💰$1.4 million Sandusky County Park District Rotary Lodge renovation moving ahead

Good morning, Ottawa County.

It looks like a fairly sunny spring day with a high temperature of 64 degrees and a low of 47 degrees.

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$1.4 million Sandusky County Park District Rotary Lodge renovation moving ahead

The Sandusky County Park District received approval from park board commissioners for Phase 1 of the $1.4 million Rotary Lodge facility addition and renovation project .

In choosing Telemon Construction, the board went ahead with the more expensive of two bids for the first phase, which satisfies grant requirements and is expected to result in a lower final cost for the full three-phase project.

“When we first got this park, when it was still River Cliff Park, in 2017, we had elicited the help of Thomas Porter Architects and we had a vision of renovating this building all the way back then,” Park District Director Andrew Brown said. “We don't know the date yet for final completion. We are looking at early to mid-May for breaking ground on Phase 1 to start really rolling, depending on permitting and all that stuff.”

This was a fascinating municipal meeting , with all the textbook bid sheets and related documents. I've been to hundreds of similar meetings for a wide variety of groups. Read the rest of the story, including details about why the more expensive contractor won the bid .

🎪More stories to keep you informed🐟

• 🎪 Festival season is starting . Food, music, games: Cinco de Mayo Festival will enliven downtown Fremont Saturday .
• 🐟 A Walleye Festival on Lake Erie? These rides look like a good catch. Get your advance ride tickets for Main Street Port Clinton Walleye Festival May 23-27 .
• 👓 Panfalone to lead Clyde High School staff as principal in 2024-25. Find out about the rest of the news from Clyde.

Something to do this weekend: The early bird gets the Biggest Week in American Birding and Cinco De Mayo in Fremont

The biggest thing to happen this weekend, in both Ottawa and Sandusky counties, is the Biggest Week in American Birding. An estimated 90,000 people will come to Ottawa County, and many of those people will also spend time in Sandusky County.

There are a lot of official activities associated with the event that is handled from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, but there are many other birding events and parks available where one might avoid some of the crowds.

Here are several links for birding articles, each of which have more links, so you can drill down on your birding, like those woodpeckers I saw yesterday.

• Flyways bring migratory birds to every corner of Ohio in spring
• Here's what's new at the 2024 Biggest Week in American Birding
• The Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council and Black Swamp Bird Observatory will host the third annual Feather to Frame exhibit at The Arts Garage this spring

Cinco de Mayo Festival in Fremont

The Latino Community Projects group's sixth annual Cinco de Mayo Festival is scheduled for downtown Fremont Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rich in Mexican culture with games like Loteria bingo, pinatas and kids' games with prizes, the annual event is a favorite for all ages. There will be six food trucks, music, vendors and community agencies offering resources.

To share news tips, just say hello, or ask a question, email me at rlapointe@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: 💰$1.4 million Sandusky County Park District Rotary Lodge renovation moving ahead