February 27, 2000
Officials expect change in area code
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Public officials expect an area code change for Tiffin, but say there should be no major problems if that happens.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio says all the number combinations in the 419 area code will be consumed by the third quarter of 2001. The PUCO is seeking citizen input about possible solutions at a Wednesday evening meeting. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Tiffin University's Franks Hall-Chisholm Auditorium, and the public is invited.
In December 1999, PUCOs 419 area code planning team recommended five plans. One was an overlay plan, and four others would separate the 419 code into two geographic areas, with one being given a new area code.
With the overlay plan, the new area code is layered on top of the preexisting code in the same area.
"It would be very nice if we were still kept in 419," said Tiffin Mayor Bernie Hohman. However, Hohman did say he expects that Tiffin will be given a new area code.
Fostoria Mayor John Davoli has said he is concerned that, because Fostoria is in three counties, that city will be put into different area codes. Hohman said Tiffin should have no similar problem, because it is a county seat and is in the center of a county.
He said, hopefully, a plan would put Hancock, Seneca and Wood all in one county. However, PUCO's four current geographic split plans all place Wood in one group and Hancock and Seneca in another.
There has been discussion about adding a digit to the numbers that people currently dial. Hohman said he hopes Tiffin is simply given a new area code. He said it would be easier for people to learn to dial a new area code than to adjust to an additional digit.
"My instinct is that I have enough numbers to dial now &emdash; I don't want more," he said.
Hohman said he just got used to having to dial the area code when making calls in the 419 area, for example, to Fostoria.
Seneca County Public Safety Administrator Dan Stahl said he attended a meeting with Ameritech officials Friday about a proposed area code change and its impact on the county's 911 system.
"I don't think it's really going to impact," he said.
The current 911 system in the county is state of the art, and Ameritech and county officials should have no problems making any changes.
Stahl said he asked about the county's potential area code change,
"I specifically asked about the 419 area code and they said there have been no decisions yet."
Hohman said should the area code change, the major expense would involve business and government having to notify people of the change in their numbers.
Rich Focht, president and CEO of the Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce and Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corporation, said he didn't think any change would have a major impact on area business.
He said businesses would have to advise current customers and change their advertising to list the new numbers, but other than that it would not have a large effect.
One of the biggest reasons new area codes are needed is the increase in cellular phones and pagers, Hohman said. Every Tiffin police officer has a pager, as do all the city's departments heads, including the mayor.
Many families have several cellular phones, each requiring a different number, adding to the speed with which possible telephone numbers are being used.
Hohman said fax machines have been a factor, but to a lesser extent because most businesses have only one or two fax lines.