/06 Two grants -- one from the state and one from a local source -- will be sought to assist with funding the Hancock Park District's (HPD) share of a nearly $500,000 state grant to complete a paved trail from downtown to Riverside Park. The HPD board of commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday to seek a Clean Ohio Fund grant for $47,630. The application is due by Aug. 31. Of the total grant amount sought, $39,630 will be used for matching funds toward the total project cost and the remainder will be used for restoration work along the proposed path. As a requirement of the grant application, HPD will list the gift of land along Eagle Creek, known as "Shafer Woods," as part of the HPD match. The land was previously donated to the Hancock Parks Foundation. The property is expected to be part of a future paved bikeway from Blue Rock Nature Preserve to Eagle Creek Park in the southern portion of Findlay. Also, a separate grant for $30,000 will be sought from the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation. Those funds will be added to $50,000 from the city and $5,000 from the Hancock Handlebars Bicycle Club to assist with matching funds necessary for the "Greenway Trails and Acquisition" project, recently approved by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
September 16, 200618 yr From the 9/9/06 Findlay Courier: Hospital tops campaign goal By MICHELLE REITER STAFF WRITER Representatives of Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center (BVRHC) announced Friday that the capital campaign for the new inpatient building has surpassed its $12.5 million goal, as it has already collected more than $13 million. And the campaign isn't over yet. "I am humbled by the positive response from the community for this new inpatient facility," said Ann Buis, the hospital's health foundation president. "Philanthropy is alive and well in Findlay, Ohio." Full story at http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Sep/ar_news_090906.asp#story2
September 17, 200618 yr From the 9/15/06 Findlay Courier: 2-2 vote blocks plan to convert building By MIKE SOBCZYK Staff Writer The Hancock County Housing Consortium was unable Thursday to convince the Findlay City Planning Commission to go along with a plan to convert the current Century Health office facility, at 1918 N. Main St., into an affordable apartment building for "at-risk" individuals. The proposal failed when the planning commission deadlocked 2-2 on the issue. Full story at http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Sep/ar_news_091506.asp#story2
September 18, 200618 yr Request for new Rite Aid debated Findlay Courier, 9/15/06 Rite Aid Corp. was able to divide and conquer Thursday, succeeding in getting some initial approvals from the Findlay City Planning Commission for what would be a new store at the corner of North Main Street and East Trenton Avenue. A 14,564-square-foot Rite Aid Pharmacy is being proposed on what formerly was the DIFCO/Trinity Rail Group property. What's being proposed is splitting the existing 18-acre parcel into two lots, with a 2.116-acre tract serving as the Rite Aid site on the northeast corner of North Main Street and Trenton Avenue. To allow for this retail development, a separate item on the planning commission's agenda called for the panel to review a rezoning request for the 2.116-acre property from "I-2 General Industrial" to "B-2 General Business." However, a motion to conditionally approve both a preliminary plat and the rezoning request as one item almost prevented the project from moving forward, because commission members deadlocked on the vote. Findlay mayor and commission member Tony Iriti and commission member Thomas Hershey voted to approve the preliminary plat/rezoning motion, while commission members Thomas Joseph and R. Joseph Opperman opposed.
September 20, 200618 yr Bank has new regional headquarters in Findlay Findlay Courier, 9/19/06 There's a new headquarters building in downtown Findlay. Actually, the building at 301 S. Main St. has been around for awhile, but those walls now house the Southern Market headquarters for First Federal Bank of the Midwest, a subsidiary of First Defiance Financial Corp. "Findlay was where we launched our initiative in 1998 to diversify and expand our franchise. We knew it had great potential and it's been one of our strong market areas. It was a natural," William J. Small, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of First Federal and chairman, president and CEO of First Defiance Financial, said in explaining why Findlay was chosen to serve as the Southern Market headquarters. For First Federal, the Southern Market consists of 12 bank offices in Hancock, Seneca, Putnam and Allen counties. The Northern Market, meanwhile, is made up of 14 branches in Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Williams and Wood counties.
