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Anthony Wayne area Independence Day events

By
Karen Gerhardinger
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Pexels photo by Rovenimages.com.

Waterville and Whitehouse are hosting Independence Day celebrations befitting a 250th anniversary. Put on your red, white and blue, bring a lawn chair or blanket, and head to one of these area events.

June 26

Friday, June 26 from 5 to 10:30 p.m., Browning Masonic Community is hosting a Community Fest, featuring food, games, live music and fireworks. The event is free and held at 8883 Browning Dr. in Waterville. Enjoy walking tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, an ice cream bar, lemonade station and Snowie Summers snow cone truck. Bring a towel to dry off after throwing water balloons or running through sprinklers. Silver Songbirds will perform a concert at 4:30 p.m. in Harmony Hall, followed by live music by John Pickle at 5 p.m. Fireworks will began around 9 p.m. Bring a lawn chair.

July 2

Whitehouse will celebrate its 162nd birthday and America’s 250th on Thursday, July 2 at Blue Creek Metropark and Whitehouse Village Hall. 

Beginning at 5 p.m., the area next to village hall will be filled with a kid’s inflatable area – available at no cost thanks to a sponsorship by Whitehouse American Legion Post 384 and Cub Scout Pack 384. Eight food trucks will also open up for business at 5 p.m., including K&K Concessions, The Loaded Chicken, Naan Stop Kebap, Mr. Popper’s Kettle Corn, Outlaw Attitude BBQ, Snowy Station, Susie Lynne’s Lemonade and Uncle Louie’s Food Truck.

Live music by The 25’s will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The Whitehouse Historical Society will be set up to share information on local history, and the Anthony Wayne Free Press will be passing out free copies of the America 250th Commemorative Edition – a printed paper featuring articles on the Anthony Wayne area.

Fireworks begin at dusk, and the best viewing area is facing east over the quarry, off of Providence Street. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.

July 4

Waterville is hosting its biggest fireworks display ever on Saturday, July 4 at dusk, with viewing available from Prairie Trail Park, Waterville Primary School and many neighborhoods.

Sponsored by the City of Waterville, Waterville Cub Scouts Pack 101 and Susie Lynne’s Lemonade, an Independence Day celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. behind Waterville Primary School, 457 Sycamore Lane. Enjoy live music and entertainment by Touch the Sky DJs, free inflatables from Air Extreme Ohio, and food trucks including Detroit Mini Donut, El Padrino Street Tacos, Hot Dogs 2 Go, Mr. Popper’s Premium Kettle Corn, Susie Lynne’s Lemonade and Wanna Make ‘er Loaded.

Dilworth Strong Real Estate and Property Management is providing free play all night long from Hoop Toledo, a mobile pop-a-shot gaming experience. Chick-fil-A will reward free food for a year to whoever gets the highest score in the month of July. The Waterville firework celebration festival is one of the participating locations.

Waterville United Methodist Church, 7115 Waterville-Monclova Rd., is hosting its Pop, Pop, Pop celebration from 7 to 10 p.m. with a cookout, popcorn, popsicles, games and a great view of the fireworks. The event is free and open to the public.

During the evening, the Anthony Wayne Free Press will be passing out free copies of the America 250th Commemorative Edition – a printed paper featuring articles on the Anthony Wayne area. 

Make it Happen: The conversational photographer

By
Michael Vanderpool
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Doug Hinebaugh on sobriety, showing up & Toledo

Doug Hinebaugh — better known as Dougie Fresh — is the photographer documenting what makes Toledo cool. In this episode, he sits down with host Michael Vanderpool to talk about getting sober, leaving Toledo and finding his way back, building a full-time freelance photography career out of COVID, and why “showing up” is the key to everything.

We get into his volunteer work with the Toledo Streets newspaper and the homeless community, what actually makes a good photo, his first solo gallery show “One City, Many Moments,” and Techledo — the free electronic music festival during Watershed Weekend.

If you’ve ever thought “nothing happens in this town,” this one’s for you.

