C o n t i n u i n g To P r o u d l y S e r v e C a r r o l l C o u n t y S i n c e 1 8 3 1 $1.00
Thursday, January 16, 2020
freepressstandard.com
Open house set to celebrate retiring Magnolia mayor Bob Leach has served as Magnolia mayor for 40 years On Sunday, Feb. 9, the friends and family of Bob Leach invite the public to celebrate his 40 years of service as mayor of the Village of Magnolia. An open house will be held from 2-5 p.m. at Magnolia United Methodist Church, 999 Canal St., Magnolia, with a special recognition ceremony taking place at 3 p.m. Leach served as mayor of the Village of Magnolia from 1980-2020, recently retiring and passing the gavel to new Mayor Travis Boyd. Like Boyd, Leach won a coin toss after the mayor’s race for his first term ended in a tie. For years, Leach has volunteered with many civic organizations, including the Lions Club for 53 years. He is a member of the Magnolia United Methodist Church, where he chairs many committees and has taught Sunday school for 45 years. Residents may also know Leach as the “Voice of the Valley.” He has been announcing Sandy Valley sports and band events for more than 35 years. He currently serves on the board and has been an active member of the Magnolia Area Historical Society for 35 years. The Magnolia Area Historical Society presented him with a Community Service Award this past August.
Leach also has served on committees for Scouts and Little League in Magnolia. Prior to serving as mayor, Leach was on Magnolia Village Council beginning in 1974, and has been a past-president and 38-year member of the Stark County Regional Planning Commission. He taught for 30 years at Sandy Valley Local Schools, and is a past-president of the Sandy Valley Education Association. He was named Magnolia’s Outstanding Citizen in 1986 and was recognized in 2010 by Character Counts of Stark County. “The community has fond memories of his vocal and comedic performances throughout the years at Magnolia Music in the Park, historical society reenactments, Sandy & Beaver Canal Days shows, Sandy Valley Community Summer Theater, and as a member of the B.U.G.S. (Brothers of Unmitigated Gall, with Jim Hunter and Dave Spiker),” said Magnoia resident Paula Tolin. There is no charge for the Feb. 9 event, and no RSVP is required. Please join the community as it recognizes Submitted Photo Leach’s many years of dedicated service Retiring Magnolia Mayor Robert ‘Bob’ Leach (right) congratulates his successor, Travis Boyd, on becoming mayor. to the Magnolia community. Like Leach, Boyd won a coin toss after the mayor’s race ended in a tie.
Commissioners field questions about county Park District By NANCY SCHAAR FPS Correspondent Malvern resident Richard Ferguson questioned the Board of Commissioners at the Jan. 9 meeting regarding the $75,000 in grant funds available for the Carroll County Park District. Ferguson wanted to know why only two parks in the county benefit from the grant. Ferguson asked who owned Bluebird Farm Park and wanted to know where the money from the restaurant and events held at the park were. Ferguson said he felt the money should be shared by all the parks in the county. Carroll County Commissioner Bob Wirkner explained that the Park District is for the two parks owned by the county. They are Bluebird Farm Park and Community Park. Wirkner also explained that commissioners cannot fund anything for the other parks in the county because they are not owned by the county. He explained that they are owned by villages and it is the responsibility of the villag-
es to maintain their parks. Ferguson complained that Malvern is putting in two new dugouts at Malvern Park and the Park District board is not helping them with anything. Again, Wirkner advised that that is a village park and not under the direction of the county commissioners or the park district. “Malvern Park has to hold fundraisers to keep the park up. Why doesn’t the Park Board have to have fundraisers instead of taking the taxpayers’ money? What have they done with the $150,000 or $180,000 they’ve received from ODOT in the last 15 years?” questioned Ferguson. Again, Wirkner advised that these questions need to be addressed to the Park District board and stated none of the commissioners are on the park board. Ferguson wanted to know if the park board asked for a grant and Wirkner replied that they did come before commissioners seeking a grant. Ferguson continued to question where the money from the Bluebird Restaurant and park events go. He said he doesn’t understand how the Park Board can make
a profit and then ask for a grant. Commissioner Lewis Mickley explained to Ferguson that the restaurant has been leased and is not operated by the Park Board. Ferguson wanted to know if Dellroy or Kilgore parks were county parks. Ferguson was again advised to speak to the Park District board to determine their responsibilities. In other matters, Ohler said that he had recently attended the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Service (MCJAS) Executive Committee meeting. Ohler said the discussion focused on the Wayne County facility moving from a treatment center to a transition center. He reported that young adults needing to be placed in MCJAS care will be transferred to either the Tuscarawas or Stark County centers. Discussion was also held regarding the possibility of closing one wing of the Stark County center. “There has been a dramatic reduction in numbers as Wayne and Stark Coun-
See PARK, PG. 4
Airport Authority Board approves restaurant lease By NANCY SCHAAR FPS Correspondent
The Carroll County Airport Authority Board held its first regular meeting of 2020 on Jan. 13. The main issue addressed was the approval of a new fiveyear lease for the operation of the Airport Restaurant with Lisa Stansbury. When asked by the FPS on Dec. 9, if a new contract had been signed, President John Cross said that the new lease was signed on Aug. 30, 2019. The issue of a new lease, its contents, or anything related to the lease had not been discussed either in open session or executive session in 2019 by the Airport Authority Board. No committee had been appointed to discuss, create or negotiate a new lease. At this week’s meeting, Cross told the FPS that he talked to a board member about it last spring, they talked to Lisa, increases were within reason and Stansbury had no issues with the proposed contract.
