Henry County official maps economic plan

Toledo Blade, 4/7/06

 

Lee Schroeder barely has enough hours to accomplish all the things he has in mind for Henry County.

 

The recently appointed executive director of the county's Community Improvement Corp. spends his days in meetings with public officials and potential entrepreneurs, who he hopes will help develop the county's economy.

 

Mr. Schroeder, 30, who took the economic development job in February, said that one of his plans for the county's economic development lies with its people.

 

Campbell to invest $41M in Napoleon

Toledo Blade, 5/17/06

 

Campbell Soup Co. plans a $41 million investment at its soup and juice complex in Henry County, with most of the spending in the form of added soup inventory.

 

The company, which will proceed if it gets requested state and local tax assistance, said the work is to begin this summer on a 346,000-square-foot addition to its warehouse operation in Napoleon, spokesman John Faulkner said.  The move is to consolidate some area warehousing operations, he added.

 

The building will cost $14.5 million, equipment $2.5 million, and added inventory $25 million, Mr. Faulkner said.

From the 11/27/06 Defiance Crescent-News:

 

Defiance Crescent-News: Couple donates $50,000 for hospital expansion (12/4/06)

 

Henry County Hospital seeks help with $10M expansion

November 27, 2006

By JARED ORZOLEK

[email protected]

 

NAPOLEON -- Henry County Hospital is in the process of a $10 million expansion and renovation project and is looking to raise funds to support this effort via a capital campaign.  Construction crews from Mel Lanzer Co. began work in March after hospital staff and design firm Martell Associates worked for two years to design the project, which is slated to improve patient care, provide additional services for the community and make the entire hospital more patient friendly.

 

Thus far, the internal campaign has raised $300,000 from these groups. Leading the way were the members of the Henry County Hospital Auxiliary with a pledge of $100,000. The auxiliary targeted a portion of its contribution for a new therapeutic pool, which will be a vital new service for patients recovering from injuries or debilitating illnesses.

 

MORE: http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/391040

HENRY COUNTY

Annexation, housing complex issues discussed at Napoleon council

Defiance Crescent-News, 2/20/07

 

Two controversial pieces of legislation were debated at Napoleon City Council's meeting Monday night as an annexation issue and multi-family housing complex project were discussed.  The second piece of legislation discussed involved a request for council to support the concept of a developer seeking state tax credits to build a multi-family housing complex for low- to moderate-income residents off Indiana Avenue, south of U.S. 24.

 

Third reading of this legislation was tabled Jan. 15 and the developer, Woda Development LLC, recently requested council discontinue third reading of the legislation after individuals who live in the neighborhood spoke out against the project. Council on Monday passed a motion to remove the legislation from the agenda.  Woda Development considered construction of up to 40 units consisting of flats and town homes.

 

HENRY COUNTY

Group proposes Napoleon sports complex

Defiance Crescent-News, 3/2/07

 

A group of Napoleon High School graduates is seeking investors to help finance a $5 million recreation center. Joe and Kevin Good, along with Steve Wesche and Chris Speiser, have proposed the construction of the Edge Sports and Fitness Complex on American Road, near Henry County Road 13.

 

The facility would house six basketball courts and would provide space for everything from soccer to volleyball to baseball to be played.  The facility would also house an arcade, weight room, aerobics room and conference and party rooms.  The group has been studying both a business plan and facility design to build the sports complex for more than a year and hopes to have the structure built by mid-2009.

 

Drive-in theater being readied in Henry County

Toledo Blade, 6/20/07

 

Since the Wauseon Drive-In closed in 1999, families or teens in the area around Liberty Center have had no place to get together for an evening of wholesome fun under the stars.  But that's about to change.

 

Motivated by nostalgia, a touch of entrepreneurship, and perhaps a bit of boredom, Mrs. Saunders and her husband, Rod, plan to open a single-screen drive-in theater this summer on their 4.5-acre property on County Road 6 in Henry County's Washington Township.  It's about 35 miles southwest of Toledo.  "My husband is a teacher, so he has got summers off anyway and it seemed like a great summertime part-time investment opportunity for us," Mrs. Saunders said.

NAPOLEON - HENRY COUNTY

Crowd attends YMCA exploration meeting

Defiance Crescent-News, 6/22/07

 

Some 20 individuals from various groups attended the second Napoleon YMCA exploration meeting organized by city resident Mike Cass.  The meeting at 114 W. Washington St. served to continue organizing a group which will evaluate the possibility of bringing a YMCA to the city.

 

Regional representatives of the Kiwanis club attended the meeting to offer their services in helping bring the YMCA to Napoleon.  They report that local Kiwanis clubs often work with the YMCA in both programming and fund-raising efforts.  The YMCA group plans to hold another meeting July 26 at 6 p.m.  A YMCA representative is expected to be on hand to provide guidelines for evaluating the feasibility of starting a YMCA.

 

The Ohio Department of Development announced that Napoleon, the county seat of Henry County, will be receiving a $400,000 downtown revitalization grant.  From the ODOD Press Release:

 

"City of Napoleon (Henry County) will receive $400,000 to assist 16 businesses with façade and code improvements.  The city also will complete a major streetscape project including the replacement of underground infrastructure to coincide with street resurfacing."

 

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More about Downtown Napeoleon at Napoleon Alive, Inc..  Napoleon Alive is a nonprofit organization heading up their downtown revitalization efforts.  A copy of their downtown revitalization plan is at their website.

Plant, projects help Napoleon earn title of 'America's Number One Solar Small Town'

BY JON CHAVEZ, BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

Published: 12/18/2012

 

NAPOLEON — Michael Peck still finds it amazing that a tiny area smack in the middle of rural northwest Ohio can have such a large solar footprint.  Granted, since last February, the city of Napoleon has been home to a solar panel-making operation headed by Mr. Peck, chairman of Isofoton North America Inc., an offspring of Spanish solar panel Isofoton.

 

But Isofoton North America’s $30 million plant, which employs 30 workers, isn’t the only connection to the solar industry in Henry County, Mr. Peck noted.  AP Alternatives LLC, which makes and installs racks to hold solar panels, is running successfully in nearby Ridgeville Corners.  And Napoleon has two significant solar projects: a 9.8-megawatt solar array erected in 2011 by Campbell Soup Co., Napoleon's largest employer, and a 4.2-megawatt solar array built this year by American Municipal Power, which supplies electricity to Napoleon’s power system.

 

“None of this happened by magic,” Mr. Peck said.  The Washington-based Solar Energy Industries Association agrees.  On Tuesday it declared Napoleon “America’s Number One Solar Small Town.”

 

READ MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/Energy/2012/12/19/Plant-projects-help-Napoleon-earn-title-of-America-s-Number-One-Solar-Small-Town.html