Geauga Maple Leaf 1-15-26

Leaf Maple Leaf GEAUGA

COUNTY

Thursday, January 15, 2026 Vol. 32 No. 3 Chardon, Ohio $1.25

Board of Elections Selects Tyler Plants as Director Staff Report

Following the retirement of former Director Michelle Lane in December, the Geauga County Board of Elections tapped Tyler Plants to fill her shoes, Deputy Director Nora McGinnis said in a Jan. 9 press release.

Plants will officially assume the role Jan. 19, Plants she said.

“The board and staff are excited to continue working with Tyler in his new leadership position,” McGinnis said.

According to his resume, Plants See Director • Page 5

Berkshire Schools

BOE Takes First Step to Potentially Put EIT on Ballot

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com Berkshire Schools Board of Education voted 4-1 Jan. 12 to begin the process of placing a 0.5% earned income tax on the May 5 ballot.

The EIT may be necessary to offset an estimated $1 million or more in lost revenue resulting from recent state legislation that limits property tax growth.

“Nobody knows how it’s going to work,” said district Treasurer Beth McCaffrey. “It’s kind of a guessing game.”

See Berkshire • Page 5

ROAD GARAGE BACK BUILDING

Chester Township Chester Township Trustees recently discussed putting a new road garage south of the second road garage building, at 8558 Parkside Drive (bottom, left) and west of the Chester Township Police Department station, at 12696 Opalocka Drive.

MAP COURTESY OF GEAUGA COUNTY AUDITOR

POLICE DEPARTMENT

ROAD GARAGE FRONT BUILDING

Trustees at Stalemate Over Road Garage Plans

By Emma MacNiven macniven@karlovecmedia.com The future of Chester Township’s road department garage hangs in the balance as trustees are at a stalemate over whether to rebuild the facility or explore other options.

Four years ago, Lakewood-based Larsen Architects assessed the garage and determined the roof needed to be replaced or it was at risk of eventually caving in, according to previous reporting.

Officials originally planned to replace the existing roof, but Larsen Architects estimated the project would cost $600,000. Trustees concluded a full rebuild would be a better long-term investment.

App Architecture, of Englewood, projected the cost for a new garage at $5 million, Township Administrator Mark Purchase said during the Nov. 13 Chester Township Trustees meeting.

Since then, the proposed design has been simplified, said Todd Gindelberger and Maria Mundy, of

App Architecture, during the Jan. 8 trustees meeting.

Mundy said the firm reduced the building by 1,500 square feet and eliminated one bay, keeping the structure at six bays. Officials had been considering six or seven bays during the Nov. 13 meeting.

“By lessening the bays by one … (Road Superintendent John Onyshko) has a little more room to get those trucks in,” Purchase said Jan. 8.

See Garage • Page 6

Russell Hit With $5,700 Bill Over Police Cyber Incident

By Emma MacNiven macniven@karlovecmedia.com Though a new year has begun, Russell Township is still dealing with fallout from a 2025 cybersecurity incident.

The Geauga County Auditor’s Office and the Automatic Data Processing board are seeking $5,700 in reimbursement for resources spent responding to a breach connected to the Russell Police Department.

The issue began last September, when two of the police department’s devices — a mobile data ter-

Walder

Antenucci

minal and a school resource officer laptop — were compromised due to a potential breach believed to have originated from a Russian source.

The incident prompted ADP to block the department's email domain out of safety concerns, Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder,

who sits on the ADP board, said last fall.

“This action was proactively taken to protect the Geauga County network and Russell Township’s other government operations,” Walder said in a Jan. 7 letter to Russell Township Trustees.

ADP did not receive notice that the department switched email domains, leaving the original domain blocked, ADP Chief Deputy Administrator Frank Antenucci said in a Jan. 8 follow-up interview.

“We've heard informally that See Russell • Page 3

Sports pages 11-13

Amish Kidnapping Suspect Requests Reduced Bond page 3

Claypool Accuses NOACA of False Misconduct Allegations page 4

Auburn Trustees Reject Quote on Town Hall Repairs, Ramp page 8

Obituaries pages 14-15

Sheriff’s Sales & Legal Notices start on page 17

Classifieds page 20 Single Edition $1.25

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Thursday, January 15, 2026

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Kidnapping Suspect Requests Reduced Bond Staff Report William Hatfield, one of the four men facing charges connected to a home invasion and attempted kidnapping of an Amish child last October, has asked the court to reduce his bond.

Hatfield — who was arraigned and pleaded not guilty in Geauga Court of Common Pleas Dec. 22 — is facing nine charges related to the alleged incident. They include aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and three counts of kidnapping, all first-degree felonies; felonious assault, a second-degree felony; theft, a fifth-degree felony; and two first-degree misdemeanor assault counts.

Hatfield is currently being held on a $750,000 cash-or-surety bond, which was originally set by Chardon Municipal Court

Russell from page 1

they sort of went ahead and just shut down the old police domain and then created a new one, but they have not officially told us that,” he added.

Antenucci said ADP would not have committed as many resources to assisting the police department had officials known the department planned to abandon the original domain.

“It would just be very frustrating that (ADP) went through all that work, tried to help them and then they were not going to use it anyway,” Antenucci said. “It could have saved us a lot of hours had they just told us up front what they were going to do with it — which was to let it sort of just go away.”

The department applied for a .gov domain in August, Police Chief Tom Swaidner said Jan. 13.

“It's an application process and then an implementation process. ADP knew we were

Judge Terri Stupica. At the time of his December hearing, Hatfield was represented by attorney Colleen Del Balso, who appeared only for that hearing, and no bond reduction was requested.

Hatfield’s new attorney, John Luskin, filed a motion seeking a bond reduction Dec. 30.

According to the motion, Hatfield is Hatfield requesting placement on electronic home monitoring. “(Hatfield) wishes to reside at their residence, accepted and approved by the Geauga County Pre-Trial Release Services within the geographic area of Canton, Ohio,” Luskin

said. “(Hatfield) was not on probation, parole or other pretrial release at the time of the occurrence of this alleged offence. He has a very old and/or limited criminal history.”

Luskin argued that while the state may assert Hatfield is a flight risk or a danger to the community, prosecutors could not present evidence that Hatfield would fail to appear in court if granted a reasonable bond.

“The state respectfully could not establish that pre-trial detention is appropriate,” he said, adding there is no evidence showing with any degree of certainty that the defendant poses a danger to the community or that no set of conditions could reasonably ensure public safety.

Hatfield is asking the court to lower his bond and release him “upon the least restrictive means required conditions set by this honorable court,” Luskin said.

in that process the entire time,” he said.

“Once we received (the domain), we migrated over to that. Then, we didn’t really push the issue to unblock something unnecessarily.”

Walder’s letter states ADP used a substantial amount of resources to assist the police department, resulting in $5,700 in costs.

“Significant county resources were invested in responding, investigating, managing and attempting to remediate this issue from September 2025 through the present,” Walder said in his letter. “As the associated costs were incurred solely due to Russell Township’s police department email incident and subsequent lack of fulfilling committed obligations, they should not and cannot be absorbed by the broader county user base or its taxpayers. An itemized invoice is enclosed and we respectfully request reimbursement.

ADP remains committed to supporting Russell Township and all county entities, but effective cybersecurity requires timely communication, cooperation and diligent follow-through. We hope you will work with us

to improve collaboration moving forward to avoid wasting taxpayer money.”

Swaidner said he never received the letter or invoice, but heard about them from trustees.

“It was a surprise to receive an invoice because from my understanding, nobody else — no other municipality has received an invoice that I know about,” he said.

Antenucci said township trustees had pledged to maintain communication throughout the process, but failed to do so.

“We've had a number of meetings with stakeholders and the trustees told us, ‘We would shepherd this through. We would be communicating, we would work with you,’” and we have not heard anything from the trustees,” Antenucci said. “I think we're just disappointed that there was a lot of talk on communication, but then ultimately, there was no communication.”

Trustee Kristina Port said Jan. 12 trustees have not yet discussed the issue and she would not comment until they reached a consensus on how to proceed.

Community Meetings Listed are public meetings and executive sessions in the county for the coming week, unless otherwise noted. To have a public meeting included in this section, fax information to 440285-2015 or email editor@karlovecmedia.com no later than Monday noon. These meeting notices are NOT legal notices.

Geauga County: Jan. 22, 10 a.m., Geauga County Budget Commission, special meeting, Auditor’s Office, 215 Main St.; Jan. 23, 9:30 a.m., Geauga County Commissioners.

All county meetings are held at the Geauga County Administrative Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive (Ste. #), Claridon, unless otherwise noted. County commissioners meetings are held in Room B303.

Auburn Township: Jan. 19, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees; Jan. 22, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at the Administration Building, 11010 Washington St., unless otherwise indicated.

Bainbridge Township: Jan. 15, 7 p.m., Board of Zoning Appeals, at the Bainbridge Township Service Department, 17800 Haskins Road.

Burton Township: Jan. 19, 7 p.m., Board of

Trustees. The meeting will be held at the Burton Township Administration Building, 14821 Rapids Road.

Chardon Township: Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Town Hall, 9949 Mentor Road.

Chester Township: Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission; Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Township Hall, 12701 Chillicothe Road, unless otherwise noted.

Hambden Township: Jan. 20, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Board; Jan. 21, 6:30 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at the Town Hall, 13887 GAR Highway, unless otherwise noted.

Huntsburg Township: Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at the Town Hall, 16534 Mayfield Road.

Montville Township: Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees; Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at the Montville Community Center, 9755 Madison Road, unless noted.

Munson Township: Jan. 15, 6:30 p.m., Board of Zoning Appeals. All meetings are held at

Township Hall, 12210 Auburn Road, unless otherwise noted.

Newbury Township: Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees, at the Fire Department, 11111 Kinsman Road.

Parkman Township: Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at the Community House, 16295 Main Market Road, unless otherwise noted.

Russell Township: Jan. 15, 6 p.m., Board of Trustees; Jan. 21, 4 p.m., RTCPD(511), regular meeting. Both meetings are in the Community Room, 8501 Kinsman Road.

South Russell Village: Jan. 20, 5:30 p.m. – Architectural Board of Review, 7 p.m. – Village Council; Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Board of Zoning Appeals. All meetings are held at the Village Hall, 5205 Chillicothe Road, unless otherwise noted.

Thompson Township: Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees, at the Geauga County Public Library - Thompson Branch.

Troy Township: Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Troy Community Center, 13950 Main Market Road, unless noted.

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Claypool Accuses NOACA of False Misconduct Allegations Recent Rule Change Disqualifies Him as Alternate Member

By Allison Wilson wilson@karlovecmedia.com

The Geauga County Commissioners’ yearly organizational meeting quickly turned sour Jan. 6 when Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri nominated Walter “Skip” Claypool as his alternate for the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.

At the previous week’s meeting, Commissioner Carolyn Brakey raised concerns about Claypool’s potential nomination.

Though Brakey was aware an upcoming NOACA vote could result in a rule change that would render Claypool’s appointment moot, when Spidalieri officially put his name forward, Brakey once again voiced her objections.

“I’m going to renew my objection to Commissioner Spidalieri’s appointment of Skip Claypool as his alternate to the NOACA board,” she said, handing a copy of an email from July 11, 2014, to the other commissioners.

The email was a formal disciplinary letter to Claypool.

“It documented serious misconduct while he was serving as the alternate to Commissioner Spidalieri on the NOACA board,” she said. “The letter was issued after an investigation conducted by an independent law firm retained by NOACA and at the direction of NOACA’s executive committee.”

The email, from Ted Kalo, then chair of the NOACA Governance Committee, both outlines allegations against Claypool and puts restrictions on him.

The committee is aware Claypool has “... repeatedly and without reason or foundation, accused (NOACA Executive Director Grace Gallucci) of dishonesty, unprofessional behavior and failure to fulfill her job requirements, both in (his) public statements and in (his)

ALLISON WILSON/KMG

Geauga County Commissioners Carolyn Brakey and Ralph Spidalieri disagree over Spidalieri’s choice of alternate on the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Jan. 6.

correspondence and conversations with Ms. Gallucci,” Kalo said, adding the statements have been harassment and created an intimidating and hostile work environment.

Claypool also made inappropriate personal statements to Gallucci in a phone call, Kalo said.

“It’s my understanding that Mr. Claypool called the executive director late at night and made comments to her that were sexual in nature,” Brakey said.

Kalo said in the letter that kind of conduct must cease immediately or the committee will call for Claypool’s resignation or recommend his removal.

He told Claypool he must express any disagreement about NOACA and its programs and policies professionally and without false or inflammatory remarks.

Claypool’s conversations with Gallucci should be limited to professional matters and he must copy the president of the board of directors, chair of the governance committee and NOACA counsel on all email or written communications, Kalo added.

Claypool must also avoid phone conversations with Gallucci wherever possible, and any meetings with Gallucci or other NOACA staff

LEGAL NOTICE The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has scheduled local public hearings in Case No. 25-593-ST-AIR, In the Matter of the Application of Aqua Ohio Wastewater, Inc. to Increase Its Rates and Charges for Wastewater Service; and Case Nos. 25-594-WW-AIR, et al., In the Matter of the Application of Aqua Ohio, Inc. to Increase Its Rates and Charges for Waterworks Service. These local hearings are scheduled for the purpose of providing an opportunity to interested members of the public to testify in these proceedings. The local hearings will be held at the following times and locations: Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Driving Park Branch, 1422 East Livingston Avenue, Meeting Room 3, Columbus, Ohio 43205; January 28, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at the Marion City Hall 233 West Center Street, Marion, OH, 43302; and January 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., held virtually on Microsoft Teams at https://puco.ohio.gov/ events/Aqua-Virtual-Local-Public-Hearing. Individuals interested in testifying must register at this link on before 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 29, 2026, or by calling 1-800-686-7826. Testimony will be limited to five minutes in duration.

In its application in Case No. 25-593-ST-AIR, Aqua Ohio Wastewater, Inc. seeks a rate increase that would generate additional base revenues of approximately $1,223,527 or approximately 29.68 percent over current revenues for the company’s Franklin areas formerly served by Ohio American Water Company, Firestone Trace, and Southwood Estates. After reviewing the application, the staff of the Commission recommends a revenue increase between approximately $879,231 and $950,909 or between 21.33 percent and 23.06 percent over current revenues for the service areas listed above.

