News Bytes for the week of August 28th, 2008 For complete stories, please see the Rossford Record Journal
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Local history took center stage at the Rossford Public LIbrary last weekend during the “Where We’re Going, Where We’ve Been” celebration. More than 130 people attended the event, which unveiled the second wall of the local history mural in the library. Above are Rossford City Councilman Jim Richards and his wife Barbara with Stanley Brown. Mr. Brown’s father, a member of the RHS basketball team, is pictured behind him in the mural.
Fireworks, boat parade, live music planned for Labor Day fest Saturday
Rossford’s Hometown Labor Day celebration this year will take on a nautical flavor with the addition of a boat parade to the festivities.
The boat parade, with a theme of “Salute the Red, White and Blue,” will kick-off the event, at 6 p.m. this Saturday, August 30, at Veterans Memorial Park.
Ivan Kovacevic, city director of parks and recreation and coordinator of the Labor Day celebration, said there are about 15 boats committed to the parade, which will be led by the Rossford Fire Department boat.
Participants will be encouraged to decorate their boats with patriotic-themed lights and trimmings to accompany the theme.
Judging the contest will be local veterans. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places and include gift certificates to Bass Pro Shop, Meijer and gas cards.
The Hometown Labor Day celebration also will include musical entertainment by the band Big Ticket.
Beginning at 7 p.m., the band will play a wide variety of music from the last few decades, which they describe as “new and used rock-n-roll.” Big Ticket previously played at last summer’s firefighters convention in Rossford.
Local, state issues crowd November 4 ballot
The November 4 ballot will be filled with a number of local and state issues and a levy for Rossford area voters to consider.
Last Thursday, August 21, was the deadline for issues to be filed with the Wood County Board of Elections.
The one tax levy on the ballot is the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, Mental Health Services 1-mill replacement tax levy for 10 years.
Perrysburg Township voters will decide on the issue of permitting limited Home Rule government, which grants the township more authority in local issues such as zoning and roadways.
Voters in Rossford Precinct I will decide on a liquor option allowing Sunday sales of beer, wine and mixed beverages and liquor at Giant Eagle on Olde U.S. 20, and at Cork’s liquor store, 27250 Crossroads Parkway.
State Issues
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, there are potentially six statewide issues that could appear on the ballot. back to top
Business Association to host ‘Fun at the Fountain’ Sept. 6
The Rossford Business Association is inviting the community to “Fun at the Fountain,” on Saturday, September 6.
The second annual event will take place from 6 to 11 p.m., around the fountain on the front lawn of the city municipal building, 133 Osborn Street.
The adults-only event will feature a live band, Double Shot, which plays music from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, along with a beer garden, 50/50 raffle and food vendors Marco’s Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery.
Proceeds from the $1 admission will go to the annual RBA scholarship awarded to local high school students.
Sponsors of the event are Heban and Galernik, Bay Park Community Hospital, Edward Jones, Ray Miller, First Federal, Smithers Insurance, Drs. Henry and Kristin Green, Meijer and Kingston Residence of Perrysburg.
For more information on sponsorships, contact RBA President Dr. Angela Jackson at 419-666-0700.
Volunteers are needed to assist that evening with duties such as taking admission, checking IDs and clean up. Anyone interested in helping may contact Brenda Schwind at 419-720-4701.
Trustees approve abatement for Coventry Woods firm
The Perrysburg Town-ship Board of Trustees has granted an abatement to a Coventry Woods firm.
At the August 18 meeting, the trustees approved a 10-year, 100 percent abatement for Davenport, Hanf and Crocker, LLC, a certified public accounting company. The abatement applies to all new real property.
DHC plans to build a 10,000-square-foot office complex on Kensington Lane adjacent to their current offices.
Construction on the $2.1 million project will begin in September with a completion date set for December 31, 2009.
According to the agreement, the company will hire 12 new full-time and/or flex-time employees within 36 months after construction begins. Fourteen of those positions will be transferred from the existing location, and all the jobs will be in place by August 31, 2011.
Township Administrator John Hrosko noted that the firm was eligible for the abatement because Coven-try Woods lies in a Community Reinvestment Area.
The abatement received final approval from the Wood County Commis-sioners at their August 19 meeting.
Trustees accept fact finding report for contracts
At the August 18 meeting, the Perrysburg Township Trustees accepted fact finding reports from the State of Ohio State Employment Relations Board as it pertains to negotiations between the township and the sergeants and the patrol officers unions of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.
In the sergeants union case the fact finding report recommended that no change be made to the current language regarding comp time or overtime.
The union had sought to have comp time included as hours worked for the purpose of calculating overtime.
The group also had proposed that overtime be paid for work beyond 32 hours during those weeks when sergeants are scheduled for four days of work. The patrol officers union submitted seven issues, three of which the factfinder report recommended no change in the language.
Those issues involved vacation schedule, active hours of work and overtime.
The report did suggest the following change in the training and education section of the contract: An employee required to travel more than 50 miles from the township will be reimbursed the actual cost of meals not provided when required to work more than eight hours.
With regard to wages the union proposed an increase in pay of $3 for each day the officers are on-call. The report found that the detectives should earn additional pay. However, the amount of the stipend recommended was $10.75 in 2008, $11.50 in 2009 and $12.25 in 2010.
