Geauga Maple Leaf 3-23-23

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Vol. 29 No. 12 • Chardon, Ohio www.geaugamapleleaf.com

$1.00

Drag Show Draws Attention to Chardon Restaurant

By JAmie WArd JAmie@kArlovecmediA com

The owner of Element 41 on Chardon Square has long had Pride in his restaurant.

So, his decision to raise money for a local church with a private, drag show-themed brunch came easily.

The day after dozens of harass ing messages — phone calls, emails, social media posts — he just as easily added a second brunch.

“Someone said they hope my business burns down,” said Paul Mendolera, who will host the events April 1 with the Community Church of Chesterland. “In that same breath, ‘I can’t wait to see the restaurant (that comes in) after you fail.’ ”

See Drag Show • Page 3

Part III

Dave’s Decade in D.C.

‘It Was Just Heartbreaking’

Joyce Reflects on Chardon Shooting, Addresses Gun Violence Issues

By Amy PAtterson Amy@kArlovecmediA com

Dave Joyce was sworn into his first term as congressman Jan. 3, 2013, but the day that changed his life occurred almost a year prior.

Joyce, who served as Geauga County prosecutor since 1992, said Feb. 27, 2012 — the day of the fatal Chardon High School shooting — was the day he decided to move on from that role.

“I came home and told my wife

See Joyce • Page 5

Majority of GPH Staff Laid Off

Officials, Public Criticize Cooperative Agreement with Lake County

Atterson rlovecmediA.com

All five members of the Geauga County Board of Health approved a cooperative agreement with the Lake County General Health Dis trict last week — the termination of a majority of GPH employees effective March 31.

The special meeting, held 4 p.m. March 15 — three hours be fore the annual meeting of the Health District Advisory Council — was announced March 10, but a draft of the Cross-Jurisdictional Cooperative Agreement only became available to the public March 14 and did not include dates or a

From Therapy to Trophy

Hambden Native Jeffrey Carver Wins Cutting Horse Championship

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

See Carver • Page 9

Sports page 19

Auburn Trustees

Charged for IRS Penalties, Interest

page 5

Opinion pages 12-13

Obituaries

pages 16-17

Sheriff’s Sales & Legal Notices

pages 24-25

Classifieds

pages 27-28

What started as riding therapy for brain cancer survivor Jeffrey Carver more than 12 years ago has carried the teen and his parents down the horse show trail to trophies and fame across the nation.

Jeffrey, 18, of Hambden Township, and his Quarter Horse gelding, Whiskey Cat, won the National Cutting Horse As sociation $15,000 Amateur World Cham pionship in December. Their story began more than three years ago, when Jeffrey had a

Jeffrey Carver, 18, of Hambden Township, owns a filly he would like to train as a cutting horse. He and Whiskey Cat won the National Cutting Horse Association $15,000 Amateur World Championship in December.

Geauga Public Health Director of Nursing Carol Straniero watches as employees and the public react to an announcement during a special meeting March 15.

Law Enforcement Searching for Missing Thompson Woman

stAff rePort

The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and Thompson Township Police Department are searching for a missing 76-year-old Thompson woman.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has joined them in the search.

According to a GCSO Facebook post on Saturday morning, 76-year-old Susan G. Taylor is believed to have gone missing from her

Drag Show

from page 1

Mendolera has been called a “disgusting pedophile,” a “groomer.” Some people say they will protest — and bring their concealed carry permits. Crank callers call staff derogatory names.

One caller from a private number placed a large takeout order and never picked up. Now the restaurant has changed its policy: all to-go orders must be pre-paid.

At $20 a ticket, both April 1 adult-only brunches sold out in 36 hours, said Megan Carver, the CCC’s social justice co-chair and event organizer.

A separate Drag Story Hour event at the church from 4-5 p.m. will include performers reading storybooks and singing and dancing.

“Think preschool,” Carver said.

The CCC, a United Church of Christ congregation, is not new to the attention. It has supported LGBTQ+ rights for 30 years.

