90 80
OHIO STATE EDITION
6
A Supplement to:
422
6 80 24
6
4
71
76
199 30 30 75
68
30 77
71 23 22 68
4
70 70
70
22 71
75
77
27
September 12 2015
22 74
50
50 25
Vol. XVIII • No. 19
35
52
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Ohio Connection: Ed Bryden, Strongsville, OH • 1-800-810-7640
NGLCO Presents Annual Summer Field Days Event
T
he Nursery Growers of Lake County Ohio Inc. (NGLCO) held its 48th Annual Summer Field Days event on Aug 11 at the Chalet Debonne Vineyards. Located in Madison, Ohio, the vineyard is the largest estate winery in the state and maintains 175 acres of vines. Designed to provide association members with the latest on techniques and innovations, the event presents information in a format that encourages the exchange of ideas and networking opportunites for all those who attends. OSU Extension researchers and educators were on hand throughout the day to meet with members and share information. The event included a trade show where more than 150 exhibitors, including equipment dealers and industry suppliers presented a wide range of equipment, products and services geared toward Ohio’s dynamic nursery and landscape industry. Other activities included winery tours, workshops and Ohio certified nursery technician exams.
Anthony Licursi of Licursi Home & Garden tries out the recently introduced Gravely Atlas JSV utility vehicle. (L-R): Mike Kress, Dane Moore and Jon Wickline, all of Southeastern Equipment, answer questions about Case machines.
see NGLCO page 2
Nursery Growers of Lake County Ohio President Elect, Myra Wallace (L) of Demore Nursery Sales and current President, Joe Dawson of Valley Ford Truck Sales, greet attendees of the Annual Summer Field Days event.
Indy Equipment’s Rick Kolar (L) and Alan Hales showcase a lineup of Takeuchi and Wacker Neuson equipment at the event.
Judge Tosses Most of Challenge to Use Turnpike Money CLEVELAND (AP) Most of the claims in a lawsuit challenging Ohio’s 2013 decision to use $930 million in Ohio Turnpike tolls to fund non-turnpike highway and construction projects have been thrown out by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster wrote in a recent 14page opinion that the money from the Ohio Turnpike Commission benefits turnpike users, even if it is not used for maintenance of the turnpike itself, Northeast Ohio Media Group reported. Gov. John Kasich pushed the state legislature in 2013 to use toll money to bolster the Ohio Department of Transportation’s budget by changing state law to allow for
turnpike toll money to be used for non-turnpike projects. The change was put into the biennial budget that year, The commission increased tolls 2.7 percent for each year until 2023 to pay for the projects. The increases started in January 2014, and the lawsuit sought to have the state reimburse drivers who paid toll money that went toward those projects. Polster wrote that the plaintiff, Cuyahoga County resident Melissa Ullmo, didn’t prove the money was used on unrelated projects, which was at the heart of the lawsuit filed in May. The judge concluded that the money was used on related transportation projects. The judge also dismissed claims that the commission
illegally charged excessive tolls and used them on projects that don’t benefit toll payers. However, Polster kept alive a claim that an increase in tolls constitutes an illegal tax on Turnpike users. Ullmo’s lawyer, Jim DeRoche, said he was pleased with that decision. “We are confident that this was a truly revenue-generating measure and that we are going to succeed on that claim in state court,’’ DeRoche said. Commission spokesman Brian Newbacher declined to comment on the illegal tax claim, but said they’re “obviously pleased’’ with the dismissal of the other claims. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)