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Saturday, April 2, 2022
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022
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CIC votes on Homrighausen
Commissioner DON BETHEL breaks down the PILOT program: “Somewhere in the process of us signing this and it got to the village, something happened.” Harrison News-Herald Photo/ROBERT AMABILE
BY ROBERT AMABILE Harrison News-Herald Reporter CADIZ — With recent tension between the Harrison County Commissioners and the county’s Community Improvement Corporation, a special meeting was held last Thursday to decide the fate of embroiled executive director Nick Homrighausen. Voting members were forced to decide on either terminating Homrighausen or risk losing their contract with the county. As announced during one of their February meetings, the Harrison County Commissioners are opting not to renew the CIC’s contract if the corporation continues to employ Homrighausen. The agreement will be terminated on April 21 if the CIC complies. The CIC is not a government agency; it was contracted by the county commissioners to help bring in businesses and develop the local economy. The organization attempts to find state and federal funding through various programs and grants while working with new businesses, providing incentives when possible. CIC President Dale Arbaugh’s opening statements gave a brief overview of the situation, and he clarified his own perceptions. He pointed out the successes of the CIC. For example, the county receives $10,000 every month for the power plant project yet to begin. Arbaugh also spoke of other projects in the pipeline that are yet to break ground but are going smoothly so far. Overall, the CIC viewed Homrighausen’s efforts in a positive light. Commissioners Don Bethel and Paul Coffland attended the Thursday meeting to voice their reasoning, and Bethel had a vote at the end of the session. Disagreements between the commissioners and Homrighausen date back to prior discussions regarding the proposed Harrison Energy Center in 2018 and the PILOT program. The “Payment in Lieu of Taxes” program was meant to divide tax money gained from the power plant between the villages and various county agencies. Then, Bethel gave the room his perspective, highlighting the commissioners’ negative experiences with Homrighausen. His biggest criticism — and Bethel’s main issue — was
with Homrighausen’s handling of the PILOT program. The CIC and commissioners had negotiated for the power plant to determine the proper percentages to be disbursed in the PILOT program. The original proposal was for villages to receive 42%, the county and CIC each to get 15%, and the school 28% of tax revenue from the power plant (out of an estimated $72 million in 30 years). Bethel said he was told by Homrighausen the numbers can’t change. “I couldn’t figure out why the numbers can’t change.” The commissioners were told that the power plant was trying to determine where tax dollars would be spent and that the deal wouldn’t go through unless everyone agreed. Later, after the commissioners had signed the proposal, they were told the school wanted more, then asking for 45%. To Bethel, this was unacceptable as he had felt assured that the numbers wouldn’t change. With that, Bethel called Homrighausen “dishonest, unethical, and unprofessional” during his presentation. Coffland followed with a brief statement of his own: “This has been an ongoing issue for a number of years at this point. We are not going to allow Mr. Homrighausen to represent us as our economic developer. If the CIC chooses to retain him as their executive director, that’s your entity, but you’ll be on an island because you will no longer have any Harrison County resources. It goes away the 21st.” Arbaugh replied to the commissioners’ statements in an attempt to find a middle ground. “We learned. We’re trying to move forward. I agree. There were a lot of missteps in the process that we’re learning from, but we move forward. In the conversations I’ve had with Mr. Coffland over the past year, we’ve agreed communication has to change between the commissioners, the CIC, and the different entities that were involved with additional processes down the road.” Though, Arbaugh admits the negotiations could’ve been handled differently. “We have different perceptions of how things were handled at that point.” After questions from Bethel during his reply, Arbaugh said that at the time, “I thought through our council and our negotiations, our numbers could not change at that point.” The president went on to ask, “Where are we going next?” Attorney Erick Bauer then stood to address possible outcomes after voting. He stated that if Homrighausen were to be terminated, a new executive director would need to be found. “Nick has, to my knowledge, very good relationships with those people [companies under contract], and whoever we bring in here will have to pick up from scratch.” Bauer also mentioned potential lawsuits from the companies under contract — and Homrighausen himself, for breach of contract. Questioning what would happen if they didn’t terminate the executive director, he asked, “How will we exist?” If the contract is not renewed with the county, Bauer estimated (with current expenses) that the CIC will only have enough money to last until the end of the year. Then, the voting commenced. A “yes” would terminate Nick Homrighausen; a “no” would effectively terminate the contract with the commissioners. The vote was counted as 9-3 to keep the executive director. Dale Arbaugh closed out the special session. A meeting will be held on April 12, and the CIC hopes to have answers by then on how the transition will transpire. “This is not a win-win for anybody. It’s not a win for us to keep Nick this way. It is not a solution that will be beneficial to Harrison County in the long run,” he concluded.
