The Clermont Sun - Thursday, November 12, 2015 - Page A3
Cats in hoarding case doing well Pringles Orchard CMYK
Sun staff
The 65 cats that were seized from a disabled van in Union Township on June 23 have been brought into good health and are available for adoption. “All the cats, referred to as the Highway 65 cats, have been spayed or neutered,” said Stephanie Pierce, receptionist for Clermont to the Rescue Humane Society, the organization that took in and cared for the cats. As reported in July, the cats were discovered by police, who were called to the Shell at 653 Ohio Pike around noon on reports of a suspicious van parked in the back lot of the gas station, according to the Union Township police report. Both front windows were rolled down, the side cargo doors were open and fluid was coming from the left rear of the vehicle. The owner of the van, Dan McFadden, was not present. Police smelled cat urine and feces coming from the van and saw numerous pet cages containing more than 15 cats each. The outside temperature was in the mid80s, and there was no food or water in any of the cages. One cat appeared to have an abscess on the side of its
neck, most were matted with urine and feces, and initial reports indicated that two cats were missing eyes. McFadden arrived shortly after, in another car, and told police his van’s brake line was broken and that he was at Auto Zone getting the battery charged. He explained that he had been living in the van with the cats for at least four days. McFadden said that he had gone through some unexpected transitions in his living situation, and he planned to move to a new trailer once he got his van working. He said he had a couple of cats that gave birth to kittens, and the problem snowballed out of control. He explained to police that he loved the cats and never meant to harm them, though he could not give any explanation for the poor health conditions of the cats, according to the report. Police did not issue a citation, and no arrest was made. In an interview on Oct. 30, Kimberly Thomas, shelter director for the humane society, explained that while all the cats were in pretty bad shape, none were missing eyes. “We successfully treated the cat with the abscess, which was probably caused
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Olivia, pictured, was born from one of the 65 cats that were seized in Union Township on June 23, 2015. All the cats have been brought into good health and are available for adoption at Clermont to the Rescue Humane Society, located at 4025 Filager Road in Batavia.
by a cat bite,” Thomas said. The kittens were bottle fed and nursed to health. “We do have a large number of kittens available for adoption as a result of the Highway 65 cats,” said Pierce. She added, “When people called asking about cat adoptions, they knew the story, but they didn’t know the cats in particular.” The humane society doesn’t differentiate the Highway 65 cats from the rest of its cat population, so an exact number of Highway 65 cats that have been
adopted is not available. In October, the humane society took in 32 cats and adopted out 19, according to Thomas. In June, when the cats were seized, they took in 110 cats. The humane society continues to request donations to help with the care of the cats, including cat food and cat litter. To adopt a cat or dog, please visit the Clermont to the Rescue Humane Society at 4025 Filager Road in Batavia. Email inquiries can be sent to adopt@clermonttotherescue.org.
Developmental Disabilities lawn care crew honored
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BY MEGAN ALLEY Sun staff
The Batavia Township Trustees honored members of the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities lawn care crew during their meeting on Nov. 4. The program, which has been in existence for more than 15 years, teams individuals with a supervisor to work each day mowing the grass at cemeteries, ball fields and other businesses in the county, according to Lisa Davis, director of community relations for the CCBDD. Crew members are paid for their work through the board’s work services program. The lawn crew has disbanded, and now individuals have the opportunity to explore other employment in the community, per Ohio Governor John Kasich’s Employment First initiative, according to Davis. “Two crew members have already obtained employment in the community; one has transitioned to another training crew to learn additional skills for community employment,” said Davis in an email.
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The Batavia Township Trustees honored members of the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities lawn care crew during their meeting on Nov. 4, 2015. From left, Trustee Bill Dowdney, Fiscal Officer Jennifer Haley, crew members Eric Plowman, Ben Blizzard and Chris Marksberry, CCBDD Work Services Coordinator Tim Vogel, CCBCC Program Services Director Jessica Petre and Trustees Randy Perry and James E. Sauls, Jr.
