Local Archived News February 2007

Marysville a step ahead of EPA stormwater mandates
By RYAN HORNS
The Ohio EPA recently told dozens of smaller cities that they may have
to tighten their budgets to meet federal environmental mandates, but
Marysville residents will avoid the pinch.
Numerous smaller sized Ohio cities may see higher water and sewer bills
in order to cover the cost associated with cleaning pollutants that wash
from residential and business driveways and flow into streams. The Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency informed 36 cities that they must meet
federal guidelines to apply for a pollution discharge permit and submit
a plan for handling the runoff.
"The EPA's edict is not to raise fees," Marysville City Administrator
Kathy House said about the changes locally. "They are mandating we adopt
a management plan."
House said fortunately Marysville's stormwater utility is already in place.
"We are one step ahead of many communities in this area," she said.
According to the Ohio EPA, local governments have about six months to
comply after receiving notice from the state. Most large and medium
cities have already gone through the changes.
House said city public service director Tracie Davies is coordinating
the drafting of Marysville's Phase II stormwater plan, which is expected
to be finished in the next couple of months.
Marysville has collected a $2.75 monthly fee for its stand alone
Stormwater Fund since 2004.
House said initial reports of Marysville's status misquoted Davies as
saying the city would need to increase stormwater fees locally, because
the $489,000 it collected last year may not be enough for 2007.
Davies explained Tuesday morning via e-mail that this wasn't the case.
Marysville set up its storm water utility in 2003, although it did not
implement any fees until the spring of 2004.
"While we were not officially a Phase II community, we knew it was
coming and that we had storm water issues to address," Davies said. "The
only initial requirement from Phase II is to submit our Storm Water
Master Plan by May 2007, which must be implemented over a five-year period."
She said the consultants on the study recommended an initial storm water
fee of $4.13 per ERU, but that Marysville chose to go with a lower fee
of $2.75 per ERU.
Davies added that Marysville's Town Run has already been studied for
storm water needs and that the storm water rate study was based on
projects identified toward that area. Other studies on the east side and
northwest sides of town should be completed this year.
"Once we have all of the studies completed we will have the majority of
needed storm water projects identified," Davies said. "We can then
rank/prioritize the projects and start them when funding becomes available."
Regarding a possible increase in fees, Davies admitted that anything is
possible, but that would be up to city council and that issue has not
been addressed yet.
Harry Kallipolitis, stormwater coordinator for Ohio EPA's Central
District Office, said municipal separate storm sewer permits are based
on population density. Cities must "obtain a permit to actually
authorize the discharge of their stormwater."
The main point is for cities to get into compliance, Kallipolitis said.
Some are already within Phase II of those requirements, including
Marysville. From there cities must develop a program and submit their
stormwater plans to show "how they will address it."
Marysville city engineer Phil Roush said that "the key element of that
plan is going to be that the EPA is going to mandate that we monitor the
actual quality of water in Mill Creek and some of the other streams or tributaries."

Chrispin hired as MHS principal
By KARLYN BYERS
Two key Marysville High School personnel positions were filled Monday
night, as Marysville School Board members hired Matthew Chrispin and
Jeff Gafford as principal and head football coach respectively.
Chrispin will fill a vacancy created by the recent resignation of
longtime principal Greg Hanson. Gafford will follow in the shoes of
veteran football coach Rich Weiskircher, who announced his retirement in January.
Gafford, a Worthington Teaching Hall of Fame inductee, also was hired to
teach school in the Marysville system under a one-year limited contract.
Chrispin has served as assistant high school principal the past four
years. He received a bachelor of science degree in education from Ohio
Dominican University and holds two master's degrees from Ashland
University - in educational administration and sports science. He is
currently pursuing a doctorate at Ashland in educational leadership.
He has 12 years of teaching experience in the Worthington School System.
For three of those years, he served as an academic assistant at Thomas
Worthington and was a social studies teacher at Worthington Kilbourne for nine years.
"I am thrilled to have Matt become our next Marysville High School
Principal," said Superintendent Larry Zimmerman in a prepared release.
"He has the skills and leadership to serve our high school and school
district extremely well. Serving as assistant principal ... Matt has
demonstrated strong leadership and vision. He takes the reins of an
'excellent' building, as rated by the Ohio Department of Education, and
his excellent communication and planning skills will help make
Marysville High School even better."
Chrispin resides in Marysville with his wife, Sue, and two sons, Grant,
a senior at MHS, and Hayes, an eighth grader at Marysville Middle School.
The board also accepted the recommendation of construction manager Emily
Wieringa of Thomas & Marker Construction Company and awarded bids for
casework, kitchen equipment and technology for the new
intermediate/middle school on the south side of the school district.
The "lowest responsible bidders" were: The Farnham Company of
Westerville (casework), $605,500; Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment &
Design Inc. of Huron, $477,800; and Knight Electric of Columbus (technology), $1.1 million.
In other business, the board:
.Recognized Phyllis Simpson as January Employee of the Month. Simpson, a
Marysville High School secretary, has served the school district "with
much enthusiasm, dedication and commitment," stated a resolution
commending her. She also was cited for keeping up with "the high paced
work that comes with her position" and for keeping the school running smoothly.
.Approved a resolution to advertise for bids for the high school
addition construction project.
.Employed Ann Leonard as cashier, and Ann Anderson, Becky Blankenship,
Mary Feurer, Christine Fischer, Adrienne Gwilliams, Bethany McAdow,
Jackie Stanford, Linda Shilling, Marcia Rausch, Ann Musto, Melissa
Johnson, Nicky Shumway, Robin Wright and Connie Nichols as food service
support staff on an as-needed basis.
.Awarded supplemental contracts to Elizabeth Fraker, Rebecca Shaefer,
Christina Raymond and Tara Gilbert, middle school softball; and Todd
Wilcox, high school baseball. Board president Roy Fraker abstained.
.Approved unpaid leaves of absence to Lisa Cotner, anticipated effective
dates of May 3-14, and Abigail Helmuth, anticipated effective dates of
April 16 through June 1.
.Employed Crystal Canfield, Valerie Fuller, Sharon Kennedy, Angela
Lenhart, Chris Pope, Shari Rice and Lisa Spyker as certified substitutes
and April Grubb, Suzanne McGill, Brenda Schlecht, Carol Smith, Delores
Wootchie and Lisa Phillips as classified home instructors on an as-needed basis.
.Accepted, with appreciation, the donation of new uniforms for the
baseball program (grades 9-12) from the Diamond Club at an approximately
value of $15,000; the donation of two shelving units from Lambert's
Jeweler's; the donation of a freezer from Raymond PTO to store Market
Day items; the donation of a stretch/exercise bar from Curves to
Creekview Elementary's physical education department; and a $300
donation by Bank One for participation in the Family Life Essay Contest.
.Approved the purchase of new automated logic controls from Aleron to be
installed on the HVAC system at Edgewood Elementary.
.Approved overnight trips for the high school wrestling team to
participate in the OHSA State Wrestling Championships in Columbus on
March 1 and 2, and the Mock Trial program to participate in state
competition to be held in Columbus March 8 to 10, and approved the Mini
Swingers to attend the Fairfield Crystal classic at Fairfield Senior
High School, Fairfield, on March 3.
.Approved Mary Gore, Randy Coder, Larry Fox and Bob Luzenski as high
school softball volunteers.
.Adjourned into executive session to discuss personnel. No action was scheduled.

Monarch football coach named
Former Worthington Kilbourne coach will guide team
From J-T staff reports:
A name familiar within Ohio Capital Conference football circles will
assume command of the Marysville High School gridiron program.
Former Worthington Kilbourne head coach Jeff Gafford was named by the
Marysville board of education Monday evening to replace Rich Weiskircher.
Weiskircher retired early last month after 19 years as the Monarchs' head coach.
Gafford is a graduate of Dublin High School and a 1979 graduate of The
Ohio State University. He also did undergraduate work at West Point from
1974-76. He is certified to teach physical education, vocational and
mathematics. His teaching assignment at Marysville will be within those areas.
Gafford most recently served as the head coach at Worthington Kilbourne
High School from 1991-2005. During that time period, his teams won four
OCC championships and were in the state playoffs six times, the most
recent being in 2005.
His teams were regional runner-up in 1997 as well as 2005 and regional
champions in 1999 and 2004. He was named the Division I state coach of
the year by the Associated Press in 1997.
Prior to coaching at Kilbourne, Gafford served as head coach at Franklin
Heights High School from 1984-1991. While at Franklin Heights, his teams
won one OCC championship and had one playoff appearance.
He has had numerous additional coaching assignments in football,
baseball and basketball during his coaching tenure.
Gafford had taken the 2006 football season off at Kilbourne to follow
his son Jordan, who is playing football at Miami of Ohio.
However, he told Marysville officials that he was anxious to resume his
coaching career at Marysville.
Gafford is a member of the Ohio High School and Central District
Football Coaches Association. He has been a guest speaker at several
college and local coaches association clinics and forums. He was
inducted into the Worthington Kilbourne High school Hall of Fame in
2005. He was honored with an Honoring Excellence in the Teaching
Profession Award by Ohio State University for his classroom work.
"We feel very fortunate to have someone of Jeff's background and
experience taking charge of our football program," said MHS athletic
director Cal Adams. "He will be a very positive influence in our school
and football program. He has shown to be a great leader and I look
forward to working with him."
"I am very excited about the high quality of person, teacher and coach
that we are bringing to MHS," said principal Greg Hanson.
"Marysville is indeed fortunate to attract such a quality teacher and
coach as Jeff Gafford to our school district," said superintendent Larry
Zimmerman. "Jeff comes to us after already being named to the
Worthington Teaching Hall of Fame. That speaks volumes in itself. I am
very pleased because we found a quality, experienced teacher and coach
for our kids. We also found someone with a deep coaching background at
the big school level who has had tremendous success."
"As excited as I am about having him as a coach and teacher for us, what
struck me most about Jeff were his 'people qualities.' He will be a
tremendous role model because he is a quality person."
Assistant superintendent Neal Handler said the process of hiring the new
coach went quicker than expected.
"I wasn't sure if we would be able to move this fast," he said. "I would
have guessed we would have made a hire in March, maybe at a special
board meeting. However, this came together quickly and I feel this is a good outcome."
Handler said that although the district attracted a number of top-notch
candidates, Gafford stood out for his "human qualities."
"He has a great concern for the youth, not just on the football field
but also in the classroom," Handler said. "He has shown he is good at
dealing with parents and the community. He has very strong ethics and I
feel he will help our kids move forward."

Richwood hires police chief
By CHAD WILLIAMSON
Ten-year veteran Monte Asher was hired Monday night as chief of the
Richwood Village Police Department.
Asher replaces his brother, Rick Asher, who retired from the position last month.
Richwood council member Jim Thompson, who serves as the chair of the
village's safety committee, recommended Monte Asher for the position. He
said the village safety committee, which did not perform an outside
search to fill the position, felt Asher would be the best fit.
One other application for the position was received, but was later withdrawn.
Council member Peg Wiley, who also serves on the safety committee, said
the group felt that position should be filled by a current member of the
department. She said Asher will not need to learn the operations of the
department and shouldn't require additional training. Any training
necessary, Asher is willing to undergo, Wiley said.
Mayor Bill Nibert appointed Asher to fill the position on a full-time
basis. He had been serving as acting chief after his brother left the
department on Feb. 9.
Asher said he has yet to appoint a sergeant to fill the position he
vacated at the department. Asher did recommend two auxiliary officers to
fill a full-time and a part-time position at the department which have
been vacant for some time and which caused a vacation backlog.
Asher explained that he has two officers who have more than a week of
vacation time to use, but are facing the date by which they must "use it
or lose it." He explained that the open positions at the small
department have left officers unable to cover for those who wish to take vacation.
Council voted 6-0 to authorize a one-time carryover of the vacation time
for the two officers.
Council also heard a presentation from Mike Kelly of the Walter H. Drane
Company in Cleveland. Kelly explained that the company collects and
updates ordinances for villages and cities.
In the past, council members have bemoaned the fact that the village
code books are not kept up to date and legislation, which is known to be
passed, never shows up in the codified ordinances.
Kelly said his company serves 300 Ohio municipalities and has been in
business for more than 50 years. He said the company would collect,
review, analyze, organize and publish the village ordinances. Kelly said
the company specializes in identifying ordinances which overlap subjects
and ones which are no longer in line with the Ohio Revised Code.
He said it would take six to nine months to carry out the process. After
the initial codes are published, the company may be contracted to update
the books on an annual basis.
The village could also pay to have its codes available online.
No cost for the service was mentioned at the meeting.
In other business, council:
.Heard from Jennifer Frommer of the W.E. Stilson Consulting Group about
a planned water line improvement. Apparently the $487,000 project would
be funded by grants and loans, but some problems surfaced. Part of the
work was to prepare for a residential development planned for the area,
which has been delayed. Council did not with to pursue the work without
a commitment on the development.
.Discussed putting a streetlight on Edgewood Drive. The cost for the
light would be $1,400.
.Heard from Jim Baker of the Richwood First United Methodist Church
about the church replacing a sign in the downtown area.

J-T staffers among AP award finalists
From J-T staff reports:
Three Marysville Journal-Tribune staff members are among finalists for
2006 Associated Press Awards.
Sports editor Tim Miller leads the way with two awards. His story
"Mission Accomplished" about Jonathan Alder's girls basketball team
winning a state title is a contender for best sports enterprise reporting.
Miller's second award is for best sports photo for his shot entitled
"Just Missed It" which shows a Jonathan Alder softball player sprawling
to catch a ball.
News reporter Ryan Horn's story about a Thanksgiving Day murder is up
for an award in the breaking news category.
Managing editor Chad Williamson is among finalists for best column
writer for his "A Word to the Wise" pieces.
The Journal-Tribune falls within the Associated Press' Division I
category for newspapers with a daily circulation up to 7,999. The
winners will be announced at the Associated Press annual luncheon in
Columbus on April 22.

Geer wraps up gold-medal weekend
Fairbanks swimmer wins second state title
By TIM MILLER
Fairbanks High School freshman Margo Geer made Union County history
Friday night when she won the first-ever state swimming title for a local athlete.
Just 24 hours after claiming the gold medal in the Division II girls
50-yard freestyle, Geer doubled her efforts with a first place finish in
the 100-yard freestyle in Canton.
After finishing Saturday morning's prelims with a time of 52.2, Geer
swam her fastest-ever 100 in the finals, claiming the gold medal with a
time of 51.36. Her previous best effort was 51.4 last weekend at the district.
"In the prelims, Margo took off well and when she hit the wall (made
the turn), she was well in the lead," said Panther coach Mark Geer. "She
backed off a bit after that."
During the finals, the younger Geer had the lead right from the start.
"There were several girls in this race who were in the state finals last
year," said Coach Geer. "Margo had a great kick."
Although she knew the competition would be stiff in the 100, the younger
Geer said she felt confident going into Saturday's competition.
"I felt I had a good shot at winning," she said.
Although she was competing in the state tournament for the first time,
the Panther freshman is no stranger to swimming competition.
For several years, she has competed in YMCA national events out of
Springfield and has brought home quite a few medals.
In comparing state high school competition to that of national YMCA
events, both Geers agreed the atmospheres are similar.
"It's just as loud with fan noise in both and the competition is always
pretty strong," said Mark Geer.
Even though Margo Geer stood out among the state's elite high school
swimmers over the weekend, she didn't have much time to rest on her laurels.
Sunday morning, she was in the pool again, only this time at the
Springfield YMCA. In doing so, she got her national cuts in for both the
100 breastroke and 100 butterfly.
In two weeks, she will compete in the YMCA Double AA tournament at Miami
of Ohio and then in the YMCA Nationals in Fort Lauderdale in April.

