This newsletter is distributed by the Franklin Township Board of Trustees. The goal of the newsletter is to inform area citizens of the activities in Franklin Township.

Franklin Township is working on many projects as well as other activities that contribute to the quality of life for all who live, work and play here. We have many initiatives that will ultimately enable our community to grow and develop. Contact us with questions, comments and concerns.

Franklin Township meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the township office.

The Franklin Township Zoning Board of Appeals (BZA) hears requests for variances. These requests are made by individuals who wish to vary from the Zoning Code restrictions on a particular parcel of land. There are two types of variances: area variances (those authorizing departures from yard and height restrictions) and use variances (those authorizing uses not expressly permitted by the Code.)

The lake is full! So lets get out and enjoy a safe season on the lake. Our next meeting will be May 5, 2001 at 10:00 am. I promise you it will be interesting, informative and enjoyable.

We need new and old members to renew their $10.00 membership. This association can be a strong influence but, we need the membership to be active.

We have many planned activities and guest speakers. The best way to get the good information is to attend our meetings. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Well another winter has past and spring is here. It's time to drag that boat out of storage and get it ready for those sunny days to come. With that, remember to check your watercraftÕs license, this is easy to forget because it is valid for three years. Also, this is a good time to check all of your safety equipment.

Dock registration renewal deadline is May 1. Anyone who has a dock or boat in or over the state water must pay a private dock license fee. Also, we would like for everyone to be informed that construction of a new dock or seawall requires a permit from the park office. This permit process also applies to rip rapping of shoreline.

Since the last publication many of the projects mentioned in the last newsletter are now in motion. If you take a drive to Windy Point state park you will observe a new shelter house well under construction. Also many improvements to the boat launch ramps and associated area. The It's It launch ramp renovation project will be starting soon.

Anyone who has driven on Club Island Road has noticed a "dredge material relocation area" under construction on the Gilliand property. Basically, this is an above ground "pond" designed for the dredges to pump silt into from out of the lake. Then as time passes, the dirt settles and it can be leveled off as it dries.

Major projects on the state park lands include launch ramp renovations, courtesy dock and light installation at Windy Point and It's It areas.

We are also completing the construction of a new shelter house at Windy Point.

The spring paving projects will be underway at East Bank Road and at the camp entrance. Wastewater system rehab will also occur in the state park campground as well as many other projects.

The club established in the late 1940's, was organized and charted in 1951. Our mission is to support all sporting activities on Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio and conservation of all forms in the state of Ohio.

Donations were recently made by the Sportman Club to Pheasants Forever - $1,000; and the Montezuma Village Park Fund - $1,000.

In 1991, Franklin Township started a Cloverbud 4-H Club. It was named the Busy Beavers and consisted of 22 children in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Cloverbuds are children who explore areas of healthy living, earth environment, citizenship, plants, animals, consumer skills, science and technology, personality development and expressive arts. The primary goal of the Cloverbud program is to promote children's healthy development - mentally, physically, socially and emotionally.

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Franklin Township Building. Guest speakers are present at several of the meetings throughout the year.

Anyone who wishes to become a Cloverbud member should call one of the advisors - Connie Davenport 268-2369 or Sharon Nixon 586-1818.

The Franklin 4-H Clovers are one of two area clubs;, this group has been in existence for over 40 years.

In 2000, the Franklin Clovers had 45 members led by three volunteer advisors. The Clovers completed 63 projects, received many Best-In-Class awards, sent six members to the State Fair competition, won recognition for their booth display at the Mercer County Fair and sent two girls to State Conservation Camp in Licking County to learn about natural resources and land usage.

Our club members took on 26 livestock/animal projects with a few of the kids boasting some truly excellent accomplishments. Several younger members attended 4-H Camp at Harbor Point and one young lady was chosen as an outstanding Councilor-in-Training.

Plans are being set for another action-packed agenda in 2001.