The Batavia Township cemeteries were the last properties to be cared for by the lawn crew before the crew disbands. “This is kind of a bittersweet moment,” said Batavia Township Administrator Rex Parsons. “We’ve enjoyed giving and receiving from the guys. They give their hearts and their souls to what they do for us, and I think that is commendable in and of itself.” Tim Vogel, work services
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BY MEGAN ALLEY
coordinator for the CCBDD, introduced the lawn crew during the presentation. “I have learned more about every and any kind of job from these guys than I probably have taught them,” Vogel said. He added, “They’ve also made me very obsessivecompulsive about how I cut my grass at home.” Vogel said he sees a silver lining to the crew disbanding.
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“While it is very, very sad and bittersweet that we’re were losing this opportunity, the guys have learned so much, and we’re hoping that as one door closes, another door opens.” He added, “In a lot of ways, that has already happened with a lot of these guys.” The trustees thanked the crew for their work. Trustee Randy Perry said, “It’s been an honor that we could have this together.”
B R O A D S H E E T O D D
County energy aggregation fails; Union Twp passes
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Sun staff
Voters in Clermont County voted down two ballot measures that would have established a governmental aggregation program for both electricity and natural gas, while Union Township voted them in. The Clermont County Electricity Aggregation measure failed with about 51.73 percent of voters voting against the program, according to unofficial results. The final vote was 22,664 to 21,151. The Clermont County Gas Aggregation measure failed with about 51.38 percent of voters voting against the program, according to unofficial results. The final vote was 22,504 to 21,294. “The voters have spoken,” said Clermont County Commissioner Ed Humphrey. If the measures had passed, residents and small businesses in unincorporated areas of the county would have purchased electricity and natural gas as a group, in an effort to save money. All eligible residents would have been automatically enrolled in the aggregation programs, which included an opt-out provision. Humphrey said he thinks there was some confusion among voters between the county’s measures and sim-
ilar programs in other municipalities throughout the county. “I would have to consult with my fellow commissioners, but I’m not sure I would put the programs on the ballot again until the law would allow us to reach those areas in the county that don’t already have an aggregation program.” Currently in Ohio, 23 counties and more than 100,000 households and businesses are participating in electrical aggregation programs, saving customers $12 million a year in utility charges, according to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. Tate Township resident Donna Shouse said she voted against the measures because she didn’t understand what they meant. “I voted no,” Shouse said. “I hate them calling me, or sending me stuff, to change companies all the time.” Patricia Dempsey, of Bethel, said she was going to vote for the measures so long as the natural gas doesn’t come from fracking. “I don’t like fracking,” Dempsey said. “I think it goes down to our water system. And, then there’s the issue of disposal. It leaves acres and acres of waste.” The Union Township Electricity Aggregation initiative passed with about 51.79 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. The final vote was
7,789 to 5,389. The Union Township Gas Aggregation initiative passed with about 51.81 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. The final vote was 7,787 to 5,383. The Union Township Trustees voted to approve a contract with Energy Alliances, Inc., and to put a natural gas and an electricity aggregation initiative on the ballot during their meeting on July 23. The programs, which were approved by voters, will let Union Township negotiate a lower price on gas and electricity. Residents can choose to opt out of the program and find their own rates. “We’re excited about this opportunity,” said John McGraw, chairman of Union Township’s Board of Trustees. “As a group, we’re going to get much better rates than we would individually, and I think it will save everyone money on their electricity and gas
bills.” He said the township did a good job of educating voters about the initiatives. “I think if people don’t know what it is, they will vote no,” McGraw said. “I think we did a good job of getting the word out about these programs.” Peter Williams, of Union Township, voted yes on both initiatives. "I just think that it’ll save everyone money,” Williams said. Ed Sullivan, of Union Township, said he voted against the initiatives because he does not believe the township should be involved in residents’ personal issues. Now, the trustees and Energy Alliances, which works with suppliers to coordinate rates and make sure everything is going well, will begin shopping for rates. The trustees will not start the program until they find what they think are good rates, Trustee John McGraw said in July.
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