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Volume 55, No. 17
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CHESTERLAND NEWS Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Leadership Geauga Calls for Proposals For Annual Service Day
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Staff Report Leadership Geauga is seeking out service project ideas for its annual Service Day event May 11. “This event brings together approximately 25 dedicated adults from the Signature Adult Program to participate in impactful service projects throughout Geauga County,” said Amy Murfello, marketing and outreach manager, in a press release. “Leadership Geauga recognizes the vital role that Geauga County-based organizations play in the well-being of our community and are eager to collaborate on projects that align with shared goals.” LG is reaching out to local nonprofits to invite project proposals for consideration, she said. Past service days included LG alumni engaging in diverse projects, such as organizing a food drive, installing a playground or beautifying public spaces through landscaping and painting, Murfello said, adding LG is looking for ideas for the 2024 Service Day that will “allow its enthusiastic volunteers to contribute their time and skills to create a lasting impact.” Those interested in submitting proposals are invited to fill out a form at http://tinyurl.com/ lg2024servdayform. The submission deadline for project proposals is Feb. 16, 2024. “Leadership Geauga looks forward to the opportunity to collaborate with your organization and contribute to the betterment of our shared home,” Murfello said.
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An early-morning accident involving a locally-owned tanker-trailer on state Route 306 Jan. 2 resulted in a spill of about five gallons of hazardous rainwater from ongoing cleanup at the site of the East Palestine train derailment and five gallons of diesel fuel from the truck cab. Both were contained at the scene, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Tanker-Trailer Turnover Spills 4-5 Gallons of Hazardous Waste Liquid ‘Mostly Rainwater from (East Palestine Train) Derailment’ By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com
A tanker-trailer accident in Russell Township at about 5:15 a.m. Jan. 2 resulted in a spill of four to five gallons of hazardous waste that was contained at the scene, according to Geauga Public Health. The Chagrin Southeast Regional Hazmat team also contained about five gallons of diesel that
came out of the fuel tanks of the Kuhnle Brothers Trucking cab that was damaged when the southbound vehicle went off state Route 306 north of Music Street and hit a utility pole on the west side of the road. GPH posted on its Facebook page Jan. 3 the department was aware of the crash and the Russell Township Fire Department, with assistance from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, is in
charge of the situation. “Geauga Public Health is in contact with Geauga Emergency Management Agency, Ohio Department of Health and OEPA to offer any assistance needed,” the post said. “OEPA has reported that the truck was carrying approximately 5,000 gallons of hazardous liquid waste that was mostly rainwater See Tanker• Page 4
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Geauga Agriculture Plows Billions into Economy By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com
Agriculture, including related sales and services, is a $2.1 billionper-year industry in Geauga County, providing 11,787 jobs and paying $513 million in wages, according to figures from the Ohio Farm Bureau. Mandy Orahood, organization director for the five-county OFB Federation, assured those attending the Geauga Economic Leadership breakfast Jan. 5 that farming and related businesses in Geauga County are a big part of the area’s financial picture. Those figures include more than barns, crops and animals visible to people driving along the area’s roads.
Farmers need a wide variety of services, equipment and materials other residents and businesses in the county buy, as well, but if it is consumed by a farmer, it is considered a direct part of the local ag industry, Orahood said, adding nearly 6,000 people in Geauga County are directly involved with farming. They earn about $201 million per year and contribute about $1.2 billion to the economy, she said. “Almost 27% of Geauga County is farmland. That’s a 3% increase since the 2012 census,” she said, adding there are 1,049 “farms” in the county on about 70,000 acres. While the average size of a farm is 67 acres, many are only 5 acres and only 2% of local farms are over 500 acres, according to U.S. De-
partment of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistic Service 2017 Census. “There’s no definition of what a farm is,” Orahood said. “It’s an opinion type of thing.” Farm bureau figures show there is a total of 1,816 producers in the county and the vast majority of them are between 35 to 64 years old, she said. “There is a large number of females owning farms,” Orahood said, showing 702 women compared to 1,114 men listed as farm owners in Geauga. In her district – Geauga, Ashtabula, Lake, Trumbull and Portage counties – the farm bureau lists direct and indirect statistics as See Agriculture• Page 4
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