News Briefs Week Of 1/3/2022

Humane Society
annual meeting
The Humane Society of Ottawa County (HSOC) will hold its annual meeting Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Ida Rupp Public Library, 310 Madison St., Port Clinton.
A general election will be held for the board of directors at the meeting. Incumbent board members Barb Ayers, Crystal Cleary and Mary Anne Koebel are running for reelection. There are also two open positions on the board.
Members of the HSOC are eligible to vote. Members include anyone who adopted a pet from the shelter in 2021; anyone who volunteers at the shelter on a regular basis; HSOC employees and anyone who donated to HSOC in 2021.
Ballots are available at the Humane Society office, 2424 E. Sand Rd., Port Clinton. Ballots may be mailed or emailed, upon request. Call 419-734-5191 or email HSOCpets@gmail.com to request a ballot.
Ballots must be returned to the Humane Society office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5,
Anyone interested in serving as a board member may request an application from the Humane Society office. Nominations for board members will also be accepted from the floor during the annual meeting.
Call the shelter at the above number for more information.

Blood donations needed
Historically low blood supply levels not seen in more than a decade persist for the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood. The ongoing decline comes at a time of year when donations typically fall. Holiday get-togethers, school breaks and winter weather often lead to lower donor turnout, potentially further compounding the situation.
Potential donors are urged to schedule an appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Library construction
project underway
The building project which will add a new wing to the main branch of the Birchard Public Library of Sandusky County in Fremont is underway.
Footers are being poured, and the new parking area is being excavated and compacted. Piping for storm water is being laid, and the underground water retention system is scheduled to be installed the first week of January.
“It’s exciting to see progress being made. There is a great view of the project from the windows on the west end of the building,” said Pam Hoesman, library director.
Mosser Construction, Inc., is the construction manager of the project and the Buehrer Group from Maumee is the architect. Major funding for this community facilities project is from USDA Rural Development. A partnership with Terra State Community College added funds from the State of Ohio for the planned technology wing, which will include a makerspace, recording studio and a tech training classroom.
The Birchard Library Association Foundation is conducting a fundraising campaign which will acknowledge donations on a wall adjacent to the new checkout desk in the library.
More information is available at www.birchard.org.

Plat request on
commission agenda
The Wood County Planning Commission will consider a request for a plat approval in Middleton Township during the commission’s Jan. 4 meeting.
The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. at the county office building in Bowling Green.
McCarthy Builders and Feller Finch & Associates have submitted a preliminary plat, The Village at Riverbend Phase 3, for review. It covers about 140 acres.

Grant funds
returned
The Sandusky County Bicentennial Committee last month returned $9,280 it received in grant funding from the Sandusky County Communities Foundation to be used for other causes.
The communities foundation had awarded the money to the bicentennial in 2019 to be used for the bicentennial traveling museum, a trailer outfitted with museum panels, exhibits and artifacts sharing Sandusky County’s diverse history. The museum traveled across the county to various events briefly in 2020 and throughout 2021, which was the bicentennial’s “200-plus-one year” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the bicentennial ended in October 2021, the committee sold the trailer to the Sandusky County Emergency Management Agency, allowing the committee to return the money to the communities foundation.
“We greatly appreciated that we got the grant, but we felt that with the sale of the trailer, it was only right to give the money back so that they could use to fund other projects in the community,” said John Havens, Sandusky County Bicentennial chairman.
For information on the Sandusky County Bicentennial, visit www.bicentennial2020.org.