In its application in Case Nos. 25-594-WW-AIR, et al., Aqua Ohio, Inc. seeks a rate increase which would generate additional base revenues of approximately $13,429,316 or approximately 16.40 percent over current revenues for the company’s Rate Group 1, Rate Group 2, Rate Group 3, Firestone Trace, Village of LaRue, and Village of Midvale. After reviewing the application, the staff of the Commission recommends a revenue increase between $8,701,858 and $9,939,286 or between 10.63 percent and 12.14 percent over current revenues for the service areas listed above.

The evidentiary hearing in these proceedings will be called on February 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the offices of the Commission, Hearing Room 11-A, 11th Floor, 180 E. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3793.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3793, the Commission’s hotline at 1-800-686-7826, or the PUCO website at http://www.puco.ohio. gov. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing can reach the Commission by dialing 7-1-1 (Ohio Relay Service).

Jan15-22, 2026

members must include at minimum two members of staff and NOACA counsel, he said.

To the best of Brakey’s knowledge, no other individual in the county has the same communications restrictions as Claypool, she said, adding that, as far as she is aware, Spidalieri has attended only two NOACA meetings during his time in office, making Claypool essentially one of the county’s representatives on the board.

“In my opinion, this appointment exposes Geauga County to foreseeable and unreasonable liability,” she said. “If similar con- Claypool duct were to reoccur, the county would face a clear failure-to-act problem, having knowingly appointed an individual with a documented history of this behavior.”

Spidalieri, Claypool Respond

Other than the letter, nobody, including Gallucci, has raised concern about Claypool as his alternate, Spidalieri said, adding many people have applauded Claypool’s efforts over the years.

“This investigation was very, very one-sided when this took place and I think that it’s really a shame because of the fact that I have basically given Skip my position of being my alternate because he does represent this county, represents my views there with my positions on NOACA … and he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions,” he said, adding NOACA does not like that.

“So, what’s the easiest way to try to do that, is to try and bring some kind of negativity onto the person,” Spidalieri said. “I’ve been so disgusted with the constant position of sexual this, that, the other thing.”

Spidalieri called Claypool to the front to speak.

Claypool told Brakey she should be careful about slandering somebody.

Brakey replied it is not slander if it is true.

“First of all, that was 12 years ago,” Claypool said. “Secondly, there was no investigation done. I would challenge you to find a report and an investigation. All of the allegations made in the letter issued were allegations, all of which there were no details on.”

Claypool asked what inappropriate comment he had made to Gallucci.

Brakey replied it was her understanding he had called Gallucci late at night, “told her what her problem was” and made a sexual comment.

Claypool disputed that statement.

“At that point in time 12 years ago, I was making presentations to inform the public about NOACA. They didn’t like what I was saying. They didn’t like the presentations,” he said.

Claypool said he is not a representative of the NOACA board, but of Geauga County.

“I’m always professional. I speak to the issues and so forth, and I’ve never misrepresented anything at those board meetings,” he said. “The allegations made are outlandish and not proven, and there was no investigation. There was no due process. I didn’t have an opportunity to go in and have a hearing.”

Claypool challenged Gallucci to show him the investigation.

“All of those issues in that letter are lies and they were intended to intimidate me and to shut me up,” he said.

Claypool said he had met with Gallucci and an attorney because he believed NOACA was violating federal law by interfering with the free speech of a public official, and that his attorney threatened to sue NOACA if they continued to do so.

At that point, the issue disappeared, he said.

Claypool told Brakey she is using this as a smear tactic and compared her to a Democrat.

The board tabled NOACA appointments, with Brakey noting there was an upcoming NOACA meeting that may change who commissioners are allowed to appoint.

During the public comment period, Claypool provided media outlets with a letter he said he sent NOACA in response to Kalo’s original email.

In it, he reiterated his previous statements, adding the majority of his interactions with Gallucci have been public and the comments about his alleged conduct should have been brought to him privately.

NOACA Rule Change

Brakey confirmed in a follow-up interview Jan. 12 that NOACA passed two bylaw changes Jan. 9 that, among other items, will require board members, including alternates, be elected officials or county employees with a speciality in transportation, planning or other specialized fields.

As a result, Claypool has been disqualified from serving on the board, Brakey said.

The board will now need to pass a resolution regarding the bylaw changes, Geauga County Administrator Amy Bevan said Jan. 13, adding that will likely happen next week.

When asked for comment on Claypool’s statements, NOACA Director of Public Affairs Danielle Render said they do not comment on inaccurate or incomplete information.

“This matter was reviewed and addressed by the NOACA Board of Directors through established processes and with appropriate due process,” Render said. “NOACA does not have further comment.”

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Page 5

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Russell Township

Final Debris Cleared in Long-Delayed Home Demo Russell Township Trustees approved the removal of the final item remaining from the demolition of a home at 8460 Ridgewood Lane — a 1980s Subaru Leone discovered inside the garage.

The house deteriorated and partially collapsed early last year and was declared “insecure, unsafe and structurally defective,” under the Ohio Revised Code, said Fire Chief John Frazier last summer.

Neighbors urged township officials at multiple trustees meetings last year to address safety hazards at the property.

Trustees voted last month to approve a demolition proposal and the removal of five junk vehicles, awarding the work to Green Vision Materials, of Newbury Township, for $21,400.

The additional junk vehicle — the Subaru — was found inside the garage after that approval.

“It appears to me that (the Subaru) is definitely a junk vehicle,” Assistant Zoning Inspector Frank Kolk said.

Trustees voted to approve a resolution authorizing removal of the vehicle at their

Jan. 8 meeting. However, the township must still notify interested family members as a formality, said Fiscal Officer Karen Walder.

“We still have to (send) notices to the interested parties and wait for the (14-day) waiting period before our demolition contractor can take action on that,” she said, adding she expects to have a cost estimate available at the next meeting.

There are eight or nine distant family members with an interest in the property, Trustee Chris Hare said.

During public comment, a resident asked who would be responsible for paying for the demolition.

“The township is paying for the demolition and all costs relating to both the demolition of the property and the removal and disposition of the junk vehicles,” Walder said.

“We are tracking those costs and we'll submit those to the (Geauga County Auditor’s Office) to be placed on the tax duplicate. When the owner pays those taxes, they will be paid, and then we will get reimbursed. It is not a fast process, but that is the hope — that the township will be eventually reimbursed for those costs.”

Hare said the house was scheduled to be fully demolished by the end of the day Jan. 9.

supervisor, I have learned a great deal from my colleagues, as well as from other board of elections staff across the state,” Plants said in his cover letter. “Adaptibility and fluidity are skills I have had to use increasingly as new directives and requirements are implemented from the Secretary of State’s office on down to the local level.”

Each election cycle brings new challenges, and his communication and problem-solving skills have grown rapidly as a result, he said.

“I feel that the team we have in our office is extraordinary and has a very open level of communication and task sharing so that no one becomes overwhelmed or burned out,” he added.

Plants expressed eagerness to begin the new role in a Jan. 12 statement to the Geauga County Maple Leaf.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to the upcoming election cycle,” he said.

By Emma MacNiven macniven@karlovecmedia.com

SUBMITTED

Officials discover an early 80s Subaru Leon in the garage of the home at 8460 Ridgewood Lane.

Director from page 1

has served as the board’s voter registration supervisor since 2023 — a job that entails maintaining and updating voter registration records and data, as well as integrating new policies that affect those records.

Plants began working at the board of elections as a seasonal employee in 2020, his re-

sume said. He previously worked as a social studies educator at the Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve from 2022 to 2023.

A 2021 graduate of Kent State University, Plants holds a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary social studies education and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Professional Studies degree at Lake Erie College, according to his resume.

“During my time working as registration

Berkshire from page 1

According to the board’s resolution, if voters approve the measure as written, the certified revenue amount will be about $1.85 million annually.

The legislation, which restricts districts from showing financial growth above the state’s inflation rate, goes into effect in March. McCaffrey said the official calculation of Berkshire’s anticipated losses will be available by April.

To meet deadlines for a May ballot issue, McCaffrey said the board must pass a resolution of necessity by Jan. 22. Paperwork to place the income tax on the ballot must be filed by Feb. 4.

“I think you guys need to be proactive with the resolution of necessity,” McCaffrey said, noting the possibility that an initiative to abolish property taxes could appear on the May ballot.

If there is no additional revenue stream beginning in 2027, Berkshire Schools will go into the negative in 2028, she said.

By her preliminary calculations, McCaffrey said a 0.5% EIT would compensate for the anticipated losses from the legislation.

Board President John Manfredi emphasized that passing the resolution does not obligate the board to place the issue on the ballot, but it ensures the process can be com-

ANN WISHART/KMG

Geauga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke swears in two Berkshire Schools Board of Education members Jan. 12 in the school gymnasium. They are, from left, veteran board President John Manfredi and new board member Brandon Townsend.

pleted within a reasonable timeline.

He highlighted several grants and community partnerships, including collaboration with Pat Preston to build the Berkshire Workforce Development Campus in Burton Village and other support from Kokosing and Great Lakes Cheese, that reduce the taxpayer burden for advancing safety and education in the district.

“It’s not like we are sitting, waiting for the state to make decisions on funding,” Manfredi said. “We are aggressively going after grants.”

He credited Vanessa Karwan Povozhaev, the district grant writer hired in 2025, for securing funds that cover some projects and programs.

“Other than (the 2018 bond issue to build

a new school), it’s been 30 years since we have gone to the ballot for new money. We look for ways to supplant (state) funding,” Manfredi said, noting the board and administration focus on retaining quality teachers.

By contracting out janitorial, mowing and plowing services, the district avoids paying benefits for those workers, he said.

Superintendent John Stoddard said the board has delivered on promises such as improving state report card scores.

“We are a leader in workforce development. We get called by businesses and other schools about pathways (to employment for students),” he said.

He warned that diminishing state support could push consolidation and county-wide school districts.

“The (state) legislature wants to push consolidation,” he said. “They are going to strangle us … so we end up with a single school district in each county.”

Manfredi called for the vote, stressing that placing the full 0.5% EIT on the May ballot may not be necessary, but the board must approve two resolutions by Feb. 3 in case it is.

Board member Dan Berman voted against the resolution, saying he prefers waiting to put the issue on the November ballot.

Manfredi said McCaffrey would be providing additional information to help the board make a final decision. A special meeting was set for 6 p.m. Jan. 29.

Page 6

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Crestwood Drive Residents Oppose Oil Change Station Variance

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com

Nearly 20 Crestwood Drive residents packed the Middlefield Village Municipal Center council chambers Jan. 6 to urge the village Planning and Zoning Commission to deny an area variance for construction of an oil change station at the end of their street.

Crestwood Drive resident Mike Timas, chosen by neighbors to serve as spokesman, addressed the commission in opposition to the proposed development on a vacant corner lot on Crestwood Drive.

The 0.6-acre parcel at 15511 W. High Street, purchased by Middlefield Express LLC in 2023, has only 109 feet of frontage on W. High Street — short of the 150 feet required by village zoning code — according to Zoning Inspector John Boksansky.

Village Administrator Leslie McCoy said an area variance was granted in 1999 when the property was annexed into the village.

Village Solicitor Luke McConville confirmed such a variance runs with the property, not with the owner.

Deed Restriction Dispute

Timas argued the property is subject to a deed restriction limiting use to residential development.

The restriction dates to April 30, 1957, when a 10.5-acre parcel was subdivided into 16 lots of 0.75 acres each by John and Rose Musil and four other owners.

According to the agreement of restriction, which was shared with the Geauga County Maple Leaf, the parcels “shall be used exclusively for residential purposes.”

Last Tuesday, John Gerger, of Madison Village, told the commission that he and his father own three quick-change oil stations in the region and purchased the lot in 2023 with plans to build a fourth. According to the Geauga County Auditor’s website, they paid $94,000 for the property.

“That property was brought into the village knowing it doesn’t meet the 150-foot frontage requirement, whether Mr. Gerger was aware or not,” Timas said. “How can

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ANN WISHART/KMG

Middlefield Express LLC co-owner John Gerger explains during the Jan. 6 Middlefield Village Planning and Zoning Commission meeting his plans to develop a 0.6-acre corner lot at the north end of Crestwood Drive into a drive-through oil change station.

a property be taken and rezoned at a time when it didn’t meet the basic lot width?”

History of the Parcel

Commission member Dave Dietrich, a zoning expert, said Lot D — the northeast corner of the subdivision — was owned in 1999 by a person who intended to build a muffler shop and petitioned for annexation into the village of the approximately 0.65-acre lot.

Once the parcel was annexed, the village rezoned the lot from residential to general commercial, though the business was never built.

“1999 was a big year for that property,” Dietrich said in a phone interview Jan. 9.

McCoy reiterated at the Jan. 6 meeting that the narrow frontage was addressed at that time through a granted variance.

Legal Uncertainty & Court Action

Geauga County Court of Common Pleas records show Middlefield Express LLC issued summons in November to 33 Crestwood Drive residents as part of the deed restriction case.

McConville told the commission the village needs to further research the parcel’s annexation history and the status of ongoing litigation seeking to lift the deed restriction through a quiet title action.

“We need an understanding of where they are in court,” McConville said after a 30-minute discussion.

Garage from page 1

Trustee Brandon Davis, however, expressed concerns about potential unanticipated cost increases and questioned the location of the new garage and whether building it now is the best use of township resources.

The current garage is located at 8558 Parkside Drive. The new garage would be built at an angle on the front of the existing property, in front of the second garage building, which will remain, Trustee Craig Richter said Jan. 13.

Davis suggested the township consider combining the road garage project with other upcoming capital improvements, such as a new police station.

While more expensive up front, a combined project could reduce the need to relocate utilities near the police department in the future, Davis said.

“If the (township) is thinking of these projects, even if they are separated by a few

The planning and zoning commission agreed to table the variance application submitted by Middlefield Express LLC until its February meeting.

Commission Chair Scott Klein said records indicate the property is commercially zoned and the frontage variance was approved in 1999.

“What gets me is the deed restriction,” Klein said.

McConville responded that the commission has no authority to enforce a deed restriction, calling it a private matter that would have to be adjudicated in civil court.

