ThisWeek CW 06/25/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/22/firefighters-honored-for-lifesaving-rescue.html

Madison Township Fire Chief Robert Bates honored 16 firefighters last week for their work in rescuing two people June 1 from the basement of a burning house.

At the June 17 Madison Township trustees’ meeting, Bates presented Lt. James Looney and firefighters Larry Baugess and Michael Kipp with Individual citations and awarded Battalion Chief Drew Pruden a Distinguished Service Medal. He also presented letters of recognition to 10 Columbus firefighters who helped battle the blaze.

The department’s top award, the Medal of Valor, went to Lt. Pamela Price and firefighter Jessica Borden, who walked down a burning stairwell to rescue 23-year-old Josh Coyle.

At 5:30 a.m. June 1, firefighters — including crews from Violet and Bloom townships as well as Columbus — were called to a house at 829 Groveport Road in Canal Winchester, where smoke detectors had alerted the family and allowed John and Leisa Marcum, along with 9-month-old Jolene and 4-year-old Damien, to escape to safety.

Coyle, the Marcums’ adult son, and his girlfriend, Jessica Moore, were trapped in the basement.

“We were sleeping in the basement and heard the smoke alarm going off through the baby monitor,” Moore said. “We could tell the fire was at the top of the stairs, so we couldn’t go out.”

Until they passed out from the smoke, she and Coyle were communicating over 911 with Columbus firefighters Mike McComas and Mike Weier, who assured them help was on the way and to remain calm.

When Price and Borden got downstairs, they found Coyle unconscious and carried him out of the house.

Columbus firefighters had cut a hole through the eastern wall of the burning house and then through a floor. Firefighter Jonathan Singleton went down a ladder with three other firefighters and found Moore unconscious.

They carried her up the ladder through the 3-by-3-foot hole to Columbus Fire Lt. Bryan Searle and others, who handed her out to medics.

Coyle and Moore were suffering from carbon-monoxide poisoning. Both have recovered.

Borden, 29, has been a Madison Township firefighter for more than 11 years.

“I will openly admit that I was scared,” she said. “When they said we’re going in, I thought, ‘Are you serious?

“Your senses are heightened and you’re paying attention to things like how much air do you have left because you have to get back out,” she said. “And you wonder, ‘Will the house hold up above me?’ ”

According to Bates, when crews arrived, the most intense fire was surrounding the stairs to the basement.

“I’m very thankful for all of them,” Leisa Marcum said at the ceremony, before making the rounds to thank all the firefighters.

Bates said he could not be prouder of the work the crew did.

He said it was “like watching a great team play.”

“Everyone knew what was being done, what needed to be done and everyone performed their role,” he said. “This just doesn’t happen by accident or luck, and you don’t just randomly undertake an operation like this and make it happen. Everyone’s dedication to training, cooperation and communication is what led to this outcome.

“The result is exactly what we were hoping for: the rescue of both of the trapped occupants, who have recovered from their injuries,” he added. “I cannot be prouder of the job that the crews from all of the departments that responded did. This was a fantastic job and tremendous effort by everyone there.”

Earl Rinehart from The Columbus Dispatch contributed to this story.

ThisWeek CW 06/25/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/22/green-thumb-expo-will-focus-on-gardening-conservation.html

Canal Winchester’s Green Thumb Expo will include hands-on workshops and information about gardening, lawn care, conservation and environmentally responsible living.

City officials hope the free event, planned for 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at the Frances Steube Community Center, 22 S. Trine St., will become an annual one.

In addition to the workshops, the expo will include a visit from “The Bug Doctor — Dr. Insecta,” who will have his “creepy friends” on display.

The Green Thumb Expo is sponsored by the city and the Canal Winchester Area Chamber of Commerce.

Events and Communications Director Amanda Lemke said the event is one of several inspired by a survey in which residents expressed interest in beautifying their properties and the community.

“Our residents’ taking part in gardening, conservation and other outdoor activities demonstrates community pride,” Lemke said. “We’re expecting a crowd of several hundred to visit throughout the three-hour event.”

According to Lemke, the Green Thumb Expo is one of many ways that residents and businesses can show their care for community and its resources.

“Earlier this year, many residents attended a conservation and composting workshop made available through our partnership with Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, and numerous businesses have signed a water quality partner pledge to help keep the streams throughout our community healthy,” she said.

“The city also recently completed its annual tree giveaway and made upgrades to its downtown recycling location. We’re pleased to be part of another great opportunity to help encourage conservation and keep our community beautiful.”

Thanks to its partnership with the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, Lemke said Canal Winchester has access to programming, educational and technical support to help with stormwater and conservation efforts.

“Although the Green Thumb Expo is not associated with the county program, we’ve chosen to add additional green programming because of the interest within our community,” she said.

