ThisWeek Worthington 5/12 by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

May 12, 2011

Final round of interviews next week Board plans to release names of superintendent finalists on Wednesday By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Four finalists for the Worthington superintendent’s job are expected to go through a final round of interviews next week, but their names were not being

released as of May 10. The board was waiting to hear from a person who was being recruited for the job, Worthington school board president Marc Schare said. He said he expected to know by May 11 if that person was interested in interviewing, say-

ing the finalists’ names would be announced then. Following that candidate’s response, consultants will be able to contact three or four candidates to see if they are interested in continuing to pursue the process.

“I don’t want to dribble names out one at a time,” Schare said on May 10. The board is seeking a successor to Melissa Conrath, who is retiring. Nineteen people applied for the position, and six were chosen for the first round of interviews, which occurred

May 2, 3 and 5. Trent Bowers, Worthington’s assistant superintendent-coordinator of human resources, was among those interviewed. He was the only internal candidate. See FINALISTS, page A3

High schools take brunt of budget cuts

SERVICE DAY

By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers

By Tim Norman/ThisWeek

Tom Hoover (back left), Ted Hoover (right), 13, and Megan Hoover, 11, clean up the garden and plant flowers at an apartment in Stafford Village & Stafford Court Apartments on May 7 for Worthington Service Day. The event is one of the projects organized by Leadership Worthington and is done by volunteers to aid senior citizens and those in need with work at their homes.

Riverlea annexation talks focus on road, sewer costs By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers

The cost of repairing Riverlea streets, sewers and water lines seems to be the topic that will take center stage during the city’s annexation negotiations with the village. The annexation commission, comprising three representatives of each jurisdiction, met for the

second time May 5. Worthington might annex the 545-resident village because a group of Riverlea residents petitioned for such a move. The commissioners are charged with hammering out an agreement that eventually will be placed before voters. The cost of fixing Riverlea’s roads ranges from $1.5 million to $4.1 million, depending of the ex-

tent of the repairs. Spread out over 10 years, it could add $200,000 to $500,000 a year to the city’s street improvement project. Like Worthington, Riverlea is under the direction of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate and update its sanitary sewers. In initial reports, Worthington city engineer Bill Watterson estimated the cost at $1 million.

Watterson will attend the May 26 annexation meeting to clarify some of the cost issues. Riverlea’s commissioners have made it clear that they do not want Riverlea residents to be assessed for any infrastructure improvements. The commission also must clarify the services currently providSee COSTS, page A2

The Worthington Board of Education on May 9 went through a long list of cuts to be expected in several areas of operation. Thirty-three positions will be eliminated from the Worthington schools over the next year in an effort to cut spending. The cuts will hit hardest at the high schools, where 14 classroom teaching positions will be eliminated. Also being cut from the high schools will be auditorium managers, activities directors, parking-lot attendants, science-lab setup assistants and security monitors from both high schools, in addition to the book-room attendant from Thomas Worthington. The Phoenix Middle School principal’s position also will be eliminated next year, and seven positions will be cut from the central administration. Board member David Bressman warned that additional cuts would come and that they would not be popular. The cuts are expected to save about $900,000, district spokesperson Vicki Gnezda said. The figure does not include the savings from nine of the classroom positions, which already were included in the financial forecast. Only half of the cost of the additional five teachers will be felt next year because of the reduction-in-force (RIF) rules that are

A closer look Also being cut from the high schools will be auditorium managers, activities directors, parking-lot attendants, science-lab set-up assistants and security monitors from both high schools, in addition to the book-room attendant from Thomas Worthington.

part of the teachers’ contracts. That calls for each teacher to receive half of his or her salary during the first year of unemployment with the district. The district faces decreasing income because of losses that probably will be written into the state budget and decreasing property values across the district. The district stands to lose nearly $1.4 million per year in state foundation funding under the proposed state budget. It will lose even more if the phase-out of the reimbursement from tangible personal property tax is accelerated at the rate proposed. Approximately $7 million will be lost over the next two years. Another $400,000 is lost each year because of electric deregulation, which went into effect several years ago. Worthington schools treasurer Jeff McCuen also projects that See CUTS, page A3

Worthington Square renamed The Shops at Worthington Place By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Worthington Square is about to become a Place. The mall’s new owners have announced the new name of the struggling shopping center: The Shops at Worthington A $10 million loan from Wesbanco will pay for updated Place. entrances, additional exterior-oriented retail and restaurant The name change and preliminary sketches of the soon- spaces, new traffic entrances and exits, landscaping, an into-be renovated shopping center were released May 10, coinciding with the closing of renovation financing. See MALL, page A3 A rendering of plans for the interior of the shopping center.