'It's getting more expensive'

FINDLAY — City and county officials have begun early discussions on how to address increasingly overgrown banks along the Blanchard River, particularly near the Main Street bridge in downtown Findlay. The Hancock County Board of Commissioners met this week with Hancock Soil and Water Conservation District technicians Jason Althaus and Connor Schnipke as well as Findlay City Council member Brad Wagner, R-at-large, to explore potential approaches. Wagner said he is concerned about the dense tree growth encroaching on the riverbank within city limits, especially in the heavily overgrown stretch near Main Street. He noted the riverbank was once reinforced with hand-cut stone. "That's all man-made banks," Wagner said. "It's all hand-hewn, cut stone placed there by hand. Now it's just overgrown by trees." Some trees, he said, are 48 inches in diameter. Wagner said the stonework dates back to the 1930s and has not been properly maintained in nearly a century. He told commissioners he would support clear cutting the area, arguing that many of the trees are "scrub" species and would quickly grow back. "Mother nature is in charge," he said. "If we do nothing, we do nothing." Commissioner Bill Bateson said there would need to be further discussion to determine if clear-cutting is the right approach or whether some trees should remain. Also discussed was the intricate root system below ground that is holding the banks in place. "Clear cutting is easy," he said. "Beautification is another animal." Althaus cautioned that the biggest hurdles may be securing the necessary permits and obtaining permission from landowners along the river. Commissioner Tim Bechtol raised concerns about cost. "It's just going to keep getting more expensive the longer we let it go," Bechtol said. Commissioner Jeff Hunker urged a broader perspective, noting that any work within Findlay should be part of a larger plan for the entire Hancock County river corridor. "We can't do something inside the city of Findlay and not do something on the rest of the banks of the river in the county," he said. For now, commissioners agreed the project remains conceptual until further discussions with the city take place, giving Wagner marching orders to help find funding for the project. "If (Findlay city) council can work with us on some guidelines of what needs to go, what needs to stay, what we want to keep and how we want the area to look, that will help (Hancock Soil and Water Conservation District)" Bateson said.