Members will begin taking orders for Easter candy sales, the main fund raiser, to cover some club expenses.

The Auglaize and Mercer Counties Convention and Visitors Bureau's Marketing Committee has been working diligently to develop and implement its 2001 marketing plan. One of the committee's main objectives for the year has been the placement of a billboard on I-75. Ten thousand dollars was set aside for this project. Working with Delite Advertising, the billboard is now in place near the 112 mile marker on southbound I-75. The billboard will direct visitors to the Grand Lake St. Marys Tourism Gateway at Exits 110 and 111. The colorful billboard highlights the lake, antiques, museums, and festivals.

In addition to the billboard, the Marketing Committee will be working with businesses along Bellefontaine Street at Exit 111 in Wapakoneta to provide visitor information to those customers who stop to eat or buy merchandise or gasoline. Tourist information signs, stickers and flags as well as brochure racks will be provided to Bellefontaine Street merchants to assist in providing tourists with information to guide them throughout the two county area.

The CVB hosted a special news conference on Friday, April 6, to unveil the new sign and the Bellefontaine Street project. The conference took place at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.

Regular monthly meetings are held the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Franklin Township office located 6805 SR 219.

Trail paving through Zuma Park will take place this spring. We will be doubling the length of the trail and will go entirely around the park. The trail will run from State Route 219 at the bridge to State Route 219 on the north side of the Celina City School property.

The Mercer County Sanitary Department is in the process of making an improvement to the system. We will be dividing the sanitary sewer system in half. The point of separation will be at the lift station at the corner of State Route 219 and Windy Point Road. This upgrade will be two-fold.

First: It will take a big load off our main lift station in downtown Montezuma. By adding this, it will make a big difference during wet springs when the heavy rains fall and when the snow melts while the ground is still frozen. It is during these times that the potential for system overflow is the greatest. By splitting up the system we greatly reduce the potential of this happening.

Second: As many of the customers know, development on the east end of our system is moving at a rapid pace. This upgrade will allow development to continue without effecting people on the west end of the system.

It is important to note that these upgrades will be made without any additional costs to current customers.

The Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed Project is partnering with the Auglaize-Mercer Chapter of Pheasants Forever to help them purchase a seed drill. The drill is specially equipped for warm season grass seeding. Pheasants Forever has been working to improve habitat for pheasants and other wildlife, and is offering this drill to landowners who would like to use warm season grasses on buffer areas and filter strips.

Warm season grasses provide habitat and cover for pheasants and other species of wildlife. The grasses are slow to establish, but proper seeding with proper equipment can ensure a high degree of success with a weed-free stand. These native grasses are adapted to the hot dry summers, and work well on filter strips to retain soil and nutrients that would otherwise cause pollution problems.

Pheasants Forever is offering $100 per acre for seeding CREP filter strips with warm season grasses. The group is also selling warm season grass seed mixes to other landowners interested in creating wildlife habitat.

If you have a buffer area you would like to seed into warm season grasses with this equipment, or if you would like more information about seed purchase, contact Gary Steinbrunner, Auglaize-Mercer Pheasants Forever, at 419-375-4951 (day) or 419-375-2502 (evening).

Transportation plays a major role in the economic development of communities. Business and industry are attracted to areas where there is good access to one or more transportation systems because travel time is often directly related to cost or profit. Of the various modes of transportation, aviation is one of the most important, perhaps because it is one of the quickest. During the past 25 years, state and local governments have become more aware of the value of a local airport in regards to economic growth.

Federal and state grants are made to proactive airports. Lakefield Airport Authority has been going after these grants aggressively. The president and several board members have attended various state and federal meetings to insure that we bring these grants back to Mercer County.

On April 1, the Sheriff's Office implemented a new system called "Directed Patrol." Directed Patrol assigns the same deputies to patrol the same districts each day.

Mercer County has been divided into three patrol districts. Franklin Township is in district three. Lieutenant Bill Westgerdes has been selected to oversee the district. Four deputies have been assigned to assist him.