“A deed restriction will trump zoning,” McConville said. “If a court enforces it, it would put the business at an end.”

He recommended delaying any action until the February meeting so he can review the status of the annexation and the litigation.

“There are a lot of interests to protect.

It’s premature to vote on the matter this evening,” McConville said.

The commission agreed to table the matter.

I challenge the annexation,” Sears said.

“Twenty-six years later, a great number of things have changed.”

Timas asked why the village annexed a residential property with deed restrictions then rezoned it in 1999. No public officials responded.

If the residents of Crestwood Drive contest the suit and the court finds in favor of the Gergers, residents would be responsible for court costs, Timas said.

Resident Mark Longrich said he wonders if the annexation was legitimate because Middlefield Township Trustees told him they have no record of agreeing to it.

“It is possible the annexation occurred in an adversarial manner between the village and the township,” McConville said.

In a phone interview Jan. 9, Timas said residents learned of the existing area variance only during the Jan. 6 meeting.

“That sort of blind-sided us,” he said.

“The village created this mess in the first place. I think the (planning and zoning) board has the opportunity to review this.”

Developer Weighs In

McConville’s recommendation followed several residents raising concerns.

Dale Sears Jr. said he grew up on Crestwood Drive and questioned the legality of the annexation, noting Middlefield Township has no record of an annexation agreement.

“Even if a variance was granted in 1999,

After the meeting, Gerger said via phone interview that he and his father operate drivethrough oil change operations in Ashtabula, Girard and Pennsylvania and were unaware of the deed restriction until they sought financing.

“It seems like there is a lot of baggage that goes along with that property,” Gerger said, adding he respects the residents’ opinions and wants to be a good neighbor.

They plan to break ground in the spring and open in November.

Gerger said the two bays and office are positioned above a basement that contains tanks into which oil flows. The business contracts with a company to collect the oil, he said, adding the operation does not require environmental permits and customers remain in their vehicles during service.

The most noise neighbors would hear would be from trash collection, Gerger said. “(Neighbors) are not even going to hear a compressor run,” he said.

Gerger proposed that when the basement is excavated, the material could be used to build mounds along the west and south property lines, with shrubs and grass planted to create a buffer against headlines.

“If that doesn’t work, we could build a fence,” he said.

years, then we should make decisions that are the best decisions when considering all those plans or projects,” Davis said Jan. 13.

“If we are relocating the police department possibly in (the) next several years, would it make more operational sense to have the road garage over there somewhere? Which might also reduce some of the underground utility work that needs to be done with the current road department drawings or design that was presented that evening.”

Purchase, however, emphasized Jan. 8 the structural issues with the current garage make it an immediate concern.

“This started four years ago because the building is so old that the roof has been caving in … and so all we know is that building is going to cave in and on top of our people or our equipment, so we gotta address it,” Purchase said. “This building's gotta get replaced.”

Roger Riachi, of App, agreed.

“From our perspective, why we went down that road (is) because we're not sure when the police station is going to happen,

number one. Number two, the existing (road garage) is literally falling apart and (a rebuild) was needed,” Riachi said. “So, from that perspective, yeah, I mean, if you want to look at an overall master plan, it makes sense (to combine them), but when is the police station project going to happen?”

Though the timeline of the police station project remains unknown, Davis still proposed the idea of putting the new garage closer to the station, at 12696 Opalocka Drive.

That part of the property has elevation issues, Mundy replied.

There would be a lot of stormwater and flooding problems if the road garage were moved toward the police station, Onyshko added.

Gindelberger said the firm would like to go out to bid for the project in March and asked trustees to come to a consensus before early next week.

App would then finalize the construction plans and bring them back to trustees for approval before going out to bid.

Residents Raise More Concerns

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Page 7

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Pickleball Courts Coming to Chardon Firm States Retail Growth in City is Strong

By Allison Wilson wilson@karlovecmedia.com The pickleball craze that has swept Geauga County in recent years will soon find a home in Chardon, as Chardon City Council approved an agreement with Chardon Schools Board of Education Jan. 8 to modify and use the school’s old tennis courts as pickleball courts.

“As you’re all aware, the school district is building new tennis courts on a different location on their property,” City Manager Ben Young explained to council. “So, they approached us (to see if we would) be interested in working with them to reuse the old tennis courts as pickleball courts.”

While the city had already been exploring its own pickleball court project, partnering with the school district will be cheaper and save taxpayers money for both entities, Young said.

Under the agreement, the city and school district will split the cost to convert the courts, with the city’s contribution capped at $35,000, Young said.

The district will be responsible for all maintenance, though the city will pay the district 5% of all program fees from recreation programs run on the courts as lease payment, he said.

In terms of scheduling, the courts will not be reservable by the public but will be open for public use as long as the schools are not using them, Young said.

The school district will have exclusive scheduling rights during the school year, council member Andrew Blackley said.

“For both me and (Chardon Superintendent Mike Hanlon), our vision was the only scheduled activities would be those being put on either by the school or by the city,” Young said. “Everything else would be first come, first used.”

Blackley raised concerns about how the scheduling policy may be handled by the public, while Vice Mayor Heather Means noted the rules are similar to the ones currently in place for the tennis courts.

Council should be prepared to create rules and regulations to administer court use, Blackley said, adding he would like to see residents receive priority over non-residents.

ALLISON WILSON/KMG

Michael Warsaw, representing Retail Strategies, updates Chardon City Council as to the state of retail in the city Jan. 8.

Council member Dan Meleski suggested posting the court rules on the property.

North Canton installed mountings on court fences where players place their rackets to show whose game is next, Young said, adding he does not believe the city currently allows reservations at its recreational facilities.

Parks and Recreation Director Adam Rogers would like to offer a mixed adult and children league, as many participants play pickleball with their kids, as well as an adult league and a senior tournament day, Young said.

Rogers also has access to the district’s facility booking software, allowing the city to submit booking requests during the school year, he said.

Chardon City Council unanimously passed the resolution.

Chardon Retail Growth Solid

In other business, Michael Warsaw, representing Alabama-based consulting firm Retail Strategies, provided council with an update on the state of retail in the city.

Nationally, retail vacancy rates remain low, meaning there is a limited supply of ex-

isting space, he said.

“The reason why that benefits a community like Chardon from our perspective is because it brings folks into the community who are looking for new opportunities, looking for new space, looking for new developments that otherwise might not have been led to this,” he said.

The city is well positioned heading into 2026, Warsaw said.

A sit-down restaurant is currently reviewing the local market and potential sites, he said.

“This started with conversations early on from the same brand about doing a small, basically a take-out format store for them and it expanded ultimately into now them reviewing the market to see if they can support a full-service restaurant,” Warsaw said. “This would be a probably 6,000-7,000-square-foot restaurant — somewhere in that window — that would serve lunch, dinner and reserve in the later evening, as well.”

Other brands reviewing potential sites include a hair salon group, national pizza brand, an Asian fusion concept and a national chicken restaurant concept, Warsaw said.

A national sports bar chain is also exploring opportunities on the city’s south side and a national bakery chain has shown some interest, he added.

Hospitality chains have provided positive feedback and Retail Strategies hopes to see further progress in that sector in 2026, Warsaw said.

When it comes to Chardon specifically, Warsaw said Retail Strategies has focused on retailers likely to remain in the community long term.

“A perfect example of that is your Chipotle. Your Chipotle has had, since it opened, somewhere in the region of 230,000 visits already,” he said. “It’s a stellar location, they are doing exceptionally well.”

While Warsaw will have a clearer performance picture after 12 months of operation, if the current trends continue, the restaurant could become one of the best-performing Chipotle locations in the state, he said.

While population thresholds are often a barrier for full-service restaurants, Warsaw said that obstacle may gradually evaporate as local residential development continues and businesses, such as Chipotle, find success.

Chardon City

Council Honors Outgoing Planning Commission Members Staff Report Chardon City Council recognized outgoing Chardon Planning Commission members Dean Peska and Colin Wantz Jan. 8, passing resolutions in each man’s honor.

Peska and Wantz served on the planning commission for nine and six years, respectively, making unselfish contributions that helped shape neighborhoods, business development and the city’s overall quality of life, the resolutions said. Council also expressed appreciation and thanks for their service.

Peska previously served on the Chardon Parks and Recreation Board and was instrumental in a variety of initiatives around the city, Mayor Chris Grau added.

“He’s a terrific person and we greatly

appreciate his time on planning commission and other endeavors,” he said.

Peska brought valuable insight to the board, said council member Dan Meleski, who also serves on the planning commission.

“That’s what unique about the commission is, different people have different backgrounds and bring different viewpoints and it’s helpful to have those rounded viewpoints to make decisions,” he said.

While Grau said he didn’t know Wantz as well as Peska, he noted Wantz’s experience in construction management.

“He was a civil engineer,” council member and planning commission Chair Andrew Blackley added. “As such, he had a great deal of experience in both site design and construction techniques and brought a very valu-

“We have a great community and (I am) very proud to say I am from Chardon.”

–Dean Peska able perspective to commission.”

He and Peska, who is a professional plumber, contributed to a strong and valuable commission, Blackley said.

Despite being incredibly busy, Wantz consistently made time to attend commission meetings and sought alternate solutions when helpful, Meleski said.

“They will be missed, both of them,”

Grau said.

While neither Peska nor Wantz attended the meeting, both later expressed gratitude to council and the city.

“I would like to take this moment to thank Chardon City Council and the residents of the city of Chardon for allowing me the privilege to serve them on the planning commission, as well as serving on the rec board some years back,” Peska said Jan. 12.

“We have a great community and (I am) very proud to say I am from Chardon.”

Wantz shared similar sentiments.

“My time on the planning commission was a great experience that I will hold onto for a long time,” he said. “I enjoyed working alongside the other volunteers and the various counsel members over the years.”

Page 8

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Auburn Township

Trustees Reject Quote on Town Hall Repairs, Ramp

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com Auburn Township Trustees delayed selecting a contractor to repair the historic Auburn Town Hall during their Jan. 5 meeting, citing the need for additional research into the scope of work proposed by two companies that submitted quotes.

The building was damaged in August when a vehicle ran off the road and struck the structure. Trustee PJ Cavanagh said the township has received an insurance check that will cover the cost of repairs.

“Our intention is to include a ramp to assist the entrance of handicapped or elderly individuals,” he said. “(The building) gets a lot of use.”

G.W. Construction, of Fremont, quoted the job at $23,000 plus $2,000 for plans, permitting and inspections, Cavanagh said.

He moved to accept the quote and Trustee Mike Troyan seconded the motion.

During discussion, Trustee Riley Davis objected to awarding the contract, citing multiple concerns.

“There is no scope of work from G.W. I’m uncomfortable with accepting (the quote),” he said.

Davis also noted the township did not advertise for bids on the project.

Cavanagh responded that bids are not required for repair projects.

The proposed ramp would be constructed

of concrete and asphalt, Cavanagh said.

Davis said he was concerned after speaking with a G.W. representative who told him the quote did not include a railing for the ramp.

Caves Construction, on East Washington Street, included railings for the ramp and additional options in its quote, which was about $2,400 less than G.W.’s, said Davis, who was elected trustee in November and took office last Monday.

“I discovered the quote was misread months ago. I wasn’t in a position to make a difference,” he said. “(Caves’) quote never changed. I confirmed on Friday they are still interested.”

Fiscal Officer Dan Matsko said G.W.’s initial quote had been discussed at a prior meeting and he believed the project would include an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp with railings.

“The (first) quote didn’t include the ADA ramp,” he said, adding when the quote came back with a ramp, he assumed it included a railing.

Troyan said he believed Caves was no longer interested in the project, but he also expressed concern about the G.W. proposal.

“How can you have an ADA ramp without railings?” he asked.

Cavanagh said trustees have several meetings scheduled before weather conditions would allow repair work and ramp construction to begin.

ANN WISHART/KMG

Auburn Township Trustee P.J. Cavanagh gestures during the trustees’ Dec. 5 meeting. Trustees postponed a decision regarding quotes on repairing the historic town hall and adding a ramp.

Also pictured are, from left, trustees Riley Davis and Mike Troyan and township Fiscal Officer Dan Matsko.

The motion to hire G.W. Construction failed with three “no” votes. Cavanagh said the issue was tabled.

During the remainder of the organizational meeting, trustees addressed additional matters.

Davis questioned why The News-Herald was used as the township’s publication of choice for legal advertising and suggested the Geauga County Maple Leaf and the Chagrin Valley Times were more locally focused.

Zoning Inspector Frank Kitko said zoning-related meetings must be advertised in a publication of general circulation.

“Sometimes, the zoning commission or board of zoning appeals has a rigid time frame that has to be followed,” he said, adding The News-Herald, which is a daily publication, is able to accommodate those meeting notices.

Troyan moved to amend the motion to include the Chagrin Valley Times, and the motion passed.

Geauga Bluecoats Donate State-of-the-Art K-9 Equipment

By Rose Nemunaitis editor@karlovecmedia.com Geauga County Bluecoats stand behind those who serve and protect the community.

Following a regional K-9 training event held in late October 2025 in collaboration with the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, the Bluecoats decided to further support training efforts by purchasing state-ofthe art tactical deployment systems for trainers and their K-9s.

Bluecoats, along with donors Chuck Longo and daughter Allie Longo, said they recognized the need for cutting-edge tactical equipment to ensure the future safety of officers and their K-9 partners. They purchased 10 tactical deployment systems, which combine modern engineering and field-tested functionality, from Tactical Deployment Systems in Cleveland.

The equipment was presented to the sheriff’s office K-9 unit and key tactical K-9 trainers in Northeast Ohio on Jan. 6 at Basil Place in Chardon.

“Bluecoats isn’t just about equipment or funding — it’s about showing tangible support, respect and gratitude to law enforcement officers and their families,” said Legacy Bluecoats member Allie, of Russell Township, a 2012 West Geauga High School graduate. “The organization ensures that support isn’t just symbolic — it’s meaningful and impactful. Being able to contribute in a meaningful way, especially here in Geauga County, is something we take great pride in.”

Geauga County Bluecoats is a charitable nonprofit 501(c)3 organization providing support for families of Geauga County safety forces who have lost their lives or become permanently disabled in the line of duty. The group also provides critical training for safety officers in Geauga County and northeastern Ohio.

ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG

Geauga County Bluecoats donate state-of-the-art tactical deployment systems to Geauga County Sheriff Office’s K-9 Unit and other key tactical K-9 trainers in Northeast Ohio during a presentation Jan. 6 at Basil Place in Chardon.

The donated equipment will improve safety and readiness, enhance community protection, and protect officers and K-9s, according to the organization. Each system includes a patented quick-release mechanism for instant deployment, a remote control system to improve operational control in dynamic situations, a protective sleeve for durability during apprehension and transport, and waterproof, rugged storage.

“Our canine teams respond to all of the serious situations that occur,” said Sgt. Jacob Smith said, leader of the sheriff’s office K-9 unit. “Our dogs are used to search buildings and residences where suspects can be concealed. They are used to track suspects who flee crime scenes. Our teams also handle the perimeter of scenes where the suspects may run from an unknown area of a home or building.

“During these times, the canines are normally connected to leashes,” he explained.

“Depending on the situation, this device will now permit the handler to release the canine

from the leash, give commands and continue to observe the suspect. We would like to express our gratitude to the Geauga County Bluecoats and the Longo family for their continued support of our office and the donation of the TDS.” Smith said the device saves handlers valuable time and allows them to stay focused on the rapidly changing dynamics of each call.

“During explosives detection, the canine is sent into areas that are difficult to access by the handler,” Smith said. “The leashes will get tangled on items and this takes a lot of time to fix. Now, the dog can be released and the leash is much easier to untangle and retract back into the leash handle.”

During the team’s weekly K-9 training, the TDS will be used to improve apprehension scenarios, providing multiple new training options for the unit, he said.

“My passion for donating this equipment comes from understanding how critical seconds and safety are in high-risk situations, as well as my lifelong passion and love for

animals,” Allie said. “These canine tactical deployment systems are life-saving tools— not just for the K-9s, but for the officers who rely on them. K-9s are often sent into dangerous environments first and they deserve the same level of protection and advanced technology as their human partners. Having advanced, reliable equipment can make a lifesaving difference.”

Allie said she and her father have been involved with the Bluecoats since its inception.

Bluecoats Secretary Anne Jackson honored them by giving Allie awards following the demonstration.

“This will help save officers’ lives and K-9s lives,” Jackson said. “We are so honored that the Longos were kind enough to say this needs to be done.”

Allie added, “This mission is deeply important to both of us because it directly supports the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our See Bluecoats • Page 9

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Page 9

Newbury Trustees Begin New Year with Several Action Items

By Emma MacNiven macniven@karlovecmedia.com Newbury Township Trustees announced they will begin holding trustees meetings at the Newbury Fire Station starting Jan. 21 due to capacity changes and structural concerns at the town hall.

Trustees voted Dec. 3 to reduce the occupancy limit on the first floor of the town hall from 48 people to 20 after receiving a concerning structural report from Fenton Engineering, of Uniontown. The firm conducted a structural study of the building in November and reported damage within the structure.

Newbury Township Board of Zoning Appeals meetings eventually will be held at the fire station, as well, added Trustee Greg Tropf.

In other business, Fire Chief Ken Fagan presented a report stating the contract with Newbury Township Fire Department has increased by $50,000 for services this year and the contract will be up for renewal in March.

“It was $1,090,000 and we're asking for $1,114,000,” he said. “Our board is currently doing their budgeting (and) we could use a little bit more (money). We still have a couple more employees to hire, we have a new squad that's coming this year that we have to pay off once we get it and, generally, we have an increase in repairs.”

Carly Sayre also hit the ground running at her first meeting as trustee, raising several action items for the board’s consideration.

She noted the township’s website does not contain recent board of zoning appeals meeting minutes and expressed a desire to see that changed.

“The (Newbury Township Zoning Commission) and the BZA don't have meeting

Bluecoats from page 8

community. Supporting local law enforcement has always been important to our family and Bluecoats provides a direct way to give back to the officers and families who serve our community every day.”

Devices were donated to officers from multiple local departments following the sheriff’s office K-9 unit presentation, including Euclid, Lyndhurst, Lorain, South Euclid, Solon and Mayfield Heights police departments, to ensure broader coverage and impact throughout the county.

“This is the largest group of officers to receive these devices at once,” Allie said. “This donation is about more than equipment — it’s about standing behind those who protect our community. I want readers to understand that supporting law enforcement doesn’t have to be abstract — it can be direct, practical and lifesaving. When we invest in modern equipment and resources, we’re investing in the safety of our officers, their families and our entire community.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Geauga County Bluecoats for their continued commitment to ensuring our law enforcement officers have the tools they need to do their jobs safely, making these donations possible, and for continuing to stand behind those who serve and protect,” Allie added. “I’m honored to be part of an organization that turns support into real, lifesaving action.”

EMMA MACNIVEN/KMG

From left, Fiscal Officer Lindsay Pollock, Newbury Township Trustees Dave Lair, Greg Tropf and Carly Sayre discuss plans for hosting the upcoming Geauga County Trustees Association dinner Jan. 7.

minutes on the website from the last five years,” she added.

Sayre also raised the idea of recording trustees meetings and having them accessible on the township’s website.

“We have the recording device that we put on the table (for BZA meetings),” Tropf said. “(Those) meetings are all recorded.”

However, the recordings have not been uploaded to the website since 2023, he added.

Zoning Secretary Amy Lydan said she has been digitizing BZA minutes and will send them to website liaison Hugh Cassidy to be uploaded online.

Lastly, Sayre suggested reviewing the lease for the former Newbury School property.

“When I was looking at the contract for the lease — I think it requires a three-year request to renew and I don’t know if we are

approaching (that)?” Sayre asked.

Tropf confirmed the three-year mark for the lease is this year.

“We definitely need to discuss things with (the property) for sure,” Trustee Dave Lair added.

The trustees decided to table the conversation for a later date. They will meet again at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Newbury fire station, 11111 Kinsman Road.

Page 10

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, January 15, 2026

SUBMITTED

Geauga County Commissioner Carolyn Brakey, left, swears in Brandon Davis at Chester Township Town Hall Dec. 29. Also pictured are his children Mabel, 10, James, 12, and Cora, 7. Not pictured are his children Arlie, 2, and Millie, 9.

Davis Sworn In as New Chester Township Trustee Staff Report A lake-effect snow warning did not keep Geauga County residents away Dec. 29, as a standing-room-only crowd gathered at Chester Township Town Hall for the swearing in of newly-elected Trustee Brandon Davis.

Geauga County Commissioner Carolyn Brakey advised Davis to write down his “why” for serving as a trustee before swearing him in.

“She recommended (having) this notecard handy to reference when times may become tough as local government is the most front-line form of government,” Davis said in a statement.

Brakey administered the oath of office

as Davis’ daughter, Mabel Davis, held the Bible.

“One thing I have learned in life is that there is often one person at the microphone, one person on the ballot, one person in the seat, but in life, and especially politics and governing, it is a team sport and that one person is just a representative of a team,” he said Dec. 29. “I may be that one person in this case, but I am simply the one person representing a big team: Chester. I learned years ago from (former U.S. Sen.) George Voinovich that local government is about rolling up your sleeves, solving problems, working to do more with less and delivering results at the best value you can. That’s what I look forward to doing — getting to work.”

S P O RT S

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Page 11

Geauga County Maple Leaf

WWW.GEAUGAMAPLELEAF.COM/SPORTS

Tigers Use Fast Start to Outlast Badgers

By Cameron Palmer sports@karlovecmedia.com Chagrin Falls stayed squarely in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title race Jan 9, using sharp ball movement and disciplined team defense to pull out a 37-32 road win over Berkshire.

The Friday night victory left the Tigers locked in a four-team logjam at the top of the division with Rootstown, Crestwood and Berkshire, each now carrying two conference losses.

“There were times we had two or three freshmen on the floor, and their ability to handle this pressure was outstanding, and it goes to show the work they’ve been putting in,” said Chagrin Falls Head Coach Brittany Anderson Laseak. “This division is a freaking gauntlet, and every game is important.”

Chagrin Falls wasted little time establishing control. Avery Russell opened the night with a 3-pointer as the Tigers surged to a 7-0 lead. Abby Kay followed with a transition jumper and later set up Zoe Thompson for a basket, helping Chagrin Falls take an 11-4 advantage after one quarter.

The Tigers extended that momentum in the second. Gabby Byrne converted an and-one opportunity early in the period and later found Russell cutting to the basket for a layup, sending Chagrin Falls into halftime with an 18-9 lead.

Chagrin Falls continued to dictate tempo coming out of the break. Olivia Kruse connected with Byrne on a cut for a basket, Daisy Adelman knocked down a long two, and the Tigers pushed the lead to 24-13.

Berkshire responded behind Stella Bateman, who scored twice to keep the Badgers within reach at 29-19 heading into the final quarter.

Berkshire made its final push late. Savannah Smith drained a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 31-25, but Russell answered with

a timely triple of her own, reestablishing a comfortable cushion and helping the Tigers close out the win.

“We came to play, and it feels really good to win,” Coach Laseak said. “It’s a great facility, and we had to focus on Berkshire, who’s a really talented team that is great at home. I appreciate their focus at practice this week, along with their mental toughness. I thought our girls did a phenomenal job, and I’m really proud of them.”

With the standings still tightly packed, every remaining conference game carries major implications.

“We have to keep our energy up, work hard in practice, and take that into every game for a full 32 minutes,” Russell said.

“We’ve talked about that a lot because we’ve had so many close games, and we’re willing to play the full 32 minutes because we want (to win the conference).”

Russell led all scorers with 18 points. Byrne finished with six points and two steals, while Kruse posted five points, 12 rebounds, three steals and a block. Kay added four points, six steals and four assists.

Despite the loss, Berkshire remains focused on the road ahead.

“We control our own destiny, and we still have to play Crestwood and Rootstown,” said Berkshire Head Coach Dave Albert. “We talk in practice every day, taking it one possession at a time. Whether we’re up or down, it’s one possession at a time.”

Offensive execution is key, Albert said, as the Badgers have struggled to sustain runs.

“We needed to be more patient tonight,” Coach Albert said. “We tried to force too many things, and even when we pushed the ball, we needed to have patience finding the right shot selections.

“We can’t force things into a panic and rush shots, which we did tonight. It’s just a matter of running the offense and getting

BILL FUGATE/KMG

Chagrin Falls Avery Russell scored 18 points in her Tigers’ 37-32 road win against Berkshire.

into positions so we can run our plays.”

Bateman paced Berkshire with eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Ivy Martin and Julia Young each scored five

points, and Blythe Bors added four.

Chagrin Falls would return to action Jan. 14 at home against Rootstown, with Berkshire hosting Wickliffe that same night.

Page 12

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Lions Hockey Remain Undefeated in Conference

By Alan Kornspan sports@karlovecmedia.com After a ten day break from competition, the NDCL Lions Hockey team returned to the ice on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10. First, the Lions traveled to Cleveland Heights on Jan. 9 and defeated the Tigers 2-1.

Then, on Jan. 10, the Lions celebrated senior night at Mentor Ice Arena with a 9-1 win over the Lakewood Rangers.

With the victories, the Lions remained undefeated at 8-0 (9-3-1 overall) in the Blue South Division of the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League.

To remain unblemished, the Lions rose to the occasion in challenging circumstances on Jan. 9 against the Tigers.

In fact, the last three minutes of the contest were a whirlwind.

After 42 minutes of scoreless defensive hockey, Lions’ senior captain Colin Krajnak got his team on the scoreboard with 2:59 left in the game.

Trailing 1-0, the Tigers kept the intensity high in the final three minutes as they tried to get the equalizer goal and send the game into overtime.

The Tigers’ Brandon West scored the game-tying goal with just 13 seconds left to tie the score at 1-1.

Looking like this division battle would head to overtime, Lions standout sophomore Nic Davis got an assist from Krajnak after the face-off, raced down the left side of the ice and then found the back of the net with just 8 seconds left to propel the Lions to a 2-1 victory.

ALAN KORNSPAN/KMG

NDCL’s Klara Stergar helped her Lions defeat Lakewood 9-1 Jan. 10.

“We won it back (after the face-off), and I saw that the left side was open,” Davis said.

“And then I just decided, (there was little time left), so I went down and shot a 5-hole and it barely got through. Then we held it and got the win.”

Taking the momentum to Jan. 10, the Lions took a 1-0 lead over the Rangers with 1:25 left in the first period when sophomore Josh Hollobaugh scored unassisted.

“The goalie went over to one side, and I tapped it in,” Hollobaugh said.

Looking like it might be a low scoring, intense contest after one period, the Lions had other ideas.

During the intermission between the first and second period, Hollobaugh emphasized that Coach Abood stressed playing at a faster pace and with more intensity during the second period.

Added Davis, “(Coach) said really go on their defense hard, they were really slow on their defense, so I realized that.”

Heeding Coach Abood's message, the Lions took over the game in the second period.

In fact, they scored four goals in the first seven minutes after intermission as they took a commanding 5-1 lead over the Rangers with 8:09 left in the period.

The Lions then added two more goals in

the final three minutes of the second period to take a 7-1 lead.

Scoring three of the Lions six goals in the second period was Davis.

Davis has been the Lions leading goal scorer throughout the season. In 13 games played Davis has 19 goals.

“Nic is a leader on and off the ice,” Coach Abood said. “He is just always trying to make his teammates better.”

See Hockey • Page 13

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Page 13

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Quick Start Propels Wolverines to Victory

By Alan Kornspan sports@karlovecmedia.com In basketball, many consider the last two minutes of a contest to be the most important part of the game. However, that is not always the case.

Basketball coaches, like leaders in all team sports, often consider every offensive possession important whether it is at the beginning, middle, or end of the game. Thus, coaches are always trying to get players to play confidently, stay in the present, and to focus on the process rather than worrying about outcome or results.

For the West Geauga Wolverines Boys Basketball Team, an excellent, confident start to their game against the Orange Lions on Jan. 9 at the Wolverana proved to loom large.

Commencing with a fast and furious start, the West Geauga Wolverines Boys Basketball team quickly took a 10-0 advantage to begin the game.

After that point, midway through the first quarter, both teams scored 27 points each as the Wolverines took a 37-27 lead into the final quarter.

