Lorain County Community Guide - Nov. 25, 2021

Real Estate Services

440-522-5677

COMMUNITY GUIDE

$1.25

LORAIN COUNTY

AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Submit items to news@LCnewspapers.com

HAPPY

Volume 8, Issue 47

THANKSGIVING

Greever hired as Wellington village manager JASON HAWK EDITOR

Angelo Angel | Wellington Enterprise

Newly-hired Village Manager Jonathan Greever speaks before Wellington Council Town Hall on Monday, Nov. 15.

WELLINGTON — Jonathan Greever has been hired as Wellington’s new village manager and will start the job Dec. 13.

Now he’s preparing to move from Missouri, where he has served as administrator for the city of Shrewsbury the past 12 years.

The small town — population 6,000 — is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, giving Greever experience handling an annual budget of $9 million and 70 full-time employees.

“He comes across as very knowledgeable, very relatable,” said Mayor Hans Schneider.

A 14-member search committee considered roughly two-dozen can-

Small stores are looking for big Saturday sales

didates, and Greever was among the three finalists. According to Schneider, he was exactly what Wellington was looking for, from an easy-going manner to a deep understanding of small town infrastructure and a knack for brokering multi-million-dollar commercial development deals that have boosted Shrewsbury’s tax base.

“Everything just kind of lined up.

He fell into our lap… it seemed like a perfect fit,” Schneider said.

The Wellington job opened earlier this fall when Village Manager Steve Dupee announced he would step down.

He had held the position five years.

For Greever, it was the perfect opportunity to move forward with both professional and personal goals.

For more than six years, he’s been in a long-distance relationship with Dr. Jennifer Hargrave, a cardiothoracic an-

esthesiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

“We have burned up the skies flying back and forth,” he said. “I can probably afford my own plane now on how much I’ve flown back and forth.”

Now it’s time to take the relationship to the next level, he said in a phone interview.

Greever was also looking for a more rural town. He sees Wellington as a “generational community” — those who leave when they are young often return there to raise families.

“You have generation after generation invested in the community,” he said.

It’s also a place where he can engage in his hobbies. Greever cycles about 9,000 miles each year and loves rock climbing, alpining and running.

He spent Monday, Nov. 15 meeting GREEVER PAGE A3

‘We need more space’

JASON HAWK EDITOR

After a couple of tough years, Lorain County merchants are hoping for a little holiday magic on Small Business Saturday.

Locally-owned shops have always relied on the afterThanksgiving rush for a sales boost. “And this year it’s even more important,” said Janet Haar, director of the Oberlin Business Partnership.

“You know that old saying about a wing and a prayer?

They’re really relying on people to understand how important it is for people to buy downtown this year,” she said.

Small stores are struggling to overcome the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

SATURDAY PAGE A3 Classifieds, legals, display advertising, and subscriptions Deadline: 1 p.m. each Monday Phone: 440-329-7000 Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday

U.S. Postal Service Use Only

News staff Jason Hawk news@LCnewspapers.com Phone: 440-329-7122 Submit news to news@lcnewspapers.com Deadline: 10 a.m. Tuesday Send obituaries to obits@chroniclet.com

Bruce Bishop | Oberlin News-Tribune

Margie Flood, executive director of Oberlin Community Services, shows the limited space between shelves inside the agency’s current building.

Oberlin nonprofit wants to use Depot Park JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — Elbow space was at a premium last Thursday as workers sorted through stacked boxes of black-eyed peas, corn and other Thanksgiving staples at Oberlin Community Services on South Main Street.

“We just don’t have the room we need,” Director Margie Flood said,

Copyright 2021 Lorain County Printing & Publishing Company

to design a $3 million to $4 million addition to its headquarters.

It asked City Council last week to start negotiations for expanding into Depot Park, which would make way for another 10,000 square feet — a huge bump from its current 5,600 square feet.

The agency has been around more than 60 years. Its current space was built in 1999 and was meant to meet SPACE PAGE A3

INSIDE THIS WEEK

Send legal notices to jyoder@chroniclet.com Submit advertising to chama@chroniclet.com

navigating walkways crammed with emergency food supplies.

The nonprofit’s refrigerator and walk-in freezer are full. Its shelves are crowded. There aren’t enough offices to go around, and tables are overflowing with holiday gifts that will go to families in need.

And there’s no sign that poverty and hunger in southern Lorain County are going away, Flood said.

OCS is working with Ron Coco of Clark and Post Architects in Lorain

Amherst

Oberlin

Wellington

Manufactured home park pitch splits City Council • A4

OBJUMP girls leap into Macy’ Thanksgiving Day Parade • A6

Schools salute Dukes athletes, volunteer and musicians • B1

OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A4 • CROSSWORD B5 • SUDOKU B4 • KID SCOOP B4

Page A2

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

OBITUARIES Patricia A. Watters Patricia A. Watters (nee Gariss), 75, passed away Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, and was the loving daughter to the late Alvin and Eva Gariss.

Patricia was the beloved mother to Christine Hood (Erik), Robert Watters (Michelle) and Heather Watters; cherished grandmother to Jerod, Ashley, Tara and Brittany; great-grandmother to Caleb, Issac, Adriel, Harper, Ella and Cooper; sister to Ronald Gariss (Chris), David Gariss (Rita) and Leah Williams (Jase).

Memorial service will be Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, at 12:30 p.m. at A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home, 18149 Bagley Rd., Middleburg Heights (West of I-71). Visitation from 11 a.m. until time of service (mask and social distancing required). Inurnment to be at Greenwood Cemetery, Wellington.

Services entrusted to A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home, Middleburg Heights, 440-260-8800.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 6155 Rockside Rd., Cleveland, OH 44131.

Catch ‘A Christmas Story’ on stage Wellington Community Theater and Drama Clubs will present “A Christmas Story” from Dec. 2-4 at the Patricia Lindley Center for the Performing Arts, 627 North Main St., Wellington.

Join Ralphie on his quest to survive the holidays and get a Red Ryder BB gun in the stage production of this Christmas classic. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. They may be purchased at the box office before each show by cash or check only.

Photos by Angelo Angel | Wellington Enterprise

▲ Finley Eastman takes on the role of Ralphie Parker, who just wants a BB gun for Christmas. ◄ Dave Conklin gives stage direction to young actors.

LUKAS COLE WILHELM was born Dec. 8, 1983, in Elyria. He was a resident of South Amherst and passed away unexpectedly Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021. Arrangements

by Hempel Funeral Home.

LOIS M. MCCUE (nee Winiarski), 87, of North Ridgeville, formerly of South Amherst, passed away Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, at O'Neill Healthcare in North Ridgeville, following a full and meaningful life. Arrangements by Hempel Funeral Home.

LULA M. STARR, 79, of Grafton, died Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, at UH Elyria Medical Center, following a brief illness. Hempel Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

EDNA LYNN BEMIS, 90, beloved wife of the late Glenn, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. Hempel Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Our condolences go out to families that have suffered the loss of a loved one.

For information about placing an obituary or death notice in the Community Guide, call (440) 329-7000.

Obituary and memoriam reprints also available For details, call (440) 329-7000

LETTERS Yost was right on mandate To the editor: The Avon/Avon Lake Republican Club thanks Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost for bringing lawsuits against President Joe Biden’s administration to prevent the government’s overreach with the implementation of the unprecedented mandate for COVID-19 weekly testing or vaccinations covering about 100 million workers.

We agree with Yost, other states and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that characterized the mandate as fatally flawed and staggeringly overbroad with constitutional concerns. President Biden unlawfully abused his emergency power by having the Occupational Safety and Health Administration overstep its role since the nationwide vaccine mandate and other requirements have nothing to do directly with workplace risk and personal health care decisions. Undoubtedly, Biden’s mandate would bring about harmful, unintended consequences in our supply chain and workforce.

Tomie Patton President, Avon/Avon Lake Republican Club Letters to the editor should be: • Written to the editor. We do not allow open letters or those to specific residents, politicians, or groups.

• Concise. There is a limit of 350 words on letters.

• Polite. Letters that use crude language or show poor taste will be rejected.

• Opinions. We reserve space for letters that share a unique perspective. Press releases are not letters and will be considered for publication in other parts of the paper.

• Free of advertising, product or service endorsements or complaints, poetry, language that could raise legal problems, or claims that are measurably false.

• Signed. Include your name, address, and daytime telephone number for our records. Up to two signatures.

• The deadline to submit letters is 10 a.m. each Tuesday. They are used on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit any submission for length, grammar, spelling, and clarity, or to reject any submission.

OPINION

The quandary of the Rittenhouse trial The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial case has been met with mixed judgments as to its significance for our society.

On the one hand are those who feel the acquittal was appropriate and therefore support for the right of ordinary citizens to use firearms or other violent means to maintain civil order. In contrast, those who are disturbed by the verdict are concerned that it fails to render a necessary deterrent to a very dangerous growth of selfassumed roles in exercising policing functions.

The difference between these reactions highlights the glaring contrast between two approaches to how a society should function.

As of this writing, we know very little about what went on in that jury room in the extraordinarily lengthy deliberations resulting in the verdict. To what extent did the jury, or influential persons in the jury, feel that a very severe punishment would be overkill for the illadvised behavior of a quite young man? The punish-

EWARD LONG JR. COMMUNITY PEACE BUILDERS

ments provided by law are based on the assumption all killings are the result of premeditated motives and deliberate malice.

The jury may not have felt that premise applied in this case. Since delivering a verdict offers little opportunity to explain the basis for making it, we cannot discount the possibility they may have felt that the behavior being considered was impulsive, making it more a tragedy than a crime. Caught between having to make a judgment that would take away a normal future for a very young life, and seeming to approve of

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD ON PAGE B4

serious antisocial behavior, the jury came down on the side of mercy. If this is the case, it is wrong to view their decision as intended support for the kind of violence that was being prosecuted.

What may be lost sight of in the commentary about this case has been the extent to which the behavior of the defendant was prompted to a large extent by trends that have been growing in society as a whole. The defendant was able to secure the weapon he used because society has made such purchases increasingly easy. He was undoubtedly prompted to think that violence in dealing with protests was being encouraged by the rhetoric that is becoming increasingly prevalent in public life.

He may not have had any exposure to the importance of great restraint in the use of coercion as a way of dealing with controversy that is so necessary to the smooth functioning of a free society. Young and impressionable, he may simply have come to accept the trends that many

older leaders have been exacerbating. That meant that what he did was less an expression of his own malice than a response to outlooks that are becoming so prevalent today.

What was on trial in Kenosha was not just one individual with malicious motives deliberately bent on doing harm, but rather a culture that is increasingly attracted to the use of violence as the means of dealing with differences. We should all feel responsible for such developments and not be arguing whether or not the verdict in the case was a suitable response to what just one individual has done.

The trial and its outcome have done little to provide the healing our society so greatly needs.

Edward LeRoy Long Jr. is a resident of Kendal and professor emeritus of Christian ethics and theology culture of Drew University. He taught religion at Oberlin College for two decades. Carry on the conversation at communitypeacebuilders @aol.com.

SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE B4

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY GUIDE LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY GUIDE (USPS 673-960) is published every Thursday, 52 weeks per year by Lorain County Printing & Publishing Company, 225 East Ave., Elyria OH 44035.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $40 for 52 weeks in Lorain County; $45 in Erie, Huron, Ashland, Medina, and Cuyahoga counties; $50 in all other Ohio counties; $55 outside Ohio.

Periodical postage paid at Wellington OH.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Lorain County Community Guide, PO Box 4010, Elyria OH 44036.

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Page A3

GREEVER

FROM A1

2019 natural gas outage and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thank you,” he told Council, moved by the show of gratitude. “I love this community. This community is my hometown and I have so much history in this community.”

Dupee resigned to take a job as vice president of energy efficiency and programs for American Municipal Power.

After his wife, Monica, took over as city manager of Westerville near Columbus, the family moved and Dupee had been commuting at least 90 minutes each way three times a week.

He passed the torch to Greever, saying he was inheriting “great people” who are passionate about Wellington.

SPACE

SATURDAY

FROM A1

Kurtz

OFFER “PHOTO TO FINISH” PASSPORT SERVICES WITH NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY!

VISIT US TODAY IN ELYRIA OR LORAIN Elyria – 226 Middle Avenue, Elyria OH 44035 Lorain – 621 Broadway Avenue, Lorain, OH 44052

Cut Your Own Fresh Cut

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 440-329-5127

Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, White Pine, Canaan Fir

Daily 10am-7pm www.kurtzchristmastrees.com

C o u nt y

C

o

ai n or

a

440-328-9140

of C our t

m m on P le

22350 QUARRY RD. WELLINGTON

k

Co

Fresh made Wreaths

OR GO TO

ler

L

Christmas Trees OPEN NOV. 20

stead, pitching the city’s industrial park on Artino Street and the former Prospect Elementary School as alternatives.

On Thursday, Flood said neither location would be ideal, and that OCS needs to stay in a visible location that’s accessible to as much of the public as possible.

OCS board member Gary Kornblith also told Council the facility should not be located on the edge of town, but central to the community.

He was involved in fundraising to build the current headquarters in the 1990s, when OCS was “homeless” for a number of years.

“This is the right time economically or financially to try to go out and get the money to do this,” he said. “We are doing something, I think, for the community at large, that serves the whole community, not just our clients, so I would encourage you to look kindly on what we’re trying to achieve.”

Several organizations sent letters to the city in support of OCS’ vision.

The Oberlin Weekday Community Meals program at Christ Episcopal Church has relied on OCS as a partner to feed anyone in need five days a week, 50 weeks a year for the past four decades, wrote the Rev. Sarah Shofstall, interim rector.

“With the expansion of the OCS building and collaboration with (the meals program), we could continue what we are now doing and add additional programs to teach nutrition and cooking classes,” she said.

Neighborhood Alliance has also worked side-by-side with OCS for many years, and gave its support to the building project.

CEO Alicia Foss wrote that she knows “that at this time of great need it is critical for OCS to have the resources necessary to strengthen and expand its capacity, and to continue operating as the hub of collaborative activity throughout the county.”

Second Harvest Food Bank President and CEO Julie Chase-Morefield said OCS has made a lasting and positive impact on the community.

“As we move forward from the pandemic, we believe it will be critical to have key partners throughout our region who have the capacity and resources available to respond during crises like the pandemic or natural disasters, and believe OCS is well-positioned to take on this critical role,” she wrote.

City Council voted unanimously to allow the agency to start talking with City Manager Rob Hillard and Law Director Jon Clark.

Clark cautioned, however, that it’s far from the time to start drawing up any contracts. First, he said the city needs to look at whether there are deed restrictions that would prevent Oberlin Community Services from using the cityowned park land.

YOUR LORAIN COUNTY AUTO TITLE & PASSPORT OFFICES

f

will drop off Old Saint Nick downtown, where he’ll set up temporary shop from noon to 2 p.m. at the former As Found Gallery, 29 South Main St. The Oberlin Rotary Club will provide candy canes and hot chocolate there. Haar said children can get free coloring books and crayons, and others can get “shop small” bags while supplies last.

A holiday passport shopping contest will run on Small Business Saturday in downtown Oberlin. Shoppers can pick up passports at participating stores and have them initialed when a purchase is made.

Winners will be drawn for $25 gift certificates.

To the north, Main Street Lorain will hold its annual Cookie Crawl from noon to 4 p.m., starting from the Lorain Historical Society, 329 West 10th St., and ending at Faroh’s Gift Shop, 301 Broadway.

Shoppers can stop at 25 participating businesses and grab a free cookie at each.

Spectrum Catering will supply each business with more than six dozen to pass out.

Free trolley rides up and down Broadway will be available during the cookie walk, sponsored by Main Street Lorain and Sprenger Health Care Systems.

As part of the festivities, the Lorain Public Library’s holiday bazaar will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the main branch.

Catch a free screening of the movie “Elf” at 2 p.m. at the library — space is limited, so families are encouraged to register as soon as possible to secure their seat. Popcorn and hot chocolate will be provided to those who attend.

“Small businesses have shown grit and determination throughout the entirety of the pandemic,” said Max Schaefer, director of Main Street Lorain. "We are so thankful for their hard work and perseverance, and I know the community of Lorain is thankful as well. That is why we are encouraging people to go out, enjoy some time around downtown Lorain, and support these businesses.”

•

Black Friday hasn’t been a one-day event for many years now, as Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday have gained in popularity.

This year, small business advocates are hoping to see shoppers throw more support behind smaller, locallyowned shops.

Some, like Main Street Amherst’s Teresa Gilles, also hope the Ohio State vs. Michigan game doesn’t dampen turnout at downtown sales and pop-up shops.

They’re also watching changing trends.

Nationally, holiday shopping started much earlier this year.

Halloween was the kickoff, according to the National Retail Federation.

the needs of the next two decades.

A year-long strategic planning process revealed what the Oberlin Community Services board already knew: that for the foreseeable future, a lot of people are going to continue to rely on OCS as a safety net.

“The needs of those times were a small fraction of what we do now, and in the next 20 years, there may be needs we cannot even imagine yet due to climate change, change in government policies, heaven forbid the next pandemic,” Flood told Council.

When she started working for OCS in 2010, serving 25 families was considered a busy day. Now even a “light day” sees twice that volume or more, she said.

The largest need is to not only store more food on site, but have a dock for unloading shipments, said Flood.

Getting deliveries into the current warehouse is time-consuming and intense labor — about 200,000 pounds of produce, meat and other food are unloaded by hand into OCS’ cooler and freezer. The doors simply aren’t large enough for a pallet jack.

“Guests,” as staff call them, have swamped OCS during the pandemic.

Cars are often lined up in no-parking areas to get food, stacked bumper-to-bumper along South and Professor streets or flow over into the commercial lot across the street, said Flood.

The situation is unsafe, and also makes it difficult for some people with physical challenges to access the nonprofit’s distributions, she said.

In her pitch to Council, Flood envisioned new parking and a drive-thru in Depot Park, as well as the addition’s footprint.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Meadows was among those who threw her support behind OCS’ efforts.

“I see people from Wellington and everywhere else coming there,” she said. “I know you need the space. Often there’s clothes in the lobby.”

Councilwoman Mary Price agreed, saying she’s been inside OCS many times and knows how small the facility is.

“I can’t imagine a better use for the land,” she told Flood.

No elected officials said they are against the project. Yet there were some reservations, especially when it came to losing space at Depot Park.

Losing the well-used playground there “would be tragic,” said Councilwoman Heather Adelman.

Flood said OCS has every intention of keeping or moving the playground if given the green light to expand: “My vision is that the playground and gardens are all sort of interwoven, so that the garden also becomes a place of play and growth and education,” she said.

Others on Council asked whether the nonprofit would be open to relocating in-

Ohio

•

FROM A1

It recently released a poll showing 62 percent of small business owners are having a harder time with supply chain disruptions now than they were three months ago, making it hard to keep shelves stocked. And 90 percent expect the problem to continue for the next five months or longer.

Jenny Arntz, director of Main Street Wellington, said she’s seen those problems in the village’s downtown shops.

“Not only has it been challenging with less shoppers, but it’s been really challenging for a lot of our businesses to get supplies,” she said.

Many goods are on backorder — a prolonged lack of inventory is one reason Hemlock Cottage Furniture is closing, Arntz said.

“Obviously it’s tough to spend all your money downtown, but if everybody could spend a third it would really help,” she said.

There is of course competition, with Small Business Saturday sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Nearly two million more people than last year are expected to shop during that stretch, according to the National Retail Federation.

In a survey earlier this month, the National Retail Federation found 66 percent of holiday shoppers plan to make purchases Thanksgiving weekend. That’s an estimated 158.3 million Americans, but still well below the pre-pandemic total of 165.3 million.

Of those, 108 million plan to hit stores on Black Friday, 58.1 million on Small Business Saturday and 62.8 million eyeing Cyber Monday — there’s overlap because many will shop more than one day.

There is significant interest in returning to brick-and-mortar stores, largely driven by deals that are too good to pass up, the NRF survey found.

But small businesses still have the smallest piece of the pie, leading to concerns.

“When you think about how many small businesses you see in your local community, just try to imagine life without them,” said Roger Geiger, the National Federation of Independent Businesses’ executive director for Ohio. “Let's support our local independent shops and restaurants not only on Small Business Saturday but throughout the entire holiday season.”

For every $100 spent by consumers at locally owned businesses, $68 stays in the local economy, compared to only $43 if spent at a national chain, the NFIB reports.

Keeping cash local is crucial because downtown business — not Amazon or Walmart — are the ones that support baseball teams, choirs, bands, drama clubs and other organizations, said Teresa Gilles, director of Main Street Amherst.

She said businesses in downtown Amherst are doing “OK,” and they need community support before Christmas.

“I still think they’re on the rebound,” Gilles said. “They’re holding their own, but this is the time that we as communities need to support our local businesses.”

Her organization and others are making an effort to promote locally-owned businesses and those seeking to break into the market.

On Saturday, Main Street Amherst will host vendors inside the Main Street Community Center, 255 Park Ave. Pop-up shops there will feature jewelry, handmade wooden items, illustrator, plants and other gift items for sale.

Pop-up shops will also be found in 12 locations around Wellington, said Arntz, including crafters and at-home businesses such as Scentsy and Norwex.

Throughout the day, Mrs. Claus will be at Cherished Creations, 105 East Herrick Ave. in Wellington for photos, and at 6 p.m. that evening volunteers will gather at the Town Square gazebo to decorate the Tree of Service, honoring Wellington-area veterans.

In Oberlin, Santa Claus will ride a fire engine through residential neighborhoods, waving to kids along the route. Firefighters

Garden coordinator Sarah Tyler works with volunteers Carla Schneider and Katelyn Sirocky on packaging food for their food program inside the cramped Oberlin Community Services building on South Main Street.

s

village employees and learning the ropes, then was introduced during Village Council’s business meeting.

