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NORTH CLERMONT
Your Community Press newspaper serving Goshen Township, Jackson Township, Newtonsville, Owensville, Stonelick Township, Wayne Township E-mail:clermont@communitypress.com We d n e s d a y, J u l y 2 1 , 2 0 1 0
Vernon Barnes
College students help at Camp Allyn
A group of college students from across the country is helping build accessible structures for people with disabilities at Camp Allyn in Batavia Township. The students from Pi Kappa Phi fraternity were building an area at a pond to allow people in wheelchairs safe access along the edge of the pond and fish. The project involved laying down railroad ties and gravel to make the area flat. FULL STORY, B1
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Trustees seek 3-mill fire levy
By Mary Dannemiller Vol. 30 No. 28 © 2010 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Web site: communitypress.com B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
mdannemiller@communitypress.com
Goshen Township voters will be heading to the polls in November to vote on a 3-mill replacement levy for the fire department. Trustees Ray Autenrieb and Jack Kuntz voted for a motion allowing Fiscal Officer Lisa Allen to begin preliminary paperwork to file with the Clermont County Auditor. Trustee Bob Hausermann voted against the levy, saying more cuts needed to be made within the fire department before bringing a levy to the public. “Because of the economic times we’re in, there are some hesitant folks out there,” he said. “I know this levy is desperately needed, but how do you go to the public and sell this when there’s a perception that we’ve done nothing but spend since we’ve been here?”
Kuntz disagreed, saying recent fire department raises were dictated by union negotiations and the trustees have been spending conservatively. “I don’t think we’ve spent haphazardly,” he said. “Every decision I’ve made up here, and you have made, has been valid. We have to spend to protect the people in this community and for us to go and say we’re going to make cuts before we ask the community to belly up to the bar and pay for the services they’re in dire need of would be flagrant.” The current levy brings in about $282,000 per year. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 pays $30.04 a year; $150,000, $45.08; and $200,000, $60.08, according to Chuck Tilbury, chief deputy with the Clermont County Auditor’s Office.
The new levy would bring in $793,000 per year and cost owners of homes valued at $100,000 an additional $61.83 a year for a new total of $91.87 annually. For a home valued at $150,000, the cost would increase by $92.75 a year for a total of $137.81; and $200,000, an increase of $123.67 for a total of $183.75 per year, Tilbury said. Hausermann also was critical of Fire Chief Steve Pegram’s salary, saying residents were angry Pegram makes more than other department heads. “We need to go to the top and makes cuts,” he said. “We have a fire chief at $70,000 a year plus benefits and some people have a bad taste in their mouth because of it. Things are tough out there and honestly before we go to the public and ask for more money, we have to be fiscally conservative. We have a
fire chief who is a luxury item. He’s a wonderful man and he does a great job, but he comes with a very high price.” Autenrieb said there will be further discussion about the fire chief’s salary, but the trustees should not make any hasty decisions. “There’s a lot of discussion that needs to be had over that situation,” he said. “Something will need to be done, no question about it, however I don’t want to take a step backwards and put us back into a situation where we’re going to be sorry for what we’ve done. There may be other options rather than doing away with any position.” The trustees will meet again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at the Goshen Township Government Center, 6757 Goshen Road, to discuss the levy further.
Goshen schools consider finances
The future of school financing was the topic of discussion at the Goshen board of education meeting July 12. Board members expressed concerns about the ability of the district to maintain a balanced budget in the face of changes in state funding, the loss of federal stimulus money and the loss of personal property taxes from Duke Energy. FULL STORY, A3
AMY JENT/CONTRIBUTOR
Skillathon week
County fair good for local groups
Whether you’re looking for a cold treat, a quick snack or a full blown dinner, there’s a lot to chose from at the Clermont County Fair. But before you toss a few bucks on a frozen lemonade, you may find it interesting to find out who the booth is supporting. FULL STORY, A3
Goshen plans police academy
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a Goshen Township police officer, the department is offering a chance to find out. The Goshen Township Police Department is accepting applications for its first Citizen Police Academy, where residents will learn about everything from patrol operations to use of force. FULL STORY, A2
To place an ad, call 242-4000.
AMY JENT/CONTRIBUTOR
Lauriann Esz of the Town and Country 4-H Club in Owensville works on one of the Rabbit Skillathon stations Sunday, July 18.
Hannah Lewis of Bethel completes one station of the Rabbit Skillathon Sunday, July 18, at the Clermont County fairgrounds. Lewis is a member of the Carrot Crunchers 4-H Club. She is helped by Krista Morris of Stonelick Township. The skillathon is held every year the week before the fair to test exhibitors’ knowledge of their livestock projects. Winners will be announced Thursday, July 29, during the 2010 Clermont County Fair.
Goshen firehouse to be painted By Mary Dannemiller
mdannemiller@communitypress.com
The Goshen Township fire station will receive a fresh coat of paint this month. The trustees approved a $16,000 bid Tuesday, June 22, for Travis Beckler Painting to paint the exterior and some of the interior of the 30-year-old building. Fire Chief Steve Pegram said he was happy the bids came in under the $18,000 budgeted for the project. “Several years ago the estimates they got for the same work were well over $20,000, but the estimates I got were in the $17,000 to $18,000 range,” he said. “The company we selected is going to do a great job for us and we’re really excited to get it done.”
The building’s exterior will be cleaned, primed and painted first and then followed by the ambulance bay and fire bay, Pegram said. “When they move inside to the EMS bay where the ambulances are kept, we’ll move some vehicles outside and move others to the fire bay,” he said. “When the project moves to the fire bay, the fire trucks will be parked outside during the day and in the evening we’ll move them back inside.” Pegram said the architect who designed the township hall volunteered to help select paint colors for the fire station so it would match the newer building. “It will be an off-white and a darker tan color that’s supposed to blend a little so the township building and the fire station look like they’re related to each other,”
he said. “The darker color also may not show as much wear and tear.” The interior walls of the fire and ambulance bays also will be cleaned before they’re painted, Pegram said. A vehicle exhaust system will then be installed, which will help keep the new paint fresh. “The walls are pretty dirty because of the years of soot built up on them,” he said. “We got this exhaust system with a federal grant and it will help clean the place up. They’ll also seal up the brick where we’ve had some water problems so this isn’t just beautification, it’s keeping the building healthier and cleaner for our employees.” Goshen Trustee Bob Hausermann said it is important to maintain the fire station and make it a
point of pride among both emergency personnel and township residents. “We’ve got to keep our buildings in tip-top shape,” he said. “That’s the property of the people of Goshen Township and they expect nothing less than us to keep up with maintenance.” The fire chief said though the fresh coat of paint is a step in the right direction, there are still plenty of improvements to be made. “This is a 30-year-old building that hasn’t changed much in those 30 years,” he said. “After some time it needs paint repairs, new plumbing, new windows and so on. We are by no means done with projects.” Painting is expected to begin the third week of this month and should take about two weeks to complete, Pegram said.