The Galion Area Betterment Commission meets each month to share their organizations needs and news and in January they heard commission member reports. Joe Kleinknecht shared potentially good news for the community from the Galion Crestline area Chamber of Commerce when he announced a Papa Johns will be coming to Galion in March at 216 Portland Way North.
Not all of the news was as positive: Long-time Galion business Gledhill Lumber has closed its doors.
Other news included a Health and Wellness Fair slated for Jan. 15 sponsored by the Galion Safety Council and will include a blood draw, blood pressure checks, five-minute chair massage, smoking cessation, exercise program, cancer awareness, diabetic education, weight loss strategy, gluten free and essential oils information, foot care awareness, flu shots and free smoke detectors and house signs from the Galion Fire Department.
Gary Frankhouse of the Crawford County Partnership for Education and Economic Development reported that there is an initiative to do a feasibility study for a sports complex in Crawford County. He said he would be meeting with experts in the field the first of February. He also said there may be a creation of a port authority to aide in the project.
Terry Gribble of the YMCA said there will be a building dedication and an open house for the new Galion addition. “If you’ve been in the Y lately, we are jam-packed,” said Gribble, noting the investment has already paid off in increased attendance and membership. * http://www.galioncenterymca.org/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Galion-Community-Center-YMCA
Brian Treisch, city auditor, said the financial department is making a big push to get out of fiscal emergency this year. Treisch reported that Kiwanis will be celebrating their 100th anniversary Jan. 20. Treisch also invited the public to the Galion Alumni Association’s March wine and cheese party fundraiser to be held at the Galion Country Club. He said during the past year there were over 3,000 visitors to the Gill House – Preserving Galion History – and thanked all those who helped to pay off the $20,000 mortgage.
Julie Bell, clerk for Galion City Council, reminded everyone of the upcoming January meetings including Jan. 21 and the finance committee; and Jan. 27 is the final regular meeting for city council for January. All meetings are in the Galion city building and begin at 7 p.m.
Tammy Crabtree of Galion Community Action reported serving 179 households during the Christmas season. “’Toys for Tots’ was amazing,” she said. “We had a lot of generous donations for our food pantry… our community pulls together. It’s incredible.” She said Toys for Tots assisted 265 children. She added that they still have lots of walk-ins for utility assistance.
The next performance at the Galion Community Theatre will be “The Sunshine Boys” which opens Feb. 20. For more information about the performance call 419-468-2662. For more information go to http://www.galiontheatre.com/ or their Facebook page.
The Betterment Commission also held elections for officers: Rick Maddox is president, David Halsey is first vice-president, Paula Durbin is second vice president, Elaine Hottenroth is treasurer, and the secretary will be announced.
The next meeting of the Betterment Commission will be Monday, Feb. 2 at noon at the Galion Community Hospital cafeteria. It will feature speaker State Representative Jeff McClain who will share issues dealing with the Crawford County area. On March 2, Judge Sean Leuthold will share information about the opiate problem in the county.