Council also sent off Dupee in style, presenting him with a standing ovation, the key to the village and a resolution in his honor.

“While his years here seem few, his accomplishments here were many,” it said.

He was hired at a time when employee was particularly low, according to Schneider. The mayor said Dupee helped restore faith and confidence among workers, worked to strengthen Wellington’s finances and advanced the reliability of its electrical system.

Dupee also saw the village through a May 2019 train derailment, the November

LORAINCOUNTY.US/CLERK

Tom Orlando

Lorain County Clerk of Courts

Page A4

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

HERRICK NEWS Read with Putter Putter, the friendly therapy dog, visits the Herrick Memorial Library in Wellington from 3:15-4:30 p.m. each Thursday to listen to children read.

This is a way for children to practice their reading skills as Putter listens to the stories. To sign up your child for a 15-minute time slot, call (440) 647-2120.

Play and learn An unstructured toddler playtime will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Herrick Memorial Library in Wellington.

Children up to age four and their caregivers can enjoy a variety of fun with developmentally appropriate toys that encourage literacy and learning. No registration is required.

‘Polar Express’ storytime Join the Herrick Memorial Library’s Children’s Department from1:30-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4 to experience “The Polar Express” Christmas story by author Chris Van Allsburg. This program is designed for children ages 3-8 and their caregivers.

Season for gift-giving The library will give away a seasonal prize basket in drawing for readers.

To enter, check out books, audio books, magazines, e-books, e-audio books or e-zines through Dec. 19. Each time, staff will enter your name into the drawing.

Checking out digital materials? Call (440) 647-2120 or visit the front desk and staff will write up a ticket for you.

CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE KURTZ Christmas Trees Fresh Cut or Cut your Own Fraser Fir - Canaan Fir Douglas Fir - White Pine Fresh Handmade Wreaths White Pine Roping Open Nov. 20 - Dec. 24 Daily 10am - 7pm Quarry Rd. 1/4 mi.

South of Rt.18, Wellington 440-328-9140 kurtzchristmastrees. com

LEGALS PUBLICATION OF LEGISLATION The following is a summary of legislation adopted by Lorain City Council on November 15, 2021. The complete text of each item may be viewed or purchased in the Clerk of Council Office @ Lorain City Hall, 200 W. Erie Ave., Lorain, OH, during normal business hours or contact Nancy Greer @ 204-2050 (Nancy_Greer@ cityoflorain.org). The following summary of legislation passed has been reviewed/approved by the Law Director for legal accuracy as required by state laws.

Ordinance 196-21 Auth the Mayor to accept the award from Mental Health Addiction & Recovery Service Board for recovery services in Lorain Muni Court. 197-21 Adopting the rec. to approve the request to rezone the front 300' of 380 N. Ridge Road W from B-2 to R-3 High Residential. 19821 Accepting the plat of The Crossings at Martin's Run #4.

199-21* Auth the S/S Director to apply for & accept a grant for park improvements at Oakwood Park from the Land & Water Conservation Fund Program. 200-21* Auth the Auditor to invoke the Then & Now Certification process and pay an invoice received from the IT Department. 201-21 Amending Ord 48-18, Section 11.2 Salary Adjustments as amended by Ord 41-21 est the compensation, benefits & terms of employment for all managers & professional employees. 202-21 Amending Ord 47-18, Section 10.2- Wages as amended by Ord 41-21 est the compensation, benefits & terms of employment for all non-bargaining employees.

203-21* Appropriation. 20421* Auth the S/S Director to enter into a contract w/ the lowest/best bidder, Republic Services, for residential trash services for 1, 2 and 3 family residential properties. 205-21* Auth the Administrative Judge to enter into a contract w/ a special process server for the Lorain Muni Court. (*Denotes legislation was passed as an emergency.)

L.C.C.G. 11/25; 12/2/21 20693505

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CITY OF LORAIN, OHIO REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING CONCRETE ROADWAY FROM CURB TO CURB ON EAST 28TH ST FROM GROVE AVE TO TACOMA AVE LOR-57-23.18 E. 28TH PID 111564 Sealed bids will be received by the Engineering Department of the City of Lorain, Ohio until:

TIME AND PLACE FOR RECEIVING BIDS: UNTIL - 11:00 AM, December 17, 2021, Lorain time, Engineering Department, Lorain City Hall 4th Floor.

TIME AND PLACE FOR OPENING BIDS: 11:15 AM, December 17, 2021, Lorain time, City of Lorain Council Chambers, Lorain City Hall 1st Floor.

COMPLETION DATE: November 30, 2022 Bids must be accompanied by Certified Check or Cashier's Check or Letter of Credit equals to ten percent (10%) of the amount bid, or a bond for the full amount of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and a performance bond properly secured. Should any bid be rejected, such instrument will be forthwith returned upon proper execution of a contract. Cash deposits will not be accepted.

Bid blanks and specifications may be secured at the Engineering Department, 200 West Erie Ave. 4th Floor, Lorain, OH, 44052 between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. A non-refundable fee of $50.00 either by check or money order is required for each set taken out. Checks are to be made payable to the City of Lorain.

Each bidder must insure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, creed, color, sex or national origin. All bidders must comply with the provisions of the American Disabilities Act. All federal minority business enterprise and women business enterprise requirements shall be met. All contractors and subcontractors involved with the project will to the extent practicable use Ohio products, materials, services and labor in the implementation of their project.

Bidders must be listed on the ODOT pre-qualified list for highway construction. Bidders shall submit a list of available equipment, and labor shall be paid not less than the prevailing wage rate as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor Davis Bacon requirements for Lorain County, Ohio. NO BID WILL BE OPENED WITHOUT THE CERTIFICATION OF QUALIFICATION OR THE ACCEPTABLE LETTER OF APPLICATION ATTACHED TO THE OUTSIDE AS DIRECTED. The Director of Safety/ Service reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

No Pre-Bid meeting is scheduled.

By order of the Director of Public Safety/Service L.C.C.G. 11/25; 12/2-9/21 20693581

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Please be advised that Lorain City Council will host public hearings on Monday, December 13, 2021 in the Lorain City Council Chamber 200 West Erie Ave., Lorain, Ohio. The hearings will commence at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the following items: ZCA-15-2021 - Application to rezone PPN 02-02-026-106001 @ 1247 West Erie Avenue from R-3 to B-2, Mona Hirst is the applicant; ZCA-16-2021 - Application to rezone PPN 03-00-099-104015, 03-00-099-104-014 and 03-00-099-104-002 @ 2261 Homewood Drive from B-2 to MU (Mixed Use), NRP Group

is the applicant.

The Lorain City Planning Commission met on November 5, 2021 and recommend approval of the items above to Lorain City Council. Copies of all documentation related to this proposal will be on file for public inspection in the Office of the Clerk of Council, 200 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, Ohio. Please contact Nancy_Greer@cityoflorain.org for additional information. NANCY GREER, CMC L.C.C.G. 11/18-25/21 20693076

INVITATION TO BID 1. Sealed bids for City of Oberlin Unit #4 Engine/ Generator Control System Upgrade Replacement will be received at Oberlin City Hall, 85 South Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074, at the office of the Public Works, until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at which time and place said bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

2. The contract documents and specifications are available on the City of Oberlin's website at www.cityofoberlin.com, under Quick Links and RFP and Projects out for Bid. Documents can also be sent via e-mail by requesting them from Oberlin Municipal Light & Power, Cindy Simons, csimons@omlps.org. The e-mail subject shall be: "Engine Control Upgrade Replacement Bid Specifications".

3. All bids shall be signed and submitted on the forms found in the contract documents.

Bids shall be submitted in a sealed envelope marked "Bid for Engine Control Upgrade Replacement", addressed to the attention of Doug McMillan, OMLPS Director and delivered prior to the stated bid opening date and time. Bids received after the stated bid opening date and time will not be accepted and will be returned unopened to the sender.

4. Each bid must be accompanied by either a Bid Guaranty Bond to the satisfaction of the City, or a certified check drawn on a solvent bank, in the sum of 10% of the amount of the bid, made payable to the City of Oberlin, as a guaranty that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and its performance properly secured.

5. The City of Oberlin reserves the right to accept the lowest and best bid, to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities in the bids received, and to purchase that equipment which, in the sole judgment of the City, will best suit the City's needs.

6. The successful bidder will be required to pay laborers on the job in accordance with the State of Ohio Prevailing Wage determination.

7. All bidders must comply with the provisions of Ordinance No. 951 AC CMS (Equal Employment Opportunity Reports) and with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

8. A Mandatory pre-bid meeting for this project will be held on Thursday December 2, 2021 at 10am at Oberlin Light and Power System, 289 S. Professor St., Oberlin OH 44074.

The estimated cost is: $390,000.00 Doug McMillan, OMLPS Director L.C.C.G. 11/18-25/21 20693343

Provided image

An artist’s rendering shows one of the manufactured home designs developer Britt Lilley intends to go in a gated senior community at the end of North Dewey Road.

Manufactured housing park pitch splits Council down the middle JASON HAWK EDITOR

AMHERST — A developer’s attempt to build a manufactured home park between Route 2 and North Ridge Road has divided Amherst City Council.

Britt Lilley is seeking rezoning and a final development plan for a 55-and-over senior community that would be accessible from North Dewey Road, just across the highway from Giant Eagle.

He wants to sell 100 ranchstyle homes, each priced at under $200,000 and sitting on rented lots.

The park would be gated, managed and would include a rentable facility for weddings and other events.

To make it possible, Council needs to designate the land as a planned development district, which allows commercial and residential occupancy side-by-side.

The proposal has passed the Planning Commission and is working its way through the Council process. On Monday, it lurched forward to another reading by a 4-3 vote, and is expected to be discussed again Dec. 13.

Mayor Mark Costilow supported the plan earlier this month in front of the Building and Lands Committee, saying it would provide an estimated $15 million in new property tax valuation.

But the proposal didn’t sit well with a trio of Council members who were critical of manufactured homes.

“Even if they are different, to me this feels a lot like a wheel-less mobile home park,” said Councilman Brian Dembinski, D-Ward 1.

New mobile home parks have been prohibited inside the Amherst city

limits since 1987.

Lilley said manufactured homes, which are prefabricated in sections and assembled on site, are different. They’re nothing like the mobile homes of yesteryear, he said.

“The manufactured homes today are built better than your stick-built homes that you see here,” he said.

Over the course of an hour-long debate, Council members questioned Lilley extensively about whether federal fair housing laws allow for an age-restricted park — they do — what would happen if residents allowed their grandchildren to live there, buffers to cut noise from Route 2, who would be responsible for upkeep of the property and who pays property taxes.

Half of the six members present weren’t convinced. High on their list of concerns was the possibility of “thin walls” causing noise complaints between neighbors.

“Modular homes are fine, but I don’t know whether or not this one, this development, is the right size to go in here,” said Councilman David Janik, D-at Large. “It worries me, quite frankly, to put that many people in that area.”