“We are a church of extravagant welcome, inclusion and justice,” reads its website. “CCC has been at the forefront of women’s rights and inclusion for the majority of its history. All are included and represented in our worship and in our community.”

To Mendolera, the Pride cause is important because it affects him personally.

“It’s my daughter. It’s people that I know and love,” he said. “It’s our staff, our customers. We’re all involved in some way in this community.”

In June, officially Pride month, the restaurant decorated its front window with rainbows and flew rainbow flags throughout.

“We did get backlash from it, and that’s when I started taking it personally,” Mendolera said.

On social media, there has been support for the drag show brunches and there has

Sidley Road residence in the early morning hours on March 17.

Taylor is approximately 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, with short light-colored hair and wears corrective lenses.

is known at this time.”

The BCI’s Crime Scene Unit is assisting the sheriff’s office in its investigation.

8389 Mayfield Road, Suite B5

Chesterland, Ohio 44026

Phone 440-729-7667

FAX 440-729-8240

ads@karlovecmedia.com

Phone 440-285-2013

FAX 440-285-2015

editor@karlovecmedia.com

Listed are public meetings and executive sessions in the county for the coming week, unless otherwise noted.

Auburn Township: March 23, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at the Administration Building, 11010 Washington St., unless otherwise indicated.

Bainbridge Township: March 27, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees; March 28, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at Town Hall, 17826 Chillicothe Road, unless noted.

Burton Village: March 27, 7 p.m., Village Council. All meetings are held at 14588 W. Park St., 2nd Floor, unless otherwise noted.

Chardon City: March 28, 6:30 p.m., Planning Commission, joint meeting with City Council. All meetings are held at Municipal Center, 111 Water St., unless otherwise noted.

“Mrs. Taylor is not in possession of her vehicle, cellular phone or other personal effects,” the Facebook post said. “No clothing description

Taylor

been criticism. Comments on Facebook often end in personal attacks from one poster to another.

Carver is a fourth generation member of her church. She said the negative attention is hurtful.

“It’s sad to see people exert such judgment on something that they really don’t have much information about,” she said. “It’s a misunderstanding about what drag is, and a misunderstanding about what our purpose is. I’m saddened, but I hope to soften hearts.”

For its beliefs, the CCC has also dealt with vandalism. In the summer of 2021, the church said a rainbow flag that flew for a few days or months at the corner of Wilson Mills and Caves Roads had been stolen 27 times, according to a police report.

It has now been stolen more than 100 times, Carver said.

Despite the continued theft, the flag was replaced because of the importance of what it symbolizes, church members said at the time.

In June of 2022, a private Pride event at Century Village just off of Burton Square drew opposition during a village council meeting, but no issues were reported during the event itself.

That same month, a Pride event on Chardon Square, organized by Geauga Pride, was opposed in a letter signed by 18 churches. That event drew about 600 people and did not have any issues reported either.

Still, security issues are taken seriously.

A similar event in Wadsworth on March 11 drew hundreds of protestors to a park and ended in two arrests, according to cleveland. com. Authorities said the protestors included white supremacists, neo-nazis and Proud Boys, the article reported.

Chester Township Police Chief Craig Young said police will meet with the church

“We are asking the public, if located or have information pertinent to the ongoing investigation, immediately contact the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office at 440286-1234,” the post added.

and assess their needs to help keep its Story Hour event peaceful.

“Obviously it is a concern,” Young said. “What can we do to make this event run smoothly? How can we ensure it’s done safely? You always have to err on the side caution.”

So far, Young said there have been no calls to complain, and he has no knowledge of any planned protest.

A screenshot posted on Facebook, originally posted anonymously on a Cleveland subreddit, showed a “rally against groomers” event with the Proud Boys logo scheduled for 4 p.m. April 1 in Chesterland Township.

“It’s gonna be wild,” the screenshot said.

Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus said there have been some calls to his department in complaint. But he was not aware of any verified information about protests.

