BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTB1
CLERMONT
Your Community Press newspaper serving Amelia, Batavia, Batavia Township, New Richmond. Ohio Township, Pierce Township, Union Township, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Township E-mail:clermont@communitypress.com Web site: communitypress.com We d n e s d a y, J u l y 2 2 , 2 0 0 9
Steven Watters of the River City Barber in New Richmond.
Vol. 29 No. 28 © 2009 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
$1,500 cash giveaway
Through July 24, you can win daily cash prizes and get entered for a $500 jackpot from CincyMomsLikeMe.com. Go to MomsLikeMe.com/cincy contests for all the info.
Explore local ‘ocean’
Whether you’re looking for an outdoorsy stay-cation or just a day trip for the kids, the Cincinnati Nature Center has you covered. The nature center, on Tealtown Road, Union Township, is hosting it’s first of four seasonal exhibits called Discover Our Hidden Ocean. “We wanted to tell our members and the community about what we have here as a natural resource. We have people coming from all over the world to see our fossils from the Ordovician era,” said FULL STORY, B1
Kings Island bound
Readers who won tickets to Kings Island as part of our Readers Choice survey are: • Michael Brunner of Cincinnati • Tara Reese of Hamersville • Darla Hartmann of Cleves • Mark Class of Alexandria, Ky. Watch the newspaper for more Readers Choice announcements in coming weeks.
Mural
Got a clue where this is in New Richmond? We didn’t think so. Time to go hunting in the neighborhood to see if you can find it. Send your best guess to clermont@ communitypress.com along with your name and the community you live in. Or call 248-7130, ext. 341. If you’re correct, we’ll publish your name and community in next week’s newspaper with the correct answer. To see who correctly identified last week’s clue, see page B5.
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Missman’s service celebrated By Kellie Geist and John Seney Clermont@communitypress.com
Flags and yellow ribbons lined the thoroughfare as hundreds of people came to the Union Township Civic Center to pay their final respects to Army Spec. Greg Missman. Missman, of Pierce Township, died July 8 of wounds sustained while fighting in Afghanistan. Private and public visitations were held Thursday, July 16, at the civic center. While the family mourned Missman’s death, they also used the visitation as a way to celebrate his life and sacrifice. “We’re here to celebrate daddy’s life because daddy was a strong soldier who loved us and we loved him,” Missman’s 4-yearold son, Jack, said with some prompting by his mother Brooke Missman Elkin. Missman’s brother Michael said while Missman was a great soldier, he also was a wonderful brother and friend. “I can’t think of a better person. He’s always been there for me as a great role model ... He always knew how to put a smile on my face,” Michael said. Missman, 36, graduated from Amelia High School in 1992 and served a three-year stint in the Army in the 1990s. After 11 years of civilian life, Missman re-enlisted Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and was sent to Afghanistan earlier this summer. Missman was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colo. He is the first Clermont County serviceman to die in Afghanistan. Missman and his father Jim were both members of the American Legion Post 72 in Mt. Carmel. Missman is the third member of that post to be killed in action Missman’s body arrived in Dover Air Force Base, Del., July 9. After the visitation, Missman’s funeral was July 17.
JOHN SENEY/STAFF
A hearse carries the body of Spec. Greg Missman into Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Withamsville for burial services. For more photos, see page A4. “It’s a terrible sacrifice – it’s so painful and such a loss,” said Missman’s mother Donna Missman Turner. “We’re all real proud of Greg ... He will always be my hero.” Funeral services were at Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church in Withamsville, followed by burial at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. A military honor guard marched in front of the hearse carrying Missman from the church to the cemetery. Members of veterans groups and others paying their respects lined the way holding American flags. Katrina Howe of Withamsville and her two daughters held flags as the hearse passed through the cemetery. She said she didn’t know Missman, but his aunt lived in her neighborhood. She came because “he’s a solder.” Johnny Robinson of Chillicothe, Ohio, traveled 100 miles to attend the funeral, “to do what’s right.”
JOHN SENEY/STAFF
Paying their respects to Spec. Greg Missman at Mt. Moriah Cemetery were Katrina Howe of Withamsville and her daughters, Lydia, 5, left, and Grace, 8.
Union Twp. to ask for 2.95-mill levy By Kellie Geist kgeist@communitypress.com
Union Township residents will be asked to support the fire and police department with their votes this November. The trustees voted July 15 to put a 2.95-mill continuous safety services levy on the fall ballot. This levy would generate about $3 million per year for the departments to share and would cost the a homeowner about $90 per $100,000 of home value. These numbers have not been certified by the Clermont County Auditor’s Office. But even with a levy, the township will have to layoff six to seven employees. The police department will have to cut $200,000 in personnel costs,
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which translates into about two road officers. The fire department will have to cut about $400,000 in personnel costs, or four to five firefighters depending on salaries. The township also will not bring back the four employees currently laid off, said David Duckworth, township administrator. “I don’t want to see anyone go ... But unfortunately there’s not a lot of ways around it,” Trustee Matt Beamer said. “We’ve bridged the gap as far as we can. There’s only so much we can cut.” The layoffs will be voted on at the trustees’ meeting July 28 and effective Aug. 15, Duckworth said. Duckworth attributed the monetary difference between the proposed 2.95-mill levy and the 5.9-mill levy that failed in Febru-
ary to cost saving and revenue generating measures the trustees have enacted since May as well as personnel cuts. If the levy passes, the township would be in the black until 2014, at which point the trustees are planning to come back to the voters for additional funding. If the levy fails, the township will have to layoff 36 employees total to balance the budget. It would take a 3.65-mill levy to avoid layoffs entirely, but the trustees didn’t feel they could ask the residents for more than 2.95 mills. “I think it would be extremely challenging to ask for more (than 2.95 mills) considering where we were in February,” Beamer said. “The residents sent a pretty clear message.”
Trustee Tim Donnellon agreed the township should balance a lower millage with layoffs. “I don’t think a 3.65-mill levy would pass. That would guarantee that we lay off 36 people ... But I don’t think residents want to see a big cut in service either,” Donnellon said. The trustees are encouraging the collective bargaining units to consider salary freezes, health care contributions and other cost saving options in their upcoming contract negotiations. Duckworth said some of these possibilities could lower the amount of layoffs. “The staff has an opportunity to make some contributions and I encourage them to take a strong look at that ... We are all in this together,” Duckworth said.
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