Council President Jennifer Wasilk, who cannot cast a vote in committee, advocated for Lilley’s park on environmental grounds.

“We’re trying to be more environmentally conscious in what we do with housing developments,” she said. “The greater housing density is more of an environmentally positive thing than the spread out kind of densities.”

Wasilk said nearby Amherst Village Estates Park, which predates the city’s moratorium on new mobile homes, operates in much the same

Oley leaving after 43 years at Mercy LORAIN — Mercy Health Lorain Hospital Market President Ed Oley has announced his plans to retire in 2022.

He has served in the role for 14 years but has been an integral part of the market for 43 years, since he originally joined the organization as a pharmacist.

During his time at the helm, Oley has helped pave the way for major partnerships with both the OSU James Cancer Network and Akron Children’s Hospital as a way to expand access to health care for those living in the Lorain community.

During his tenure, Oley has helped open new

Ed Oley facilities in Wellington, Oberlin, Avon, and on the Amherst-Lorain border as well as the development of a facility in Sheffield that is currently under construction.

“Ed’s tenure and con-

tributions to the ministry have earned him a place as one of our most notable leaders,” said Brian Smith, core operations president and COO for Bon Secours Mercy Health. “His dedication to the Lorain community, to building the physician network and expanding specialty services will leave a lasting legacy.”

Oley has been recognized by organizations such as the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, and the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission.

He’s also received the Leadership Lorain County Eric Nord Award for his exemplary leadership.

Your EVERY WEEK: your town news COMMUNITY GUIDE LORAIN COUNTY

$1.25

AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE

Thursdays

way as the proposed community.

There is high demand for those units, she said, especially among seniors. Homes that become vacant there are usually quickly occupied.

Dembinski remained skeptical, and moved to kill the issue.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Costilow reacted, saying he believes the land is unlikely to be developed in any other way and that rejecting Lilley’s plan would be “foolish.”

“To kill a project like this is saying you don’t want new people in the city of Amherst,” he said.

The vote resulted in a 3-3 tie, with Dembinski, At-Large Martin Heberling and Ward 3 rep Jake Wachholz — all Democrats — opposing the housing development.

A vote to table the request failed by the same split, with Democrats Janik and Ward 4 rep Matt Nahorn and Republican Ward 2 rep Ed Cowger seeking to keep it alive for further discussion.

Councilman Phil Van Treuren, R-at large, was not present to vote.

Heberling budged in a third vote, this time sending the development to the floor of Council by a 4-2 margin.

If the manufactured home park survives city scrutiny, Lilley will then have to obtain state approval.

There’s a tight time constraint to be able to break ground in May, he said.

The development would use city water, sewer and electric service but its road and storm water sewer would be private.

Lilley has agreed to pay $40,000 toward improvement of Amherst’s sewage lift station to offset the effect of the park, said Costilow. He would also pay $70,000 toward the creation of a turn lane from North Ridge onto Dewey Road, as is suggested by a traffic study.

www.lcnewspapers.com

Volume A, Issue BB

Count on us to report the top local stories

Don’t miss an issue!

Oley said it will be hard to hang up the hat.

“I have long told myself that when the day came that I woke up and my leadership position at Mercy Health was not fulfilling, that would be the day that I would ultimately retire,” he said. “Well, the truth is as the days became years, I learned that that my criteria to retire would never allow my retirement to happen. I love what I do, and I feel like I have the best job in the world.”

The decision to retire was ultimately made so he could spend more time with family.

Oley’s last day will be January 1.

Get the scoop delivered to your home weekly.

Subscribe to the Community Guide

Call 440-329-7000

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Page A5

Oberlin pledges downtown snow removal to help shops JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — Outside contractors will be hired this winter to remove snow and ice from downtown sidewalks as part of the city’s efforts to help struggling Oberlin businesses.

City Manager Rob Hillard said businesses are hurting, and the city needs to find ways to ease the pain.

“Obviously we know how challenging things have been over the pandemic, and the nuances I don’t think anyone could have or would have predicted as a result of COVID-19,” he told City Council last week.

Hillard has tasked Communications Manager Diane Ramos to be the city’s liaison to businesses, including retailers, Oberlin College and the fine arts community.

She said Oberlin is re-imagining its economic development

strategies, and listening is the first step.

Clearing snow is a public safety issue and also key to making sure customers can access downtown shops, Ramos said.

Councilwoman Kristin Peterson said contractors will also be used to clear crosswalks blocked by snow after plows pass.

“That makes it much more accessible for everybody to be able to move around downtown,” she said.

Councilwoman Mary Price said that especially during the pandemic there have been many conversations in city offices about how to help businesses — and it has sometimes been apparent business owners had different ideas.

“It was clear that it was very difficult for the two to be speaking to each other,” she said.

Downtown parking enforcement should also be part of the discussion, said Councilman Ray

English.

Earlier this fall, merchant Allyn Gibson expressed frustration to Council over lack of parking availability, which has been a long-standing issue. Police have not been enforcing parking limits, he said, saying it is hurting Gibson’s Bakery and other stores.

In a 7-0 vote, Council gave its endorsement to Hillard’s efforts to address such issues through creation of a “downtown stakeholders working group.”

Firelands developing master plan for Vermilion Rd. land JASON HAWK EDITOR

HENRIETTA TWP. — Firelands won’t open its new high school until next fall, but the Board of Education is already thinking 10 steps ahead.

William Cook of BSHM Architects showed mock-ups last week for how the district’s Vermilion Road campus could evolve in coming years.

He showed concept maps that include a new elementary school, field house, bus garage and other features.

The drawings are part of Firelands’ efforts to create a master plan, and are far from being set in stone.

“I’m sure there will be a lot more ideas before it ever really happens,” said school board member Dan Pycraft.

The $23 million high school is the linchpin.

Tim Rini of Greenspace Construction said Monday, Nov. 15 that brick is going up around the building. The structural steel is complete and carpenters are sealing windows so work can continue inside for the winter.

Metal studs are all installed and drywall work was set to start last week, he said.

The building now has permanent power and natural gas is up and running for heat.

Plumbers are running hot water lines and insulating the pipes. Fire suppression systems have been installed in about half the school.

But not all is going according to plan, said Rini. “It’s been tough getting materials. So far we’re staying on schedule with all of that,” he said.

Supply chain issues are causing waits, he said. For example, it’s been difficult to get all nine air handler units needed for the school.

Many other items — interior doors and hardware, wood flooring for the gym, lockers and food service equipment — have been ordered.

Henrietta Township does not have dedicated sewers, which means Firelands High School requires a wastewater treatment plant. Getting that work going has been “troublesome,” Rini said.

He expects it to start when the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approves the permit.

District Superintendent Mike Von Gunten is expecting a busy August movein as high school teachers move into their new building and South Amherst Middle School staff move into the old high school.

He has asked the Board of Education to push back the start of school to Sept. 6, which is the Tuesday after Labor Day. A vote on the 2022-2023 calendar is expect-

ed in December.

As a rural district, Firelands has a tradition of starting school after the Lorain County Fair ends. Delaying it further next year will allow the transition to new buildings to “be as stress free as possible” for both employees and students, Von Gunten said.

With the long-sought new high school complete, Firelands will be able to turn its attention to dream projects.

Cook’s concept drawings envision a future middle school wing located just north of FHS, with 25,000 square feet on each of two stories.

Digital maps shown the board also call for a new field house adjacent to Falcons Stadium — options show the L-shaped structure could go on the far north side or on the southwest corner near the entrance.

Cook said it’s meant to include a weight room, lockers and potential space for indoor practices.

A new lot on the northeast corner of the campus would create 215 more parking spaces, and new soccer fields have been penciled in nearby.

How exactly all the pieces fit together is likely to revolve around a new bus garage.

Board President Mike O’Keefe said the district can’t afford to wait to build the garage — it’s too important.

Cook said the most likely spot for the bus garage is just north of Falcons Stadium.

How Firelands will pay for the projects has yet to be decided.

For years, it has been relying on the promise of millions of dollars from NEXUS pipeline property taxes — but the owners of the 256-mile-long gas line have repeatedly fought to lower their tax responsibility far below what they promised when pitching the project in 2014.

Now Firelands has another problem: It must pay back property taxes collected from Camden Township-based Green Circle Growers.

District Treasurer Keri Angney said the refund will be made over a two-year period, and represents a significant decrease in income in Firelands’ five-year forecast.

“With the numbers that are in here, it does show we could hit deficit spending this year,” she said, but framed the trend as “no big concern.”

Angney said because of the way state funding works, the district expected to run a deficit eventually, and is actually doing better than had been once projected.

Now she is waiting to see what the Ohio Legislature’s new Fair School Funding Plan formula looks like. Angney said she received “simulation” numbers from the state but expects more accurate estimates in December.

Angelo Angel | Wellington Enterprise

A house smolders Sunday on the 22700 block of Gore Orphanage Road in Brighton Township.

Fire destroys Gore Orphanage home JASON HAWK EDITOR

BRIGHTON TWP. — Once flames reached the attic of a Gore Orphanage Road home Sunday afternoon, it was too late to save it, according to Wellington Fire Chief Mike Wetherbee.

“It’s a total loss,” he said Monday morning. “I don’t think it’s at the point where it’s rebuildable. There was heavy fire in the attic, so there’s not much holding it up at this point.”

He could see heavy plumes of smoke rising over the trees from State Route 511 as he approached the scene at about 1:15 p.m.

There was already considerable fire on three sides of the house. Firefighters were able to save the owner’s grandson and a pet dog, but there was little they could do for the structure, Wetherbee said.

With a mild breeze out of the southwest fanning the flames, all his crew could do was set up in defensive positions on the outside. The house also had cathedral ceilings, with allowed the fire to spread fast inside, he said.

The blaze grew hot enough to threaten nearby buildings. The siding was melted off a detached garage about 15 feel away on one side, where several vehicles were stored, according to Wetherbee.

On another side, an outbuilding holding lawn equipment was in danger of also being consumed, he said.

It took roughly an hour to bring the fire under control. By that time, the rear of the home was burned beyond repair, the chief said — though other rooms were relatively untouched, except for smoke and water damage.

The site was cleared in about three and a half hours.

Wetherbee said the financial loss was estimated at the full $316,000 valuation of the home plus the contents that were destroyed.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Crews from Rochester, Oberlin, Carlisle, Florence, Spencer, Camden and Wakeman fire departments helped battle the blaze, while LaGrange firefighters covered the Wellington fire station.

The South Lorain County Ambulance District also responded to the scene, but Wetherbee said there were no injuries.

Help Santa deliver with the Not-Forgotten Box ELYRIA — Our co-workers at The Chronicle-Telegram are continuing their more than 60-year tradition of making the holidays brighter for local families in need.

The Not-Forgotten Box is a charitable partnership between the newspaper and Salvation Army. The toy drive officially kicks off Monday, Nov. 29, but hundreds of toy have already been collected ahead of the launch date.

Santa’s helpers can drop off donations between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays through Friday, Dec. 17 at The Chronicle’s front lobby, 225 East Ave., Elyria.

