Maumee To Celebrate Summer
With Annual Uptown Festival
Put on your dancing shoes and come hungry to uptown Maumee next weekend.
Presented by the Maumee Uptown Business Association, the 31st annual Maumee Summer Fair will be held on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16.
Events kick off on Friday evening with the Taste of Maumee, kids’ activities and live entertainment.
The ninth annual Taste of Maumee features 18 local restaurants offering many of their specialties.
Bands will play on Friday night in the 100 block of West Dudley in an enclosed area for 21 and up, with a $4.00 cover charge.
Families can enjoy the music from outside the enclosed area at no charge, or take advantage of the kids’ fun zone open from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. with games, face painting and inflatables.
On Saturday, a parade through Maumee will begin at the Wolcott House at 10:00 a.m. and proceed down River Road to East William, then onto Conant Street, ending at Union Elementary School.
More than 200 vendors, offering handmade arts and crafts, commercial goods and services, and food will line the streets of uptown Maumee on Saturday.
Saturday’s events also include the Taste of Maumee, kids’ fun zone, a car show and entertainment by local musicians and dancers.
Another 21-and-older party with live bands on West Dudley Street will close the fair on Saturday night.
Admission to the fair is free. For more information, a complete schedule of events and a list of vendors, visit www.maumeesummerfair.com.
Maumee School Board Approves 5.9-Mill Levy Request
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
At a special meeting Monday, the Maumee board of education passed a resolution to seek a 5.9-mill operating levy this November.
The vote was unanimous for the levy, which is expected to generate approximately $3 million annually in additional funds.
District officials have maintained that additional funding is needed due to increases in costs and decreases in revenue.
Treasurer Paul Brotzki cited the state’s elimination of the tangible personal property tax, the loss of local tax revenues due to declines in real estate values, and stagnation in state funding.
In addition, increases in costs such as payroll, insurance and energy are adding to the district’s financial situation.
“It’s a combination of stagnant revenues and increasing cost,” Brotzki said.
Money generated from the levy would keep the district in a positive financial balance through the year 2012, according to Brotzki.
Without it, the district would realize a negative balance as early as next year.
In a previous meeting, district superintendent Greg Smith addressed that issue.
“One thing I do know is that the lines have crossed in 2009 – we’re going to spend more than we bring in and it’s time to seek additional sources,” he said.
Brotzki agreed.
“If we do not pass anything, we will be in a negative balance very quickly,” he said.
According to financial projections, beginning in fiscal year 2009, the district will spend approximately $800,000 more than it will receive.
The 5.9-mill operating levy will appear on the November 4 ballot.
The new levy would cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 an additional $180.69 per year.
Also at the meeting, the board took the following action:
• Approved a two-year contract, worth $6,000 annually, with Frontline Placement for an automated substitute computer system, funded by revenue generated from the district Pepsi account.
• Approved a request to have the administration building roof repaired at a cost not to exceed $25,000 with funds paid from the permanent improvement account.
• Approved an out-of-state trip for the Maumee High School girls golf team.
The next Maumee board of education meeting will take place Friday, August 15 at 4:00 p.m. in the administration office, 716 Askin St.
Keeping Our City Safe: Fight Fire With Fire, Fighters That Is
BY KRISTEN SCHWEITZER — MIRROR REPORTER
The Maumee Fire Division plays a large part in keeping the city of Maumee safe. As a second part to the “Keeping Our City Safe” program for Leadership Maumee, the Leadership group toured the new fire station and fire training facility.
Chief Walter Van-Dromme gave the Leadership group the grand tour, starting with the new station. The Maumee Fire Division moved into its new facility at 220 Illinois Ave. last October.
The Maumee Fire Department formed in 1938. The original station was located at 109 E. Dudley, and also housed the city council and police department. A new station was built on William Street in the 1960s and another on Dussel Drive in the ’80s.
“We outgrew the fire station on William Street because when that was first built we only had 35 members,” VanDromme said. “In the ’80s women got more involved. We had women paramedics and firefighters and no facilities for them.”
