News Briefs Week of 4/12/2021

Flower market and
plant exchange set
Oregon Fest will present its annual community Flower Market & Plant Exchange, Saturday, May 15 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The event will be held at 2973 Dustin Rd., Oregon.
As it has for more than three decades, this year’s event will feature the traditional “Give `n Take Plant Exchange,” which invites participants to bring extra plants they’ve divided from their spring yard work and trade for what others bring.
The Flower Market will be also returning this year with local greenhouses, spring flowers, and other spring gardening needs.
New to 2021 will be an Eco-Market & Recycling Drive-Thru, which will offer the opportunity to recycle paint, tires, electronics, and more. A market area will feature vendors who sell environmentally conscious or “green” wares, as well as educational booths including local environmental groups and other organizations which focus on preserving marsh lands, and keeping Lake Erie clean.
Multiple food trucks will be in attendance offering coffee, breakfast burritos, and other brunch items.
Follow the OregonFest website (oregonfest.info/), and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/oregonfest.info) for updates regarding future events and news. The website also features sponsor, vendor and volunteer information.

Kitten shower &
adoption event
Fur Angels Rescue Shelter, a no-kill group that provides temporary and long-term shelter, safety, food and medical treatment in a network of foster homes until each animal finds its forever home, will hold a Kitten Shower & Adoption Event Sunday, April 18 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Bensell Greenhouse, 5720 Dorr St., Toledo. Attendees must wear a mask and social distancing will be enforced.
The non-profit organization, which is aiming to open a brick-and-mortar shelter – does not receive any state or federal funding and relies on support from individuals and businesses to help the community’s homeless animals.
The event will be a baby shower, kitten style. Members of the community are invited to stop by with gifts for the kittens currently in the adoption program and for those who will be born and taken into the Fur Angels Rescue Shelter family in the coming months. KMR kitten milk, heated cat beds, baby scales, kitten food, litter and toys are needed and appreciated.
Visit www.tinyurl.com/KittenShowerFARS to see the group’s Amazon Wish List for ideas. Those who cannot attend the event may send an item(s) to the organization directly from the Amazon Wish List.
Adult cats and kittens will also be available for adoption at the event. Visit www.furangelsrs.com for more details.

Walking tour set
The Toledo History Museum will present a walking tour of the historic Garfield Neighborhood in East Toledo, plus a closer look at the all-new East Side Riverfront renovation project Saturday, April 17 at noon.
The tour, which will be led by Larry Michaels, East Toledo historian and author, will last approximately one hour and will cover the historic designation of the Garfield neighborhood, Waite High School’s 25-acre campus, and the development along the riverfront.
The cost of the tour is $5. Local history books will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going toward the reopening of the Toledo History Museum.
Parking will be available in the Waite parking lot off East Broadway near Mott Avenue. Those attending should meet at the Memorial Marker directly in front of Waite High School no later than 11:45 a.m.

WCDPL to host
marine debris program
Partners for Clean Streams (PCS) and the Wood County District Public Library will offer a virtual presentation addressing Marine Debris in the Great Lakes on Wednesday, May 5 at 11 a.m.
Cassondra Prchlik, Communications & Outreach Specialist of Partners for Clean Streams, will discuss how marine debris enters waterways, its impact and what PCS is doing to solve the problem.
“It might seem like marine debris affects only our oceans, but the sad reality is, it affects the freshwater in our backyards as well, and it is an ever-growing issue,” Prchlik said, “Fortunately, research and programs about marine debris in the Great Lakes are developing.
Registration is required. To register, email woodref@wcdpl.org or call 419-352-5050.

Road project
The Ottawa County engineer’s office is scheduling an improvement project for Rocky Ridge Road which will close the road during work hours.
From April 12-29 the road will be closed from True Road to Toussaint N. Road from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Local and emergency vehicles will be permitted through the construction zone.
For information call 419-734-6777.

Replacement levy
for senior services
on May ballot
Voters in Sandusky County will decide a 1-mill, 5-year replacement levy for senior services that will be on the May 4 ballot.
If passed, the replacement levy will generate $1.6 million annually to support Sandusky County Senior Services and would replace an existing senior levy that was passed in 2015. As with the previous levy, the 2021 levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $35 per year.
Levy funding has supported multiple initiatives to help seniors, including the relocation of the Fremont Senior Center to a larger and more easily accessible location. Levy funding has also expanded the county’s Meals on Wheels service and created the Senior Helping Hands program, which assists seniors with health and safety related home repairs.
“As our county’s senior population continues to expand, it’s important that we continue to fund services that meet their needs,” said Citizens for the Senior Levy Campaign Co-Chair Bob Gross.
Sandusky County’s senior population is expected to reach 30 percent within the next decade. Funding from the replacement levy will help:
• Provide more than 90,000 meals for seniors each year
• Support 30,000-plus miles of transportation annually for seniors
• Make senior homes safer through the Senior Helping Hands program
• Provide case management for homebound seniors
• Fund evidence-based senior center programs
• Replace two meal delivery trucks
• Support virtual programs for seniors at home
• Create adaptive aquatic programs for seniors
• Support senior center facility improvements

Water plan for
McComb to
be discussed
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District and the Village of North Baltimore have approved an agreement that will allow the district to purchase and distribute water to serve areas in southern Wood County and Northern Hancock County, including the Village of McComb.
In the spring of 2020, the district completed a study outlining necessary long-term improvements and estimated costs to maintain the McComb Water Treatment plant, as well as several options for replacement of the plant.
One option was to secure another source to provide potable water directly to the citizens at a similar cost.
“This contract with The Village of North Baltimore could make that long-term option more viable,” said Jerry Greiner, president of the district.
Since 2016, when McComb joined the district, the village’s water supply has been a priority for the district’s operations department, Greiner said.
Many improvements have been made to maintain and improve the water treatment process. The village’s raw water source is a small stream called Rader Creek. Water from this source must be collected and stored throughout the year in reservoirs to serve the community.
But the creek includes minerals and other contaminants, including manganese, that are expensive and difficult to manage.
“The manganese itself is hard to manage and has received increased attention by Ohio EPA,” Dan Wickard, district superintendent, said.
“We intend to provide the highest quality of water for the citizens at the most economical long-term price,” Greiner said. “The district has met with McComb council, now we will soon begin outreach with McComb residents.”
The district will host an informational meeting April 8 via Zoom regarding water supply options for McComb, he said.