Rumble from the Rails

Is City Council taking care of Fostoria's health?

Everyone is feeling the economic pinch. Everything costs more and people are making less. So it’s not news that Fostoria is facing some economic trouble.

Two factories have closed in the last year and the job base here is shrinking. Not only is this bad news for Fostorians, it’s bad news for the city. Fewer jobs mean less money from payroll taxes, which means less money to keep the city running. Despite a city income tax that’s twice the rate of Findlay at only a third the population size, there’s at least a $1 million deficit ahead.

City officials have been crunching numbers and putting together proposals to keep the city in the black. There’s at least an unofficial hiring freeze and Safety Service Director Dennis Fligor says layoffs are coming.

The mayor’s office has been working to come in under budget and looking for ways to avoid losing personnel — enforcing strict water bill payments, not buying more salt for the roads and not renewing some contracts. One of Davoli’s suggested solutions was to end full-time benefits for part-time elected officials.

City Council members and the Law Director can receive full-time health benefits, which include full medical, full dental, full vision and full pharmaceuticals, according to Davoli. Half of the eight Council members are using the insurance at a cost to the city of $50,000 annually. That amount of money could save the job of a police officer, a firefighter or a city employee.

Unfortunately, Davoli decided instead to argue his case in the court of public opinion, revealing his idea in a Jan. 14 story in the Review Times. When contacted for comment, City Council members were surprised. They went on the defensive.

And by the Jan. 26 Finance Committee meeting, nearly everyone was on the offensive. Heated words flew, Council President Joe Droll calling Davoli “egotistical” and “vindictive” and questioning the mayor’s motives, then Davoli denying and countering with allegations of Sunshine Laws violations by the Council.

With a week to cool off, the Finance Committee fired back with a “feel good” ordinance that allows elected officials to donate money back to Fostoria in refunds and contributions.

The only change this ordinance makes is to give that money to the year-old trust fund. The reason for this? “Politics,” according to Councilman Paul Feasel in the Feb. 3 story on the matter. And Council promptly approved this time-wasting measure.

Councilwoman Barb Marley, who did vote against the donation measure, spearheaded the defeat of Davoli’s ordinance, claiming the Council should still have the opportunity to purchase the health insurance, but pay the premium themselves.

Davoli took Marley’s suggestion to heart and plans to have an ordinance ready for the next council meeting. But Marley is an attorney who is hopefully aware of the issues before Council and there is no reason such an ordinance shouldn’t have been before Council last night.

Instead, the Council voted (save lone opponent Georgie Widmer) against the removal of benefits, refusing to eliminate this unnecessary cost, even as another story in today’s paper details the impending layoffs.

What do you think? Should City Council retain the benefit? Remove them? Pay their own premiums? Comment below and tell us your opinion.

FCS sets town hall meeting

Fostoria residents will have a chance to learn more about the possibility of a new school and the details involving funding the project. A town hall meeting takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Fostoria Middle School.

"We want to give (the public) the opportunity to get their questions answered," Cynthia Lemmerman, superintendent of Fostoria Community Schools, said.

Lemmerman, Assistant Superintendent Rick Heintschel, Treasurer Pam Barber and members of the board of education will attend as well as Fanning Howey representatives Steve Wilczynski and Charlie Rhyan and Ohio School Facilities Commission representatives Eugene Chipiga and Steven Berezansky.

The OSFC will fund 62 percent of the pending school project, leaving Fostoria citizens with 38 percent of the cost as well as any locally funded initiatives.

Holly Guernsey and Beth Utz, co-chairs of the bond issue committee, will also attend.

The levy being proposed for the November election is a 3.6 mill levy to fund the local portion of a $22 million project to demolish Field, Riley and Longfellow Elementary schools, build a new Pre-K through 4 building and renovate the middle school to allow fifth-graders to move into it.

The levy will also cover the basic building cost with maintenance.

Fanning Howey representatives will review the process Fostoria schools went through regarding the project and the public can ask questions of any of the representatives present.

"They can direct their questions to anyone specifically," Lemmerman said.

The town hall meeting is needed for those who have not yet had a chance to ask a question, Lemmerman said.

"It's a continuing opportunity for our community to clarify what the need is and what the opportunity is for Fostoria," she said.

Lemmerman said Fostoria needs to stay competitive with other area districts that have been approved for projects and are getting new buildings and upgrading technology.

Another opportunity is in the works for people who were unable to attend the tours of the buildings.

Lemmerman said the buildings are being filmed while students are in class as a way to show the space needs and will air on Channel 10 by the end of October.
-Chandra

Wood County man arrested

My newest obsession: the Showtime series Weeds.

And Wood County turned into an episode of the widely-popular show last week, with different characters.

A Risingsun man was arrested Wednesday after the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio BCI&I utilized a helicopter to complete a marijuana eradication in Wood County.

