Prior to the Springfield Board of Education study session, the board dedicated new tennis courts at the high school. Above from left, are members Ken Musch and Keiran Menacher, Superintendent Kathryn Hott, board member Diane Piasecki and president Ev Harris. Below, following the dedication, the school board officially broke in the courts with help from tennis team members on the opposing side.

School board approves before/after school walking program at Holloway Elementary
Area residents who used to enjoy walking at Southwyck Mall, will soon have a new place to take up the activity.
At the August 13 meeting, the Springfield Board of Education voted unanimously to allow walkers to use Holloway Elementary School for a before and after school walking program.
Board President Ev Harris said the district received a number of requests from area residents for an all-weather walking facility when the mall closed.
After reviewing each school building, the board selected Holloway. “Holloway’s layout is suitable for walking,” explained Superintendent Kathryn Hott, who noted that the interior hallways are connected in a triangular fashion.
The board established limitations on the building’s use. Walkers will be permitted to use the facility Monday-Friday from September 1 through June 1. Holloway will be open from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. and 4 to 9 p.m.
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Annual Picnic in the Parking Lot draws more than 1,600
A combination of raindrops and sun gave way to a beautiful rainbow at the Springfield Schools eighth annual “Picnic in the Parking Lot” last Thursday. More than 1,600 members of the community participated in the event which was held at the Middle School parking lot.
The picnic, a jump start to the 2008-09 school year, featured the second annual spring “Field of Dreams” contest in which 10 parent/booster associations competed for prizes.
Teams earned points based on their batting ability with each player given five swings to score as many points as possible.
The winning team from the Middle School earned $300. Second place went to a team from Holland Elementary that earned $200 for its parent club, and the third place team was from the Crissey Elementary. That team added $100 to it school’s parent organization.
Funds for the contest were donated by Huntington Learning Center and STYBS. TeamSports provided trophies for the top three teams.

Owens takes over former site of Penta Career Center
On August 15, Owens Community College officially took possession of the former Penta Career Center campus.
The Penta campus, which is adjacent to the Owens campus, is being used this fall.
Brad Meyer, director of public and media relations, said Owens is currently using four of the classrooms in the Penta administration building.
“The main parking lot at the former Penta campus also is being used by students and employees,” said Mr. Meyer.
In the future, Owens officials plan to renovate the Penta property, which will allow the community college to expand many of its credit and non-credit academic programs.
The college also plans to create a new University Center where students can complete a baccalaureate degree from partnering four-year colleges and universities.

Penta Career Center to open after Labor Day
It’s official. Penta Career Center will open its new school at Buck and Lime City roads after Labor Day.
On August 14, a little more than one month after several residents of the nearby Belmont subdivision filed a lawsuit against Penta seeking to keep the school from opening, the case against the career center was dismissed.
The lawsuit also named the Northwestern Water and Sewer District, and that case is pending.
The plaintiffs–Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Crocker, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Stroh and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Fleck of Grassy Creek Drive– claimed that they were experiencing difficulties with their sanitary sewer service for more than 10 years and were concerned that the problem would worsen when Penta opened in September.
In an August 19 telephone interview, Superintendent Fred Susor said, “I’m glad that it [lawsuit] was dismissed. I’m looking forward to starting a new school year.”
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State Rep. Sears meets with trustees to discuss Clean Ohio fund, Healthy Families Act, budget
A tight state budget and two state ballot issues were the focus of a legislative update by State Representative Barbara Sears for the Springfield Township Trustees at their August 18 meeting.
Ms. Sears was appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives in January. She represents the 46th District, which covers portions of Lucas County including Springfield Township.
Previously, Representative Sears served as president of Sylvania City Council. She also is a co-owner of Noble and Sears, Inc., a firm specializing in employee benefits and financial planning.
She explained her views on two ballot issues–the Clean Ohio program and the Healthy Families Act–and how they will affect the local community and businesses.
The Clean Ohio bill will be on the ballot as Issue 2 in November. It is not a new tax, but renews a $400 million bond issue voters approved several years ago.
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