Monclova considers zoning resolution changes

By
Karen Gerhardinger
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Ohio Gas crews work on preparing lines for a mini roundabout that will be installed at Waterville Monclova and Monclova roads later this summer, following the construction of a roundabout at Monclova and Albon Roads – set to start on June 22. The delay will cause construction of the roundabout in front of the school to continue after school begins Aug. 17. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)

MONCLOVA TOWNSHIP – Tabled. Continued. Tabled. Approved.

Those were Monclova Township trustees’ decisions regarding four proposed zoning resolution amendments – including two relating to data centers – that landed on their desk for final approval on June 15. 

After the trustees enacted a one-year moratorium on data centers in February, Zoning Administrator Eric Wagner began working on zoning resolution changes to send to the Lucas County Planning Commission, which reviewed them in April. Currently, if a data center developer wants to locate in the township, the zoning resolution requires applying for a conditional use permit, with the township Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) setting the conditions.

The first proposed change looks at how much flexibility the BZA would have in setting those conditions. The county approved the language and forwarded it to the township zoning commission, which made its own recommendations – including replacing the word “shall” with “may” when it comes to requiring conditions, including landscaping, screening, parking, hours of operation and lighting. Law director Dawn Sanderson said “may” would give the BZA more flexibility, while “shall” would limit what the BZA could do. 

“It’s to add protection to the community, letting the BZA, in their hearings, create additional parameters,” she said. “When you put in ‘shall,’ then suddenly you have limited what the BZA can do. ‘May’ gives them expression on each case-by-case review.”

Resident Ed Ciecka prefers “shall,” saying that too much discretion could be given to the BZA on a big issue such as a data center. Resident Lyn Cox agreed that “may” weakens the section and that she would suggest “require” plus another sentence to describe where the BZA does have flexibility.

“It’s not clear at all,” said Trustee Debbie Stevens-Laux, getting agreement from Trustees Chuck Hoecherl and Barbara Lang, who proposed tabling the issue and having it get further review.

A section defining auxiliary electric generators was also tabled. The recommended language states that these generators can only use natural gas or propane, and that use of other fuels must be approved by the BZA. Units must be in a free-standing enclosure for noise protection. And portable units are only allowed for emergency purposes. Such generators – if for commercial, industrial or multifamily units – would be allowed 300 feet or more from the nearest lot line of adjacent residential areas, and 20 feet if for residential use.

Resident Risa Sindel pointed out that the language doesn’t regulate how many are allowed, and that a data center could have hundreds of generators 300 feet from a home. She also noted that the language about the decibel levels coming from those generators is weak. Wagner said the site plan review process would allow the township to limit the number of generators.

Other residents spoke about the public health impacts of the noise and emissions from multiple generators. Lang said the verbiage should define what constitutes an emergency that would permit a generator, and referred to time when Brandywine used portable generators to run their sprinklers for an extended period. Hoecherl also recommended looking at outlining how many generators should be permitted based on the size of the facility. And Stevens-Laux said commercial and residential generators should not be lumped into the same code.

The trustees asked Wagner to seek more information and return with suggestions.

A third proposed change, meant to limit the types of business in the Maumee Monclova Toledo JEDZ to those that would generate income tax, was tabled as well in order to better define what number of employees would be required. The purpose of the JEDZ is to generate income, but automated businesses like self-storage or car washes with kiosks do not meet that goal. 

“We have colleagues that have figured this out,” said Administrator Mike Hampton. “We’ll do some homework.”

The fourth component of the public hearing focused on how to best notify residents of Zoning Commission meetings. A change in state law now allows the township flexibility to not use a newspaper, which Sindel pointed out limits the information to only those who have a subscription. She encouraged trustees to use their website and Facebook, and resident John Langevin said including the meeting notices on the MyMonclova app would reach more residents. Trustees agreed that these methods of getting the word out to residents would work best, except when it comes to public notices for Ohio Public Works Commission projects. To get reimbursed, Hampton said he would need an affidavit, and that’s not available by posting online. 

Trustees approved of the language for the zoning notifications, but tabled the other three.

During the meeting, the trustees also:

-Discussed taking a second look at becoming a limited home rule government. In Nov. 2024, the issue was put to voters, but it didn’t pass. Becoming limited home rule would allow the township to retain control over zoning and expand its ability to handle nuisances – such as noise, junk cars and tall grass – more effectively, Hampton said. The trustees agreed and asked Hampton to come up with a plan to move forward. Getting it on the ballot in November would require board approval in July.