Ronald P. Dean, 56, 2220 Bays Rd., was arrested and charged with cultivating marijuana, a felony of the first degree, according to a press release.

He is being housed at the Wood County Justice Center.

A search of the residence was conducted and over 800 marijuana plants were seized along with a full marijuana growing operation, 24 firearms and one crossbow, according to Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn.

Wasylyshyn said the contents were found in a house, a barn and a greenhouse behind the Risingsun location, racking up a street value of over one million dollars.

He added that more fly overs are scheduled and expect to see more arrests as they finish checking the fields.

The helicopter raid is part of an annual marijuana eradication process, done at this time of year.

“This is the time of year when the color changes in corn so it’s easier to spot the growth,” he said.

Over the past several weeks, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office has seized over 135 marijuana plants in addition to the ones seized in this case and has shut down four marijuana grow operations within the county, the press release states.

Wasylyshyn added the checks will continue until much of the county is covered, although all 618 square inches cannot be investigated.

No other subjects were reported to have been involved or at the location at the time of arrest. No other suspects were reported. The case is being continued with the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office, according to Wasylyshyn.

Deputies from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and BCI agents responded to the investigation.

Detectives in the sheriff’s office are currently investigating intent for the weapons and pending charges.

~Addie

Loop road faces roadblock

The Loop road has been put on hold because the Ohio Department of Transportation is out of money.

Dave Dysard, district manager for the ODOT Bowling Green office, spoke to City Council in a public hearing Tuesday to break the news.

Dysard said the department is over budget by approximately $60 million and that Fostoria is one of many places where road projects will be put on hold for at least two years.

The project is estimated at $11.6 million, more than twice what the city originally estimated.

Dysard said the project could be completed with some financial juggling, however.

With the remaining money of the $7 million late U.S. Representative Paul Gillmor earmarked for Fostoria transportation projects and the 5 percent pledged to the project by the railroad and by the city, along with the work that has already been funded, a gap of $3 million remains.

Dysard explained that to bring a proposal to ODOT in Columbus for any funding to finish the project, the city would have to come up with at least another $1 million on top of the $550,000 they already need to fund.

Council President Joe Droll said he is disappointed, but not surprised to hear there is no more funding available because of the state of the economy. Droll also said it would be very difficult to find more money for the project and that grants would have to be sought out.

~Chandra

Fostoria: Now salted or unsalted

It may be a slippery winter in Fostoria after the city missed a deadline for a state purchasing order for rock salt.

Interim Safety Service Director Diane Lind explained that bids to the Ohio Department of Transportation have doubled and even tripled, meaning there was  no way to tell how much the city's cost would be for the nearly 1,600 tons of salt it needs.

A deadline of April was set for cities that wanted to be put on a purchasing plan with the state. Lind said she was unaware of why that deadline had been overlooked.

~Chandra

Wait no more! Levy campaign kicks off.

Fostoria City Schools could not wait to kick off its first bond issue committee meeting Wednesday .

The committee will work on the campaign to pass the 3.1 mill property tax levy and additional 0.5 mill levy on the November ballot.

Holly Guernsey and Beth Utz are co-chairs of the committee.

Some people wanted to work in specific areas of the campaign and others were content to let the co-chairs assign them to sections of the committee.

One of the first orders of business was choosing a slogan for the campaign. Charlie Rhyan, a representative of Fanning Howey, the architectural firm hired by the district for the OSFC project, advised the group to come up with sayings that highlighted the 62 percent and 38 percent split of the project, with the state paying the larger share.

Slogans such as "62:38, who do we appreciate?" and "62:38 or bust," "62:38, Fostoria wins!" "62 percent. It's elementary" and the eventual winner, "62:38, why wait?"

Guernsey said while a slogan was decided on, it's a work in progress and will be tweaked before finalized.

Rhyan said the bond issue millage and monthly amount was the second least expensive in the more than 20 bond issues he has helped districts ask for in the 10 years he has been doing this type of work. The millage totals 31 cents for every $100 of valuation on property.

Superintendent Cynthia Lemmerman said the committee received 53 volunteer forms, but there was a need for 80 to 100 people in all. Lemmerman also said that, although the committee has only recently begun to work on the campaign, they have received 104 of the 1,000 endorsements desired for the campaign.

To help with the campaign, contact Lemmerman by calling (419) 436-4100 or visiting the Holmes Administration Office at 500 Parkway Drive. The committee's next meeting is 6:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Holmes building.

On the Web: Fostoria City Schools

~Chandra

Mayor or manager? The debate begins.

The call for a change of the form of goverment for Fostoria has left citizens with more options regarding leadership.

Currently, the mayor is elected by the people, but in a city manager form of government, the one being proposed, City Council would hire a person to do the work a mayor does typically in a mayor-council form of government.

This council-manager form of government spreads power out among council members and allows the mayor, who is also elected, to work part-time and serve a mostly ceremonial purpose as well as serving as a part of the council.