September 30, 200618 yr Rec center facelift: Public gets a look Findlay Courier, 9/22/06 The skating facility formerly known as the Hancock Recreational Center was originally built in 1973 for $700,000. Thirty-three years later it got a new name -- the CUBE -- and a $2 million facelift. The community got its first look Thursday night at what that money bought. "What I see is a building that's well organized," said Len Holtgreven, who came to an open house at the CUBE to take a look around. "There are a lot of little things, like a skater's entrance in the back." That may not sound like much, but Holtgreven, who currently plays on the Findlay Men's Hockey League, took his two sons to hockey practice at the center for 15 years, and remembers the days when skaters dropped their gear in front of the main entrance because there was only one way in and out of the place -- for everyone.
October 1, 200618 yr New rehab center to open soon Findlay Courier, 9/26/06 Birchaven is just weeks -- and thousands of gallons of water -- away from having its new physical therapy center available to the community. The center will have state of the art equipment, 26 new beds, and a large heated pool for aquatic therapy. No one will get into the pool just yet, as it doesn't have any water. But from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, members of the public are being invited to Birchaven to visit the new $5.4 million addition, which, by next week, will be used to provide physical therapy and occupational therapy for both Birchaven residents and outpatients. The physical therapy/occupational therapy center will open the first week of October, although aquatic therapy won't be available until November.
October 4, 200618 yr Petition opposes apartments Findlay Courier, 10/4/06 Annette Bowden doesn't like the idea of converting the Century Health office building, at 1918 N. Main St., into an affordable apartment building for "at-risk" individuals -- and she's not alone. Bowden filed a petition with 57 signatures with Findlay City Council during its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night. The Hancock County Housing Consortium would like to buy the building and turn it into 25 apartments in a supervised atmosphere for people who might have trouble otherwise finding safe, affordable housing. The target demographic might be someone on probation, someone with poor credit, formerly homeless people, or someone with a mild mental health problem. Housing Consortium Co-Chair Sammie Rhoades said Tuesday afternoon that she is sensitive to area residents' concerns, but she stressed that everybody needs a place to live.
October 5, 200618 yr CR 300 widening project to begin Findlay Courier, 10/2/06 Hancock County's Tax Increment Financing (TIF) project on Hancock County Road 300 and U.S. 224 is about to begin its third phase, which will involve widening County Road 300. The Hancock County Commissioners passed a resolution to hire the Findlay-based Shelly Co. to complete the project for about $460,000, and construction will begin next week on the road. Hancock County Engineer Steve Wilson said access to the businesses on that road -- including the movie theater -- will remain open. County Road 300 will be widened to three lanes from U.S. 224 to Township Road 94.