-Heard that roundabout construction for Albon and Monclova Road is expected to begin on Monday, June 22, which is much later than the mid-May date originally planned. This is due to delays in getting utility poles moved. Hampton said the project is expected to last 45 days, during which time a detour will be posted. This will delay the start on the Monclova and Waterville-Monclova road mini roundabout until early August, and Hampton is in discussions with the county, post office and schools about the impact of construction. The first day of school is Aug. 17. With the delay for the two projects, Hampton said plans to install a roundabout at Albon and U.S. 20A are in jeopardy of being delayed until next year.

Justin Zwyer and firefighter/EMT Cody Griss apply water to a house fire during the recent Safety Township program for incoming kindergarteners. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)

-Approved the 2027 budget as presented by Fiscal Officer Gavin Pike. The budget is due June 30 and reflects collections of just under $15 million and proposed expenditures of $17.5 million – although not all of the items in the budget will be purchased in 2027, Pike noted. Projects and purchases in the budget include approximately $1.7 million for Strayer Road resurfacing; $100,000 to repave the maintenance facility parking lot; $240,000 for 911 dispatching; $900,000 for the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office; $1.2 million for garbage collection; and $115,000 for refurbishing the tennis courts. Also included in the budget are funds for another full-time administrative aide, a full-time maintenance worker, and full-time firefighter/EMTs. As it did last year, the budget also contains $2 million for land acquisition, but no properties have yet been identified specifically, Pike said.

-Learned that the fire department handled 193 incidents in May.

-Heard Cox ask trustees to share their position on data centers. Hoecherl said he’s publicly shared that he’s not in favor of a hyperscale data center but doesn’t want to put the township in a position of being litigated into bankruptcy for just opposing any proposed project. Lang echoed her previous statements that she will not state an opinion, as that would show bias and therefore require her to recuse herself from a vote.

Grief Center’s inaugural golf outing raises $25,000

By
Dennis Bova
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Noah Sauber tees off from Hole 6 as teammate Sean O’Donnell watches. (Courtesy photo)

PERRYSBURG – There was a golf outing on June 8 unlike any other. Oh, the object was still to get the little white ball in the cup, but the reason for being on the links was a first: to raise funds to allow people who’ve lost a loved one to get the counseling they want and need.

The Monarch Grief Center hosted its inaugural Monarch Open Golf Outing that day at Belmont Country Club in Perrysburg. After a noon lunch, the scramble event teed off at 1 p.m. with 52 golfers in 13 foursomes.

Monarch Grief Center is a nonprofit providing professional, compassionate grief support to those who need, as it says on its website, “a place to turn so they feel less alone in their grief journey.”

Amy Rowe and Tim Polakowski, Monarch’s co-founders and grief counselors, enjoy the scene from a golf cart as 52 golfers took to the links in a scramble start. (Courtesy photo)

Few want to admit they need help because “it’s kind of a taboo subject,” said Amy Rowe, cofounder and grief counselor, about seeking grief counseling. She said there are those who can get by in their own time and move on, but for the ones who are struggling, the center is available to them.

Monarch accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and other forms of major insurance, but realizes that not all have insurance and that others may have high deductibles. One of Monarch’s founding principles, Rowe said, is that the center doesn’t want finances to be a burden. “Our mission is to provide support to those who are grieving.”

To that end, Monarch has hosted three Sunset Soirees in the fall which, through patrons’ tickets and sponsorships, raised money for the center’s Monarch Fund. That fund provides copay and deductible assistance for patients with insurance and a sliding fee scale for private-pay clients, as well as the center’s support groups and community events.

Tim Polakowski, Monarch Grief Center co-founder, executive director, and grief counselor, welcomes golfers with Beth Wong, Monarch’s development coordinator and a grief counselor. (Courtesy photo)

To add to the Monarch Fund through a new and different source, the grief center came up with the golf outing. 

Why golf?

“I wanted to take something fun that people enjoy doing for the joy of it and make it an opportunity to support [our] mission,” said Beth Wong, the center’s development coordinator, the outing’s originator and point person, and a grief counselor. “As a first-year outing, we are very pleased with the number of golfers, sponsors, and donors who have committed to the event.”