It's called Heartland for a reason
Love blooms at local nursing home
By KARLYN BYERS
It was love at first sight for Tony Quigley.
A resident at Heartland of Marysville since August, Quigley knew Mary
Gingerich was someone he wanted to get to know better.
Gingerich, on the other hand, a Heartland resident since the end of
June, considered Quigley one of the South Plum Street facility's many pleasant residents.
Then Gingerich began to notice how courtly Quigley was; how
tender-hearted and romantic.
"He was so kind to the ladies and I appreciate that," Gingerich said.
They began "keeping company," as the older residents say. And then
Quigley, 64, and Gingerich, 57, ushered in the New Year with a kiss.
"We were the only ones who stayed up and watched the ball come down,"
Gingerich said with a smile, watching her "sweetie" sit in his wheelchair and blush.
Quigley asked Gingerich to marry him two weeks into the new year. She
agreed, and they approached Terri Holland, Heartland activity director, with a question.
"Mary said to me, 'I have an activity for you. How would you like to
plan a wedding?" Holland remembers Gingerich asking.
Holland, a former event planner at a golf course, was up to the challenge.
"We only had about a week and a half to plan. (But) all went well with
everything," she said.
The end result was that Quigley and Gingerich, had a "wonderful"
wedding, according to the new Mrs. Quigley.
"We had a wonderful, joyful day we wanted to share with the residents
because many have become our friends," Mrs. Quigley said.
They had wanted to get married on Valentine's Day, but moved the
ceremony to Feb. 17 when traveling midweek posed a hardship for family members.
Mrs. Quigley has a son and daughter and four grandchildren who live in
Plain City. Mr. Quigley's children and grandchildren are divided between
Xenia and Raymond.
John Bradley, Heartland Hospice minister, performed the double-ring
ceremony, and Caroline Ohnsman played the organ. Mrs. Quigley requested
that the traditional wedding processional not be played, because that is
music that "always" moves her to tears, she said, and she wanted no
tears on her wedding day.
But she didn't exactly get her wish, because Mr. Quigley's eyes welled
up with tears of joy, he said. Just recalling the event moved him to
tears this week, which earned him a tender look from his new bride and a
caress on his hand.
The wedding was complete with table decorations and flowers for the
bridal party - gifts from Natural Accents - and heart balloons from Goodies Galore.
The wedding cake, white with red flowers, was donated by Karen's Kakes.
The newlyweds, who both suffer from circulation problems caused by
diabetes, plan to settle in a small place of their own when they are
dismissed from Heartland. But for now they are content sharing a room in the "300" wing.
The Quigleys are enjoying visiting the facility's 90 residents, giving
words of encouragement and spreading cheer whenever they can.
"We have such fun in here," said Mrs. Quigley.

Fairbanks' Geer wins title in state swim meet
From J-T staff reports:
Freshman Margo Geer continued to make Fairbanks high school history at
Canton's C.J. Branin Natatorium on Friday.
Geer took the lead off the starting block and proceeded to bury the
field in the Division II state finals of the 50 yard freestyle.
Geer's time was 23.60, just four hundreths off the state record time she
set at last week's district meet in Worthington.
She earned the preferred lane in the finals by posting the best time of
23.75 in the morning semi-finals.
Watching his daughter win a state championship was called a "fantastic
experience" by Mark Geer, who also serves as one of her coaches.
John Bishop, who coaches Geer at her workouts at the Springfield YMCA,
said that the young swimmer should have an excellent chance to pull off
a double by winning the 100 freestyle today. Semifinals will begin at 9
a.m, with the finals set for 6 p.m.
"Winning tonight should give Margo confidence and help her relax in the
100," Bishop said. "We will plan for her to go out strong and really use
her strong leg kick to carry her to the finish."

Matthew Himler achieves rank of Eagle Scout
By KARLYN BYERS
Matthew S. Himler, the son of Dr. Jeffrey and Cindy Himler of Raymond,
has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in scouting.
An Eagle Court of Honor will be held March 4 at First English Lutheran
Church to celebrate Matthew's achievement.
Matthew's Eagle project involved collecting jigsaw puzzles, books, board
games, magazines and music for Heartland of Marysville. Once the
completed the collection, he built a large cart to contain the items and
to enable them to be transported around the nursing facility.
He is a junior at Marysville High School and a member of First English
Lutheran Church. Activities outside of scouting include football, power
lifting, track and youth group at the church.
As a Cub Scout in Pack 119, Matthew achieved all Cub Scout ranks,
including earning the Arrow of Light Award. He has been a member of Boy
Scout Troop 355 since fifth grade.
Scoutmaster is Charles White, and assistant scoutmaster is Jeff Himler, Matthew's father.
Required to complete 21 merit badges for the Eagle Rank, Matthew
completed 26. Merit badges completed included aviation, backpacking,
camping, canoeing, citizenship in the community, citizenship in the
nation, citizenship in the world, communications, cycling, dentistry,
emergency preparedness, environmental science, family life,
fingerprinting, first aid, fish and wildlife management, horsemanship,
oceanography, personal fitness, personal management, safety, small boat
sailing, snow sports, swimming, weather and wilderness survival.
High Adventures completed were BSA Northern Tier Canoe Base (Minnesota
Boundary Waters), BSA Sea Base Sailing Adventure (Florida Keys), BSA
Philmont's Double H Ranch Backpacking (New Mexico), caving (southern
Indian) and white water rafting (West Virginia).
Matthew earned the Triple Crown Award for completing the three National
Boy Scouts of America High Adventures. Other awards and achievements are
Order of the Arrow, Snorkeling BSA, World Conservation, 50 Miler Award
and God and Church.
As a Boy Scout, Matthew has spent more than 75 days and nights camping,
hiked more than 50 miles, backpacked more than 50 miles, canoed more
than 50 miles and has more than 45 services hours (not including his
Eagle project).

City seeking grants for reservoir
Committee working to create funding structure
By RYAN HORNS
The Water Rate Ad Hoc Committee announced it will meet again to study
ways to keep the future reservoir costs down for residents.
At Thursday night's Marysville City Council meeting, councilman David
Burke said that the committee plans to meet on Monday at 7 p.m. in
council chambers at City Hall. He said the public is encouraged to attend.
"The goal would be to hopefully bring some functionality, in terms of a
suggested rate structure," Burke said. "We can discuss producing some
legislation, or at least a strong suggestion as to the direction we should go."
Councilman John Gore said that on Wednesday he received a phone call
from Parker Sinclair, who works in Congresswoman Deborah Pryce's office.
He said Sinclair asked if the city of Marysville would be interested in
receiving the same $1 million grant that it was awarded last year for
the waste water treatment fund. On behalf of the city, Gore said
Sinclair was able to submit that request for the second year.
"In conversations with him, I also asked about money for the reservoir,
because that's a separate fund," Gore said. "And he said there is a
possibility there would be some money available."
Gore said that the $1 million grant application could be added to other
applications the committee is working toward.
Councilman Dan Fogt said that he recently received information that
could be useful in filling out requests for grant applications, so that
could be part of the ad hoc committee discussion as well.
Gore noted that the grant the city was awarded last year is from a
different fund than what reservoir grant money would come from, but he
thought the call from Pryce's office was great news and that any
additional funding they could get for the reservoir would help.
Mayor Tom Kruse mentioned that the city was supposed to receive that
grant money in 2006, but has not been able to yet because of
technicalities with the change in congressional leadership.
Gore agreed that the money had not gone out yet because of that.
"We're not getting good vibes out of there," Kruse said. "Obviously, we
got the one from last year and hopefully we'll get the one from this year."
"Well, the request has been submitted," Gore said. "We'll also continue
to talk with (Sinclair) about the reservoir."
In other city news, for the second time around council passed two pieces
of legislation toward the annexation of 114.007 acres from Paris
Township to the city of Marysville and granting the services to be
provided. The issue was added to the consent calendar at the beginning
of the meeting and later on all three readings on both pieces of
legislation were passed by emergency. Council first passed the same
annexation at its Dec. 7, 2006 meeting.
Burke explained that there are filing restrictions and deadlines for the
annexation and if those deadlines are not met, it then becomes nullified
and the process goes back to the beginning.
At the Dec. 7, 2006 meeting, Kruse explained that the annexation is for
land toward the Board of Education's new school.
In other discussions:
. Council passed the third and final reading to officially name a city
park, formally referred to as South Park, to Greenwood Park.
. City councilman Edward Pleasant commended local street workers on
their excellent work making roads safe for the city.
. The first reading was held on a resolution to keep the $500,000
Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) grant going in Marysville
for 2007. The money helps people purchase homes, as well as fund many
renovation projects.
. The final development plan was passed regarding The Oaks Planned Unit
Development, a 64-acre project to be located between routes 38 and 736.
The first phase will consist of 21 single detached condominium lots off of Route 38.
. The first reading was held to appropriate $2,340 from street funds,
for expenses associated with a donation from the Scotts Miracle-Gro
Company to pay for flower baskets to be placed in the uptown area.

Memorial Hospital plans for facility needs
By CORINNE BIX
Memorial Hospital of Union County has signed a contract with AMDC, a
strategic facility planning organization, aimed at improving the hospital.
Fred Campobasso, AMDC president, talked to the hospital board of
trustees Thursday evening during the monthly board meeting.
Campobasso along with two of his colleagues explained the process by
which AMDC will arrive at its final recommendations which will be
presented in July.
"This is very exciting and by far the most meaningful process you can
take part in when working with a hospital," said Chip Hubbs,
CEO/president of Memorial Hospital of Union County (MHUC).
The hospital will work closely with AMDC and take an integrated approach
when exploring future options for the hospital's growth.
The hospital has put together a planning committee which consists of
physicians, community leaders and board members. The planning committee
and the AMDC team will be interfacing on a monthly basis.
The groups will explore many options, including improving on and
rebuilding at the current site versus building a new facility at a green field site.
"We are not advocating a green field hospital but we do want to explore
all of our options," Hubbs said, "We have to be careful not to limit ourselves."
Dennis Stone, board chairman, said the process was needed.
"Right now we are facing a lot of competition," Stone said. "We are a
growing community and we need to provide the highest quality of health care."
Commissioner Charles Hall commented that he felt that AMDC's
presentation was leaning towards building a new facility.
The AMDC team clarified that building a new facility could mean
everything from a brand new building on another site to re-building and
renovating the current facility over a 20-year span.
The board agreed to lease up to 6,000 square feet of space for physician
use at the future Mill Valley medical building. The motion was approved
after executive session.
Spence Fisher, vice president of physician relations and business
development, said the hospital believes it may be breaking ground on the
Mill Valley building as early as this year.
The board officially recognized the retirement of Jackie Lazenby as
board member. She was presented with a framed resolution commending her
12 years of service to the hospital.
Commissioner Hall swore in new board members Rick Shortell and Tom Ranney.
Shortell is the vice president of marketing and public relations for
Union Rural Electric. He and his wife, Ruth, have lived in Union County for 16 years.
Ranney has lived in Marysville with his family for the past seven years.
He is employed at the TRC test track.
It was reported that two new CT (computed tomography) scanners will be
fully operational by the first week of June. The hospital currently has
a four-slice scanner and will be upgrading to a 16-slice scanner and a
dual source 64-slice CT scanner.
Fisher said at the present time The Cleveland Clinic is the only other
facility in the state with the dual source 64-slice CT scanner.
The board adjourned into executive session to discuss pending litigation
and the trade secrets of a county hospital.
The next board of trustees meeting will be March 22 at 8 p.m.
In other news, the board:
.Approved operational team, finance and joint conference committee reports.
.Approved the initial appointments for the emergency department,
department of medicine ? ER urgent care provisional status of Dr. James
Harnden, DO; Dr. Edward Boudreau, DO; Dr. Scalise, DO.
.Approved the medical staff policies for organ, tissue, eye procurement
and organ donation after cardiac death.
.Received information on upcoming changes to the hospital Web site to
make it more interactive and user friendly; quarterly board education
packet; new marketing packet for The Gables featuring the new tag line
"embracing life's changes;"and customer service data,
.Extended an invitation to board members to become involved with the
Home Health Professional Advisory Committee.
.Informed members of an upcoming executive committee meeting to discuss
and determine officers and committee structure for the board of
trustees.

Woman indicted in Plain City stabbing
From J-T staff reports:
A Plain City woman was indicted today after allegedly stabbing her
boyfriend last weekend.
Plain City Police Department's Sgt. Tom Jaskiewicz reported that
officers arrested Geraldine Walker, 50, of 282 North Ave. apt. A, Plain
City, Sunday morning for one second-degree count of felonious assault,
after she allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the back during an argument at her home.
Jaskiewicz said that after being stabbed, Walker's boyfriend, William
Gibson, 48, walked to the nearby Pleasant Valley Fire Department seeking
medical help at about 1:48 a.m. Information on which hospital Gibson was
transported to for care has not been released, and his condition is notknown.
Jaskiewicz said Sgt. Dale McKee met with Walker later in the day Sunday
and took her into custody at 3 p.m.
According to Union County Common Pleas Court papers, Walker was indicted
at 9:30 a.m. today and is scheduled for arraignment on March 8 at 1 p.m.

Spotlight on young thespians
Area children learn the ropes of show business
By EMILY MASTERS
A group of 21 area children, ages 6 to 14, are stepping out of their
comfort zones and becoming people they're not, only temporarily though.
It's all part of a training workshop series by Spotlight Theatre of
Union County, a non-profit organization that has been producing live
theater in Marysville for more than four years.
The participants completed four workshops titled, "Introduction to
Theatre." For the final one on Saturday, the youths will entertain their
families from 9:30 a.m. until noon at the YMCA with their production of
"The Three Little Kittens," a play taken from the well-known nursery
rhyme. The youths created and directed their version, all by using their
imaginations. They will showcase the new skills they've learned,
including writing, producing, directing, props and stage, costuming,
acting, and improvisation.
Darian Sobas, 11, said she is glad she participated in the workshops.
"At first I didn't think I wanted to," she said. "But I was glad to meet
new people, all with different personalities."
Along with Darian, participants are: Emily Parrish, Emily McDonald,
Jenny Mizikar, Kaitlyn Deere, Ali Ferg, Julius Ferguson, Trevor Baker,
Nora Miller, Anastasia Long, Serena Long, Nick Daman, Jessica Ford,
Becca Adams, Jack Bowman, Hailey Lewis, Cassidy Miller, Emily Ober, Eric
Klaus, Emily Snyder and Alex Warner.
Instructors Kim Sobas, Karen Rogers, and Brooke Hamlett helped the
children uncover their hidden talents, as well as develop more self-confidence.
"The kids are such a great group to work with," said Sobas, instructor
and Spotlight president. "They really want to be taught, and you can
just see it in their faces."
According to Darian, she enjoyed more than just the acting portion of the workshops.
"I enjoyed making the play, because you get to see your creation come to life," she said.
Since 2002, Spotlight has produced more than eight productions, the
latest being "A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley," which was
performed during the 2006 Christmas season. The production held a cast
and crew of more than 80 people, the largest cast Spotlight has ever
had. It was directed by Amy Anderson-Dummitt, who also directed
Spotlight's fall 2005 production of "Harvey."
Karen Iden, a local artist who did all of the special paint affects on
the set of "A Christmas Carol," recommends that if children or adults
have a desire to learn about theater, joining Spotlight is a way to do it.
"It's such a great experience for kids to get involved with," she said.
"It's a way to express yourself, and it serves as an outlet."
According to Sobas, a main goal of the organization this year is to add
educational workshops for children, teens and adults. The next
production is scheduled for mid-October.
"We are currently reviewing scripts for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
and are in search of a director," said Sobas.
Monthly Spotlight meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month in
the Buckeye Room at the Agricultural Services Center, and members are
encouraged to attend. Individual membership rates are $20, and family
rates are $30. Membership is not necessary to participate in productions.
Additional information about Spotlight, upcoming classes, or upcoming
productions may be obtained by visiting www.spotlighttheaterunionco.org
or contacting Sobas at (937) 537-6163.

Fire department asks residents to clear snow from around hydrants
From J-T staff reports:
The Marysville Fire Department is asking residents for help clearing
snow away from city fire hydrants.
"For us to effectively access a water supply during an emergency, it is
crucial that fire hydrants be readily accessible and visible to
responding crews," chief Gary Johnson said, in a press release. "Recent
severe weather has made this a challenging task.
The release states that significant snowfall brings out the plows,
blowers and shovels.
"It is incumbent on us all, as a community, to ensure that fire hydrants
are not visually or physically obstructed," Johnson said.
He explained that some of the city hydrants in outlying areas also have
elevated markers to identify their location. It is important, even with
the markers, to be readily accessible during an emergency.
Johnson said that even when the department isn't dealing with severe
weather, crews sometimes encounter situations where vehicles, weeds,
shrubs and more block access or hide the hydrants. It's not only a
safety issue, it's a legal issue as well, he said.
The Marysville Division of Fire reported that further information can be
obtained by contacting the department at 642-2065 or visiting its Web
site at www.marysvilleohio.org.

