Big Walnut Fire District Chief Ben Lovell (left) and Selover Library staff member Alan Wall (right) discuss volunteer fire department funding and operations.
Courtesy | Selover Public Library
Selover Public Library in Chesterville held its third “Officially Speaking” event on March 27. Big Walnut Joint Fire District Chief Ben Lovell joined a small group of Chesterville, Marengo, and Sparta residents to enjoy some light refreshments and to talk about himself and his role as a firefighter and a local fire chief.
Lovell took a variety of questions from the attendees and discussed issues of interest to local residents. Topics included his background and experiences as both a volunteer and professional firefighter, and his work as a fire chief for the Big Walnut Joint Fire District, which serves Bennington, Chester, and Harmony Townships, as well as the villages of Chesterville and Marengo. Of particular interest was the discussion of fire department funding for a volunteer department like Big Walnut, and how it might be strengthened, especially as the local area grows in population and demands on the department increase.
Selover Library will continue its monthly “Officially Speaking” events on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Future guests will include Morrow County Park Board Chairman Tim Hilborn in April, the local ODNR Wildlife Officer, the Morrow County County engineer, and others in coming months.
The library’s hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The library is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
All programs are free. For more details on this and other programs, and to register for those requiring it, visit the library’s web calendar at seloverlibrary.org.
Submitted by Selover Public Library.