“Our primary mission is public safety,” Niehus said. “We’re closely monitoring, aware of the event, and will meet with the organizers.

“We will do everything we need to do to make sure if there is a protest — to the degree we can — make it safe for everyone.”

Of the April 1 events, CCC Pastor Jesse Peacock wrote on Facebook: “I would like to invite Ohio religious leaders to be present as well. What I am looking for are folks who are willing to come and stand in solidarity with us and to provide a calming presence.”

Element 41, which typically opens Saturdays at 11 a.m., will reopen to the public after the brunches with dinner starting at 4 p.m.

For every customer Mendolera loses, he said he remembers the calls he gets from supporters, and positive posts from the past that have been shared thousands of times.

“It’s something we are proud that we support, and we’re going to keep doing that,” he said. “The more negative that comes out, it makes us push harder for the better cause.”

Community Meetings

Chester Township: March 23, 5 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at the Township Hall, 12701 Chillicothe Road, unless otherwise noted.

Claridon Township: March 27, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission. All trustees meetings are held at Administrative Building, 13932 Mayfield Road, unless otherwise noted. All Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals meetings are held at Town Hall, 13930 Mayfield Road.

Montville Township: March 23, 7:30 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings held at the Montville Community Center, 9755 Madison Road, unless noted.

Munson Township: March 28, 6:30 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Township Hall, 12210 Auburn Road, unless otherwise noted.

South Russell Village: March 27, 6 p.m., Village Council, special meeting to discuss budget followed by regular meeting at 7 p.m. All meetings are held at Village Hall, 5205 Chillicothe Road, unless otherwise noted.

Correction

In the story titled, “Chester Township to Seek Advice on Zoning Language” in the March 9 edition of the Geauga County Maple Leaf, an incorrect word was attributed to Trustee Ken Radtke. Radtke said he plans to speak with Assistant County Prosecutor Sheila Salem regarding what would be the best way to write language for the prohibition of nursing homes in the township.

Jeffrey B. Karlovec, Publisher

John D. Karlovec, Editor

Cassandra C. Shofar, News Editor

Jamie A. Ward, Sports Editor

Ann Wishart, Staff Reporter

Amy Patterson, Staff Reporter

Brian Doering, Staff Reporter

Clay Karlovec, Sales Representative

Clinton Sestak, Sales Representative

Gayle Mantush, Sales Representative

Jayne Kracker, Sales Representative

Barb Fontanelle, Sales Representative

Regina Swinerton, Classifieds

Karen S. Kaplan, Graphic Design

Pamela J. Molnar, Production Supervisor

Emma McGuire, Paginator

Submissions and Deadlines

• Editorial submissions are printed as space is available, at the publisher’s discretion, and may be edited for length, clarity and grammar. All submissions are due by Monday at noon for consideration for that Thursday’s edition.

• Email all editorial submissions and questions to editor@karlovecmedia.com.

• The space reservation deadline for paid advertisements in that Thursday’s Geauga County Maple Leaf is the preceding Friday by noon. Late ads may be accepted at the discretion of management.

• Email advertising requests and questions to ads@karlovecmedia.com.

Subscription Rates (valid through 12/31/23)

Weekly Issue (in Geauga County)

One year: $50 • Two years: $90

Senior Citizens one year: $45 Single copy: $1

Weekly Issue (outside Geauga County)

One year: $65 • Two years: $120 Weekly Issue (snowbird/seasonal address) One year: $65

Online Only (No Mailed Copy) $50 NewspaperandOnlineSubscriptions are Non-Refundable.

YoucanviewtheRefundPolicybyvisiting: www.geaugamapleleaf.com/refund-policy/ orbyusingthe“More”menuonthewebsite.

•Geauga County Maple Leaf is a newspaper of general circulation published weekly. Contains general, legal, real estate, insurance and commercial news.