Review
Duo's concert was charming
Editor's note: The following concert review was provided by Kay Liggett,
who serves on the board of directors of the Union County Community
Concerts Association.
---
Bronn and Katherine Journey were in concert in Marysville Wednesday
night, and it was a night of glorious music from a charming, talented pair.
What a talented, charming couple! Bronn the harpist and humorist;
Katherine the pianist and vocalist who also played the smaller Celtic
harp. (Bet you could have heard her high notes uptown!)
The audience - a goodly crowd on such a foggy, foggy night - was
enchanted with this superb musical duo.
Music dictionaries define harps as one of the most complicated
instruments - and most difficult to play. Bronn Journey played the
modern, symphony harp, a tall, graceful, ornate pillar with a flaring
wide base. It was certainly an impressive sight. This was a concert harp
with 47 strings covering six octaves.
Each kind of string gives character to the sound. Wire strings give a
bell-like sound - best suited for Irish and Celtic music. Some concert
harpists have harps with double layers of strings - some even with cross
stringing, which can make for fairly complex harmonies. The strings are
of various colors to better guide fingers. Bronn made it look easy.
The harp concert was a real treat and included wonderful music we knew
so well - movie themes, state productions, popular classics and themes,
including "Sound of Music" vocals, "Ebbtide," "All Through the Night,"
"In the Still of the Night," and Josh Robin's "Sail Away with Me."
Bronn goofed on the Ohio State Buckeyes "Fight Song," playing what he
learned from a Web site - a dud - but he promised next time around that
he'd get that important piece down pat!
Harps have been around forever, a really ancient musical instrument.
Some are small and hand-held creations that are limited in what can be
played on them. The lyre, a small hand-held instrument, goes back
historically to about 3200 BC. Ancient Egyptian harps circa 2575 BC were
larger but had no supporting pillar, according to pictures. The Celtic
harp was smaller and portable. Ancient Spanish art shows harps about 1500 BC.
The sound of a harp seems magical and soothing. String resonance, range
of pitch and tone quality set up an important relationship between sound
and recipient. Increasingly, this sound is used in "harp therapy," a new
aspect in modern medicine to help patients relax. Stress management
programs, known as "Harps for Healing," are used in emotional, mental,
physical and spiritual healing programs. Historically, harps have always
been a symbol of relief and comfort.
A "Rainbow of Sound" - that's what we heard last night - and that's just
what we needed! It was music to heal our weary bodies, strengthen our
minds and unlock our creative thoughts. Oh those "heavenly harpists" -
what a joy to have had them in concert for us!

Art exhibit comes from the heart
By EMILY MASTERS
A group of Union County artists not only have talent but also big hearts for giving.
As a result part of the proceeds from an art auction this weekend are
being given to the American Heart Association.
The artists, who live countywide, range in age from kindergarten to 20
years old, and each has a developmental disability.
"The display will show that people with developmental disabilities are
marvelous artists," said Dianne Kreeger, service consultant for MR/DD.
"It's so wonderful to see the work that comes from their hearts."
HeartArt will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Houston
House, 264 W. Fifth St. It will feature 150 works consisting of
paintings, watercolors, tissue paper collages, chalk drawings, various
crafts and a quilt. Some MR/DD staff members and area teachers also
participated. The works were judged earlier this week and ribbons were
given to the first through third places in each age category. Honorable
mentions were also awarded.
In the adult category awards went to: First place, Tabitha Trudeau;
second place, Laura-Leigh Miller; and third place, Chad Cook. Honorable
mentions were awarded to: Heather Kroninger; Brooke Russell; and Allison Emmons.
In the middle and high school category, awards went to: First place,
Sylena Nixon, North Union High School; Second place, Chris Boggs,
Ventures Academy; and Third place, Kyle Boggs, Delaware Christian
Academy. Honorable mentions went to: Sylena Nixon; both of Ms.
Sturgil's middle and high school classes for a collaboration; and
Jennifer Marks, Marysville Middle School.
In the children's category, awards went to: First place, Jacob Dearruda,
Mill Valley Elementary; second place, Derek Krawczyk, North Union
Elementary; and third place, Emily Hicks, Mill Valley Elementary.
Honorable mentions went to: Marcey Watkins and Clay Cost, Mill Valley
Elementary; and Ms. Beany's class at Creekview Intermediate.
In the craft category, awards went to: First place, Laura-Leigh Miller;
second place, Carol Sharp; and third place, Mike Cottonj. Honorable
mentions went to: Donna Trudeau and Carol Sharp.
The art works that were awarded ribbons will be part of a silent
auction, while all others will be priced.
Kathy Jamison, also a service consultant for MR/DD, is amazed by the
response she has seen.
"It started out with the idea that I wanted to have an art show and
provide art sessions for consumers, so they could get together and
socialize," she said. "I had no idea in my wildest dreams it would turn out like this."
As the art classes were held, it was clear that the artists not only had
talent but an outlet.
"I find art very relaxing," said 25-year-old Pam Hamilton of Marysville.
"It helps me express the way I feel."
Hamilton says she has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and
post-traumatic stress. Participating in art, she says, makes her feel
better. Also, she is happy her work is going to help the American Heart Association.
"It makes me feel so great to help with that," she said. "A friend of
mine has heart trouble and a cousin of mine will have to have heart
surgery when he turns 1."
Both Jamison and Kreeger see the art auction as a way to teach those
with developmental disabilities how to give back to their community. It
also could be a way for them to make money in the future.
"I have seen the talent these adults and young adults have," said
Kreeger. "They could use this creativity to possibly make a living and
put together a business."
The artists' works will be printed on greeting cards for the public to
purchase for $1 each. Also, smaller prints of the original works will be
sold for $5 each.
The winning masterpieces will be on display throughout the month of
March and can be seen at the Plain City Library, the Raymond branch of
the Marysville Library, the Richwood Library and the Copy

Schmenk will run for mayor
MHS grad sees 'future greatness' for Marysville
From J-T staff reports:
Marysville resident Chris Ward Schmenk announced today that she will run
for Marysville Mayor in the upcoming November election.
"As a native of Marysville and a long-time resident, I have great
passion for seeing our city succeed," Schmenk said in a press release.
"Marysville has experienced enormous growth in recent years and with
that growth comes both opportunities and challenges.
"In order to expand our local economy, help our schools stay strong and
provide a wholesome environment for our children, we need quality,
planned growth."
Schmenk received a bachelor of arts degree from Ohio Northern University
and a law degree from The Ohio State University. A 14-year associate of
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, she heads government and community
affairs for Scotts. In addition to her work at the Union County Chamber
of Commerce, she is on the board of trustees of Memorial Hospital of Union County.
"As president of the Union County Chamber of Commerce, I have
demonstrated my ability to facilitate cooperation and partnerships among
stakeholders in our county, and as mayor of Marysville, I hope to help
lead the city into future greatness," Schmenk said.
Schmenk is a graduate of Marysville High School and credits her parents,
David and Elizabeth Ward, with instilling in her strong values and a
heart for public service.
She and her husband, Mike Schmenk, are active members of The Vineyard
Church of Marysville and have two children, Megan, a sophomore at MHS
and Matthew, a student at Trinity Lutheran School.

Fairbanks extends Craycraft's contract
By KARLYN BYERS
Fairbanks School Board members voted 4-0 to approve a two-year contract
for Superintendent Jim Craycraft during their regularly scheduled Monday
night meeting. Board vice president Star Simpson was absent.
The contract begins Aug. 1 and continues through July 31, 2009.
Craycraft also received a 5 percent raise but deferred the raise until
he leaves Fairbanks. The deferral will help Craycraft, a retired rehire,
keep his taxes manageable, he said in an e-mail response to a query from
the Journal-Tribune. The deferral does not affect the school district.
This year marks Craycraft's 41st year in education and his 25th year as
a superintendent. He graduated from Capital University in 1966 and
received a master's degree from Dayton University in 1976.
Before coming to Fairbanks he was superintendent at Ridgedale School
District in Marion County for six years and at Tri-Rivers Career Center
for 14 years. He also served as an interim superintendent at Mount
Gilead Exempted Village Schools for nine months.
Craycraft is in his fourth year at Fairbanks. He said he has enjoyed his
tenure in the school district and "hopefully the community has enjoyed
me being here."
Craycraft's salary for this year and next year will be $105,587.
The board heard a presentation by high school principal Tom Montgomery
on the Ohio Core curriculum, "the next big thing Ohio is going to have
to deal with," according to Montgomery.
The Ohio Core will require students, beginning with the high school
graduating class of 2014, to complete a rigorous curriculum as a
requirement for high school graduation and as a prerequisite for
admission to Ohio's four-year state assisted institutions of higher
education, according to the Web site eTech Ohio: Ohio Core.
The Ohio Core curriculum includes four years of math, including Algebra
II or its equivalent; three years of science with inquiry-based
laboratory experience; four years of English; three years of social
studies, including American history and American government; one-half
unit of health; one-half unit of physical education; and a combination
of five units to be chosen from among foreign language, fine arts,
business, technology and career technical.
Craycraft said larger school districts will not be affected as much by
the curriculum changes because they already offer more curriculum
choices, but technical schools and smaller school districts such as
Fairbanks will feel the impact.
"I think it's good," Montgomery said. "I don't think it's anything we
should be concerned about, because it's about raising the bar."
In other business, the board:
.Approved Lyndy Agner as Fairbanks Elementary secretary beginning Feb. 1.
.Approved athletic contracts for the 2006-2007 school year to Candace
Rucker, volunteer middle school cheerleading advisor; Keith Scheiderer,
volunteer middle school boys basketball coach; Brent Chandler, reserve
baseball coach; and Dustin Francis, volunteer baseball coach.
.Approved athletic contracts for the 2007-2008 school year for John
Finney, head high school cross country coach; Carleton Cotner, head high
school football coach; Matt Humphrey, head high school boys soccer
coach; Nevin Taylor, head high school girls golf; Larry Morris, head
high school boys golf coach; Randy Spain, head high school girls soccer
coach; Richard Rausch, assistant high school football coach; Jeff
Powell, assistant high school football coach; Dan Stillings, assistant
girls golf coach; and Steve Conley, assistant boys golf coach. Board
member Dave Huber cast the lone "no" vote.
.Approved supplemental contracts for Joey Newell for 75 days at a rate
of $32.22 a day for teaching an extra class every day beyond his normal
schedule, and Krista Fairchild, volunteer middle school dance instructor.
.Authorized the disposal of a 1991 Carpenter school bus (traded in on
new bus), Vulcan Market Forge Steamer cabinet and base, two Nextel
phones, 12 video Camcorders for school buses, and a tape recorder.
.Approved a list of 33 elementary media books donated by the Scholastic Book Fair.
.Approved the disposal of 45 elementary media books.
.Conducted the first reading on 23 elementary media books to be purchased.
.Transferred $3,865 from the general fund to the food service fund.
.Appointed board member Mark Lippencott as legislative liaison to the
Ohio School Board Association; Huber as policy committee chair; and
Jaynie Lambert as athletic committee chair.
.Discussed awarding a $625 Friends of Fairbanks Scholarship sponsored by
the board of education.
.Approved the January financial reports as presented by treasurer Aaron Johnson.
.Adopted the high school course of study handbook for the 2007-2008 school year.
.Adjourned into executive session to discuss personnel. No action was scheduled.

Author series kicks off Tuesday
By KARLYN BYERS
A Cleveland resident who gets a charge out of mentioning the city's
landmarks will kick off the second annual Friends of the Marysville
Public Library Author Series Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Les Roberts, author of "Cleveland Local" and "The Best-Kept Secret,"
uses familiar landmarks such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Gund
Arena and Cleveland Stadium as backdrops for crimes solved by fictional
detective Milan Jacovich.
A former actor and producer of the popular television game show
"Hollywood Squares," Roberts was born and raised in Chicago, but finds
the city on Lake Erie fertile ground for his imagination.
"Anyone interested in Cleveland will especially enjoy (his books)," said
Ken Kraus, Friends of the Library board member and person in charge of
this year's author series.
Kraus, who has read three of Roberts' books, described the author's
offerings as "enjoyable and a good read."
Roberts will be followed by Don Bruns, author of "South Beach
Showdown," "Jamaica Blue" and "Barbados Heat," on March 6; and
Toledo-area resident Judy Clemens, who penned "Till The Cows Come Home"
and "To Thine Own Self Be True," on April 17. The series will conclude
May 8 with Illinois resident Denise Swanson, author of "Murder of a Real
Bad Boy" and "Murder of a Sweet Old Lady."
All performances will be held at 7 p.m. at the Veterans' Auditorium, 233 W. Sixth St.
Kraus said changes have been made to this year's author series to
encourage public participation. Season tickets have been reduced to $25
(from $40 in 2006) and the Marysville High School English Department has
thrown in its support.
Kraus anticipates between 25 and 35 students will attend the series,
largely because of the efforts of Jennifer Watts, high school English teacher.
"She didn't have to step up to coordinate (the series) but she did," Kraus said.
He is hopeful that the 2008 series will find authors visiting the high
school's creative writing students, giving first-hand advice and encouragement.
Also new this year is corporate sponsorship. Honda Marysville and URE
Touchstone Energy Cooperative have taken the lead, with "lots of"
industry and business sponsors at the $150 level offering support, Kraus said.
Proceeds from the author series will benefit the Marysville Public
Library Endowment Fund which in turns supports library programs for
children and adults.
The Endowment Fund offers area residents of all means the opportunity to
make a lasting gift for the betterment of the community.
The Friends organization and the library are separate entities, Kraus
emphasized. That is why tickets are not sold at the library, but rather
are available at Butler Wick, 120 S. Main St., or by calling 644-8686 or 642-6994.
Those interested in joining Friends of the Marysville Public Library may
pick up information at the kiosk at the library's main entrance.
"All we ask is that when you join the friends and are asked to help, you
do so," Kraus said

Community concert series to feature Bronn and Katherine Journey
From J-T staff reports:
While the harp is often referred to as "the instrument of angels," the
couple who are bringing it to Marysville Wednesday evening for the
community concert series are the duo said to transport audiences to the gates of heaven.
Bronn and Katherine Journey, of Washington state, will entertain
concert-goers beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Marysville High School auditorium.
The Journeys do not typically use a written program. They enjoy choosing
each musical piece through interaction with the audience. At times,
Katherine, a vocalist, uses the piano to accompany her husband on the
harp. Although no two performances are exactly alike, humor is always
part of the program, which incorporates selections from pop, classical,
folk and sacred genres. The Journeys are known for weaving the
unexpected into their concerts, making the classical harp, accessible to everyone.
The Journeys perform throughout Washington state and the Pacific
Northwest and have also entertained audiences in California, Oregon,
Montana, and Idaho. Most recently, they performed in Western Canada.
Bronn Journey got his start on the harp 32 years ago at the age of 11.
He advanced rapidly, and by the time he was 16, he was performing
professionally in fine hotels and restaurants in the Seattle area. After
high school, he was accepted to the School of Music at the University of
Washington. He graduated with a bachelor of music degree in 1985.
Katherine Journey, a native of Calgary, Canada, began her musical
training at the age of 8, with piano lessons after school. She graduated
from Dordt College in Iowa with a degree in music education in 1982. Her
solo voice training began in 1984, when she auditioned for and received
the opportunity to study voice at the music school at Arizona State
University. She graduated in 1987 with a masters degree in vocal performance.
Seventeen albums are currently available on the Journeys' own label,
Phileo Music. They are sold in fine gift shops across the United States and Canada

Hungry to make a difference
Local teens fast for 30 hours to raise money and awareness
By EMILY MASTERS
After going 30 hours without food, some Marysville teens will be ready
to eat a good meal tonight.
Motivated by their concern for children around the world who live in
hunger and poverty, seven members of the New Beginnings Church youth
group, The Power Cube, on North Maple Street, spent Friday afternoon
through Saturday evening fasting.
Alycia Ford, 15, has participated in the activity for four years now.
"I actually look forward to it," she said. "I like to help people and
this is a fun and easy way to do it."
The event is part of World Vision, a Christian relief and development
organization dedicated to helping children and their communities,
worldwide, reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.
The organization works in nearly 100 countries, serving more than
100-million of the world's poor.
"I'm passionate about the cause, because I know I have no clue what kids
in Africa go through," said 14-year-old Taylor Spears. "Here, we don't
always appreciate what we have and we have a lot more than they do."
According to youth group leaders Linda and Mike Wilms, $30 can feed and
care for a hungry child, for one month. More than 29,000 children die
everyday from hunger and other preventable causes, they said.
"This event is a personal way the kids can help and show that one person
can make a difference in the life of a child," Linda Wilms said. "The
kids also develop compassion learning what some kids around the world
have to go through everyday."
During the fast, the teens gathered at the church and engaged in
activities that help them identify with needy children around the world.
"We have an activity where we simulate what disabilities or diseases
African kids might have," said 15-year-old Dani Steepe. "We might have
to wear three coats around to feel how hot some kids must get or tape
our noses closed to feel what asthma must be like."
"We're really proud of them for the effort they put into this," Mike Wilms said.
A Friday night sleep-over at the church will be followed by bowling at
Marysville Lanes this afternoon, where the teens will continue to raise
money during their hunger pangs.
The 30 Hour Famine will end at 6:30 p.m. tonight with communion and a
meal prepared by church members.
The Power Cube has so far raised $1,400 for World Vision.
Last year, more than one million teens in 21 countries participated in
the 30 Hour Famine.
For more information about World Vision, those interested may visit
www.30hourfamine.org