HUSKIES
The Bob Mazeroski Family (left to right): Gary Mazeroski, Brant Mazeroski, Heather Mazeroski, former legion baseball coach Dane Morgan, and Bob’s widow Dianne.
1st pitch at new Mazeroski field
Sex offender caught after high-speed pursuit
BY ED BANKS Harrison News-Herald Sports Writer
CADIZ — On Tuesday night, a healthy crowd was on hand for the grand opening ceremonies for the newly renovated Bob Mazeroski Baseball Field. The new field’s appearance is now more modern than the previous, making it difficult to imagine the field as it was before. The previous baseball field was dedicated in 1993 in memory of Robert (Coach Maz) Mazeroski. Coach Maz was the manager of the Maynard Legion baseball team for 35 years, where he was able to guide the team to three state titles (1977, 1985, and 1986). Maz remained the manager of the Legion’s baseball from 1953 through 1987. The 1986 state champion team was also able to win the regional title in Minnesota and eventually made it to the World Series, where the Maynard Legion finished third in the country. In addition, Mazeroski was honored to become the 21st Dapper Dan Man of the Year in the Ohio Valley. Many local businesses, families, and individuals were instrumental in seeing Mazeroski Field become a reality. With the field newly renovated, it will continue to bear Maz’s name as recognition for all his work and coaching. On hand to receive a trophy from the early days of the field was Maz’s family. His family in attendance included sons Gary and Brant (and wife Heather) Mazeroski and Maz’s widow, Dianne. Also with the family was Dane Morgan. Morgan also coached Legion Baseball on Mazeroski Field. In addition to Maz’s family, many other individuals participated in the opening ceremonies: Harrison Central’s Athletic Director Raymond Hibbs; school board members Eddie Banks, Tracy Mattern, Debra Kenny, D.J. Watson, and (former board member) Mel Allen; superintendent Dana Snider; assistant superintendent Duran Morgan; and district treasurer Roxanne Harding. Attending members of the construction companies included Jeremy Yeager, Marcus Carnegie, Walt Bryon, and Mitch Knapp.
The ceremonial first pitch included head baseball coach Mike Valesco; members of the construction companies that work on the field, Mitch Knapp, Walt Byron, Jeremy Yeager, and Marcus Carnegie; and Harrison Central’s district treasurer Roxanne Harding, superintendent Dana Snider, and assistant superintendent Duran Morgan.
LOOK AT THE PAST
GARDEN CLUB
Benjamin Castro, 33, of Steubenville, Ohio was convicted of possession of child pornography and discharged from the Navy in 2008. Photo courtesy of icrimewatch.net
BY ROBERT AMABILE Harrison News-Herald Reporter On March 27, Jewett Police Chief Ron Carter was notified by Harrison County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers of an incident in progress in his jurisdiction. The parents of a juvenile male had been informed of a meetup between their child and a 33-year-old man at the Jewett Wildcat Community Center. The parents learned of the meeting through one of their other children, who knew their brother was sneaking out. The parents then found phone messages that gave the location of the rendevous; they went to the meeting place and found the 33-year-old Benjamin Castro, already a tier-two sex offender, waiting in the vicinity of the old Jewett school. When the parents confronted Castro, he fled the scene, and the couple gave chase. The pursuit started in Jewett and made it to Wintersville, where Ohio State Highway Patrol stopped Castro on Route 22 and took him into custody. “The State Patrol — I can’t say enough about. The State Patrol is awesome. They had this car stopped within 10 minutes,” Carter explained. State Patrol transported the subject to the Cadiz Police Department, where he refused to speak to law enforcement. Carter is leading the investigation and said the first thing he will do is request a search warrant for Castro’s phone. The juvenile had already allowed law enforcement to see his phone, however. Based on the search through the phone, Carter said that with the discovered photos and videos, “There was enough evidence to arrest Mr. Castro.” Castro was given a $75,000 cash bond, no 10%, and is facing a second-degree felony. An official indictment was expected by Friday, and the case will go to the common pleas court. Carter praised all those involved in the matter: “This is a prime example of how well the Jewett Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, State Patrol, and Cadiz Police Department work together.” He also praised the parents for their quick thinking and action. “Even though we’re in a rural area, and these smaller towns, these crimes are out there and can happen anywhere. The public needs to be aware.”
OBITUARIES Guy Strickling, Jr John Edwards
USPS Publication No. 236-080 One Section, 12 Pages Vol. 54, No. 47
Thelma Faye Gladman PG - 4
PG - 7
PG - 11