Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

Student asks council for biking path

By Amy Kronenberger
ST. MARYS - A Memorial High School senior would like to see a new hiking/bike path in the city.
Student Nick Durke asked city council members during a meeting Monday to consider adding a path along Celina Road to connect the bike paths along state Route 364 and Orchard Avenue. He said a path would help build the community, help businesses in that area and keep runners safe.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but in recent years the businesses on Celina Road have taken a major hit," he said. "They've been forgotten, and personally, I don't even think about businesses like Ace Hardware or even Dairy Queen unless I'm running right past them."
Durke said it would help businesses if residents and visitors are provided a safe method of non-car travel.
The track and cross country runner also said his teams use the paths every day.
"We've had numerous instances where cars have come inches from us," he said of running along Celina Road. "Nothing has happened yet, but I'm always afraid something will."
Durke feels expanding the bike paths would help build the community.
"If you were to increase the path on the lake, it would help more people in town get out and get into the community ... If this could happen, it could go a long way in improving the integrity of our town," he said.
Council members agreed connecting the paths would help the city. Council member Jim Harris asked interim safety service director Greg Foxhoven to meet with city engineer Craig Moeller to study the feasibility of a path in that area and figure estimates.
"We can't guarantee anything, but first we need to get the numbers to see if it's feasible," he said.
Durke said he understands some people may have a problem with the cost. Through research, he learned bike paths cost about $5-$10 per square foot. His proposed path would be between 1/2 and 3/4 mile, costing between $40,000 and $80,000, he said.
City law director Kraig Noble said officials already have been working on connecting the lake path and the tow path along the railroad. Harris suggested Moeller look at other alternate routes if a path wasn't possible on Celina Road.
Also on Monday, council members tabled an ordinance that changed the city's law regarding abandoned refrigerators and freezers. The original ordinance states no person shall abandon, discard or leave on his or her property a refrigerator or freezer or any other air-tight container in which a person could get trapped. If stored outdoors, the container must have the door removed.
A new ordinance would have amended the law to not include refrigerators or freezers that only close with a magnetic strip, which can be pushed open from the inside.
Council gave first reading to the ordinance earlier this month, but Harris had concerns that small children could get trapped.
"I just have reservations about it," he had said. "Little kids could get in this, and they wouldn't know where to push, and it's not that hard to just remove the door."
After discussing the issue further with Foxhoven, Harris recommended council table the ordinance and "let it die." Council agreed.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Flotilla of Grand Lake spoke with council members, explaining the guard is a civilian force of the Coast Guard and provides education and boat safety to boat users in the area.
Former commander Larry Baker said they are not law enforcement and have no arresting powers. Members teach boat safety, provide vessel examinations and provide safety patrols.
Baker said they have 21 members with five more in training, but they need more. Although most members are retired military (52 percent), military experience is not required. A member must be at least 17 years old, a U.S. citizen and pass a personal security investigation.
Anyone interested in joining can attend the open house at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the St. Marys Township fire house. For membership or other information, call 419-210-5302.
In other action, council passed under suspension of rules an emergency resolution authorizing a nuisance abatement assessment.
City workers cleaned an abandoned property in violation of the nuisance ordinance. Total cost incurred was $175. The cost will be assessed against the property owner.
"This is basically a property that was abandoned and had a lot of trash outside," Foxhoven said. "We cleaned it up, and we're just trying to recover our costs."
Council scheduled an electric committee meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the municipal building. The next regular meeting is 7 p.m. April 8 at the municipal building.
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Father, daughter found dead in their home Nov. 30, 2011
FORT RECOVERY - Arrests have been made in the murder case of Robert and Colleen Grube, Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey reported this morning.
The s
CELINA - Celina Municipal Court will assess a new $7 fee on each case beginning April 1 to help pay for future projects, including possible courtroom renovations.
Coldwater
COLDWATER - Village council on Monday night approved a pay raise for police sergeant Kyle Dues, who recently was promoted from patrolman.
His hourly rate jumped from $15.25 to $17.25.
Mercer County's unemployment rate dropped 0.5 percent from January to February, maintaining its position as the lowest county in unemployment.
Merc
A 21-year-old Fort Recovery man was injured Monday night when he lost control of his snowmobile while traveling along Menchhofer Road, east of Erastus-Durbin Road.
CELINA - Nicole Driggs can't help but grin from ear to ear when talking about the potential of her Celina softball team.
Eight returning starters -
CELINA - Defiance and Wapakoneta appear to be heavy favorites to compete for the Western Buckeye League baseball title this season, but Celina may be a sleeper pick with a roster loaded with experience.
CELINA - The philosophy for the Celina softball team this season is to dream big.
Not only does Celina have its sights set on winning the Western Buckeye League championship for a second straight year, but the Bulldogs also have lofty expectations for when the postseason arrives.