Newspaper route is a family affair
By CORINNE BIX
Rosella Renz is impressed.
She is so impressed that she wrote a note on her Marysville
Journal-Tribune subscription renewal form that her paper carriers are
the best, which left one question ? why?
Riley Tangeman and Zach Kisor are a team. The stepsiblings have been
paper carriers in Green Pastures for the past year.
Renz said the two 12-year-olds go above and beyond the call of duty when
it comes to delivering her paper.
"They are very, very dependable," Renz said, "They always place the
paper on each doorstep and even brought another paper left on my
driveway up to the front door."
Tangeman and Kisor's parents will sometimes drive them if the weather is cold.
"They will run from house to house so as not to keep their parents
waiting," Renz said.
In December, Renz gave Christmas gifts to Tangeman and Kisor. She said
their thank you notes were special in that they recognized the gift but
also thanked Renz for the thought behind the gift.
"I gave Riley a bottle of perfume and she wrote it made her feel so good
to get a 'girl gift'," Renz explained.
Renz believes the secret to Tangeman and Kisor's success might have
something to do with their family.
"They certainly must have great parents," Renz said.
Gina and Jon Tangeman have been married for more than three years.
When they married Gina had two sons and Jon had one son and two daughters.
The couple welcomed baby Gabe in 2004.
Gina, a former teacher, said before the kids signed up to become
carriers, the family had a meeting.
"We knew it was going to be a family effort," Gina said, "Everyone was on board."
Together the family of eight works together to complete the daily paper route.
Often times, if Riley or Zach have another commitment, the other kids
will pitch in and help.
Gina said when she and Jon combined households the first order of
business was establishing rules and routines to ensure the comfort zones
of everyone involved.
The paper route has been a great learning experience for everyone in the family.
"It's taught them responsibility, to work hard and earn some money,"
Gina said, "It's also jump-started the other kids to want to make money."
Riley and Zach said they enjoy having one another to count on to get the job done.
"It's nice to have him," Riley said.
Zach said the two have a large route and it helps to have someone share the load.
"I like it because it gives me something to do during the day and gives
me extra money," Zach said.
Both Riley and Zach said it is very important that they keep their
customers satisfied.
"We've been raised that we want to be the best at anything we do," Zach said.
At times the two argue and have to resolve their conflict in short order
so that they can get to the business of delivering the papers which Gina
says is part of the learning experience.
Riley and Zach are both equally impressed with their customer Mrs. Renz.
"It was really nice of her to think of us (at Christmas), to go and get
a gift rather than just giving us a tip," Riley said.
Zach said his gift of a sports radio was very unique.
Renz who had a blended family herself said Riley and Zach are proof that
a blended family can work when everyone pitches in.

Red Cross puts out call for donors
Snow and ice forced blood drive cancellations
From J-T staff reports:
Severe snow and ice storms across Ohio and Michigan have caused blood
drive cancellations and further stressed the already fragile supply of
life saving blood, according to the American Red Cross Central Ohio
Blood Services Region.
Winter weather conditions over the past 10 days have forced multiple
blood drives to be canceled across the two states, representing more
than 1,600 donations lost. In central Ohio alone, the Red Cross said,
242 donations were lost in the last two days due to cancellations.
The cancellations come at a time when the Red Cross blood supply is
still recovering from critically low levels experienced in late January.
Due to the weather the central Ohio region has not been able to recruit
the approximate 650 donors a day needed to support the 56 hospitals and
medical facilities in the area, the Red Cross stated in a Friday press release.
"So many drive cancellations in such a short time raises concerns about
our ability to meet hospital needs," said Rodney Wilson, spokesperson
for American Red Cross Central Ohio Blood Services Region. "If we do not
see an increase in donations in the coming days to replenish the supply,
we could encounter an emergency situation."
Wilson said several blood types are at critically low levels. Of
greatest concern is the availability of O-negative red blood cells ? the
"universal" type used in emergency situations ? with only 15 units (well
below the one-day supply of about 100 units) on local Red Cross shelves.
Also, low levels include less than a one-day supply of O-positive,
A-negative, and A-positive types.
Level II and III snow emergencies declared in multiple counties further
complicate the situation as donors have difficulty traveling to keep
their appointments to donate.
"Most of our drives still on schedule have seen very low donor turnout," said Wilson.
Blood drives Thursday operated at about 65 percent from the needed
number of donors.
"We want donors to be safe, and urge the public to make and keep
appointments to give blood in the coming days," said Wilson.
Blood donors of all types are encouraged to give, with a special need
for O-negative, O-positive, A-negative and A-positive.
To schedule an appoint, call 642-6651, or for Richwood drives, call (740) 943-3079.
The following are bloodmobile collection points:
.Feb. 19, Moose Lodge, 1 to 7 p.m.
.Feb. 22, Catholic Community Center, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. .Feb. 23,
Memorial Hospital, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
.Feb. 27, Made from Scratch, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
.March 6, Marysville High School, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
.March 12, Richwood Church, 1 to 7 p.m.
.March 16, North Union High School, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
.March 20, Fairbanks High School, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The high cost of snow
Honda tries to catch up after storm cancels shifts
By EMILY MASTERS
Inconvenient and costly describes the situation many businesses are left
in, after being forced to shut down, due to snow emergencies.
Both the Marysville and East Liberty Honda auto plants ceased production
for three full shifts between Tuesday and Wednesday and lost two
additional hours during the first shift Tuesday, when the storm began.
Also shut down was Honda's Marysville motorcycle plant and the Anna engine plant.
According to Ron Lietzke, of Honda Public Relations, the Marysville auto
plant produces 1,800 cars per day or 900 per shift. In addition, the
East Liberty plant produces 950 cars per day or 475 per shift.
"Bad weather is very disruptive to our operations," said Lietzke. "We
lose production, but we do have a commitment for the dealers and our
customers, so we put recovery plans in place to make up for what we lost."
Lietzke said he hasn't been informed of the recovery plan yet, but it
will entail the production of more than 4,000 cars and light trucks that
didn't get manufactured.
Part of the plan could mean over-time for associates and working
Saturdays until production is caught up.
Honda works closely with law enforcement officers and emergency
management officials when snow storms are forecast.
"The safety of our associates is a big factor for us," said Lietzke.
"This week the road crews did a very good job recovering from the storm
and getting the snow off the roads."
Lietzke said Honda monitors weather and traffic closely due to the high
volume of workers coming in and out of the plant. First and second
shifts at the Marysville auto plant have more than 2,000 associates
coming in and exiting. Third shift has fewer associates. At the East
Liberty Plant more than 1,000 associates work the first and second shifts.
"The cooperation we have between other counties and government agencies
helps during times of severe weather," said Lietzke. "It's very
important that we work together like that."

County snow removal costs surpass last year
From J-T staff reports
The storm that kept Union County road workers persevering through 11
inches of snow Tuesday through Thursday came with a price.
The Union County Engineer's Office completed its cost totals this
morning, they include: $10,000 for salt usage, $11,000 for fuel, $19,200
for workers' salaries, and $18,700 for workers' overtime.
Equipment costs during the storm were $32,800.
"What we experienced this week with cost is typical for an event with
that magnitude," said Steve Stolte, Union County Engineer. "We seldom
get hit with that much snow in that short amount of time."
Stolte said after reviewing the figures, the two-day snow storm could be
compared to that which hit in December of 2005. Figures since 2000
indicate that costs to maintain snow removal were the lowest in 2006,
due to little snow.
"Last year, we had some money left over to make capital improvements,"
he said. "If we go over our budget, those improvements can't be made."
Stolte said that so far the county isn't over budget, and the only way
that could happen is if a few more similar snow storms hit within the
next two months.
During this week's storm, the county operated with 27 highway
maintenance workers, 17 snow plows, and covered 520 miles of road. In
addition, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) covered about 200
miles of road, and the City of Marysville oversaw just under 200 miles.
Calls were put in to city officials inquiring about snow storm budget
totals but were not returned before press time.
The remaining work left for road crews is to clear intersections where
visibility may be a concern.

Flying ice poses danger to drivers
By RYAN HORNS
Ice on the roofs of cars could end up being lethal on the roads and law
enforcement is putting the word out.
Thursday at around 4 p.m. in Union County a Federal Express delivery man
was struck in the face when a sheet of ice flew off of an oncoming car
and went through his windshield.
Patrick W. French, 53, of Columbus was headed south down the 18000 block
of Route 4 in his delivery box truck, when driver Bruce A. Blevins, 41,
of Marion was approaching in the northbound lanes of Route 4.
Union County Sheriff's Office crash reports state that a sheet of ice
dislodged from Blevins' 1998 Chevy van and blew into the windshield of
French's truck. The ice reportedly struck halfway in the windshield,
breaking through and striking French in the face. He suffered extensive
cuts and possible glass in his eye.
Witnesses stated that French pulled over near the Union County Humane
Society and told employees of his injuries. He was bleeding heavily from
his face and was possibly going into shock.
Soon after the report was made, dispatchers and deputies discussed
placing a MedFlight helicopter on standby. Ultimately the Marysville
Fire Department medics transported French to Memorial Hospital of Union
County for care.
Sheriff's sergeant Don Eubanks said this morning that the crash serves
as a reminder for drivers to clean off the ice from their cars, because
similar incidents could happen again.
The crash was listed as a hit/skip accident, which also raises questions
of whether or not drivers can be charged if another driver is injured
by ice flying off their cars.
Ultimately, Eubanks said, it may be more of a civil issue in which a
victim may have to sue the other driver for damages. He said it may be
up to prosecutors to study the law in order determine whether criminal
or traffic charges are possible.
"When a person operates a vehicle they are responsible for anything that
comes off," Eubanks said. "It's no different than if something flies out
of the bed of their truck."
Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden agreed, saying that it seems to be
more of a civil liability. He also cited the possibility of an unsecured
load traffic violation, but there is also the possibility of lawyers
contesting that the flying ice was an "act of god."
Golden said drivers need to be aware of the ice on their cars and keep
them clean to avoid these situations.

Triad looks calamity day status
By CORINNE BIX
Thursday marked the fifth calamity day taken by the Triad Local School District.
Superintendent Dan Kaffenbarger said at Thursday's board meeting that,
at that point, the district wouldn't need to add make-up days at the end
of the school year since they haven't gone over their state allotted days.
However, in the event the district has to cancel classes due to weather
in the coming weeks, make-up days will be added. Kaffenbarger said this
would only pose a problem if more than two days need to tacked on.
Graduation for seniors is set for Saturday, May 26. The last day for
district students is May 30. Traditionally seniors are excused from the
last three days of school. In the event that more than two days are
added to the school year, an adjustment will have to be made.
Kaffenbarger said the issue would be addressed if it became a reality.
The board voted to unanimously approve a consultant agreement with Carol
Young retroactive to Feb. 2. Young is the former North Union Local
Schools superintendent.
Kaffenbarger explained after the meeting that Young was hired as a job
coach for one day a week at $100 per hour for approximately three hours each visit.
He had no comment as to why Young has been hired in this capacity.
The district professional development team is currently meeting to plan
professional development training for the 2007-2008 school year.
The team consists of all three building principals, Brenda Boyd,
curriculum coordinator, Mary Reiser, special education coordinator and
two teachers from each of the three district buildings.
This year the district opted to use late start times rather than waiver
days for professional development. Kaffenbarger said the team is
considering using a combination of late starts and waiver days for next year's training.
Craig Meredith, elementary school principal, reported that the results
from the Pro Ohio testing have come back for district third and fourth graders.
The Pro Ohio test is used by the district as a diagnostic tool to better
prepare students for the Ohio Achievement Tests given in April.
Meredith said both groups of students have improved from last year. He
said he was encouraged by the third grade scores and cautiously
optimistic in regard to the fourth grade test results.
He will meet with the third grade teaching team this week and suggest
they continue what they are currently doing. Meredith will work on
creating an intervention plan with the fourth grade teachers to better
prepare those students needing help for the state mandated test in the spring.
Randy Moore, board member, asked high school principal Kyle Huffman if
the recent calamity days would become an issue for sophomores preparing
to take the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT).
Huffman said many of the sophomores are being told by upperclassmen that
the 10th grade OGT is easy.
Huffman said the test has become more difficult in recent years and he
plans to meet with the sophomore class within the next few weeks to
re-emphasize the importance of the test to begin the week of March 5.
The board adjourned into executive session to discuss consideration of
employee compensation and employee discipline. No action was taken.
The next regular board meeting will be March 15 in the elementary library.
In other action, the board:
.Approved the financial statements as presented by the treasurer.
.Authorized the treasurer to transfer $165,819.20 from the general fund
to the bond retirement fund during calendar year 2007 to remit the
principal and interest payments on the Ohio Association of School
Business Officials (OASBO) pool series 2002 reservation account.
.Approved the following seniors to participate in the 2007 commencement
exercise, but defer receiving their diplomas in order to access
additional training at the Ohio Hi-Point during the 2007-2008 school
year: Robert A. Hoover, Travis J. Sanders and Jeremi W. Stuart.
.Approved by a majority vote the statewide open enrollment policy for
the 2007-2008 school year. Jackie Watson voted no.
.Approved the revision of policy 8600 and 8630 as presented by NEOLA and
the superintendent effective beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.
.Approved Child Evangelism Fellowship to use the elementary cafeteria on
each Monday from Feb. 26 through March 26 for the purpose of the Good
News Club. The fee was waived, as activity will be held during regular custodial hours.
.Accepted the donation of a wheelchair from Shirley Weaver. Estimated
value is $2,000.

County begins to dig out
From J-T staff reports:
Emergency snow levels have been dropped for Union County, as the
majority of area roads and highways have been cleared.
As of 9:35 a.m. Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Brad Gilbert
reported that Union County Sheriff Rocky Nelson "has lifted the snow
emergency for Union County. We are under no snow level at this time."
The area of Plum and Main streets was closed this morning as Marysville
street crews made a towering pile of snow in the last attempts to clear
downtown streets. The snow was expected to be dumped north of the Flamingo Lounge.
Marysville, Fairbanks and North Union schools remained closed today.
Workers at Honda of American and Scotts-Miracle Gro facilities returned
to their jobs today.
Sheriff's office public information officer Chris Skinner said at 5 p.m.
Wednesday the Level III snow emergency was lowered to Level II, where it
remained until this morning. Sheriff's deputies plan on helping out
around the county as needed.
"We were real pleased with the cooperation we got from residents,"
Skinner said. "Once word got out (about the Level III) they stayed inside."
He said the lack of traffic enabled Ohio Department of Transportation
workers and local crews to remove snow from the roads.
"It made the transition as smooth as is could have been," Skinner said.
Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden said officers will be doing work
today similar to that on Wednesday: Helping those who need assistance,
whether it be transporting hospital officials, helping stuck vehicles on
the road or checking in on the elderly.
Both law enforcement entities commented on the lack of emergencies that
arose during the Level III conditions.

Local landscapers welcome snow
Companies count on money from winter plowing
By EMILY MASTERS
A Marysville landscaping husband and wife team predicted a winter blast,
and lucky for them, they got it.
Dan and Aimee Blumenschein, Blumenschein Lawn Service Ltd., are
landscapers by summer and snow plowers by winter. Like many area
landscaping companies, Blumenschein Lawn Service counts on money from
plowing snow as part of its annual revenue.
The 11 inches of snow that was dumped on Marysville Tuesday and
Wednesday kept the Blumenscheins busy and their adrenaline pumping.
"My husband could hardly sleep Monday night knowing that the snow was
coming," Aimee said. "So Tuesday morning when he left, I packed two huge
coolers full of food and drinks, because I knew it might be 24 hours
until I saw him again."
Her hunch was right, but her estimation was a little low. She didn't see
her husband for almost 48 hours. Blumenschein plows snow for a large
Marysville warehouse that has semis driving through day and night. No
matter how much snow falls, he has to keep up.
"When the winds picked up, he stayed out there to keep the truckers
running," said Aimee. "All he got was a 20-minute cat nap."
The Blumenscheins have been waiting on Mother Nature to deliver the snow.
"The first of November we started looking at the weather maps online and
the Farmers' Almanac to see what kind of winter we would have," said
Aimee. "We want snow, because that's part of our income," she laughed.
She and Dan became concerned in December, a month that usually averages
days worth of plowing.
"We didn't have a single one, that was a whole month without that
income," she said.
Their busiest season for snow plowing is generally mid-January through mid-February.
As for their winter predictions, it's their full-cycle business that
keeps them in touch with the weather.
"While we're out landscaping or mowing in the summer and fall we see
things," said Aimee. "For example, this past year we saw that the trees
were producing a lot more nuts than usual, it was like God was providing
for the animals," she said.
Dan's grandfather, Alfred Blumenschein, a 90-year-old retired farmer,
predicted the heavy snowstorm, as well Aimee said.
"Grandpa Alfie has a saying that goes, 'when the corn piles high, the
snows gonna fly,' and this year was a great harvest," she said.
While Dan worked around the clock to keep the truckers moving, Aimee
kept the home fires burning, and the couple's three children, Olivia,
10; Adam, 8; and Grace, 6 kept the "barn fires" burning.
"In addition to our landscaping and snow plowing business, we have 50
head of sheep that are very demanding," she said. "When Dan finally got
home last night (Wednesday) he said, 'I've been gone so long the sheep
don't even know me.'"
While the snow stopped Thursday, Dan didn't.
"He left at 5:30 this morning to move snow piles since the weather is
calling for more snow this weekend," said Aimee. "That's what this time
of year is all about."

