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, A u g u s t
Becky Elliott, owner of The Vintage Home in Milford
Vol. 29 No. 30 © 2009 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Shop Clermont County campaign
To help Clermont County stay fiscally sound, officials are kicking off a campaign that asks residents to “Shop Clermont County.” “When citizens eat at local restaurants and shop at retail businesses across Clermont County, it directly benefits the community they call home,” said Clermont Commission President Ed Humphrey. “A portion of the money you spend for these services is returned to the county to fund local government services, including the sheriff’s office, Clermont jail, Clermont Communications Center and court system.” FULL STORY, B1
Showdown finals at Taste
This year’s Taste of Clermont will feature some of the best new country bands in the state of Ohio. The 28th Annual Colgate Country Showdown, America’s largest country music talent search, will be holding the state finals at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. The winner of these finals gets to compete in Nashville for $100,000 and the title of “Best New Act in Country Music.” Former local, state and regional winners include Martina McBride, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Billy Ray Cyrus and more. FULL STORY, A5
5, 2009
B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
Union Township lays off five By Kellie Geist
kgeist@communitypress.com
The Union Township trustees approved the first five layoffs as part of their effort to save about $1 million in personnel costs. The township fire and police departments are looking at a $4million deficit for next year. To balance the budget, the trustees have decided to cut $1 million in personnel costs and ask voters to consider a 2.95-mill safety services levy, which would generate about $3 million. Those measures would balance the budget through 2014, said township Administrator David Duckworth. The layoffs approved July 28 include the elimination of a fire department administrative assistant; a township administrative receptionist; and, in the police department, a communications specialist, a part-time records clerk and a part-time evidence technician. “I don’t want to see anyone go ... But unfortunately there’s not a lot of ways around it,” said Trustee Matt Beamer. The trustees also voted to accept the resignation of one firefighter/paramedic and the retirement of fire Captains Keith Walters and Mark Wilhelm as well as police Lt. Rick DePuccio. “There’s a certain dollar figure that the (fire) department needed to get to and not replacing those positions bring us closer to that
KELLIE GEIST/STAFF
A group of firefighter/paramedics and police officers attended the Union Township trustees meeting July 28 to hear the trustees’ decision about layoffs and the 2.95-mill safety services levy. number. That’s just that many firefighters that won’t be laid off,” Fire Chief Stan Deimling said. Deimling said Walters and Wilhelm had 60 years of firefighter experience between them. At a work session July 15, Deimling was told he would have to cut about $400,000 in personnel costs. Police Chief Terry Zinser had to cut about $200,000. Deimling is hoping the firefighters union agrees to concessions to help save jobs for firefighter/paramedics. “We’re still not to the ($400,000) and our hope is that we can come up with concessions to avoid laying of any of the fire-
fighters,” Deimling said. “But the ball is really in (the union’s) court now.” The police department contracts already are in place. While this first round of personnel actions did not eliminate any sworn officers or firefighter/ paramedics, some changes will have to be made within the departments to operate with fewer people. “I think in the past, the Union Township Police Department has done quite a bit with the little resources we’ve had,” Zinser said. “We’re just going to have to readjust and move on. It’s my hope that the quality of service is not
affected at this time.” In the fire department, responsibilities will have to be rearranged to handle the administrative duties. “(The administrative assistant) did a wonderful job and handled a lot of the daily, weekly and monthly reports for the state,” Deimling said. “Those duties will have to be picked up by other people, people who already have a full plate.” If the 2.95-mill levy doesn’t pass in November, the township will have to cut at least another 30 positions to balance the budget, Duckworth said.
Yellow Ribbon receives $25K for museum By Kellie Geist kgeist@communitypress.com
Clean carpets
Where in the world of Amelia is this? Bet we got you this week. Send your best guess to clermont@communitypress.com along with your name and community. Or call 248-7130, ext. 341. If you’re correct, we’ll publish your name and community in next week’s newspaper along with the correct answer. To see who correctly identified last week’s clue, see page B5.
KELLIE GEIST/STAFF
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June Izzi Bailey, event coordinator for the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, and Keith Maupin express their gratitude for the $25,000 donation the center received for the Fallen Heroes Museum to the media.
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The Yellow Ribbon Support Center received a donation that will go a long way toward helping them open the Fallen Heroes Museum. The Charles E Kaufman and Virginia Kaufman Fund (of The Pittsburgh Foundation) donated $25,000 to the center in memory of Richard Hermann. Hermann was a Cincinnati resident who served in the Air Force during World War II and was killed in a plane crash in the European theatre. June Izzi Bailey, event coordinator for the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, met an attorney on Facebook who’s client wanted to donate to the Fallen Heroes Museum. The donation was made Wednesday, July 29. “It’s wonderful that they decided to give us this donation,” Bailey said. Bailey said the money will go toward securing a location for the museum and subsequent operations. Volunteers will staff the museum. The museum also will be receiving a number of items from Hermann’s days in the war, but Bailey wasn’t sure what those items will be. The Fallen Heroes Museum
has been in the works for about a year. It’s inception came about around the time Matt Maupin was brought home. He was captured and later killed in Iraq in 2004 when his convoy was ambushed. “We had a lot of things that were Matt’s and that people sent to us that we need a place for,” Bailey said. Keith Maupin, Matt’s father, said the Maupins weren’t alone with this. “We have a lot of parents tell us they have their son’s stuff in a corner somewhere ... We need to make sure our heroes are not forgotten,” Maupin said. One of those parents is Carol Prazynski, step-mother of fallen hero Taylor Prazynski of Fairfield. Prazynski serves on the board of directors for the museum. “We have so much in our basement. Things people have sent us or made for us – blankets, collages, pictures – it’s all very kind, but we can’t have a shrine in our house. It will be nice to have a place to put that,” Prazynski said. While the museum will be targeted to remember those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, belongings of soldiers from all wars will be accepted and featured.
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