ThisWeek CW 06/11/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/08/free-summer-food-program-available-at-local-sites.html

Summer vacation means a break from days of studying, but it also can mean days of hunger for children served by free breakfast and lunch programs offered through the schools.

The Groveport Madison Center for Human Needs, in conjunction with Groveport-Madison schools, is once again working to give all Groveport and Madison Township children the chance to enjoy their days off without worrying about where the next meal will come from.

Children ages 1 through 18 may attend the free summer food service through Aug. 7. Food is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There is no charge for the meal and no financial or personal information will be requested.

Funding for the program is provided through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Ohio Department of Education.

“This program is serviced by volunteers that help hand out the lunches, visit with the children and assist in activities,” organizer Steve Shirley said.

“Volunteers are needed to continue this wonderful program for our children,” he added. “In the past, many volunteers have helped make sure lunches are available.

“We would like to invite any of the previous volunteers to help again this year, and also invite anyone that would have an hour and a half a week to contribute to this wonderful program to let us know. We have various schedules that can be arranged to accommodate your needs.”

Besides providing a lunch, children will have the opportunity to meet other children and play. Volunteers will engage the children in activities and games, and provide books that can go home with participants.

“The community has been very generous in donating books for this program,” Shirley said. “Any and all help would be appreciated.”

The summer food program will be offered at these sites:

•Groveport Madison Middle School Central, 751 Main St.

•Groveport Madison Middle School North, 5474 Sedalia Drive.

•Independence Village, (park shelter house), 3075 Arrowsmith Drive.

•Madison Grove (playground), 2800 Booty Drive.

To volunteer or for more information, contact Shirley at 614-835-0251 or rsteve43232@aol.com.

ThisWeek CW 06/11/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/08/final-vote-on-nursing-home-expected-june-15.html

Opinions among Canal Winchester residents who spoke at a June 1 public hearing were split about a potential nursing care facility proposed for a site near the elementary school and the Villages of Westchester residential development.

The public hearing was held before Canal Winchester City Council heard the second reading of a proposed change to the site development text. A few residents and representatives from the MacIntosh Co., the project developer, spoke about the project.

The property was originally rezoned for multifamily residential use in 2006 when a 34-unit condominium development had been planned; due to market changes, the condos were never built.

The MacIntosh Co. is seeking permission to construct an 87,000-square-foot, two-story skilled nursing rehabilitation and assisted care facility that would include 125 beds, according to city documents. Thirty-five of the beds would be used to provide assisted care and 90 would be used for skilled nursing care in both private and semi-private rooms.

At the first reading of the proposed changes May 4, residents Nicholas Grilli, an attorney, and his wife, Julia, who live near the proposed development on Tallman Court, submitted a legal brief to city council objecting to the project.

City Law Director Jennifer Croghan said at that time the appeal by the Grillis was inappropriate because a final decision had not been made. A final vote on the site development text changes is expected to take place at council’s Monday, June 15, meeting.

The Grillis again pleaded their case June 1, asking that city council reject the plan. They believe a skilled nursing facility is incompatible with their neighborhood and the city already has enough similar options to what is being presented.

“The root of all my concerns is that this is a public use, and with a public facility it will generate a problem for those residents around it,” Nicholas Grilli said. “I do appreciate the MacIntosh Co. for reaching out. The revised plan to some extent diminishes some of my concerns, but I think they need to go a step further. It needs to be entirely concealed.”

Grilli said he is also concerned that if a skilled nursing facility isn’t built, the property could end up being used for an apartment complex, which he said he supports even less.

Julia Grilli expressed concerns about the transient nature of the employees and families who would be served by this new development.

“Putting something like that in a nice housing development, putting something like this will affect our community values,” she said. “And a major reason for choosing to live here is a feeling of safety, but we’ve all seen the changes, good and, unfortunately, bad.

“We do have two young children who I feel safe letting play in the backyard while I’m gardening, but with that transient population, you have to worry about that.”

Rossmore Lane resident Kurt Fansler said he favors the new project, and agreed with the concern about what else could potentially end up on the property if this project is not approved.

“In general, I am really happy with the improvements, the lowering of the roof line and the addition of more trees,” he said. “I’ve reviewed everything and it appears that even (with) the lighting, I don’t think you’ll even see anything.

“The transient employees are a lot less than if it were an apartment complex, and they are in and out at regular hours and are accountable.”

Project Architect Russ Garber said he welcomes continued dialogue about the project if it is allowed to move forward, including adding landscaping and other changes to ease residents’ concerns.

“We wouldn’t be looking at a project here if there wasn’t a need,” Garber said. “There is a $4-million payroll for a facility like this, and it is a $16-million investment.

“It is the most vulnerable residents that need care who will be served,” he added. “I think the concern about safety being expressed is the exact same that our residents in MacIntosh have.”

ThisWeek CW 06/11/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/08/aqua-ohio-rate-increase-utility-says-revenue-would-cover-costs-for-improvements.html

Madison Township residents could see rate increases for water and sewer service later this year if a request by Aqua Ohio to recover system improvement costs is approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Trustee Gary McDonald raised the issue at a Madison Township trustees’ meeting in May after receiving an email from township Administrator Susan Brobst outlining the details given to her by Aqua Ohio representative Greg O’Dell.

“Greg O’Dell and PUCO sent a letter to us about Aqua Ohio water receiving a rate increase to pay for system improvements,” McDonald said. “The proposed rates to us were to go up about 4 percent and this will show as a separate charge, affecting about 3,100 residents in Blacklick Estates.”

According to the email, if the increase is approved, it would be a 4.5-percent rate increase for water service, which is equivalent to $2.11 per 4,000 gallons used. There would also be a 3-percent rate increase for sewer service, equivalent to $1.48 per 4,000 gallons used.