October 11, 200618 yr From the 9/30/06 Findlay Courier: Big grant to assist new factory By MICHELLE REITER STAFF WRITER Hancock County received a $405,000 state grant on Friday that will be used to make infrastructure improvements for a new plastics plant that's coming to Tall Timbers. Lydia Mihalik, the grant writer for the Hancock Regional Planning Commission, said the grant, which came from the Ohio Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Economic Development Program, will specifically be used to help build a railroad spur for the A. Schulman Inc. Invision plant. Part of that project will be relocating and installing 17,650 linear feet of water and sewer lines, and installing 2,405 linear feet of flood and drainage infrastructure. "This is mainly for the railroad spur," Mihalik said of the grant. "But they also need to change the location of one of the water lines." Full story at http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Sep/ar_news_093006.asp#story3
October 18, 200618 yr From the 10/11/06 Findlay Courier: Housing group not retreating By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER The Hancock County Housing Consortium is not giving up on its plan to create an affordable apartment building in Findlay for "at-risk" individuals. And as far as the housing group is concerned, no potential location has been eliminated, despite some neighborhood opposition. The Findlay City Planning Commission deadlocked 2-2 (resulting in a negative vote) last month on the Housing Consortium's request to allow the Century Health office building, at 1918 N. Main St., to be transformed into an apartment building. More at http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Oct/ar_news_101106.asp#story2
October 31, 200618 yr Bigger jail? That'll take money Findlay Courier, 10/21/06 Even though evidence continues to mount that Hancock County will need additional jail space in the future, a new or expanded jail remains a pipe dream -- unless additional funding sources can be identified. Those attending the 2006 Criminal Justice Summit at the Findlay Inn and Conference Center on Friday were told that inmate housing demands at the county jail, which has been running at capacity for the past decade, will continue to increase over the next 15 years. By 2020, it has been estimated that a minimum of 58 more jail beds will be needed to handle an anticipated growth in population -- and crime. The demand for jail beds "isn't going to go away," Hancock County Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Niemeyer said after the summit. "It's something that we've been looking at since before the first summit (in 2004) and something we will have to continue to look at." But the 40 or so summit attendees were told that they shouldn't get their hopes up that a new jail or an expanded one will become a reality anytime soon.
November 6, 200618 yr School building issues await Findlay Courier, 10/5/06 Deciding whether to participate in the Ohio School Facilities Commission's Classroom Assistance Program is going to be a tough call for residents of the McComb School District. Meetings have been scheduled for late November and again in January to allow community residents to review the district's options and help make that decision. McComb school board has set the meeting dates for Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of McComb School, and for Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. The School Facilities Commission was created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1997 to oversee the funding of renovations and construction of new public school buildings in Ohio. McComb Schools will be eligible to participate in the program within the next two or three years. Superintendent Tim Scherer says the big question is: "Will the school district want to?"
November 11, 200618 yr From the 10/4/06 Findlay Courier: Officials meet on ethanol plant By JIM MAURER Staff Writer CAREY -- An Indiana company is expected, in the next two to three weeks, to select a site in Wyandot County where it would like to build an ethanol production plant. Three locations in the county are being considered, including one site near Carey. The city of Fostoria, meanwhile, is still in the running for an ethanol plant, too. At the Carey Council meeting on Monday, village officials announced that Renewable Energy Consultants LLC of Kewanna, Ind., is looking at three sites in Wyandot County, including a Crawford Township location, for a $150 million ethanol plant. This plant would produce 100 million gallons of ethanol yearly. Carey and Crawford Township officials met with company representatives and personnel from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) on Tuesday morning. The group discussed the pros and cons of the site off Township Highway 98 and Ohio 199. A CSX railroad line runs through the property, which is adjacent to U.S. 23. If the plant locates there, the township roadway would have to be widened and a turn lane installed, which would likely require financial assistance from ODOD. MORE: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Oct/ar_news_100406.asp#story6