Wong added, “As a counselor and development coordinator, I know the importance and impact of the precious work we do and the need to support it.”

The first-ever event raised $25,000 for the fund.

“We had a great time that was made better by the good cause we were supporting,” golfer Noah Sauber said. “We know Monarch directly helps so many in Northwest Ohio.”

Monarch Grief Center marked its three-year anniversary this past February. Rowe and fellow cofounder Tim Polakowski, the center’s executive director and a grief counselor, called upon their experiences as social workers at a local hospice to develop Monarch.

Monarch provides specialized support groups based on the nature of the death, the deceased’s age or stage of passing, and led by licensed professionals.

Monarch Grief Center is at 314 Louisiana Ave., Perrysburg, and can be reached at 567-331-8601, at monarchgriefcenter.org, Facebook and Instagram (@monarchgriefcenter).

Practically Golf moves to Promenade Park

By
Steven Bieber
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Danny Watson (middle), Hannah Sellers (far right) and their son, Azel, play a round of min golf at last year's event on Huron St. (Photo courtesy of Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio)

The Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio hosts fundraiser event


TOLEDO – The Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio will turn part of Promenade Park into an 18-hole mini-golf course for the annual Practically Golf (presented by Erie Home). It will take place on Friday, June 26, and part of the event will coincide with Party in the Park. The event used to be held at N. Huron Street near The Blarney Irish Pub.

The event will start at 1 p.m. with the corporate tournament, which features businesses from around the area competing in a shotgun-style tournament. The mini-golf event will be open to the public from 5 to 10 p.m.

Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio Director of Development Nate Reid (left) and CEO Roy Cherry in the corporate office in Maumee. (TFP photo by Steven Bieber)

Roy Cherry, CEO of The Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio, said the center has been running Practically Golf since 1989. Since its creation, it has moved to several locations, including Franklin Park Mall, Erie Street Market, Levis Commons and others.

In the past, Practically Golf was a two-day event. This year, it will only be held on Friday night.

“What we found over the last couple of years is that it just wasn’t that busy, and there was a lot of energy to have it for that number of days,” said Cherry. “So when we moved to Promenade Park, tied in with Party in the Park, having it that one day made sense.”

A mini golfer at last year’s event on Huron St. (Photo courtesy of Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio)

Cherry also noted that Promenade Park is not a high-traffic area on a Saturday afternoon.

Since it was founded in 1977, The Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio has worked to improve the lives of children living with epilepsy, but it also supports individuals living with developmental disabilities.

The money raised from Practically Golf will go toward the services the organization provides. Every August, Cherry said, the organization brings families affected by epilepsy to Camp Frontier in Pioneer, Ohio for a free weekend. This is just one example of the services provided. Some others include medication assistance, transportation and one-on-one support. Cherry mentioned that the organization helps people with disabilities who live on their own but are looked after 24/7.

If you cannot make it out to play golf but still want to help, there are plenty of options to support the organization.

Nate Reid, director of development, works to gather support from organizations, individuals, and anyone who wants to get involved.

“Basically, my role is connecting people who want to be involved in whatever ways they can and then continuing to grow their ways that they can participate.”

Reid said anyone can volunteer, donate or do both. Organizations can also make corporate gifts and provide grants.

There is still time to volunteer for Practically Golf. To get involved, simply visit the volunteer page on the organization’s website, where you can also make a donation.

For the first time, participants can purchase tickets online in advance. Tickets may also be purchased at the event. They cost $10 for adults and youth 13 and older, and $5 for children 12 and under. Discounts are available for groups of four.

Anthony Wayne adopts cybersecurity plan

By
Karen Gerhardinger
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The Anthony Wayne Local Schools' Technology Department includes director Chris Hamady, technology supervisor Nickie Sattler and lead technology supervisor Devin Filip. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)

Anthony Wayne Local Schools, like all Ohio school districts, is working to meet the needs of House Bill 96 – which sets cybersecurity requirements for public entities.

And while the district has already adopted an AI policy and – during its June 10 meeting – a new cybersecurity plan, the work is not done, said Chris Hamady, director of technology for the district.

