Meigs SWCD to observe 75th anniversary annual meeting and banquet slated for Oct. 2

POMEROY—The Meigs SWCD will observe its 75th birthday on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 at Meigs High School during its annual meeting and banquet.

As part of the observation, current district supervisors and employees will recognize past supervisors, employees, and Soil Conservation Service/Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationists.

The Meigs SWCD began life in April, 1943 as the state’s eleventh conservation district. The district’s financial records started in May, 1943 and showed a $5 donation from W. A. Compton used to pay the filing fee for the Secretary of State’s office for Articles of Incorporation.

The first organizational meeting of the Meigs County Soil Conservation District, as it was then called, was held June 4, 1943 at the Agricultural Extension Office in Pomeroy. The meeting was called to order by Charles E. Blakeslee, county agent with the Ohio State University Extension Service.
The first officers were Harold Carnahan, chairman, W.F. Hawley, treasurer, Harley Musser, secretary, with the other board members Everett Colwell and C.E. Humphrey. Visitors were Blakeslee and R.R. Barker, district conservationist with the Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service).

This year’s annual meeting is historical as well, as it will be the first annual meeting shared jointly between the Meigs SWCD and the Athens-Meigs Farm Bureau. The meal begins at 7 p.m. in the high school cafeteria with voting for supervisors starting at 6 p.m. Cost is $14 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets contact the Meigs SWCD, weekdays 8-4:30 p.m. at 740-992-4282.

Eligible voters will choose two of three candidates for the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors at the Meigs SWCD annual meeting and banquet on Oct. 2.
The candidates are as follows:

Joe Bolin
Bolin, Rutland, has served on the Meigs SWCD Board of Supervisors since Jan. 1, 1992. He has also served on the Meigs County Community Improvement Corporation, the Rutland Township Board of Trustees. He lives on a 120-acre farm in Rutland Township with his wife, Janet. They have four children, 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

James “Tony” Carnahan
Carnahan, Syracuse, has served on the board since Jan. 1, 2016. He is the son of Nancy Carnahan and the late Jim Carnahan and is a lifelong resident of Meigs County. He spent his childhood on a dairy farm and during his youth was active in FFA and 4H. He worked in dairy until 1994 and is now involved in custom hay baling and corn farming. He is employed as a mechanic for Meigs Local Schools and is an active member of the Big Bend Farm Antiques Club, Athens-Meigs Farm Bureau, and River City Players.

Tim Smith
Smith, Racine, retired from the Tuppers Plains-Chester Water District. He is the son of Donna Jean Smith and the late Dan Smith. Tim and his wife Karen own 200 acres in which some is involved in hay and corn farming. They have 2 children and 4 great grandchildren.

Residents or landowners, firms, and corporations that own land or occupy land in Meigs County and are 18 years of age or older may vote for supervisor. A non-resident landowner, firm, or corporation must provide an affidavit of eligibility, which includes designation of a voting representative, prior to casting a ballot.

There are three ways an eligible voter can cast a ballot: at the annual meeting, at the SWCD office until 3 p.m. on Oct. 2, or via absentee ballot by requesting an absentee ballot from the SWCD office at 113 E. Memorial Dr. Suite D, Pomeroy, OH 45769.

Absentee ballots can be requested until Wednesday, Sept. 26 by calling or stopping in the office.

Supervisors serve staggered three-year terms. The winner will be announced the evening of the annual meeting and banquet.
The Meigs SWCD is a legal subdivision of state government that provides natural resource management assistance to county landowners and other units of local government. The district is funded by the Meigs County Board of Commissioners, and county funds are supplemented by funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The district is governed by a five-member board of supervisors, all county residents. Current supervisors include Bolin, Carnahan, Bill Baer, Keith Bentz, and Tonja Hunter.