Additional information is available online at canalwinchesterohio.gov.

ThisWeek CW 06/25/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/22/groveport-madison-district-july-vote-expected-on-budget-for-school-construction.html

The architect designing Groveport Madison’s new high school building told the board of education June 10 he expects to have a construction budget for the project ready for a vote in July.

“The package of our semantic design documents, basic plans and the look of the site and the building is in with the construction manager for review,” project architect Chris Dumford said. “Our plan is to have the cost estimating completed and reconciled before the next board meeting for your formal approval.”

Dumford said if the construction manager estimates the current design and plans will cost more than anticipated, there would be an opportunity to review and reconcile the differences. He said this could mean getting new estimates or could involve alterations to the plans.

If the board approves the budget at its July 8 meeting, Dumford said some utility and site preparation work could begin yet this summer.

“There were some images put out to get some feedback from the community,” Dumford said. “A lot of good, mostly positive feedback came in and there was also an opportunity to answer some questions, which we’ve done our best to answer.”

One question that was asked repeatedly had to do with the construction schedule, he said.

“Some preparatory site work will be done this summer and into winter, but the major construction activities will begin in the spring of 2016,” Dumford said. “Construction of the new school is scheduled to be complete by the summer of 2018, with demolition of the existing high school and associated followup site work to be completed by the end of 2018.”

Mary Guiher, the district public relations officer, said an online questionnaire and photos had reached 14,000 people, which board member Libby Gray noted was more than the number of people who voted on the district’s last levy issue.

Gray expressed concern that with student enrollment trending upward again, the completed building would not be large enough.

Dumford said the building design anticipates a student fluctuation of as much as 10 percent; beyond that, he said, the district would have to ask for an increase in building funds from the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

“The building design would allow for the easy addition of another block of classrooms at either end,” he said.

Contest winners

Before the start of the June 10 meeting, district officials announced the names of students chosen to participate in an Aug. 22 groundbreaking for the new high school.

Students in kindergarten through third grade were selected based on their renderings of the new high school building.

Students in fourth through 11th grade were selected based on essays they wrote about what the new high school would mean to them.

The winners are:

Samaya Cooper, a kindergartner at Dunloe Elementary; Angel Carrera, first-grader at Madison Elementary; McKenna Miller, second-grader at Sedalia Elementary; Dominick Glass, third-grader at Sedalia Elementary; Paige Gilden, fourth-grader at Groveport Elementary; Jordan Ramella, fifth-grader at Sedalia Elementary; Tori Banks, sixth-grader at Middle School Central; Cherub Clarke, seventh-grader at Middle School North; Corrine Bowman, eighth-grader at Middle School North; and Groveport Madison High School students Audrey Brown, freshman; Retha Simone, sophomore; and Cassie Snyder, junior.

The Aug. 22 groundbreaking is scheduled for 10 a.m.

ThisWeek CW 06-18-2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/15/food-donations-on-june-20-will-pack-the-pantry.html

The Canal Winchester, Groveport and Pickerington food pantries will partner with the Madison and Violet Township fire departments for the fifth annual Pack the Pantry food drive on June 20.

The event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. aims to restock depleted shelves for the summer for pantries serving the Canal Winchester, Bloom Carroll, Groveport and Pickerington school districts.

All contributions will stay local, supporting the community in which they were collected, according to organizer Penny Miller, administrator of Canal Winchester Human Services.

Donations will be accepted at these locations:

* The Canal Winchester Community Food Pantry will receive donations collected at Madison Township Fire Station 182, 6600 Gender Road.

* The Groveport Food Pantry will receive the donations collected at Madison Township Fire Station 181, 4567 Firehouse Lane, just off Hamilton Road.

* The PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington will receive donations collected at all three Violet Township fire stations at 2365 Taylor Square Drive, 8700 Refugee Road and 21 Lockville Road.

“We are pleased the Madison and Violet Township firehouses are opening their doors each June to support these three food pantries,” Miller said.

“Pack the Pantry is another shining example of how our local communities work together to help our neighbors in need. We hope everyone will add it as one of their Saturday morning errands on June 20.”

The goal is to exceed last year’s donations of around 2,000 items.

“Many people are surprised to learn that summer is the most stressful time of the year for our food pantries,” Miller said.

“Donations are always down and the families we serve have a greater need because children are home and the free meals provided at school are not available to them.”

Each of the pantries distributes more than 1,000 items weekly, making it difficult to keep up with demand.

For more information, or to make a direct donation to one of the pantries, email Miller at the Canal Winchester Community Food Pantry at penny. cwhs@gmail.com; Becky Soles at the Groveport Food Pantry at beckybob@me.com; or Gessica Peraza at the PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington atpcmafoodpantry@gmail.com.