LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — A long-standing educational program in Lima continues to grow in popularity, nearly five decades after it first began.
The Lima Noon Optimist Safety City, a fixture in the community for almost 50 years, has seen a surge in student participation this year. Officer Eric Mericle of the Lima Police Department said their field trip program has been attracting students from surrounding counties, hitting a milestone of 1,400 student visitors since March.
The Lima Noon Optimist Safety City, a fixture in the community for almost 50 years, has seen a surge in student participation this year.
On Thursday, students from Lima’s Freedom Elementary visited the program, where they learned about fire safety in the interactive “Survive Alive House.”
“Our field trips are normally Monday through Friday, nine to eleven or noon to two,” Mericle said. “But there are times we try to make exceptions and try to work with you, to get you out here to come see what we do.”
Mericle said he hopes even more students will visit before the school year ends. In addition to school-year visits, Safety City also offers a summer academy. This year, all 360 available spaces for the summer program have already been filled.