White wasteland
Schools, factories, businesses close after 11 inches of snow and ice
fall on area
By RYAN HORNS and EMILY MASTERS
The snow storm that began blasting Union County on Tuesday dumped 11
inches of snow and ice, leaving residents digging out county-wide.
This morning Union County remained under a Level Three Snow Emergency,
which declares all township and county roadways are closed to
non-emergency personnel.
According to Fred McCreary, Chief Operator for the Marysville City Water
Department, 2 inches of snow were recorded Tuesday morning in the city.
On Wednesday morning, 9 inches of snow were logged.
As a result, area schools remained closed along with local businesses,
such as Honda of America and the Scotts-Miracle Gro Company.
Union County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Sgt. Chris Skinner
said that sheriff Rocky Nelson planned to re-evaluate the emergency
level status at around 11 a.m. If roads are clear enough, the level
three would be dropped.
"We're just trying to err on the side of caution by trying to keep cars
off the roads so that the plows can do their jobs," Skinner said.
He said drifting snow was making some county roads impassable.
Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden said this morning the department
has not had any major issues to contend with. He said police officers
have been out conducting welfare checks on residents and making sure
elderly citizens are all right. He added that officers have been helping
some hospital staff members get to work.
Golden said city side streets are still relatively untouched by plows as
well as some apartment and mobile home communities.
"We've been getting a lot of calls from people wondering about the snow
emergency levels," he said.
As a result, Golden was helping out by answering dispatch calls. He
noted city administrator Kathy House was also answering phones at the
Marysville Public Service Center.
According to Nate Schreiner, Director of Emergency at Memorial Hospital,
the emergency room was busier than usual Tuesday evening. He said the
number of squad runs was about normal, but squads did have to go a
little slower than normal to be safe.
Dayton Power and Light experienced heavy call volumes and left a
recording that advised customers to only report emergency conditions
including: Fires, explosions and downed power lines. Union County was
not mentioned on the recording as having widespread power problems. Most
problems were reported in Clinton, Fayette, Hyland, and Warren counties.
Union Rural Electric officials didn't answer phone calls Wednesday
morning due to a high call volume, according to its recording.
In another dilemma, today is the deadline for resident to pay property
taxes, however, the Union County offices are closed. Union County
Treasurer Tamara Lowe said her office will accept payments on Thursday
without penalties being assessed.

Long hours on the road
Plow drivers seek patience, understanding
Editor's note: Reporter Ryan Horns spent time Tuesday afternoon riding
with Union County worker Dwayne Rausch as he plowed county roads.
By RYAN HORNS
Snowplow drivers would like people to know that they don't mean to knock
down their mailboxes. It happens purely by accident.
Tuesday afternoon driver Dwayne Rausch was busy clearing thick snow off
of Union County roadways around Route 4 and Easton Road. He had cleared
Easton Road twice, but it was already covered by the constant snow.
"Sometimes people get mad at us because we plow their driveways in,"
Rausch said. "But there is not much we can do. We have to get it off the
road. It's not like we're doing it on purpose."
He explained that when snow is wet, the weight of it can knock the
mailboxes down. But when the snow is light and blowing it doesn't happen.
Rausch said people don't know that drivers who knocked down mailboxes
have to go back and repair them. Some may have up to 20 to fix at the
end of the day.
Back inside the Union County Engineer Steve Stolte's office on County
Home Road, Stolte and Road Superintendent Cortney Page watched the
snowstorm progress on the Internet. Both were also looking over a map
depicting about 20 different snowplow routes, consisting of 520 miles of
roadways waiting to be cleared.
"That equals to about 30 miles per guy," Page said.
He said it can take three hours for a truck to make one round, and
that's just to clear one side of the roadway. Even with 17 drivers out
at once, the roads will likely remain covered in snow.
Page said Union County might distribute up to 250 tons of salt for an
entire storm. For this snow emergency, salt is being used
conservatively. With so much snow it wouldn't do any good and the salt
is likely to be plowed back off on the next run through, Page said.
One surprising fact is that Union County snowplow drivers do not run in
shifts, Page said. The same crew will be out all day in various numbers.
Rausch said he started at around 4 or 5 a.m. and will be plowing until 11 p.m.
"We may get about three hours of sleep and then we'll be back at it again," he said.
As Rausch drove down Kaiser Road an oncoming car pulled to the side of
the road and stopped to give him more room for the plow to go through.
"That's how it done," he said. "I'll tell you what I tell my family. Get
off to the side as far as you can go and let the tractor work its way around you."
"Some roads are 16 feet wide and the snow plows are about 10 feet wide,"
Page said. "You have to give them room."
When cars "fly through" and pass plows it becomes dangerous, Rausch said.
"Usually you'll find them up the road stuck in a ditch," he joked.
Page explained that their trucks have a lot of blind spots. If a driver
is at a stop sign trying to back up and someone is right on their back
bumper the driver can't see them unless they get out and look. Every
year it seems there is at least one truck that crashes into another car,
or topples over trying to clear roadways. But with 17 trucks working
throughout the day that's a pretty good ratio.
"We've had a couple trucks roll over," Page said. "That's a fun ride."
Rausch said a few years ago he was lucky to escape one crash alive. As
the snow drifts across the road, it can become hard to tell where the
road ends and the ditch begins. His truck ended up rolling into the
ditch, with him inside the cab and tons of salt spilling out.
To add to it, as others hope for a white Christmas, it could mean long
hours for snow plow drivers. Three years ago he had to work through the
Christmas and New Years holidays.
It all begs the question of why anyone might get into the snowplowing business.
"I really enjoy the outdoors," Rausch said.
Helping stranded motorists is another perk of the job.
As Page drove down County Home Road to meet up with Rausch, he stopped
to check on a car that had just gone into the ditch. The stranded
motorist was cleaning snow off of his windows and looking at the damage.
The driver said that emergency crews had been called and were to be
there in about 20 minutes. With that, Page continued down the road.

Woman collapses, suffers hypothermia
From J-T staff reports:
A Newton Perkins Road family, settled in for a snowbound evening
Tuesday, may not have expected to hear calls for help coming from their front yard.
Liberty Township Fire Chief Lloyd Segner said his department was called
at 11:21 p.m. with a report of a woman in her 60s found collapsed in the snow.
Apparently the woman, who also lives on Newton Perkins Road, was
stranded when her car drove into a ditch. Segner said the woman was not
dressed for the blizzard-like conditions but decided to try to walk
home. She made it as far as 26341 Newton Perkins where she collapsed.
The family dragged the woman into a nearby garage and put blankets over
her until emergency medical crews arrived. The woman was suffering from
extreme hypothermia and Segner said medical crews put heat packs on her
body to raise her temperature.
By the time she arrived at Memorial Hospital of Union County her body
temperature had been raised to 91 degrees.
Segner said the incident emphasizes the need for stranded motorists to
stay with their vehicles. Had the woman remained with her car, a
snowplow in the area would have found her relatively quickly.

Snow emergency declared in Union County
Area under Level I at press time
From staff and wire reports:
The Union County Emergency Management Agency reported that Union County
was raised to a Level I snow emergency just after 8:30 a.m. today
EMA Deputy Director Brad Gilbert said that a Level I snow emergency
indicates, "Roadways are hazardous, with blowing and drifting snow. Only
those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roadways.
Contact your employer to see if you should report to work."
All area schools were also canceled.
Gilbert said that the Union County Red Cross has staff on standby in
order to respond to emergency situations. Already it has dealt with a
family of four, which escaped from a house fire in Dover Township.
Marysville Fire Department officials said that car crashes from the
adverse road conditions have not been a problem. Normally, crashes
increase as the snow begins to fall. Since the storm arrived just after
2:30 a.m. drivers were already prepared to deal with the roads as they
left for work.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol also reported that no snow-related injury
crashes had occurred this morning.
Governor Ted Strickland urged Ohioans to exercise caution and
preparedness during the next 24 to 48 hours.
"We stand ready to assist our counties and cities to help keep Ohioans
safe," he said.
The winter storm could dump up to a foot of snow on parts of Ohio. It
arrived early Tuesday in time to coat roads for the morning rush hour
and force numerous school districts to cancel classes. Some flights out
of Cincinnati's main airport were canceled, a spokesman said.
Roads in all of the state's 88 counties were wet or at least partially
covered in snow, the Ohio Department of Transportation warned on its Web
site. State troopers were responding to reports of crashes and disabled
vehicles, according to the State Highway Patrol in Columbus.
Forecasters called for 8 to 12 inches of snow Tuesday in areas north of
Dayton and 6 to 10 inches in Columbus, which also could receive freezing
rain and sleet before the storm ends Wednesday, said Steve Rhebenach, a
meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
One to 2 inches of snow could fall an hour in some places, Rhebenach
said. Sleet and freezing rain were possible throughout southern Ohio,
the weather service said.
In northeast Ohio, where morning commuters got an early start to try to
beat the worst weather, meteorologists predicted up to 10 inches of snow
Tuesday and another 10 inches by Wednesday night, when temperatures are
expected to plummet to low single digits.
Schools and day care centers were closed as the wintry weather blanketed
much of the Midwest, from Iowa and Missouri to Illinois and Indiana. The
storm was expected to reach Pennsylvania and eventually New York, where
some parts have already seen more than 100 inches of snow.
"This is as close to a certainty as there is in this business - we're in
for a 'shovel-able' event," said Tom King, a National Weather Service
meteorologist in Cleveland. "The snow is going to pile up."
"If you don't need to go out, don't," said Sgt. Kevin Corcoran, a
spokesman for Columbus police.
Some departing flights at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Airport were canceled because of bad weather elsewhere, airport
spokesman Ted Bushelman said.
Cincinnati's runways were being treated with a chemical to prevent
freezing rain from leaving a buildup of ice, he said.
"We've got three runways open, so there are no problems at the airport,"
Bushelman said.
Comair, which operates a hub at the airport in Hebron, Ky., just across
the Ohio River from Cincinnati, began canceling flights Monday so
travelers could have more time to make alternate plans for Tuesday,
company spokeswoman Kate Marx said.
"Our first focus was canceling flights heading to destinations that also
had inclement weather," she said.
The regional airline canceled 35 Monday flights, and 42 additional
flights were canceled Tuesday, Marx said. She said she didn't anticipate
Comair canceling any additional flights out of Cincinnati.
Others made preparations Monday in anticipation of the storm, with
leaders in the Legislature canceling Tuesday's sessions in the Ohio
House and Senate. Cities sent out salt trucks in the hours before the
storm, and people headed to grocery stores to stock up on food and other items.
"We've got bread, milk, canned goods - everything," said Sandra Cline,
36, of West Carrollton.
"And diapers," added Brenda Irvin, 21, of Kettering, who was shopping
Monday with her friend at a Kroger in West Carrollton, near Dayton.
Columbus, which normally places residential streets at the bottom of the
salting priority list, treated the roads Monday.
"We're trying to get a little bit of relief so maybe it won't go so
badly," said Mary Carran Webster, assistant director of public service.
"It's worth a try."
With roads becoming slippery in southeast Ohio, Athens County Sheriff
Vernon Castle advised residents early Tuesday to call their bosses to
see if they could stay home and avoid driving in blowing and drifting snow.
Sheriff Toby Spencer in western Ohio's Darke County requested that
residents only call his office with life-threatening emergencies so
phone lines wouldn't be tied up by routine matters.
Gov. Ted Strickland warned Ohioans to check on friends and family over
the next two days and said he has asked the Ohio Emergency Management
Agency and other state offices to work with local officials as needed
during the storm.
---
On the Net:
Ohio Department of Transportation: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/

Family escapes burning home
From J-T staff reports:
A family of four was able to escape unharmed from an early morning house fire today.
The Marysville Fire Department responded to a fire at 18327 Easton Road
in Dover Township about 4 a.m.
Fire chief Gary Johnson said crews were still at the scene at about 9
a.m. Details on how the fire started were unavailable before press time
and an investigation is pending.
A neighbor who assisted the family said the fire is believed to have
started in the garage where a light bulb was being used to keep the
family pet warm.
She said the family escaped wearing sleeping apparel, coats and shoes.
All other clothing was lost in the blaze.
"It was a single story residence that suffered extensive damage,"
Johnson said. "We're trying to salvage as much as we can."
The four people inside were able to escape the fire, he said, but the
family dog did not survive.
The Union County Red Cross is reportedly assisting the family, Johnson said.
Assisting Marysville fire crews were Scioto, Liberty and Leesburg
township fire departments.
The family members are staying with a neighbor.

Richwood begins process to find new police chief
By CHAD WILLIAMSON
With an interim chief in place, Richwood Council's safety committee will
soon begin the process of looking for a new police chief.
Council voted 5-0 Monday night, with member Scott Jerew absent from the
meeting, to confirm Monte Asher as acting chief and increase his pay to
$17 per hour for the time he leads the department. Asher replaces his
brother, Rick Asher, who resigned as chief on Feb. 9.
Mayor Bill Nibert told the safety committee, chaired by Jim Thompson, to
begin the process of finding a permanent replacement. When asked by
council member Wade McCalf what the process will entail, Thompson said
this is a new duty for the safety committee and it will begin
discussions on how to proceed.
Councilman Von Beal asked what qualifies an officer to be suited to
serve as chief of police. He wondered if anyone on the current force
qualifies or if special training was required.
Beal was told that the qualifications for chief are strictly at the
discretion of council. Other than being a registered peace officer, no
other solid requirements are in place.
The department is currently staffed by five full-time officers. One
full-time position and one part-time position are currently vacant.
Council also voted to put a 4-mill renewal levy on the ballot for a
special election on May 8. The levy, which is set to expire at the end
of 2007, would generate roughly $51,000 per year for the village.
If approved, the levy would create no additional tax revenue for the village.
If no other issues decide to appear on the ballot on May 8, the village
would be required to pay the cost for the special election. According to
Union County Board of Elections Director Karla Herron, the cost is
estimated at $1,600 to $2,000.
Village financial officer Don Jolliff said the village opted to put the
renewal on during a special election because only the November general
election remains on the calendar. If the levy only appeared on the
November ballot and the issue was rejected, the village would fail to
collect the revenue for 2008.
Council voted 5-0 to put the issue on the ballot.
In other business, council:
.Learned what it received from Bischoff and Associates for a $46,000
Ohio Water Development Authority loan. Ed Bischoff said the village
sewer lines were surveyed and mapped and some problems with inflow and
infiltration were fixed.
.The village received a $26,000 check from Economic Development Director
Eric Phillips for sale of land at the Richwood Industrial Park. A
company plans to put a 30,000-square-foot facility on the 3.2 acre
parcel of land. The business should bring 30 jobs into the community.
Union County Commissioner Charles Hall and engineer Steve Stolte were
also on hand for the presentation. Phillips said six acres remains for
sale in the park.
.Heard a report from Lora Gischel of the Regional Income Tax Agency on
the services provided to the village.
.Heard an update on village projects from Larry Baxa.
.Learned that the North Union Veterans Monument project will see a bid
opening in the near future, with work to be completed by June 11 and a
dedication scheduled for July 4.