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“I met Lisa and Harry Stansbury at the bank, we signed it, had the notary stamp it and that’s all there was to it,” said Cross. The FPS had contacted Cross through email and phone messages last November seeking answers about the contract. Cross finally responded by sending the FPS a copy of the contract. On Dec. 9, the FPS again emailed Cross asking the same questions, such as when did the board negotiate a new lease, when did the board discuss a new lease, who had the authority to sign the new lease, and was the board’s attorney aware of any of this? Cross replied to the FPS stating, Lisa’s lease was missed being placed on the last meeting agenda. At Monday’s meeting, board member Dave Fitzgerald made the motion to “approve the lease with Lisa for September 1, 2019 to August 21, 2024. Fitzgerald stated all board members had a copy and the matter was unanimously approved. In other matters, the board agreed to
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send a letter to county commissioners asking that Larry Hawkins, Jr. be appointed to the airport board. Fitzgerald said Hawkins has education in information technology and member Karen Carlisle said he also has a bachelor’s degree in aviation management. Cross appointed Karen Carlisle, Al Jeske and Jonathan Walters to a committee to work with commissioners on the airport tree removal project and the creation of an airport management position. Cross announced that this was the last meeting for Karen Carlisle as a board member. He thanked her for five years of hard work and dedication to the airport. Carlisle replied that she will help with committees if she is needed. “It is a thankless job. Probably the most important thing is to get the trees cut and to get a professional airport manager. We shouldn’t be digging
See AIRPORT, PG. 3
obits pg. 4
Monday, Jan. 20, 2020
McNinch appointed to Center Twp. seat By GEORGETTE HUFF FPS Contributor Carroll County Probate Court Judge John Campbell has appointed Rick McNinch to fill the vacant seat on the Center Township Board of Trustees. In a filing dated Jan. 8, Campbell outlined the series of events that led to his decision, beginning with Kenneth Skinner’s resignation from the board effective Nov. 26. As required under the Ohio Revised Code Section 503.24, vacancy in township office, the filing noted “the Court (found) that the remaining two elected township trustees (had) been unable to agree upon a successor … for more than 30 days.”
A review of Skinner’s final filing petition showed that no nominating committee had been designated on the petition, thereby removing the option of appointing five petition signers to choose his successor. In such circumstances, the ORC “directs the Probate Judge … (to) appoint a suitable person having the qualifications of an elector in the township to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term or until a successor is elected.” Campbell reviewed Center Township’s voter registration list, as well as the 11 applications that had been submitted by township residents. McNinch served as Center Township trustee from 2006-2010. He has been sworn in and will complete Skinner’s term ending on Dec. 31, 2021.
Saturday’s bigfoot event moves to new location The bigfoot program slated for Saturday, Jan. 18, has been moved to Bigfoot is coming Saturday, Jan. 18, to the Bell Herron Gymnasium, 252 Third St. N.E., Carrollton. Doors open at 3 p.m. The program is expected to continue until at least 6 p.m. A $5 donation is appreciated. Raffles and a 50/50 will also take place. The event, hosted by the Carroll County Parks District and the Friends of Carroll County Parks, will feature four guest speakers who will talk about their experiences and adventures as they track and study bigfoot. Photos and audio recordings will also be shared. From 3:15-4 p.m., David Wickham will talk about his bigfoot experiences and provide a demonstration on how to cast a track.
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Jami and Jenny King will present “Bigfoot - a Different Perspective” from 4:15-5 p.m. Keynote speaker Amy Bue will present “Bigfooting, Audios and My Adventures” from 5:10-5:45 p.m. Following Bue’s presentation, the public is invited to share their experiences.
sports pg. 5