Above, nearby vehicles were crushed and adjacent buildings were damaged when the Avalon Theatre in Marysville’s Uptown collapsed in June. A truss near the rear of the building broke, collapsing the building. Eventually, officials decided to tear down the remainder of the building. (Photo submitted)
A look at Union County’s top non-COVID stories of the last year
Looking back at the past year, it can be difficult to remember anything that isn’t virus related, but there really was interesting news in Union County in 2020 that had nothing to do with COVID.
The Journal-Tribune traditionally closes out the year with a piece about the Top 10 local stories from the previous 12 months. Because the pandemic utterly dominated headlines, the newsroom staff decided to end the year with a pair of Top 10 lists, one ranking virus-related stories and the other encapsulating everything else.
Today’s list will feature the Top 10 traditional news stories of 2020 as voted by the Journal-Tribune newsroom staff. On Thursday the ranking of top virus-related stories will appear.
1. Avalon falls
The historic Avalon Theatre in Marysville’s Uptown was in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation project when the roof fell in, literally.
Shortly after 10 p.m. June 4, a truss near the rear of the building at 121 S. Main St., broke, collapsing the building and taking pieces of adjacent buildings with it.
First responders and city officials were on the scene within minutes. Main Street, from Fifth to Sixth streets, was closed to traffic.
In April, officials closed the sidewalk and parking spaces in front of the Uptown’s Avalon Theatre, 121 S. Main St., as work began in earnest to convert the former movie house into a community cultural arts center.
Sarah Barr, executive director of Marysville Uptown Theatre, the nonprofit organization that will own and operate the theatre, said the building was originally constructed as a cultural arts center in 1936 and it was returning to those roots. Officials offered mixed messages about plans for the theatres — some saying it was never intended to be reconstructed as a movie theater while others insisting it still would be a movie theatre.
At the time officials said there would be a two-phase approach to the renovation — the first phase, which would cost an estimated $1.7 million dollars, would secure the roof, walls, plumbing and foundation of the building.
Phase two would bring in seating, lobby and bar facilities and equipment, as well as other finishing touches and cost about $1 million.
Officials set a fundraising goal of about $3.2 million. Barr said the additional money will be used, “to get a good start on the future programming.”
The first phase was to be complete in October, with a small 50-seat viewing area and limited amenities open sometime next year and the full project scheduled for completion in August 2021.
Plans changed in June, however, when the building collapsed.
At the time, Avalon officials said they would not raze what remained of the building. In September, though, officials said the building was unsafe and it would cost more to restore than it would to rebuild.
“Given the current situation, we just wanted to do what’s best to make sure the Avalon Theatre is safe and sustainable for future generations,” Barr said at the time.
Despite the sudden and forced change of plans, officials said they were still on schedule and on budget.
In November, Barr presented a plan to create a “parklet” in the street in front of the Avalon Theater. The parklet would occupy the four parking spots in front of the Avalon Theatre. There would be barriers and planters to protect the park from traffic debris as well as noise. Inside the parklet would be benches, tables and chairs, fire pits and other planters.
The parklet would be in the public right-of-way. It would be owned and maintained by the Avalon Theatre but would be open for anyone in the Uptown.
In December, the Avalon Theatre was notified the state would contribute $500,000 to the project as part of the recently approved capital budget. Since 2016, the Avalon has received about $850,000 in state capital budget funding.
2. No hero’s return for Blackie
An expedition to return Marysville WWII heroes Capt. John “Blackie” Porter II and Sgt. Harold Neibler was unsuccessful and cloaked in uncertainty.
In 2019, private donors and community organizations raised more than $70,000 for Clayton Kuhles and a team of experts to go to a crash site near the India/Myanmar border and recover the remains of Porter and Neibler, both Marysville men, killed together in World War II. Then mayor J.R. Rausch spearheaded the community effort. City officials stressed that while the former mayor was involved, no taxpayer money was given to Kuhles for the recovery.
Kuhles said the effort would cost at least $70,000 so he could take a forensic anthropologist and an archaeologist and other professionals with him. Kuhles said he could go by himself and hire locals for far less money. Eventually, however, Kuhles left and took none of the professionals but all the money. He didn’t tell the donors or the professionals he was not taking them. After Kuhles left in November 2019, other team members learned there were no plane tickets, reservations or travel instructions made for them.
Kuhles told donors he would give any artifacts and remains he found to the Indian government for verification before leaving the country. The remains were then to be turned over to the U.S. Embassy in India and sent to a DNA verification site. After verification, the remains would be given to the families.
Instead, however, Kuhles put everything he gathered in several sandwich and duffel bags and flew home.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) got involved when federal officials received a tip that Kuhles would be entering the country with the remains of a U.S. serviceman. Investigators met Kuhles at the airport where he had several duffle bags containing what he claimed were artifacts and remains from the crash site.
