January 6, 2011
Santin to lead GVS for six months By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Brian Santin will be busy for the next six months. Aside from being the chief resident surgeon for the Mount Carmel Health System, he will lead the German Village Society until July. He was appointed last month to replace Darci Congrove as president of the board of trustees. “I think the timing was appropriate in that I acclimated myself with the structure and day-to-day operations of the society,” he said. “So this position offers me the greatest opportunity to have a positive and meaningful impact on the neighborhood.” Meanwhile, Mike Yarbrough was named vice president; Roy Bieber, treasurer; and Jeanne Likins, secretary. In July, Santin and his fiancée, Crystal Seamon — also a member of the GVS board — will move to Cincinnati, where Santin will begin a two-year surgical fellowship at Good Samaritan Hospital. Because of new bylaws, officers will be appointed in October. Yarbrough is expected to fill in for Santin in the months in between. “That was probably one of the toughest issues to deal with,” Santin said of having to leave early. However, the couple will keep their South Fifth Street home and plan to return to Columbus when Santin’s training is complete. Santin, 31, was elected to the board last year but has been involved in GerSee SANTIN, page A3
By Adam Cairns/ThisWeek
Brian Santin, the chief resident of general surgery for the Mount Carmel Health System, will serve as president of the German Village Society board of trustees for the next six months. In July, Santin is moving to Cincinnati for a two-year surgical fellowship at Good Samaritan Hospital.
German Village Society
Maennerchor board OKs sale to CCS Sunday bash A closer look caps 50th anniversary By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The expansion of Stewart Alternative Elementary School has cleared a significant hurdle. The Columbus Maennerchor’s board of directors unanimously approved the sale of its property, 966 S. High St., to Columbus City Schools. The district officially will take possession of the building when the $1.3-million deal is closed, which is tentatively set for Jan. 12, said Kim Norris, spokeswoman for the district. CCS will then lease the main building back to Maennerchor until Aug. 31. Several important legislative maneuvers remain. The German Village and Brewery District commissions must approve the school district’s plans and Columbus City Council must vote on vacating Pearl Street, which separates the two properties. Meanwhile, the Maennerchor intends to move to an adjacent building, known as the Dutch House. Werner Niehaus, president of the Maennerchor board of directors, said it wasn’t practical to hold onto the current building, which was too big and too expensive to maintain. While the
The Columbus Maennerchor’s board of directors unanimously approved the sale of its property, 966 S. High St., to Columbus City Schools. The district officially will take possession of the building when the $1.3-million deal is closed, which is tentatively set for Jan. 12, said Kim Norris, spokeswoman for the district. CCS will then lease the main building back to Maennerchor until Aug. 31.
Mannerchor enjoys a dedicated following, membership has fallen over the years. “We should not be unhappy to downsize,” he said. The Dutch House, roughly 3,200 square feet, is a suitable location, Niehaus said. The building is in good condition but it is in need of infrastructure repair. Niehaus wouldn’t speculate how much it would cost to renovate, but said he would like to build a 2,000-squarefoot addition to accommodate banquets. Niehaus said he was not sure if the Dutch House would be ready by Aug. 31 but seemed
optimistic that the school district would grant the Maennerchor lease extensions beyond that date if an alternate location was not found. The Maennerchor, which is a German singing society founded in 1848, will proceed with its programs until permanent housing is found. Several local organizations have offered to host activities sponsored by the organization. “We will not fall apart,” Niehaus said. The Stewart school, 40 E. Stewart Ave., was badly damaged in a fire July 30. The students have been reassigned to Beck Elementary School since the beginning of the school year. Norris said the incident, which was a suspected arson, pushed the school to the top of a list of district buildings to renovate. The plan, estimated at $12-million, calls for a complete restoration of the school, plus an 8,000- to 9,000square-foot addition on the west side of the building, which would encroach on the Maennerchor property across Pearl Street. Meanwhile, the community will be invited to help plan the new Stewart facility, Norris said. “We already have a wonderful working relationship with a very supportive community, and we have for a number of years, and we’re looking forward to continuing that,” she said. gseman@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekNEWS.com
German Village loses a longtime advocate By GARY SEMAN JR. nary era in German Viltime in its history, when there was much controverThisWeek Community Newspapers lage,” said Jerry Glick, a former member of the Gersy surrounding the formaGerman Village lost one of its man Village Society who is tion of the German Village Commission. most enduring creative forces and still active in local efneighborhood advocates during the forts. “When I came here “They absolutely shiftin 1978, it was Fred and ed the culture of the neighholidays borhood, and you feel it Fred Holdridge, half of a ubiqui- Howard who embodied the Fred Holdridge tous pair that included his longtime heart and soul of our comtoday,” Moore said. “It’s been true for 30-plus years.” partner, the late Howard Burns, died munity. Dec. 23 at his South Third Street “Their tireless energy and creHoldridge, president of the sociativity made the village a place where ety for 16 years, owned Hausfrau apartment. He was 86. A funeral was held we wanted to live and outsiders to Haven on South Third with Burns, last week. visit. We owe them an enormous who died in 2001. They sold their shop — which Residents and friends described amount of gratitude for their efforts Holdridge and Burns as the “popes” and their friendship.” stocked wine, gifts and cards — in Katharine Moore, former execu- April 1996 to Julia D’Elia and Faye of German Village, a warm and colorful pair who were deeply devot- tive director of the German Village Muncie, but continued to live uped to their community. Society, said Holdridge and Burns stairs. D’Elia said she would occa“It is the end of an extraordi- came to German Village at a crucial sionally wander into the store at night
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By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers The party is officially over on Sunday. The German Village Society’s final 50th anniversary celebration, the last in a string of soirees and events held over the past 12 months, is scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Meeting Haus, 588 S. Third St. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP at germanvillage.com. Cake, ice cream and cocktails will be served. The theme of the gift registry will reflect the society’s 51st birthday (officially on Jan. 10), so prices will range from $5.10 to $510. “Celebrating the 50 years of accomplishments has been great fun, and the degree of pride we’ve been able to stir up has been very rewarding,” said Bill Mains, co-chair of the 50th anniversary committee. “We don’t want to see everyone put that back on the shelf till the next occasion. We are hoping to go into the 51st year with the same collective commitment to the community we enjoyed at the kick-off of the celebration a year ago.” Indeed, there were many reasons to rejoice, said Jeanne Likins, secretary of the GVS. See BASH, page A2
and catch Holdridge filching candy bars and DVDs. “It was always their place,” she said. Holdridge was honored in 2008 by the Village Singers, a local group that staged “What’s Poppin’? The Life and Times of Fred Holdridge.” “Fred probably mentored half of the village, if not more,” said Wayne Owens, founder and general manager of the Village Singers. “He was an entrepreneur, instigator, collaborator — I could go on and on.” But Holdridge and Burns’ influence reached beyond German Village. At one time, they were regular columnists for ThisWeek Com-
Still looking for fun things to do with your money? Find things to do for $10 or less with the Cheap Thrills blog at www.ThisWeekNews.com.
Local director wraps up film By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers That’s a wrap. German Village resident David Sabbath has completed shooting his first movie, “God Don’t Make the Laws,” a portion of which was filmed in the neighborhood. “Nothing surprised me,” he said of the filming, which wrapped up Dec. 22. “I knew it See LOCAL DIRECTOR, page A2
See HOLDRIDGE, page A2
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