The new station also includes 15 dormitory rooms.
“The building was built for growth,” with room to allow the MFD to transition to a full-time department, VanDromme said.
The department has four full-time chiefs: Van-Dromme, chief of firefighting; James Mathias, chief of rescue; Damian Pfleghaar, chief of engineering; and Richard Monto, fire chief, who oversees the other three chiefs.
All 55 of the department’s firefighters are volunteers.
“There are no full-time firefighters. They’re all volunteers. There are full-time paramedics that work for the county and there are three full-time city paramedics,” VanDromme said.
Also employed full time at the department are two fire prevention officers, an assistant chief of emergency medical services and a secretary.
The firefighters, because they are volunteers, carry pagers with them to alert them of a call.
While they are considered volunteers, the EMTs and firefighters do receive payment per call, and they are on call all of the time.
“There aren’t too many truly volunteer departments. Everyone gets paid something,” VanDromme said.
As volunteer firefighters, many have additional jobs, and cannot always respond to every call.
“We don’t know if we’re getting 26 or 50,” VanDromme said.
The station averages 450 runs per year, or 1.25 runs per day, VanDromme said. According to VanDromme, the department saves about $4 million a year by being a volunteer fire department.
Many of the firefighters are not the firsts in their families. VanDromme, who has been with the department for 30 years, is a fourth-generation firefighter.
“Since (the division) is volunteer it’s gone through the families,” he said. “It’s a good thing, I think, for this community. It shows a lot of dedication.”
Inside the station garage, VanDromme showed the Leadership group the different vehicles used by the division. The division has several fire engines, the oldest of which is from 1928 and has been in several parades. The newest of the engines contains a compressed air foam system.
The foam is extremely effective against fires. It acts as a fire suppressant, so the fire can’t get the oxygen it needs, VanDromme explained.
The fire department also has two boats and a Jet Ski for water rescue.
Other equipment Van-Dromme showed included the Jaws of Life, several different saws and a thermal imaging camera.
The camera allows firefighters to find fire in areas that are not visible, such as in floorboards or walls. The whiter an object appears in the camera, the hotter it is.
The gear firefighters wear weighs about 50 pounds and costs about $2,000, according to VanDromme. White helmets signify a captain, red for lieutenants and yellow for the rest of the firefighters. Paramedics are distinguished by their red jackets, “because not all paramedics are firefighters.”
Out at the training facility, located on Mingo Drive, are even more firefighting tools. The facility, which the fire division shares with the police division, was built three years ago.
The Northwest Ohio Bomb Squad and the Bowling Green State Fire School also use the training facility.
At the training facility are several different buildings. The main building offers rooms for training sessions such as CPR training.
A burn building allows firefighters to practice putting out and controlling fires.
Inside the burn building are soot-coated walls and charred wood pallets.
The rooms inside the burn building can reach temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees when the wood pallets are ignited, VanDromme said. The firefighters also use the building to practice rescuing victims using a dummy.
A two-story house is used by both the special response unit and the fire department for training. Inside the plywood training house are foam props such as computer monitors, lamps, chairs and “anything that can be used as a weapon,” VanDromme said.
A dummy sits in a chair in the corner and paint round shells are scattered on the floor.
The last building, the smallest of the four, is used by the SRU for chemical training.
“We provide the best training and best equipment. That’s how we are able to retain so many volunteers,” VanDromme said.
After the tour, the Leadership group members took turns operating the fire hose with the assistance of firefighters Dan Williams and Justin Butler. The fire hose was connected to a fire engine connected to a fire hydrant. The truck has a 750-gallon tank inside it, used frequently for areas where fire hydrants are not accessible, such as the turnpike.
The group began by shooting just water out of the hose, and increasing the pressure slightly. Then, the firefighters switched from just water to the foam solution.
After a little practice, the Leadership group had the opportunity to aim the foam at a real fire inside an old charred car.
For more information about the Leadership Maumee program, contact the Maumee Chamber of Commerce at (419) 893-5805.
These are sample articles that ran in The Mirror Newspaper.
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