All along, Kuhles claimed he had human remains. Multiple analyses proved he had some wreckage and artifacts he said were from the crash site, but no human remains.
In October, Homeland Security in Ohio hosted a repatriation ceremony, in which WWII artifacts belonging to Porter, Neibler and other crew members on the crashed plane were returned to family members.
Officials said the items are not vital to the investigation and it is “more important” to give them the families and help bring closure.
Many of the items will remain on display at Motts Military Museum in Groveport. Family members will keep some of the items, others will go to local museums and historical societies.
Federal officials have said they will work to have a Department of Defense agency begin an official search for the remains.
Officials have said the investigation has been turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for review to determine whether to file charges against Kuhles.
3. Marysville Football Team’s flag photo
In August, a photograph of senior members of the Marysville Football Team brought nationwide attention to the community.
The photo showed 25 senior members of the team perched on an old, rusting locomotive. The source of contention is that nine members of the team are holding flags – two American flags, one Ohio flag, two school district flags and four others showing versions of the flags with blue, red or green stripes.
Parents and organizers said the flags represent support for first responders and the military. Those in opposition said the flags support racism and are used by supremacist groups to counter the Black Lives Matter movement.
The photograph was organized by a program booster group.
It was two recent Marysville alumni who led the online charge against the photo.
“I have never been more disgusted or ashamed to be a graduate of Marysville High School,” 2018 graduate Sarah Paul wrote on Facebook while sharing the photo.
Chase Cutarelli, a 2019 graduate of the district, took his opposition a step farther, creating an online petition at change.org to “call out Marysville Schools for endorsing Blue Lives Matter, border patrol.”
While comments from across the nation called the use of the flags tone deaf, response from the local residents was overwhelmingly supportive.
Defenders said the flags showed support for first responders and the military. Each senior holding a flag had a special reason.
“Many of these boys have mothers and fathers that are first responders,” the photographer, Robin Ansley Thompson, wrote on Facebook. “A couple of them have brothers that are actively deployed oversees.”
The school board eventually drafted a letter in response to the photograph that neither endorsed the image, nor condemned it. The statement focused more on the photo and backlash being a teachable moment.
“It is important to understand that intent cannot be measured or evaluated in a picture,” the statement reads. “It is also important to recognize multiple perspectives…a symbol or flag can mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to another.”
Marysville City Council also debated whether or not to create a response to the photo but a majority of members eventually decided that the it was a school issue and did not warrant a city reaction.
4. Solar farms planned for county
A pair of proposed solar energy farms have the potential to impact the future of Union County.
In 2020, Invenergy and Acciona Energy each applied to construct solar energy projects in the northern part of the county.
The Acciona Energy project, named Union Solar, is a planned 25-megawatt solar powered electric generating facility on about 3,500 acres near the intersection of Routes 31 and 739 in York and Washington townships. Construction of that facility is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022. Acciona officials said it could be scheduled to be in service by the first quarter of 2023.
Invenergy’s proposed project, Cadence Solar Energy Center, is a 275-megawatt solar powered electric generation facility. The company already has about 5,100 acres under lease in Union County. The majority of the land is south of Route 47, between Yearsly and Storms roads and north of Route 347. Officials said they expect to begin construction in the first quarter of 2022 and expect to be online operational and generating power by the end of 2023.
Solar farm officials have said Union County is an ideal location because the land is flat and close to needed infrastructure, and because Ohio and the community are open to new technology and ideas. They have said the solar farms will pay millions in local taxes, especially school tax dollars.
County and township officials, as well as residents in the area have expressed mixed feelings on the proposed solar farms. Many have said there isn’t enough known about the environmental or health impacts of solar power generation.
The Ohio Revised Code provides a general exemption from local zoning for major utility facilities so local zoning does not apply to a facility that holds an OPSB certificate.
While other projects have been discussed, only the Invenergy and Acciona Energy projects have been formally proposed to the Ohio Power Siting Board.
5. City breaks ground on new water plant
In June, Marysville broke ground on the city’s new water plant at 18000 Raymond Road. The plant will have capacity for about 7.5 million gallons a day, nearly doubling capacity of the current plant which was built in 1903.
Peterson Construction Company from Wapakoneta was contracted to construct the facility. Their base bid came in at $40.57 million. City manager Terry Emery said the bid is “significantly under” the engineer’s estimate of $50 million.
Officials said they estimate that in addition to the $40 million for water plant construction, the actual plant will need an extra $3.5 million for things like inspections, consultants, change orders and programming the computers and other costs associated with starting the plant.
Finance Director Brad Lutz said the water plant, which will sit near the city’s reservoir on Raymond Road, is one part of a larger vision which also includes a $3.4 million project to run water lines along Raymond Road from West Fifth Street to the reservoir, a $1.1 million project to connect the waterline from the reservoir to Mill Valley, the drilling of a well near the operation center and erecting a water tower in southeast Jerome Township. Lutz said that if the bids for the water plant had come in high, those projects could have been delayed.