November 11, 200618 yr From the 11/1/06 Fostoria Review Times: Ethanol plant officials impressed with Fostoria By RUSS ZIMMER staff writer An ethanol production company continues to investigate a proposed site in Fostoria, according to a company spokesman. "We are very happy with the progress we've made," Mike Lockrem, vice president of communications for Broin Companies, said Tuesday. In Leipsic, ground was broken for a Broin plant, which will create 40 full-time jobs when operational in fall 2007, according to a press release from the company. Farmers in the Leipsic area will also feel the economic boon because the plant will consume 21 million bushels of corn annually. Fostoria has been active in pursuing business leads and other measures have been implemented to attract corporations. Fostoria City Council approved last month the formation of a revolving loan fund, which will receive the repayments. MORE: http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2006/Nov/ar_news_110106.asp#story4
November 11, 200618 yr From the 11/6/06 Findlay Courier: Ethanol hearing planned LEIPSIC -- A public information session and hearing will be held by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) on Wednesday in the Leipsic High School auditoria, to accept public comments on applications for permits to build the proposed Summit Ethanol plant in Leipsic. Two permits are being considered by the OEPA -- an air pollution control permit and a wastewater discharge permit. The public information session and hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the high school, which is located at the corner of Oak and State streets. During an information session, OEPA representatives will present information about the draft permits and answer questions. During a hearing which will immediately follow the information session, the public can submit comments for the record regarding the draft permits. The ethanol plant is proposed to be built at the junction of Ohio 65 and the CSX rail line northeast of Leipsic. If approved, the plant would produce 69 million gallons per year of fuel-grade ethanol made from corn. MORE: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Nov/ar_news_110606.asp#story4
November 27, 200618 yr Community center effort gets donation Findlay Courier, 11/7/06 The effort to construct a community center for the village got a jump start Monday with a $50,000 donation. Paul and Jeanne Burson delivered 1,000 shares of Cincinnati Financial Corp. stock to the village. The firm is a holding company with subsidiaries which underwrite various types of insurance. The local couple specified the funds be set aside for development of community center. Legislation will be presented at the Nov. 20 council meeting accepting the donation. Under state law, the village can accept the gift, but is not allowed to purchase stock, according to Clerk-Treasurer Toni Ahlberg. As a result, the stock will be sold and the funds will be placed with other village investments. If the stock sells for less than $50,000, Burson has told village officials he will write a check for the difference.
November 29, 200618 yr From the 11/10/06 Findlay Courier: Six-story Drury Inn to be built in Findlay By MIKE SOBCZYK Staff Writer Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2007 on a new six-story hotel on Findlay's northwest side along the Interstate 75 corridor. St. Louis-based Drury Inns received conditional approval Thursday from the Findlay City Planning Commission for what will be a six-story, 150-room hotel at 820 Trenton Ave., the site of the now razed Travel Inn. Steven R. Bowman, project manager for Drury Inns, said Thursday that work on the new hotel should begin in March, and take about a year to complete. Between 30 and 35 full-time and part-time jobs will be created with the opening of the new $12-$13 million facility. More at http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2006/Nov/ar_news_111006.asp#story4
December 26, 200618 yr Findlay Municipal building remodeling to proceed Findlay Courier, 12/6/06 Improving convenience is the name of the game in a $250,000 remodeling of the Findlay Municipal Building. Findlay City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to appropriate the final $225,000 for the project, to get the remodeling work under way. It's not a new expense, though. The money was included in the city's capital improvement budget passed by council back in January. The money will allow the city to advertise for bids and pay for the remodeling project, which could start shortly after the first of the year and finish up sometime around May. The remodeling will be accompanied by moving several departments around inside the building, to improve convenience.
February 15, 200718 yr C-R puts bond issue on ballot Findlay Courier, 2/17/07 Voters in the Cory-Rawson School District will decide an $8.7 million bond issue in the May primary election, to fund construction of an elementary addition to the middle school/high school building. The 7.8-mill bond issue would continue for 28 years. The district school board approved a resolution Thursday night by a 4-0 vote, with board member Joe Duncan absent, to place the issue before voters on May 8. The board has to submit the issue to the Hancock County Board of Elections by Feb. 22 for it to appear on the spring ballot. The 39,500-square-foot, single-story addition would house about 235 pre-kindergarten through fourth grade students, and replace the 90-year-old elementary building in Rawson. The current building would be demolished.
