Mayor: Big announcements coming in 2024

FINDLAY — In her "State of the City Address" on Thursday, Mayor Christina Muryn said Findlay residents can expect big announcements in 2024. This was Muryn's third address to the public given at Marathon Center of the Performing Arts, 200 W. Main St. In other years, the mayor has presented the yearly recap in talks given at the meetings of community organizations. "The most challenging part of being mayor is not running a city, it is leading a community of people with diverse beliefs, backgrounds, and visions for what they want Findlay to be today and into the future," Muryn said Thursday. The address included an announcement that Findlay has been awarded a $276,000 grant from the Ohio Division of Forestry Urban Forestry Grant program. The money will be used to plant 300 trees and complete risk assessments and treatments on existing trees. The city received notice of the award on Wednesday. The grant money will also be used to create a tree planting plan and update the city's Geographic Information System or GIS with data on the city's tree canopy. The city will also use the money to hire a part-time urban forestry technician. "Trees are a critical part of our community, they improve property values, help save on energy costs, help with mental health, and of course, clean the air. We will be rolling out more information on this initiative in the coming weeks," said Muryn. Findlay City Council has already earmarked $100,000 from its American Rescue Act Funds for trees. The ARPA money is being used to offer city residents free trees planted by city crews. More information about that program is available on the city's website: www.findlayohio.gov "Tree City USA," as designated by the Arbor Day Foundation for 41 years, is also gearing up for a celebration of Findlay's 50th year as "Flag City USA," Muryn said. "This congressional designation originally bestowed upon the City of Findlay in 1974 recognized a display of over 14,000 small American flags in a community-wide display of patriotism," said Muryn. "This year, to celebrate this designation we will once again work to have a community-wide display of American flags on Flag Day, June 14. More details will be released over the coming few months and I look forward to this exciting day celebrating our country and all that the flag stands for." Other announcements to watch for in the coming months include significant changes to the Findlay Village Mall Property, 1800 Tiffin Ave., along with more recreation and event opportunities, she said. Muryn said the Flag City Sluggers, a Great Lakes Collegiate Summer League team, will take the mound in the summer of 2025 and play about 15 home games yearly at the Marathon Diamonds, 3420 N. Main St. "This will be a wonderful addition to summer family-friendly fun," she said. On the economic front, Muryn said about $2.1 billion in capital investments have been made in the community over the past decade. "This does not happen by accident, it takes long-term planning, a lot of sweat equity and relationship building. I look forward for Findlay to continue to be a place where businesses and citizens alike want to invest," she said. Muryn said announcements about the Black Swamp Combinator, which would make Findlay/Hancock County the "energy hub of the Midwest," is also expected from the State of Ohio in the coming weeks. Thursday's address also included good news about local efforts to reduce overdose deaths in Hancock County. "In 2022, we had 29 overdose deaths in Hancock County, and in 2023 we had just nine. This is a decrease of 68%. Though any life lost to drug addiction is a tragedy, we continue to make progress in combating this disease and supporting our law enforcement in their efforts to decrease the availability of these substances in our community," she said. Muryn said government "cannot and should not try to solve all of society's problems. "However, we do have a responsibility to help ensure collaboration, efficient use of resources, and provide support in areas where it is appropriate," she said. "Findlay is fortunate that we have the strong coalition structure that we do to help address issues such as housing, addiction, and workforce, among others and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with community partners to address these challenges." As for daily city operations, Muryn said many of the operational changes the city has made may appear small, but have made management of city resources much stronger. "In 2022, we expanded our capital planning from five to 10 years," she said. "In 2023, we implemented assessments of all of our facilities and their large systems to ensure we are appropriately maintaining our existing assets and planning for maintenance." This year, Muryn said an assessment of Findlay's fleet management, citywide, is in the works, and not just for vehicles. She said large assets, like excavators, dump trucks and lawn tractors, will be included. "Long term we expect this process to allow us to save on equipment replacement and better utilize assets which we already own while also ensuring our team members have the tools and equipment necessary to do their jobs," she said.