Tue Feb 09 2010
By JARED ORZOLEK
Defiance-area officials launched a river tour Tuesday in an effort to assess development opportunities centering on the Maumee, Auglaize and Tiffin rivers.
The group used two pontoon boats launched from Pontiac Park to assess how the rivers can be developed.
Tim Small, president of the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce, participated in the river tour and said this morning that he learned initial opportunities for developing the river could center on improving sight lines with brush removal and improving navigation opportunities by cleaning out the river bottom.
"You'd love to have millions of dollars to do everything, but we all realize we can't do that," Small said.
Those who participated in the tour included Jeff Leonard, Defiance city administrator; Jerry Hayes, executive director of Defiance County Economic Development; Lee Rausch, Defiance city engineer; Cindy Mack, director of Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau; Mike McCann, city planning commission; and Tim Whestone, chairman of the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce board.
Rita Kissner, former Defiance mayor, as well as representatives of Defiance County commissioners and Defiance City Council also joined the tour.
Small said future development could be driven by a rivers committee to be established through the chamber.
This committee would be charged with enhancing the waterfront, developing water-related business opportunities and would work hand-in-hand with other agencies to identify historic points of interest along all three riverfronts.
Tuesday's tour began by heading northeast toward Independence Dam. It then circled back to tour the south edge of the Maumee before heading south along the Auglaize River.
After touring the Auglaize southwest toward Power Dam, the pontoons returned up the Maumee and headed west toward the Tiffin River.
Officials then toured the Tiffin and returned to the Pontiac Park boat launch at approximately 7 p.m.
The Defiance strategic planning committee has been working on the developmental areas in and around the city for the past two years.
In October 2007, the group hosted a two-hour motor coach tour of the greater Defiance area to point out future opportunities of development to local business leaders and government officials.
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Posted by ladymains11 June 3, 2009
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We are extremely excited about the prospect of the development and clean up of the Defiance river-ways and walk-ways along the rivers, and the proposed installation of a city dock area. Although, we are very disappointed with the article written about the boat tour, which took place on June 2, 2009. The Boat Tour took approximately three hours.
First of all, there was not two pontoon boats, there was one, which was operated and owned by Brain Keller, (using his boat and fuel to host the boat tour, and was not mentioned in the article). Jimmy Zeller, (not mentioned in the article), and Howard and Kim Mains (not mentioned in the article), were among the group, offering historical information about the rivers and their banks, and pointing out where all under-water hazards are in the area of the proposed city boat docks and which may cause damage to boats using such docking facilities. The Zeller's and the Mains' boats were also available if needed. Gary Butler, (not mentioned in the article), also participated in the tour, giving information along the Tiffin River pertaining to the housing development and possible boat docking inlet off of the west side of that river. Sarah Bowling, 2009 Graduate of Defiance College and employed at the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce, (not mentioned in the article), was the tour's photographer. Jerry Hayes was not on the boat tour, as the article mentioned. Howard and Kim Mains Defiance, Ohio |
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