February 27, 200718 yr Birchaven annexation request advances Findlay Courier, 2/21/07 The annexation to Findlay of about 217 acres, including the Birchaven retirement community on the city’s east side, apparently is a go. The Hancock County Commissioners approved the annexation Friday, but did not add on six parcels that the Marion Township Trustees had suggested. It turned out that several residents of those six parcels did not want their properties to be annexed to the city. Last month, Marion Township Trustee Chair Max Stacy had asked the commissioners to add about five acres to the proposed 217-acre annexation, to simplify road maintenance and fire service in the area. Adding those parcels would have meant starting the annexation process over again, however. Findlay Courier: Decision likely on annexing Birchaven (2/20/07)
February 28, 200718 yr New correctional facility for women is dedicated Findlay Courier, 2/24/07 CROSSWAEH for women, a new 35-bed community correctional facility that will serve nine counties, was dedicated Friday afternoon at the corner of U.S. 224 and Ohio 100 south of Tiffin. The correctional facility, which will provide an alternative to a state prison sentence, was built by the state and will house non-violent women who have been convicted of third-, fourth- and fifth-degree felonies. It will house women from Crawford, Richland, Ottawa, Seneca, Sandusky, Wyandot, Ashland, Erie and Huron counties. The facility's name is an acronym for the first letters of the counties' names. The freestanding facility has about 12,000 square feet and is located across the parking lot from a men's facility which opened in 1999. Since then, 1,143 clients have been served in the men's facility. The women's building is a dormitory-style one-floor plan, similar to the men's building. It will house 16-20 women initially.
March 4, 200718 yr Planning efforts for new jail proceeding Findlay Courier, 3/3/07 Planning for a new jail building in Hancock County is still in the early stages, but a sketch of a new facility may be drawn up soon. The Jail Expansion Committee, a group that consists, in part, of city and county representatives, is planning to hire a consulting firm to draft a “rough” sketch of a possible jail facility to house misdemeanor offenders. “We would like to build the (new) jail west of the current jail,” said Hancock County Sheriff Michael Heldman. The property in question, however, is city property, so city officials have been closely involved in the early stages of planning the potential facility. For now, the committee is waiting for First Choice, a Findlay consultant company, to offer a proposal to create the sketch.
March 8, 200718 yr CROSSWAEH facility for women slated to open soon Fostoria Focus, 3/7/07 CROSSWAEH Community Based Correctional Facility for men has been open for over seven years, and is now ready to move into its next phase of development. A CROSSWAEH correctional facility for women, located next to the males’ facility on St Rt. 100 outside Tiffin, is slated to open in mid-April. The facility can house up to 36 inmates, but will only hold 16 upon opening, due to funding. Like the male correctional facility, the female correctional facility will work towards rehabilitating its inmates. “We have a cognitive behavioral program that’s geared towards changing the way clients think, and therefore, helping them change the way they behave,” said Jason Varney, Oriana House vice president of correctional programs in Seneca County.
March 15, 200718 yr Downtown 'streetscape' estimate tops $2.5 million Findlay Courier, 3/6/07 The estimated cost for the first phase of the village's downtown "streetscape" project has increased $50,000 to more than $2.5 million, according to Dave Koontz, project manager with CTI Environmental, Uniontown, the engineering/consulting firm for the effort. The village has secured $2.135 million in Roadside Enhancement Program funds (federal money funneled through the state) for the first phase of the work. The village will pay for the remainder of the project. During the initial phase, improvements will be made to Findlay Street and to the intersection of South Vance and Worrello streets, including infrastructure, waterline replacement and burying other utilities. Similar work will be done on Vance Street, but additional funds will have to be sought from Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and other sources to cover the more than $1 million necessary to complete the second phase of the work.
March 22, 200718 yr Owens’ Findlay campus to unveil wellness center Toledo Blade, 3/6/07 Owens Community College’s Findlay campus plans to unveil its new $4.2 million Community Education and Wellness Center tomorrow. A dedication ceremony and ribbon-cutting will be held at 11 a.m., followed by an open house with tours of the new facility from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 24,772-square-foot building on the Bright Road campus is to be used for training programs and as a venue for community activities and events. The center also features a fitness center for Owens students, employees, alumni, and community members.