Although the Lions cut the lead down to seven points early in the 4th quarter, the Wolverines responded by stretching the lead back out to 13 points as they claimed a 51-38 victory.

Clearly, a key to the victory over the Lions was the Wolverines’ excellent start.

When asked about their energy coming into the contest, senior Mason Pesho said that the team was highly motivated to play the Lions, a CVC conference rival. He expressed that the team was excited for the game since they believed they did not perform as well as they could have in their first matchup with the Lions.

“The players brought all the energy, they knew this was a big game,” Pesho said. “We wanted to get this win really badly and we just brought the energy.”

Pesho said that the game plan, which was to play hard, corresponded with the momentum to start the contest.

“That losing streak, we didn’t play our best basketball, we didn’t play hard enough, so we knew we had to come out and play (with energy),” Pesho said.

Hockey

from page 12 In addition to being a great scorer, Coach Abood emphasized that Davis is an excellent passer as well.

Involved directly in five out of the six goals in the second period, Davis assisted on goals by Nicolas Rosca and Krajnak.

In the third period against the Rangers, the Lions added two additional goals to make the final score 9-1. Scoring for the Lions in the third period were Hollobaugh and Krajnak.

In discussing his team's performance on Jan. 10, Coach Abood said that the Lions came in to the contest highly motivated to play well for the seniors.

“I think they did it for the seniors,” Coach Abood said. “We have two seniors on the team, Klara Stergar and Colin Krajnak, and we really bonded this game because they wanted to make sure that we did win on senior night.”

Coach Abood said that the Lions demon-

Sophomore Luke Ottman also noted the importance of the Wolverines’ excellent intensity to begin the game.

Ottman, who led the Wolverines with 15 points, said the Wolverena atmosphere with an energetic student section and a recent losing streak were some of the motivating factors in his team’s strong performance against the Lions.

“We just came out (hard), the student section showed out,” Ottman said. “We had to play hard, we were (4-6), we just have to keep battling, and we got to keep stacking wins together in order to still have a shot at a conference championship.”

Coach Young was also happy with how his Wolverines squad began the game.

“I thought our guys did a good job of setting the tone early, getting to that 10-0 lead, and playing hard from there,” Coach Young said. “We didn’t play perfectly, we are never going to, but we played hard and that’s what I wanted to see.”

Coach Young continued, “(The plan was) if we could come out and dominate those first four minutes, which we did, we were going to set ourselves up for the rest of the game. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Helping the Wolverines start well in the first quarter was sophomore Luke Ottman.

“This was really his first game where he kind of broke out, he played very confidently, (and) hit some good shots,” Coach Young said.

To help Ottman come into the game confident, Coach Young used a positive approach.

“We are always trying to make our guys confident,” Coach Young said. “Even when they (have trouble shooting the ball), always move on to the next play, always just play, play, play. I told Luke before the game, just go out there play confident, you’re a very good player.”

And Ottman responded by leading the Wolverines to victory.

Not only did Ottman start the game strong with 8 first half points, he also hit a clutch three point shot in the fourth quarter to break the Lions momentum.

After the Wolverines took a 26-11 lead into halftime, the Lions outscored the home team 16-11 in the third quarter.

With the Lions trying to make a strong strated team chemistry by passing and communicating well.

“I was happy by the way the kids passed,” Coach Abood said. “I was very happy with the way they selected their shooting and how they talked tonight. They were really communicating very well. It was a collective effort.”

For the game against the Rangers, the Lions were led by Davis (6 points - 3 goals, 3 assists), Hollobaugh (3 points - 2 goals, 1 assist) Krajnak (3 points - 2 goals, 1 assist), Rosca (2 points - 1 goal, 1 assist), Wyatt Clemens Basham (2 points - 1 goal, 1 assist), Anthony Golden (1 point - 1 assist) and Luis Enrique Heredia (1 point - 1 assist).

With the Lions playing great, senior captains Stergar and Krajnak are excited about the rest of the season ahead.

“I am definitely looking forward to try to get into that Baron Cup spot and then try to get far in the playoffs,” Stergar said.

Added Krajnak, “We're obviously a very young team, but we haven't been to the Baron Cup in my four years here and that's something I've always had my eyes on. I think this year we have a really good group to do it.”

ALAN KORNSPAN/KMG

West Geauga’s Cooper Paskowski scored eight points in the Wolverines’ 51-38 win over Orange.

comeback, Coach Young told his team between the third and fourth quarter to slow the pace down and stay confident.

“Orange kind of had the momentum going into the fourth,” Young said. “They outscored us 16-11 in the third quarter. They had the momentum, they were getting up and down.

(I told them), ‘We need to slow down and play with confidence’.”

The Lions started the fourth quarter by quickly cutting the lead down to seven points with 6:54 left in the game.

However, after an early fourth quarter timeout, Ottman heeded Coach Young’s words of advice to play with confidence. He then responded by knocking down a three pointer to

push the Wolverines lead back out to ten.

“I caught it, I was wide open, I knew I had to shoot it,” Ottman said.

As Ottman caught the ball with a feeling of high self-efficacy, he knew he was a good shooter.

“I’m a good shooter, the season has been kind of up and down shooting,” Ottman said.

“But shooters shoot and it just felt great to knock it down. It was a huge momentum shift.

It started the run that we then went on.”

For the game the Wolverines were led offensively by Ottman (15 points), Vince Vecchio (10), Cooper Paskowski (8), Tyler Fink (8), Mason Pesho (5), Finn Keenan (3) and Ryan Mobley (2).

Notre Dame Wins CYO Title

SUBMITTED

Members of the Notre Dame sixth-grade boys CYO basketball team celebrate after winning the Mater Dei Christmas Classic and Mayhem Tournament championship Jan. 9 with a 35–16 victory over St. Anselm. Team members include Will Bauer, Grayden Mucciarone, Andrew Wroblesky, Simon Lateulere, Nicolas Janus, Ethan Hensch, Stone Hastings, Oliver Wroblesky and Ryan Schapel, with coaches Brian Janus, Mike Mucciarone and John Lateulere.

Page 14

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Obituaries Scott Alan Hewitt

Scott Alan Hewitt, 70, of Chardon, Ohio, passed away peacefully Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at Mapleview Country Villa in Chardon.

He was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, on Aug. 17, 1955, to the late Gordon S. and Margaret E. (nee Wilber) Hewitt.

Scott was named after two of his father’s service buddies who died in World War II. Scott was a retired carpenter after spending many years working at Rogers Displays in Mentor, Ohio. His passion was restoring and building vintage motocross motorcycles. He was co-owner of Oden/Hewitt Racing Team and a two-time national champion in the 50+ vintage motocross.

Scott was also a member of the Fairport Rod and Reel Club and owner of Hammertime Charters, based out of Fairport, Ohio.

Scott enjoyed fishing, hunting, motocross racing and all Westerns, especially “Gunsmoke.” He also looked forward to Friday nights of Chardon football.

Scott will be greatly missed by his son, Mitch (Gail) Hewitt; sister, Karen Hewitt; grandchildren, Caleb, Briella, Colton and Jericho; his loving companion and girlfriend of the past 10 years, Susan Toncar; his support cat, Bubba; and four nieces, two nephews and many friends.

A private interment will be held at East Trumbull Cemetery, Trumbull Township, Ohio, at a later date.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Best Funeral Home, 15809 Madison Road, Middlefield, Ohio, 440-632-0818. Online condolences may be sent at www.bestfunerals.com.

Mary Ann Skiba

Mary Ann Skiba passed away peacefully at home on Dec. 4, 2025, at 89 years old.

She was born on Nov. 1, 1936.

Mary Ann, a lifelong resident of Chardon, Ohio, was a treasured daughter to Kazmer and Sophie Skiba and sister to Delores (Gene) Moody and Frances (Bill) Hupp. She played a pivotal role in the lives of her nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved as if they were her own.

For 40 incredible years, Mary Ann dedicated her professional life to caring for mothers and newborns in the OB department at Geauga Hospital.

Mary Ann found joy in the simple pleasures of gardening and being outdoors. Her hands, often soiled with earth, cultivated not just plants but also the seeds of friendship and community. She shared her love for travel with family and friends, exploring new places and creating memories that would last a lifetime.

As we bid farewell to Mary Ann Skiba, we celebrate a life beautifully lived and a soul that enriched the lives of many. Though she may be gone from our sight, her spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those who were blessed to know her.

A visitation will be held on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, from 5-7 p.m., at Burr Funeral Home, 116 South St., Chardon, followed by a memorial mass on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at 11 a.m., at the Church of St. Mary, 401 North St., Chardon.

Arrangements are entrusted to Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.burrservice.com.

Mary Louise Mackow

Mary Louise Mackow, age 83, of Chester Township, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Jan. 6, 2026.

Born on Jan. 4, 1943, in Saginaw Mich., Mary lived a life marked by intelligence, creativity and quiet determination.

After completing her college education, Mary moved to Cleveland, Ohio, to pursue a career in computer software—a bold step for her time. She later established her own business, developing complex programming for many of Cleveland’s major companies. Through her work, Mary earned the respect of her peers and clients alike for her brilliance and dedication.

Beyond her professional achievements, Mary found joy in simple pleasures. She loved the ocean, tending her garden, baking and spending time with her loved ones.

Mary is survived by her children, Tim Mackow, Laurie Apple, Cindy Mackow; and her grandchildren, Tyler Apple, Danielle Apple and Austin Mackow.

To honor Mary’s request no services will be held. Arrangements are entrusted to Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service.

Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.burrservice.com.

Gloria Mae Diederich

Gloria Mae Diederich (nee Fontanelle), age 89, of Burton, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Jan. 4, 2026.

She was born on Nov. 20, 1936, in Geauga County, Ohio, to Benjamin and Dorothy Fontanelle (née Bartholomew).

Gloria was a very sweet and gentle soul who preferred a quiet life and never made enemies. Known affectionately by her nickname, “Chee Chee,” she touched the lives of those around her with her kindness, humility and steady presence.

She was a devoted animal lover and could almost always be found with Animal Planet playing on the television, enjoying the companionship and comfort animals brought her.

Family meant everything to Gloria. Family gatherings were often held at her home so that everyone could come to her, a reflection of how deeply she valued togetherness.

Despite enduring the heartbreaking loss of both of her sons, Michael and Donnie, Gloria maintained a strong and fortuitous outlook on life, meeting hardship with quiet strength and grace.

She also cherished traveling with her

beloved sister June, as the two journeyed together across the country, creating treasured memories along the way.

Gloria is survived by her sister Connie (Alfred) DiBiase; her best friends, Joanne (Larry) Greenlee and Shirley (Tom) Mahoney; her nieces and nephews, Paula (Gregg) Davis, Bruce William Miller, Patty Kovacic, Veronica Kovacic and Andrew Kovacic; and many loving members of the Bartholomew family of Middlefield.

She was preceded in death by her sons, Michael and Donnie Diederich; her parents, Benjamin and Dorothy Fontanelle; her brother, Benjamin Fontanelle; and her sisters, Janet Kovacic and June (Glenn) Frost.

Gloria will be remembered for her gentle heart, quiet strength and the love she gave so freely to her family, friends and animals. Her presence will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Chardon, Ohio. Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.burrservice.com.

Catherine M. Johnson

Catherine “Kay” M. Johnson, age 88, of Bonita Springs, Fla., passed away peacefully on Jan. 4, 2026, at her residence following an extended illness.

Kay was born on Nov. 19, 1937, in Kenton, Ohio, a daughter of the late Thomas and Ruby (née Hines) Mulligan. She spent much of her life in Ohio before becoming a winter resident of Bonita Springs in 1985, when she and her husband purchased their home in Bonita Bay. In 2005, Bonita Springs became her permanent home.

Kay was a graduate of Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business.

She was dedicated to service and generously volunteered at Geauga County Hospital.

After relocating to Florida, she was a member of Bay Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs and participated in the church’s Bible study group. Kay also greatly enjoyed investing and spending time with her friends through an investment group.

She is survived by her loving husband, Joe L. Johnson; her two daughters, Tracey L. Sabransky and her husband, Ken, of Russell Township, Ohio, and Karen S. Johnson, of Palm City, Fla.; her two cherished granddaughters, Kelly Sabransky and Amy Sabransky; and her sister, Margaret Renshler and her husband, Ken, of Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to her parents, Kay was preceded in death by six brothers and sisters.

A visitation and service was held Jan. 12, 2026, at Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home, 28300 Tamiami Trail South, Bonita Springs, Fla.., with Pastor Patrick Womack of Bay Presbyterian Church officiating.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorial donations in memory of Catherine be made to the Cure PSP at www.PSP.org.

To sign her guest register or to leave online condolences please visit www.ShikanyFuneralHome.com. Arrangements are being handled by Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home, family owned and operated since 1978.

Janet Carol Kurapka

Janet Carol Kurapka, age 92 of Chardon, Ohio, passed away Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in her apartment at Maplewood at Chardon.

Janet grew up in Medina, Ohio, and graduated from Spencer High School. She moved to Cleveland to work in the offices at Lamson and Sessions. She met Bruno, got married in 1959 and moved to Avon to raise a family. Then later moved to Newbury Township, Ohio, where the family had many vegetable gardens and sometimes raised a few ducks, geese and chickens. Janet made many wonderful meals, desserts and birthday cakes for the family.

Janet enjoyed shopping at garage sales, sewing, crocheting, playing women’s volleyball (Newbury Joint Recreation Board) and volunteering at the Sunshine Shop (Geauga County Department of Human Services) in Burton, Ohio. She loved to kid around and truly enjoyed a good sing-along. She was a lifelong Cleveland baseball fan, always ready to cheer on the Indians/Guardians every season.

Janet is preceded in death by her husband, Bruno Kurapka; daughter Patricia (Ray) Laubenthal; brother Richard (Beverly) Hall; and parents, George and Florence (nee Snyder) Hall.

She is survived by her brother Leonard (Mary) Hall; children, Duane (Jeanne) Kurapka, Carol (Roland) Sever and Cathy Kurapka; grandchildren, Ryan Laubenthal, Julia Laubenthal and Steven (Becca) Laubenthal; and great-grandchildren, Rien and Miles.

