The 37th annual Blaze of Lights holiday celebration, including the lighting of the Ream collection of vintage Christmas Folk-Art, is scheduled for Saturday, November 25 in downtown Bluffton, Ohio. The Ream display and thousands of lights in the surrounding trees are available for nightly viewing on the lawn of Bluffton Presbyterian Church, 102 N. Main Street, Bluffton from November 25 through January 1. The community joins in the Blaze spirit with numerous residential holiday light displays and folk-art decorations throughout the Village located off I-75.
Activities on November 25 include Small Business Saturday specials at downtown businesses and carolers on Main Street. One of the largest holiday parades in the area begins on Snider Road at 5 PM and travels up Main Street to College Avenue. Following the parade, entertainment will be offered on the main stage. At 6:30 p.m. the lighting ceremony will begin with the reading of the Christmas story followed by the lighting of the Ream display.
After the parade, you can visit Santa, ride the Romick Railway, ride the Allen County RTA Trolley for a tour of decorated homes all at no charge. Johnny Appleseed Park District will also be on hand at the Senior Citizens Center with displays and a project for the kids.
The Blaze After Lighting returns this year with selections of beer, bourbon pours, spiced wine, and hot chocolate, along with local food vendors and live country music by Wastin’ Neon under a heated tent on Vine Street.
The Blaze of Lights celebration is sponsored by the Village of Bluffton and Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the event, visit www.explorebluffton.com or contact Jim Enneking, Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce executive director at 419-369-2985.
Community Calendar announcement
Saturday, November 25 – Bluffton’s 37th Annual Blaze of Lights celebration starts at 4PM on Main St., Bluffton, OH with groups of carolers wandering down Main Street. The parade begins at 5 PM, followed by entertainment on the main stage. At 6:30 PM the lighting ceremony will begin with the reading of the Christmas story and lighting of the Ream Christmas folk-art display. Visit with Santa, ride the Romick Railway, visit with Johnny Appleseed Metroparks, and tour the lights of Bluffton on the trolley. Afterwards enjoy an evening of country music under a heated tent. The event is free and open to the public.
The Findlay Police Department says a driver was tased after ignoring a police officer’s commands after leading police on a pursuit.
Police say a vehicle traveling southbound on South Blanchard Street ran the stop sign at Blanchard Avenue at 6:14 Thursday night.
The officer who witnessed the traffic violation attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver refused and continued driving down Blanchard Street at speeds of 60 miles per hour.
The vehicle turned to go westbound on Sixth Street, running the red light and going left of center.
Speeds on Sixth Street reached 70 miles per hour until the vehicle turned to go northbound onto South Main Street, running another red light.
Police say the vehicle reached speeds of 50 miles per hour on South Main Street before turning left onto Locust Street and finally stopping at the intersection of Locust Street and Liberty Street.
Police said the driver, identified by police as Natalie Strahm, 42, exited the vehicle and began yelling at the officer and did not follow commands.
Police say she took several steps toward the officer and tried to get back in her vehicle and that’s when the officer deployed a taser on her and she was taken into custody.
There were no vehicles struck or injuries during the pursuit, which went about 1.5 miles.
Strahm was taken to the Hancock County Jail and booked on charges of failure to comply and obstructing official business.
On Thursday, November 9, the Findlay City Council Water & Sewer Committee voted to support the Administration’s proposal to raise water rates as of January 1, 2024. Though not required by Ordinance, as Water Rates are a function of the Administration and may be changed at anytime by the Service-Safety Director, the Administration felt it was important for Council to be informed and recognize why the change is needed.
The new inside usage rate will be $4.01 per 100 cubic feet. See the chart for new water rates.
For example, the average two-person residential property will see an annual cost increase of approximately $70 (base rate + usage) for those paying inside water rates. “We recognize that every penny our residents earn is valuable. We have spent over a year evaluating how to best address the Water Fund needs while also limiting the impact to our users as much as possible,” said Findlay Service-Safety Director Rob Martin.
Water rates have not increased since 2011. As water revenues have remained flat, expenses have increased 13% since 2012. The cost of chemicals used to treat water increased by over 40% in 2022 and has remained high, and materials such as pipes, hydrants, and other water system components have increased between 25%-40%. According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), since 1997 Ohio municipalities as a whole have averaged nearly a 4% annual increase. In an average bill comparison study released in 2019 by the OEPA (see graph below), Findlay’s bill comparison was 51% lower than the Ohio Average. Had the City followed the State trend and increased rates by 4% annually since 2012, City base rates would be 10% higher than the current proposal.
