Today is Thursday, May 22 | The 143rd day of 2008
Daily Chief-Union/Alissa Paolella
Safety hazard
Pleasant View Apartments on Pleasant View Street in Upper Sandusky has been a growing eyesore for the city, as well as a safety hazard. Workers hired by property owner Harrold Johns have cleaned up part of the mess, but the city is stepping in to meet a 30-day Environmental Protection Agency deadline after Johns failed to clean up the property by a court-ordered deadline of Friday.
Hazardous lot of former Pleasant View Apartments one step closer to being cleaned up
By ALISSA PAOLELLA
Staff writer
A problem seven years in the making is one step closer to being resolved after a special Upper Sandusky City Council meeting Wednesday night.
Pleasant View Apartments, an apartment complex that at one time was made up of six separate buildings, has been a safety and health hazard for the city, Upper Sandusky Mayor Scott Washburn said.
Property owner Harrold Johns now lives in Florida, he said.
Council approved an ordinance Wednesday evening to allow for the cleanup of the property, hiring Riemer Trucking and Excavating-Concrete, of Marion, to handle the mess for $41,000.
"(The ordinance) is for the property on Pleasant View Street. ... We have 30 days to clean up the property. We won’t own it. ... (Zoning inspector) Ken McMillan sent out seven to eight (letters) asking for bids and this is the one we received back. This gets it all cleaned up and makes it safe. (The contractor) is going to use (the city’s) dirt and truck it in. We’ll get the public safety back in line there, and we’ll have a second mortgage on the property."
(Refer to page 1 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Mohawk graduating 83 seniors on Friday
SYCAMORE - Eighty-three students will cross the stage to receive their diplomas at Mohawk School at 7 p.m. Friday.
The class of 2008, whose class motto is "We cannot discover new oceans unless we have courage to lose sight of the shore," will be led by valedictorian Kelsey Grine and salutatorian Christina Strait.
(Refer to page 1 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
WEDNESDAY MAY 21, 2008
Daily Chief-Union/Aaron Korte
Fragile packages
East School custodian Virginia Patrick did her annual job of throwing egg carriers over the edge of East School on Tuesday. Twenty fifth graders in Julie Herring's class spent weeks creating carriers to safely house eggs as they were thrown off the building. Fourteen eggs survived the annual science experiment. Some of the more unique packing products included peanut butter, socks and grass.
(Refer to page 1 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Sycamore EMS run rates to be raised for first time in eight years
By ALISSA PAOLELLA
Staff writer
SYCAMORE - Sycamore Village Council decided to raise rates for Sycamore Emergency Medical Services runs at a special meeting Tuesday night.
The new rates would be identical to what Medicare and Medicaid will pay and what Seneca County EMS currently charges for runs, if approved by council.
Mayor Mike Tschanen said the rates had not been raised in eight years.
"The fire department voted to go to (what) Medicare and Medicaid (pays)," he said. "They would like it to (specify that) ... it stays with them. So the ordinance would read that any time they change, we would change to keep up with it."
Medicaid and Medicare pay $495 for a run and transport after a squad is called out. The rates also would go to $8 per loaded mile and a $100 charge if there is a call but no transport.
"We promised you guys and everybody else that we would not raise the rates to the squad if we raised the runs," Tschanen said. "If not, we will raise our rates to cover the difference. ... And we're not making money."
Tschanen said Sycamore EMS actually has been losing money by not raising the rates for such a long period of time.
(Refer to page 1 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
BR&E task force to take break from meeting
By BRANDON DRAKE
Staff writer
With the economic development and regional planning position being handled by Wyandot County Office of Economic Development Board of Directors, the Business Retention and Expansion task force looked into placing its focus elsewhere during its regular meeting Tuesday morning in the conference rooms of Wyandot Memorial Hospital.
What was discovered in looking at the task force's two other objectives - workforce development and entrepreneurial training - is that it already is or should be handled by county entities already in existence.
"The group and I came together and defined what it is we wanted, but really there were only two legs that we focused on - one was economic development and the other was workforce development," said Chris Bruynis, an Ohio State University Extension educator and BR&E member. "And I think (with) economic development, we've put some pieces in place through community awareness, community buy-in and commitment to that position so it can be successful. Now it's key on getting the right person and that person developing the right relationships, so there's a lot of things that need to fall in place still before I say, ‘Yes, it's been successful.' But in terms of our part, that's been successful, and I have to say Gary Ward did the omen's work on making that happen.
(Refer to page 1 of today's Daily Chief-Union)