June 19, 2011
Relay For Life
Traditions, new activities to be featured By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The 2011 Johnstown Relay For Life will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, June 24, at Johnstown-Monroe High School, with the traditional luminaria walk set for 10 p.m. Laps and laps later, the relay will wind up at 1 p.m. Saturday. Event coordinator Mary Wiswell said the 37 teams registered for this year’s event are highlighted by strong student participation. “We have probably half a dozen teams centered on the students,” Wiswell said. “One team is midIn addition to Wiswell’s husdle-school based.” band Ed, an 11-year lung cancer
survivor, and Amy Bullard, a stage IV breast cancer survivor, event co-chairs include 16-year old Northridge High School student Colton Zigo, diagnosed in January with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I have missed almost the whole year of school because for several months before the diagnosis, they had a hard time determining what was wrong with me,” Zigo said. “I really missed my friends and teachers but at least I got to go for a few days at the end of the school year to see them,” he said. “I was See RELAY, page A2
For Lori’s Fan Club, walk is a memorial, hope for the future By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
When Lori’s Fan Club walks Relay For Life on June 24-25, the team will be wearing T-shirts with a picture of Lori Garrabrant with the words “Our Superhero” on them. Two years ago, Lori walked with her entire family, including her children Luke and Olivia, her husband, Jake, and her twin sister, Lisa Graves.
This year, her family will walk in Lori’s honor. Lori died in September 2009 after a nine-year battle with breast cancer. She was 38 years old. A lifelong Johnstown resident, she boarded and trained horses. Her daughter still rides. Lori’s sister-in-law, Lisa Roar Kennedy, said her death was hard on everyone. “She made a great impact on everyone that she See CLUB, page A2
Officials trying to curb speeders on local roads
SAFETY VILLAGE
By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek
Bella Dauge, 5, has to pick up her Big Wheel to make the turn and head toward the stop light during Safety Village at Searfoss Elementary on June 16. Safety Village was held June 6-17 and was open to children entering kindergarten. The program was put on by the American Legion in Johnstown and taught kids about a variety of safety topics, including road safety, fire safety and stranger danger.
Johnstown residents are upset with speeders along some local roads and are asking for the village’s help. Village manager Jim Lenner said residents are complaining about a higher volume of traffic on Westview and Parkdale drives and North Kasson Street. Increased traffic is bringing more speeders into residential areas, he said. The speed limit on the three roads is only 25 mph, Lenner said, but some motorists along Westview Drive are driving 10-15 mph over the limit. Lenner said he, service director Jack Liggett and village finance director Larry Heiser would look into possibly putting in speed tables to help curb the problem. But first, Lenner said, they want
to look at the cost to install and maintain them. Speed tables are similar to a long speed hump with a flat section in the middle. It helps limit how fast drivers can go. Lenner said the influx of speeding drivers is partly due to the number of people cutting through off of main roads. “Westview is being used as a cut-through from (U.S.) 62 to Jersey Street. Parkdale is a complete circle … and then North Kasson is an older street that people are using from (U.S.) 62 to (state Route) 37 on the northeast side of town,” he said. Residents are also concerned with reckless driving, Lenner said. He said Kasson Street is so narrow that many drivers veer off the road. “People are going off the paveSee SPEED, page A2
Bad odor blamed for halting B&B plans on Main Street By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Elizabeth Schwartz wants to open a bed and breakfast at her home on North Main Street, but said she can’t because of her neighbor. Her neighbor is Very Best Doodles, a home-based business that breeds and sells labradoodles. “I put in $40,000 already in improvements on this house and I can’t do it because of the dogs and the noise,” Schwartz told village officials June 13. She said the dogs bark in the middle of the night and said it occasionally smells like dog urine and ammonia. Very Best Doodles owners Jackie and Angela Dismuke said they only bred one litter of puppies this year, and while they currently have 13 dogs on their proper-
problem between the two properties. “We’ve had the water department come out. We’ve had planning and zoning come out. We’ve had different people come out and nobody can really say is it dog or not,” Dismuke said. “I don’t think it’s coming from our property.” Schwartz moved into her home in 2010, two years after Very Best Doodles opened for business. Both homes are part of Johnstown’s commercial district. “Yes, I saw the dogs were there but I JACKIE DISMUKE saw the house… I fell in love with the — Very Best Doodles owner house and put a bid on it,” Schwartz said. “They told me it was a home-based ty, they said the smell is not coming from business. I didn’t realize it was going to their dogs. be this extensive,” she said. “There is an odor,” Jackie Dismuke Schwartz asked village officials what said, “but it’s not a dog smell.” could be done about the odor and noise. Dismuke believes there may be a sewer Village manager Jim Lenner said
“
We’ve had the water department come out. We’ve had planning and zoning come out. We’ve had different people come out and nobody can really say is it dog or not. I don’t think it’s coming from our property.
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Schwartz “asked if there was anything we could do as a village to regulate the business and that is what I’m trying to figure out in association with our law director.” Lenner said the only law he’s aware of is an obnoxious odor law. “We’re still in the process of trying to figure out what was allowed then, what constitutes an odor nuisance because what someone thinks is offensive, someone else might not think that,” he said. Dismuke said previous owners had complained about an odor from her business before but she said officials never found her at fault. “City officials have been to our house unannounced on multiple occurrences and we never once were given a citation with all of those dogs,” Dismuke said. Lenner said the village would need to
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figure out what laws it has and what possible ordinances are needed, because other Johnstown residents are asking officials if they could raise other animals such as chickens or sheep on their property. “We’re still trying to figure out if there’s anything to prohibit farm animals — chickens, roosters, cows, sheep, anything like that — and if not, should we address it,” he said. Dismuke said her business is an asset to the community and said she has every right to keep her business open. “I’m in a commercial area. I happen to sell dogs,” Dismuke said, “I have every permit that is required to do my business.” Lenner said a village official would inspect Very Best Doodles on June 20 at the request of Dismuke. Cheryl is one of many cats up for adoption at the Cat Welfare Association. On Tuesday, June 21, the association will hold its Summer Solstice Adoption Extravaganza, which will feature food and special adoption rates. For information on adopting Cheryl or any of the cats, visit catwelfareohio.com. Watch a video of Cheryl at ThisWeekNews.com.