To maintain the existing high-quality water plant and services, infrastructure requires routine preventative maintenance and capital improvements. In 2023 alone, the Operating Budget was ~$9,700,000 and the Projected Revenue was $8,731,199. Since 2019, the Findlay Water Department has delayed over $6.6 million in needed capital improvement expenses in order to maintain solvency in the Water Fund. They also invested nearly $1 Million of American Rescue Plan Act Funds towards needed improvements such as a Generator and CO2 Tank replacement. The Water Fund is an Enterprise Fund and is therefore separate from the City’s General Fund. Enterprise Funds are to be self-sustaining funds with revenues covering operating expenses, capital needs, and long-term improvements. Despite rising costs of materials, labor, and maintenance, the Findlay Water Department has successfully managed expenses to maintain a minimum balance of nearly $1.5 Million which is required under the City Ordinance, and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Regulation additionally this allowed the City to complete the Water Transmitter Project which was necessary prior to making any rate adjustments.
During the Committee meeting Thursday, the Administration stated that part of this rate increase is not just meeting current demands and projected routine capital needs but also preparing the fund for future significant investments that may be necessary on the plant which will be 100 years old in 2031.
Moving forward, the Administration plans to implement a formal Rate Review Process which would occur annually to determine what, if any, rate changes are necessary to avoid significant rate increases like this in the future. The Annual Water Fund Report would involve: reviewing operational cost variability in relation to revenues; ensuring the minimum reserve balance required by the OEPA aligns with operational cost projections; ongoing evaluation of capital needs for maintenance of current infrastructure and system growth demand; evaluation of debt policies; and evaluating short-term priorities while positioning the Findlay Water Department for long term sustainability.
“The City of Findlay realizes the immense value in maintaining our water treatment and distribution system,” says Service-Safety Director Rob Martin. “In order to continue to provide this community service at the lowest cost possible we must evaluate the sustainability of our Water Fund on an ongoing basis and make adjustments regularly. As we look forward this is a necessary step in ensuring this service remains both now and for generations to come.”
“Our team has been working diligently the past few years to make upgrades necessary to then be able to fully evaluate the sustainability of our Water Fund. Unfortunately, we are at a point in time where we can no longer delay making a rate change,” said Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn.
Additionally, in the Water & Sewer Committee meeting, Mayor Christina Muryn reiterated that the City of Findlay is not looking to sell the Water Treatment Plant. “The Findlay Water Treatment Plant is an immense resource that we must continue to protect and leverage to both ensure high-quality, low-cost water for our residents and also use as an economic development tool. The recent conversations about selling surplus water to surrounding communities have generated a variety of misinformation. It is critical that residents understand that selling the water treatment plant or relinquishing control from the City government is not, and has never been, a discussion point under my Administration. Water Treatment Plants are very expensive to operate and I believe that having further conversations on how the City may be able to generate revenue to help offset the City resident’s cost burden is worthwhile. Any conversations are always focused on prioritizing existing City of Findlay water users.”
Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn is addressing what she says is misinformation being spread about the city’s growing immigrant population.
Mayor Muryn says the majority of the individuals are here legally and trying to make a better life for themselves.
“And we are trying to wrap our arms around them to help integrate them into our community while recognizing that it can be really intimidating to come to a new country.”
Mayor Muryn says our community is changing “and that’s a positive thing, but we also need to make sure that we’re helping grow in an appropriate fashion.”
Read Mayor Muryn’s full letter to the community below.
Over the past year, we have seen growth in immigrants coming to Findlay and across the State of Ohio. I have answered many emails and phone calls on this topic and addressed it at various community forums but I believe it needs further attention given the continued misinformation being spread online.
I want to first share why I have not written an article on this topic previously. In short, I did not believe calling out a group of legal individuals in our community just because they looked different, sounded different, or were congregated was appropriate. I still do not, however, I also can no longer stand by and allow rumors to inappropriately create a narrative around these individuals.
Today, I want to touch on a couple of topics. These are all complex issues so I will try to keep them brief but please know that there is much more being done than what I touch on. Currently, a group of approximately 40 different local agencies including schools, government, private businesses, faith leaders, and non-profits are working together to establish a formal coalition to support the settlement and integration of this growing population. There are approximately 250 workers, plus some family members.
Legality: The immigrants that we see in our community are largely here through an organization called First Diversity Staffing (see The Courier Article “Migrant Workers help Findlay factory flourish” April 22, 2023, by Denise Grant). These immigrants are here legally and have gone through background screening through the Department of Homeland Security. Many of them have located here because they have family ties (perhaps they spent time here working farms previously), work opportunities, or heard that Hancock County is a great community to be a part of. In the event the Findlay Police Department interacts with an individual that is unable to provide appropriate documentation they take the necessary steps based upon the interaction to resolve it. This could be helping them get replacement paperwork by connecting them with the immigration office, getting a copy of their driver’s license from another state, or in a few minor situations notifying the United States Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I would like to note here that our Police Department has had few interactions most of which have been traffic violations.
Language: Language is certainly the largest barrier that we are working to resolve. We are in discussions with a few different translators or translation services to help in translating for the employers and agencies and also establish a process to help these new community members learn English. A huge thank you to Mission Possible and the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library who have begun classes to help.