Additional collection hours will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.

County gets grant to reduce roadway deaths

Jason Hawk | Amherst News-Times

Architect William Cook shows concept plans for how the Firelands Schools’ Vermilion Road campus could look in coming years, with a new bus garage, parking, sports fields and schools.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety has awarded $50,000 in federal traffic safety funding to Lorain County Public Health.

“We’ll continue to work with partners in the Safe Communities Coalition, and use the grant funds to advance traffic safety efforts,” said county Health Commissioner David Covell. “Together, we’ll work to save lives and prevent injuries

by promoting seat belt use, motorcycle safety and reducing impaired driving.”

For more than 30 years, the Lorain County Safe Communities Coalition has worked to reduce injuries and deaths on Lorain County roads. Its members represent businesses, law enforcement, health care agencies, local and state engineering offices, insurance agencies and Lorain County residents.

Page A6

Lorain County Community Guide

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Board of Elections gives raises to its two directors DAVE O’BRIEN THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

SHEFFIELD TWP. — The Lorain County Board of Elections voted unanimously last week to give raises to Director Paul Adams and Deputy Director James Kramer.

Adams, a Democrat, now will make $99,500 annually. Kramer, a Republican, will make $99,000. The raises are effective Jan. 1, the board said.

Board President Marilyn Jacobcik, a Republican, and board member Anthony Giardini, a Democrat, said both men deserved the raises.

"We've underpaid them proportionate" to the work they've done, Jacobcik said, jokingly asking the two men not to use their raises "as a negotiating tool."

Giardini said he personally believed both men were underpaid for the size of the county they work in and for the experience they bring to the job they do.

Adams, who said he and Kramer have worked together for 12 years, thanked the board for their trust and faith in the job he and Kramer do.

Board member Jack Baird, a Republican who was appointed to the board in April 2020, said he has been impressed with the professionalism shown by Kramer and Adams ever since he joined the four-member board.

The board also voted unanimously to increase its 2022 budget request to Lorain County Board of Commissioners to reflect both the raises and the need to replace ePollbook electronic tablets used by poll workers.

The cost of the new ePollbooks is estimated to be between $400,000 and $500,000. The board is under a directive from the Ohio secretary of state to replace the current devices by 2024, Adams told commissioners at an Oct. 21 budget hearing.

In other news The board rejected 22 absentee ballots and 16 provisional ballots that were cast in the Nov. 2 election.

Of the 3,970 absentee ballots received, 99.4 percent were accepted. Of the 336 provisional ballots cast, 95.2 percent were accepted.

Adams said: • Fifteen absentee ballots were not received on time or postmarked after deadline.

• Five absentee ballots were returned without a signature.

• One absentee ballot was returned with a non-matching signature and election workers could not contact the voter by phone, mail or email.

• One absentee voter did not include proper identification on their ID envelope.

Additionally, the board rejected: • Eleven provisional ballots cast by voters who were not registered to vote in Ohio.

• Three ballots from voters who cast ballots in the wrong polling location and wrong precinct.

• The ballot of one provisional voter who voted early at the Board of Elections office on Oct. 20 due to a change of address, then tried to cast a second provisional ballot at their polling place on Nov. 2.

• The ballot of one provisional voter who failed to provide identification or the wrong identifying information.

The board accepted the votes of six voters who voted in the correct polling place but the wrong precinct, and the vote of one person whose initial ballot was voided due to a ballot reader error and should have been reissued a second ballot.

Another ballot was accepted after board members determined that the voter wrote in the wrong address, which was only one digit off from correct and came from a nursing home resident.

Two additional ballots were approved despite their initial rejection. Kramer said he investigated and determined a mechanical error caused the ballot to be rejected by an electronic ballot reader, Kramer said.

Those voters did nothing wrong, Jacobcik said, and their ballots were accepted by the board.

Specials & Bundles Daily!

See our website for details

© FARM TO TABLE FROZEN AVAILABLE

Seen On New Day Cleveland Fox 8

CUSTOM PROCESSING We Service/Supply Large & Small Venues

FRESH MEAT COUNTER IN NORTHEAST OHIO 100% ANGUS BEEF DRY-AGED THE WAY IT USED TO BE - THE OLD WAY

Albany THE VOICE OF FROM OUR FARM TO YOUR TABLE

Photos by Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune

New York-bound OBJUMP members practice their Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade jump rope routine Friday in a hallway at Oberlin Elementary School.

Oberlin girls leap into Thanksgiving parade JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — Zoe Stephens could barely contain her excitement Friday as she got ready for the biggest leap of her life.

She’s literally jumping today with teammates Saya Miyazawa, Helen Levy and Aarohi Mehta into the 95th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

The four Oberlin teens are members of OBJUMP, the competitive jump rope team made up of athletes from the Oberlin City Schools.

Stephens recalls what went through her mind when she found out she’d be in the world’s largest parade, which will be shown live from 9 a.m. to noon on NBC and CBS. “I was like, ‘Macy’s? That’s a really big deal.’ That’s a thing that everybody knows,” she said.

The Heartbeats Jump Rope Team in Cleveland is organizing the jump rope exhibition in the parade, which will feature members from 25 teams in 21 states.

The Oberlin girls will join forces with more than 100 other jumpers under the acronym JUMP, which stands for Jumpers United for Macy’s Parade.

Jump-ropers have appeared in five Macy’s parades — the last time was in 2015 — but this is the first time Oberlin has sent an envoy, said coach Jenny Mentzer.

Her athletes are no strangers to the spotlight, though. They’ve appeared in front of giant crowds and on television before.

“We’ve competed against people from other countries,” she said. “They’ve done a lot of performances, many of them seven or eight years with me.”

OBJUMP has 11 members and a couple of recruits in the wings. Mentzer said Stephens, Miyazawa, Levy and Mehta were chosen because, even as freshmen and sophomores, they are the best jumpers she’s ever coached.

The gang got emotional Friday when they heard Mentzer’s praise.

Wearing Macy’s T-shirts, they gathered for a quick run-through of their footwork for the camera before getting ready to head east Monday.

In the Big Apple, the few days before Thanksgiving were packed with practices

with other jumpers from across the country.

Now they’ll work up a sweat together along the 2.8-mile parade route, starting from Central Park and winding through Manhattan.

That’s no easy feat. Just walking in a parade is exercise, but jumping and pulling off high-skill tricks the whole time requires extreme conditioning.

“You have to say, yes, they're in good enough shape to jump 2.8 miles without stopping,” Mentzer said.

To build up endurance, the girls have hit the North Coast Inland Trail bike path that runs through Oberlin, twirling ropes on 2-mile training sessions in addition to regular practices.

The toughest training came Labor Day weekend, when the foursome put in 13 hours of hard work over a two-day stretch.

“It’s really tiring, but it’s going to be so worth it,” said Miyazawa. “I just think about how it will mean I get to be in the parade, and everyone will be able to see us.”

Add the weight of the ropes to the equation. The team will use jump ropes decorated in red and white to look like candy canes, which are much thicker than normal gear.

“They’re actually heavy, heavy ropes, thick ropes they’re not used to jumping with,” Mentzer said. “So it will be even more challenging, but it will look good on camera.”

When the team reaches Herald Square, it will stop to perform a routine set to holiday music in front of the NBC cameras.

Mentzer wasn’t allowed to say which song due to confidentiality rules.

She warned that the team will all wear red and black uniforms and no personal insignia such as school logos or pins are allowed, so it may be hard to pick out the local athletes.

That doesn’t bother Stephens, who said just being in the parade her family has watched together for years will be recognition enough.

“When I’ve watched it, I’ve said that could be me,” she said. “Now it is.”

The Oberlin Schools Endowment Fund contributed $380 to help make the trip possible, said Mentzer. The jump rope team has to cover all its own expenses, from lodging and food to transportation and uniforms.

Follow us on Facebook!

HOURS: Monday-Friday: 8AM-6PM Saturday: 8AM-4PM • Sunday: CLOSED LOCATED 1 HALF MILE SOUTH OF RT. 20 ON RT. 58 15788 OH. RT. 58 OBERLIN, OH 440-775-FARM (3276) MCCONNELLMEATSANDFARMMARKET.COM

OBJUMP team members Helen Levy, Saya Miyazawa, Aarohi Mehta and Zoe Stephens have spent months building endurance for the long Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

B

OUR TOWNS

Lorain County Community Guide • Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Winning it

Big dreams, few specifics in bid to save South Amherst school JASON HAWK EDITOR

Photos by Jason Hawk | Wellington Enterprise

The Dukes girls varsity soccer team has dominated the Lorain County League for three straight years.

Dukes athletes, musicians and volunteer earn praise JASON HAWK EDITOR

WELLINGTON — When Wellington celebrates, it goes all out.

The Board of Education’s Nov. 16 meeting started with a party atmosphere, as Athletic Director John Bowman spread praise around to athletes and volunteers after an outstanding fall for the Dukes.

First to receive congratulations was longtime volunteer Bill Berger, known as “the voice of the Dukes.”

He’s announced Wellington varsity games for GLWB Broadband the past eight years, and has become a fixture for seven sports — all as a volunteer.

Bowman said Berger has donated countless hours to help the Dukes athletics department in any way he can.

“I don’t know what I’d do without him, because I know I don’t like to be on the microphone,” Bowman said.

Also getting accolades was volleyball star McKenna Chappell, who is Wellington High School’s all-time assist record-holder. As the team’s setter, she finished her three-year varsity career with 1,372 assists.

This season, Chappell helped the Dukes win 14 games, the most since 2003.

“I think she had some crazy amount, like 1,700 touches on the year,” Bowman said.

The Dukes girls soccer team was also showered with praise for winning its third straight Lorain County League title.

The LC8 was born three years ago, replacing the Patriot Athletic League.

That means the Wellington squad has won every championship in league history.

“We’re hoping we can do this a fourth time next season, right

▲ McKenna Chappell is the Dukes volleyball team’s star setter and all-time school recordholder for assists. ◄ Bill Berger is the announcer for seven Wellington Dukes sports. ▼ The Wellington High School marching band members took their talent all the way to the OMEA state finals.

HENRIETTA TWP. — A group that hopes to save South Amherst Middle School from demolition believes the building could become a shopping center, rural business incubator, senior center, dance studio or serve any number of other purposes.

Its pitch last week to the Firelands Board of Education wasn’t focused on one concrete idea — instead, spokesman Jim Slack begged elected officials to slow down and find “the right kind” of real estate developer or private foundation willing to repurpose the 111-yearold-school.

Calling themselves the Old Sandstone Schoolhouse Project, volunteers said Monday, Nov. 15 that they would roll up their sleeves and help. Collectively, its members have generated and managed about $17 million in grants.

They presented a manifesto to the school board calling for the building to rebranded as the Sandstone Center for Exceptional Opportunities in Lifelong Learning.

“It will be a marketplace of learnSuperintendent ing, human care and development, Mike Von Gunten health maintenance and culture — all within close proximity to every resident in (Firelands),” the proposal said.