•Copyright © 2023 Geauga County Maple Leaf LLC. All rights reserved. Material published in Geauga County Maple Leaf is prepared at substantial expense and is for the sole and exclusive use of the subscriber. It may not be republished, resold, recorded or reused in any manner, in whole or part, without the publisher’s written consent. Any infringement will be subject to legal redress.

•Geauga County Maple Leaf (USPS 011-535) is published weekly by Geauga County Maple Leaf LLC. 8389 Mayfield Road, Ste. B5, Chesterland, Ohio 44026. Periodicals postage paid at Chardon, Ohio 44024. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Geauga County Maple Leaf, P.O. Box 1166, Chardon, OH 44024-5166. Subscribers should notify the publisher in writing of address changes or unsatisfactory delivery.

•Under no circumstances will any record filed in the county be suppressed at any time for anybody, except by order of court.

•Attorneys placing legal advertisements are responsible for payment.

•The publisher is not responsible for errors in advertisements after first publication if not advised by the advertiser.

Trustees, Chief Debate Fire Station Roof Replacement

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

Newbury Township Trustees appeared reluctant March 15 to dip into the township general fund to pay for a new roof on the fire station so that the color of the shingles on the old roof match those on the future station addition.

Early in the meeting, Chief Ken Fagan apologized for not having construction numbers to show trustees as promised. He said he is still juggling to fit some of the alternate contracts on top of the base bid.

“There are a total of 10 alternates on top of the base bid and choosing some of the alternates puts us over the $4.2 million. We are looking for other bids. We just have to finetune it,” Fagan said. “It’s not really putting us behind on starting too much.”

It was later in the meeting when the roof issue arose.

Trustee Greg Tropf said the shingles on the existing station roof are 10 years old and still under warranty. According to the contract, if trustees replace that roof, they have to pay for the new roof, as well, he said.

He estimated the entire roofing project would cost $150,000 to $160,000.

If the money comes out of the general fund for the roof, it would give the fire department more cash from the levy to include some alternates, Fagan said.

“It would lower the money on our end,” he said.

In addition, having the roof all one color would be more appealing, he said, but the aesthetics are secondary to the fact the roof on the old station will have to be replaced before the roof on the addition.

“I’m torn. I feel both ways. We’re trying to reduce (the cost)… on our end, but we are putting the burden on you,” Fagan said.

Fiscal Officer Beverly Sustar objected.

“This was never in the original bid package. It was just thrown out there last night,” she said, adding it was the idea of the architect, not the contractor.

“Why are we paying for something that’s not in the contract?” asked Trustee Glen Quigley. “$150,000 paves a mile of road.”

Trustee Bill Skomrock recommended waiting until the costs are presented at the April 5 meeting to decide on the roof issue.

In a phone call March 19, Fagan listed the alternates the department is considering if they can find the money. One would be to renovate the 30-year-old bathrooms near the turnout gear storage. Cost would be about $33,000, he said.

Replacing the front windows on the station is another alternative. The replacements

unpleasant for firefighters sleeping at the station. The system under consideration has a less shrill tone that ramps up and turns on the lights gradually. Fagan said he doesn’t have a price on the new system, yet, and he wants to talk to the bidders to see if changes can be made.

In other business, park board member Jim Stefancin said the board recommends the installation of a two-stall permanent restroom facility at Oberland Park similar to the facilities at many of the Geauga Park District properties. The township park and the neighboring property the township is leasing from West Geauga Schools are the site of regular soccer games. The township is hoping to contract with another soccer club and possibly a community baseball league.

A portable job johnny is the only restroom now available for parties using the pavilion and hiking the trails in the woods.

Quigley estimated the stainless steel

Bainbridge Township Town Hall after trustees met with DS Architecture representatives March 20.

Trustee Jeff Markley said in an interview prior to the meeting the trustees found out the building was in need of renovation six months ago.

“I would say that we wanted to do renovations for several years now,” he said.

Markley said the trustees would be looking at the functionality of the building and how it could better serve the township for years to come.