Deputies will be patrolling through the landings, parks, and Montezuma frequently. They will be trying to meet as many people in the area as possible. Our goal is to develop a partnership with the communities of each district.

When you see a deputy, be sure to introduce yourself and discuss any concerns you have with him/her. The Sheriff's Office is committed to becoming a public service-oriented agency. Deputies will spend extra time to focus on problem solving and crime prevention.

We, at the Sheriff's Office, are committed to building this partnership with your community and working with you to provide Caring...Courteous...Common Sense Law Enforcement.

If you need the assistance of a deputy or just have a question, you may contact one by calling Central Dispatch at 586-6455, or in an emergency, 911.

The Bald Eagles at the Mercer Waterfowl Refuge have hatched an undetermined number of eggs in their new nest. If you ever travel on U.S. Rt 127 you know that the eagles are a popular attraction judging by the number of cars that are always stopping to take a look at them. To date I have counted license plates from 27 different counties that have stopped to look at the Eagles. It will be a few more weeks until the eaglets are strong enough to lift their heads and stand in the nest. That's when we will truly know how many Eaglets there are.

On the fishing front, things seem to be heating up. The crappie fishing has been a little slow since the original, good ice off fishing, but the fish that are being caught are running a very nice size. The folks that I talked to toward the end of March said that they were starting to catch more fish than they had been over the prior weeks. Lake water temperatures are slowly starting to warm and that means it won't be long until the crappies start to move in to spawn.

In mid March a 19 1/4 lb., 35 inch Striped Bass was caught in the Bass Landing area. Although no scale samples were taken from that particular fish, we are confident that it is a survivor from the releases in the early eighties. Over the past few years we have taken scale samples from the stripped bass we have seen and sent them to our biologists to be aged. They have all come back as being from the original stockings .

Regular meeting held the 3rd Saturday of each month at 12 noon at the Village Office.

Time is running out for your opportunity to donate to the Montezuma Village Park improvement project. For every dollar we raise we raise , the village will receive $3.00 from the state up to $44,000. Currently we are about half way to reaching the maximum amount from the state for our park improvement project. The project consists of sidewalks, boat ramp, sea wall, paved parking area, etc.

The village plans to erect a "Dedication Wall" with bricks that you can purchase to recognize your gift to this improvement project. You can have your name, family's name, a date of a special event or a business can have their name as well as their logo engraved on the bricks. There is much history of old-time families and businesses that can provide a place for their names to live on by being mounted on the Dedication Wall.

A 4 x 8 inch brick can be purchased for $100, an 8 x 8 inch brick for $500 and a 12 x 12 inch sand stone for $1000. If you have any questions, please contact one of the village councilors at the numbers listed. The amount of donations we receive will determine the size of the project we will be able to construct. Remember, the state will match $3.00 for every $1.00 we raise. Help us get the maximum use of these state funds. Donations forms are available at Arnie's Corner in Montezuma.

The Montezuma Fire Department made 43 emergency responses in 2000. Nineteen were for structures, 6 were for vehicles, 2 grass fires, 7 for squad assists and 14 other calls.

Fire Department personnel performed about 2000 hours of activity in the year 2000. Activities included emergency responses, training, and work details. Each firefighter puts in about 92 per hours per year.

Average response time was 10.98 minutes from the time paged to the time of arrival on the scene.

Franklin Township incurred $867,000 in property loss due to fires in the year 2000.

The Fire Department currently has 15 active firefighters and are in need of more. To become a firefighter, you must pass a physical exam, complete a 36 hour required class, attend 6 regular department meetings a year, attend 6 work details and be willing to give about 90 hours of your time to perform the above mentioned activities. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Roger Davenport at 268-2369 or contact any member of the Fire Department, or come to a regular monthly meeting at 7:30 pm on the first Thursday of the month at the Township Building.