Park Board hosts groundbreaking for new Nature Ed. Center

FOSTORIA—The Seneca County Park District Board hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the new Nature Education Center building site at Fruth Wetland Nature Preserve (10130 SR 18) following the monthly board meeting Tuesday. The project began with early site preparation and is slated to be completed by Clouse Construction next year. In a press release from Sarah Betts, executive director, said "This facility will be an incredible addition to the parks. It will be the first climate-controlled building available for public programming year-round and public use in the park system." Betts continued, explaining that this handicapped accessible facility will include park administrative and education office space, a large rentable education/activity room, and indoor restrooms. This building, said Betts, is being made possible through many donors and sponsors; all listed the park website at www.SenecaCountyParks.com. Park Board Chairman Jakob Boehler noted a special thank you to the current sponsors: National Machinery Foundation, the Tiffin Community Foundation and White Family Charitable Fund, the Webster Foundation, North Central Electric Cooperative, and the generous donation who started off the building fund from Sutton Bank. Boehler said, "It is heartwarming to see the support from so many individuals and businesses for this permanent park improvement that will positively impact so many residents for years to come. Building donations and sponsorships are still being accepted at the Park Office or online at www.SenecaCountyParks.com. A minimum donation of $250 is all it takes to be included in the "Treefrog" donor level that will be listed on the donor wall in the building. Other donor levels include: $500 Dragonfly, $1,000 Wood Duck, $5,000 Great Blue Heron; Sponsorship levels include: $10,000 Bronze, $25,000 Silver, $50,000 Gold, and $100,000 Platinum. In Other News Additionally during the meeting, Patrick Heckler was invited to speak. Heckler is a Boy Scout from Tiffin Troop #444 who presented an Eagle Scout Project idea to place permanent color blind accessibility viewers in a couple of park locations so people with this disability can enjoy viewing the vast array of fall color locally. One in twelve men and one in 200 women are color blind, making it one of the most common disabilities across all age groups. Heckler chose this project because it was personal, as he is also color blind. After his project paperwork is finalized, Hecker said he would begin fundraising for these units. Each unit is specifically designed for being permanently placed outdoors and costs around $3,500 each. He plans to include one to two park locations, but will put in as many as he can raise funds for (Tennessee has them placed across the state for visitors to use). Hecker said information should be coming soon with how donations will be accepted for his project. Linda Rose, naturalist and preschool coordinator, reviewed current program numbers and said all summer camps are done and preschool has begun. She also noted a new evening program that will be offered at 7 p.m. Nov. 2, at Fruth Wetland Nature Preserve entitled "Glo-vember." Kim Wickman, operations manager, mentioned that the St. John's Mill River Access site is going to remain closed for a short while as additional site cleanup was needed after the parking lot was installed. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 8 at Tiffin University Nature Preserve (or at Park Office if inclement weather).