6/19/17 – 5:37 A.M.
ODOT has one new project planned in Putnam County this week. Crews will start chipping and tarring work on State Route 12 from State Route 115 to the Hancock County line. The work will reduce the highway to one lane in sections while workers remove pavement markings in preparation for the project.
6/19/17 – 5:34 A.M.
Plenty of road work will take place in Hancock County this week. ODOT says crews are resurfacing U.S. 224 from Broad Street to Main Street in Findlay, State Route 12 between I-75 and Main Street, State Route 37 from Lincoln Avenue to Blanchard Avenue, and State Route 568 from Main Street to Beech Avenue. The work will restrict traffic to one lane in the work areas.
Route 12 remains closed during daytime hours between Western Avenue and Glessner Street for a city project.
Elsewhere, pavement repairs on State Route 235 will reduce the road to one lane between McComb and Township Road 89.
Bridges west of Benton Ridge on State Route 12 and on the Route 15 exit to U.S. 68 south of Findlay remain closed for repair.
06/19/17 – 5:30 A.M.
We have a bit of a break from intense heat but the summer is far from over. Bluffton ER physician Dr. Greg Arnette said that there are three main heat-related illnesses.
Arnette said that heat exhaustion will make you feel tired and nauseous. You’ll also be warm and sweating profusely. Vomiting happens in some cases. When this happens you need to take a break.
Heat strokes will leave you dazed and confused and can cause death. He added that a heat stroke is a medical emergency and you need to get to a hospital to get cooled down asap.
Arnette said that there are ways to avoid heat-related illnesses.
Arnette said that beer and sodas don’t count. You’ll want to focus on juice and water. This will help you avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.
You can listen to the full interview below.
6/19/17 – 5:24 A.M.
A major closure for the I-75 widening project in Findlay starts today. ODOT says crews will close the exit ramp from northbound I-75 to U.S. 68 and State Route 15 for around three years. The agency is detouring traffic north to State Route 12 and then south down the interstate back to the U.S 68 / Route 15 interchange.
In the meantime night work continues in the construction area to place temporary pavement along the interstate for future traffic shifts. Crews are also setting a new concrete barrier in the northbound direction. Once that’s in place you’ll notice more daytime work.
6/19/17 – 5:11 A.M.
The downtown Findlay revitalization project kicks off today. The Courier reports the city signed a deal with B&J Concrete & Construction last Friday to get started on the project. The $2.5 million contract includes mid-block crosswalks and curb bump outs through the downtown area. The state gave Findlay $3.3 million for the project, and Marathon chipped in another $1.1 million. Findlay also had to pay $850,000 for design and permitting.
The curb bump outs add concrete to areas near intersections where there isn’t already a parking spot. The extra sidewalk area reduces the amount of street pedestrians have to cross to get to the other side. Designers say the feature will also slow down traffic on Main Street to make it more pedestrian friendly.
The plans call for mid-block crosswalks between Hardin and Sandusky streets, Crawford and Main Cross streets, and Main Cross and Front streets. Mid-block crosswalks allow pedestrians to cross in the middle of a block rather than at the intersection of two roads. The crossings will have landscaped medians for pedestrians to stop at before crossing the second lane of traffic on Main Street.
Service Director Brian Thomas tells the newspaper the goal is to keep pedestrians moving during the construction. He adds that crews will only work on one side of the street at a time. They’ll also use faster curing concrete to cut the time they’ll have to block off sidewalks.
The city expects construction to last into the fall.
MORE: The Courier
06/16/17 – 5:23 P.M.
The next volume of Humans of Findlay is almost finished and will be hitting the shelves soon. Author Dave Morrow said that the money raised from the book sales will support local organizations for children.
Proceeds from the last book went to the Hancock Historical Museum to support their children’s program. The next book will tell people’s story one face at a time. Morrow said it should be released sometime this fall.
06/16/17 – 4:23 P.M.
The Downtown Findlay YMCA has new exercise equipment designed to make fitness fun for kids. They have new exergaming equipment available for children 8-13-year-old. They include gaming bikes, interactive climbing walls, strength and cardio, active floor games, and active wall games. These games are available from 9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The proceeds from the Black Swamp Classic helped buy the new equipment.
06/16/17 – 11:35 A.M.
The first county fair in our area will be kicking off this early next week. The Putnam County Fair will open at 10 a.m. this coming Monday. There will be grandstand events for every day of the week. This includes a Marching Band Spectacular at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, harness racing at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a rodeo on Thursday. There will also be truck pulling on Friday and a demolition derby on Saturday. Both events will start at 7 p.m.
Admission costs $6 for adults and children over the age of 10. It is free for kids 9 and under.
6/16/17 – 11:03 A.M.
The Hancock County Commissioners are likely to ask voters to extend a half-percent sales tax later this year. Half of that tax pays for flood mitigation. Earlier this year the commissioners had hoped to avoid dedicating a full quarter percent to mitigation, but Commissioner Mark Gazarek says that has changed…
Audio: Mark Gazarek
Gazarek says money raised from the tax would also continue to buy flood-prone properties and pay for a finalized plan from Stantec Engineering.
On May 23, Gazarek told the Hancock County Republican Women the commissioners hoped to avoid dedicating all of the quarter percent to flood mitigation. At the time he said that would allow them to focus on other county needs.
The current half-percent sales tax expires after 2018. Half of the tax helps pay for county operations while the other is dedicated toward flood mitigation.
6/16/17 – 6:44 A.M.
The Findlay water distribution department has issued a boil water advisory for several addresses on Tiffin Avenue and Londonderry Drive. A release says repair work on a water main on Londonderry caused the alert. As a result 16 addresses in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Tiffin Avenue and two in the 800 block of Londonderry are under the advisory until further notice.
Affected Addresses:
Tiffin Ave: 1735, 1739, 1745, 1749, 1765, 1777, 1787, 1791, 1789, 1805, 1811, 1813, 1817, 1821, 1825
Londonderry Dr: 821, 825
You’re advised to boil any water before drinking or cooking with it.