Housing: Currently the immigrant workers are living primarily in hotels. This is mainly because there is not sufficient housing available for them to rent AND because they are newly in the country they do not have sufficient background information available to landlords to feel comfortable renting to them. Due to this limited housing availability hotels are their best temporary solution (though not sustainable long term) or some are driving in from surrounding communities.
Social Services: We have seen some of the immigrants utilizing our local nonprofit organizations. We are currently wrapping our arms around this to better understand how we can help educate them on when utilizing a social service is necessary and when it is not. Overall, we are primarily seeing them use services for their young children to get wellness checks, as well as learning the appropriate laws and getting the needed resources such as cribs, diapers, formula, car seats, etc.
The last topic I want to touch on is community. If you have ever traveled to a foreign country that did not speak English I am sure you have experienced that extreme unease which comes from not understanding, not being able to communicate, and the uncertainty if you are going to be able to get around. I know when I have traveled even for just short periods of time (2-3 weeks) that it was extremely stressful. I cannot imagine moving to an entirely foreign country, trying to create a safe life for yourself, and trying to learn the language. That is why my last topic is so critically important. They have primarily fled from countries where gang violence and corrupt governments ruled and where hope was scarce. They are now in a place where there is hope and safety but they still do not know the language, the culture, who they can trust, etc. This is where we all come in. We must find the balance of making them feel welcome while also giving them space. That is why we have established the coalition to be able to target resources, work with some of their community leaders, and help them feel welcome. If you are interested in helping out I would encourage you to reach out to a local nonprofit that you are interested in or reach out to me at mayor@findlayohio.gov so that I may connect you. I would also ask that you not feel entitled to approach their community directly to “help” but rather do so through one of the nonprofits or organizations that has been building a relationship with them.
I am excited to see how these new residents add to our community and hopeful that as we all learn and grow together our lives will be enriched with diversity, culture, and appreciation that in Findlay, Ohio there is an opportunity to live the American dream.
As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 419-424-7137 or via email at mayor@findlayohio.gov.
A school resource officer in McComb was recognized for saving the life of a child who was choking.
Randy Dunn, a private security school resource officer, was monitoring lunchtime in late October when an elementary student started choking.
Officer Dunn performed the Heimlich maneuver on the student, dislodged the food, and got them breathing normally again.
Dunn was presented with a life-saving certificate and plaque by Chief Blanton, of Bee-Safe Security and Investigations, and McComb Principal Jeremy Herr.
“It was an excellent response time,” Herr said.
“Officer Dunn does a great job for us here at the school. He’s respected by pretty much everybody he comes into contact with, treats people fairly and honestly.”
Officer Dunn is pictured below in a post on the Bee-Safe Facebook page.
The Findlay Police Department took to its social media to honor Veterans ahead of Veterans Day, especially the several Veterans it has on the police force.
“Veterans Day is Saturday, November 11 and we will be honoring the military veterans of the United States Armed Forces, especially those who are serving on the Findlay Police Department (Sworn and Auxiliary Officers).”
“On this day, we stand united in respect for you, our veterans. Thank you for your service to our country.”
The Veterans Day Parade is Sunday at 2. Get more details here.
Serving as Prosecuting Attorney in Hancock County for the last seven plus years has been one of the great honors of my career. Working with law enforcement to solve and close cases, bringing justice for victims, and protecting our community are responsibilities I have taken very seriously. I thank each and every law enforcement officer who has worked with myself and my office since October of 2016. Your professionalism has enabled us to do our job everyday-always seeking justice. I also want to thank my staff for taking on the challenges that we have faced along the way. We’ve had a huge increase in drug cases, dealt with horrific violent crimes, and several homicides, yet our staff keeps pursuing justice despite record high caseloads.
I want to continue to serve our community in a meaningful way and I have pondered what that means for me going forward. After a lot of contemplation, prayer, and consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to serve our community is to run for the open Common Pleas Court Judge seat. Today, I took out petitions from the Board of Elections for that seat. I look forward to talking with the residents of Findlay and Hancock County as we move forward with the campaign into the spring. I want to thank the citizens of Hancock County for your trust in me these last 16+ years and I will work to keep that trust in this campaign and beyond.
Library Director Sarah Clevidence says one of the big changes is that they’ll be moving the circulation desk back further to cut down on congestion when people enter and exit the main level.
“I think it’ll be very exciting, you’ll walk in, it won’t be so crowded and congested right when you enter the main level, the staff will be able to see you and greet you, you’ll see this welcome window and some nice color on the walls and hopefully you’ll feel like the library is an inviting and exciting place to visit.”
Sarah said they’ve received feedback from people about how beige the library is and that adding some color to the walls would go a long way to freshening things up.
She says they’ll also be adding a ‘welcome window’ that will welcome people to the library in all the languages spoken in the community.
Sarah says some of the upgrades are being funded by a grant through the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation.
She says the library will remain open for much of the work and she appreciates everyone’s patience.
The pictures above and below are before the refresh got underway as Sarah showed us around.
