July 28, 2011
School district to seek November levy Residents: Cut spending, delay ballot request until May election By CHRIS BOURNEA ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Canal Winchester Local Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to place a three-year, 13.38-mill, $5.8-million emergency levy on the November ballot. If approved, the levy would cost homeowners $410 per $100,000 of
home valuation, district treasurer Joyce Boyer said. That amount is $42 less than homeowners currently pay per month for the two-year, $6.4-million, 14.78-mill emergency levy that was approved in May 2009 and which expires in December. Voters did not renew the levy on May 3. Before approving the three-year levy for November, members considered a
second option in the form of a two-year, $4.9-million levy, but said the threeyear option would provide the district with more financial stability. “For the term of three years, it gives us more of a concrete look at the future,” board member Michael Yonnotti said. A three-year levy, rather than the twoyear option, would also enable the dis-
trict to avoid uncertainty regarding state funding in 2013, when state officials will decide the next biennium budget, board member Brian Niceswanger said. “The three-year (levy) takes us out of the state budget cycle,” he said. “If we go to the third year, state money is known.” Resident Rick Knudsen told the board that, rather than returning to the ballot,
he would like to see the district implement cost-savings measures such as making teachers pay more for health care. “In the board meetings I come to, I’m hearing none of this discussed,” Knudsen said. Resident Richard Cole also suggested See SCHOOL, page A2
Mayor names Haire new development director
POOL DAYS
By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Chris Parker/ThisWeek
Mayor Mike Ebert has chosen Reynoldsburg development director Lucas Haire to be Canal Winchester’s new development director, effective Aug. 1. Haire succeeds Chris Strayer, who stepped down in June to take a position with the Ohio Department of Development. “The development director helps the village increase its economic health by recruiting businesses to join the community,” said finance director Nanisa Osborn. “Economic health is highly important to Canal Winchester.” Strayer had been at Canal Winchester for four years, with his most recent salary at $65,000 annually. Haire’s salary will be between $61,150 and $70,000. Osborn said the city expects an economic upswing, following a difficult period nationally. “The last three years have been very difficult economically in Canal Winchester, and the state of Ohio and the nation,” she said. “I would expect the next three years will show us a cleaner,
Kids cool off in the Canal Winchester pool when the temperature passed the 100 degree mark July 21.
See HAIRE, page A2
Blues and Ribfest
Landmarks Commission
Second annual event to feature debut of South African musician
Changes suggested for historic areas
By ANDREW MILLER ThisWeek Community Newspapers The second annual Canal Winchester Blues and Ribfest Aug. 5 and 6 will offer an international flair, according to festival organizer Bruce Jarvis of Main Street Canal Winchester. Opening the weekend on the Main Stage, South African bluesman Rob Thompson, will share his take on an American brand of roots music, the blues. The 23-year-old guitarist and singer-songwriter from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, will be backed up by Ray Fuller’s Bluesrockers. “We’ve deliberately put strong acts all the way through from beginning to end,” Jarvis said. “To that end, (Thompson) is opening up for us; I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to have someone from this far away again – and this is his U.S. debut – so we’ve got a really unique act.” Jarvis said the Main Stage will be placed at the intersection of High and Waterloo streets to take advantage of the acoustics and to provide better viewing throughout the festival and room for people to dance. “We’ve expanded the footprint of this year’s Blues and Ribfest to allow for more food, fun and relaxation,” he said. “These changes should reduce lines at our rib and other vendors, offer more convenient dining spaces and provide a better space for children and adult activities.
If you go
By ANDREW MILLER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Once they do, we think they’ll come back.” Another new component this year gives other community organizations a chance to benefit from providing volunteers. According to Jarvis, groups
The Canal Winchester Landmarks Commission agreed unanimously Monday night to recommend changing the name of the city’s preservation area to a preservation district in order to match the terminology used for the historic district. Members also agreed to recommend amendments to the Old Town overlay and amendments that would create two separate documents outlining preservation area guidelines and historic area guidelines, instead of the current mixed document. The Old Town Committee and the city’s planning and zoning commission must also approve all recommendations before they are presented to city council for final approval Currently, preservation area structure changes are reviewed by the city staff, the Old Town Committee or planning and zoning, as appropriate. If this recommendation is approved by city council, then the Landmarks Commission will review all applications for certificates of appropriateness for the preservation area. Commissioner Bruce Jarvis was the lone dissenter in the vote to move the recommendations forward. “One thing I feel very strongly about is that the preservation area was designated as a buffer for the historic district and I hope we aren’t talking about applying the (historic district) rules to a larger area,” Jarvis said.
See BLUES, page A2
See LANDMARKS, page A2
Blues and Ribfest 2011 When: 5-11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 Where: High and Waterloo streets Admission is free.
“I may not get much time to relax during the festival, but I know everyone else will really enjoy it.” Last year’s inaugural event hosted nine rib vendors. This year’s event will have 12, according to Jarvis. He also expects this Blues and Ribfest to surpass last year’s 20,000 attendees. “People can expect more food vendors, a larger beer garden,” Jarvis said. “We’ve added dining tents with fans so people can get out of sun, and there are bounce houses, face-painting and balloon-sculpting for the kids. We’ll also have local arts and crafts vendors.” Canal Winchester community af-
Rob Thompson
fairs director Carrie Hoover said the festival is good for business in the city. “The festival provides another great event for our community,” Hoover said. “We believe this event has a much broader draw, bringing in a larger outside group of people who otherwise might not discover Canal Winchester.
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