Searings Receive PCED Membership Award

Searings Receive PCED Membership Award

It takes more than businesses investing in your Paulding County Economic Development office to make it work. It requires committed and passionate community investors as well. We recognize two of the best in Paulding County this week. Receiving their 20 year investment membership award this year are Stan and Barb Searing. Their personal commitment to the county and to investment into this office are what true leaders do and we should all follow. The PCED office acknowledges Barb and Stan for their 20 years of continued membership support.

The PCED office wasn’t able to host the annual appreciation banquet in 2020, but that does not mean we do not have great things happening. 2020 was the 20th year of having an Economic Development office in Paulding County. With that we want to acknowledge and thank those that have been investment members with PCED since the beginning.

Thank you, Searings!

 
 
The Reservoir War Marker Has Been Dedicated

The Reservoir War Marker Has Been Dedicated

On Saturday, April 24 the residents of Paulding County dedicated a new historical marker for the preservation of the memory of the Reservoir War that took place just east of Antwerp. The commemoration took place at the corner of Country Rd 180 and Rd 177. There were over 110 people present to enjoy the marked occasion. The plaque was the culmination of many hours of work by Jane Nice, local author, and Michael Wehrkamp, Paulding County Probate and Juvenile Judge.

Click here to watch the video brought to you by West Bend News: https://youtu.be/BndpocvWAuo

Reservoir War Historical Marker to be Dedicated in Rural Antwerp

Reservoir War Historical Marker to be Dedicated in Rural Antwerp

 The historical marker to be placed at the site of the 1887 Reservoir War will be dedicated on Saturday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. Originally scheduled for April 2020, the dedication was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony will take place east of Antwerp at the intersection of Canal Road (County Road 180) and High Road (Township Road 77) in Crane Township. The marker is being placed at the northeast corner of the former Six Mile Reservoir where 134 years ago locals, fed up with the disease-causing stagnant body of water, dynamited the banks of the reservoir, as well as some of the locks along the Wabash & Erie Canal, after earlier legal avenues to abandon the reservoir and canal were defeated.

Paulding County’s motto, “No Compromise!,” came from a banner carried by the “Dynamiters” in the Reservoir War.

The historical events surrounding the destruction of the reservoir by an anonymous band of locals have long interested Judge Michael Wehrkamp and author and historian Jane Nice, who joined forces to apply for the marker through the Ohio History Connection in 2019.

To not be able to dedicate the marker in 2020 as part of Paulding County’s Bicentennial was disappointing to Wehrkamp and Nice.

“Ironically, we have had to do so much compromising this past year,” said Nice. “We are just happy to be able to see this project finally happen, and to preserve this important piece of our history for years to come.”

Wehrkamp agrees, “We are thrilled to be dedicating the marker, especially on the eve of the 134th anniversary of the Reservoir War. Our aim is to provide a memorable ceremony that honors the event and all those who have made the marker possible.”

Among other information, the application for the historical marker called for a statement of significance, which essentially is a documented research paper, as well as proposed marker language. Wehrkamp and Nice collaborated over several months to finalize the application. Out of the 70 applications the Ohio History Connection received that year, the Reservoir War marker was one of 27 chosen, and one of ten to receive a $1,000 grant.

The Reservoir War marker will be the fifth of its kind to be placed within the county. Others are at the Paulding County Courthouse, the main branch of the Paulding County Carnegie Library, downtown Antwerp, and in Junction at the intersection of the Miami & Erie and Wabash & Erie canals.

Cooper Farms, Inc., the John Paulding Historical Society, the Antwerp Community Development Committee, and the Ohio History Connection sponsored the marker.

The marker dedication will be held rain or shine, and a reception with refreshments will immediately follow at the Antwerp Schools auditorium. COVID-19 protocols will be followed. The event is open to the public.

 
 
 
Haviland Drainage & Products Receives PCED Membership Award

Haviland Drainage & Products Receives PCED Membership Award

Haviland Drainage Products produces storm water drainage products for both the agricultural and commercial markets. A local family ran business, Haviland Drainage is able to provide a multitude of drainage products to suite the needs of their customers.