Officials said the projects will create a redundant loop so that if a line breaks, residents do not lose water service.
With the plant and all the associated projects, officials are estimating the total cost to be in the $55 million range. Initially the plant and other water related items were projected to cost more than $70 million.
The city will pay for a significant portion of the project using money saved in a variety of water related funds and issue bonds for the rest.
City officials have repeatedly promised that despite the project costs, the city will not even consider raising water costs until at least 2025.
6. Animal cruelty
The former chief humane agent for the Union County Humane Society is facing more than eight decades in prison for allegedly killing dogs and stealing from their owners.
Protesters and victims stood outside the Union County Courthouse in August as Steffen Baldwin was charged with 42 counts of a variety of crimes, including cruelty to animals and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Baldwin was later arrested and released after violating his bond by testing positive for opiates.
His trial is ongoing.
7. Area activism
Local residents joined those throughout the nation in protesting racial injustice following the death of George Floyd.
Hundreds gathered in Uptown Marysville and Plain City for peaceful protests in May, followed by another peaceful Black Lives Matter march in July.
Events were also organized throughout the summer to rally for local first responders and law enforcement agencies.
While the majority of local demonstrations were mostly peaceful, members of an alt-right group sometimes linked to violent confrontations were present at one. Members of the Proud Boys, a group that describes themselves as “western chauvinists” and advocates for white nationalism, attended a Marysville rally intended to support local first responders in August.
8. Scotts plans expansion, declines abatement
ScottsMiracle-Gro will be moving forward with a nearly $45 million expansion project, but will not be asking Marysville for a tax incentive.
Officials from the company and the city were ready to move forward with an agreement that would have provided a 75% property tax abatement for 10 years on a portion of the project.
However, as many businesses suffered throughout the pandemic, ScottsMiracle-Gro saw increased sales. Company representatives said that led them to decline the proposed abatement.
9. Commuter tax credit
The possibility of adding a commuter tax credit sparked discussion – and disagreement – at a number of Marysville City Council meetings throughout the year.
Freshman Council member Aaron Carpenter, who represents Ward One, was the initiative’s most outspoken proponent and was often met with staunch pushback from others on the board.
The topic was a frequent point of contention at public meetings though the initiative has not made any progress.
10. Leon’s Garage
The planned expansion of Leon’s Garage drew both support and opposition from Marysville residents and even caused the City to consider its noise ordinances.
The proposed project entails demolishing two buildings to add a brewery and live music venue at the restaurant. It would also add a terrace to Leon’s and a patio to the adjacent House of Spirits.
While some community members expressed excitement, the family members of 90-year-old Patricia Croy, whose North Walnut Street home backs up to the proposed expansion, repeatedly voiced their opposition.
The project did not require additional approval because it already fell within approved zoning uses for the land, but the family’s concerns led city officials to explore the addition of a noise ordinance, as one did not previously exist.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent holds a container of artifacts belonging to Blackie’s Gang, for viewing by, from left to right, Marysville City Councilman and former Mayor J.R. Rausch, Ellen Vinson, daughter of Capt. John Blackie Porter’s widow, and Warren Motts, founder of Motts Military Museum, in October. Many of the items were given to the military museum where they will be displayed as part of a collection. (Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
In August the photo above of seniors on the Marysville Football Team drew opposition from around the country, but garnered overwhelming support locally. The root of the debate centered on the flags being held, reportedly intended as a show of support for former team members and family who are first responders or in the military. Some said the flags with blue lines were created as oppositional flags to the Black Lives Matter movement. (Photo submitted)
Pictured above are participants in a support rally held at Partners Park in September for the Monarch football team and its controversial promotional photo. Below, is a pro-Trump rally held near Plain City on Sept. 6. (J-T photos by Mac Cordell and Michael Williamson)
Pictured above is a rally held at Partners Park on June 1 after the George Floyd killing sparked national protests seeking racial equality and police reform. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
Above, rubble from the rear of the Avalon Theatre spilled into the alley behind the building after a roof truss broke causing the building to collapse on June 4. The theater was in the middle of a $3.2 million renovation. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
Above, protesters and victims gathered outside the Union County Courthouse in August. The group had assembled for the arraignment of Steffen Baldwin, former chief humane agent for the Union County Humane Society. Baldwin faces a 42-count indictment alleging a variety of crimes including that he killed dogs and lied to their owners in an effort to get money from them. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
Officials broke ground on the city’s new water plant in July. Above, Marysville City Manager Terry Emery speaks at the ceremony as Mayor Henk Berbee looks over his remarks. (Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
Officials from at least two energy companies are planning solar energy farms for the northern part of Union County. Officials have said the technology, installation and layout look similar to the one pictured above in Minnesota. (Photo submitted)