Services have already been held with the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Hospice of the Western Reserve (https://www.hospicewr. org/give); the Holden Forest and Gardens (https://holdenfg.org/); or Maplewood at Chardon (440-285-3300) Arrangements are entrusted to Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.burrservice.com.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Page 15

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Obituaries Max Hamilton Wachob

Max Hamilton Wachob, of Hambden Township, Ohio, passed away peacefully on Jan. 8, 2026.

Known affectionately by his family as “Hammie,” Max was a devoted husband, cherished father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He lived a long and adventurous life marked by integrity, courage, humor and deep love for his family.

Max was born on April 28, 1937, in Bells Mills, Pa., to Charles and Mary (nee Parr) Wachob. In 1941, the family moved to Punxsutawney, Pa., where Max was raised as the ninth of 10 children.

He was preceded in death by his siblings Betty, Fred, Sue, Ed, Harry, Kearney and Shirley, and is joyfully reunited with them.

He is survived by his siblings Sally and Paul (Peggy).

After graduating from high school in Punxsutawney, Max proudly enlisted in the United States Navy in June of 1956. He served four years of active duty and received specialized training in San Diego, Calif., as an Interior Communications Electrician (IC). In this role, he worked extensively with electrical, electronic and communications systems, including gyros, compasses and projectors aboard submarines.

Max was assigned to the USS Orion (AS18), a Fulton-class submarine tender, and during his service traveled to ports including St. Thomas, San Juan and Roosevelt Roads.

He was honorably discharged in 1960.

Following his military service, Max settled in Chardon, Ohio, where he began a 36-year career with the Chardon Telephone Company. Additionally, he proudly served his community as a police officer for 25 years with the Chardon Police Department, retiring as Sergeant of the Specials in 1987. Finally, Max proudly achieved a 60-year tenure as a Mason of the Burton F. & A. M. Lodge #274 and the F.O.P Lodge #16.

In April of 1963, Max met the love of his life, Sandra “Sandy” Zamer. They were married and shared 62 devoted years together, building a close-knit and loving family.

Max is survived by his beloved wife, Sandy; his sons, Eric (Jennifer) and Brian (Amy); grandchildren, Mallory Dolan (Brett), Dillon (Liza), Jax (Kayla) and Mackenzie; and great-grandchildren, Avery, Emery and Henry, all of whom brought him immense pride and joy.

Max truly embraced life and found joy in each day. He was always willing to lend a hand, share his time or put his talents to use for others. He was known for cooking for a crowd—especially his clam bake—his love of camping and travel, reading and watching classic westerns, particularly Gunsmoke. Annual family reunions in Punxsutawney were among his most treasured traditions.

Above all, Max will be remembered as a family-first man, a lover of beer, generous with extra dashes of pepper on every meal and a lovable prankster who delighted in making others laugh.

The family takes comfort in knowing that Max is now at peace, reunited with loved ones, likely playing cards, sharing stories and enjoying a cold beer as he reminisces on a life well lived.

A visitation and service were held Jan. 14, 2026, at Burr Funeral Home. Burial immediately followed at Hambden Township Cemetery, 9891 Old State Road, Hambden.

Arrangements are entrusted to Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.burrservice.com.

Bulletin Board For-profit and nonprofit organizations or groups will need to purchase a paid advertisement for an event anytime tickets are sold, a fee is charged or a freewill donation is taken. If an organization or group does not wish to buy an ad to promote their event and connect with our readers, Karlovec Media Group will print a simple liner-type ad identifying the event, date/time/place and a number to call for more information.

Email submissions to: cbb@karlovecmedia.com

Pickleball Info Meeting

Jan. 17, 2:30-4 p.m.

A pickleball information meeting will be held at the Geauga West Library for new, first-time and experienced players. Topics will include where new players can learn and play, league play, youth and adult tournaments, rules of the game, future court goals and updates from the West Geauga Pickleball Club.

Audubon Hosts Avian Flu Update

Delores Mae McNish

Delores “Dee” Mae McNish was born on July 7, 1939, in West Virginia to Sherman and Ida (nee Parsons) Williams. She moved to Newbury Township, Ohio, while in the third grade and went on to graduate in 1957, where she was proud to be a cheerleader.

Following high school, Dee pursued a career in nursing, completing post-graduate training at Mount Sinai Hospital and Case Western Reserve University. She served as class president at Mount Sinai, a reflection of her natural leadership.

Dee began her nursing career at Geauga Hospital, where she worked from 1960 to 1980. From 1980 until her retirement in 2014, she served as Director of Nursing at four nursing homes, including her time with CareCorp, an experience she greatly valued.

Dee married the love of her life, Richard “Dick” McNish, in 1960. Together they shared many years of partnership and community involvement until Dick’s passing in 2007.

She was a devoted mother to her three sons, Daniel, Kenneth and Scott, and a proud grandmother and great-grandmother. Dee is also fondly remembered by her many nieces and nephews.

Community service was central to Dee’s life. She was actively involved in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, alongside her brother Gene, and served as a 4-H advisor for many years, earning the Outstanding Advisor Award from the state of Ohio. She was also deeply involved in girls’ baseball for many years.

Dee was a creative spirit and entrepreneur, co-owning three craft shops in Chardon with her dear friend Elaine Young, with plenty of help from their husbands and children. She also had a lifelong love of square dancing, actively participating with the Greasy Hubs.

Dee and Dick served as club presidents for many years and she proudly coached 4-H square dance groups that won the state competition three times—an achievement that brought her immense joy and pride.

Dee lived a full and meaningful life, grounded in family, service, leadership and friendship. As she often believed—life is good.

Arrangements are entrusted to Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.burrservice.com.

Jan. 20, 7 p.m.

Blackbrook Audubon will host a free public program on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at Penitentiary Glen Reservation in Kirtland. Wildlife biologist Caleb Wellman, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will provide an update on the spread of avian influenza in Ohio and discuss biosecurity measures to help protect wild birds, poultry farms and backyard flocks. All are welcome to attend. Registration is not required.

For more information, email blackbrookaud@aol.com.

Storytelling Live

Jan. 22, 6–8 p.m.

The Chardon Toastmasters and Western Reserve Toastmasters will partner with Beans Coffee Shop & Bistro to present an evening of live storytelling.

Trained Toastmasters members will share inspirational and humorous stories during the second annual storytelling night at Beans.

The program is free and open to the public. Desserts will be provided by members, and the coffee bar will be open for purchase. Reservations are appreciated by calling or texting 440-228-8458. Walk-ins are welcome as space permits.

How Ohio Laws Are Made

Jan. 22, 6:30-8 p.m.

The League of Women Voters of Geau-

ga will host a free public program, “How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse,” at the Bainbridge Library, 17222 Snyder Road. Guest speaker Rachel Coyle will explain how bills are introduced, sponsored, heard and passed in the Ohio Statehouse, as well as the factors that influence legislative outcomes.

The nonpartisan program is open to the public, and admission is free. Registration is required by visiting www.lwvgeauga. org.

Maple Syrup Workshops

Jan. 24 Maple Producers of NE Ohio will host two workshops at Sugar Valley Maple Farm in Middlefield.

Backyard Maple Syrup will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will cover the essential steps for making maple syrup, from tree tapping to boiling down sap into finished syrup.

Home Maple Confections Workshop will be held from 1:30-4:30 p.m. and will focus on the basics of making maple candy, maple-coated nuts, maple cream and maple sugar.

Registration for one or both workshops is available at MPNEOH.com.

GCRTA Luncheon

Feb. 3, 11:15 a.m.

The Geauga County Retired Teachers Association will meet at Brown Barn Tavern, 10700 Mayfield Road in Chardon. Social time will be followed by the business meeting at 11:30 a.m. and a smoked pulled pork lunch at noon. The Kenston High School Varsity Jazz group will provide entertainment following the meal.

For information and reservations, contact Judy Miller at 440-487-4324 no later than Jan. 25.

Please bring paper products or canned goods for the Geauga County Hunger Task Force. Consider bringing a retired teacher, school personnel or a guest to the meeting.

Geauga SWCD Holds Poster Contest Submitted The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has proclaimed April 25 through May 6, 2026, as Stewardship Week, marking the 71st year of the national event. In celebration, Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring a poster contest with the theme, “Soil.

Where it all Begins.”

The purpose of the contest is to encourage in youth a connection to the important benefit of protecting soil and water resources.

The contest is open to all students in grades K-12 from public, private or home school settings. The 2026 theme must be included. Digital entries are open to grades 7-12 only. Posters must measure 11-by-17 inches, created by an individual student, rather than a team of students. Scanned hand drawn entries in png/jpeg format will

be accepted; digital submissions must be clear and well-framed.

Two additional options are available: an inclusive Braille Poster Contest for blind and low-vision students in grades K-12, and an Additional Assist Poster Contest for students who may benefit from extra assistance.

Entries are due May 29 and must be submitted to Geauga SWCD, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 240, Chardon, or emailed to Katie Nainiger at knainiger@geauga. oh.gov.

First- and second-place prizes will be awarded in each grade category: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. First-place winners advance to state competition, with the potential to move on to nationals.

For information and contest rules, contact Geauga SWCD at 440-834-1122 or www. geaugaswcd.com.

Page 16

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Geauga County Maple Leaf

St. Helen St. Helen Supports Zelie’s Home

SUBMITTED

From left, seventh-graders Evelyn Suvak and Jessalynn Sprogis and eighth-graders Ellianna Janoviak and Hannah McIlroy display donated items collected by St. Helen School students in support of Zelie’s Home.

The seventh- and eighth-grade students at St. Helen School have been hard at work serving others through a meaningful partnership with Zelie’s Home, an organization dedicated to supporting young mothers and their children with love, dignity and hope.

During the holiday season, the junior high sponsored a diaper and wipe drive to help meet one of the home’s most basic and ongoing needs. Through daily school announcements, handmade posters and plenty of enthusiasm, students filled an entire van with donations. They also used money raised during the fall change drive to purchase gifts for the moms at the school’s annual Santa Shop, making sure the mothers themselves felt seen, appreciated and loved.

To learn more about Zelie’s Home and its mission, visit www.zelieshome.org.

Chardon

Auburn Career Center Community Open House

Auburn Career Center will host a community open house on Jan. 21 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at its campus located at 8140 Auburn Road, Concord Township.

The event is free and open to the public and provides an opportunity for prospective students, families and community members to explore Auburn Career Center’s high school and adult education programs. Attendees will be able to tour state-of-the-art labs, meet instructors and staff, learn about career pathways and apply for programs.

For more information, visit www.auburncc.org or call 440-357-7542.

Berkshire

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Munson and Park elementary schools supported their community through a recent food drive.

Transportation Director Recognized

Chardon Local School District Transportation Director Josh Nau has been named Ohio’s Transportation Director of the Year by the Ohio Association of School Nau Business Officials.

Nau was chosen out of a highly competitive pool of candidates and will be presented the award during the OASBO 2026 Annual Conference and Expo later this year.

“Josh is most deserving of this recognition for his tireless efforts in coordinating the

safe and efficient transportation services for our students,” Superintendent Michael Hanlon said.

Along with receiving this award, Chardon Local Schools will receive a $2,000 scholarship to be presented to a graduating senior from the school district.

Congratulations to Josh on being named Ohio’s Transportation Director of the Year and to the entire transportation team on receiving the impressive recognition.

Cereal Box Food Drive

Before winter break, Munson and Park elementary schools each hosted a one-day cereal box food drive benefiting the Pilgrim Food Pantry in Chardon. Munson collected 218 boxes of cereal, while Park collected 360.

SUBMITTED

Berkshire High School students are recognized during the 89th induction ceremony of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, held Dec. 11 in the auditorium.

National Honor Society Induction

Berkshire High School hosted the 89th induction ceremony of the Berkshire chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) on Dec. 11. Current NHS members, staff and family members were present in the auditorium to celebrate the accomplishments of the NHS inductees for the 2025-26 school year, which included Izabella Bryndal, Katelyn Miller and Cheyenne Humes.

To be considered for induction into the National Honor Society, students must meet a set of rigorous standards, which includes a 3.70 overall GPA for consideration, before being evaluated on the four pillars

of NHS: scholarship, character, leadership and service.

Art Across Disciplines

Eighty Berkshire High School upperclassmen visited the Cleveland Museum of Art last month for an interdisciplinary learning experience. Students explored Renaissance art while examining connections to English themes such as disillusionment and the American Dream, along with mathematical concepts found in art. The visit included a featured exhibition, a guided tour led by museum educators and a self-guided scavenger hunt, giving students opportunities to apply classroom learning in an authentic, hands-on setting.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Legal Notices Sheriff ’s Sale of Real Estate General Code, Sec. 11661 Revised Code, Sec. 2329.26 Case No. 17-F-000372 The State of Ohio, County of Geauga, ss: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WACHOVIA MORTGAGE FSB, FKA WORLD SAVINGS BANK, FSB, Plaintiff vs. CARYL MAHVI, ET AL., Defendants In pursuance of an Alias Order of Sale in the above entitled action, I will offer for sale at public auction, at https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, on Thursday, the 12th day of February, 2026, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., and if the parcel does not receive a sufficient bid, it shall be offered for sale, without regard to the minimum bid requirement, at the same time of day and at the same place of the first sale, on Thursday, the 26th day of February, 2026 the following described real estate, situated in the County of Geauga and State of Ohio, and in the Township of Russell to wit: Parcel No. 1 Situated in the Township of Russell, County of Geauga, and State of Ohio: and known as being Sublot No 14 in the Red Raider Trails Subdivision Amended of part of Original Russell Township Lots Nos. 4, 5 and 6, Tract No. 1 and part of Lots Nos. 1, 10 and 11, Tract No. 2, Section No. 14 as shown by the recorded plat in Plat Book 13, Page 47 of Geauga Map Records be the same more or less but subject to all legal highways.

Parcel No. 2 Situated in the Township of Russell, County of Geauga, and State of Ohio: and known as being a parcel of land in the Red Raider Subdivision of Original Russell Township Lots Nos. 4, 5 and 6, Tract No. 1 and part of Lots Nos. 1, 10 and 11, Tract No. 2, Section 11, as shown by the recorded plat in Book 13, Pages 47-50, in the Geauga County Map Records, being further described as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the Northerly line of Sublot No. 14 with the Easterly line of Shire Court, 60 feet wide; Thence South 82° 19’ 13” East along said Northerly line, a distance of 424.73 feet to a point; Thence North 4° 32’ 31” East, a distance of 187.50 feet to a point; Thence South 89° 16’ 36” West, a distance of 446.84 feet to a point on said Easterly line of Shire Court; Thence South 5° 3’ 43” East along said along said Easterly line of Shire County, a distance of 125.00 feet to the Place of Beginning and containing 1.5250 Acres of Land as surveyed by Hedrick & Associates, Inc., December 1983, be the same more or less but subject to all legal highways.