O’Dell stated in his email the improvements have already been completed, so if the PUCO approves the request, customers will see the changes appear on their bills in the next three to five months on a separate “system improvement” line item.

In September 2014, Aqua Ohio was granted a water rate increase of 9.7 percent which, according to the company, was also necessary to cover the costs of system improvements. No increase in sewage rates occurred at that time.

McDonald said he was “disappointed” about last year’s rate increase, and that he would fight this new increase.

“This is still just a suggestion and not yet in place, so we’ll keep an eye on this and keep tabs like we have done for electric and gas,” McDonald said. “I want the residents to know that there is a possibility for PUCO to approve this and that the township will be vigilant in this process.”

ThisWeek CW 06/11/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/08/students-end-the-year-with-successful-food-drive.html

Canal Winchester Middle School students pulled together for one final good deed before heading off for summer vacation — an end-of-year food drive for the Community Food Pantry and tour of the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

On May 26, nearly 100 students toured the Mid-Ohio Foodbank to learn more about hunger in central Ohio and how they could help. After the tour, the students spent two hours walking through Canal Winchester, distributing 2,200 bags that had donation instructions as well as a message in memory of their classmate, Brock Johnson, who was a supporter of the food pantry and who died the week prior before the food bank tour after battling an autoimmune disease.

“Brock Johnson passed away after we had already completed assembling our bags,” teacher Kelly Best said. “The students insisted on going back and hand-writing #brockstrong on nearly every single one of the 2,200 bags. That’s pretty awesome.”

On May 27, the students returned to collect more than 6,000 items, which were all donated to the Community Food Pantry.

“With 100 students visiting 2,200 houses, we had over 28 volunteers from all over serving as their chaperones, as well as our partnerships with the city, the school administration, Walmart, Home Depot, Meijer and the sheriff’s department, working as the students covered essentially the entire city,” Best said. “Thank you to everyone who helped us pull this off; we could not have done it without you.”

Canal Winchester Human Services Administrator Penny Miller said the planning and logistics necessary to make the project a success were executed almost flawlessly.

“As the bags they collected become too heavy to carry, the students were able to leave them in piles along the road and the city’s road crew, school district staff and the sheriff’s department came through to help collect the donations and move them to the Community Food Pantry,” Miller said.

The students were treated to a lunch break at the Frances Steube Community Center before heading to the pantry, where they unloaded, sorted, counted and helped shelve the donations they collected.

“I have never seen an undertaking like this and do not know of any other community in central Ohio that has done anything like it,” Miller said. “This group of kids has done several projects this year to support Canal Winchester Human Services and they are ending their year with a huge finale.

“It is another shining example of how Canal Winchester students understand the need to give back to their community. I could not be more proud of our youth and the goodness they continue to project.”

Throughout this past school year, Canal Winchester Middle School classes have been working on the issue of hunger. The school year began with the Football For Food campaign, and the classes’ efforts resulted in collecting double the number of items in previous years, according to Miller.

Over the Christmas holiday, the students held bake sales resulting in nearly $1,500 in Simply Give cards, which were then matched by Meijer, donating nearly $4,000 that was used to purchase food for the pantry.

ThisWeek CW 6-4-2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/01/land-donation-pushes-up-start-of-project.html

United Church Homes has offered Canal Winchester Human Services two acres near David’s Way just off Main Street near Hanner’s Park as a site for a new 5,000-square-foot warehouse facility.

“We expect groundbreaking in late summer and hope we could be moving in sometime early 2016,” Human Services Administrator Penny Miller said. “The engineering study is currently in process and the architect is working on the drawings.”

She said the organization hopes to submit information to the Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning Commission for review in July.

“For nearly 57 years, all our efforts were coordinated over the kitchen counters and dining room tables of our board members and volunteers,” she said. “Since acquiring the food pantry in 2012, we’ve rented warehouse space.

“While local churches have been very helpful with rent monies, spending more than $18,000 each year is not effective for our long-term sustainability and the current space isn’t large enough to accommodate other programs beyond the pantry.”

Currently, Human Services runs the food pantry and maintains some offices in rented space at 360 W. Waterloo St. Additional services operate out of the Frances Steube Community Center and some “ad-hoc spaces” are used as well, according to Miller.

“Inventory for seasonal projects, such as Tools for Schools and Adopt-A-Family, must be stored in other facilities,” she said. “The vehicles used for the Senior Transportation Program must be parked off-site and there is no space where staff can provide even simple maintenance.”

Human Services is still seeking donations for the project, but has raised $200,000 in contributions and financial commitments through its One Square Foot capital campaign, which kicked off in January 2014.

Miller said the total project cost is estimated at $300,000 to $350,000 “so we need to raise another $100,000 in contributions and donations.”

She said all donations of $50 or more will be permanently acknowledged.

“We encourage contributors to use this opportunity to honor someone they love, remember someone they miss, or to leave their own legacy,” Miller said. “Donating to One Square Foot will provide an opportunity for permanent acknowledgement in whatever way the donor chooses.

“Everything that Human Services does, every service that is provided, has always been possible only because of contributions and financial donations provided by the community,” she said. “Our success is directly connected to those that believe in what we do.

“The services we provide will continue to be needed,” Miller said. “We have always been efficient with the contributions received and a thoughtful care-taker of the funds entrusted to us.”

Online donations can be made at cwhumanservices.org or through the organization’s Facebook page atCWHumanServices. Checks can be mailed to Canal Winchester Human Services, 22 S. Trine St., Canal Winchester, Ohio, 43110.

Additional information is available by calling Miller at 614-834-3888 or emailing her atpenny.cwhs@gmail.com.