News Briefs Week Of 5/2/2022
Drug Take Back Day
The Ottawa County Health Department is helping to raise awareness for National Drug Take Back Day, which will be held Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Many law enforcement agencies in Ottawa County will be participating in this initiative.
Area residents are encouraged to help keep their families and communities safe by disposing of unwanted, unused, or expired medications in their homes. Preventing medication misuse is vital to help prevent overdoses and overdose deaths.
For more info, visit dea.gov/takebackday#collection-locator.
Should I Stay
or Should I Go?
The Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc. (WCCOA), along with Bowling Green State University are presenting a seminar titled, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Considering Moving.”
The two-part series will take place at the Wood County Senior Center, 140 S. Grove Street, Bowling Green, Tuesdays, May 17 and 24 from 6-8 p.m.
Topics include:
Part I: May 17 – “All the Factors, Decisions to Move and Decisions to Stay.”
Part II: May 24 – “Individual-Personal Considerations: Small Group Work.”
The seminar will explore the many factors to consider when moving, including social connections, emotional support, financial considerations, spiritual connections, health status, physical assistance and community connections.
Panelists include Dr. H. Casey Cromwell, Associate Professor of Psychology, BGSU; Dr. Yiwei Chen, Professor of Psychology, BGSU; Dr. Vivian J. Miller, LSW, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Optimal Aging Institute Director, BGSU and Matt Molnar, MSW, LISW-S, Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work, BGSU.
Dinner will be available at 5 p.m. prior to each session. All participants will be seated at a reserved table. Request a dinner reservation upon registering for the program. To register, contact the WCCOA Programs Department at 419-353-5661 or 800-367-4935 or email programs@wccoa.net.
Participants will be asked to fill out a pre-seminar survey. There are three options to complete the survey:
• Receive the survey via email to be printed, completed, and brought to the first session.
• Complete the survey from a computer and email it to programs@wccoa.net.
• Arrive 10 minutes prior to the first session to complete the survey.
Visit wccoa.net to learn more about WCCOA programs and services.
Deadline for
grants extended
The application deadline for second round of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program has been extended from April 30 to May 31.
The Brownfield Remediation Program will provide nearly $350 million in grants to clean up industrial, commercial, and institutional Brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled, or underutilized due to a known or potential release of hazardous substances or petroleum.
Round 2 funding is available to counties who have not met their $1 million county set-aside in Round 1.
Chamber breakfast
set for May 19
The Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce will hold its next Business Over Breakfast session on May 19 at the Ottawa County Resource Center, 8043 W. State Rt. 163.
Local human resource professionals Michelle Ish and Robin Pfeiffer will present the program: "Surviving the Great Resignation and Other Employment Strategies."
The breakfast/networking session will be from 7:30-8 a.m. and the presentation from 8-9 a.m.
For information call Valerie Winterfield, executive director of the chamber, at 419-898-0479.
Corps leasing tug
for lake service
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District has awarded an $8.4 million contract to Cleveland-based Great Lakes Towing for lease of the tugboat Don Raul to serve on the Great Lakes.
The boat will primarily be used on Lake Erie between Buffalo, N.Y. and Toledo, Ohio, but may serve all the way to Massena, N.Y., towing the Buffalo District’s repair fleet. The fleet is one of three strategically located across the Great Lakes, providing a flexible, rapid response for maintenance at United States harbors and along the nation’s shorelines.
“Maintaining safe navigation is a critical mission for the Corps of Engineers. We’re proud to play our part in supporting commerce and strengthening the nation,” said Lt. Col. Eli Adams, commander of the Buffalo District. “The tugboat Don Raul will greatly enhance our ability to safely and effectively support the residents of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and ensure the economic viability of their waterways.”
The Don Raul is a 74-foot, 2,800 horsepower, twin-screw seagoing tug, built by Great Lakes Shipyard in 2008. The boat will be leased for one year, with an initial contract award of $3 million, and options to renew for up to four more years, bringing the total contract value to $8.4 million. The Don Raul will be a short-term replacement for the tugboat Cheraw, while the District develops and implements a longer term replacement plan.
The Cheraw is a former U.S. Navy seagoing tug which was transferred to the Buffalo District in 1998. Tugboats are used to transport a derrick boat and materials barges from harbor to harbor. The Don Raul is expected to depart its current port in San Juan, Puerto Rico and arrive in Cleveland for maintenance before final delivery to the Buffalo District’s repair fleet crew on August 1.
The Buffalo District is responsible for the maintenance of 35 federal harbors and navigation projects on Lakes Erie and Ontario, including approximately 37 miles of protective structures such as piers, jetties, and breakwaters.