BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
B1
Your Community Press newspaper serving College Hill, Finneytown, Forest Park, Greenhills, Mount Airy, Mount Healthy, North College Hill, Seven Hills, Springfield Township E-mail: hilltoppress@communitypress.com We d n e s d a y, J u l y 2 9 , 2 0 0 9
Eckert Woods, by Schneller Homes.
rdowdy@communitypress.com
Collection time
In the next few days your Community Press carrier will be stopping by to collect $2.50 for delivery of this month’s Hilltop Press. Your carrier retains half of this amount Matthews as payment for his or her work. If you wish to add a tip to reward the carrier’s good service, both the carrier and The Community Press appreciate your generosity. This month we’re featuring Kedar Matthews, who will be an eighth-grader at Mount Healthy Junior high School. Matthews has a black belt in karate, wrestles, and plays baseball and football. He also enjoys play video games, solving math problems and clothes. If you have questions about delivery, or if your child is interested in becoming part of our junior carrier program, please call 853-6263 or 8536277, or e-mail circulation manager Sharon Schachleiter at sschachleiter@community press.com.
Church character
Got a clue where this is? We didn’t think so. Time to go hunting in the neighborhood to see if you can find it. Send your best guess to hilltoppress@communitypress. com or call 8536287, along with your name. Deadline to call is noon Friday. If you’re correct, we’ll publish your name in next week’s newspaper along with the correct answer. See last week’s answer on B5.
To place an ad, call 242-4000.
50¢
School voters have levy to decide By Rob Dowdy
Volume 72 Number 26 © 2009 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
It’s almost Election Day again, and in recent years, that means there’s a Winton Woods City Schools levy on the ballot. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, district residents will again be asked to vote for or against a 7.95-mill levy that could cost homeowners $236 per year per $100,000 home. Parent Kimberly DiStefano, a member of the Warrior Academic Advisory Council, said she’s in favor of the levy, but wants to see accountability from the district if it passes. “I think there needs to be a clear understanding of how the money will be used,” she said. DiStefano said she’s heard all the talk about what will be cut if the levy fails on Aug. 4, but has yet to hear how the district would
A look ahead If the Aug. 4 levy fails, Winton Woods City Schools announced they will: • eliminate all kindergarten through eighth grade sports and extracurricular activities; • close all elementary and middle school buildings, the Greenhills Community Building, and all surrounding grounds and fields after each school day; and • cut additional staff. If the levy passes, Winton Woods City Schools Board of Education President Jack Lee said the district would look at past cuts to see what, if anything, could be reinstated. However, he said the district hasn’t begun that process and is waiting the results on Aug. 4. improve with the additional funds. “People do want to see how their money is being used,” she said.
DiStefano and others have formed the Warrior Academic Advisory Council to not only rally support for the levy, but also organize parents to get involved with the district. However, not all district residents are behind the ballot issue. Springfield Township resident Susan Schupp said she’ll be voting against the levy due to her perception that the district has too many “frivolous” electives and not enough foresight to plan on potential financial pitfalls. She said Winton Woods resisted payfor-play fees – which requires students to pay fees in order to participate in sports – for many years, and now the district’s fees have come too late. Schupp said if the district focused more on teaching what students “need to know to go to college” instead of unnecessary electives, Winton Woods could
Other levies There are two other levies on the ballot in the Hilltop area. • In the city of Mount Healthy, there is a 5-mill five-year renewal levy to maintain the current levy of fire and EMS services. According to the city’s Web site, passage of the levy will not increase your tax bill. • Mount Healthy City School District has a 1.39-mill renewal levy that also won’t raise your tax bill. Mount Healthy Treasurer Rebecca Brooks says the owner of a $100,000 house would continue paying an estimated $40 per year for the levy if it passes. improve without the need for another levy. “I don’t believe we should be paying for a kid who isn’t doing well … to take sports management,” she said.
Township serves new senior service By Heidi Fallon hfallon@communitypress.com Springfield Township is partnering with a senior citizen program to expand its services to residents ages 55 and older. The township senior/community center, 9158 Winton Road, now serves as the distribution site for Meals on Wheels. Senior Independence, an Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services organization, is responsible for the coordination and delivery of the meals Monday through Friday. The meals are prepared fresh daily by a local caterer and stored in refrigerators at the township center. Thom Schneider, senior service director for the township, said the meager $150 a month the township receives for its role goes back to the center. He said it helps offset financial cuts trustees made to balance the township budget. More importantly, Schneider said, the new partnership gives the township a way to help its residents no longer able to prepare their own meals. “It also gives our center vol-
HEIDI FALLON/STAFF
Thom Schneider and Sandra Harris assemble an afternoon’s Meals on Wheels delivery from the Springfield Township Senior/Community Center where Schneider is the director of senior services. Harris has been delivering the pre-packaged meals for the past five years. unteers another opportunity to serve the community,” Schneider said. “They can help by volunteering for a few hours a day to help Senior Independence drivers
assemble the meals for delivery.” Before moving to the township, the meals were prepared at Llanfair retirement center in College Hill.
Ann Munafo, a registered nurse and marketing director for Senior Independence, said she still is compiling figures for the Meals on Wheels service since it moved to the township July 1. She said there are five routes from the center which include not only Springfield Township, but also Mount Healthy and North College Hill. “I’ve been delivering meals for the past five years and I’ve gotten really close with some of the people I serve,” said Sandra Harris, a Senior Independence driver from Westwood. “For some people, I may be the only contact they have and I can check up on them to make sure they’re doing OK.” The number of meals delivered varies day to day, Schneider said. He was helping Harris box up 44 meals on this day. Seniors can request additional frozen meals for weekends and Munafo said her staff works with residents who may have food allergies or diet restrictions. Seniors can receive referral information about the program by calling Schneider at 5221154.
Bargains abound at Greenhills yard sales By Heidi Fallon hfallon@communitypress.com The Greenhills Historical Society has its annual Trash to Treasures community yard sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. In its eighth year, the event features about 60 community-
wide yard sale sites and an indoor market. The inside market will be in Fellowship Hall, Greenhills Community Church, Presbyterian, 21 Cromwell Road. Shoppers at this annual event will find many treasures including handcrafted and general house-
2,750 SAVINGS
$
On All 2009 Altima 2.5 S 30 Available
hold items. In addition, the church congregation’s Bookies Club will be having a book sale. Church members also are amassing antiques and collectibles for sale. Hungry shoppers will find food, drinks and sweet items for sale at the indoor market.
2,250 SAVINGS
$
On All 2009 Rogue SL AWD 10 Available
8680 Colerain Avenue • 513-385-1400 • www.falhabernissan.com
Area Realtors will be sponsoring several open houses throughout the village during the hours of the Trash to Treasures event. Maps for the yard sales and information related to the open houses will be available at the church entrance the day of the event.
ONE WEEK ONLY!
*Savings include dealer discount plus all Customer Cash. Sale ends 8/2/09.