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July 17, 2014
School board sells land to homebuilder
124 acres purchased for $5 million By KEVIN CORVO THISWEEKNEWS.COM
Gamble flies off the dock chasing a toy that Jenny Resendez threw during the long-jump event of the DockDogs competition July 12 at the Franklin County Fair. Resendez and Gamble are from Bellville.
Franklin County Fair
DockDogs canines make a splash
By KEVIN CORVO THISWEEKNEWS.COM
Dart II, a 20-month-old Belgian Malinois, was panting when led back to his kennel after his first DockDogs aquatics competition July 12 on the opening day of the Franklin County Fair. “I know he had a great time,” said owner Pamela Karr, 62, of Blacklick. Dart II competed in the extreme-vertical segment, one of three DockDogs competitions. Four daily DockDogs shows are scheduled the final days of the county fair Thursday, July 17, through Saturday, July 19, at the fairgrounds in Hilliard. Performances are scheduled at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. between gates 3 and 4. DockDogs is as much about camaraderie as the competition, participants say. Many travel as far as 300 miles to enter a competition and share techniques they find successful in improving their dogs’ performances. Karr said she began competing in 2007 with Dart, the sire of Dart II. The elder Dart died from bone cancer, she said. “I saw a competition on television, then looked up shows on the Internet,” Karr said. “I’ve been doing it ever since and go to about five shows a year. “The people I meet are great and everyone helps each other out with methods and things like that.” The extreme-vertical segment of DockDogs is modeled after an Olympic-style high jump. Dogs aim for a “bumper” suspended above the water eight feet from the edge of the dock. The dog must grab the bumper from the hooks or knock it off the hooks. A dog is allowed one miss and is disqualified upon the second miss. The competition starts at a height of 4 feet, 6 inches and the bumper is raised in 2-inch increments. Owners can enter their dogs in the competition at any height. Dart II began at 4 feet, 6 inches and reached 6 feet, 2 inches. The winner July 12 reached 6 feet, 10 inches.
DOCKDOGS >> A4
Inside
Hilliard school board members last week unanimously approved the sale of 124.3 acres between Cosgray and Leppert roads to Schottenstein Homes for almost $5 million. The board agreed to sell the land for $40,000 per acre, $10,000 less per acre than the district paid for the land in 2003. The decision at the board’s July 9 meeting followed a onehour closed-door executive session to discuss the offer. The vote was rendered with no further public discussion. After the meeting adjourned, board President Andy Teater said the sale provides the district with discretion in how the land would be developed once a proposal is presented by Schottenstein Homes. “We will have a hand in approving a development plan for this site,” Teater said. That includes reserving the right to reject a plan before it goes to the Hilliard Planning and Zoning Commission. The development plan is expected to include green space and soccer fields, Teater said, and would bring the additional athletics facilities the
district and the city attempted to achieve during negotiations with Help All Kids Play, a nonprofit organization that twice attempted to purchase the land. Both efforts failed after Help All Kids Play could not obtain financing. “It is our hope to get the soccer fields we’ve wanted on this site (and) we will have a say in how it is developed, so we think this is a good decision,” Teater said. He said he met with July 8 with Mayor Don Schonhardt and Economic-Development Director David Meeks to advise them of Schottenstein Homes’ offer. Schonhardt said July 9 the city supports the sale and looks forward to crafting an acceptable development plan. “Having had a brief discussion with the purchaser, we are pleased to hear that a major portion of the site is to be set aside as green space (and) athletic fields, which is consistent with previous discussions regarding development on this site,” Schonhardt said. Paul Coppel, co-owner of Schottenstein Homes, said July 14 “it was too early in the process” to offer any details
HOMEBUILDER >> A3
Hilliard, police union ink three-year deal By KEVIN CORVO THISWEEKNEWS.COM
Dart II, a 20-month-old Belgian Malinois, and owner Pam Karr compete in the extreme-vertical segment of the DockDogs competition July 12 at the Franklin County Fair. Karr and Dart II are from Blacklick. LORRIE CECIL/THISWEEKNEWS (2)
Police beat >> A5 Commentary & opinion >> A6
The Beat >> A8
Hilliard police officers will receive a 5.5 percent salary increase this year but agreed to hand over to the city administration all decisions concerning health-care plans as part of a three-year contract between Hilliard and Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9. Council voted 6-0 to accept the contract. Joe Erb was absent. The three-year contract is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2014, and will extend through Dec. 31, 2016.
Sports >> A14 Classifieds >> A20
Hilliard had assumed a 3 percent salary increase for 2014, but agreed to a 5.5 percent increase this year and salary increases of 2.5 percent in 2015 and 2016. The larger-than-anticipated salary increase required City Council to approve an emergency ordinance July 14 . Council originally budgeted $145,000 to cover the projected 3 percent salary increase in 2014, Finance Director David Delande said. The emergency ordinance approved July 14 appropriates
THREE-YEAR DEAL >> A5