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Sunday, January 16, 2011
Bethel Building and Loan to change names New name will reflect new products, expanded customer base
Milford man killed in three-car collision Five others injured in SR 131 crash STAFF REPORT
BY BRETT ROLLER Sun staff
After 122 years of serving the community under the name Bethel Building and Loan, the local company will have a new name starting Monday, Jan. 17. company’s new The moniker, Community Savings Bank, is designed to encompass recent growth in the company, according to bank President John Essen. Community Savings Bank began offering checking accounts two years ago and now has a full array of checking options, including ATM and debit card access, and Internet banking that includes free automatic bill pay services, 24-hour activity monitoring, and the ability to make payments to other bank members online. “These additional services allow us to serve as our client’s primary bank,” Vice President Judi Adams said. Essen said the replacement of Bethel with Community in
and land loans offered by the bank since a group of Bethel community leaders provided the funds to found the bank in 1889. Essen said Community Savings Bank’s unique focus on its depositors and the community it serves has allowed it to become the second fastest
A Milford man was killed Sunday afternoon in a crash on state Route 131 in Stonelick Township. The death was the county’s first fatal crash of 2011. Henry Chapin, 81, of Milford was northbound on Belfast-Owensville Road when he came to a stop at S.R. 131. According to the initial Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation, Chapin entered the intersection and and into the path of two vehicles. Gerald Brinker, 51, of Sardinia was eastbound on S.R. 131, while Robert Cole, 52, of Fayetteville was westbound on S.R. 131. Both vehicles on S.R. 131 struck Chapin’s 1999 Plymouth Breeze at approximately the same time. Chapin and his passenger, Betty Chapin, 81, of Milford were both transported to Bethesda North Hospital then transferred to University
See Bank, Page 2
See Crash, Page 2
PHOTO / BRETT ROLLER
Bethel Building and Loan Company President John Essen and Vice President Judi Adams show off a portion of their remodeled building. The oldest bank in Bethel will be called Community Savings Bank as of Jan. 17 and the renovations were part of the switch.
the name is an effort to recognize the bank’s customers beyond the village in Tate Williamsburg, Township, Georgetown, and beyond. The bank continues to be a mutual savings institution, which means each depositor owns a portion of the bank. “Since we have no stockholders, we are in a better
position to support the community,” Essen said. That community support has come in the form of sponsorship of and leadership in a number of local events over the years. Adams said the company has been involved with Bethel Down Home Christmas, the Bethel 10k Race, and the Bethel Art and
Music Festival in recent years. “Our focus is not on quarterly returns but on returning services and quality products to the community,” Essen said. In addition to checking, those services include savings, money market, certificates, and IRA accounts in addition to the mortgage, construction,
Batavia Trustees discuss All Bethel employees to concessions for ball fields receive a 5 percent raise Bids for drawings requested BY BRETT ROLLER Sun staff
Fencing around the new baseball fields at the Batavia Township community center is nearly complete and the trustees have begun discussing the next phase of the project. Trustee James Sauls Jr. said he thought it would be nice for the community to have a structure in the center of the four fields which could house equipment, restrooms, and a concession stand with an overhang for picnic tables which would be available for baseball, football, and soccer teams. Trustee Lee Cornett said the parents would be more than willing to operate the concession stands at games without assistance from the township. “My grandson is playing football, baseball, and all
these things and when you go to one of these games...you will become a believer,” Cornett said. “These things run themselves.” Sauls said the building would need to be large enough to house grounds keeping equipment for the baseball fields and a grassy area for football and soccer. “We got the bids for a tractor that would have all the accessories we would need to maintain the area,” Sauls said. He said the building could also include a separate storage room for sports equipment such as chalk for the baseball fields. “I like the idea,” Cornett said. “It’s such a simple thing I don’t know that we would need engineering work and they could design it in such a way that it would complement (the community center).” Sauls said the most cost
effective method for bringing water and sewer to the building for restrooms would be to run a tap from Clough Pike near the entrance to the new parking lot. He said he looked into tapping into the main that feeds the subdivision directly north of the township property, but the line is 26 feet deep. “It would just be financially irresponsible to try to go down 26 feet,” Sauls said. He recommended the trustees consider installing the water and sewer lines this February to minimize damage to the surrounding landscape. Trustee Bill Dowdney asked if the trustees had considered using vending machines. Sauls said vending machines are one of a number of details that have not yet been finalized, including scheduling use of the fields. The trustees have requested bids for drawings and will continue to discuss the project.
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The Bethel Village Council approved a 5 percent raise to all village employees with a four to one vote at their Monday, Jan. 10 meeting. Village councilman Rus Whitley voted against the increase. “I know our village employees haven’t had a raise since 2008, I understand that,” Whitley said. “I’m against this because I believe in a merit raise. I think this ought to be held up until we can change our handbook and go by a merit raise.” Whitley said the raise would bring payroll expenses for the village up to about $29,000 and benefit pay outs up to about $34,000. The compensation increase came from a recommendation
from the finance committee. “I too support merit raises,” finance committee member Janice Ireton said. “However I made the decision that I think you guys deserve raises and I made it with my whole heart...but I’d like to see us implement merit raises for the next time.” Finance committee chair Donna Gunn addressed several employees that were in attendance. “I seem to remember, and you gentleman may back me up, that when Mr. Whitley was running for mayor he came to you guys and he said, ‘I’m going to get you more money,” Gunn said. Whitley said he would support raises for the employees based on merit. “I think it’s a little more fair to some of our employees that deserve an increase in wages,”
Whitley said. “There are some that I feel are at the top of their pay scale, and there are some that are underpaid.” Pay scales were frozen in 2008 after the village hired a new administrator and financial officer and reviewed the financial status of the village. Whitley said he could understand that the village employees should have a cost of living wage increase. “I can see maybe 1.5 percent or something, a cost of living total raise since the employees haven’t had anything since 2008,” Whitley said, “but at this time I believe the people in this village and people outside in this village, if we pass this raise I don’t feel that they’re going to feel very good about this and I’m totally against it.” Ireton said 1.5 percent was not a reasonable amount. “I looked and I felt that a 1.5 to 2 percent raise is a slap
B R O A D S H E E T O D D
See Bethel, Page 2
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Council vote on the issue was split 4 votes to 1 BY BRETT ROLLER
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This photo is of the gazebo at Owensville Village Hall. This is the memorial which was bought by the community in memory of Police Chief Paul Sturgill, who was was killed two years ago on Dec. 23. The Clermont County Beauty Spot is one of a series of weekly pictures published from nominations from our readers. If you know of a spot, public or secret, in the county you think is without compare, tell our photographer where it is located by calling (513) 732-2511, Ext. 119, or submit a photograph of that special someplace.
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