Property Address: 14611 Shire Court, Novelty, OH 44072 Prior Deed Reference: Volume 1170 Page 301 re-recorded as Volume 1178 Page 891 Said Premises Located at: 14611 SHIRE COURT, RUSSELL TOWNSHIP, OH. INSIDE APPRAISAL COMPLETED Permanent Parcel Number: 26-195731, 26195732 DEPOSIT: Pursuant to O.R.C. 2329.211, the required deposit for this offering shall be $10,000.00. Said deposit shall be paid by WIRE TRANSFER of ACH DEBIT TRANSFER with https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction. ohio.gov.

The purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Said Premises appraised at ($1,300,000.00) and cannot be sold for less than two-thirds of that amount ($866,667.00). Please note: The appraisals are based on an exterior appraisal of property only, unless otherwise noted.

TERMS OF SALE: The FULL purchase price shall be paid to the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of confirmation of sale, and on failure to do so, the purchaser may be held in contempt of court, the court may forfeit the sale and/or deposit, or the court may issue any other order it sees fit.

SCOTT A. HILDENBRAND, Sheriff Geauga County, Ohio Paul M. Nalepka, attorney Jan15-22-29, 2026

Sheriff ’s Sale of Real Estate General Code, Sec. 11661 Revised Code, Sec. 2329.26 Case No. 19-F-000667 The State of Ohio, County of Geauga, ss: DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS THE WAMU MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-AR6, Plaintiff vs. BRENDA HENDERSON, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF MARSHALL D. HENDERSON, ET AL., Defendants

Page 17

Legal Notices are also posted to www.geaugamapleleaf.com and www.publicnoticesohio.com

In pursuance of an Alias Order of Sale in the above entitled action, I will offer for sale at public auction, at https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, on Thursday, the 12th day of February, 2026, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., and if the parcel does not receive a sufficient bid, it shall be offered for sale, without regard to the minimum bid requirement, at the same time of day and at the same place of the first sale, on Thursday, the 26th day of February, 2026 the following described real estate, situated in the County of Geauga and State of Ohio, and in the Township of Chester to wit: Situated in the Township of Chester, County of Geauga and State of Ohio: Being Part of Lot No. 5, Tract No. 3, within the said Township and described as follows: Beginning in the center line of Shady Lane at the Northwesterly corner of lands conveyed to John A. and Ellanor F. Mayer by deed recorded in Volume 255, Page 14, of Geauga County Records of Deeds; thence North 74° 30’ 00” East along the Northerly line of said Mayer lands and through an iron pipe 30.33 feet from said place of beginning a total distance of 615.56 feet to an iron pipe; thence North 03° 00’ 15” East 100.0 feet to and iron pipe; thence South 73° 34’ 20” West 672.78 feet to the center line of Shady Lane, and through an iron pipe 30.85 feet therefrom; thence South 23° 55’ 25” East along said road center line 156.0 feet to the place of beginning, containing 1.841 Acres, as surveyed in October, 1953, by T.R. Root, be the same more or less; but subject to all legal highways.

Property Address: 13389 Shady Lane, Chesterland, OH 44026 Deed Reference Number: dated December 18, 1996, filed December 23, 1996, as recorded as Official Records Volume 1085, Page 1047, Geauga County, Ohio records.

Said Premises Located at: 13389 SHADY LANE, CHESTER TOWNSHIP, OH. Permanent Parcel Number: 11-291300 DEPOSIT: Pursuant to O.R.C. 2329.211, the required deposit for this offering shall be $10,000.00. Said deposit shall be paid by WIRE TRANSFER of ACH DEBIT TRANSFER with https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction. ohio.gov.

The purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Said Premises appraised at ($300,000.00) and cannot be sold for less than two-thirds of that amount ($200,000.00). Please note: The appraisals are based on an exterior appraisal of property only, unless otherwise noted.

TERMS OF SALE: The FULL purchase price shall be paid to the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of confirmation of sale, and on failure to do so, the purchaser may be held in contempt of court, the court may forfeit the sale and/or deposit, or the court may issue any other order it sees fit.

SCOTT A. HILDENBRAND, Sheriff Geauga County, Ohio Ann M. Johnson, attorney Jan15-22-29, 2026

Sheriff ’s Sale of Real Estate General Code, Sec. 11661 Revised Code, Sec. 2329.26 Case No. 25-F-000205 The State of Ohio, County of Geauga, ss: CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC, Plaintiff vs. JERRY OLES, ET AL., Defendants In pursuance of an Alias Order of Sale in the above entitled action, I will offer for sale at public auction, at https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, on Thursday, the 12th day of February, 2026, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., and if the parcel does not receive a sufficient bid, it shall be offered for sale, without regard to the minimum bid requirement, at the same time of day and at the same place of the first sale, on Thursday, the 26th day of February, 2026 the following described real estate, situated in the County of Geauga and State of Ohio, and in the Township of Newbury to wit: Parcel No. 1 (PPN 23-385864) Situated in the Township of Newbury, County of Geauga, State of Ohio and being in Lot 4, Tract 1 of Township 7, Range VIII of the Connecticut Western Reserve, and being further bounded and described as follows: Beginning at a southwesterly corner of Parcel 23-385863, owned by Judy B. Brewer and Gretchen L. Watjen by Deed recorded in Volume 1534, Page 276 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds, said beginning point on the centerline of Fairmount Road, 60 feet wide, said beginning point being located South 88° 27’ 49” West along the centerline of Fairmount Road a distance of 60.01 feet from a 5/8 inch rebar found in a monument box,

said 5/8 rebar found in a monument box being located South 88° 27’ 21” West a distance of 1226.99 feet from a 5/8 inch rebar found in a monument box at the centerline intersections of said Fairmount Road and Rockhaven Road, 60 feet wide.

COURSE I Thence South 88° 27’ 49” West along the centerline of Fairmount Road distance of 60.01 feet; COURSE II Thence North 0° 38’ 52” West along an easterly line of parcel 23-036000, owned by Judy B. Brewer, Trustee by Deed recorded in Volume 1534, Page 284 of the Geauga County Records of Deed, a distance of 369.99 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar found capped “Foresight Eng.” Passing through a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”: At a distance of 30.00 feet; COURSE III Thence South 88° 27’ 49” West along a Northerly line of said parcel 23-036000, a distance of 154.31 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”; COURSE IV Thence North 0° 42’ 47” West along an Easterly line of said parcel 23036000, a distance of 465.54 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar set, capped “Foresight Eng.”; COURSE V Thence South 89° 17’ 13” West along a new division line a distance of 200.02 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar set, capped “Foresight Eng.” On a easterly line of parcel #23-385162 owned by National City Bank, Trustee by Deed recorded in Volume 829, Page 338 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds; COURSE VI Thence North 0° 46’ 41” West along on Easterly line of said parcel #233851162 a distance of 501.98 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar set, capped “Foresight Eng.”, on an easterly line of said parcel #23-385162; COURSE VII Thence North 89° 21’ 08” East along a new division line a distance of 260.59 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar set, capped “Foresight Eng.”, on a westerly line of said parcel 23-385863; COURSE VIII Thence South 0° 42’ 47” East along a westerly line of said parcel 23385863 a distance of 906.36 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”, at an angle therein; COURSE IX Thence North 88° 27’ 49” East along a southerly line of said parcel 23-385863 a distance of 154.38 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”, at an angle therein; COURSE X Thence South 0° 38’ 52” East along a westerly line of said parcel 23-385863 a distance of 430.00 feet to the place of beginning, passing through a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”, at a distance of 400.00 feet and containing 4.3617 acres of land, of which 1.8451 acres came from parcel 23-036000, and 2.5166 acres came from parcel 23-385864, of which 0.0413 acres are within the right of way of said Fairmount Road, as surveyed and described in October 2002 and updated in February, 2006 by Foresight Engineering Group, Inc., under the supervision of Steven N. Roessner, Professional Surveyor, Ohio #7070. The bearing as used herein are assumed and to denote angles only. All 5/8 inch rebar set are 30 inches long capped Foresight Engineering. Be the same more or less.

Parcel No. 2 (PPN 23-036000) Situated in the Township of Newbury, County of Geauga, State of Ohio and being in Lot 4, Tract 1 of Township 7, Range VIII of the Connecticut Western Reserve, and being further bounded and described as follows: Beginning at a southeasterly corner of parcel 23-239700, owned by Theresa Joherl, Trustee, by Deed recorded in Volume 1776, Page 752 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds, said beginning point being located on the centerline of Fairmount Road, 60 feet wide, located South 88° 27’ 49” West a distance of 359.47 from a 5/8 inch rebar found in a monument box, said 5/8 rebar found in a monument box being located South 88° 27’ 21” West a distance of 1226.99 feet from a 5/8 inch rebar found in a monument box at the centerline intersections of said Fairmount Road and Rockhaven Road, 60 feet wide, said beginning point also being located North 88° 27’ 49” East a distance of 9.13 feet along the centerline of said Fairmount Road

Geauga County Sheriff – Scott A. Hildenbrand

from a 5/8 inch rebar found in a monument box.

COURSE I Thence North 0° 38’ 52” West along an easterly lien of land of said parcel #23-239700 a distance of 751.51 feet to a 1 inch iron pipe found at a northeasterly corner of parcel #23-239700, passing through a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”, at a distance of 30.00 feet; COURSE II Thence North 89° 44’ 04” West along a northerly line of said parcel #23239700 a distance of 115.24 feet to a 1 inch iron pipe found at a northwesterly corner of said parcel 23-239700 on an easterly line of parcel #23-385162 owned by National City Bank, Trustee by Deed recorded in Volume 829, Page 338 of Geauga County Records of Deeds; COURSE III Thence North 0° 46’ 41” West along an easterly line of said parcel #23385162 a distance of 83.29 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar set, capped “Foresight Eng.”, on an easterly line of said parcel 23-385162; COURSE IV Thence North 89° 17’ 13” East along a new division line a distance of 200.02 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar set, capped “Foresight Eng.”, on a westerly line of parcel 23-385864, owned by Judy B. Brewer, Trustee by Deed recorded in Volume 1534, Page 280 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds; COURSE V Thence South 0° 42’ 47” East along a westerly line of said parcel 23385864, a distance of 465.54 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”, at a southwesterly corner of said parcel 23385864; COURSE VI Thence North 88° 27’ 49” East along a southerly line of said parcel 23-385864 a distance of 154.31 feet to a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped”Foresight Eng.”, at a southeasterly corner of said parcel 23385864; COURSE VII Thence South 0° 38’ 52” East along a westerly line of said parcel 23385864 a distance of 369.99 feet the southwesterly corner of said parcel 23-385864 on the centerline of Fairmount Road, passing through a 5/8 inch rebar found, capped “Foresight Eng.”, at a southeasterly corner of said parcel 23-385864; COURSE VIII Thence South 88° 27’ 49” West along the centerline of Fairmount Road a distance of 239.45 feet to the place of beginning and containing 3.1649 acres of land, of which 0.1649 acres are within the right of way of said Fairmount Road, as surveyed and described in October 2002 and updated in February, 2006 by Foresight Engineering Group, Inc., under the supervision of Steven N. Roessner, Professional Surveyor, Ohio #7070. The bearing as used herein are assumed and to denote angles only. All 5/8 inch rebar set are 30 inches long capped Foresight Engineering. Be the same more or less.

Said Premises Located at: 10108 FAIRMOUNT ROAD, NEWBURY TOWNSHIP, OH. Permanent Parcel Number: 23-036000; 23-385864 DEPOSIT: Pursuant to O.R.C. 2329.211, the required deposit for this offering shall be $10,000.00. Said deposit shall be paid by WIRE TRANSFER of ACH DEBIT TRANSFER with https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction. ohio.gov.

The purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Said Premises appraised at ($400,000.00) and cannot be sold for less than two-thirds of that amount ($266,667.00). Please note: The appraisals are based on an exterior appraisal of property only, unless otherwise noted.

TERMS OF SALE: The FULL purchase price shall be paid to the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of confirmation of sale, and on failure to do so, the purchaser may be held in contempt of court, the court may forfeit the sale and/or deposit, or the court may issue any other order it sees fit.

SCOTT A. HILDENBRAND, Sheriff Geauga County, Ohio Tamara Gurchik, attorney Jan15-22-29, 2026

Page 18 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF INTENT TO SELL UNNEEDED, OBSOLETE, OR UNFIT TOWNSHIP PERSONAL PROPERTY VIA INTERNET AUCTION. Resolution number 2026-1 adopted by the Troy Township Board of Trustees on Januarty 6, 2026 authorizing the disposal of unneeded, obsolete, or unfit township property, including motor vehicles, road machinery, car parts, equipment, tools and office equipment or supplies by internet Auction in accordance with O.R.C. section 505.10.

Internet auctions will be conducted through www.govdeals.com with whom Troy Township has contracted.

All items will be offered for sale “as is, where is” with Troy Township making no warranty, guarantee, or representation of any kind expressed or implied, as to the condition of said items.

Items will be listed for a minimum of ten (10) days.

This notice is posted on the website of township which can be found at www.troytwpgeauga.com

BY ORDER OF THE TROY TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jane Grudowski, Fiscal Officer Jan15, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING City of Chardon The City of Chardon Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing to consider the ap-

Geauga County Maple Leaf plications described below on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers at the Chardon Municipal Center, 111 Water Street, Chardon, OH 44024. The meeting is subject to adjournment or recess to a later date without another Notice of Public Hearing (ORC 3115.05(c)).

PC Case #25-329: Applicant, Sheetz Inc., is requesting the following variances related to the proposed construction of a convenience store, drive thru and gas station at 501 Water Street, Chardon, Ohio: 1) a variance from Section 1151.35(b) to allow two driveways each measuring 42.5 feet wide; 2) a variance from Section 1139.05(c)(4) to allow an accessory structure measuring 21 feet, seven and one quarter inches in height; and 3) a variance to Section 1149.09(b)(4) to allow wall signs on non-primary or secondary building frontages.