“It will never be done. Because as information technology changes, we’re constantly going to be adapting our procedures to address new changes and new technologies that come out. So this is going to be an organic and dynamic plan,” Hamady said as he presented the six-part plan to the board. 

The cybersecurity plan is based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Framework. NIST is a non-regulatory U.S. federal agency within the Department of Commerce that promotes innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology.

When creating a plan, the district has to balance risks and security with the need for team members’ ability to use technology. That includes the teachers, staff and students who utilize Chromebooks. 

As Hamady and his staff, including Devin Filip, Nickie Sattler and David Hadley, worked on the plan, they began with creating a list of every website, app and other technology usage at every level, in order to identify critical functions and risks.

“We had to figure out which ones are critical and which ones could be a target for a breach,” Hamady said. “We went to the departments and spoke to people.”

As part of the plan, the team identified potential impacts if a system was breached, including payroll and records, and detailed how that would affect day-to-day operations. Threat detection mechanisms are also now in place, but these are kept under wraps for security reasons. The plan also includes establishing incident response procedures to identify the breached system – whether it’s software, hardware, bank accounts or payroll – and who should be notified and how to recover those systems.

The cybersecurity plan includes detailed plans for recovering data and systems and getting the district resources back to normal as quickly as possible. The plan includes regular training for staff to learn best practice work habits that lead to the safe and effective use of technology, data and systems.

Implementing a cybersecurity plan and adopting the AI policy are just a few of the HB 96 requirements, Hamady said. Other regulations include obtaining board approval before responding to a ransom demand and reporting any cybersecurity incidents to the state within specific guidelines.

During the June 10 meeting, the board also:

-Heard Superintendent Kevin Herman explain the reason for an executive session: to discuss a possible change to a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) agreement related to the sale of the Shops at Fallen Timbers. A developer is working on finalizing the sale with the current owners, who have not been able to pay all of the requirements of the TIF. Herman said it’s in the best interest of the community and the district to see the mall do well. After the session, the board approved a first amendment to the compensation agreement with the city of Maumee and Penta Career Center for the TIF exemption in the agreement.

-Approved donations of over $27,000, including: $9,000 from the Waterville Parents Association to Waterville Primary School; $1,000 from Rosemary Yanik to the junior high for media center furniture upgrades; $3,000 from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for the Waterville Primary summer reading program; Mud Hens tickets from Strause Refrigeration and Silco Fire to the AW Operations Department; $918.40 from Whitehouse Parents Club to the principal’s fund for art supplies; and donations by Pour Soul Art and Waterville Sweets for the high school 3D printer filament to create the Generals key chains that will be hidden during Family Week.

-Approved membership in the Alliance for High Quality Education for $4,000 and Ohio Schools Council for $904.88.

-Approved a new job description for assistant treasurer, which was formerly named as assistant to the treasurer. Ray Greene is taking over as treasurer and Meagan Conroy as assistant treasurer effective July 1, when treasurer Kerri Johnson retires.

-Set the next meeting at Monday, June 29 at 7:30 a.m. and moved the Aug. 4 meeting to Aug. 10 at 8 a.m. 

-Learned that the preliminary results of test scores show the students did very well on state testing. The official results will be released this fall.

– Listened to an update on the Business Advisory Council from Jim Conner, director of teaching and learning. The group is a partnership with the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West, and includes other school districts and businesses that work to create opportunities for students as they prepare for the future workforce.

-Approved a memorandum of understanding between the board and the Anthony Wayne Education  Association to create new special education chair positions for Monclova, Waterville, Whitehouse and Fallen Timbers. Herman explained that these supplemental positions will serve as a liaison between the buildings and the special education director to help with communications and details.

-Adopted the enVision Math program for seventh and eighth grade math courses.

-Approved the use of a supplemental text for the junior high: Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two.

-Approved new tutor pay rates, increasing from $125 to $130 per day.

-Approved athletic fees and ticket prices and discussed how the General’s Pride Pass is available for anyone living in the district ages 60 and older to get into sporting events and performances for free.

-Heard that the district is still seeking certified and classified substitutes in all areas.

