[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6264884,"mediaKeyId","3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186","parentId",3095773,"title","Mayor spotlights tree grants, wetlands restoration and parks projects including new pickleball courts","audioSeconds",1160,"startMs",2346000,"endMs",3506000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186&start=2346&end=3506","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186/thumbnail_2346000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6264884/Ohio/Mayor-spotlights-tree-grants-wetlands-restoration-and-parks-projects-including-new-pickleball-courts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264884-55ec08eb00d77ef4ffe0ac911b1c64fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770981828&Signature=GJdSWKGPXG~rMoBedE6T~TbE5wxgSOR2wNLG6QE8z2CfXXjtBq8GNbZruYgK7~zniUsna1zJ9COOMkboGtyuu5VVwrE6e461brs~5~cl7UtKEs3bYyS-IT6KXEvxqRAakmWZMElvrjwbmRCumNmTYDSnWxEco~a2UjOpIFwPqA-NA5sLLjMJnvZGzDtx3S0PeQA3t~aObvucRElINZZM2YKN8QQ6oqaaUJEucR7WGr801hCNT~tB-DBQmKxQbqzxcKMkzh2Qz0R0cQ~GEA4k-hDx61KrhwoqfqtTQAn9sq6L5g2MyAAGvUsWZvrtB0UiVTS6vwjV1sYX2i-7oSiHrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Tiffin, OH ","date","2025-04-23T16:22:51.55Z","article","Mayor (name not specified) described multiple parks and urban-forest projects the city has advanced with grants and private donations, noting the city received roughly $68,644 in Inflation Reduction Act funds and other sources for tree inventory and planting and that Tiffin has been designated Tree City USA for 44 consecutive years.

The mayor said the city planted 52 trees recently, completed a tree inventory and developed a master planting design funded by the grant, and qualified for the Arbor Day growth award for the sixth time. He announced a voluntary tree-lawn reclamation program using grant funds to convert eroded or stone-covered strips next to streets back into vegetated tree lawns; participation is voluntary and residents may contact public works to request the service.

Parks and Recreation highlights included a grant-funded Hedges Boyer Wetlands project, funded with about $185,000 in H2Ohio funds, intended to mitigate flooding downstream at Rock Creek ballfields and to provide wildlife habitat and education opportunities as plantings mature. The mayor said a private donor and park volunteers supported a planned contemplative labyrinth (“Labyrinth/Contemplation area”) for a September 2025 opening funded by private donation.

The mayor also noted seasonal recreation successes: a winter ice rink hosted nearly 2,000 skaters across December–January, parks staff saved money on court prep work for new tennis and pickleball courts, and accessibility and nature-trail improvements are planned using applicable grants.

The mayor emphasized that many of these projects were collaborative across city departments, volunteers and grant programs; he did not report a council vote during the address.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2024 Tiffin OH State of the City Address","oneSentenceSummary","Tiffin received Inflation Reduction Act funding and other grants for a tree inventory and planting, planted 52 trees, advanced a voluntary tree-lawn restoration program, completed a grant-funded wetlands project, and plans new recreation amenities including pickleball courts and a labyrinth funded by private donation.","taxTitle","Tiffin City Council, Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio","taxId",71490,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264889,"Mayor highlights restored K-9, DARE funding and full fire staffing after FEMA grant",523,2799000,3322000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186&start=2799&end=3322","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186/thumbnail_2799000.jpg","/articles/6264889/Ohio/Mayor-highlights-restored-K-9-DARE-funding-and-full-fire-staffing-after-FEMA-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264889-6cee5a1fff32969a9adae75121388d52/orig.mp4?Expires=1770981828&Signature=hPad-E5jADMBxNtVLv14W8qaeRs6sbHHC8x5yT8t99BHMUovcA5YNw-T52O51eLqkqFnsZLXA-aArKbkicJdKbko9n1Mf7TAoqTvyq6o2Oa484C9VtBSC204S-nUf1oE-GBN-gaC16HPxsJ2xF2TEusmGVL8lGkFMM8cAcS4jIVlTdb7EOpqREpm67Z9XIpxUOhF~6JpzoYYLCdHgHY2kfeXdygTL8UID0ZKwsw3lYRZ6A2hhavwciVv1LmqZRpfIuvwfZKf8Y-982ML8UPB1EvEZUaqYan8H2jRyhsyx8t36FLI~v9skt~9fJLq0TOiEYpXSs5e7Ob-dpYFflldKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor (name not specified) highlighted public safety programs and funding that the city says contributed to returning the K-9 unit, restoring bicycle patrol, supporting DARE instruction in schools, and fully staffing the fire department for the first time in seven years.

The mayor said the County Kiwanis Club raised $30,000 to bring back the police K-9 unit and that the bicycle patrol will return when weather permits. He said the police department has maintained a Lexipol Gold recognition for policy and training standards and that the DARE program will be paid for with opioid settlement funds.

On staffing, the mayor said Police Chief Hawley is reorganizing department assignments with the stated aim of placing more sworn officers on patrol and fewer behind desks; the mayor said the restructuring is intended to boost street presence and reduce salary overhead. He also listed equipment priorities included in the police capital request: upgraded radar units, dash cams and body-worn cameras.

