Letter to the Editor:
June 7, 2018
I certainly hope everyone, and especially those that live within the Black Fork Watershed Sub District of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), will take the time to read the presentation made by Commissioner Marilyn John at the June 4 meeting of Shelby City Council that was covered in the June 5 edition of Richland Source.
Did you know:
The Flood Plain Management Commission (FPMC) was established by Shelby City Council six months before Ms. John’s first term as Mayor began?
The first FPMC was held over 3 months before Ms. John’s first term as Mayor began?
A meeting concerning the flooding issues in Shelby was held with the Army Corps of Engineers two months before Ms. John’s first term as Mayor began?
A meeting with Shelby area business leaders where they demanded the City find solutions to the flooding problem was held one month before Ms. John’s first term as Mayor began?
The Shelby City Council unanimously passed a resolution on August 16, 2010 supporting the reactivation of the Black Fork Watershed Sub District?
The Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution on September 23, 2010 supporting the reactivation of the Black Fork Watershed Sub District?
The 39 Township Trustees within Black Fork District Sub District who represent your interests were invited to a meeting with the MWCD on December 15, 2010?
That only three of those 39 Township Trustees, Ambrose Metzger (Sharon), Harvey Traxler (Jackson) and John McCarron (Franklin) attended the meeting with the MWCD?
Initially, the Commissioners, the City of Shelby officials, the volunteers on the Flood Plain Management Commission and the Friends of the Black Fork all came together with one common goal … stop the flooding in Shelby. While Ms. John has certainly taken the brunt and has been in the forefront of this issue, she certainly doesn’t own it alone.
To those trying to ‘drown’ Ms. John, including many within her own party, where were you before this became a ‘Not In My Backyard’ issue?
This has been going on for almost 10 years so there was plenty of time to get involved. Have you asked the other 36 Township Trustees you elected to represent your interests why they didn’t attend the initial meeting with the MWCD; have you asked Mr. Deppler, Mr. Traxler and the other FPMC members where they stand on this issue now; have you asked Commissioner Vero, Commissioner Banks, Mayor Schag and the current Shelby City Council members you elected to represent your interests what their stance is; and where are those vocal business owners now, including Mr. Hanline who stormed out of a meeting demanding to ‘just fix the problem?’
So, will there be a future flood event in Shelby if we stop and go no further, probably. Will there be a future flood event in Shelby if we clear and maintain the Black Fork all the way to Charles Mill, probably. Will there be a future flood event in Shelby if we implement the MWCD’s recommendations, probably. There are just no guarantees.
My biggest concern during this controversy is the unbridled power that is bestowed upon the MWCD and I have been asked several times why the residents in the Black Fork Watershed Sub District have no vote on this issue. The answer is the MWCD and the Black Fork Watershed Sub District are not political subdivisions and have no authority to place an issue on the ballot.
However, you did vote and elect public officials to represent your interests. And if the majority of these elected officials in the sub district are not in favor of the proposed solution, then let’s stop right now and quit wasting additional tax dollars with the MWCD. Let’s get ALL the elected officials within the sub district to the table and work TOGETHER and continue to look for a solution that is acceptable and affordable to everyone.
It won’t be quick and it won’t be easy … the City of Findlay, Ohio has been working with Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District to address their flooding issues longer than Shelby has and they have yet to find the answer either. Their latest flood was in July, 2017.
Finally, although I’m no longer a Shelby resident, I have many friends and many fond memories from the 21 years I spent here and I still care about this City. All I ask is that you know the history and get all the facts on this issue, which I believe Ms. John laid out very well in her presentation.
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Bill Freytag
Former Shelby Mayor (August 2008-2009)
