December 26, 2010
Prairie Township
Finances will be top priority in 2011 By CARLA SMITH ThisWeek Community Newspapers Prairie Township trustees are bracing for a rocky start to 2011 when it comes to finances. More than likely the board will approach residents next year with some sort of financial request Trustee Steve Kennedy said the combination of low returns on the township’s investments and continued state cut-
backs to the local government fund will force the township to seek other alternatives to capture revenue. The board of trustees proposed three different scenarios that it will explore next year in order to bring the township more revenue. Their preferred option is to place a JEDD (Joint Economic Development District) on the ballot, which would allow residents to vote whether to re-
quire businesses in the West Broad Street Corridor to join. The JEDD is an ongoing initiative for the township, but the process has been hampered by the larger businesses, like OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, that don’t see the need to join. “This option would not be a tax increase for the residents unless they work in the West Broad Street corridor,” Kennedy said. “It is a way to redirect tax money back into the township. It
makes more sense to do this than to increase taxes.” If a JEDD is voted on and put in place, employees working in the JEDD would have tax dollars directed back to the township instead of following them back to the municipalities where they live. Other financial options proposed by the board included the possibility of collecting an available 1.6 mills of inside millage. The Franklin County Budget
Commission would have to approve the township’s request for the millage, which is not subject to voter approval. If approved, the township could pull in up to $470,000 annually and break even. “That would be a 1.6-mill increase,” Kennedy said. “That is not a good option for our residents at this time.” See FINANCES, page A2
Darbydale school has five days to make up
TUNED IN TO THE GAME
By LISA AURAND ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The race starts at 10 a.m. at Northbank Park, 300 W. Spring St. All are invited to attend, but registration is necessary and can be done at riverrun5k11.eventbrite.com. Registration for the marathon opens at noon. Special registration pricing is available through the end of June. Participants must meet age eligibility requirements. Should injury or illness befall Blackford, the offer is null and void. Blackford, a Clintonville resident, ran his first
Darbydale Elementary School students will have a shorter winter break than usual this year, but the rest of the South-Western City Schools, except for Findland Middle School, all have the full complement of this year’s calamity days remaining. Darbydale was shut down for eight days because of a November boiler room fire that injured no one, but filled the building with smoke. It took several days to make sure the school was safe. Ohio schools are allotted only three calamity days this school year, a reduction from the five allotted in the past. Darbydale students will have a minimum of five days to make up, assuming no further school days are cancelled. “They will be making up the first three days on Jan. 3, Jan. 4 and Feb. 21, 2011,” South-Western City Schools spokeswoman Sandy Nekoloff said. School districts are required to build five contingency days into their school calendars. This year, South-Western’s make-up dates are Feb. 21, June 3, 6, 7, and 8. Finland Middle School has used one calamity day, and the rest of South-Western’s buildings have not used any, Nekoloff said. The final decision on whether to close schools for inclement weather is made by superintendent Bill Wise with the advice of the transportation staff. “Around 4 a.m., various members of the transportation department begin driving the bus routes to provide information to the transportation supervisor on road conditions,” Nekoloff said. “We are also in contact with local police departments and monitor weather radar.” In addition, the district staff make an effort to clear district parking lots and sidewalks of snow. “Our maintenance staff is sometimes out all night clearing the parking lots and sidewalks to prepare for the opening of school in the morning,” Nekoloff said. Other factors the district considers include whether conditions are worsening or improving; building conditions such as electricity, heat and water; tem-
See 5K RACE, page A2
See DARBYDALE, page A2
By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek
Cody Faist and the Ready High School pep band play during halftime of their basketball game against DeSales Dec. 17. Faist is an eighthgrader at St. Cecilia School.
‘Beat the Director’ wrinkle added to 5K By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers There’s no better way to shake off a hangover and begin that New Year’s diet than with a brisk trot along the frozen banks of the Scioto River. The Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon is sweetening the pot by holding a special “Beat the Director” event Jan. 1. The goal is to best Darris Blackford, the official race director, in the third annual River Run 5K along the multipurpose path.
Those who finish ahead of Blackford earn free entry into the 2011 marathon and half marathon. But watch out: Blackford is good. He said he recently clocked himself at 20:30 in the roughly 3-mile run. He said that Darris would have earned him 12th Blackford place in last year’s race. “I was pleased to be around 20 minutes with nobody chasing me,” he said.
Brother-sister BMX riders from Hilliard get a surprise at school By GARY BUDZAK ThisWeek Community Newspapers Brother and sister BMX riders Jesse and Megan Woodruff got the surprise of their lives Dec. 16 when a professional rider dropped by their schools to offer them a sponsorship from his team. Matt Pohlkamp, 34, had met the Woodruffs at a BMX camp in Columbus, and as one of the top racers in the country, he was instantly recognized by the brother and sister. Pohlkamp first went to Memorial Middle School, where he walked in on Jesse Woodruff — a 13-year-old sevent- grader who is ranked sixth in the country at his age group and experience level — while he was studying in the school’s library. “Hey everybody, I just want you to know this guy is one of the best BMX racers in
the country, and I just want to give him one of my jerseys,” Pohlkamp told the Memorial students and staff. “There’s just one problem — they misspelled my name, so I guess I have to give it to you.” Pohlkamp handed Jesse jersey with Woodruff’s name on it. “I’m on a team called Celly Smellys/Dan’s Comp and since Jesse had an awesome year, we want to invite him to the team,” he said. Following some applause, Pohlkamp said, “This guy is bad. Get back to work, stay in school.” “I like the feeling of riding and everybody you meet through it,” Jesse Woodruff said of the sport. “Everybody’s usually really cool, so it’s just really fun to be around those people and riding bikes.” Jesse said he’s been riding BMX for two years, racing his 20-inch bike on dirt tracks for the Columbus-based National Bicycle
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League statewide and nationally. The races have eight riders competing in intense, minute-long races on courses with jumps and banked turns, with the top finishers advancing to the next round. There are usually three heats and a main event in each class, depending on the number of entrants. Jesse said he practices at Municipal Park and at an indoor skate park in Dayton during the winter to work on his freestyle riding. Pohlkamp then travelled to Brown Elementary School and walked in on Megan Woodruff in her fifth-grade class. “Does everybody know that Megan races BMX?” Pohlkamp said as he presented Megan with her jersey. “I wanted to come here to give Megan a jersey because she got No. 4 in the country in her racing this past See BMX RIDERS, page A2
By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
Professional BMX racer Matt Pohlkamp presents Hilliard Memorial Middle School seventh-grader Jesse Woodruff with a team jersey Dec. 16 after offering him a sponsorship to ride for Polkamp’s team.
Sally (left) is one of the homeless pets still waiting to be adopted from the Second Chance Humane Society. Her shelter mate, Daisy, was featured in the October video at www.ThisWeekNEWS.com and is also waiting to be adopted. For more information on adopting one of the dogs, visit www.secondchancehs.com or call (740) 967-3700.