5/15/19 – 5:15 A.M.
A water main break has caused a boil water advisory for some residents north of Arlington. The village says the advisory is affecting between 10 and 12 homes north of County Road 24 near U.S. 68.
If you live in the affected area you should boil your water for at least a minute before using it.
5/15/19 – 5:07 A.M.
Water main repair work in the 800 block of East Main Cross Street has led to a boil water advisory in that area. The city says the advisory affects homes at 845 East Main Cross, 115 and 120 East Towne Park Row, and 825 Wedgewood Drive.
Residents in those homes should boil their water for at least a minute before using it.
You can call 419-424-7193 or 419-424-7192 for more information.
5/15/19 – 5:01 A.M.
Investigators are trying to figure out who broke into a Hancock Park District ranger station and stole a pickup truck. District operations manager Bill Patch says vandals broke into a building at the Riverbend Recreation area through a skylight early Monday morning.
The vandals grabbed the keys and then drove the truck through a fenced in area. Investigators later found the truck in the Blanchard River east of Hancock County Road 140.
An insurance adjuster is working with the park district to complete a claim.
Findlay City Council met as a whole Tuesday to discuss the potential sale of the parking lot behind the former Argyle site. One of the concerns raised by residents was any closures on pedestrian walkways. Safety Director Paul Schmelzer explained that the city will have a say in any closure…
Another aspect of the development that confused residents and councilmembers was the use of a Community Reinvestment Area. Safety Director Paul Schmelzer explained how a CRA works…
Schmelzer said that once the abatement is over the developer will have to pay the increased real estate tax. He added that there will never be a decrease in the revenue once the CRA is up.
05/14/19 – 4:56 P.M.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers will be taking part in the Click It or Ticket Campaign this week. The campaign started Monday and will last until June 2. During this time you can expect to see troopers on the roads encouraging people to wear their seat belts.
Lt. Matt Crow of the Findlay Post explained that buckling up saves lives. In the last two years, over 1,300 people were killed in car accidents where a safety belt was available but not being used. Over 6,000 people were injured for the same reason.
05/14/19 – 4:44 P.M.
The Hancock County Board of Elections received the support from the Hancock County Commissioners to apply for new voting machines Tuesday. Board of Elections chairman David Spahr explained that getting new machines will save money.
The BOE reports that it will cost over $213,000 more to fix the machines. Replacing them with newer models will cost around $200,000. Spahr added that they have leftover funds from FEMA to help out too.
Spahr explained that they have over $117,000 in FEMA funds which will reduce the cost to around $95,000.
They will also need to have the machines in place for the November general election if they want to use it for the 2020 elections. This is due to legislation making sure that machines are ready to use and tested for next year’s election.
The board will get contracts approved by the state that the commissioners will then sign off on.
5/14/19 – 11:15 A.M.
The Hancock County Commissioners have concerns about the potential sale of a city-owned parking lot behind the former Argyle building in downtown Findlay. Commissioner Brian Robertson says there are 37 spaces designated for county use…
Audio:
Director of Court Services Kimberly Switzer told the commissioners that between 700 and 800 people come through her office every month. Robertson says that alone requires a good deal of parking.
Commissioner Tim Bechtol says paperwork drawn up for the proposed sale of the lot to the Blanchard Valley Port Authority only lists one space for county parking. That’s well short of the 37 listed in a 2013 agreement between the county and the city.
Bechtol says they are communicating that to Findlay officials…
Audio:
Robertson says the county and city reached an agreement about the use of the 37 spaces five years ago. Robertson adds under the initial agreement the county agreed to sell the buildings next to the Dorney Plaza, and then use that money to buy the parking lot in question. Robertson says the city didn’t end up selling the lot to the county.
Bechtol adds he doesn’t believe that the county’s interest in the lot works against potential development of the site.
Findlay City Council is meeting in council chambers tonight at 6 p.m. to discuss the potential sale of the lot to make way for a new development in the lot where the Argyle building once stood.
5/14/19 – 5:14 A.M.
Bridge deck repairs will close one lane of I-75 northbound near Bluffton later this week. ODOT says the work will take place near the State Route 103 interchange on Thursday.
The entrance ramp from Route 103 to northbound I-75 will also close during daytime hours as part of the project.
5/14/19 – 5:10 A.M.
A new brewery will open its doors in Fostoria this week. The UrbanWoody Brewery is set to open at 105 East Tiffin Street Friday afternoon. The business will feature beers brewed by four local brewers. Owner Mike Aurand will have a beer on tap, as well as brews from Aaron Weidner, Matt Good, and Mike Harmon.
Aurand says that a soft launch in April went well. He adds that they built almost everything in the brewery themselves, including the chairs and bar stools.
The business will be open from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays.
MORE: How Aurand got into brewing.
5/14/19 – 4:59 A.M.
More than 40 businesses in Hancock County have received recognition for their safety records.
The Hancock County Safety Council gave special awards to companies with at least 500,000 hours and six months without a lost-time injury. Businesses working for the entire year without a lost-time injury or illness earned the 100 Percent Award. Group Awards went to companies with the lowest incident rate in each group.
The awards are sponsored by the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsored by the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
MORE: List of award winners