PURCHASE … Board member Steve Slattman discusses a tire and rim purchase proposal for a Great Plains Drill at the Williams County Soil and Water Conservation Board meeting on Tuesday, December 16.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Soil and Water Conservation District held its monthly board meeting on Tuesday, December 16.
Among the items on the agenda was an update on the upcoming Tree Sale, which will take place on March 28, 2026, in conjunction with the annual Maple Syrup Festival at the Williams County Fairgrounds.
Board member Tamathy Stage discussed ideas on what type of trees to purchase for the SWCD to sell to county residents.
“I did stick with several options of trees, including black cherry, and a straight white oak tree for this year,” said Stage. “It’s been a couple of weeks since I ordered them because there were several price changes.”
Stage recommended that the SWCD purchase the trees from Coldstream out of Freesoil, Michigan. It also marks the first time SWCD has done business with them.
“All of our trees we’ve ordered are considered reserved until the tax-free form is submitted,” she added. “It will cost a little bit more, but hopefully we’ll have a better tree this year.”
Board member Anne Marie Michaels reported on the recent SWCD open house that was held in November, along with the annual election of two new board members.
She said there were about 140 people who had attended the event and heard plenty of positive comments, especially with two Williams County Commissioners attending.
Michaels, along with several other SWCD employees, is currently redesigning the SWCD website, which is undergoing numerous changes.
“Emily Miller actually set it up here, and we went through every single page of the new website, and we put our comments in,” said Michaels. “She (Miller) gathered them all together, which was about six pages by the time we got done. We have another meeting next Monday (December 22) with GoDaddy when we incorporate everything that we sent them.
“We added scrolling pictures, and we just changed a lot of stuff. I think everybody will like it. We are very thankful for Emily (Miller), who did an amazing job with this.”
Michaels requested a reimbursement of $50.00 for registration to the Ohio No-Till Conference, which was recently held. The board approved her request.
Board member Steve Slattman discussed problems with a recently purchased pressure washer that didn’t hold water pressure and needed to be returned.
He also ordered an air compressor for the district, but it was damaged after it was received; thus, it will be replaced with another one.
Slattman also made a motion to purchase a spare tire and rim for a Great Plains drill at a cost of under $1,000.00.
The board then approved the purchase of a tire from Hinkle Ag Tire of Pioneer for $354.00 and $278.89 from Truland Equipment of Edgerton for the purchase of a tire rim.
SWCD administrator Chris Dancer discussed the upcoming Federation Partnership Meeting on February 9-11. The registration cost and lodging will cost $500.00 each for three staff members, and it has been approved.
Staff member Mary McCann completed virtual training on records and retention through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, focusing on Ohio’s Sunshine Law, on December 3.
The meeting was also the final one for Imber, who has served the SWCD as a district technician for the past five years. His final day was Tuesday, December 16, as he pursues other opportunities.
Taking over his duties will be Tamathy Stage, who already has previous experience in the position. “He (Imber) has been a tremendous asset to the district,” pointed out SWCD board chairman Bob Short.
“Pretty big shoes to fill, but Tamathy got a leg up on things because she’s got experience in the field.” The board then went into an executive session to review job evaluations, with no action taken.
As a reminder, the SWCD office will be closed for the Christmas Holiday (December 24-26) and New Year’s Holiday (January 1-2).
The office will also close at noon on December 31 (New Year’s Eve). The next board meeting is on Tuesday, January 20, at 8 a.m. in the district office.