Milford Center Council evaluates partnership with city
From J-T staff reports:
When Milford Center and the City of Marysville negotiated to share a
forced water main back in the early '90s, both may not have ever
predicted the current countywide growth.
That growth and future sewer issues were the main topic of discussion at
the Milford Center Village Council meeting Tuesday evening.
According to Gary Silcott, Milford Center's consulting engineer, a sewer
system was built in the village in 1991 which included a forced water
main that takes sewage to Marysville for treatment. It was worked out
then that Marysville would also use the forced main to transport sewage
for its customers.
Presently, with all of the growth Marysville is experiencing, Silcott
said it's important to check that the main isn't being overused.
"It can only carry so much sewage," he said. "It can't be at capacity if
Milford Center wants to continue growing."
Silcott plans to look into options for Milford Center and its usage,
making sure the village is only getting billed for waste water.
He said that while Milford Center paid to put in the forced main, the
village isn't seeing any financial benefits like the City of Marysville is.
Silcott plans to look into the option of Milford Center benefiting from
tap fees, along with Marysville.
In other business, council voted to give a salary increase to Mayor
Robert Mitchell for all of the time he puts in for village business.
Mitchell was earning $250 per month and will now be earning $500 per
month. Council will discuss raises for other village employees at the
next meeting.

Schools ready for excess 'snow days'
From J-T staff reports:
With another blast of winter weather on the horizon, local schools may
be forced to exceed the five "snow days" allotted to them by the state of Ohio.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch through
late Tuesday night. A snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is expected by
Tuesday morning, accompanied by northeast winds of 10 to 15 mph. An
additional snow and sleet accumulation of 4 to 6 inches is expected by
Tuesday night. The chance of snow is 100 percent.
These conditions may force the closure of Union County schools.
Marysville Exempted Village and Fairbanks Local Schools have each used
three of the allotted five days. Any time needed to be made up will be
tacked onto the end of the school year, said Larry Zimmerman of
Marysville Schools and Jim Craycraft of Fairbanks.
"All schools must have on their approved calendar the dates for makeup,"
Craycraft said in an e-mail response to the Journal-Tribune this
morning. "Some schools will list specific dates, others say they will
add them on to the end of the year ... once they know how many they need
to make up."
Zimmerman also responded to an e-mail query from the newspaper this
morning. "It has been awhile since the full amount of calamity days has
been exceeded, but it has happened several times in the past 15 years or
so," he said.
"We'll make it through this! Occasionally we get a reminder from ol' man
winter that we live in Central Ohio and we can and will get some winter
weather from time to time. We just have to be patient ... spring will be
here soon."
Inquiries sent to North Union Local Schools Superintendent Rick Smith
were not returned by press time.

Lincoln Day Dinner held
By EMILY MASTERS
The Union County Republican Party held its annual Lincoln Dinner
Saturday evening at the Catholic Community Center.
About 175 turned out for the dinner and program which honors the Feb.
12 birthday of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
Union County Commissioner Gary Lee served as emcee for the event, and
Chris Schmenk, Union County Republican Central Committee member,
introduced the keynote speaker, U.S. Congresswoman Deborah Pryce.
Pryce acknowledged Union County for all of its support in the November
2006 congressional race against opponent Mary Jo Kilroy which was
neck-in-neck through election night and ended with a re-count.
Union and Madison counties helped Pryce win her post, making up the
deficit left from Franklin County voters. In the end, Pryce defeated
Kilroy with an approximate 1,000 votes. Pryce said she made the mistake
of assuming her constituents knew her well enough to elect her, an error
she said she would not make again.
"You'll be seeing a lot more of me, and I'll be seeing a lot less of
Washington," the congresswoman said.
"We learned a lot from the campaign," she said. "We learned that there
are the Republicans, and there are the Democrats, but it's that growing
middle that we have to win, those people who don't want to belong to a
political party and who just want to see results."
Jim Westfall, Chairman of the Union County Republican Central Committee,
said there are approximately 30,000 registered voters in Union County.
Of those, he said about 10,000 are Republicans, 3,000 are democrats, and
the remaining 17,000 are independents.
Pryce said, "Our party's future is what we need to be talking about now."
She mentioned the losses of Republicans, Sen. Mike DeWine and Ohio
Attorney General candidate, Betty Montgomery.
"We'll never have an '06 again," she said, referring to the challenges
brought to the party by Republican contributor Tom Noe, whose coin
scandal indictment led to ethics charges against Gov. Bob Taft and four
other former members of his administration.
"The political environment was so bad," she said.
Looking ahead to the 2008 presidential race, Pryce mentioned she has
received calls to her office from representatives for Sen. John McCain
of Arizona and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
"Whoever we run, it will be against Hillary, I really believe that," she
stated, referring to Democratic New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"As for Obama, he is a media creation, he has become a media darling,"
she said, of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
Pryce pledged that locally, she would do anything to help the Republican Party grow.
"As the community here grows, the party must also grow," she said.
Westfall said that Pryce has been a friend to Union County through her
work to get an Ohio Armory National Guard built behind the Union County YMCA.
"All of our taxes go to Washington, and the only chance we have to get
the money back is through congressional appropriations, and that's where
our congress people help us," he said.
Pryce also said she was happy to lobby for the $990,000 funding for
Marysville's new Water Reclamation Facility.
Pryce concluded her speech reminding the audience of the sharp attacks
President Lincoln found himself under in 1864, both from his opponents
and members of his own party.
"Just as opinions changed about Abraham Lincoln, history will judge
George W. Bush," she said. "People will have an entirely different
impression of George W. Bush in the future."

Helping out in Honduras
Members of Marysville Church of the Nazarene build church in South
America
From J-T staff reports:
A 17-member team from Marysville Church of the Nazarene recently
returned from a mission trip to Central America.
Led by the Rev. Paul Whiteford, the team helped in the construction of a
new church in Puerto Cortez, Honduras.
The Marysville Nazarene church congregation donated $15,000 to construct
the facility, which will serve a community of hundreds of Hondurans who
were recently relocated by Puerto Cortez city officials.
"These people lived in the city dump and were recently moved to
government housing on the edge of town," Whiteford said. "They literally have nothing."
"We're planning to build on to our church here in Marysville, but we
felt compelled by the love of God to build a church for someone else
before we build for ourselves," Whiteford said. "Our church has a
history in recent years of supporting our denominations' missions effort
in Honduras, so this project, to build a church for the La Esperanza
colony, seemed like the perfect fit."
The Marysville Nazarene team helped move tons of dirt and cement blocks
to help get the new church started. Once complete, the church will also
include a medical clinic and a technical school.
Additionally, the team participated in several church services, assisted
with a local vacation Bible school, and donated food and other
necessities to a local compassionate ministries project.
"We don't realize just how fortunate we are to live in the United
States," said Whiteford. "Our church is committed to the Great
Commission, and we've been blessed by God to actually participate in the
building of his kingdom. It was a tremendous experience."
Team members included: Whiteford and his daughter, Emily; the Rev. Mel
Smitley and his wife, Juanita; Matt Smitley; Tim and Wanda VanVoorhis;
Landon and Jolene Headings; David Heiser; David Huffman; Dr. Jeff
Hatfield; Craig Elrod; Ambrose Phillips; Jeff Burke; Ashley Purdy; and Joe Case.
The Marysville Church has served the community for more than 40 years.
Whiteford has served as senior pastor since 1991.

City works on repaving plan
By RYAN HORNS
Street repaving season may be many months away, but Marysville officials
are already trying to prepare.
During Thursday night's Marysville City Council meeting, the first
reading was held on an ordinance to allow the city to borrow $1 million
toward the 2007 city street-paving program. The status of other road
improvement projects expected this year also was discussed.
Council member Dan Fogt asked about the status of the concrete repairs
on Collins Avenue and learned some good news.
City engineer Phil Roush said that the long-awaited street repairs on
Collins Avenue will be completed this year. He said the Ohio Public
Works Commission recently informed him that the city's grant request for
$400,000 to repair the problems on that road has been approved.
"So those of you who use Collins Avenue will be inconvenienced this
year, including me," Mayor Tom Kruse joked.
Fogt also asked Kruse that since there was $1 million extra in the city
budget at the end of 2006, was there any way to pay cash for the street
repaving program this year instead of borrowing and creating more debt.
"Depending on your priorities you can always do that," Kruse said. "That
was not our plan when we started this program."
Kruse said taking a half million dollars out of the city reserves and
only borrowing a half million dollars was discussed. Later it was
decided it was better to completely pay off $375,000 in debt toward
vehicles that were bought in the 1990s which the city doesn't even own
anymore. The legislation to request that payment had its first reading
during the meeting.
Kruse said the hope is to get to the point where the city has a strong
enough budget to be able to pay cash for street paving projects which
was what Fogt was talking about.
Since the streets haven't been paved in eight years, Kruse said he is
"playing catch-up" to get paving up to date and it will cost money to do
that quickly. A plan would then be enacted to keep paving up to date
every year. Until then, money from the city reserves has had to go
toward things like buying trucks for snowplowing and repairing the salt bin building.
Kruse said he hopes to continue the plan of borrowing $1 million a year
toward repaving streets for at least two more years, to make a total of
five years of having that plan in place. He expects to have no more than
$5 million in debt when it is done. But the result is having streets
that will last another 17 or 18 years.
City finance director John Morehart explained that every year the city
pays $200,000 toward each million dollar debt caused by the paving
program and that they expect to have the loans paid off within the next five years.
Resident Nevin Taylor brought up the question of whether or not the city
has to pay interest on the borrowed paving money.
Morehart said they are paying any interest that accrues out of the general fund.
Taylor also pointed out that work would need to be done to repair the
surface levels of the roads in another eight years, not 17 or 18.
In other discussions, the Wednesday night meeting of council's Ad Hoc
Committee to determine the future of city water rates was brought up.
Members of council expressed their frustration over the lack of room to
decrease the rates for citizens.
"We did have that meeting last night and got a lot of information," Fogt said.
He added that, "I guess I was disappointed on my viewpoint. I was hoping
for better results and better numbers so that we could decrease the
amount of increase and I've still not given up on that. It was interesting."
This morning Fogt pointed out that his biggest disappointment was that
the cost estimate of the reservoir project increased from $17 million as
stated in the December 2005 Water Master Study, to $26 million. He said
his hopes to use $800,000 from the Water Capacity Fee Fund to offset the
rates, did not make much of a decrease toward $26 million as it would
have toward $17 million.
"It was a very informative meeting. Very factual," councilman David
Burke said. "Not quite the numbers we were looking for, but the reality
is what it is and we'll handle it as such."
Burke said the committee plans to treat the issue with dedication and
come up with an answer.
Councilman John Marshall asked Burke what the committee's next steps are.
Burke said an e-mail went out Thursday to city officials summing up the
meeting, including the numbers that were discussed.
"We'll try to work within those perimeters, but they are very narrow," Burke said.
He said the figures for the increase fall somewhere between 7 and 8 percent.
"There is just not a lot of room in there," Burke said. "We had several scenarios."
"I understand that we are at where we were two or three months ago,"
Marshall said. "I guess my question is do we have imminent legislation
in our near future or is this going to drag out for another year. What's
the next step? When is the next meeting? What will be decided?"
Burke repeated that he plans on moving that issue forward no later than
April 1 for legislation.
"I think we have to do what has to be done, but at the same time we just
have to try to resolve the issue so that it doesn't happen again 10
years from now," he said. "So as bitter the pill is, I think we have to
move forward on it and do our best to make sure that it doesn't happen again."
In other discussions:
. City Administrator Kathy House reported that the devices to repair the
stoplights at Fifth and Maple streets are still on order.
. Economic Development Director Eric Phillips said a new marketing
strategy for Marysville has been put into effect, under the tag line,
"Where pride resides." He said the city will enact an advertising
campaign, featuring testimonials from local business leaders.

Fine tuning
Law breakers will see increase in what they pay
By RYAN HORNS
The long arm of the law will soon be coming after violators with its
palm facing up.
Marysville Municipal Court Judge Michael Grigsby said a hike in court
fines is expected to go into affect by March 1.
An example of the increase: A standard speeding ticket for exceeding the
speed limit by 1-20 mph would go from $77 to $110. Speeding 21-35 mph
over the limit would go from $102 to $127 and speeding 36 mph or more
over the limit would go from $152 to $177.
Grigsby explained that the increases are not intended to deter crime, or
even to try to keep up with inflation. He said looking at other court
fines and costs in regional counties and cities highlighted how
Marysville was falling behind.
"We were just low," Grigsby explained. "That's the only rationale."
He said the fees have not been adjusted since he became judge seven years ago.
The administrative order written up for the hikes last week states, "The
court finds that based upon the circumstances, including the history and
custom of this court, its comparative study of the bond schedules or
fine and cost schedules of similarly situated courts in the state and
courts in the surrounding counties and the fact that these schedules
have not been amended since Sept. 26, 2003."
Grigsby said the increases do not affect his municipal court budget, as
he is given a set budget no matter how many tickets are written. But the
hike could help law enforcement agencies such as police, Ohio State
Highway Patrol and sheriff's offices.
According to Grigsby's office, the majority of fines and costs will see
a general increase of $20 to $30. Higher changes are noted in more
serious offenses such as disorderly conduct, persistent disorderly
conduct and having an open container of alcohol in public or behind the
wheel, which will increase anywhere from $50 to $100.
The full updated schedule states:
Driving with no Assured Clear Distance ahead, $110; Seat belt
violations, $58; No child restraint violation, $87; Littering from a
car, $177; Resisting a traffic officer, $177; Having no operator's
license, $110; No motorcycle endorsement or riding without helmet and
eye protection, $110; Reckless operation, $177; Failure to maintain
control, $110; Lane or passing violations, $110; Failure to yield for
emergency vehicles, $110; Equipment violations, $110; Failure to control
or license a dog, $110 ($152 if it's the second offense in a year); Ohio
Department of Natural Resources misdemeanor violations, $127; Disorderly
conduct, $177; Persistent disorderly conduct, $302; and open container
of alcohol charges, $202.

Water rate issue continues to bubble
By RYAN HORNS
A committee to determine the future of city water rates will soon have
to make a decision.
Wednesday night the Ad Hoc Committee of Marysville City Council met to
reduce water rate hikes scheduled by the Water Master Plan. Almost two
hours of discussion did not lead to an immediate decision.
This morning committee chairman David Burke said the meeting went well
and the hope is to have a decision and legislation drawn up no later than April 1.
"I guess we just have to sift out what we've heard and make a decision,"
committee member Dan Fogt said Wednesday night. "It'll be a tough one."
Guests included financial representatives currently contracted by the
city from 5/3 Securities, engineers from Malcolm Pirnie which created
the Marysville Water Master Plan, to lawyers from Bricker and Eckler,
officials from Delaware County, other surrounding townships and numerous
Marysville residents.
Committee member John Gore started the meeting by defending his
decision to vote down the water rate hike. He said the need for the
reservoir has never been denied by anyone. The issue is about planning.
Council passed the Water Master Plan around two years ago.
"At which time we said that we would revisit when the next rate increase
was to be put into effect to see if we had in fact had to raise it by 8
percent," Gore said. "As we tried to do that, we found that there had
been absolutely, at the admission of the folks from Malcolm Pirnie, that
there had been no attempt to find any additional financing, any grants
or anything because they weren't requested to until council raised the issue."
He said there were concerns about the need for an 8 percent hike.
"I think there are some alternative ways that we can finance this," he said.
He repeated that he agrees that the city needs a reservoir.
"But the bottom line is (my no vote) was all about planning; mine was
all about financing, and mine was all about the statement that we do not
want to put the burden of growth on the present citizens, the folks that
are our customers today," Gore said.
He continued, "And yet, we've been threatened by the administration that
if we don't raise the present customers' rates by 8 percent, then we
will not be able to expand beyond the city limits or out into the
county. So if that's not making these folks pay for it, then I'm a
little confused. I hope that we are able to find some other way to pay
for this or at least reduce the amount of increase that we need to pay
for the reservoir."
The general consensus among engineers and financial guests at the
meeting was that Marysville should stay the course and stick with
raising water rates as planned, before city council voted the hike down.
Residents who spoke felt quite the opposite.
"The common individual, the resident of Marysville is getting hurt with
the continual raises," resident Gary Little said.
Resident and former city administrator Ken Kraus said he supports the
rate increase. He said that comparing Marysville to other cities is
counterproductive. Delaware is often used as an example, but its
population is much more than Marysville's.
Resident Lloyd Baker later pointed out that they took that comparison
straight from Marysville's own study. He also stressed that city
councilwoman Leah Sellers has made an excellent suggestion, which is
that Marysville lacks a business plan. It also lacks a way of showing
how reservoir debt is going to be paid down.
He said Marysville purchased its water plant in 1991 and still owes debt
on it. Newspaper articles from that year show how "everything was rosy"
and that rates were to go straight into water fund and pay for the new
plant. The rates were then raised about 2000. He wonders where all the
money went and that perhaps a business plan would have helped.
"Something doesn't add up," Baker said.
Committee members suggested several options for lowering rates. Malcolm
Pirnie's John Mastracchio would then enter those scenarios into a
computer program and see how the changes would affect city finances up
until 2012. With all the scenarios the lowest the increase could go was
at around 6.5 percent - but that may not even be possible.
In one scenario Gore said that if a 0.5 percent five-year income tax
levy is passed by residents, it could generate $21 million to offset the
$17 million needed for the reservoir. This way residents could vote on
contributing the funding and also be ensured of an ending date to the
increase. The tax would make sure new development pays its fair share as well.
Mastracchio also tried taking $1 million from the city budget, placing
the rest into bonds. It took the rake hike down to 7.8 percent.
"It has a fairly minor impact," he said.
Mastracchio repeatedly cautioned that city reserves should not go under
a certain point. To go beneath the line, city finances could be in
jeopardy if emergencies arise.
Fogt said that there are other funds from which the city could transfer
money, such as the water capacity fund.
Mastracchio said that would only make the increase go down a small
amount and gave the example of 8.2 to 8.0 percent.
Gore noted that the EPA has reservoir loans for cities building
non-recreational facilities. He said the money would be available by July.
Mastracchio said he was not aware of the funding. City Engineer Phil
Roush explained that the city's chances would be low to receive it.
"I've heard that so many d*** times it's driving me up the wall," Gore
said. "If we don't apply then how do we know?"
Roush explained that they have tried to get funding from these resources
during planning for the future Wastewater Reclamation Facility. That is
why they know the city does not have a chance.
City finance director John Morehart also explained that the rate
increases would naturally begin to decrease by 2010.
Gore pointed out the decrease only results in a lower increase, because
residents would still be paying more than they are now.

