March 16, 2011
Council postpones action on arts building By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Hilliard City Council postponed action March 14 on a resolution in support of the Hilliard Community Foundation and its efforts to construct an arts and community building. The resolution arose during a com-
mittee of the whole meeting. Councilman Bill Uttley, who was appointed to serve on the foundation board by Mayor Don Schonhardt, said the resolution did not involve financial commitment on the part of council, but would be in the form of a letter to help the HCF raise funds for the building. Foundation members include the city
of Hilliard, Destination Hilliard, Franklin County Agricultural Society, Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce, Hilliard Arts Council, Northwest Franklin County Historical Society and the Norwich Township Board of Trustees. The foundation was formed in 2009, with the goal of constructing the build- Albert ing that would house several organiza- Iosue
tions and host arts performances. Councilman Albert Iosue asked where the building would be located, and Uttley said HCF members “have identified a location on Northwest Park-
Planning & zoning
way, next to the Safety Services Building. That is the preferred location … because it works best for several of the organizations … but it is not set in stone.” Councilwoman Kelly McGivern said “the language was left fairly vague, so See COUNCIL, page A11
Davidson trio earns Merit Finalist status
Group recalls former chairman By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By GARY BUDZAK
Hilliard’s planning and zoning commission paid tribute to a former member before approving a new church and a subdivision at its March 10 meeting. Malcolm Floss, who was chairman of the commission from 2000-09, died on March 9. He was 79. His funeral service was held March 13. “The city of Hilliard lost a truly great individual and a community supporter,” said Mayor Don Schonhardt. “I don’t think there was anyone who was more selfless than Malcolm Floss. He truly saw this community through what I consider to be some of the most important years in its growth and development, and he did so with a heart that was committed to doing everything that he felt was right for the city of Hilliard.” After a moment of silence, the commission unanimously approved three proposals, with conditions. The first case was to permit the use of a 28,500square-foot church at 5000 Britton Road. The Hilliard Community Church would be located on 7.3 acres at the northwest corner of Davidson Road and Britton Parkway. The church would be 41-foot in height, with an 83-foot high steeple. City planner John Talentino told the commission that the church “will be a harmonious part of the business district in which it is located.” Among the conditions necessary for approval was screening the parking lot from view with an evergreen hedge, and a tree replacement plan prior to construction. Schonhardt, who has a vote on the commission, told architect Nelson Yoder that he wanted there to be more variation in the materials for the exterior of the church than the proposed Hardie plank
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Tim Norman/ThisWeek
Hilliard Davidson High School seniors Anna Saelens, Kevin Rose and Brandon Mills are National Merit Finalists.
Three Hilliard Davidson seniors are pleased to be named as National Merit Finalists, and for an obvious reason. “We’re all trying to pay for college, so this is really good,” said Kevin Rose. “Hopefully, it will mean more (scholarship) money,” said Anna Saelens. Brandon Mills echoed those sentiments, adding, “It’s a nice recognition for a lot of hard work.” The three friends, who have taken classes together for a couple of years, are among four National Merit Finalists in the Hilliard City School District. The fourth is Hannah Sanders of Hilliard Darby High School. To be a National Merit Finalist, the students first earned high scores on their Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test when they were juniors. Those high scorers are contacted, and with the help of their college counselor, they send an application, letter of recommendation, written essay and their transcripts to the National Merit Corporation. If they get a comparable score on their SAT test, a student might become a National Merit Finalist. Less than one percent of students nationwide who take the PSAT/NMSQT become National Merit Finalists. “It’s very prestigious,” Jane O’Shaughnessy, college counselor at Davidson, said of the honor. “When you are applying for college, if that is part of your resume, that’s See DAVIDSON, page A2
See PLANNING, page A2
Rescued dogs closer Cason retires as ThisWeek executive editor to finding new homes End of an era By JEFF DONAHUE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Friday, March 18, marks the end of an era at ThisWeek Community Newspapers. Late that afternoon, vice president and executive editor Ben Cason will shut down his computer, gather his cell phone and coat and quietly stroll out of the newsroom the way he has every week since 1993. However, come Monday morning, for the first time in 18 years, he won’t be leading a newsroom discussion on politics or the NCAA basketball tournament.
Cason announced his retirement to ThisWeek staffers March 11, concluding a career that spanned the height of the Watergate era as an editor at The Washington Post to building one Ben Cason of the nation’s most respected community newspaper organizations. Under Cason’s leadership, ThisWeek Community Newspapers have won hundreds of state, regional and national awards for journalistic excellence.
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More importantly, general manager Stephen Zonars said, Cason won the loyalty of hundreds of thousands of central Ohio readers. “Ben has been the heartbeat of ThisWeek Community Newspapers for 18 years, and his contributions are immeasurable,” Zonars said. “On his watch, the readership of our papers has grown by more than 200,000 people, which may be the most honest reflection of how valuable the public finds our coverage, which is the product of Ben’s See CASON RETIRES, page A2
Weekly newspaper.
By GARY BUDZAK The dogs staying at the Franklin County Fairgrounds are one step closer to finding new homes. More than 350 dogs seized from One More Chance Rescue and Adoption on Feb. 22 were surrendered to the Humane Society Serving Clark County on March 4. “The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
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See RESCUED, page A9
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