“It’s really not a facade change, meaning an exterior elevation change. We’ve addressed some of that already over the last handful of years,” he said. “It’s the last building that we’ve put any effort into.”

Markley said other priority buildings — such as those belonging to the fire, police and service departments — have been addressed.

“Now, we’re addressing the last bit, which is fiscal and zoning. It’s obviously a public building. The public uses it all the time, too,” Markley said. “So, looking at cost of renovations versus the cost of rebuilding, it’s not even close.”

Markley said 95% of the renovations to the building would be done internally and one of the significant areas is the front hallway.

building to do certain things,” Markley said. “The front hall, because the roof is sagging, would affect the offices. It’s a structural need, so that could probably be done and still keep the place open.”

Markley said the renovation is like any home project that starts out small and then becomes a much bigger project by the time the entire situation is understood.

“We started on this journey during COVID, analyzing how the building could be used. When we got into it, we decided to have the architect bring in different inspectors, structural engineers and environmental for asbestos and other things,” Markley said. “From top to bottom, let’s just analyze the entire building, get a sense of things, blueprint of the entire building and then see what shakes out.”

Markley said funding opportunities and mechanisms have been looked into, as he knows the building is a necessity.

“You’re not gonna get grants to do everything. We’re gonna have to pay for it ourselves, so we have to figure out how do we do that,” he said. “You’ve got to have an administrative building and over the last 15 years, we’ve done a very good job of reducing our spending on buildings that we don’t need or use. We’re going to take a comprehensive look at it and get it done.”

Auburn Trustees Charged for IRS Penalties, Interest

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

Auburn Township Trustees, on the advice of legal counsel, voted unanimously March 20 to pay $25,946 to the IRS for five quarters of unfiled tax returns discovered March 6.

That includes $22,417 to cover the tax returns, $1,660 in penalties and $1,868 in interest charged by the IRS, said township Fiscal Officer Dan Matsko.

Additional costs related to the failure to file include a $1,200 contract with the auditor of state to prepare a financial statement and account report for 2022 and a $6,800 contract with the state to prepare a bank reconciliation for 2022.

Matsko said after the meeting the missed returns were from various quarters in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The vote Monday followed trustees’ lengthy discussion about how the problem arose and what could be done in the future to avoid a repeat performance.

An IRS agent visited Matsko on the first week he was in office to inform him the township was delinquent on some tax returns.

from page 1

that I’m done. I gotta do something else. I mean, I’d been through a lot of murder cases and everything else, but the fact that these are kids in high school,” Joyce recalled during a recent interview. “It was just heartbreaking.”

Joyce said his experience with T.J. Lane — who, a year later, pled guilty to killing three students that day and wounding three others — left him wondering what possesses a person to take such an action.

“I remember sitting across from T.J. Lane when he was up in my office when, I think, he appeared before juvenile court because we didn’t have a holding cell for juveniles, so we had him in the grand jury room in the office,” Joyce said. “And I didn’t talk to him because I’m not an attorney — but I just thought, as I sat there and looked at him, this kid has no clue what he just did. No clue.”

Joyce said there is a nationwide conversation to be had about how American culture reached its current state of frequent mass shootings in schools and other public places.

In many shootings, the perpetrators don’t even know the victims, he said.

“They just randomly shoot people. I mean what possesses people to do that?” Joyce said. “So there’s a societal element to this that we need to ask each other what — we have to — whether it’s Hollywood, the video games, mental reasons — there’s a lot more here to have a nationwide conversation of how did we get here and how do we get out of this?”

While attempts at gun control measures

The agent said then township Fiscal Officer Fred May had been sent notices, but failed to respond.

“He interviewed me and presented me

with a final notice for $25,945.81,” Matsko said. “He also gave us a notice of (how to) appeal if we wanted. After consulting with the (Geauga) county prosecutor and a tax attorney, it was advised to just pay it.”

Trustee PJ Cavanagh noted the money was in the township budget and employees and vendors had been paid.