PC Case #25-330: Applicant, Willow Tree Development Inc., is requesting the following variances for Phase II of the Willo Tree Planned Residential Development located at the south side of Water Street, Parcel ID# 10165740, 10-165741, and 10-165742: 1) a variance from Schedule 1137.15B to allow a 26 foot setback from the public right of way for Sublot #114; and 2) a variance from Schedule 1137.15C to allow a 20 foot setback from the PRD boundary for Sublot #109.

PC Case #25-331: Applicant, Marc F. Burr, on behalf of The 11511, LLC, is requesting a Conditional Use Certificate to operate a funeral

home at parcel 10-165838 (308 Park Avenue, Chardon).

PC Case #25-332: Applicant, Matt Shirley, on behalf of the Sansone Group, is requesting a Conditional Use Certificate to operate a motor vehicle service station at 240 Meadowlands Drive, Chardon.

Any interested party is invited to attend and may be heard.

Jonathan Holody Community Development Administrator Jan15, 2026

PUBLIC NOTICE Village of Middlefield Notice is hereby given that during the Special Council Meeting Public Hearing held on JANUARY 8, 2026. The Village of Middlefield passed the following legislation: ORDINANCE 26-101 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CODIFIED ORDINANCE SECTION 911.21 ENTITLED “WATER QUALITY PROTECTION”, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. ORDINANCE 26-103 AN ORDINANCE CONFIRMING THE PROMOTION OF OFFICER MATTHEW SPITLER TO SERGEANT OF THE VILLAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. ORDINANCE 26-104 AN ORDINANCE CONFIRMING THE PROMOTION OF OFFICER

Thursday, January 15, 2026 ROBERT HAMILTON TO SERGEANT OF THE VILLAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. ORDINANCE 26-105 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING HOLIDAY PAY FOR PART TIME EMPLOYEES AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. The Complete Text Of These Resolutions And Ordinances May Be Viewed Or Obtained At The Office Of The Fiscal Officer, 14860 N. State Ave., Middlefield, Ohio During Regular Business Hours.

Cindy Naftzger, Administrative Asst. /Billing Clerk Jan15, 2026

LEGAL NOTICE Geauga County Sheriff ’s Office Forfeiture Notice Pursuant to O.R.C. 2981, the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office is seeking forfeiture of unclaimed property that was found or seized by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office between 1/1/25 and 12/31/25.

The following are the items: Cash, Revolver, Cell Phone & Sandals, Cell Phone, Moped, Cell Phone, Toolbox, Cell Phone, Parts of Pistol, Wallet, & Safe.

Anyone claiming ownership in this property may contact the Geauga County Sheriff, Evidence Clerk at 440-279-2009 ext. 4313 and prove ownership. Any item not claimed will be disposed of according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Jan15-22, 2026

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Page 19

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Geauga County Sheriff ’s Report The following is a sampling of the calls handled by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 2 to Jan. 8 2026.

EXTRA PATROL Jan. 2 12:15 p.m., Aquilla Road, Claridon. Caller is requesting extra patrols advised there are employee and company cars parked at this location 24 hours a day and in the last few days a few have been damaged. Caller indicated they rent the building from the Commissioners and the cameras in place do not work. Caller indicated they will file a report at a later time for damage if needed. Extra patrol requested at Next Step.

Employees have reportedly had vehicle damage recently. Everything checks ok currently. Request will be forwarded to other shifts.

INJURED PERSON Jan. 3 3:38 p.m., Madison Road, Parkman. 39 year old male had a tree fall on his leg. He has

obvious broken leg. Caller believes it is broken off. Male is out of the woods on a sled. Caller is unable to find out if it is an amputation. Alert and conscious. Caller was advised to call back if she can gather further information. UH canceled due to ground transport.

SUSPICIOUS Jan. 3 2:11 p.m., Fairmound Road and Sperry Road, Newbury. Small SUV dropped off two males that looked like they had duffle bags with them, they were dropped off at the tree lawn and caller thought it odd. Caller said its near the 2 million dollar house on Fairmount Road. Caller indicated house she was east of Sperry Road when she saw it is almost at Auburn now so about a two minute time lapse. Checked the area and did not locate anyone.

Jan. 7 11:29 p.m., Chardon Windsor Road, Mel Harder Park, Chardon. I observed a vehi-

cle parked in a parking space on the most east side. The vehicle was running but unknown if anyone inside of it. When I approached the vehicle, I observed a silver pistol not in a holster in the passenger side seat within the driver's reach. When I woke the driver up, he got up and looked over to his passenger side. Driver complied with my commands and I secured him in cuffs. Driver was warned for park hours and was advised to keep his firearm secured while sleeping.

THEFT Jan. 2 3:55 p.m., Main Market Road, Dollar General, Parkman. Theft in progress. Two carts full of items. Male is on foot. White male. Black jacket. Dark jeans. Brown boots. Westbound on Route 422. Pushing one cart and carrying toilet paper and paper towels. Dropping items as he goes. Not a normal customer. Caller is walking down the road as well keeping a safe distance. Employee left the store

unattended and the door is locked. She is now heading back. Arrested for theft.

Report to follow.

Jan. 2 4:47 p.m., Madison Road, Parkman. Stolen utility trailer, noticed it was missing last night. Gate on the back, magnetic lights on the wheel wells. Trailer was locked and someone cut it off.

THEFT AUTO Jan. 7 5:22 p.m., Grant Street, Hambden. Barn behind Ernst Lanes, two snowmobiles were stolen, unknown when they were stolen. Wanted to report that two snowmobiles were missing from the storage barn behind the old Ernst Lanes bowling alley. She advised that the snowmobiles belong to her boyfriend. She was advised she would need to contact sheriff's department. He would have to provide proof of ownership either by title or bill of sale.

Real Estate Transfers Following is a list of real estate transfers for the week ending Jan. 9, 2026, provided as a public service by the Geauga County Auditor’s Office. Transfers may involve the sale of land only.

AUBURN TOWNSHIP Suzanne M. and Kenneth A. Mack II, 11830 Starbush Court, to Steven and Ashley Guttridge Sanders, $1,200,000. (3.00 acres) BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP Katherine Eibler, 8765 East Brook Circle, to Elizabeth D. Barber, $247,000. (0.00 acres) Gary Gene and Jennifer Lyn Jones, 17128 North Brook Trail, to VA Construction Group LLC, $605,000. (1.32 acres) BURTON TOWNSHIP James R. Mullett II, 13798 Station Road, to Bettie M. Fairbanks, $38,000. (0.59 acres) CHARDON CITY William C. and Deborah L. Hofstetter, 107 Center St., to Abruzzo Investments LLC, $219,000. (0.19 acres) NVR Inc., 100 Emerald Drive, to Nancy Mclean, $378,600. (0.17 acres) NVR Inc., 231 Emerald Drive, to Sam Carmigiano, $375,300. (0.17 acres) Laurie Harrison, 486 Myra Drive, to James Karl Ciroli, $189,000. (0.23 acres) Stephanie M. Elliott, 211 Wilson Mills Road, to Charles Hamilton and Marissa Elaine Goldsword, $325,000. (0.85 acres) FLG Chardon LLC, 471 Hidden Feather Drive, to NVR Inc., $93,000. (0.22 acres) FLG Chardon LLC, 440 Hidden Feather Drive, to NVR Inc., $93,000. (0.18 acres) CHARDON TOWNSHIP Mary Ladas (trustee), 10589 Fincherie Drive, to Zachary R. and Megan Jolly, $830,000. (3.13 acres) Maria and Nate Monroe and Rikki Elizabeth Johnson, 9437 Ravenna Road, to Maria and Nate Monroe, $149,200. (6.94 acres) CHESTER TOWNSHIP Oleg Falkov, 11211 Winding Brook Lane,

to Christina Brook Praprost and Kyle James Smith, $528,000. (5.00 acres) Jared B. Wittensoldner and Samatha L. Poe, 12910 Westchester Trail, to Michael James and Heather Jane Kramer, $225,000.

(1.84 acres) HAMBDEN TOWNSHIP Mark and Kathleen Charlton, 8942 Williams Road, to Joseph A. and Jennifer J. Lombardo, $367,500. (3.00 acres) Thomas and Christine Brawn and Jessica L. and Joan S. LeBar, 13548 Gar Highway, to Todd A. and Holly A. Neff Suszynski (trustees), $217,000. (2.39 acres) HUNTSBURG TOWNSHIP Maria Noffsinger (TOD), 15661 Windmill Point Road, to Thomas and Michaelanne McClurkin, $330,000. (1.61 acres) Harold and Judith Barnes, Burton Windsor Road, to Roy E. and Barbara Byler, $6,000. (0.95 acres) Daniel G. and Terri Jo Martin, 12030 Princeton Road, to Windsor Road Land LLC, $355,600. (3.03 acres) MIDDLEFIELD VILLAGE NVR Inc., 15259 Woodsong Drive, to Allan L. Fritsch, $300,000. (0.21 acres) NVR Inc., 15405 Oak Hill Drive, to Robert Szoke, $379,300. (0.25 acres) MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP John F. and Sharon A. Baker, 9511 Kile Road, to Jeanette Mae Durda Schmidt, $292,000. (4.39 acres)

MUNSON TOWNSHIP Alan Frary, 12505 Auburn Road, to Martin Forrey, $55,000. (1.00 acres) NEWBURY TOWNSHIP Seth A. Musick, 13545 Ravenna Road, to Joseph L. Satullo Lengel, $242,000. (1.00 acres)

Jeff D. Glasscock, 14205 Country River Lane, to Ericka Lynch, $360,000. (1.53 acres) TROY TOWNSHIP Bonnie Lou Katronick, 16645 Snow Road, to JDRE Holdings II LLC, $150,000. (2.00 acres)

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Classifieds Used 38’x50’ blue tarp, $40. 440-548-5801 or 216387-8994.

Vintage Baby Buggy: $65. 440-487-2955.

Family Burial Plot for sale. All Souls Cemetery. Serene location in prime section. Section 16. 216-4408743.

VINTAGE WWII RADIOS: need new home, radios are complete, working status unknown. For details email DBAKSA1517@GMAIL.COM. Hallicrafters Patterson 1942 Naval Aeronautics Transmitter.

Fine China, plates, bowls, cups, dessert plates, demitasse, gravy, creamer, platters, and more, place setting for 12+, English Garden pattern of blue flowers with silver rim, only $120, call/text for pictures 440-668-8768 Newbury.

RECORD ALBUMS, Old Cameras, HO Train items, large granite counter-top pieces, fresh/salt water aquariums, old clocks, kerosene lamps. Inquire. 440-338-3563.

Russell.

Teeter Inversion Chair: Excellent Condition, $250. BowFlex Max-5 Elliptical $650. 440-548-7631 or 440669-7666. Parkman, Oh. Hammond Organ A-100, Leslie Speakers 21H and 31H. PR-40 tone cabinet. Looks and sounds great, never gigged, no smoke. $4,750. 440-856-3946.

FOR RENT Burton: Large 1 BR apt with den, laundry room, large garage, AC, private patio. No pets. $1,050. Call 440221-0649.

Middlefield: approx 1200 sq ft. 2BR, laundry hook-up, garage, non-smoking, no pets. Security Deposit. 440636-2853 or mjtdyes@gmail.com.

EVENTS Pickle-Ball Meeting: 1/17/26, 2:30p-4:00p, Geauga West Library. For new/never played before, or experienced, kids and adults. Discussion of league play, tournaments, future goals of West Geauga Pickleball Club.

FOR SALE Lithograph Prints, signed personally by the artist: Robert Bateman “Midnight Black Wolf”. Carl Brenders “Monarch Eagle” and “Full House Boxes”. Call for pricing.

440-729-0070.

FinishPro II 395 Graco Sprayer $2,000/OBO. QEP Professional Tilesaw Mod 60010 2-hp $150/OBO. Mercury 200 outboard, needs coil, make offer. 440-272-5736.

Nursery Infant Scale-$6. Honda CRV floor mats-$8. Vintage metal tricycle-$15. George Foreman Grilling Machine-$10. 440-346-7708, leave msg.

Sauna: EC, $250/OBO. Chipper and Shredder: can chip up to 4” branches, have owners manual and extra set of teeth, $650. 330-980-5540, Middlefield.

Two double-hung Provia replacement windows: combined dimensions 75 7/8 X 53 5/8. Perfect for a front window $500. 440-336-5044 George. Custom sizes & shapes available.

For sale - 4 sheets 5/8x12 drywall. $10 a sheet. 440632-3173.

Anchor Brand Folding Bench Wringer Floor Stand: 48” tall, Patent 1896, $240. 440-554-5731.

REAL ESTATE .34-acre Bainbridge lot on 306, part of Lake Lucerne community with amenities. Tap into utilities: gas, electric, sewer, private community well and SAVE BIG! 57k.

440-596-2608.

Private Investor paying cash for homes/land in any condition. Call or text Brian today at 440-346-0161 for a No-obligation offer. No repairs needed. Fast closings.

SERVICES AM Rides LLC: Reliable transportation for Amish crew hauling, cleaning crews, hunting trips, auctions, and towing. Safe, insured and on time. Airport trips also available. Call Craig: 330-431-8282.

Will do CHILD CARE. Years of experience. References.

440-313-1804.

WANTED TO BUY Old fishing tackle wanted: fishing lures (wood or plastic), mouse to bear traps, wooden duck decoys. Call Lee 440-313-8331.

4-wheelers, 3-wheelers, dirt bikes, mini-bikes, go-carts, golf carts, gators, farm tractors/equipment, trailers, riding mowers, snowplows. Paying cash. 440-413-3119.

Also, scrap cleanup and removal.

WORK WANTED HELP WANTED PETS & ANIMALS Gray 6 month old tuxedo cat needs indoor home. Neutered, vaxxed, very sweet but shy. Great with other cats.

Call Rebecca 440-321-2485.

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Looking for a 1-3 man crew to drive and work for, I have tools and an F150 ext cab. 330-978-4689 Josh.

Classifieds 25 words for $15 What a bargain!

440-729-7667