12/16 ThisWeek Upper Arlington by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

December 16, 2010

Deal’s off: City, Onyx no longer talking Nightclub objects to fines, liability; city protests ‘11th-hour’ counter-proposal By CHRIS BOURNEA ThisWeek Community Newspapers Upper Arlington City Council voted unanimously Monday night to file an objection to renewing the liquor license of Onyx nightclub, 1973 Henderson Road. The city attorney’s office had been negotiating with Onyx’s owner, Shahriar Kazemi, since a Nov. 14 shooting in which two men were wounded. The negotia-

tions were designed to increase safety at the nightclub in exchange for the city filing no objection for the renewal of the liquor license. A tentative agreement the city presented to Onyx last week included changing the nightclub’s music format from “gangsta rap” to mainstream hip-hop and top 40 and a requirement that the business pay a $25,000 fine if it violated any aspect of the agreement.

Onyx’s attorney, Ian James, submitted a counter-proposal early Monday suggesting that the fines would be lowered to $10,000 for a first offense, $15,000 for a second offense and $25,000 for a third offense if the club reverted to playing music with violent lyrics. James said the counter-proposal also omitted a clause that would have held the business liable for criminal activity that occurred in the parking lot.

“If that’s going to happen, then we’re going to shut down every bar in the city,” James said. Council members said they were dismayed that Onyx chose to submit a counter-proposal “at the 11th hour” and that the proposed fines weren’t enough of a deterrent to keep the club from changing its musical format back to gangsta rap. “I don’t see why they should have a problem with a fixed $25,000 penalty at

each occurrence,” council president Frank Ciotola said. Council members said they were open to continuing negotiations with Onyx through the end of the year and would withdraw the objection to the liquor license if a satisfactory agreement is reached. James said his client does not intend See ONYX, page A2

City to keep 3 jobs, lose animal control position

BATTLE: GINGERBREAD

By CHRIS BOURNEA

priate time to see if these posi-

ThisWeek Community Newspapers tions should be eliminated or

Upper Arlington City Council voted Monday night to save two city jobs, make two positions parttime and abolish another. All four jobs had been under consideration for elimination during discussions related to balancing the city’s 2011 operating budget of $36.5-million. The two positions that were spared are management assistants in the public safety and police divisions. Council opted to change the cultural arts coordinator and comBy Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek munity affairs assistant from full J.T. Yan, 9, and Peter Klamar, 12, laugh after a piece of their gingerbread house broke while they were trying to assemble it. time to part time, and to abolish Youth in grades 4-8 had the opportunity to make gingerbread houses at the Upper Arlington Public Library on Dec. 8. The the position of animal control ofparticipants had about an hour to create their houses, which were then judged by the library staff. ficer. In keeping the jobs that had been up for elimination, council members said they gave a great deal of weight to the testimony of residents who said the services provided by those staff members are essential. Council member Erik Yassenoff suggested that the positions should be maintained until after a comBy KATE HETRICK “The current five-year plan was frontloaded Potts said. pensation study of city employCompleted projects include major facili- ees is completed next spring. ThisWeek Community Newspapers with major projects at Barrington and “That would be a more approGreensview,” said Christopher Potts, the dis- ty additions at Barrington and Greensview, Members of the Upper Arlington Board trict’s executive director of general business. as well as numerous repairs and improveof Education heard an update on the district’s He provided the board with a comprehen- ments to each of the district’s facilities. Potts permanent improvement plan at Monday sive list of projects the district has complet- said about $8-million has been spent on pernight’s meeting. ed since summer 2008 to demonstrate “how manent improvements since 2008. “This list alone shows you the importance A combined permanent improvement and far reaching and how important that permaoperating levy was passed in November 2007, nent improvement levy has been to our dis- of the PI,” said treasurer Andrew Geistfeld. allowing the district to allocate approximately trict and to the students and the staff.” “It’s a great resource. We really have done $2-million per fiscal year to facility mainteThe levy has allowed the district to com- something in every building.” nance, repair and improvement., as well as plete important safety and security projects See BOARD, page A2 as well as general maintenance and upkeep, capital purchases.

School board reviews future capital improvements, plans

maintained,” Yassenoff said. Ultimately, council voted 6-1 to maintain the public safety and police management assistants, with council member David DeCapua casting the sole dissenting vote. DeCapua said maintaining the positions would simply delay having to make tough budget decisions. “We’re going to do nothing but kick the can further down the road,” DeCapua said. Council also voted 4-3 to abolish the animal control officer position, with council members Yassenoff, Ed Seidel and Debbie Johnson casting the dissenting votes. Council voted unanimously to make the cultural arts coordinator and community affairs assistant positions part-time. City manager Virginia Barney said staff will have to evaluate how services will be impacted by the cuts. “Making two positions parttime requires some consideration on what impact it would have on both those departments,” Barney See POSITION, page A2

New electronic edition now available online

LifeLong Learning

Course offerings cover variety of topics By GARY BUDZAK

n’t do it anymore, so the Upper the least artistic person around.” There are courses on the busiconducting it. ness of art, photography in a por“It’s at the new fire station 72. trait studio, English castles and They’ll get a little tour of that sta- tasting chocolate and olive oil. tion. It’s fire and police together.” Class topics are chosen from Then there’s a class on bedbugs surveys, by looking at what other — how to identify, prevent and programs around the country are treat infestations. Erstein said they offering, suggestions from busihad the class a couple of years ness owners and via other means. ago and it wasn’t very popular. “One I put together that I’m exWith the recent spread of bed- cited about is a series called ‘Dibugs, however, she’s expecting versity Dining’,” Erstein said. more people to register. “The first one will be at China Another course is based on Julia Dynasty in the Shops at Lane AvCameron’s book “The Artist’s enue. I’m sure there are people Way.” who go to Chinese restaurants “It’s a 10-week program for who order the same thing each people to get in touch with their time, and they’re afraid to try creativity,” Erstein said. “I’ve ac- something else because they may tually gone through it, and I’m not like it.

ThisWeek Community Newspapers Arlington police are going to be

There’s always something new going on in LifeLong Learning, the UA Parks and Recreation Department’s adult education program. The department mailed out its Winter 2011 Activity Guide earlier this month, and as usual it included a number of new LifeLong Learning classes. “We’re doing a ‘CSI: Upper Arlington” this time,” said Kate Erstein, administrative specialist for Parks and Rec’s LifeLong Learning division. “We had a forensics class a number of years ago at the Columbus crime lab that was so popular. They could-

“This is an opportunity to try other things without committing to a whole serving. Hopefully it will be a success and each quarter after that, I plan to do a different restaurant. a different cuisine.” Most classes are held at municipal building and the Senior Center. Erstein said 20,000 people take the courses annually, with nearly half from Upper Arlington. “We’ve had people come from Circleville and Cleveland to take particular classes,” she said. The LifeLong Learning program started in 1972 through the schools, and switched over to the See TOPICS, page A2