Wild Side: Late spring wildflowers

By
Art Weber
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Golden Ragwort at Mallard Lake. (Photo by Metroparks Toledo nature photographer Art Weber)

It’s such a wonderful time to hit the trails in one of your Metroparks. The colors are fresh and vibrant, the weather cooperative.

It’s late spring on Mother Nature’s calendar. Spring woodland wildflowers have done their thing, though a few have moved into their place providing some eye candy before the super wildflower show moves out into the meadows and tallgrass prairies. 

Golden ragwort is a star right now, especially at Oak Openings Preserve where this multi-rayed yellow beauty is easily seen in the wet woods that come right up to the roadsides near Mallard Lake, for example.

Look for it growing through the big broad beautiful leaves of skunk cabbage which loves the wet woods as much as the ragwort.

Think of golden ragwort and the equally impressive marsh marigolds as emissaries for the explosion of yellows that will surely follow come summer.

One of Each prepares to open

By
Steven Bieber
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One of Each wine bar will be located in the alley of Ostrich Towne. (TFP photo by Steven Bieber)

New wine bar brings fresh experience to Vistula District’s Ostrich Towne

TOLEDO – Wine enthusiasts looking for a new haunt will soon be able to head over to Ostrich Towne during the summer when the newest hangout – One of Each – is set to open.

One of Each will be located in Ostrich Towne on Summit Street, inside the alley next to Riverside BBQ. It will feature indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a cozy indoor fireplace. Customers will be able to choose from 25 different wines from around the world that can be purchased by the bottle, glass, or flight (it allows customers to sample four different kinds of wine). While the bar will not serve full meals, it will offer charcuterie boards as well as desserts.

One of Each will be located in Ostrich Towne on Summit Street, inside the alley next to Riverside BBQ. It will feature indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a cozy indoor fireplace. (TFP photo by Steven Bieber)

John Metz and his wife were inspired to open the bar because of their passion for travel and wineries. From Michigan to the Napa Valley, Metz said he has enjoyed wine for almost 30 years.

He decided now was the best time to pursue opening a wine bar because his previous job at Owens Corning was coming to an end, and his children are now in college.

While he grew up in Livonia, Metz has lived in the Toledo area since 2007. He first lived in Sylvania before recently moving to the Warehouse District. He opted for the rapidly growing Ostrich Towne to start his business.

“We really liked it.” He said of the site. “The community, the environment, you know, having Molly’s there and Riverside Barbecue there…It really felt like a neighborhood place. We never wanted to open up in a strip mall along the side of the road where you just drove there, got out of your car, got into your car, and left. There’s more of a pedestrian feel here, which is what we really liked about it.”

John Metz in the unfinished bar last month. He and his wife were inspired to open the bar because of their passion for travel and wineries. (TFP photo by Steven Bieber)

While everyone is welcome at One of Each, Metz predicts that most of his customers will be 30 and older. He suspects they will attract mostly Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers, along with more women than men.

According to Metz, the wine bar adds to the growing sense of community downtown.

“I think it kind of gets people out more, gives them a place to go, a conversation place. You know, we’ll have some music here, kind of a gathering place. Just to increase activity in the area. As a resident down here, I always love when I walk out of my house, and I see people, whether it’s for a Mud Hens game or a Walleye game or something. When you see this kind of a pulse in the city…I really like that. I think we’ll help contribute to that in this neighborhood.”

Metz noted that the wine bar has something for every taste and budget. The bar will feature a collection of inexpensive wines as well as premium selections.

“We really feel like, between the environment we’re going to have here and the food and the wine offerings, we really feel like we have something for everybody. So I would encourage everybody to come out and give us a try.”

One of Each will be located at 915 N. Summit St., Suite 302. Learn more about it here.

Widows create strong community through nonprofit

By
Stephen Zenner
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Idell Watson, the founder of Widows Empowered Strengthened & I (W.E.S. & I), stands with Beverly Lyles, one of the first women to W.E.S. & I, at Lott Industries Inc. in Toledo. Lott Industries is where the group regularly meets. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

TOLEDO – 12 years ago, nothing could have prepared Idell Watson for the death of her husband after his body rejected a transplant. 

