Fairbanks officials shared new renderings for their master facility plan at the board of education meeting on Monday. Above, the additions and renovations coming to the high school and middle school building include a new 12,000 square-foot multi-purpose competition gym extending north over the existing parking lot and a new 19,000 square-foot front. At bottom, one design of the six new classrooms being added to the elementary school building. (Graphics submitted) — — Fairbanks officials recently offered an update on its facility plan including new renderings from their ongoing campus changes. At the Monday board of…
Author: Michael Williamson
The Plain City Elementary PTO’s annual Mumkins and Munsters sale made just over $17,000 this year, which helped push the organization to a seven-year fundraising total of $115,000. PTO Co-Chair Tamara Engle, right, was presented with a gold-painted “mumkin” Tuesday by Lisa Czajkowski, left, with Foertmeyer and Sons Greenhouse in Delaware. The group has partnered with the greenhouse since 2016 to provide the fall plants for the community sale. (Journal-Tribune photo by Michael Williamson) — A Jonathan Alder parent-teacher group crossed a fundraising threshold following one of its annual sales this year. The Plain City Elementary PTO group crossed the…
North Union’s superintendent has decided to retire after more than 30 years in education. Rich Baird, who has led the North Union school district for the last eight and a half years, is retiring at the end of December. At the regular monthly school board meeting on Monday, the group approved the measure, offering its thanks to Baird for his years of service in a statement read by President Brian Davis. “The board of education would like to congratulate Mr. Baird on his retirement announcement and the next chapter of your life,” he said. “We wish you the best in…
Jonathan Alder is getting a new school resource officer. At last week’s board of education meeting, school officials approved an agreement with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to establish the position within the district. School officials are currently looking at candidates but no one has been officially announced. This week, Superintendent James Miller said the job description and work scope had been defined and approved by the board, the next step will be the candidate. “I have a final candidate who will be a great fit for our district. His contract terms are currently being written out,” Miller said. “I…
The Union County Airport is set to receive federal money that will go toward a hangar expansion project on the grounds. A press release from Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office said Tuesday that the airport will receive $90,209 from the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. The AIP airport grant program gives money to airport infrastructure for projects such as runways, taxiways, airport signage, airport lighting, and airport markings. “It’s good to hear this come though,” said airport board president Philip LaPonte. ”It’s part of our ongoing project to build 15 more T-hangars.” The T-shaped hangars, of…
Union County officials said Jerome Township either has a “fundamental misunderstanding” of how certain tax incentives function or are attempting “to mislead the public on these matters.” The comments came in response to some of the township trustees outlining a series of accusations toward the county at an August meeting of the board. County Administrator Bill Narducci said statements made regarding the county’s last-minute changes to economic development agreements, not meeting with residents and of backing Jerome into a corner range from questionable to inaccurate. He said much of the tension between the two entities centers on how development will…
Richwood officials are looking into having water issues on two village streets added to a list of priority areas. At the regular village council meeting on Monday, Council member Von Beal suggested having areas of Wood Street and Beatty Avenue on the village’s northeast side added to the list of flooding locations to be fixed. “They get a lot of water laying in their yards,” he said. “If there are established storm sewer lines there, I would think we would want them open.” He said he didn’t know if lines existed there previously, but said it could be something the…
Residents that use Union County’s transportation service may have noticed a reduction in trip options. County officials said UCATS (Union County Agency Transportation Service) is currently down 50% of its drivers, which has caused the agency to scale back some of its services. At a recent meeting of county department heads, Human Services Director Sue Ware told the county commissioners that the department is prioritizing medical appointments and taking seniors to the grocery store. Other services may not be available. She said the agency typically has eight drivers but currently only has four. “You might hear some concerns with some…
Union County Tourism wants Richwood involved in its wayfinding signage project but village officials said the high cost of signs make them hesitant. (Graphic submitted) — Richwood officials said they are interested in the county’s wayfinding signage project, but have some questions about the cost and ultimate benefit to the community. At the recent village council meeting, Karen Eylon with Union County Tourism, formerly the county’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the board the tourism committee overseeing the countywide signage project wanted to get Richwood involved. The issue, however, is that signage could cost upwards of $74,000 for the village.…
The Union County Commissioners have filed suit against Jerome Township over the board’s recent zoning amendment, another blow to an already strained relationship. At the regular meeting Wednesday, the county commissioners approved a resolution that authorized Roetzel and Andress, a law firm with offices throughout Ohio, to file a civil action against “Jerome Township, the Jerome Township Trustees and the Jerome Township Zoning Inspector” to challenge the amendment’s validity. The action came after the trustees voted 2-1 in July to amend their zoning text affecting how non-residential developments participate in Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Community Reinvestment Areas (CRA) and Joint…
Boy Scout Troop 440 waits to raise the flag commemorating the start of the Richwood Independent Fair Wednesday morning. Several village and county officials were present for 131st annual event put on each year in the village’s southwest corner. The fair runs Aug. 30 through Sept. 4 and will feature entertainment such as a rodeo, demo derby and fireworks. (Journal-Tribune photo by Michael Williamson) —
With growth happening in the southern portion of Union County, officials think Richwood should prepare to be next. Savannah Allen with Union County Economic Development told Richwood Village Council Monday evening that growth would eventually make its way north and that the village should be prepared. “As we see some of the growth from Intel and Honda and the Columbus region, Richwood is really poised, I think, to have some of that growth offset other parts of the Columbus region,” she said. “We were looking to see if there might be interest in forming some committee to see what parts…
Two Fairbanks graduates, Kate Ruff and Danielle Hoover, helped publish a former Fairbanks middle school teacher’s children’s book, Swim, Cutie Swim. Sue Lowery, who passed away in 2018, wrote the story in 2003 after a family trip to Chincoteague Island, Virginia. (Photo submitted) — A children’s book, written by a former Fairbanks teacher, got published, with help from two former students. Kate Ruff and Danielle Hoover, both Panther alumni, helped finish and publish the late Sue Lowery’s children’s book, Swim, Cutie Swim, which the former middle school teacher began writing after a trip in 2003. Kathy Lowery, a family member…
Several weeks ago, I did a column about how I hadn’t been to the theater in months and that the release of Oppenheimer might just be the movie to bring me back. With multiplex ticket prices up over $10 or $12, snacks that double that, and a list of releases that are less than inspiring, it was going to take something big, something important, something historic, something nuclear. Oppenheimer was the obvious choice. So, I did see the movie, although not in the 70mm, IMAX presentation I wanted to (I did see it in IMAX, however). And after that build-up…
The Union County Sheriff’s Office will be awarded money from the state for retaining staff since the pandemic. Sheriff Jamie Patton told the county commissioners Wednesday that members of his staff were among the more than 10,000 law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel in Ohio that qualified for state retention incentives as part of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program. The program was created to address first responder burnout caused by “understaffing and overall job stress,” according to a release from Gov. Mike DeWine’s office. Patton said the county received just over $200,000 in funding from…