May 29, 2011
Northridge Local Schools
Fees, donations to pay for athletics By SCOTT HENNEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Sports will return in some degree to the Northridge Local School District, but at no cost to the district. When a 1-percent income tax levy was voted down for the third time May 3, the school board said all extracurricular activities would be eliminated to allow the district to balance its budget. But on May
23, boosters proposed a plan to pay for athletics through pay-to-participate fees and donations. Wayne Howard, who is both athletics director and the athletics boosters president, said the school board voted 5-0 in favor of the self-sufficiency plan. “The money will come from a combination of places in order to assure the board and voters that we can do this at no cost to them,” Howard said. “We have
to do what we think is best for the students and bring back athletics. Right now, we’re working on bringing them back on a per-season basis, but hopefully we can bring back enough to pay for all of them.” The fee to participate in high school athletics will be $500 per athlete per sport, up from $125 in the 2010-11 school year. Middle school athletes will pay $250, up from $50.
“We have to pay for everything involved with a sport, including paying the custodians, the transportation, the insurance, the utilities such as electricity and water for an event, even paper and paper clips we would use,” Howard said. “When you figure it, there are a lot of nickel-and-dime items that add up quickly. It’s going to take a concerted effort from the athletic boosters and the parents as well as support from family and
friends.” The Vikings have six fall sports: cheerleading, cross country, football, boys golf, boys soccer and girls volleyball. There is a chance that all will have seasons, but also the possibility that one or more might not have enough participants to fund the program. Howard said the approximate numbers needed to ensure See SPORTS, page A3
J-M, Northridge
RUNNERS-UP TAKE TROPHY
Graduation ceremonies scheduled By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Tim Norman/ThisWeek
With the rest of the team watching behind them, (from left) Johnstown’s Brandon Mallet, Andrew Pizzurro and Taylor Baughman accept the runner-up trophy following their loss to Heath 7-2 in the Division III district final game at Dublin Coffman High School May 22.
Village must acquire Post Office Alley land By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The village of Johnstown is asking 12 commercial property owners to sign over part of their land to make room for construction in Post Office Alley. The village is installing new water, sewer and stormwater lines and asphalt along the roadway. Village manager Jim Lenner sent a letter to property owners on May 10 stating the village isn’t responsible for maintaining Post Office Alley for snow removal or patching potholes because it is not a public street. The letter went on to say if property owners donate their land to
the village, it would maintain the alley and “this will permanently place the responsibility in the hands of the village.” As of May 26, only five owners had complied with the request. “Technically we don’t maintain it, so when this whole project came about, it was talked about if we’re going to put all this money to get the water line… and put in new pavement that the village would want to maintain it so it’s maintained adequately,” Lenner said. The property owners would have to be willing to donate property ranging in sizes from around 87 square feet to 1,500 square feet. “We have easements back there, which allow us to put the lines and
everything back there, but it’s still not our property,” Lenner said. He said landowners could “deed their property that sits within the alley to the village for future maintenance, then it would actually become a public roadway.” Lenner said construction could be delayed up to six months or longer if owners don’t donate their property because the village doesn’t have an appraiser. The appraiser would find out how much the village would need to buy the land from the property owners. “We don’t have any money allocated for that, so I don’t know if we’d be able to get it done this year in time to get out of the way for
Ohio Department of Transportation because they are going to be tearing up South Main Street and Coshocton Street here pretty soon so we’re on a tight schedule to get this done even before ODOT (starts).” Lenner said it’s imperative to fix the water line as soon as possible. “It’s one of the oldest water lines in the village, so as soon as we can get that repaired the better so we don’t have any breaks,” Lenner said. He said the rest of the project is needed, too. Lenner said the sewer line would help with drainage issues to help See LAND, page A2
Graduation ceremonies are being held this weekend and next at Johnstown Monroe and Northridge high schools. Johnstown Monroe was scheduled to hold its ceremony Saturday evening, weather permitting, at the football stadium, or indoors at the high school in case of rain. Northridge is scheduled to hold its ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 5, in the high school gymnasium. “We always hold it inside,” said Carrie Baker, senior class advisor. Northridge will graduate 114 students, 12 of whom met valedictorian criteria of 4.0 grade-point average or above, and one salutatorian who has the next highest GPA. “The class colors are purple and white, and the class flower is the tulip,” Baker said. She said 15 students have earned an honors diploma and 30 students have earned the award of merit. Both classifications are based upon maintaining GPA standards, a qualifying score on the ACT exam and a distribution of course work in required subjects. Northridge does not have a commencement speaker, but each valedictorian and the salutatorian may speak. “The valedictorians and salutatorian all have the opportunity to present a speech, and most of them do,” Baker said. “They don’t last very long, but they do have the opportunity to address their class. We don’t have an outside speaker.” Northridge valedictorians are Kaila Van Fossen, Jeff Kingery, Brittany Nicole Hupp, Kolt Michael McDaniel, Keilah Ketron, Lauren Cornwell, Taylor Gingery, Kelsey Garrabrant, Emily VanNess, Amy Boesch, Scotty Nicole Teal, and Lucas McClure, and the salutatorian (next highest grade point average) is Dana VanDervort. At Johnstown Monroe, American government teacher Carl Dufford is in his 32nd year as senior class advisor. “All the seniors take American government, so it’s a good fit,” Dufford said. At Johnstown Monroe, the valedictorian for the class of 2011 is Allison Colvin, who will be attending Wright State University, and class salutatorian is Caitlyn Fry, who will be attending Ohio University. Both women will address the senior class, as will superintendent Damien Bawn. Among the class of 101 graduates, 17 students will be recognized for achieving a 4.0 GPA or above.
Former village manager Phillips challenges audit findings By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Former Johnstown village manager Sarah Phillips has challenged findings issued by the state auditor that question two expenditures and her volunteer time for the International City Manager’s Association that involved travel to Bulgaria and Lebanon. Among the items in the auditor’s report are a claim that a $103 purchase of
a briefcase benefited Phillips, a cash reimbursement of $150 was unexplained and travel reimbursements for overseas travel amounted to nearly $10,000. Sarah Phillips Phillips told The Independent she provided an explanation of each item to the auditor’s office, but her explanations were not included in the
report. “What is disturbing to me is the auditors initially sent me a copy of their findings, before they ever sent it to the village,” Phillips said. “And I assumed that meant they were looking for an explanation, so I immediately called the auditor’s office and provided an explanation. But that was not included in anything that was sent to the village, and then as a result of that, these newspaper articles came out.
“That was one thing that was disturbing to me, was why give me the opportunity to explain it if you are essentially not going to listen to it?” Phillips said the general thrust of her conversation with the auditor was that the village, not the auditor’s office, would respond to the findings. “Even when I called them, their kind of final statement to me was, ‘well, it will be up to the village to determine these things,’” Phillips said. “Well, the village
has never contacted me. As a result … there is misinformation out there about it.” Phillips said she used the briefcase while she was city manager and it was left with the village when she took a new job. A finding regarding a $150 cash reimbursement was the result of a funding mix-up at an association conference that See PHILLIPS, page A2
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