“After he passed, I cried for two years,” she said. “When I was around people, I made myself look like I was okay, but I was not okay.”

A few months into her grief, Watson turned to a pain management group for help. 

“There was a lot of people,” she said, but the sources of pain were diverse. 

“They were coming in talking about their issues with the insurance not working with them or the doctors not giving them the medicine, so I left out of there feeling heavier than I went in,” Watson said. The different sources of pain made Watson want to do something for the people in the group.

“It didn’t help me manage my pain any better,” she said. 

Idell Watson, the founder of Widows Empowered Strengthened & I (W.E.S. & I). Watson put a name to the group she wanted to create a year after her husband died, and had their first meeting two years after becoming a widow. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

Search for community

“Out of my need, I did search the web,” said Watson and she did find groups for widows, “but not in Toledo; not like the group we have.” 

Eight years before her husband passed, in 2014, Watson received a vision.

“I had gotten a vision that I was going to lead women,” she said, and after talking with her pastor, she began to lead different groups in church. Ultimately, she said those initiatives fizzled out, but looking back, she sees how the vision was really referring to the community group she started for widows. 

There was another widow group that stipulated an amount of time you had to be a widow, and you also had to pay to be a part of it. 

“That right there was not the vision that I had,” she said. Instead she set out to make a group that cared for widows like Watson’s sister cared for her. 

“‘Everybody has to go back to their lives. I have to go home too,’” said Watson, recounting the words of her sister, who came up from Houston, Texas.

“‘But I can’t leave you sleeping on the couch, I can’t leave you not having a budget and knowing how things will work out.’ So she helped me with all of that.”

Widows Empowered Strengthened & I (W.E.S. & I) had its first meeting in 2016, two years after the death of Wesley James Watson, Idell’s husband. 

One of the 12

Every third Saturday of the month, from 1 to 3 p.m., women come to Lott Industries Inc. at 3350 Hill Ave. to eat, share feelings and hear from speakers. 

Beverly Lyles, one of the first attendees to Widows Empowered Strengthened & I (W.E.S. & I), sits in a conference room at Lott Industries Inc. in Toledo on Wednesday June 3, 2026. Lyles lost her husband after his body rejected a kidney transplant 27 years ago, and found W.E.S. & I to be incredibly helpful with people who understand what it’s like to lose a spouse. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

“We brought a financial person in, we brought a lawyer in, we had Marcy [Kaptur] come in and talk about social security,” Watson said. 

Beverly Lyles, a good friend of Watson and one of the first attendees of the group, had already grieved her husband’s death for over a decade before W.E.S. & I even existed, but talked about the importance of having a community that can empathize with the death of a spouse. 

“When I’m there, I feel really good with the other widows who are going through what I went through and what I’m going through,” Lyles said. 

Faith, family and friends Lyles said were integral to the grieving process, but it was also important to have people who had experienced what she had. 

“Time will heal, or it can’t heal all wounds, but with me being with the other ladies,” Lyles said let her know she was not alone in what she had and was experiencing. 

Centered on community, not meetings

When Watson first started cultivating the group, she was just trying to meet the needs of widows she knew personally. 

They would talk, “not so much about coming to the group, but more about how are they doing, what they need. I would just advise them, you know. I’m here for you 24 hours.”

After losing someone so integral to their lives, Lyles and Watson both said there are things their husbands did they didn’t know about or didn’t know how to do. 

Idell Watson, the founder of Widows Empowered Strengthened & I (W.E.S. & I), wears a heart shaped necklace that reads “Special Mom.” Watson said kids are often overlooked after the loss of a spouse. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

“He took care of everything. I didn’t have to pay no bills or anything, but I think one of the avenues that a widow goes into after losing her spouse is maybe you don’t know how to write a check out or how to take care of your finances,” Lyles said. Soon for Lyles she got behind on insurance payments, and asked for understanding. 

“There was two of us, but now it’s one,” she said. 

More recently, Watson said there was a younger widow, in her 30s, who lost her husband without life insurance, and that W.E.S. & I raised funds to help with the funeral. 

“Sometimes you can struggle and be okay, but I see a struggle…some of the ladies that’s not okay yet, you know, and it has been a day-by-day journey,” Lyles said.