The mayor said the fire department is fully staffed for the first time in seven years, which he said has reduced overtime and callbacks. He also announced a $265,000 FEMA grant for safety equipment that the department received in 2024, and he praised the fire department’s youth engagement such as the Fire Youth Academy.

The remarks were descriptive of programs and grant awards; the mayor did not report a formal council action on the K-9 donation, DARE funding allocation or FEMA grant during the State of the City address.

","The mayor said Tiffin restored its police K-9 unit with $30,000 raised by the county Kiwanis Club, will fund DARE from opioid settlement money, plans police restructuring for more street officers, and said the fire department is fully staffed after hiring that reduced overtime and won a $265,000 FEMA equipment grant.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264894,"Tiffin awarded $2.75 million Welcome Home Ohio grant for workforce housing; donated lots to start building",172,3807000,3979000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186&start=3807&end=3979","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186/thumbnail_3807000.jpg","/articles/6264894/Ohio/Tiffin-awarded-275-million-Welcome-Home-Ohio-grant-for-workforce-housing-donated-lots-to-start-building","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264894-aa46383fd9e6e617e8c3e6ed24fe91e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770981828&Signature=FGJ5D8K0n8izky-OZuxa6bQNNLRJ2dP5r~KnXkVfbSnZnMbJHrvqx2GoOQwzOkZoOrcQUcSXPF3Mm-ydQtby~9n1KgmG1GuaO2E28cQ44Ayv5H4hDwA3UcdsrveSAUQxL2tk~OD4tcYEatbWV38mGw7Z2mdEsdXxBNxso49OPKtATPIAYCDSWBk9VcVupsnj98nCIVZdWjdqVt3avMXwWWUKe2N73Zvju1H5Qyclwd5rwQ5NGbefloI5LRi8K1HeccWzkU08RKkV7R8AbRRLsDzeItQIVGwE5s-QIwoSjqV3wYCbMhz~5jeWGHXb9sx-QjppIPsh0PuvFbZcLfSQBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor (name not specified) announced that a regional application including the City of Tiffin and the City of Fostoria was awarded $2,750,000 under the Welcome Home Ohio program to support construction of workforce housing lots and infrastructure.

The mayor described early site selection challenges, saying some initially chosen lots lacked adequate infrastructure. He thanked Dan and Nikki Reineke for donating property that will allow the project to proceed in Tiffin. He said the grant will pay for infrastructure work and site preparation so homes can be built and sold to end buyers for $180,000 or less.

The mayor said the program is intended to be cyclical: initial grant funds prepare sites and, as homes are sold, returns will be used to support additional units. He told the audience local banks have committed to partnering with Jelcap to help buyers meet down-payment and financing requirements and that Jelcap will provide homeownership education and monitoring for new buyers.

The mayor described the award as a collaborative regional effort involving TCEPI, Fostoria economic development partners and local banks; he said the grant amount was not exactly what the cities requested but was welcome nonetheless. He estimated site work could begin as early as summer, with houses visible later in the year.

No council action or vote on the grant acceptance was announced during the remarks; the mayor described the grant award, the donated property, and the financing and counseling partners who will assist future buyers.

","Tiffin and Fostoria won a $2,750,000 Welcome Home Ohio grant to build workforce housing; donated property will be prepared and houses sold for $180,000 or less, with local banks and Jelcap assisting buyer qualification.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264899,"Mayor urges voters to back road-and-bridge levy as city maps 2025 paving projects",83,1477000,1560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186&start=1477&end=1560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186/thumbnail_1477000.jpg","/articles/6264899/Ohio/Mayor-urges-voters-to-back-road-and-bridge-levy-as-city-maps-2025-paving-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264899-aa007f419cd5540c303ff71c0f896ad4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770981828&Signature=l2VOZRo5WGSsL7cG3l5Sub6W3vocduf-FOqfS6yadqsT1dOwoErzcqyyByr5aYFXLFboIC9nPOvo4mQXLy7qJYMCHiObtD2TZW39absZ00AlvP0o8LVuC2-120LpMAqhpXHg5bJpMYzgPeLWTnubuQHm8iPFtDPmGl5-HS-b4xT0F2iLgGBLNRd6LV0NqD5enlDuGMyBsuY~GW8rUyjeNfgL5Vw0mK~Y~BCIEqsuXpkwPteFZnYljNxEP9Cjl4~bSPkX34JzQ~obBn0R5H-Mu147~85MTeOh9FfOciQV0ESOXg7YD9bX08U3VLZHHAhxWRL9D20S7mQFI2dYQgI3~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor (name not specified) told attendees the city has a multi-year streets and bridges program, and he urged support for the May 6 road-and-bridge levy that helps secure matching state and federal funds for local projects.

The mayor said the levy, listed as “Road and Bridge Levy, Ohio Issue 2” on the May 6 ballot, brings in roughly $1.1 million to $1.5 million annually and has helped the city secure substantial state and federal grant funding since 2018. He said that leveraging local levy dollars makes the city more competitive for outside funds because applicants must show local contribution to be awarded grants.