March 27, 200718 yr Owens opens new facility on Findlay campus Fostoria Focus, 3/11/07 Owens Community College unveiled its new $4.2 million Community Education and Wellness Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony held Wednesday, March 7, in Findlay. Taking less than a year to construct, the new facility is located on the college’s campus on Bright Road in Findlay, adjacent to the Campus Education Center. RCM Architects of Findlay designed the building. General construction was handled by Charles Construction Services of Findlay. Plumbing, fire protection, and mechanical work was done by Warner Mechanical Corp. of Fremont, while Westfield Electric Inc. of Gibsonburg handled electrical work.
April 24, 200718 yr From the 2/24/07 Findlay Courier: County man planning big hog farm By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER A Hancock County farmer is making plans to put in a large-scale hog operation on his property in Cass Township, northeast of Findlay. Cecil Boes Jr. intends to erect facilities that would house somewhere between 7,000 and 7,500 hogs. That would include one "farrowing" building with about 2,450 sows turning out the pigs, and two "finishing" buildings where the hogs would be raised for slaughter. He hopes to have the "farrowing" barn in operation by August, with the first hogs coming out in December. He intends to put the barns in separate wooded areas that are spread out over the 1,700 acres that he crop farms. That should keep them out of view of neighbors and help cut down on odors, Boes said. It also means he would not have to get a permit from the Ohio Department of Agriculture to operate a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), commonly referred to as a megafarm. The state normally requires a CAFO permit for any hog farming operation with 2,500 hogs or more weighing over 55 pounds each. However, a permit is not required if the facilities are spread out over a large enough area and the ownership of each building is put under a different name. MORE: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2007/Feb/ar_news_022407.asp#story2
April 24, 200718 yr From the 4/14/07 Findlay Courier: Hearing on hog farm planned By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER Cass Township residents are organizing against a large-scale hog farm that Cecil Boes Jr. intends to build just northeast of Findlay, and they're bringing in some heavy hitters to help them. An informational meeting about concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), commonly called factory farms or megafarms, is planned for 6 p.m. Monday at the Cass Township hall, 2249 County Road 18, Arcadia. John W. Sproat, a Columbus attorney who helped arrange a settlement for neighbors of the massive Buckeye Egg Farm in southern Ohio, will give a PowerPoint presentation on current research related to the economic, environmental and health impacts of factory farms. Also speaking will be Karen Hudson, a consultant for The Grace Family Farm Project, an Illinois-based organization dedicated to opposing factory farms. There will be a question-and-answer session after the presentation, followed by a township Board of Trustees meeting at 8 p.m. MORE: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2007/Apr/ar_news_041407.asp#story3
April 24, 200718 yr From the 4/17/07 Findlay Courier: Crowds turn out for meeting about big hog farm By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER Several hundred people gathered Monday night for an informational meeting about a large-scale hog farm that Cecil Boes Jr. is planning in Cass Township, northeast of Findlay. The big crowd spilled out of the Cass Township Hall, forcing people to gather around windows to try and hear what was being said inside. A group of Cass Township residents concerned about the 7,500-hog operation that Boes has in mind brought in a couple of outside experts to speak about the dangers of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) at a meeting scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. However, an impromptu meeting of people supporting Boes' plans met at the township hall at 5 p.m. and stayed for the second presentation. Gary Kapostasy, one of organizers of the 6 p.m. meeting, said the Boes supporters filled the room to overflowing and kept other people from coming inside to hear what was being said about CAFO concerns. MORE: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2007/Apr/ar_news_041707.asp#story2
April 24, 200718 yr Link contains photos. From the 4/22/07 Blade: Hog farm plans breed anxiety Heath issues, lack of permits cause outcry By JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER ARCADIA, Ohio - Across Hancock County, 20,000 hogs are being raised on small traditional farms and in highly mechanized confinement barns with 1,000 or more hogs each. None, though, has raised a public outcry like a Cass Township farmer's plans to breed and raise nearly 7,500 hogs in three facilities on his family's land just northeast of Findlay. Concerned about negative health and environmental effects, some neighbors contend that farmer Cecil Boes, Jr., is sidestepping the law by configuring the hog operation so that he does not need to obtain state permits. Mr. Boes, 52, disputes the allegation, saying that two of his five children - his 25-year-old son and 22-year-old daughter - are interested in farming and would each be the sole proprietors of separate, 2,450-head finishing barns, where hogs are raised for slaughter. Full article: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/NEWS17/704220336/-1/RSS08
May 10, 200718 yr A new look for Dorney Plaza under discussion Findlay Courier, 5/2/07 Dorney Plaza may have a new look in the future as city and county officials are discussing transforming it into an area that's easier to use, easier to maintain and more attractive. The Hancock County Commissioners met with Findlay Mayor Tony Iriti, Hancock Park District Director Tim Brugeman and Findlay Service Director Mike Sobczyk to discuss the possibilities of redesigning the plaza. Commissioner Ed Ingold said any changes should involve the city. "We basically share the plaza," he said, "So whatever we do will end up being joint participation." Officials wanted the park district involved too. In fact, Ingold and Brugeman have been discussing the future of Dorney Plaza for a while now.