Frigid weather brings frozen pipes
Plumbing, furnace experts offer tips to avoid headaches in the home
By EMILY MASTERS
The recent cold weather has kept area plumbers and furnace experts on
the move with house calls.
Bob Titus of Printz Plumbing, Heating and Cooling said January was
busier than normal, and the recent cold temperatures have gotten
February off to a hectic start.
"This cold snap we've experienced has pushed everybody over the limit,
pipes and drains are freezing up and furnaces are running more," he said.
Titus has seen all types of situations the past few days.
"Yesterday I helped out some people who had gone without heat for three
days," he said. "It was a family, with kids, and they were living in one
room with a space heater."
Titus says he has taken several furnace calls, but most calls have dealt
with plumbing issues.
"I took a call today where there were some water lines in an attic that
froze and busted," he said. "The person lost some of their ceiling,
that's the problem, there can be property damage in certain situations."
According to Titus, as warmer temperatures move in after a cold spell,
more problems arise.
"It's when the pipes are frozen and they begin to thaw out, then we
start to see leaking," Titus said.
The Marysville City Water Department has also been busy due to the cold weather.
According to Rob Thompson, water distribution foreman, since Jan. 28,
there have been four water main breaks. Affected were areas of East 9th
Street, West 8th Street, West 3rd Street, and 1st Street. Additionally,
Thompson said there were four service line leaks.
"When the ground freezes or thaws, there's some shifting going on," he said.
When city crews are forced to shut off water mains, Thompson said it can
be inconvenient for homeowners.
"Water can be off usually for about one to two hours, and then we have
to issue boil alerts and get water samples as part of EPA guidelines," he said.
The Ohio Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC),
offers some plumbing tips for homeowners: Don't leave garden hoses
attached to outdoor faucets; leave bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors
open so that heat can get to pipes; check to see that pipes are properly
insulated; keep your home's temperature at a constant 65 degrees; and in
extreme cold temperatures, allow a small trickle of warm water to flow
through the water lines to keep them from freezing.
PHCC advises that if homeowners do experience frozen pipes, it's best to
turn off the water at the main shut-off valve which is typically located
where the water line comes into the house. Knowing where this shut-off
valve is located can minimize any water damage.
As for preventing furnace problems, Titus says it's all about routine.
"The big thing I see is that people aren't religiously checking their
filters, and when filters are plugged, your house won't heat properly," he said.
He also advises checking furnace filters every 30 days during the winter season.
"By checking the filter and replacing it, it could save a call, and the
filters aren't expensive, you can buy them for under a dollar," he said.
"It really is money well spent."

Mayor breaks tie in N.L. council president vote
By CORINNE BIX
Jason Keeran will serve as the new village council president of North
Lewisburg after Mayor Dick Willis settled a tie vote Tuesday night.
Last month, council members submitted closed ballots after Steve Wilson
and Keeran were nominated for the post. Wilson and Keeran received three
votes each.
Steve Wilson had served as council president since August 2004.
It was suggested in January that, before attempting to settle the tie,
legal counsel be consulted.
Barry First, village administrator, shared a letter from village
solicitor, Harley Davidson, which states that the mayor breaks tie votes.
In January, Willis said this was the first time he remembered a tie vote
in the last 30 years.
The village's application for a FEMA pre-disaster mitigation grant for
$450,000 has been approved by the state and will go on to be considered
at the federal level.
If granted, the money will be used for a multi-purpose building, which
would serve as an emergency operation center for residents in northeast
Champaign County. The total cost of the project is projected at $600,000.
In December, council passed a resolution which requested an amendment be
made to the county all hazard mitigation plan. The amendment requested
that a shelter or emergency operation center be considered for North
Lewisburg in the case of a weather related or homeland security emergency.
First explained that the building would also serve as the village
municipal building, freeing up the current municipal building for the
Northeast Champaign County Fire District (NECCFD.)
For some time, the fire district has wanted to expand its current
cramped quarters within the municipal building. It currently rents space
from the village for $12,500 annually. The appraised value of the
building is $300,000.
First said money generated from rent or a sale of the building would
offset the local commitment of $150,000 to fund the emergency operation
center/municipal building.
"Everyone wins if we are awarded the $450,000 grant," First explained.
Council approved a newly amended ordinance relating to water and sewer
rate changes to take effect within the next several months.
The new base rate for water and sewer will be $45 and include 3,000
gallons of water. The next 3,000 gallons used will be charged $3.06 for
water and $5.68 for sewer. Every 3,000 gallons after that will be
charged $3.85 for water and $5.11 for sewer.
Council members tabled the ordinance last month after agreeing that
Section II, which specifies a proposed 3 percent utility rate increase,
should be removed from the ordinance.
Council passed similar rate increases in 2004 and 2005 as part of a
long-term plan to increase funding for the wastewater treatment plant
and to retire the debt.
In January 2006 council tabled the motion given the planned change from
a flat rate to metered water usage.
Tuesday night, council members agreed that a proposed utility rate
increase should be put on the back burner until the water meter system
has been in service for several months.
Village residents will receive preview bills based on their usage in
March and April. Actual billing is scheduled to begin in May.
Equipment for the wastewater plant project is currently being delivered
and the contractor will be returning to continue the project within the
next several weeks.
"We could start portions of the new plant by July," First said.
Council also learned that the multi-use path should be completed by
April 1 and the water tower is scheduled to be painted by mid-summer.
Council was told the new park restroom project will go out to bid within
the next month. The restrooms will be paid for with a $27,000 Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) and should be completed by early summer.
First said the village is working with the Union County Chamber of
Commerce to explore other uses for the covered bridge located on the
multi-use path.
It has been suggested that at some point the bridge could be accessed
for events such as wedding ceremonies. In that case, a bypass around the
bridge would need to be considered to accommodate others using the path.
Fred Voltz, village resident, expressed concerns in regard to snow
removal in the downtown area.
First explained that it is the responsibility of the business owners to
remove snow and ice from the sidewalk outside of their business.
The next regular council meeting will be Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
In other news, council:
.Passed as an emergency an ordinance which requires all motor
vehicles/trailers parked on streets or alleyways to be removed
immediately for 48 hours after two inches or more of snow has fallen so
as not to impede snow removal. First-time offenders will receive a
warning, second time offenders may be cited and have their vehicles
towed at their expense.
.Received information about recent changes to government employees that
handle public records. Those employees will now be required to complete
three continuing education hours per year through the State Auditor's office.
.Received information about reclaimed wastewater, which if utilized
provides water for irrigation and industrial purposes, hence conserving drinking water.
.Heard the monthly activity report for the village for the month of
January: 11 traffic citations issued; four warnings issued for traffic
violations; four incident reports; 22 cases of assistance given to
citizens; one arrest made; six civil and criminal papers served; 25
follow-up investigations completed; two open doors; one instance of
juvenile contact; and one civic activity completed.

Slick roads result in multitude of crashes
By RYAN HORNS
Heavy snowfall Tuesday afternoon caused dozens of crashes on Union
County roadways.
This morning dispatchers reported that the westbound lanes of U.S. 33
were closed down due to snow covered lanes. Before the closure, traffic
in both directions was reportedly at a crawl, as drivers tried to
negotiate the slick highway at a safe speed.
The Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported several
injury accidents and many more non-injury crashes since the snow started.
Post commander Rick Zwayer said that since Tuesday troopers have handled
20 crashes, most of those caused by icy road conditions along U.S. 33.
He said others took place outside of Union County.
Zwayer added that troopers will have "little tolerance" when it comes to
drivers violating traffic laws with these road conditions.
"We're recommending these drivers take extra time pre-trip to give
themselves adequate time so that they don't feel rushed trying to get to
work," Zwayer said.
He said many drivers who have crashed were simply going too fast.
Troopers will be handing out tickets for failure to control, driving at
unsafe speeds and not wearing seatbelts.
"The thing is that although the roadway may look clear, because of the
temperatures it is freezing back up pretty quickly," he said. "Drivers
need to be cognizant of that."
He recommended that drivers take note that speed limits posted on
roadways are not absolute, people should drive slower when conditions are unsafe.
OSP dispatchers reported at press time that troopers were busy
responding to four crashes that occurred between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. in
the county. There were also "a lot of slide offs" from slick roads. At
1:33 a.m. one person was injured in a crash on U.S. 33 in Allen Township.
Brittany Peterson, 23, of Kenton was headed eastbound when she lost
control and went off the left side of the road, striking a guardrail.
Peterson suffered minor injuries, but was not transported for care.
Passenger Andrea Cooksey, 24, of Zanesfield was not injured.
Another injury crash occurred Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. on Honda Parkway at
Route 739. Driver Clifford Riley, 49, of Columbus, was headed west on
Honda Parkway when he lost control and slid into the eastbound lanes,
striking head on a car driven by James Carmen, 26, of Belle Center.
Riley was not injured in the crash, but Carmen suffered minor visible
injuries and was transported by Allen Township medics to Memorial
Hospital of Union County.
At 4 p.m. Tuesday a three-car injury crash occurred on U.S. 33 just east
of Jerome Township. Driver Steven Paluch, 24, of Dublin, was going
eastbound on U.S. 33 when the car slid out of control and sideswiped
driver Von Nouanesengsy, 44, of Reynoldsburg, who was headed in the same
direction. Paluch's car then went into the medium and onto the westbound
lanes, striking driver Brent Jeffers, 51, of West Liberty, who then went
off the right side of the road and struck a fence. Jeffers was injured
in the crash and transported to Riverside Methodist Hospital. The two
other drivers were not injured.
The Marysville Police Department reported responding to 10 crashes
caused by icy conditions, mostly along U.S. 33. Two of which were injury crashes.
One occurred Tuesday at 5:21 p.m. on Industrial Parkway. Driver
Elizabeth J. Martin, 29, of 1300 Creekview Drive, went off the road and
struck a Dayton Power and Light utility pole. She was injured and
transported by medics to Memorial Hospital of Union County and was cited
for failure to control.
The Union County Sheriff's Office reported no injury crashes, but
deputies had responded to 10 crashes between 1 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m.
today. Eight accidents were on U.S. 33, the others happening on Honda
Parkway and one at Kyle Road.

Fire burns home
Frigid temperatures increase difficulty battling flamess
From J-T staff reports:
Fighting fires in any weather can be a challenging situation, but frigid
weather brings additional challenges, said Marysville's fire chief.
"It definitely makes things a little trickier," said Chief Gary Johnson.
"Whenever you're throwing water, it can freeze and create a fall hazard."
Johnson said before responding to fires in cold temperatures, such as
firefighters did Monday to a fire at the Marysville Mobile Home Park,
firefighters have to think about several obstacles. Those obstacles
include hydrants and pumps freezing up, moisture freezing inside the
firefighter's breathing apparatus, and firefighters getting too cold due
to perspiring under their heavy coats.
Firefighters worked 1 1/2 hours Monday to put out the fire. According to
Johnson, firefighters rescued a dog and a cat and managed to save half
of the home owned by Charlene Powers.
The Emergency Management Agency (EMA) also responded to the scene,
helping firefighters battle the cold, Johnson said.
"They brought their bus so the firefighters were able to go in for a
little bit and get warmed up," he said.
Union Township, Jerome Township and Liberty Township fire departments
assisted at the scene. The fire remains under investigation. The Union
County Red Cross is reportedly assisting the family with lodging.

Jerome Township trustees continue public hearings
From J-T staff reports:
Two public hearings were held Monday evening before a regularly
scheduled meeting of the Jerome Township Trustees. Seven township
residents were present for the hearings which involved zoning changes.
The first hearing dealt with voting requirements. The recommendation by
the Jerome Township Zoning Commission was to have three votes by the
board of zoning appeals rather than four. The board of zoning appeals
votes on variances and conditional use permits. The trustees approved
the recommendation.
The second hearing focused on a new Jerome Township zoning map. The
trustees decided they needed more time to review the map, so they will
do that within the next 30 days.
Two additional public hearings are scheduled for March 5 at 7 p.m. Both
involve zoning issues in the township.
Trustee Andy Thomas offered price quotes for road repairs needed in
township subdivisions. One area mentioned was New California Hills.
According to chairman Bob Merkle, the township can't afford hot mix on
all of the roads that need attention, so the trustees will look into
other treatment options.
The policy for renting the township hall was modified. The trustees
decided the hall shouldn't be rented beyond six months in advance.
Anything already scheduled; however, will be honored.
Solutions for mowing ditch banks in the township were discussed. The
options included buying the equipment or contracting with the county. No
action was taken last night.
The trustees did vote to buy four new conference tables and eight new
chairs which could be used by the zoning commission and trustees. The
approximate cost will be $3,000.

Coleman's Crossing briefly left without power
From J-T staff reports:
A power line mishap early this morning left sections of town without power.
"We had a power line come down over on Watkins Road this morning at
about 6 a.m.," Rick Shortell of Union Rural Electric said.
Because of that line going down, he said, it resulted in power outages
at Bridgewater Apartments, Watkins Glen Apartments, the Lamborghini
dealership, and businesses such as Home Deport, Wal-Mart Supercenter,
the Honda of Marysville dealership and more within the Coleman's
Crossing development.
Shortell said power finally came back on for Coleman's Crossing
businesses at around 8 a.m. and crews were working to get power back to
the remaining businesses by 9 a.m.

Freeze prompts schools to cancel classes
From staff and Associated Press reports
Temperatures near zero and whipping winds created a chill factor as low
as 25 below, forcing school districts across Ohio, including those in
the Union County area, to cancel classes today.
Marysville Exempted Village, and Fairbanks, North Union, Jonathan Alder,
and Triad Local Schools canceled classes, as did St. John's and St. Paul Lutheran schools.
"If you have skin that is exposed for 15 to 30 minutes, you're certainly
running the risk of getting frostbite," said Mike Dutter, a
meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland. "The best
thing to do is if you have to be outside today is to cover all
extremities and dress in layers. And don't stay outside too long if you can help it."
Knowing the forecast called for temperatures well below freezing with a
biting wind chill, multiple school officials decided Sunday that
students should be off Monday.
"What everybody's concerned about is children standing outside, waiting
for buses in a low wind chill factor," Bellevue City Schools
Superintendent Stephen Schumm said.
"We have a lot of kids that walk to school. We didn't think it was worth
the risk," Sandusky City Schools Superintendent Bill Pahl said.
Not all children have warm coats and hats, making it unsafe for them to
be outside, said Akron Superintendent Sylvester Small, who hoped his
Sunday afternoon cancellation would give parents enough time to arrange child care.
Principals and building support staff would be at schools Monday morning
to assist any children whose parents bring them in by mistake.
"There's always someone who drops off their kids at school," Small said.
In addition to students, school district officials in Warren in
northeast Ohio were worried about workers who have to warm up buses, and
clear parking lots and sidewalks of snow, Superintendent Kathryn Helwig said.