The day-by-day journey is what W.E.S. & I is there for, regardless of whether members show up on an official meeting day.  

W.E.S. & I is open to all widows. To learn more about the organization, visit widowsempowered.org.

Providence Township trustees hear data center concerns

By
Karen Gerhardinger
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Data center developers look for open land and access to electricity, water and highways. Providence Township is looking at zoning language to regulate data centers. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)

PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP – Preparing for the possibility of a data center continues to be a topic of conversation among Providence Township trustees.

With no zoning language to govern data centers in its books, Providence Township approved a one-year moratorium on April 15. Last month, they invited Waterville Township Trustee Toby Miller to share details on his township’s push to adopt a new M-3 zoning designation – and amend its M-2 and M-1 zoning language – rather than using a conditional use permit process put into place last year. 

“Waterville Township is the first effort to do a comprehensive macro look at ‘here’s the scope, here’s what we can do,’ what are the advantages and disadvantages? We’re waiting to see how the Waterville Township resolution is dealt with at the [county] planning commission…and see what they come back with, which may alter the Waterville Township plan,” Trustee Steve Kendall said during the June 3 meeting. “We’ve got the moratorium in place. The idea is to have the material behind that once that moratorium expires.”

Using a zoning change instead of a conditional use permit allows citizens the right of referendum, pointed out Jim Fischer, who serves as zoning inspector for both Providence and Waterville townships. A permit is considered an administrative process, and therefore not subject to referendum, he added. 

Resident Jeff Rice said he has concerns about shirt-tailing off of Waterville Township’s proposed zoning resolution language that will be reviewed by the Lucas County Planning Commission on June 24.

“If we were to adopt everything that they’re proposing to put in their book, you might as well hand the township keys to a data center,” Rice said. 

Instead, he suggested that trustees do their own research and put together a committee of residents to help.

“Any effort is not a waste of time, unless we find out it’s a done deal,” Rice said, expressing that he hoped trustees had not signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Resident Dan Holtz also came to the meeting with questions about data centers, and wanted to know whether the trustees are for or against such projects.

“I don’t think there’s anything good about this at all. We’ll work with what the law allows us to work with. We can work with the tools the state of Ohio has given us,” Kendall said, referring to Ohio Revised Code.

Solicitor David Chamberlain said that it’s a fine line on what can and can’t be done. Making the law too restrictive can get it thrown out, he said.

Kendall said that data centers look for open land where there’s access to electricity, water and a highway. Half of the land in the township is unzoned, noted Zoning Commission Chair Jim Stang, urging trustees to look at getting the unzoned areas zoned in order to provide some regulations.

Any changes to the zoning resolution would involve a series of public hearings that would welcome citizen input, but in the meantime, Kendall suggested contacting representatives at the state level, to share opinions. He also noted that some of these state leaders might try to write the rules and eliminate local control.

“We’re trying to stay ahead of it. We need to be prepared if they walk in the door and say they purchased 2,000 acres,” Kendall said.

During the meeting, the trustees also:

-Listened to Laurie Manning of the Hylant Group speak about the Ohio Plan coverage for township vehicles, a claim on unit 88, the newest ambulance, which was hit by another driver in February, and options for replacing or repairing the squad.

-Heard that the Lucas County Engineer’s office reported that bids for resurfacing Patton and Manore roads came in four percent higher than the engineer’s estimate but is allowed. A contract with Gerken Paving for $519,102.64 was approved.

-Held a discussion with Fire Chief Richard Triggs about options for getting ambulance 88 repaired. While that is underway, insurance will cover up to $20,000 for a rental. RSVP charges $250 a day.  In addition, Triggs is investigating options for the purchase of another ambulance to replace unit 89.

-Heard a Co. Rd. 1 resident ask for input on how to deal with a neighbor who had a lot of timber taken down but not removed. Trustees advised that this is civil matter as it’s on private property, but to give the neighbor time to get it cleaned up.

-Agreed to give a Manore Road homeowner until Oct. 1 to remove a shipping container from the property. The township has already given two extensions while an accessory building is being constructed.

-Approved Christine Cox as a volunteer firefighter. She plans to begin taking classes to become an EMT.

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