Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative has asked Findlay City Council to help the company preserve some of its service area in the city.  While American Electric Power of Ohio has a franchise agreement to serve all of Findlay, Hancock-Wood’s service territory includes a small section of eastern Findlay that was annexed into the city in the 1980s…According to Cooperative officials.  AEP has started “cherry picking” the cooperative’s larger customers in the annexed area.  Hancock-Wood wants council to pass an ordinance or amend an old one to specify the city’s support of the service territories established by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Hancock-Wood is not asking the city to enforce its territory, but to provide a supporting opinion so that Hancock-Wood can use that to fight AEP.
 

Whirlpool announced that it will add about 50 jobs after it constructs a $40.6 million, 86,400-square-foot expansion of its dishwasher plant in Findlay.  The Findlay plant’s 2,300 workers make 12,500 dishwashers per day, making it the world’s largest dishwasher factory.  Whirlpool said it has invested $1.4 billion in new U.S. plants and upgrades since 2010.

The Arcadia School Board gave the OK for the district to proceed with plans to implement all-day kindergarten.  Superintendent Bruce Kidder will now obtain cost estimates for needed paint, desks, tables, lockers and other supplies needed to renovate a former art room.  Currently, 28 children are enrolled in half-day kindergarten.  The move will mean that McComb will be the last district in Hancock County without all-day kindergarten.

The Seneca County Historical Museum is expected to begin improvements on Monday, Feb. 22.  The property located on Clay Street in Tiffin will have work done on the foundation and side porch.  The Barnes-Deinzer Seneca County Historical Museum Foundation will pay $30,000, Tiffin Charitable Foundation will pay $20,000 and the county will pay the remainder.

The Hopewell-Loudon Board of Education will conduct a special meeting at 7 a.m. Friday to vote on a contract with Brian Colatruglio, who as part of his new duties will replace Jeremy Nutter as head coach for the varsity boys’ football program and replace Tony Swanagan as athletic director.  Colatruglio teaches social studies at Columbian High School in Tiffin, where he also serves as head coach for the boys’ varsity football team. He has a past with Hopewell-Loudon, having taught social studies there from 2004 to 2010 and served as head football coach and athletic director.