Haviland Plastics received their 20 year PCED investment membership award this year. We appreciate their continued support and contribution.

Your PCED office wasn’t able to host our annual appreciation banquet in 2020, but it didn’t mean we didn’t have great things happening. 2020 was the 20th year of having an Economic Development office in Paulding County. With that we want to acknowledge and thank those that have been investment members with PCED since the beginning. THANK YOU Ross Stoller and Gary Lewis at Haviland Drainage Products! It’s partners like you that keep us all
#pauldingcountystrong

Baughman Tile Receives PCED Membership Award

Baughman Tile Receives PCED Membership Award

Baughman Tile is another business receiving their 20 year investment membership award this year. With over 130 years in business and 5 generations of devotion Baughman Tile has advanced to the business it is today. The Baughman family and entire team is not only a long standing investment supporter in your PCED office, but their commitment to the Paulding County community seems never-ending. The PCED office acknowledges Manager Eric Baughman and the Baughman Tile team for their 20 years of continued membership support!


Your PCED office wasn’t able to host our annual appreciation banquet in 2020, but it didn’t mean we didn’t have great things happening. 2020 was the 20th year of having an Economic Development office in Paulding County. With that we want to acknowledge and thank those that have been investment members with PCED since the beginning. THANK YOU Baughman Tile! It’s partners like you that keep us all #pauldingcountystrong

Broughton Park Coming Together

Broughton Park Coming Together

This Paulding County town now has a small park with plans to continue improving it in small measures.

Located next to the village office and just east of County Road 123 (Broughton Pike), the park was established recently on land already owned by Broughton’s municipal government, according to long-time resident John Daeger, the mayor’s representative on the Paulding County Vision Board.

At the center of the new park is a pavilion measuring 24 feet by 24 feet with a concrete floor, completed in September 2020 and made possible by EDP Renewables, a renewable energy company with a presence in Paulding County. Daeger said EDP’s $5,000 grant was matched by $5,000 in village funds.

The park also has a swing set, porch swing and teeter totter to the east of the pavilion.

Daeger credited Broughton Mayor Donna Greear for pushing forward with the park and playground idea, while Broughton’s village council consented to move forward in 2018.

“We’ve seen quite a bit of usage,” said Daeger. “I live just across the road, within 200 yards, and a lot of young families bring their kids.”

While those improvements have been made, the town — population, about 113 — also would like to add some additional playground amenities, such as a slide or a merry-go-round. This may be possible with some $2,000 donated for park equipment by women in the town, according to Daeger.

And to make the park more accessible, a small stone parking lot is planned along Broughton Pike.

 

The Paulding County Vision Board and Paulding Area Foundation recently applied to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for related grant funding, Daeger explained. The result was a $4,124 grant to build a lot 25 foot deep and 60 foot wide — enough room for five or six vehicles — this year, he said.

The village used CARES Relief Act funds last year to purchase several picnic tables that will be added to the park pavilion once they are assembled, according to Daeger. And this money also financed improvements to the village office, an older-looking building that is in very good condition. (The building has a bell tower, with the bell on display immediately south of the structure.)

The building upgrade included a new heating system — which is quite a change, given that portable electric heaters were used for council meetings before the improvement was made in December — as well as new tables and chairs. The lack of heat had meant that past meetings were held in cramped quarters, he indicated.

Daeger said it has made a “tremendous” difference, with meetings now in a larger space.

This year, the town also hopes to paint the inside of the village office, seal the outside and add some landscaping, according to Daeger.

Other town improvements have been made recently as well, such as a new culvert on Broughton Pike crossing a small creek, and the removal of blighted buildings or debris on eight different properties with the help of the county land bank. Daeger said the town has about three more to go.

“We got the low-hanging fruit,” he said, noting the difficulty in reaching the remaining ones, “but we’re making progress.”