The difference between these two ways of governing are vastly different and offer pros and cons on both sides of the fence.

Electing the mayor may be the power the citizens want to reserve for themselves, but on the other side of that argument, having the power spread out between the members of the council might also be a positive aspect of the council-manager plan.

Personally, I think they both have their merits and would like to see how those in favor and those opposed to the change in government attempt to educate voters about their choices.

Voters will have to decide whether they want all the power regarding the choice of who will run the city or whether they want to vote in the people who will hire the person that takes care of the daily running of the city.

While one option allows voters to have a direct say in who makes decisions that affect their daily lives, the other offers the ability for City Council to terminate the employment of the decision maker regardless of time served. 

Is the city manager form of government is a good idea or should Fostoria stick with the form it has now? The answer to that question will be in the hands of the voters come election time.

Rains not in Davoli's parade

Mayor John Davoli announced Wednesday morning that Safety-Service Director Bill Rains (pictured at right) is no longer working for the City of Fostoria.

Davoli said he is beginning a new term as mayor and it is the appropriate time to make changes in his administration.

"While I thank Mr. Rains for his service and hard work for the citizens of the City of Fostoria, I believe it is the right time to move the City in a new direction," he said in a written statement to the Review Times.

Davoli added that Diane Lind will serve as Interim Safety-Service Director for the time being until a full-time Safety-Service Director is hired.

:She knows the city better than anyone else I know," Davoli said regarding why he chose Lind for the position.

Lind said she has served as Interim Safety-Service Director in the past, from March 29, 2005 to June 26, 2005 before Rains was hired.

Mayor Davoli said he performed verbal evaluations of Rains on a regular basis. "We had an open discourse," he added.

However, City Council President Joe Droll said annual evaluations are required under the personnel policy manual for the city. He is concerned with this action and other actions done by the mayor in the last six months.

"I will be watching closely as things transpire," Droll said.

Additional details will be available in Thursday's Review Times.

- Staff Writer
Adrienne Curlis

Students are the real work of art

I was fortunate enough to attend the Fostoria Fine Arts Festival at the high school while the students were setting up Thursday.

Many times, when it comes to teenagers, the only news is bad news, but I hope tomorrow between 2 and 5 p.m. finds many Fostoria citizens in the high school gymnasium to see what is usually missed when it comes to the local teens.

These students are talented and should be recognized.

Sculptures such as "Beauty" appeared alive and "The Tree" made me think and try to figure out what the artist was trying to say. For art to inspire any sort of deep thought for me, it has to be good.

One anonymous student found out I was a reporter and asked me if I had seen the artist's work who affected him/her more than anything else there. The artist was Aaron Clark, a junior. This young teenager had created something so thoughtful that a complete stranger was a loyal fan.

Stephanie Coleman, also a junior, had some wonderful artwork, but it wasn't the art that surprised me about her. It was her determination. I remember when the artists when I went to high school wore black and sat alone in the cafeteria drawing pictures that nobody else could see.

Coleman showed me that art has evolved. She wasn't a depressed teen who brooded over paper and paint, but a vibrant person who is looking forward to college and pursuing a career in animation.

Fostoria High School is full of students who have talents that can carry them to amazing heights. I encourage everyone to get to the high school Sunday and see for yourself what wonders Fostoria has to offer within its youth.

~Chandra

Businesses were honored for their contributions to the community Thursday at the Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce 2008 Fostoria Business Awards.

ACI Construction Co., Inc. sponsored the awards lunch at Fostoria Country Club. Sarah Stephens-Krupp, executive director of the Chamber, presented the awards, congratulating all of the businesses for their years of service to the community.

D's Phoenix Massage Therapy Center — formerly D's Body Shop — and Kaminsky & Son Jewelers both received the Commitment to Customer Service Award.

Both businesses were lost in the downtown fire earlier this year and both worked to serve their customers after the tragedy.

The Small Business of the Year Award went to Steinacker & Sons Ace Hardware.

Stephens-Krupp noted Steinacker Hardware for its participation in numerous community projects since it opened in 1992. She commended Dan Steinacker for being instrumental in helping a local business find a new location after the downtown fire.

Whitta Construction received the Family Owned Business of the Year Award.

She noted Jim, Tom and Dave Whitta's activities in the Fostoria Economic Development Corporation, its executive board and Revolving Loan Fund committee, Rotary and St. Wendelin Catholic Church among numerous others.

Norton Manufacturing received the Large Business of the Year Award.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Richard Norton.

Stephens-Krupp highlighted Norton's roots in the community — he graduated from Fostoria High School before going onto to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration at Ohio State — as well as his service activities.

Fostoria Community Hospital received the Outstanding Community Service Award.

Stephens-Krupp noted the hospital's 77 year history of commitment to the community through such programs as the Diabetic Education Initiative, Family Health Connection and the Fostoria Area Health Ministry.

~Original story by Stephany