February 24, 2011
Council looks for arbitration reform in effort to control costs
CMR vows to be ‘good citizen’ By MARLA K. KUHLMAN
By MARLA K. KUHLMAN
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Christian Meeting Room Inc. is working with the Gahanna Planning Commission to rezone 0.315 acre at 5990 Taylor Road from Single Family Residential (SF-3) to Restricted Institutional District (RID). During the Nov. 17 Planning Commission meeting, Bonnie Gard said the city had received complaints about parking at the residence where three church-related gatherings are held weekly. Gard, planning and zoning administrator, was notified in September that the parking lot in front of the home had been substantially expanded. “Pretty much the whole front yard has been done in a sealed surface,” she said. The city issued a stop-work notice concerning the parking lot, she said, but the work was virtually complete by the time the order was delivered. CMR’s Bob Johnstone and architect George Parker of George Parker & Associates discussed their intentions for the property during a Feb. 16 planning workshop. Johnstone said he had met with Gard to gain a better understanding of RID zoning requirements and needed variances. “I could see the concerns of the neighbors,” he said. “We have no intention to develop the rest of
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Gahanna hopes to lead the way for other Ohio suburbs in urging Gov. John Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly to re-examine and reconsider state laws that limit local governments’ability to control personnel costs. The Gahanna City Council was expected to approve on Feb. 22 two resolutions, one dealing with the inability to control personnel costs because of state laws and the other asking for a re-examination of state laws regarding prevailing
wage. City council member John McAlister initiated the legislation, and he urges every central Ohio suburb and the city of Columbus to follow suit. “Both of these resolutions are really an effort on behalf of the people of Gahanna to state our financial plight to the General Assembly and the governor,” he told ThisWeek. “This is very important. There is public support for reform.” “With public employee unions, See REFORM, page A2
‘Being Black’
SLDI celebrating Gahanna’s diversity By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Eric George/ThisWeek
Lions roll in tournament opener Quierra Lampkins of the Gahanna Lincoln girls basketball team goes up for a shot during the Lions’ 66-21 rout of Mount Vernon in a first-round Division I tournament game Feb. 16 at Hamilton Township. See Sports, page B1.
See CMR, page A5
The Servant Leadership Development Institute (SLDI) is inviting the central Ohio community to “Being Black...In Gahanna,” a celebration of cultural diversity for everyone to highlight the many contributions and achievements that African-Americans have accomplished while proudly calling Gahanna home. The event is set for 9:15 to 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Family Fellowship Church of Christ, 1020 Taylor Station Road, Suite H.
Sadicka White, president of SLDI, said the group is devoted to educating the public on today’s important issues that are relevant to the servant leadership dynamic. “What we purport is a leadership style started by Robert Greenleaf that’s modeled on being a servant leader, where you touch the customer at their need level,” she said. “It’s inverse pyramid style with the leader at bottom of the pyramid and the customer at the top. You learn to lead by serving the people you’re empowered to See BEING BLACK, page A5
Speech, debate teams to compete at state, national events By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Following a national qualifier Feb. 18-19 at Gahanna Lincoln High School, Gahanna’s speech and debate team will send 25 students to the Ohio High School Speech League (OHSSL) State Tournament next week in Toledo and four debaters will head to nationals in Texas in June. The team of seniors Gram Bowsher and Todd Ives and senior Derek Cox and sophomore Evren Gokcen qualified on Saturday at the Western Ohio District Tournament for the National Forensic League National Tournament set for June 13-19 in Dallas. Also on Feb. 19, Gokcen and senior Lisa Miller earned a berth to the state tournament, joining 23 other team members who previously qualified. Qualifying 25 of 42 team members for state competition is a record, according to Lyle Linerode, head coach. In 2007, 18 students participated in the state competition. Overall, Gahanna placed second out
of 22 teams at the Feb. 18-19 event. The top three teams were Dayton Oakwood, Gahanna and Notre Dame Academy. “This was an awesome weekend for the entire team,” Linerode said. “I am so proud of what the kids have accomplished this year. The work they have put in and the team camaraderie has been great this season. “Not only did we have four national qualifiers, and four final-round placers, but 13 other team members also advanced out of the preliminary rounds.” Bowsher and Ives debated the resolution that Wikileaks is a threat to national security. They will be making their second trip to nationals in June. In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Cox and Gokcen debated that in the United States, juveniles charged with violent felonies ought to be treated as adults in the criminal justice system. Last year, Cox was first alternate. In United States extemporaneous speaking, juniors Ameya Kotwal and Louis Naiman also advanced to the final round of competition and were fourth and fifth, respectively. They spoke on
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to the fourth round with her public forum debate partner Martha Hunsucker. The two previously qualified for state. “There was really great competition, and we got to watch the rest of our debate team qualify for nationals,” McCathern said. “It was a great experience.” Junior Evan Schrader said he’s “really pumped” competing with this year’s team. “I started last year,” he said. “I love it. I’m in oratorical interpretation, taking a speech someone else has written and you try to convince others that you wrote that speech.” At the state event March 3-5 at Whitmer High in Toledo, Schrader said he’ll By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek have the opportunity to see different competitors and learn new ways to presGahanna Lincoln speech and debate teammates Ameya Kotwal and Louis ent. Naiman look at a list to see that they have advanced to the next round in the “I’ll see people I haven’t seen before,” extemporaneous speech category during the Western Ohio District tournahe said. “The speech I’m competing with ment of the National Forensic League’s national qualifier. is a 1998 first-place in original oratoricurrent events, including such topics as Miller was sixth in original oratory and cal.” the economy, politics and international junior Dan Stemen placed seventh in Schrader said Linerode is an “awerelations. dramatic interpretation. some coordinator and runs a good proSenior Jordan Zink placed fifth overSophomore Ali McCathern particiall in Lincoln-Douglas debate, while pated in the weekend event, making it See SPEECH, page A2
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