Firelands is in some ways lacking, the group said. Its communities on the west side of Lorain County have a combined population of 16,000 but no public library, job training center, public child care center, civic center, indoor recreation center, public health clinic, small family farm assistance center, center for the arts or public housing, for example.

With investment, South Amherst Middle School could help solve some of those long-term issues. Or all of them. Or none of them — so long as it’s not torn down and isn’t sold to Industrial Realty Group.

The Sandstone Schoolhouse crowd doesn’t trust IRG or its Vice President Justin Lichter, according to documents submitted to the board.

“We believe IRG has a checkered track record in historical preservation and protecting the values of the community,” the proposal says.

Lichter expressed interest in the building earlier this fall while speaking to South Amherst Village Council.

That body wasn’t convinced to back his bid for ownership of the building, and he said he’d appeal to the school board.

Lichter has not formally done so yet, said Superintendent Mike Von Gunten — but he made it clear there’s been behind-the-scenes communication, and hinted he expects an interested party to step forward in the next month.

He declined to say whether that party is Lichter.

“We are coming to a point where a decision needs to be made, but ultimately that is going to be a board decision,” Von Gunten said.

The goal is to decide the fate of South Amherst Middle School before the end of the calendar year.

The Route 113 building won’t be used by the district starting next year, when the new Firelands High School opens and all grade levels attend classes on Firelands’ Vermilion Road campus.

As part of its bond issue to build the new high school, the district has $787,000 set aside for abatement and

“We are coming to a point where a decision needs to be made, but ultimately that is going to be a board decision.”

SCHOOLHOUSE PAGE B2

WINNING PAGE B2

1960-2021

Celebrating 61 years in service!

Beriswill

INSURANCE AGENCY, AGENCY, INC. INSURANCE INC. home - farm - auto - health - life - business home-farm-auto-health-life-business Call or stop in for a FREE

INSURANCE QUOTE.

Full service independent insurance agency.

Protecting What’s Important Scott Beriswill Daniel Beriswill

35881 Grafton Eastern Rd. Grafton, Ohio 44044

Denise Breyley

173 Depot Street Wellington, Ohio 44090

(440) 926-3312 www.beriswillins.com (440) 647-6010

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS TO: NEWS@LCNEWSPAPERS.COM

Page B2

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Council gets pitch for $350K in Oberlin Underground Railroad Center renovations JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — A $350,000 plan to finally get the Oberlin Underground Railroad Center opened to the public was presented last week to City Council.

A committee has been working the past 15 years to transform the old “roundhouse” coal storage facility — also known as the Gasholder Building — on South Main Street into a museum and event center.

“It’s been a long time,” said Jessie Reeder, who joined the effort in 2009 and now serves as its chair.

She’s already planning the first exhibition that will run there, focusing on Oberlin’s role in the escape of slaves from the South to freedom in the North.

But first, extensive renovations are required, and it’s become clear over the long years that the Underground Railroad committee won’t be able to pay for them.

“I think that has been and is unrealistic,” Councilman Ray English said in a Nov. 15 meeting.

While the city has gotten decent-sized grants to stabilize the roof and make other repairs, progress has limped along and now it’s time for Council to take more direct control of the city-owned building, he said.

“For me, it’s time for the city to take ownership of the project and really make it usable,” said English.

City Code Administrator Chris Yates and Planning Director Carrie Handy said much work must be done to reach that point.

Shoring up the basement level is the next step.

“If any of you have ever been in the basement of the Gasholder Building, you know there’s a pretty good network of metal scaffolding that’s holding up the floor, along with some pretty deteriorated steel beams,” Handy told

Council.

The scaffolding is rated to hold up 10,000 pounds, according to Yates. He showed photos of one beam bending up the weight, and another crumbling.

The proposed solution: constructing a circular interior wall in the basement, a foot wide and filled with concrete to bear the load, he said.

Yates and Handy said the floor needs to be ground down four inches and leveled. The building’s interior walls are a mix of plastic, paint and bare brick and need to be fixed. And emergency window access should be installed.

Their plans also call for a new electrical system to run basement sump pumps and power heating and air conditioning.

Adding a second door — a request made by several Council reps — would raise the maximum occupancy of the Gasholder Building from 49 to 100.

Drainage issues have already been fixed at a cost of roughly $54,000.

Tony Mealy, a former member of the Underground Railroad committee who resigned this fall, criticized the way drainage has been handled. He said he doesn’t believe the sump pumps installed at the basement level will solve the building’s water problems.

Yates said the building was originally designed to hold water, and engineers were hired to find how best to modify it.

At times, there have been two feet of standing water in the basement, he said.

The new drainage is system has taken care of that, according to Yates.

“We’re doing the very, very best we can to open this up to honor its legacy and honor the future of what this building can be,” City Manager Rob Hillard said.

The cost of renovations will not be included in Oberlin’s budget until more details are presented for a Council vote, Hillard said.

No vote was cast following the discussion.

SCHOOLHOUSE

FROM B1

demolition of SAMS. If the building is passed to another owner, it needs to be placed in good hands, said Von Gunten.

“I think there’s many examples where buildings become vacated and they immediately fall into disrepair,” he said.

“That’s not what any of us want.”

Nor is it what the Old Sandstone Schoolhouse Project folks want. They said the Board of Education needs to recruit a responsible developer that has a track record with preserving historic buildings, or hold on to the school and wait.

“We know there’s a clock ticking, but we ask you to consider how arbitrary that clock really is,” Slack said.

Board of Education members listened but did not agree to any course of action.

Slack was undeterred, growing excited

as he talked about SAMS’ potential — while also admitting his group’s ideas would take at least two years to bear fruit.

Bill Jones, a founding member of the South Amherst Historical Society who graduated from the building when it was South Amherst High School, threw his support behind the Old Sandstone School Project.

He did not attend the meeting, but in an open letter to the school board said it would be “a win-win for this grand old sandstone building to stand.” “… The benefits could be economic, academic, cultural, civic and for the personal enrichment of everyone now and in the future,” he wrote.

The Brownhelm Historical Association also took to social media last week to stir up support for Slack’s group.

WINNING

FROM B1

ladies?” Bowman said.

The Dukes went 12-2-1 on the season.

They’ve dominated every league game save one in the past three years.

There was no chance the Wellington marching band, led by Hayley Sleggs, would be passed over during the celebration.

It finished the season on a high note,

earning a superior rating at the Ohio Music Education Association state finals at Medina High School earlier this month.

Bowman said the band’s small size — 19 musicians in grades eight to 12 — posed a challenge because there was no margin for error. Every instrument could be clearly heard, and they often played what amounted to solos.

85 SOUTH MAIN STREET OBERLIN OHIO 44074 NOVEMBER 25, 2021 BOARD AND COMMISSION MEETING DATES - ALL MEETINGS WILL TAKE PLACE AT 85 SOUTH MAIN STREET UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

NOVEMBER 25, 2021 �����OFFICES CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF THANKSGIVING NOVEMBER 26, 2021 �����OFFICES CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF THANKSGIVING NOVEMBER 29, 2021 �����SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING - 6:00 P�M� - CONFERENCE ROOM 1 - PURPOSE: To adjourn into executive session to discuss the employment and compensation of the City Manager DECEMBER 1, 2021 �������PLANNING COMMISSION - 4:30 P�M� OBERLIN FIRE DEPT� - 430 S� MAIN ST� NOTICE: DISABLED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CALL 775-7203 OR E-MAIL: banderson@cityofoberlin.com NOTICE REQUIRED: TWO (2) WORKING DAYS IN ADVANCE OF MEETING (48 HOURS) CLERK OF COUNCIL’S OFFICE.

Carissa Woytach | Chronicle

Thanksgiving Heroes Cleveland volunteers Kathleen Decker, right, and Deana Fowls, left, load boxes of food into a vehicle at a food distribution Saturday afternoon at the Lorain County Urban League.

2,200 Lorain County families pick up Thanksgiving meals CARISSA WOYTACH THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

ELYRIA — About 2,200 Lorain County families received full Thanksgiving meals from two food distributions Saturday.

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio hosted its largest distribution this year, serving about 2,000 families Saturday morning via a drive-thru food pantry at Lorain County Community College.

President and CEO Julie Chase-Morefield said it’s the organization’s second big Thanksgiving distribution — last year Second Harvest hosted a drive-thru distribution at Midway Mall, unloading more than 100 pallets of food to about 3,000 households in need.

This year the distribution at LCCC was capped at 2,000 pre-registered families, in addition to smaller distributions in Galion and Willard — both serving about 500 families.

More than 120 people volunteered Saturday, joining Second Harvest staff and Elyria police to keep cars moving through the college’s back parking lot.

Second Harvest employee Sarah Horan said the turnout was great after months and months of planning.

“We did have to cut off our registration, so more than 2,000 families wanted to register for today — we're hoping that all of those families were able to show up today and that we'll be able to serve everybody,” she said.

Volunteer Modesta Naciute said the event was a success, despite the chilly weather.

“Today was a great opportunity for me to be part of this experience, especially given that this is their biggest distribution in a year. … People are grateful,” she said. “So far it seems like it's a success — it's great to be able to help people.”

Lorain County Urban League Partnering with Thanksgiving Heroes Cleveland, Urban League staff and volunteers gave out 200 full Thanksgiving meals — from the turkeys and stuffing to ingredients for green bean casseroles and pumpkin pie.

Founded in 2020 by Matt Chase and Chase Group Realty, Thanksgiving Heroes went from distributing 125 turkeys last year to 1,000 this year, volunteer Shannon Fowls said.

Fowls and his wife, Deana, along with a handful of other volunteers, have spent the past year raising $60,0000 for the organization. Before coming to the Urban League on Saturday, those same volunteers delivered boxes of food to 800 families, mainly in Lorain County.

“The idea here is not only are we helping them for Thanksgiving, but they're going to have enough leftovers if the kids only eat at school that now they get to eat during the week,” he said. “So the idea is no child is going hungry with the secondary idea that one day one of these young kids may grow up to be a CEO or somebody important on their own and do something greater than what we're doing now.”

Dee Baker, Lorain County Urban League director of outreach and community engagement, said Thanksgiving Heroes contacted her after a referral from El Centro de Servicios Sociales in Lorain. From there the budding partnership took off — with Urban League staff identifying the 200 families for Saturday’s pickup from the residents they’ve served throughout the year.

Board members Sylvia DuVall, Eva Lee Vickers and Catherine Woskobnick all voiced support for the partnership — going beyond helping residents find employment or financial stability to provide a meal amid rising food costs.

“This is another example of how Urban League serves people's spiritual, emotional and physical needs,” DuVall said.

HUD Housing Counselor Arneatha Shannon, who identified 135 of those families from those she’d worked with to provide emergency assistance or first-time homebuyer classes, was just happy to see the distribution come to life after COVID-19.

“It's literally an entire Thanksgiving dinner for their family,” she said. “So that's just one less stress that they have to worry about this holiday, just to get them through to the next.”

Angelo Angel contributed to this story.