Armed robbery reported
An armed robbery at a local McDonalds did not result in any injuries
over the weekend.
According to Marysville Police reports, the McDonalds location in the
17000 block of Route 31 was robbed Sunday at 11:47 p.m. by a male
suspect dressed in black clothing.
Police reported that the man entered the restaurant and showed a silver
handgun to employees. He then took an undisclosed amount of cash.
The male is described as being 5'5" with an average build.
The restaurant was reportedly closed at the time and no one was injured.

Library's bear program in fifth year
By KARLYN BYERS
While some people were getting excited Friday about the spring forecasts
of groundhogs Buckeye Chuck and Punxsutawney Phil, Teddy bears were
invading the premises of the Marysville Public Library.
This year marks the fifth year literacy partners Union County
ABLE/Literacy United and the library have joined forces to showcase the
bears as a fundraiser for the library and Literacy United.
Bears were chosen for the fundraiser because they represent the slogan
"Be Excited About Reading (BEAR)." Each bear is made by the Stitching
Post at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Sponsors pay a $50 "foster care"
fee that covers the cost of the bear and the book on which each bear
character is based.
Each bear is then costumed by its sponsor to represent the chosen
character. This year's theme is "It's a Winner!" and all the bears will
be dressed as characters from award winning books. For instance, Union
Rural Electric Cooperative's entry is based on the book "The Biggest
Bear," Marysville Schools on "Tops and Bottoms" and the Union County
YMCA's on "The Snowy Day."
"It's incredible what some have done. And the attention to detail!
You've just got to come and look them over," said Cheryl Hagerty,
Literacy United coordinator.
Hagerty has been involved in adult literacy for almost three decades,
first in Delaware County and since 1992 in Union County.
Fifteen bears are on display at the Marysville Library with another
three bears to be displayed at the Richwood Library beginning next week.
Marysville's display is located right inside the rear library entrance,
according to Hagerty.
Library patrons can vote for their favorite characters by dropping money
into marked containers under each display. Votes will be computed on a
penny basis. For example, $1 will count as 100 votes; 50 cents as 50 votes; etc.
The monetary donations will be used to fund library projects, while
proceeds from a live auction will be donated to adult literacy
activities through Literacy United.
Voting will last until March 2 at 5 p.m. The top five vote getters and
bears with gift packages will be sold in a live auction March 5 from 6
to 8 p.m. at the County Services Building, 940 London Ave. The remaining
bears will be sold in a silent auction to be conducted the same night.
"Professor Sherman," an entry from Connolly Construction based on the
book "The Twenty-One Balloons" by William Pene Dubois, a Newbury Award
winner, is one of the entries offering gift packages. Hagerty said the
professor entry comes with numerous certificates to area restaurants.
This year, auction participants will be able to cast absentee bids in
writing or through the Internet as long as bids are cast by noon on Feb. 5.
Hagerty said this is to enable those who want to purchase a bear but who
cannot attend the live auction to be able to participate.
Additional information may be obtained by stopping by the Marysville
Public Library, 231 S. Plum St.; by calling 642-1876; or by visiting the
library's Web site at www.marysvillelib.org.
Sponsored Literacy Bears
A list of this year's Literacy United program sponsors, their bear
characters and the book titles on which the characters are based follows:
.Marysville Public Library, Wilbur, "Charlotte's Web"
.Union Rural Electric, no character listed, "The Biggest Bear"
.Community Action Organization, no character or book listed
.Fairbanks Local Schools, Monster, "Where the Wild Things Are"
.Pat's Print Shop, no character listed, "The Polar Express"
.North Union Schools, no character listed, "Holes"
.Sixta Manufacturing, Joseph, "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat"
.Marysville Exempted Village Schools, no character listed, "Tops and Bottoms"
.Scioto Corporation, Cinderella, "Cinderella or the Little Glass Slipper"
.Time-Warner, Sarah, "Sarah Plain and Tall"
.Union County Health Department, Officer Buckle, "Officer Buckle and Gloria"
.Connolly Construction, Professor Sherman, "The Twenty-One Balloons"
.Union County Y, Peter, "The Snowy Day"
.Huntington National Bank, St. George, "St. George & The Dragon"
.A Book and Its Cover, Ramona, "Ramona Quimby, Age 8"
.Union County Chamber of Commerce, Puss, "Puss in Boots"
.Delaware County Bank, Rapunzel, "Rapunzel 1998"
.Coldwell Banker King-Thompson, Harry Potter, "Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone"

MDA fundraiser workers plan to 'lock up' community members
From J-T staff reports:
Prominent Marysville citizens are being accused of "having a big heart
for Jerry's kids" and are scheduled to be "arrested and serve time" in a
mock jail at the Holiday Inn Express Tuesday, in an effort to raise
money for the local Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The MDA Lockup is being held from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Each participant will
be sentenced to "raise bail" by calling friends and encouraging
contributions to advance MDA's lifesaving programs. Several local
businesses are supporting the community event, with "jailbird"
transportation provided by Elite Valet, mug shot photos courtesy of MDA,
and jail house food provided by Kroger, Bob Evans, Subway, Benny's
Pizza, Applebee's and Culligan Water. Raffle prizes have been donated by
Marysville Golf Club and Timberview Golf Club, Inc.
More than 100 Marysville area executives and civic leaders are expected
to serve their sentences "behind bars," including the Rev. John Fair of
St. John's Lutheran Church, Steve Stolte, Union County engineer; Carol
Chandler, Ohio State University Extension; Dave Overfield, Scotts
Company; Bob Penzino, United Rotary Brush; Wayne Cooper, Elliot &
Elliot; J.T. Williams, Kirk National Lease; Nichole Piper, Elks Lodge;
Don Fraser, Cannizzaro Fraser & Bridges; Chuck Hawkins, Parker Hannifin
Corp.; Dennis Dice, United Financial Services; Bonita Caldwell and Roy
Coffey, Neff Company; and Laura Goodwin, Holiday Inn Express.
MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat neuromuscular
diseases. In addition to funding research, MDA maintains some 230
clinics nationwide, including two at The Ohio State University Medical
Center and one at Columbus Children's Hospital, local support groups,
and a summer camp for kids with muscle-wasting diseases at Recreation
Unlimited in Ashley.
MDA is the first nonprofit recognized by the American Medical
Association with a lifetime Achievement Award "for significant and
lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity."
Those interested in participating in a MDA Lockup, or who wish to
nominate someone to participate, may contact the local MDA office at
(614) 841-1014.

BW3, Sonic coming to Marysville
New business roundup
By RYAN HORNS
Buffalo Wild Wings, more commonly known as BW3, will be joining the
ranks of Marysville's growing list of restaurants, it was announced this week.
Wednesday, Economic Development Director Eric Phillips announced that
BW3 submitted its building proposal for the Design Review Board,
scheduled to meet Feb. 14.
Marysville city planner Greg DeLong said the business will be located on
Coleman's Crossing Boulevard at the Wal-Mart Supercenter entrance, in a
corner spot within the 12-unit strip mall area. The building design is
expected to be similar to the BW3 located in Muirfield.
DeLong added that four retail spaces remain open for future businesses
in the strip mall area around BW3.
In other new businesses announced, Sonic Burger franchise owners said
the company is geared toward opening a location in Marysville,
reportedly making an offer on an undisclosed area of land. Sonic has
begun advertising for possible store managers in town.
"No location has been pinned down just yet," a Sonic Burger
representative - who asked to not have his name printed - told the
Journal-Tribune. "Marysville is definitely on our radar screen."
Phillips said that fans of the burger joint may have Marysville city
councilman Mark Reams to thank, as the Reams family reportedly started
its own letter campaign to get the fast food restaurant in town.
Developments such as Coleman's Crossing, Marysville's Uptown District,
City Gate, Mill Valley Shopping Center and more have been adding to the
climate of growth and expectations in the city.
UPTOWN
Phillips said business activity in Marysville has stepped up, compared
to two years ago.
"Thing are moving quite quickly," he said.
As the east side of Marysville develops, however, he said the city's
Uptown District will need to remain vital. A downside to the steady east
side development is that business could suffer in the Uptown area.
Uptown business owners have said that customer traffic has slowed ever
since Coleman's Crossing developments opened up and they worry about
being forced to sell.
"We're definitely concerned about what happens to the Uptown area," Phillips said.
He said Marysville's Uptown Revitalization Team (URT) is looking into
creating business niches for the Uptown, such as antique stores and
coffee and deli shops. Several projects may help that process along.
URT is committed to encouraging people to visit Uptown shops. Union
County also will be opening new offices within the former Helig Meyers
building, which eventually may increase foot traffic downtown.
Phillips said the current Columbus Monthly magazine also listed
Marysville's Doc Henderson as one of its top 11 new restaurant picks.
Changes in the Uptown business climate include the relocation of
Lambert's Jewelers from North Main Street to the former Painted Lady
house on East Fifth Street across from Doc Henderson's. He said that the
jewelers have already opened for business. The former location is now
empty and available for rent.
Jack hammers have also been hard at work inside the former Steppin Out
bar, Phillips said. The work is being done by Doc Henderson's owner Bob
Meeder, who is reportedly renovating the building for a future retail facility.
Other changes include the opening of Dave's Version (an Internet and
video gaming cafe), and the closure of Colonial Music.
COLEMAN'S CROSSING
Regarding Coleman's Crossing, many business have recently opened, such
as the Dollar Tree expected this weekend, Saturday's Hair Salon and Papa
Murphy's take and bake pizza. Others such as Best Buy will be opening
later in the year.
Phillips said the future of Petland in Marysville could be up in the
air. He heard the business may have changed its mind about coming to town.
Some residents have come to recent city council meetings to protest
against Petland's alleged use of "puppy mills," as reported in national headlines.
Construction continues for Best Buy, which has a tentative opening date
of March 23. A future Office Max has also been announced.
CITY GATE
Located across from Coleman's Crossing, City Gate developer Phil
Connolly reported that he is still involved in the process of talking
with prospective businesses for his project that broke ground on Oct.
13. Currently, the number of confirmed businesses remain: White Castle,
Walgreens, Delaware County Bank, Bob Evans, two medical office buildings
and an unnamed hotel.
MORE
. Over at the Mill Valley Shopping Center, located between the new
McDonald's and Woodside Veterinary on Route 21, seven units are
available for prospective business. After construction is completed a
San Francisco Hofbrau restaurant has plans to locate there. It is
reportedly a cafeteria-style restaurant and bar.
. In the area along Delaware Avenue, Kentucky Fried Chicken/Long John
Silvers is expected to open later this month.
. Aldi's has construction going on for a future expansion.
. Neal's Bridgestone/Firestone at 490 N. Main St. is currently expanding.
. The Movie Gallery on U.S. 36 east has been closed and vacated by the owners.

Pastor to be honored at Four Chaplains ceremony
From J-T staff reports
He's known in the Marysville community for his efforts of bringing
church congregations together in unity, and because of his work, the
Rev. John "Jack" Groat will be recognized Sunday with the Legion of
Honor Award of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains.
The award is given in recognition of exceptional selfless service on the
part of an individual who contributes to the well-being of his or her
community and to a spirit of interfaith cooperation.
Groat has served the Marysville community for more than 40 years. Before
his retirement in 1998, he served the First Presbyterian Church
congregation for 33 years. He started the Four Chaplains Service there,
which has become a fixture. Other community service projects have
included: the Union County Honor Guard, participating in veterans
funerals, and most recently, chairing the groundbreaking committee for
the Union County Veterans Memorial.
The Rev. Dr. Scott Strohm will present the award to Groat at a special
worship service, beginning at 10 a.m. The church will also inaugurate a
Fervent Prayer Concern on behalf of our Military.
The Chapel of Four Chaplains, a national non-profit organization, is
founded upon the heroic acts of four Army Chaplains who, after giving
their life jackets to soldiers who had none, linked arms with one
another and went down with the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, after it was
torpedoed on Feb. 3, 1943, during World War II. The act is significant
due to the identity of the four young men: two Protestants, a Catholic
and a Jew. The Chapel of Four Chaplains serves the memory of these men
and carries their message of interfaith cooperation and selfless service
to every part of the country.

Richwood police chief retires
From J-T staff reports:
Richwood Mayor Bill Nibert confirmed Wednesday that village police chief
Rick Asher has submitted his resignation.
"Yes it's true," Nibert said Wednesday afternoon. "But I haven't
notified council yet. He (Asher) just handed in his letter."
He said Asher, 52, handed in his resignation on Monday with the
intention of retiring from law enforcement.
Village council is scheduled to meet on Feb. 12. Nibert said at that
time, council members will discuss Asher's resignation and what steps
they will take in filling the position.
The mayor said the village will then begin advertising the open position
and go through a subsequent interview process in order to select the next chief.
Asher said this morning that Feb. 9 will be his final day on the job.
"It's just time," Asher said.
He said the reason for his resignation is a combination of wanting to
spend more time with his family and the need to pursue a higher paying
career to fund his eventual retirement and future business plans.
"I'm just retiring from law enforcement," Asher explained. "The biggest
reason is because of my wife's health."
He said his wife has already retired from a career in nursing. After
leaving the Richwood Police Department, he said, the two plan on going
into business together, expediting deliveries similar to Federal
Express, but within a different company.
Asher has been a police officer since 1987 and became Richwood's police
chief in 1990.
He briefly left that position in 1996 to go into business for himself
and work part time as a dispatcher for the Union County Sheriff's
Office. He then returned as chief seven months later.
During those years Asher said he also spent time working with the Plain
City Police Department.
"I've enjoyed what I've been doing, or else I wouldn't have been here
all this time," Asher said.
After he leaves, Asher said, the village will need to hire an interim
chief until a permanent replacement is found. Normally the sergeant at
the department would assume that ro

Marysville photographer has second book published
Another top seller?
By EMILY MASTERS
He has stood in freezing waters, balanced himself on make-shift boats
and climbed trees, all to capture the perfect shot. Now a Marysville
photographer's vision of a covered bridge book has become a reality.
It's called Covered Bridges and is on bookstore shelves throughout the tate.
"It took me from the shores of Lake Erie, to the rolling hills of
Southeast Ohio, to the banks of the Ohio River, and to the farmland of
Northwest Ohio," said Bill Miller, photographer.
Miller, who lives in Mill Valley, has been working on the book for more
than five years. The project was put on hold when he was approached in
2000 by Ohio's Bicentennial Commission.
"They asked me if I'd serve as the official photographer for the
bicentennial barn book," said Miller. "I thought the project would
entail shooting about 20 barns; instead, they wanted all 88 barns
photographed in each of Ohio's 88 counties," he laughed.
Ohio's Bicentennial Barns ended up a top seller in the state in 2003,
next to Harry Potter, said Miller. He has the same expectations for Covered Bridges.
"I will admit, I'm a perfectionist," he said. "I shoot all slide film
and work off of natural light, so a lot of the bridges in the book have
been revisited four to five times so I could get the right look."
Miller captured 170 covered bridges in Ohio, Kentucky, and West
Virginia, all of which are featured in the book. He worked with covered
bridge historians, Miriam Wood and David Simmons, to find the names,
locations, and history of all the bridges.
"I think the book's main objective is to identify and educate the public
on yesterday's transportation method, the covered bridge," he said.
According to Miller, Ohio has the second largest number of covered
bridges in the United States, with 130 still standing. He said at one
time Ohio had more than 2,000 dotting the landscape.
"The covered bridge was the link that connected passengers and traffic
from one end of the stream to another," he said. "They were popping up everywhere."
Union County has four covered bridges which are featured. They include
the Upper Darby or Pottersburg covered bridge, which was recently moved
to a nearby trail that connects Inskeep Cratty Road and the village of
North Lewisburg; the Spain Creek covered bridge on Inskeep Cratty Road;
the Culbertson or Treacle Creek covered bridge on Winget Road; and the
Little Darby or Bigelow covered bridge on Axe Handle Road.
Union County Engineer Steve Stolte is mentioned in the book for his
efforts to renovate and preserve the bridges.
"The covered bridges are important because they are part of our existing
transportation system, and they represent a heritage of ours," he said.
According to Stolte, two new covered bridges are expected to be
completed in May. The first will be built at the former sight of the
Upper Darby or Pottersburg covered bridge on North Lewisburg Road, and
the second will be constructed on Buck Run Road, where it crosses the
Big Darby Creek.
Miller says he hopes the book will help promote tourism in the state.
"There are a lot of people out there who will want to visit the bridges
one by one, it gives them a chance to see Ohio's beauty from the back
roads," he said.
A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the Ohio
Historic Bridge Association which works to preserve all types of bridges
in the state.
Additional information on purchasing a signed copy of the book may be
obtained by calling (740) 972-8728 or visiting www.woosterbook.com.