City of Toledo News
Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The day honors Irish heritage and St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Toledo is home to many with Irish heritage but we are a city of many nationalities, religions, and backgrounds. (My wife and I were married at Historic St. Patrick's Catholic Church in 2001.) As we celebrate the Irish culture on March 17, I also want to acknowledge the many great heritages that make Toledo and our nation so great. In many ways, St. Patrick's Day is a celebration of the determination and resilience of Irish immigrants who came to America seeking a better life. After the corned beef and cabbage on Saturday, take a moment to reflect on the determination and resilience of our city. Toledo has weathered tough times but we are rebounding and together we have a bright future.

March is Women’s History Month and we are proud to recognize strong women leaders and shine a spotlight on the women who over the course of history have made significant contributions to Toledo.

Ella P. Stewart, Louise Brower, Lucy Dittman, Gloria Steinem, Donna Owens, Pauline Steinem, T. Jean Holden, Rose Reder, Mildred Benson, Marcy Kaptur, and Paula Hicks-Hudson are just a few of the women who have helped shape Toledo's path. Rose Reder was a pioneer when she joined the nearly all-male ranks of the Toledo Police Department in 1959. She was one of Toledo’s first female officers and a model for the modern-day policewoman. Pauline Steinem, the grandmother of writer and feminist Gloria Steinem, in 1904 was the first woman elected to serve on the Toledo Board of Education. This weekend is also a good time to reflect on the accomplishments of women who have shaped our past and consider how we can make sure the next generation of women truly attain equal rights and status.

I want to thank the University of Toledo for planning several events this month in honor of Women’s History Month.
Lastly, I want to commend ProMedica and Local Initiatives Support Coalition. The two organizations on Tuesday announced a $25 million loan pool and $20 million grant program for neighborhood-based economic development in ProMedica’s territory over the next decade. We need to recognize this and help them in whatever way we can. Toledo is poised for a comeback and organizations like LISC and ProMedica are wiling to invest in the city.
Economic Development

The Department of Economic and Business Development is committed to the growth of the city’s business community through the attraction, growth and retention of all companies, large and small.
The Economic and Business Development Department recently helped a small, family business called Hyggelight Candles , creators of The Growing Candle.

The company sells soy-based, hand-poured candles in several nature-like fragrances. Hyggelight Candles offers a zero-waste product, which differentiates it from other products on the market. The label around the candle is embedded with wildflower seeds, allowing consumers to reuse the container to plant the wildflowers - resulting in a no-waste solution.

The city worked with the Small Business Development Center and Lott Industries , to help Hyggelight Candles secure space, hire employees, and obtain financing. The city provided a $50,000 loan through its Enterprise Development Loan Program. The money will be used to buy a new mix and pouring machine. The company can produce 2,000 candles per month right now and this machine will allow it to produce 1,000 candles per hour.

The company will relocate to Lott Industries and add 10 new employees over the next several years while taking part in the momentum of the city.
The Enterprise Development Loan Program was established years ago with federal money and it has replenished itself through repayments. Hyggelight’s loan has a seven-year term and will carry a 4 percent interest rate.

For more information about how the city of Toledo can assist your business, please visit our website or contact us directly at 419-245-1286.
Public Utilities

The city is investigating new, more advanced options for reading water meters with automatic meter reading, automatic metering infrastructure, or a hybrid of both.

The purpose is to alleviate meter-reading issues, reduce time spent reading meters, and improve meter reading accuracy.

Traditional water meter devices require a meter reader to visit each individual water meter to check a customer’s usage. Automatic meter reading and automatic metering infrastructure systems use wireless or radio technology for faster and more frequent collection of meter reads. These technologies also reduce the number of necessary meter readers, eliminate the need for estimating water use that often under-estimates actual water consumption, and improve customer satisfaction through accurate billing, enhanced leak identification, shorter billing cycles, and improved data for possible conservation measures.

The project would be a public-private partnership that would cost taxpayers nothing. A return on taxpayer investment would be achieved through more accurate meter reads.
Mark Your Calendar

The Council District 6 regional water meeting will be 6-8 p.m., Thursday, March 22 in the Friendship Park Community Center, 2930 131 st St.

By The Numbers

5435 Pot Holes Filled THIS week
25,109 Pot Holes Filled YTD

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Toledo In The News

Ohio Supreme Court to hear Toledo traffic camera arguments The Ohio Supreme Court has set a date to hear arguments in another city's dispute with the state over traffic cameras. Cities have been challenging a state law they say undercuts camera enforcement and makes it too costly for cities to operate camera programs.

Relationship between students, police is mutually beneficial Since his first day at Bowsher two years ago, Officer Rick Trevino worked diligently to develop a relationship with the students, deliberately removing barriers that would inhibit him from connecting with them on a more personal level

ProMedica, national nonprofit to spend $45M to improve socioeconomic factors The national Local Initiatives Support Corp. and ProMedica will spend $45 million improving economic opportunities and health outcomes in ProMedica’s 28-county footprint. The two organizations will announce Tuesday a $25 million loan pool and $20 million grant program for neighborhood-based economic development in ProMedica’s territory over the next decade. The partnership will also strengthen another major ProMedica initiative launched in late 2017: the 10-year Ebeid Neighborhood Promise program, which seeks to inject new life into Toledo’s UpTown neighborhood.
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