Water main ‘blowout’ causes flooding near Wellington HS JASON HAWK EDITOR

WELLINGTON — No signs of danger jumped out at Mike Kurianowicz when he got home about 4:30 a.m. last Thursday after working an overnight shift.

But after showering and grabbing some breakfast, he got a shock — the sound of rushing water inside his home.

“I walked downstairs from the kitchen and there was 4 to 6 inches of water in the basement,” Kurianowicz said.

A fisherman, he grabbed a pair of muck boots and headed outside to discover a stream of water rushing down Lincoln Street.

Kurianowicz compared what he saw to the way the Black River looks as it runs through Cascade Park in Elyria. The torrent was fast and dark brown, he said.

The source was what appeared to be a massive water main break on North Main Street, right in front of Wellington High School.

Mayor Hans Schneider

said there was a blowout there, possibly with an 8-inch pipe, though the full picture wasn’t immediately clear. The cause of the break was unknown the night it happened, he said.

"We're not really sure of the cause. It could be the temperature change," he said. Ruptures are more common in the late fall, when cold sets in.

The water for the most part ran due east and into some yards that he deemed "low-lying."

The village is looking at putting a storm drain in one of the yards to help relieve the issues, since Schneider said it appears some have had weatherrelated water issues before.

The break was stopped with a clamp, apparently a little before noon, he said.

There was no estimate available for how much water was lost, and it remains unclear how many property owners were affected by the break.

Among them was Joceyln Kelsey, who posted video to social media. It

showed a steady stream of water flowing toward her North Main Street home before sunrise.

“It’s starting to go in my crawl space, so pray for us,” she posted.

She later commented that the water did get into the crawl space, but the break was fixed before the water made it further.

Schools Superintendent Ed Weber said Wellington High School was not affected.

The building still had water service and was at a reduced capacity because last Thursday was a conference service day, he said.

Kurianowicz said this wasn’t the first time his home has flooded, but it was certainly the worst.

On two prior occasions through the years, storms caused water to flow into his basement, he said.

Now he’s worried about what comes next. Kurianowicz said he anticipates a hassle with his insurance company and the village over damage to items in his basement, which holds a small machine shop.

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Page B3

Two levy renewals needed to boost Amherst Schools JASON HAWK EDITOR

AMHERST — The shadow of deficit spending has pushed the Amherst Board of Education to put a renewal levy on the May 3 primary ballot.

In a five-year forecast of the district’s finances, Treasurer Amy Gioffredo said last week that “sound and prudent” practices have put the Amherst Schools in good shape compared to a decade ago.

The district ranks among the best 20 percent in the state for keeping expenditures in check,

she said, while also consistently ranking high for student performance.

But two renewals are needed to boost income, she said. The board chose unanimously to start by asking voters to re-up a 4.9mill property tax that has generated about $2.6 million per year for basic operating costs.

The second is a 10-year, 2-mill emergency levy last renewed in 2013. It is also likely to go on the May ballot.

State funding is expected to stay level through 2026. Real estate revenues aren’t, if the levies expire.

Without them, the school

system’s income will slide by a massive $6.8 million.

Deficit spending to the tune of $315,000 is already predicted for next year, and unchecked would go to $3.25 million in fiscal year 2023 and to $11.6 million by 2026.

Personnel is the largest cost for any district, and Amherst is no exception. Salaries and benefits are expected to grow about $4.4 million over the next five years.

Superintendent Steve Sayers said Amherst prides itself in keeping those numbers under 80 percent of the total budget — a feat few other districts in Ohio can manage.

The good news is the district is sitting on a $20.5 million cash balance with $14.5 million in unreserved funds. That means it can afford to spend down a bit while waiting for voters to pass levy renewals.

Gioffredo said the district is also benefiting from pandemic relief funds. Cash from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and American Rescue Plan passed by Congress exceed $4 million.

Amherst is also receiving new special education revenue, she said.

Sayers said five-year forecasts, which are required by the state,

are always drafted conservatively. The Amherst Schools typically end up in a better position in June than was predicted in November.

That’s because expenses are almost always easier to project than income, said Gioffredo.

The situation will likely change somewhat with the introduction of the Fair School Funding Plan, which is set to replace the unconstitutional funding plan Ohio has long had in place.

The big takeaway is the need for the levies, Sayers said.

“If we can pass these two renewal levies, we will continue to be in a good position for the foreseeable future,” he said.

Semi bursts into flame at Amherst Turnpike plaza JASON HAWK EDITOR

AMHERST — A semi truck hauling chicken feed burst into flames late last Thursday night at the Ohio Turnpike Plaza off Middle Ridge Road.

Driver Bradley Pederson, 54, of Minnesota, was traveling west in a 2000 Volvo semi and had just pulled into the plaza before 11 p.m. when the fire broke out, according to Sgt. David Dylag of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Milan post.

“He pulled in to get fuel, he said and the next thing he noticed the whole thing was on fire,” said Amherst Fire Chief Jim Wilhelm. “He didn’t know how. He just bailed out.”

The cab was fully aflame when Amherst firefighters arrived a few minutes later. It spread to part of the trailer near the bulkhead, so hot that it melted and twisted the aluminum, Wilhelm said.

The cause was “probably a mechanical malfunction of some kind,” he said. “It

burned up so bad we’ll never be able to tell.”

The semi was not parked near the Turnpike plaza’s gas pumps, so there was not concern about sparking an explosion, Wilhelm said.

Some diesel and oil spilled — it wasn’t enough to warrant calling the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the chief said.

Firefighters used some of the spilled chicken feed to stop the fuel from running into storm water drains.

It didn’t take them long to extinguish the fire — only about 25 minutes — but fire crews stayed at the plaza cleaning up until after midnight.

State troopers and Interstate Towing also responded to the scene.

The semi’s burned wreckage remained at the Turnpike plaza though the night and into Friday morning, according to Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Dimacchia.

No one, including the driver, was injured in the incident or emergency response, safety forces said.

Provided photo

Lorain County JVS seniors Isaiah Allen and Kylee Gill smile in the school greenhouse under some festive snow.

JVS annual poinsettia Oberlin woman dead after sale is online this year rollover in North Olmsted NORTH OLMSTED — An Oberlin woman died in a rollover crash on Interstate 480 westbound Friday night.

North Olmsted police responded to I-480 near the state Route 10 exit about 10 p.m. for a two-vehicle crash, finding Vanessa Panas, 45, of Oberlin had been ejected from her vehicle.

Panas was driving a Jeep Liberty when she appeared to have struck a Dodge Durango while changing lanes. Her Jeep

rolled and she was ejected and declared dead at the scene.

Alcohol is a suspected factor, according to North Olmsted Police, but investigators are waiting for a toxicology report from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner to confirm.

No one else was injured in the crash.

The highway was closed for about three and a half hours while crews cleared the scene.

Republican club

The school district also plans to work with Lorain County Public Health to write grants in 2022 for signage and benches on the trail.

The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will hold a breakfast meeting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at Sugar Creek Restaurant, 5196 Detroit Rd., in the Sheffield Village Plaza.

The speaker will be U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno. Attendees are responsible for their meals.

Toys for Tots Lorain County Toys for Tots is in need of donations this holiday season.

To become a toy drop site for this year’s campaign, visit www.tinyurl.com/LCToysForTots and click on “Get Involved/Volunteer,” then choose “Be a Toy Drop Site.”

Toys for Tots accepts gifts that are new, unopened and priced at $10 or more. Anything less is considered a book or stocking stuffer.

This year’s campaign runs through Dec. 10. For more information, contact loraincounty@toysfortots.org.

Walking trail at AJHS State wellness funds will be used to create a half-mile walking and running trail on the Amherst Junior High School grounds.

“We’re hoping to get this project done this fall,” Amherst Schools Superintendent Steve Sayers said last week.

Science teacher and track coach Rob Glatz has been working with Building and Grounds Supervisor Chuck Grimmett to plan the trail. It will run around the school’s retention area and to the front of the property, Sayers said.

The intention is for the trail to be open to staff, students, athletes and the general public, he said.

Late start next fall Amherst Schools students’ summer vacation will last a little longer next year.

The district plans to delay the start of the 2022-2023 school year by one week, Superintendent Steve Sayers said in a Nov. 15 Board of Education meeting.

The decision aims to provide time to complete summer work at Marion L. Steele High School, he said.

“We thought another week might help with those projects, getting them completed,” said Sayers.

The school year would still end June 1, 2023, he said.

A vote on the school calendar is expected when the board meets Monday, Dec. 13.

Overnight snow ban The city of Oberlin prohibits parking on residential streets and alleys from 2-6 a.m. between Nov. 1 and April 1. For more information, call the Oberlin Police Department at (440) 774-1061.

Santa to arrive The Santa parade will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27 in Oberlin. Santa Claus will travel through the city, starting from Welcome Nursing Home on East Hamilton Street and looping around through residential neighborhoods. According to a schedule posted by the city, he should pass Tappan Square on West College Street around 10:30 a.m. on a return path to Welcome Nursing Home.

PITTSFIELD TWP. — The Lorain County JVS landscape and greenhouse management students’ annual holiday poinsettia sale will be held online this year.

The same variety of poinsettias and wreaths will be offered. Pre-orders are required, and the sale will begin Monday, Nov. 29.

To place your holiday order, visit www. lcjvs.com/greenhouse. You must select a

pickup day and time when you place your order. Pickup will be available on Monday, Nov. 29 through Wednesday, Dec. 15. No weekend pickups are available.

Pickup times will be from 8-10 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m.

Poinsettias range from $4 to $12, depending on size and come in shades of red, pink and white. Paint or glitter can be added for $1 extra. Wreaths are $12 to $20, depending on size and type.

OBERLIN CITY COUNCIL - CLERK’S OFFICE

CITY OF OBERLIN NOTICE OF BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE VACANCIES Oberlin City Council will be accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the Library Board of Trustees.

Persons interested in serving can contact: Oberlin City Clerk Belinda Anderson, MMC 85 South Main Street Oberlin, Ohio 44074 Phone#: (440) 775-7203 Fax#: (440) 775-7208 The deadline for applications will be December 3, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.

City Clerk’s Office • 85 S. Main St. • Oberlin, OH 44074 • (P) 440.775.7203 • (F) 440.775.7208 www.cityofoberlin.com

Page B4

Lorain County Community Guide

DON’T STOP THERE

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Live nativity in Wellington Brighton Congregational Church will present a live nativity from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28 at the gazebo in front of Town Hall in downtown Wellington.

The public can visit, talk with the characters, ask questions of the shepherds and chat with folks from Bethlehem about what happened in their village.

Christmas food giveaway Well-Help will hold its Christmas food giveaway between 9 a.m. and noon on Friday, Dec. 17. Be sure to sign up in advance by calling (440) 647-2689.