May 15, 200718 yr From the 5/15/07 Findlay Courier: Zoning laws can't block megafarms, officials say By MICHELLE REITER STAFF WRITER Would zoning laws keep a large-scale hog farm -- or any other megafarm -- from locating in rural Hancock County? No, local officials say. There is no “megafarm” zoning classification yet in Ohio, said Assistant Hancock County Prosecutor K.C. Collette. So an operation like Cecil Boes’ proposed hog megafarm, slated for Cass Township, can be located in any area of the county that is zoned for agriculture, or in any unzoned area, just like any other farm, Collette said. Cass Township, in fact, is zoned, and there’s nothing in the township’s zoning law that would keep out Boes’ hog farm. “I don’t think zoning is going to change megafarms hardly at all,” said Jerry Wolford, president of the Hancock County Township Trustees Association. MORE: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2007/May/ar_news_051507.asp#story3
June 14, 200718 yr From the 6/4/07 Findlay Courier: Developer marketing shopping center site By LOU WILIN STAFF WRITER At the shopping mall industry's recent convention in Las Vegas, the hundreds of potential sites on display included a field on the northwest edge of Findlay. The 58 acres southwest of the intersection of Interstate 75 and County Road 99 is the proposed site of a large shopping center. Potential tenants for the proposed "Findlay Town Center" are being sought by Developers Diversified Realty (DDR) of Beachwood, Ohio. DDR hopes to build and open the shopping center within a couple of years. Target and Kroger have been rumored as potential anchors for the center, which also would include 12 specialty retail stores and restaurants. However, a Target spokesman in Minneapolis said Friday that the chain has no plans to locate one of its discount department stores in Findlay. Kroger did not return phone calls asking about its plans. More at http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2007/Jun/ar_news_060407.asp#story2
October 13, 200717 yr From The Courier Developer: $90 million city project going ahead By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER It looks like a proposed $90 million Findlay Towne Center development is really going to happen. “I think you’ll probably see some work on the site in December but the actual site development probably won’t start until February,” said Brad Burgess, president of Lexington, Ky.-based Thayer Group. Contact staff writer John Graber at: (419) 427-8417 [email protected] I am glad this project is going forward. This project is right in DT Findlay (although not on Main St.). I am really interested in seeing the design, so hopefully some details are given in the coming weeks. I just have one question: How does the projects cost go from $58 million to $90 million when all of the estimated construction has stayed the same AND they are NOT building a 90K county library that was originally envisioned?
October 16, 200717 yr Looks like the housing component shrunk from 400 units to 400 beds as well. Unless the retail component really takes off, this place might be vacant in the evening hours. Do they have a baseball team yet? 1,200 seats is pretty tiny. Like High School sized. It's way smaller than OSU's small baseball stadium at almost 4,500 seats.
