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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Health Dept. confirms 3rd case of rabies found The Carroll County health department has now confirmed a third case of rabies has been verified in Carroll County. This time, a raccoon was the victim. On Aug. 28 the health department received a call from the Ohio Department of Health Laboratory that a raccoon had been tested positive for rabies. Since there had been an incidence of rabies in the Sherrodsville area, another resident submitted a second raccoon to the Carroll County health department to be sent to the state laboratory for
testing. The second raccoon tested positive on Sept. 17, 2018. Unfortunately, both raccoons had altercations with residents’ pets. The first was a dog and the raccoon was not acting right and injured the dog. The resident decided to collect the raccoon and sent it to the state laboratory for testing for rabies. The second animal was also a raccoon that was being very aggressive and attacked a pet cat while it was asleep on a porch. Both incidents were near each other in Sherrodsville.
The Carroll County Health District learned on Sept. 28 that a third raccoon tested positive for rabies. The raccoon was reported as acting strange in a ditch near the road at Sherrodsville. No human or pet contact was made. All three raccoon rabies cases were infected with the raccoon rabies variant virus. The health department is asking all residents to report any skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, opossums or bobcats that are displaying strange or unusual behavior in Orange Twp. and the surrounding areas to the health department at 330-627-4866.
The Department of Agriculture Division of Wildlife will assist the health district in testing any wild animals that are reported. STEPS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF RABIES: - Avoid contact with wild animals, sick or injured animals, and animals you do not know. - Avoid feeding stray cats and dogs or other wildlife. - Remove all pet food from porches. - Keep pet vaccinations current. - Do not permit pets to roam. - Food and nesting places for wild
animals should be eliminated from residential areas. Call your doctor if you are bitten by an animal. Human rabies immunizations are effective in preventing human rabies. Call your veterinarian if your pet gets into a fight with a wild animal, especially a raccoon. Keep your pets up to date with all vaccinations. For more information please call the Carroll County Health Department at 330-627-4866.
Workhouse Gym open for health, fitness and more Commissioners address By NANCY SCHAAR
FPS Correspondent The Workhouse Gym is open for exercise and physical training 24 hours a day. Located at the top of the square in Carrollton, the gym is owned by Carisa Jones of Dellroy. Jones has worked in the treasurer’s office at Louisville for five years but now works for Carrollton schools. She also worked for 16 years at Canton City schools. Many classes are offered daily and include: cycling, step aerobics, lifting classes, Zumba, treadmills, elliptical, rowing, weights, isolation machines, kettle bells, jump ropes, table ropes, punching bags, and much more. Jones offers a boot camp at the fairgrounds, and the Silver Sneakers at the Friendship Center. The 3,000 sq. ft. gym is filled with many ways to get you into and keep you in shape. Jones’ sister, Cindi Grimm, assists with classes and helps keep the facility open whenever someone has time to work out. From now through the end of December, membership is $75. The Workhouse is fully insured. Donald Matthews provides more training at the Workhouse Gym. Matthews will provide personal training to those that need that extra encouragement and help. Don has 17 years of experience in health and fitness. He has three black belts in martial arts. He is also a certified behavioral specialist. He is a certified trainer for military, police, deputies, and first responders. “I’ve been a personal trainer for over six years, a fitness instructor for 15 years, and a life coach in behavioral modification,” said Matthews. Personal training includes weight management, sports performance, and functional training. Matthews also is a certified fitness instructor, CPR and first responder’s trainer, and a health and safety coordinator. He is also qualified to provide business and corporate wellness consulting. As a life coach, Matthews also offers Holistic Well-Being for stress management, meditation, spiritual development, and personal empowerment. Self-defense can be taught in private lessons or in partner training or group classes. Matthews can be reached at 330-2240090 or With-All-Ways-Fit@workhouse gym.