WOBL holds 24-hour fundraiser to benefit the hungry

Jason Hawk | Amherst News-Times

Coach Dave Anderson introduces the Amherst Junior High boys cross country team to the Board of Education on Monday, Nov. 15. The team won the Southwestern Conference title this fall, fighting to the top through rain, wind, cold and a low seed. Principal Andrew Gibson said cross country is a grueling sport in which runners have to be mentally tough and they face the elements alone. “Don’t stop there,” school board President Ron Yacobozzi told the runners. “That drive will take you through the rest of your life. Don’t give up on anything,”

LEOS DONATE RECYCLED BENCH

Gary Tollett and DJ Jimbo will be locked in the WOBL studio for 24 hours starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 3 to raise $5,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank.

The radio personalities are pitching in to help with the 2021 Holiday Cheer Campaign sponsored by WOBL and WDLW Radio and McConnell Meats and Farm Market.

The goal is to make sure no child goes hungry.

To help, visit www.secondharvestfoodbank.org, call the studio line on Dec. 3 at (440) 775-1320 and provide your information over the phone or visit the WOBL studio window and say hello to Gary and Jimbo to make your donation.

If you make a $50 donation at the window during the 24-hour campaign, you’ll receive a limited-edition holiday T-shirt.

The radio station will also be accepting nonperishable food items and cash donations to Second Harvest from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 29 to Dec. 17 at 45624 U.S. Route 20, Oberlin.

Patriots band returns The Patriots Symphonic Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11 at Lorain County Community College’s Hoke Theatre, Elyria.

Ring in the holidays with renowned conductor John Knight and the 80-member Patriots Band as they return to the concert stage to perform Christmas favorites. Enjoy a wide variety of musical selections ranging from carols to traditional hymns and uplifting concert pieces – all presented with the big sound of this fully instrumented symphonic band.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $11 for senior citizens, $8 for students and free for children ages 12 and under. Purchase seats at www.tinyurl.com/PatriotsBandLCCC. Provided photo

The Amherst Leo Club has donated a bench to the Patriots Park project. Members, who are students at Marion L. Steele High School, earned the bench from composite decking company Trex after collecting more than 500 pounds of plastic bags and film by the end of last school year. It is made from all-recycled materials. Pictured are adviser Dave Walzer with Leos Camilla Isaacs, Meghan Glahn, John Belak, Lindsey Heyd, Nicholas Glahn, Sebastian Pecora, faculty adviser Colleen Pete and Patriots Park coordinator John Sekletar. The Leos are again collecting plastic film, working toward earning another bench — it will be their fourth. To assist in the cause, a public drop-off box is located in the Main Street Community Center lobby at 255 Park Ave. REALITY TV ACROSS 1. “Oh, my!”

5. Say untruth 8. Left or right 12. Spiritual leader 13. *”____ing Up with Marie Kondo” 14. Great reviews 15. Related 16. Double reed woodwind 17. Fourth deck 18. *”The ____ ____,” MTV’s trailblazing reality show 20. Affirm with confidence 21. I to Greeks, pl.

22. ____ Baba 23. Powerball and such 26. Swaggering show of courage 30. Spermatozoa counterparts 31. Based on two 34. Has a mortgage 35. ____ dog, gin and grapefruit juice cocktail 37. DNA transmitter 38. *”The Real Housewives” is full of this type of conflict 39. Write on a tombstone 40. Unwholesome atmosphere 42. Hairpiece, slangily 43. Stitched again 45. Unit of electric current flow 47. Solemn pledge 48. Like nose during hayfever 50. Uncouth one 52. *”Who ____ ____ ____ a Millionaire?”

56. Front of cuirass 57. Sixth month of civil year 58. “Jack and the Beanstalk” instrument 59. Travesty 60. Italian money 61. *”Vanilla Ice Goes Amish” and “Cleveland Hustles” state 62. *”____house Masters” on Animal Planet 63. *Not Khloé or Kourtney 64. Common allergens DOWN 1. Gelatin substitute 2. Gospel writer 3. “Tosca” song, e.g.

4. Like sunroom, hopefully 5. Balance in the sky 6. *”Pop ____” and “American ____,”

Bosley joins sheriff’s office Former Avon Police Chief Richard Bosley has been hired as a captain at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office.

Bosley graduated from Wellington High School and studied public safety at the Lorain County JVS, then earned an associate degree in police science from Lorain County Community College in 1992. He received a bachelor’s Richard degree in business administration with Bosley a concentration in criminal justice in 2010 from North Central University, graduating magna cum laude.

He has more than 31 years of experience in law enforcement. Bosley started as an auxiliary officer at the Grafton Police Department, became a part-time officer in 1993 and a full-time officer the following year. He has worked for the Elyria and Avon police departments as a patrolman, detective and and sergeant. Bosley was named Avon’s chief in 2011, and retired at the end of June 2021.

Zsebik promoted to sergeant Jason Zsebik, a 15-year veteran of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, has been promoted to sergeant.

He is a K-9 handler with his dog, Sam, who will be transferred to another deputy as Zsebik takes on new duties as an officer in charge at the road patrol level. The promotion is due to recent retirements, according to Sheriff Phil Stammitti. Zsebik also placed first among deputies who took a competitive examination.

pl.

7. Gave the once-over 8. *”Outwit, Outplay, Outlast” show 9. Not active 10. Point of entry 11. Sixth sense 13. Foot, to a child 14. Aussie bear 19. Buzz Lightyear’s buddy 22. Brow shape 23. *”The Biggest ____” 24. Egg-shaped 25. Same as talcums 26. Civil rights concern 27. In the know 28. Raise objections 29. Missouri River tributary 32. Like a desert

Jason Zsebik

33. Crime scene evidence 36. *Singing competition (2 words) 38. Curses 40. Feline sound 41. “I think I can, I think I can...”, e.g.

44. “For better or for ____” 46. “Monty ____’s Flying Circus” 48. r in a circle, pl.

49. Deprive of weapons 50. *Star of wilderness reality shows, ____ Grylls 51. Fairytale beast 52. Street-crossing word 53. Hawaiian island 54. Londoner, e.g.

55. Narrative poem 56. Back of a boat

SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2

SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

SPORTS

Lorain County Community Guide

Page B5

Send sports news to news@lcnewspapers.com. Deadline for all submissions is 10 a.m. each Tuesday. Printed as space is available.

DUKES GIRLS WIN SEASON OPENER

Photos by Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise

The Dukes opened the season right with a whopping 56-29 win Saturday over the East Canton Wizards in the Rittman Tip-Off Classic. ABOVE: Wellington’s Amanda Spiekerman gets the steal against East Canton. RIGHT: Karlie Frenk gets to the basket.

VOLLEYBALL ALL-STARS SHINE Photos by Russ Gifford | Community Guide

The Lorain County volleyball all-star games were held Nov. 15 at Lorain High School, with lots of representation from the Community Guide’s neck of the woods. There were plenty of maroon and white, red and blue, green and gold and black and gold uniforms worn on the courts. ▼ Wellington's McKenna Chappell makes a set.

▲ Firelands seniors Tori Coggins, Leah Schmittle and Layne Riley smile after their match.

▲ Black River’s Abbie Graves sets the ball. ► Oberlin's Pearl Gunn gets a hit. ◄ Firelands' Tori Coggins passes .

Page B6

Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

© 2021 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 37, No. 51

After you eat some of your Thanksgiving meal, take a break from feasting to find out about the older people at the table.

limoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Mass, can help you talk like a pilgrim! In the 1600s, the pilgrims spoke English, but a little differently than we do today.

Snoop into the past of one or more by asking “When you were my age …”

The Museum has gathered some of the words, greetings and phrases that would have been used by pilgrims. Compare them to how we TODAY PILGRIMTALK would say the Hi! How are you? What cheer? same thing today. Practice Excuseme.

Pray pardon me. these at home Congratulations! Huzzah! and you can talk like a Fare thee well!

Goodbye! pilgrim, too!

Specialthanksto PlimouthPatuxet Museumsfortheir helpwiththecontent oftoday’s page!

Formorelearningfun, visitthemat: plimouth.org

1. What did you eat on Thanksgiving, and who did the cooking?

How many of these leaves you can find on this page in 2 minutes?Have a friend try.Who found the most?

2. How did you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Mouser Breeches Petticoat Pottage Pillowbere

Cat Pants Skirt Stew Pillowcase

Thanksgiving is a time to talk!

3. What were you thankful for?

4. Did you have a pet?

Squirrel FamilyThanksgiving Feast

Cozy in their tree home, the Squirrel family is enjoying a Thanksgiving feast of acorns and nuts. Examine their storage bin at right and color the graph to show how many nuts and acorns they have left for the holidays.

5. What were your hobbies?

6. Did you watch television?

What was your favorite show?

ACORNS

Pilgrim Riddles

that Who is he gh the rou runneth th house on is hedge, h ack? his b

The Plimoth Patuxet Museums collected riddles from the 1600s.

Draw a line from each riddle to the picture it describes.

EXAMPLE: I went to the woods and I caught it, I sat me down and I sought it, buut since I could not find it, homee with me I brought it? What is i it?

Wh than at is hig yet s a house her e a than ems sma nd a mo ller use?

What day a is full all nd at nig empty ht?

ANSWER: A splinter! ’s en menen’s t s i t a Wh nd ten m a n e l ngth th and yet teke g stren n never ma ? men ca d on its end it stan

Conntent reproducedcourtesy of

Visit Plimoth.org to learn more!

Use the letters in the word THANKSGIVING to make new words.

Mix up the letters any way you like. You can use a letter twice in your new word only if it appears twice in the word Thanksgiving. How many words can you make?

5–10 words 11–19 words 20–39 words 40 words or more Standards Link: Spelling: Spell grade-level words correctly.

NUTS

PILGRIMS PETTICOAT PRACTICE BREECHES PLIMOUTH PATUXET RIDDLES HUZZAH MOUSE HEDGE NIGHT CHEER PRAY THEE FARE

8. How did you get spending money?

Look through the newspaper and cut out words and pictures that show things and people you are thankful for.

Glue these on to a piece of paper and share with others on Thanksgiving.

BONUS: Glue these on to a piece of large construction paper to make a Thanksgiving placemat!

10. What was your favorite story your grandparents told you?

Standards Link: Speaking Comprehension: Ask for clarification of stories and ideas.

G T A O C I T T E P B C H E E R R N L S

R H P R A C T I C E

E U R A M E M G E L

This week’s word:

RIDDLE

C Z Y N T U U T A D

H A T H E E X S R I

The noun riddle means a puzzling question to be solved by guessing.

E H E D G E G E E R

Riddles are more fun when the question rhymes.

S M I R G L I P T S

Try to use the word riddles in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

E Z A T T O I H F D

Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Thanksgiving Poetry

ANSWER:“They seem nice. Maybe they’ll invite us to dinner!”

Standards Link: Language Arts: Write descriptively.

9. What did you like to spend it on?

S Standards Link: Visual Arts: Use a variety of materials for projects.

NewspaperRiddles

Select a picture in the newspaper. Write three to five clues that would help someone identify that picture. Write these clues as a riddle and see if a friend can read your riddle and find the picture looking through the newspaper.

7. What chores did you do around the house?

Write a poem about Thanksgiving. Include family, friends, food and anything for which you are thankful.