Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017

Utility chief plans steps to halt floods

St. Marys

By Ed Gebert
ST. MARYS - City residents may be required to allow city workers access to their homes to ensure sanitary sewer connections are proper.
Jeff Thompson, superintendent of water and sewer service, gave his recommendations Monday at a meeting of the streets and sidewalks committee. That meeting followed a city council meeting last month at which about a dozen city residents came out to complain about flooding in areas of the city.
Thompson admitted that the incident in July was rare in the city, but it was complicated by the failure of an overflow system at the city's southwest pump station. His first solution to implement is to install a backup system with a float to continue pumping if the pumps fail to operate properly. That step is being planned in cooperation with the engineering office.
Beyond installing a float system for the pump station where much of the July flooding hit, Thompson recommended a crackdown on residences with illegal storm sewer hookups. He stated that many homes in St. Marys had hookups which had been legal decades ago but are no longer lawful and could overwhelm the sanitary sewer system.
Noted were homes with downspouts, footer tile or sump pumps connected to the sanitary sewer. Thompson said that he had reviewed the city ordinances and that law director Kraig Noble has been asked to review the legislation to ensure the city has the right to inspect private residences to detect illegal hookups.
Mayor Patrick McGowan confirmed that the matter had been referred to Noble for his legal opinion.
Thompson stated that eliminating these illegal hookups would greatly help the city's wastewater systems, especially during extreme rains such as in July. He noted that council members and administrators would need to decide upon any further action.
He also noted that the planned reconstruction of Spring Street will also help the situation. The project will include increasing the size of pipes from the current 10-inch and 12-inch lines to 15-inch pipe throughout. Work on that project could begin this winter.
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FORT RECOVERY - Village council members are considering rerouting State Route 49 onto Broadway Street and seeking grant money for that and other projects.
MINSTER - Plans are advancing for the $10.3 million renovation of the middle/high school.
Minster Local Schools Superintendent Brenda Boeke at Mond
Deputies to ride local school buses looking for traffic violations
From staff reports
The first day of school brings renewed concerns for the safety of children and motorists, Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey said in a news release.
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Once again Mercer County has the lowest unemployment rate in Ohio.
The rate in 2017 was 3.5 percent, up slightly from 3.4 percent in June and up from 3.2 percent in July 2016, according to data released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Shawnee defeats Celina to begin WBL season
CELINA - The Celina girls tennis team had a tough challenge in the opening match of the Western Buckeye League season on Monday as perennial league power Shawnee came to the Booster Club Tennis Complex.
Area Roundup
Compiled by Colin Foster
St. Marys defeated Wapakoneta 4-1 in the Western Buckeye League opener on Monday in St. Marys.
The Roughriders - coming off a second-place finish in last weekend's Schroeder Invitational - improved to 3-1 overall.
CELINA - The dream job for Brennen Bader has been becoming the head coach for his alma mater's football team.
So when the chance came up to take over the Celina Bulldogs, the 2003 graduate was ready.
COLDWATER - One of the Coldwater football slogans used over the years has been "Next Man Up."
Mostly, it had meant when a player went down with an injury, his backup would already be ready to take the place.
FORT RECOVERY - Free Willy ... Where there's a Will there's a way ... Good Will Running ... Fort Recovery scatback Will Homan has heard a variety of popular expressions using his name since he burst onto the scene in 2015.
MARIA STEIN - The 2016 football season ended just as Marion Local players, coaches and fans hoped it would: with the Blue and Gold hoisting the Division VI state football championship trophy at Ohio Stadium.
MINSTER - The exciting news for those on the Minster football schedule this season is that the Wildcats are looking to replace their entire offensive line as well as playmakers Jonathan Niemeyer and Bryce Schmiesing.
NEW BREMEN - The New Bremen football program is on a growth path, and coach Chris Schmidt is looking to take another big step forward this fall.
Wh
ROCKFORD - Parkway's Caden May opened last season with two touchdowns against Crestview.
Big-play May was just getting warmed up.
As a junior,
ST. HENRY - Daylon Lange did not win St. Henry's starting quarterback job in the preseason last year.
He won it in Week 3, though.
Head coach B
ST. MARYS - Doug Frye has been a head football coach for the past 31 years of his life. Toss in his time as an assistant coach and before that as a player, the veteran is well into his fourth decade of the sport, but that hasn't dimmed his fire whatsoever over the course of time.
CELINA - After a spectacular season which included the program's 26th Western Buckeye League title and the first trip to the regional in five years, Celina will have some spots to fill on the volleyball court this season after six seniors graduated in the spring.
COLDWATER - Coldwater volleyball coach Nikki Etzler has an experienced squad coming back from last season's 22-5 district championship squad.
While the team will miss senior hitters Danielle Welsch and Paige Hartings and setter/hitter Katie McKibben, the Cavaliers are loaded at all the key spots.
FORT RECOVERY - The Midwest Athletic Conference is loaded with great teams this year.
Fort Recovery coach Chelsea Rogers believes her team is one of them.
MARIA STEIN - Going into her third season as head coach, Erica Schulze will look to take the next step and bring the Flyers success in the postseason
MINSTER - Following their strong finish to the 2016 campaign, Minster head coach Cami Garman hopes her volleyball squad can carry that momentum into the 2017 season where they look to improve upon their 16-9 overall record from a year ago.
NEW BREMEN - Second-year New Bremen volleyball coach Diana Kramer has a lofty goal for the 2017 season.
"We want to win our last game of the season," she said.
ROCKFORD - Parkway claimed its first sectional title since 2010 last season.
Second-year coach Jordan Henkle is hopeful the Panthers can build off that this season, though they'll have to do so with some new personnel.
ST. HENRY - Another year of St. Henry volleyball has begun.
And just like every other year, the Redskins expect to compete for a Midwest Athletic Conference title and have a deep postseason run.
ST. MARYS - As he enters his second season in charge of the St. Marys volleyball program, head coach Andy Rammel looks to improve upon his team's 14-10 finish from a season ago, a campaign in which the Roughriders finished 7-2 and in third place in the Western Buckeye League standings.