Seneca County plans large bus garage, begins preparations for solar eclipse event in 2024

Tiffin, Ohio — The Seneca County Board of Commissioners has given the green light to Seneca Crawford Area Transportation (SCAT) Executive Director, Mary Habig, to seek grant funding for a large bus garage structure.

The structure will be built for her agency and the Seneca County Opportunity Center. The garage is estimated to cost around $4 million and is planned to be constructed on the county’s southern campus behind the SCAT office and close to the Opportunity Center.

Habig visited the commissioners on Tuesday morning to request approval to move forward in obtaining grant money from various sources to help pay for the project. Although she did not request funding, she wanted to share the idea with the board because the location where the garage would be built is owned by the county.

Habig’s goal is to have the garage completed in 2024, which means requests for proposals and other preliminary steps need to be taken this year. The commissioners have requested Habig to keep them updated throughout the process.

The county is also preparing for the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse. Seneca County Emergency Management Agency Administrator, John Spahr, spoke to the commissioners about the work being done to prepare for the event. The centerline of the total solar eclipse will pass through Seneca County next year. This event is the first in Ohio since 1806, and another won’t occur until 2099.

According to Eclipse2024.org, the partial phase of the eclipse is expected to begin around 1:56 p.m., and at 3:11 p.m., totality is expected to begin. In Seneca County, the phase is expected to last almost 4 minutes. Spahr said that community leaders will gather in two weeks to discuss logistics and safety surrounding the event. The county’s population could triple, with visitors from across the nation and the world, according to the commissioners.

Spahr said a community meeting will be scheduled for a later date to update the community about the event and the efforts being made to deal with the unique challenges of this rare event.

In other news, the newest member of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership, Donna Gross, was congratulated by Commissioner Tyler Shuff.

Gross will take on the Downtown Tiffin Main Street Manager role, following the departure of long-time manager Amy Reinhart. Gross is a successful entrepreneur and owns her small business, Relevé Barre Studio, with locations in Downtown Tiffin and Birmingham, Michigan. She is a graduate of Heidelberg University with degrees in Business Administration and Public Relations and currently teaches there as an adjunct professor.

In new business, the commissioners approved:

• A $45,197.21 supplemental appropriation to the Community Development Block Grant Fund for the Fostoria ADA ramps project.
• A $13,142.87 supplemental appropriation to the Enterprise Zone Fund for contract services.
• A $431,800 supplemental appropriation to the Community-Based Correction Facility Fund for capital improvements.
• A $1,098 supplemental appropriation to the General Special Projects fund for contract services.
• A $3,900 supplemental appropriation to the General Fund for software licenses/services.
• A fund transfer to the Loan Repayment Fund.
• A fund transfer to the Justice Center Operating Fund.
• Setting time, date and place to receive sealed bids for the CR 27, 38 and TR 194 superstructure replacement – prestressed box beams project.
• Authorizing Oriana House to enter into a contract with JB Roofing.