City engineering has a mapped 2025 paving program, the mayor said, and that the Court Street streetscape project is already underway. He described measures to extend pavement life — including applying a rejuvenator on recently paved streets — and said the 2024 paving work will be covered mostly by grants (the mayor cited up to $335,000 at an 80% grant rate for a 2024 paving project).

The mayor credited the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) and other programs for funding and noted that the levy itself does not increase statewide taxes; rather, it provides local matching capacity to attract grants. He encouraged residents to review the publicly available engineering maps to see scheduled work on specific streets.

The mayor also thanked Public Works staff for in-house work that saved the city money on prior projects, including backflow preventer work done by city crews that the mayor said cost about $92,800 versus a previous projection near $1,590,000.

No formal council vote on the levy was recorded in the speech; the mayor’s remarks were a public explanation of the levy’s role and the engineering department’s project planning.

","Tiffin’s mayor outlined plans for street paving, the Court Street streetscape and road maintenance funded in part by a May 6 road-and-bridge levy and state grants administered through OPWC.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264904,"Mayor outlines EPA-mandated LTCP, new treatment technology and grant-funded sewer work",314,1775000,2089000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186&start=1775&end=2089","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3095773-ac8eb606eaec7f684155617552b24186/thumbnail_1775000.jpg","/articles/6264904/Ohio/Mayor-outlines-EPA-mandated-LTCP-new-treatment-technology-and-grant-funded-sewer-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264904-ca7e47019a594f8632d790f487ac97a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770981828&Signature=PBJCwMR-7G1DR2lCNM2kL8xiQOaNuVlfYxVTXEt1EbA2osArmgWA7mmZBHoyAcEG1ixJK0IOWcxcZ4uQ2tDKf5oYbBsP4-VUSqG33ehLgM9OYRBR-R1XFvqCYgx3lgvClcEWm78-O~9E2ZfP42uZc2T01ASozIOn3EXAwbsy9714zMkARlfLw-s4g5q4IOlIt~For2p2M4c8v56fnh-3wF1D7NCapVJCD4ww~Td0CnRobvCdMyjyqxUzzynFU~aAm5AYBNZ2frOqIbpV-wTM6v-Bcm68dmDLuj~nOmZqcLrrdHcCoIg6Br7pdBYkuRtIpe4nZ3KpFt~F1VRBOEuu4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor (name not specified) said Tiffin is proceeding with a federally driven Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements, and that recent technical and funding choices have substantially changed the city’s cost profile.

The mayor told an audience at the State of the City event that the LTCP remains the “big heavy lift” and that the full plan was estimated at $160,000,000. He said newer high-rate treatment (HRT) technology and a shortened main interceptor alignment will markably reduce costs: “this should save us about 20,000,000,” he said.

The plan’s scope includes interceptors and storage components previously envisioned as an over-a-mile main interceptor and a large equalization (EQ) basin. The mayor described the EQ basin as expensive — he recalled prior estimates of roughly $22,000,000 for an EQ tank — and said the HRT approach allowed the city to buy property nearer the plant and avoid the larger EQ basin.

City engineering work in 2024, the mayor said, relied on a mix of principal-forgiveness loans and grants: $4,000,000 from the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) in principal forgiveness, roughly $390,000 from an Ohio Water and Wastewater grant program, and “over $2,000,000” in other grants for sewer projects handled by the engineering department. He also said the city received substantial state, local and federal grant funding for other infrastructure projects that do not rely on local taxes.

Mayor (name not specified) credited city staff and the engineering department — especially City Engineer Matt Watson — for pursuing technical options and grant funding that trimmed the project bill. He said wastewater plant staff reviewed HRT in Indiana before recommending it, and that the city bought nearby property on Harrison and Water Street for the new treatment footprint.

The mayor framed the LTCP as an urgency for cost reasons: “if you put it off, it's just going to get more expensive,” he said, reiterating the administration’s preference to “stick to the plan.” He also described the WPCLF principal-forgiveness loans as functionally similar to grants for the projects benefited.

The mayor’s remarks did not include a council vote or final contract award related to the LTCP; he described planning decisions, grant awards and property purchases made to date and credited staff work but did not list a formal board action during the event.

Background and next steps: the mayor said the LTCP work is multi-phase and will continue to rely on a combination of federal/state grants, WPCLF assistance and local planning. He encouraged staying with the published plan to limit future escalation in cost and said the engineering department has mapped project phases and timelines.

","Tiffin’s mayor said the city is moving forward on an EPA-mandated Long Term Control Plan estimated at $160 million, that new high-rate treatment technology will cut the price by about $20 million, and that recent sewer projects were heavily funded by loan forgiveness and grants.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mayor spotlights tree grants, wetlands restoration and parks projects including new pickleball courts

Mayor highlights restored K-9, DARE funding and full fire staffing after FEMA grant

Tiffin awarded $2.75 million Welcome Home Ohio grant for workforce housing; donated lots to start building

Mayor urges voters to back road-and-bridge levy as city maps 2025 paving projects

Mayor outlines EPA-mandated LTCP, new treatment technology and grant-funded sewer work