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 Area residents used snowblowers, snow plows and snow shovels to dig out from a winter storm that hit late Friday and Saturday. Another storm is to hit tonight. Staff photo/William Laney MIKE BURKHOLDER
and WILLIAM LANEY
Staff Writers
A winter snow storm, which dumped as much as 3 feet in the Washington, D.C. area, hit the area with as much as 9 inches of snow in Wapakoneta and some areas of Auglaize County.
The snowfall came with high winds which created drifts as tall as 4 feet causing hazards for the city and county roadways.
Wapakoneta weather observer Dan Dietz calculated 8.5 inches of snow fell in Wapakoneta Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service is predicting as much as 10 more inches starting with a light snow at midnight with most of the snow falling throughout the day Tuesday before tapering off early Wednesday morning.
Wapakoneta Public Works Superintendent Meril Simpson said city crews hit the roads at 4 a.m. Saturday, but the high winds hampered their effforts.
Crews worked until 4:15 p.m.. Saturday and returned Sunday and worked from 7 a.m. to 1p.m. before heading back out early this morning.
“We are attempting to clear the roadways the best we can and we are dumping more salt and grit this time,” Simpson said this morning. “The temperature is still too cold for the salt to work, but if we get enough sun it may warm it up enough to help.”
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Friday, 02 October 2009 |
By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
On Thursday morning, Nathan Motter assumed the role his grandfather once held decades ago.
At the age of 29, Motter was sworn in Thursday as the Waynesfield police chief. He replaces former Police Chief Lee Ziegler who was recently hired as the village administrator.
Hours after swearing in, Motter told the Wapakoneta Daily News the Thursday ceremony was the culmination of hopes and dreams spurred on as a child.
“My grandfather was a police officer in the late ’60s and was even chief for a while,” Motter said. “I would hear stories about him growing up, and I developed an interest for it.”
Motter began the police academy in the fall of 2001, just days after the 9-11 attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. The events of that morning further strengthened his resolve to become a law enforcement officer, he said.
After graduating from James A. Rhodes State College in 2003, Motter worked briefly as a special deputy sheriff with the Allen County Sheriff’s Office. He began his tenure at the Waynesfield Police Department in 2004 as an auxiliary officer.
He completed his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in May 2005 from Ohio Northern University, and after four years of auxiliary work he was promoted to part-time lieutenant.
Motter held the lieutenant rank until Thursday’s ceremony.
The decision to promote Motter to chief was put into the works two years ago when the village council voted to dissolve the Board of Public Affairs. In its place, councilors voted to have a village administrator to oversee the village water, sewage, electric and streets.
Motter said Ziegler had expressed interest in obtaining the role, and with Motter’s position as lieutenant, coupled with his seniority, he was tabbed to fill Ziegler’s shoes. Motter said he was offered the job six weeks ago, and councilors officially accepted the movement during their last meeting.
Having not reached the age of 30, Motter admitted the new position could be daunting, but he was confident he could take the could reins with minimal difficulty.
“It definitely can be overwhelming, but with Waynesfield being a small department, it provides me with a great opportunity career-wise, and it opens up opportunities down the road,” Motter said.
Motter is the youngest police chief in the county, but that has been the norm for the village.
Ziegler also was 29 when he took over as police chief. Despite his age, Motter said he has received nothing but the best from other county police chiefs.
“I’ve spoken with a lot through e-mail, and they’ve been very supportive,” Motter said. “I feel very welcomed at this point.”
The new police chief comes into the job with a list of goals he wishes to obtain during his tenure.
Motter said he aims to add more personnel to the department, whether in a paid, or auxiliary structure. More manpower, he said, is key to “making the department more visible.”
“It’s difficult to maximize our patrol potential with what we have right now,” Motter said. “If we increase manpower, it increases the amount of patrolling and it increases our visibility.”
Just hours into the job, and Motter said he already has the confidence he needs to handle the position he has sought after since he was a child.
“I know I’ve got areas to improve upon, but at the same time, I’m comfortable where I’m at,” Motter said. “I grew up in this area, and that will certainly work to my benefit.”
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Last Updated ( Monday, 05 October 2009 )
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