COLDWATER - With a strong group of experienced juniors to complement two seniors, the Coldwater baseball team is hoping to eclipse the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in the last eight years.
COLDWATER - The best word to describe the Coldwater softball team this season is young as only one senior dots the roster, which features nine juniors and four sophomores.
FORT RECOVERY - Jerry Kaup is hoping that his Fort Recovery baseball team can continue the upward swing that he saw from his Indians a year ago.
A
FORT RECOVERY - Marie Osterholt is hopeful that a mix of experienced returning players and a large group of freshmen will be enough to help erase the memories of a tough 2012 season.
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local baseball coach Bryan Gray will have to fill a number of holes on his baseball team this season.
Graduation hit the team
MARIA STEIN - With a wealth of experience returning from last season's 9-16 squad, Russ Puthoff is expecting improvement out of his Flyers for this season.
MINSTER - As Mike Wiss prepares for the opening pitch of the 2013 high school baseball campaign, the veteran head coach has the opportunity to accomplish a feat no other baseball coach in the Midwest Athletic Conference has ever achieved - back-to-back-to-back state championships.
MINSTER - If there was any silver lining in last season's regional final loss to Covington for the fifth-ranked Minster Wildcats, it was that nearly
NEW BREMEN - A new person will be guiding the New Bremen baseball team for the first time in six years, but it will be a familiar face. Former junior varsity head coach Josh Bowersock was promoted to the varsity squad.
NEW BREMEN - Craig Griesdorn has liked what he has seen from the New Bremen softball team in the preseason and is cautiously optimistic about the prospects of his squad.
ROCKFORD - Parkway baseball coach Mike Schumm is hoping that a large senior class will be able to lessen the effect of losing eight seniors from last year's team that finished with an 11-11 record.
ROCKFORD - Parkway's softball team is in the midst of a historic run in the Midwest Athletic Conference as the Panthers last year became the first team in MAC history to win four consecutive championships.
ST. HENRY - Expectations for St. Henry's baseball program are always high and this year will be no different as Redskins head coach John Dorner welcomes back five starters and two additional letter winners from a team that finished last season with a 15-11 record.
ST. HENRY - Inexperience is an early concern for St. Henry softball coach Melissa Starkey.
After reaching the district finals and completing last season with a record of 17-7, the Redskins have only a couple key returning starters.
ST. MARYS - A senior-laden roster spearheaded the St. Marys baseball team to a 19-7 overall record and a second-place finish in the Western Buckeye League in 2012.
ST. MARYS - Sue Grothause is hoping that her St. Marys softball team can get off to a quick start this spring to give her Roughriders confidence after a disappointing campaign a year ago.
CELINA - Winning the Western Buckeye League is always the goal for Celina's track teams and head coach Dan Otten is hoping that his Bulldogs have enough depth to make that happen.
COLDWATER - Coldwater track coach Karla Kohler will have an experienced group to work with in her first year leading the program.
Kohler, a 1999 St. Henry graduate, inherits a team blessed with top-flight distance runners and depth in most events.
FORT RECOVERY - Athletes will be at a premium this spring for the Fort Recovery track team as new coach Eric Hemmelgarn has just nine girls and four boys on the roster.
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local track coach Matt Schmackers welcomes back several state qualifiers for his girls team while the boys squad will need some of the younger athletes to step up in order for the Flyers to have a successful spring.
MINSTER - As Larry Topp prepares for his 25th season as Minster's boys track coach, the Wildcats are focused on trying to win their fourth straight Midwest Athletic Conference championship, a feat that has been done only once when the Orange and Black did so from 1996-1999.
NEW BREMEN - Mark Sharp has been with New Bremen's boys track program for 16 years as an assistant, but he will enter this season as the Cardinals' head coach.
ROCKFORD - Improved numbers and a solid core of veterans have Parkway track coaches Steve Fisher and Dan Cairns optimistic as the season approaches.
BOYS
The distance events will be the strength for the Panthers.
ST. HENRY - Nathan Helmstetter is ready to take over the St. Henry track program after the retirement of longtime coach Mike Eyink.
Helmstetter is no stranger to Midwest Athletic Conference track after having served as an assistant coach to Minster's girls team the past four seasons.
ST. MARYS - Kathy Sites is hoping that the hard work displayed by her St. Marys track teams during the offseason will erase the memories from a tough 2012 campaign.
CELINA - Shawnee has claimed the last five Western Buckeye League titles in boys tennis, but Celina is hoping to end the Indians' reign this year.
ST. MARYS - The St. Marys boys tennis team and head coach Brice Brenneman have had limited time on the tennis courts so far this spring because of the cold and soggy weather, but that doesn't cool the enthusiasm they have toward the upcoming campaign.