Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Council learns plans of upcoming school levy

Fort Recovery BOE asking voters for a 2.7-mill levy to fund a $3.4 million renovation project

By William Kincaid
FORT RECOVERY - School board members explained the upcoming school levy to village council members Monday.
Jack Staugler and Dan Kahlig detailed the November levy during council's regular meeting. They then went to the Veterans of Foreign Wars to talk to its members.
The board is asking voters for a 2.7-mill levy to fund a $3.4 million renovation project at the high school. A property owner with a home assessed at $100,000 would pay $82.69 a year.
The November levy is the board's second attempt at getting money for the high school. Voters last year overwhelmingly rejected building a $10.8 million high school onto the existing elementary/middle school. That project would have been funded with $5.3 million in local tax dollars and $5.5 million from the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
"That was not what our voters wanted," Staugler told village council members. "We came up with a plan that the board feels good about."
"Let's keep a good thing going," Kahlig added, pointing out the latest proposal was formed by the public and local contractors.
Staugler said the first levy may have been defeated because voters didn't want to tear down the high school and didn't like the idea of mixing younger children with older children.
"We really believe this option takes away a lot of those (concerns)," he said.
The $3.4 million would be used for a new energy efficient heating and air conditioning system, roof replacement, a new electrical system, new plumbing and fixtures, a fire alarm upgrade required by code and other improvements at the existing high school.
Kahlig said the 1935 section containing the old gym would be demolished after the project is finished. That area may become a band practice field.
Kahlig said the Fort Recovery Athletic Boosters are committed to help build a new, stand-alone athletic complex that will have a weight room, batting cages and running lanes. Staugler estimated the facility - to be located on school property bound by William and Butler streets - to cost $400,000.
"The important thing is .... doing nothing isn't an option," Staugler said about the high school.
Staugler pointed out that all decisions will be made locally and not at the state level because the district wouldn't use any OSFC money.
Staugler said the project would take two full summers and a full school year. It's going to be noisy, but the district won't need modulars to house kids during construction, he said. Students would be housed in the 1935 section until the renovation is complete.
Neither Staugler nor Kahlig knew exactly when the project would commence.
Council members were asked if they had heard positive or negative comments about the levy, to which there were no comments.
For more information about the school levy, visit frlevy.com.
Additional online story on this date
CELINA - The parents of St. Marys' boys soccer players aren't too unhappy to be washing the mud from their sons' uniforms following Monday's matchup against rival Celina. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
State would fund 45 percent of project; plan needed by May
CELINA - School board members agreed to begin the process of a possible school construction project.
Superintendent Matt Miller told board members
ST. HENRY - The mother of two high school football players spoke out Monday night against the team's head coach who allegedly punished injured athlet
Mercer County unemployment rate in August dropped 0.7 percent to 5.8 percent and is the lowest in the state, according to figures released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Four Celina residents were arrested Monday morning for drug trafficking.
Those taken into custody ranged in age from 21 to 39. The arrests were the result of an investigation by the Grand Lake Drug Task Force, an organization consisting of officers from Mercer and Auglaize counties.
Residents may trap rodents all year
ST. MARYS - In an effort to reduce the squirrel population, St. Marys officials will allow residents to live-trap the animal.
Safety service direct
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Parkway got a busy week underway on Monday by beating Lincolnview in three games - 25-17, 25-12 and 25-12 - during
DENVER (AP) - Cory Luebke wasn't worried about throwing a no-hitter when he went to a 3-1 count on Mark Ellis in the sixth inning. One pitch later, no one else was worried about it, either.
CELINA - When VanTilburg Farms (VFT) builds something, they do it big.
The Celina-based agriculture services provider has made a cover crop seeder with 90-foot wide booms and a 6-foot high crop clearance to plant cover crops into standing corn and soybeans.
Montezuma
MONTEZUMA - A free cover crop walk is planned at the Mercer County Wildlife area on Sept. 26, 6-8 p.m.
At the site a mile west of Montezuma, participants will be able to view 1 1/2 acres of trial plots of oilseed radish, crimson clover, cereal rye grass and sunn hemp.