Listen Here
By Eli Schroeder, SchroederE2@Findlay.edu
Mayor Christina Muryn recently addressed the current state of Findlay, Ohio, sharing her insights on the city’s latest developments and updates. During the session, she answered questions from the public, reflecting on community sentiment and the city’s future direction.
On Feb. 12, at 5 p.m., WFIN’s Chris Oaks kicked off what he referred to as the city of Findlay’s “Fireside Chat,” where he and Mayor Muryn hosted the annual public forum at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.
The first question regarded the current state of Findlay.
“Amazing. Looking back at the previous year, we’ve set the city in such a great position,” Muryn said. “As we look at 2025, we’re going to have the pedal to the metal.”
A major topic covered was the flood mitigation plan and the $28 million FEMA grant pledged to Findlay. With changes in federal funding under the new administration, the question arose: How much of this grant has the city received, and should there be concern about receiving the rest?
“In the prior Trump administration, flood mitigation was a top priority when I spoke with them then,” Muryn said. “You can’t have communities suffering with these ongoing problems. One of the things that really benefits our community in attracting that federal funding is the local commitment that we have made.”
As a city in the middle of the Black Swamp region, flooding remains a major issue for the community since Findlay’s founding. The concern stems from the federal level, where funding in many avenues has been limited or cut entirely.
The Simulated Tactical Response and Incident Command Training (STRICT) Center also opened in the latter part of 2024, allowing the city and county’s first responders and departments to undergo deeper and more extensive training for emergency scenarios. This center is a house that contains movable walls and other intensive training amenities that help EMS, fire departments, and police officers become more prepared and well-equipped for high-impact and intense situations. The STRICT Center offers tours for the community to come and see first hand its capabilities that allow first responders to receive more concentrated training.
Shawn Martien, a firefighter for the city of Findlay, experienced working first hand with the new STRICT Center.
“We get the opportunity to build scenarios with the burn building where we get to actually create live fires and prepare us physically and mentally for the live situation,” Martien said. “In the actual STRICT Building, there is a house built within with shiftable walls and changeable attributes that allow us to create different layouts and situations, whether it’d be search and rescue, or other situations that we need to be prepared to handle.”
A major update anticipated by the community concerned the lot of the former city mall. A recent news release from Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development announced Target’s arrival. Muryn avoided answering the question initially, preferring to wait until “ink is on paper.”