October 16, 200717 yr I just want to see some renderings and a location map. When I was in Findlay last month, I didn't particularily notice any huge vacant lots downtown.
October 16, 200717 yr I believe that the stadium will be for the University of Findlay's baseball team. Also, I just played in a softball tournament at Swale park this past weekend,so I believe that they will just build stands around one of the diamonds already on that site. They have not released any renderings yet, but I would assume if they are going to start construction in December they will release them soon. The site is not directly off N. Main St, you have to go down one of the side streets to get there.
October 17, 200717 yr From The Courier Findlay councilmen cautious about Towne Center project By JOHN GRABER STAFF WRITER The $90 million Findlay Towne Center multi-use development, planned for the former Brandman tire dump and Swale Park, was put on hold Tuesday night until at least one public meeting can be held to describe the development to city residents. Contact staff writer John Graber at: (419) 427-8417 [email protected]
February 27, 200817 yr Findlay, Ohio - February 2008 County seat of Hancock County. The population was 38,967 at the 2000 census. It is home to The University of Findlay. The city's official nickname is "Flag City, USA". Findlay is the headquarters of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, founded in 1914. Findlay was also the longtime headquarters of the Marathon Oil Corporation, from 1905 until 1990. Marathon is now based in Houston, Texas, but still maintains operations in Findlay under an organized subsidiary, the Marathon Petroleum Company. Downtown has suffered major flooding in August 2007 and February 2008. Source: Wikipedia
February 27, 200817 yr The scale/make-up of downtown Findlay always seems so odd to me, but I love it. Great collection.
February 27, 200817 yr I do and I don't like Findlay. Findlay has an active downtown for its size and seems relatively healthy along with having some very nice Victorian housing along the edge of downtown so that's a plus. The broad street for the city, though, makes the town feel very empty/inaccessible and I'm not really blown away by the courthouse (in this state, courthouses have high standards, so...). "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 28, 200817 yr ^I noticed the same thing about the street. Some streetscaping could really help that; Lebanon has a 4 lane main street (called Broad), but they've softened it pretty well. Hamilton went with boulevards/center medians and curb extentions into the parking lane at intersections, which has also been effective. Just making the outer lanes parking would be a big help. I can't say anything negative about the courthouse, however. It reminds me of Auglaize County's (Wapakoneta), which I really like.
February 28, 200817 yr I agree with the comments about the main street. However, I like Findlay and found myself quite surprised by the city when looking at the University.
February 29, 200817 yr my bg grad school internship was in findlay, nice people. i see nothing much has changed. thx for the pics!
November 16, 200816 yr Zoning change sought by ProMedica is denied http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081113/NEWS16/811130256 The Marion Township Zoning Commission has denied a rezoning request for a ProMedica medical complex, although township trustees will have the final say on the matter when they meet Nov. 24. The commission voted 5-2 Tuesday to deny Toledo’s ProMedica Health System’s application to rezone 25 acres along U.S. 224 east of Findlay from agricultural to general business. While ProMedica has declined to say exactly what type of facility it would build, the zoning it is seeking would permit construction of a hospital. The Hancock Regional Planning Commission last month recommended the land be rezoned to allow for medical offices, but not a hospital.
November 29, 200816 yr This affects the Findlay area, since it has been hit hard by flooding in recent years. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081129/NEWS16/811290369/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published November 29, 2008 Areas along Blanchard River prone to flooding to become grassland Ottawa, U.S. agency reach an agreement By JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITER OTTAWA, Ohio - In a unique agreement between the village of Ottawa and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, three flood-prone areas along the Blanchard River - including land that was devastated by August, 2007, flooding - are to be returned to native grassland habitat. A total of 47 acres, including much of what was a rundown trailer park along West Main Street, will be turned into natural areas ripe for bird-watching, hiking, and environmental-education programs. Contact Jennifer Feehan at: [email protected]
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