By Gary Reese
Faith Investments, Blufton
419-358-4207
We have been living through a very challenging time lately. Coronavirus has set new precedents on many different levels. Unfortunately, many people are left wondering from where and when their next paycheck will come because of these changes.
Some health professionals call it the Superman booth.
Whatever you call it, a Bluffton-made product has immediate use for health care professionals testing persons who may have the COVID-19 virus.
A three-and-one-half week crash-course group effort by associates at GROB Systems resulted in creation of 11 testing booths that GROB is donating to area hospitals. The booths are being delivered this week.
The booths were created in GROB’s fabrication department, according to Emily Brock, GROB’s marketing coordinator.
With summer on the horizon, one question yet unanswered is: “Will the Bluffton Community Swimming Pool open?” Or, “When might it open, if not in late May?”
Jesse Blackburn, village administrator, told the Icon that no decision about the pool has been made by the village at this time.
“We will prepare for opening, but realize the final decision might not be ours to make,” he added.
No matter if, or when the Bluffton pool opens this summer, Bluffton council passed legislation on Monday setting positions and wages for the pool staff and rates for the 2020 season.
Betty L. Kier, 96, died on Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at 7:55 a.m. at the Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton.
She was born on April 15, 1924, in St. Marys, West Virginia, to the late Blair P. and Ruth C. (Krichbaum) Cooke. On April 12, 1958, Betty married Thomas I. Kier and he preceded her in death on Feb. 27, 2003.
Betty retired from Ohio Bell, where she worked as a telephone operator. She was a member of the Westminster United Presbyterian Church, Canton.
How did you do in the Weird Bluffton scavenger hunt?
Thanks for a contest created by Bluffton resident Ron Headings, the Icon invited viewers to find the location of 17 items in which clues were provided.
Each of the items could be seen within the boundaries of:
• Riley Street on the northeast
• Riley Creek on the southeast
• Kibler Street on the southwest
• Spring Street-Campus Drive on the northwest
Monday evening's Bluffton council meeting via Zoom, with no members sitting together in the same room, poses the question, "Is this a legal, open meeting?"
The answer is "Yes." The answer comes from the the Ohio attorney general's office, which has issued guidance regarding this issue.
Elliott T. Werth, Bluffton solicitor, shared the following information to the Icon:
On March 13, 2020, Attorney General Dave Yost issued a letter of guidance in regards to the issue.
Blanchard River Watershed Partnership celebrates Earth Day on April 22 with a fund-raiser taking place in Findlay, according to Joe Sehlhorst, Bluffton’s representative to the partnership.
Here are the details:
• Findlay Brewing Co., 213 E. Crawford St., Findlay, has a carry-out growler of The Blanchard River Brew, created for the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership.
• Call in your order for curbside or home delivery – 419-419-2739.
• Event takes place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 22.
Bluffton police department’s K-9 Kato is on sick leave, according to Sergeant Tyler Hochstetler, his handler.
In a letter to Bluffton council, Hochstetler explains that on March 27 Kato showed signs of an illness.
“I took him to the vet because of his lethargic state,” wrote Hochstetler. The physician's exam, blood work and X-ray concluded that Kato is suffering from a pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
• Council packet attached at the bottom
• Watch a video of a part of the meeting
Bluffton council Zoomed through its April 13 meeting together, yet apart from one another.
The meeting’s arrangement is a first for the village. It took place via Zoom video and audio conferencing broadcast on the third floor of the town hall.
Bryan Lloyd, assistant village administrator, sat in an unusually dark third floor town hall meeting room by himself, controlling the Zoom session.