projects, office space issues By NANCY SCHAAR
FPS Correspondent
In an update regarding the progress of the Bell Tower project, Ed Eick, building maintenance supervisor, said the architect is nearing completion for the drawings and estimates. Eick has discussed details with the architect to ensure all issues are covered. Commissioner Jeff Ohler said that once the architect is finished, the project should be bid out with work to begin in the spring. Eick said he and the architect felt it would be best to bid out the project the first week of February in order to get more competitive bidding and better prices. The Board of Elections (BOE) has been asking for more room for several years. Commissioners went to the Board of Election offices to view the described problems. Eick and commissioner clerk Chris Modranski also accompanied the commissioners. BOE Director Vicki Reed had several things on her list to show commissioners. Wirkner explained that the long range plan for the BOE is to have them occupy the office space now held by the county engineer’s office. The Ohio Department of Transportation is planning on building a new office and garage and will sell the old space to the county at which time the engineer will relocate his offices into the former ODOT space. Commissioners then plan to move the BOE into the former engineer office spaces. Reed questioned how long it would be before that move could be made. Ohler advised that it would be about three years. Ohler also said that the long range plan is to move heavy filing cabinets from the upper floors of the courthouse into the lower level to reduce the weight on the upper floors. BOE Deputy Director Amanda Tubaugh reported on a recent assessment by Homeland Security. Reed also told commissioners the current office space is not ADA compliant. One major issue in their current quarters is the lack of plugs for electronic components that must be plugged in and there aren’t enough outlets to do so. Wirkner said he felt it wasn’t advisable to spend a great deal of money on their present offices knowing they will be moving to a new location in the near future. Donald Matthews gets a workout at Workhouse Gym located at the top of the square in Carrollton. The new fitness center is open 24 hours a day.
Neighbors address open or closed alley By NANCY SCHAAR
FPS Correspondent
A group of residents from 6th St. asked council for clarification as to whether the alley behind their properties is an open alley or a vacated alley. Resident Darcy Bolanz told council that the parent of a neighbor’s house has been driving through her yard and flowerbeds to exit his daughters property. There have been complaints from both sides of the issue and the neighbors asked for clarification of the alley status. Sandy Tasker said her home belonged to her parents before her and since 1953 the alley was always mowed and taken care of by the neighborhood. The village has done nothing in all those years to maintain it as an alley. “The problem started when the
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neighbors parent couldn’t back out of her driveway and he started driving through our yards and flowerbeds instead,” said Bolanz. There is a dead end sign at the end of the alley and it does go through as a street or alley would, according to the group. The neighbors have all maintained the alley as part of their yards. Seven homes have garages that open into the alley. Bolanz said the issue was questioned several years ago and she found a map in the zoning maps of the village that shows the alley is closed. Tasker said the parent of the neighbor in question shouldn’t have a say in anything regarding the alley or access since he is not the owner of the home. The daughter lives out of state and is only in residence four or five times a year, according to Tasker. “It’s always been closed. I don’t know how it is suddenly open. A
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neighbor bought his house and his deed states that the alley is closed,” stated Tasker. Village administrator Mark Wells said he checked records for the village and found a petition in 1957 asking for the alley to be closed but it was not done correctly and was rejected. In 2012, the alley was researched and it was found that the alley was never closed. Wells said that the village has no interest in keeping the alley open and they don’t have any right of ways for the alley. Mayor William Stoneman said that there are procedures that need to be followed. He set a meeting for Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. prior to the regular monthly council meeting to have a public hearing regarding the alley. If anyone has any comments or complaints to bring before council, they may do so at that meeting. Council will then take action regarding the status of the
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alley during the council meeting according to Stoneman. In other business council: - HEARD a presentation from Charles Myers, Vice President of ServerSIM. Myers explained the internet and phone services his company could provide for the village. Service options were explained and prices for various services provided. Council will discuss and consider their options. - APPROVED an ordinance to accept the only bid for the water treatment plant garage addition from E. Mullins Construction at a cost of $105,362. Wells said the estimate was $115,000. - SET a work session for Nov. 5. - SCHEDULED a finance committee meeting for Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at village hall. - WILL hold the November meeting on the 11th at 7 p.m. due to the Veteran’s Day holiday.
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See ADDRESS, PG. 11
Wirkner & Schuring to present RTIP at Malvern Rotary By NANCY SCHAAR
FPS Correspondent
State Representative Kirk Schuring and Carroll County Commissioner Robert Wirkner will make a public presentation of the Rt. 30 Extension project, RTIP (Regional Transportation Improvement Plan), at the Rotary Club of Malvern on Monday, Oct. 15. The meeting will be held at the United Methodist Church Education Building at 6:30 p.m. located at 121 W. Wood St., Malvern. The public is invited to attend to learn more about the importance of the RTIP. The RTIP is critical to the funding of the Rt. 30 Extension and the Carroll County Connector, which is a proposed 4 lane highway connecting Rt. 30 to the village of Carrollton. This would be the first 4-lane highway in Carroll County, the only county in Ohio without a 4-lane highway. The RTIP was designed to create sufficient funding from the three counties involved in the
See ROTARY, PG. 4
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