0224TW_GermanVillage by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

February 24, 2011

Auditor to detail reappraisal process Mingo will visit Meeting Haus on Feb. 26 for real-estate information session By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo will make a stop in German Village this weekend to discuss the reappraisal process and other real-estate issues. His visit is slated for noon Feb. 26 at the Meeting Haus, 588 S. Third St.

“This year we are set to release new values for every property in the county and we’re working really hard to make sure property owners are well aware of the process and what it means to them on an individual basis,” Mingo said. The reappraisal process is done every six years, with an update every three years. Staff members from the audi- Clarence tor’s office visit and evaluate 438,000 Mingo

parcels and properties in the county. Valuations are based on internal data provided by property owners, external observations from staff and home sales dating back three years. Home valuations

based on the current round of reappraisals will be effective Jan. 1. Property owners will be notified of their new evaluations in the summer, probably July, Mingo said. In the fall, staff members from the auditor’s office will meet with residents who dispute the findings. Further appeals can be made to the Franklin County Board of Revision, he said.

Mingo said he also will discuss the homestead exemption, a one-time credit that shields $25,000 of property taxation from homeowners who are 65 and older or disabled. The exemption is not based on the price of the home or the salary of the property owners. See AUDITOR, page A2

Committee gets busy on senior assistance program By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers

By Chris Parker/ThisWeek

Dave and Marge Smigelski, along with the Rev. Ralph Huntzinger (pictured below), will be honored at St. Mary Catholic Church’s sixth annual gala and silent auction Feb. 26. The Smigelskis, who live in Grove City, are former German Village residents.

St. Mary Church

‘Go-to volunteers’ to be honored at gala By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Dave and Marge Smigelski say they are delighted to be recognized for their dedication to a German Village church. The Grove City residents, along with retired Rev. Ralph Huntzinger, will be honored at the St. Mary Catholic Church’s sixth annual gala and silent auction, to be held Feb. 26. The fundraiser for the St. Mary School will be held at 6 p.m. downtown at the Columbus Athenaeum, 32 N. Fourth St.

Tickets to the event are $100 each and can be purchased through the parish office, 672 S. Third St. The church honors those who have made a lasting impact on the school or parish, said Julie Graham-Price, chair Rev. Ralph of the gala. Huntzinger “The Smigelskis have been active members of the church for decades,” she said. “They have held leadership positions and have been go-to volunteers of the parish for years.”

The Smigelskis, both 68, graduated from the now-defunct St. Mary Catholic High School in 1960 and married at the church three years later. Both have been actively involved in the church for decades, heading up a variety of initiatives and committees. Mrs. Smigelski, born Marjorie Friley, was president of the Women’s Club while her husband was president of the Men’s Club. She still is in charge of coffee and doughnuts served in between masses on Sundays and her husband is See ST. MARY GALA, page A2

A German Village group will spend the remainder of the year laying the foundation of an aging-in-place program. The long-range planning committee agreed Feb. 17 to forge ahead with the effort, which will provide services to aging residents who want to stay independent longer. The committee, which is part of the German Village Society, will take the next 10 months to write a mission statement and form a leadership group for the program, tentatively called Village Connections. In the meantime, the committee is developing a questionnaire that will be sent to 1,200 households around June. The survey will seek to answer who would join the program, what kinds of services they want and how much they’d be willing to pay. Previously, the committee had discussed creating a concierge service to serve all ages but felt it muddled the mission of the program, said committee chair Carolyn McCall. “After some exploration and discussion, the committee has really settled on trying to serve this segment of the population instead of trying to be all things to all people, because we think there is a need to help people stay in their homes,” she said. Funding remains a big issue, as the committee tries to identify revenue streams and determine how much Village Connections would cost. There also was discussion of achieving nonprofit status and whether the program could be part of the German Village Society and be based out of the Meeting Haus. Committee members See SENIOR ASSISTANCE, page A3

Art gallery owner upbeat about moving to German Village By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Citing a need to reawaken her passion, Caren Petersen is moving A Muse Gallery to German Village. “I think it will be exciting,” Petersen said.” We just needed to shake things up a bit.” The fine-arts art gallery, located at

996 W. Third Ave. in the Grandview Heights area for the last 12 years, will open in German Village by appointment only on March 1, with an open house slated for March 18. The new 1,200-square-foot space at 188-190 E. Whittier St. will be split into two rooms, one for A Muse Gallery, which will be shortened to Muse Gallery, and Circle Gallery, a high-end, private-