Tuesday, January 10th, 2017

Local firm gains Tri Star contract

Fanning Howey to design new building

By Ed Gebert
CELINA - A local architectural firm has been hired to design the new Tri Star Career Compact facility.
Fanning Howey Associates of Celina was named Monday. The project will consolidate all of the school's programs into one building, which will be built along state Route 703, across from Wright State University-Lake Campus.
Tri Star Director Tim Buschur said he was pleased with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission's decision.
"I think we're fortunate," he said. "We had three really good ones that were the finalists. I think they all made good presentations."
Fanning Howey, Garmann Miller & Associates of Minster and McGill Smith Punshon Inc. of Cincinnati gave presentations on Thursday to representatives of the OFCC, Tri Star and member school districts. The amount of the architectural firm's contract with the OFCC is still to be negotiated.
The new facility has been planned as a 95,567-square-foot, two-story building costing about $25 million. Funding will come from state funds and revenue collected from the recently approved 15-year, 0.95-mill bond levy. The state will cover $8 million with income from the levy funding the remaining $17 million.
A public sale of bonds sold out quickly, Buschur said.
"The bonds sold out within an hour to three hours from what I was told," he added.
Next up for the project is the hiring of a construction manager at risk, which should be completed in February.
Tri Star and Fanning Howey staff will start planning work within the next two weeks, Buschur said.
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Coldwater
COLDWATER - Work on the village's sewer overflow elimination project has begun.
Shinn Brothers Inc. of Celina, was hired for the $1.6 million project, village administrator/engineer Eric Thomas told council members at Monday's meeting. [More]
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CELINA - Residents soon could be able to pay their income tax bills online with a credit or debit card or through their electronic checking or savings accounts.
NEW BREMEN - Village officials learned at Monday's council meeting that income tax revenue is increasing.
Mayor Jeff Pape announced the income tax revenue for 2016 was $4.28 million, which represents a 13.19 percent increase over the previous year.
St. Henry
ST. HENRY - Village council members at Monday's meeting officially closed the books on 2016 and started action on 2017.
"I'd like to take this time
Minster schools
MINSTER - School district officials are considering renting out the home at the recently acquired Schunck property at 102 E. Seventh St.
School board members authorized superintendent Brenda Boeke and treasurer Laura Klosterman to explore the possibility.
Celina schools
CELINA - Board of education members elected Curt Shellabarger as president and Bill Sell as vice president during Monday night's annual organization meeting.
Marion Local
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local School Board members re-elected Elaine Pierron as president and Randy Bruns as vice president for the 2017 calendar year.
St. Marys
ST. MARYS - City Council members are considering a rezoning request for about 7.7 acres off the northwest corner of Stoneybrook and Woodridge drives.
College Notes
The last time Ryan Hoyng and Carson Manger faced one another in a basketball game was on Jan. 10, 2014 in New Bremen.
On that night, Hoyng led Celina past Manger and New Bremen, 70-62.
Eleven farms in Mercer and Auglaize counties are among 118 newly registered in the Ohio Historic Family Farms program in 2016.
Through the program,