COMMUNITY JOURNAL CLERMONT 75¢
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012
K1
Your Community Press newspaper serving Amelia, Batavia, Batavia Township, New Richmond, Ohio Township, Pierce Township, Union Township, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Township
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
BOAT LAUNCHED
Sheriff puts new boat into water near New Richmond
West Clermont considers levy Money would offset many cuts made in last several years By Roxanna Blevins rblevins@communitypress.com
WEST CLERMONT — The board of education July 9 asked Treasurer Alana Cropper to certify information for a possible levy with the county auditor. Board members discussed a rate of 7.9 mills. Board president Doug Young said the members hope to have a exact rate from the auditor before the next board meeting July 16. The issue being considered
is an emergency levy for operations, said Superintendent Dr. Gary Brooks. The levy would be in place for five or 10 years. The levy would go towards operating costs and bringing back services cut from the district’s budget in recent years. “The issue that we have in the uncertainty in state funding,” Young said. The top two services he said he would like to bring back are elementary busing and classes, such as art, music and gym. “We’re trying to be conservative about what we tell people we can bring back,” Young said. The services would be brought back in the 2013-2014 school year at the earliest, he said.
Batavia schools explore levy, bond options Issues would cover operating and construction costs By Roxanna Blevins rblevins@communitypress.com
Clermont County Sheriff A.J. "Tim" Rodenberg, left, launches Task Force One, a new river patrol boat July 12 on the Ohio River. The launch happened with the help of Loveland Symmes Fire Chief Otto Huber, center, and Loveland-Symmes firefighter Chris Baldwin. The boat was purchased with grant funds at no cost to the county. Rodenberg said deputies will be trained to use the boat. ROXANNA BLEVINS/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Eastern Corridor meeting planned for Clermont County Planners seek input about passenger rail system proposal By Forrest Sellers fsellers@communitypress.com
CLERMONT COUNTY — Residents will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed passenger rail
system at several upcoming meetings. The meetings will focus on the Oasis Rail Transit project, which is part of the Eastern Corridor Project. The meetings, which will be in an open-house format, will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, at Milford High School, 1 Eagles Way; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug.1, at the Leblond
Recreation Center, 2335 Riverside Drive; and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, at Nagel Middle School, 1500 Nagel Road. Information stations will be set up at each location and representatives for the Eastern Corridor Project and from the Ohio Department of Transportation will be available to answer questions.
CARDBOARD BOAT REGATTA
RECRUITS TO BE SWORN IN
The boats are made of cardboard, duct tape and lots of paint. Full story, B1
A Salute to our Military and their Families is Sunday at the Clermont County fair. Full story, A2
See MEETING, Page A2
BATAVIA The Batavia Local School District Board of Education carried motions for levy options to enter the exploratory phase July 9 at a special meeting. The proposed levies must be reviewed by the county auditor before the board can vote whether or not to include them on November’s ballot. The board discussed the potential for a bond levy and an operating levy. The bond levy would go toward building a new elementary school. The new school would be built on the high school campus and would be used for pre-kindergarten through 5th-grade education. The operating levy would help cover the district’s regular operating costs, such as teacher and administrator salaries, supplies and materials and utility costs. The board could choose to include the either the bond or op-
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erating levy, both levies or neither on the ballot. Treasurer Michael Ashmore said the district needs both. “Over two years we have cut about $2 million, but we are just maintaining,” Ashmore said. Ashmore said the district grew 40 percent between the 1995-96 and 2010-11 school years. In spite of the growth, the district’s expenditures per pupil are lower than other area school districts. “We will continue to do the best job we can, but people have to realize there will be potential consequences,” said President Michael Enriquez. The Ohio School Facilities Commission deemed the district an Exceptional Needs district. This designation means the district will be short-listed for funds from the state to assist with the cost of construction for the new elementary school. The state would pay 49 percent, or $12,146,668, of the project’s $24,789,118 budget. The remaining 51 percent, or $12,642,450, would be funded locally. The estimated millage rates See BATAVIA, Page A2
Vol. 32 No. 16 © 2012 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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