“The point is, it was just a clerical error,” said Trustee Mike Troyan.

Matsko repeated the agent told him May was notified and never responded.

That led Trustee Gene McCune to suggest a possible solution to missed communications would be to have all emails go to all trustees, as well as the fiscal officer.

“Everybody should have an idea of what’s going on here. Every email goes to everyone,” he said. “The only person who got the letter that we were delinquent was the guy making us delinquent.”

McCune asked if the policy in place could be changed, adding the fiscal officer would get to see emails to the trustees, as well.

Troyan asked Matsko about emails containing privileged information. The fiscal officer said medical insurance emails come

to his office often. Sharing that information could violate privacy laws.

“What are other townships doing?” Troyan asked, adding the Township Association might have a solution to the problem.

McCune also said the township should “go after” May for the penalties the township incurred due to his failures.

“There is a bond … for these types of things,” Cavanagh said, adding he would investigate how the township might collect from the insurance company that collects the bond. All township officials are bonded.

The township received a letter of resignation Feb. 7 from May, who had been fiscal officer for eight years. Matsko was hired as his part-time assistant in July 2022. In November, May violated his probation that stemmed from a DUI arrest and Matsko was appointed deputy fiscal officer. On March 6, trustees appointed him fiscal officer.

That week, the IRS agent visited Matsko’s office.

“It was a friendly visit,” Matsko said Monday, referring to the rumor his office was raided by the IRS. “I asked him if he was armed. He said he wasn’t.”

Joyce said other proposals, like extended background checks, can run into complications not at first apparent — like violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which prohibits the sharing of private health information in certain settings.

“The record check that people want is only as good as the records are that are in the system. And because of HIPAA, we can’t put mental health records into the system,” he said during his interview with the Maple Leaf. “So, if somebody’s having those type of issues, that mental issues is being checked or have been recognized to have mental issues, you know, the dealer doesn’t know that.”

Joyce said what information is available outside of HIPAA protections can at least be useful in allowing a dealer to deny a weapon sale for a three-day “cooling-off period,” which may be worthwhile.

have popped up in the past decade, including a recent executive order signed by President Joe Biden to stiffen background checks on gun sales, Joyce said it would be hard to make any headway on attempts to reduce the availability of weapons.

“We’re never going to take back the guns that are out there anyhow,” Joyce said during a March 3 appearance at the City Club of Cleveland. “I think when you talk about taking back guns or those type of things, that’s where you get the pushback with the Second Amendment folks.”

Joyce said he was one of only 14 congressional republicans to vote in favor of a bipar-

tisan bill last summer with some gun control provisions in it because it included money for mental health programs.

“We really need to do a deep dive on what’s affecting our kids and why we’re producing people who are this deranged that they think that this is something that they should be doing,” he said at the City Club.

While he does not know the answer to the problem, Joyce said it’s important to continue experimenting with things that might potentially work instead of drawing lines on either side of the issue.

“I wish that I had more comforting things to tell you, but it’s something that I’ve been in hours-long conversations with people (about) and I’m unfortunately the only one in the House or Senate who’s ever had to handle a school shooting,” Joyce said.

ANN WISHART/KMG Auburn Township Trustee Mike Troyan said trustees should contact the Ohio Township Association to see what policies Auburn might put in place to help avoid future visits from the IRS.

AP PHOTO/MICHAEL ALLEN BLAIR, POOL

Dave Joyce, then Geauga County prosecutor, cross examines family members of Chardon school shooter T.J. Lane in December 2012. Joyce, now serving his 10th year in Congress, said the day of the shooting was the day he decided he could no longer serve as prosecutor.

Mueller Spearheading Recall of Four GPH Board Members

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

Russell Township Trustee Jim Mueller wants to stop the Geauga County Board of Health’s plan to lay off a majority of Geauga Public Health employees after signing a cooperative agreement with the Lake County General Health District.

Mueller said in a phone call March 18 he thinks four of the five members of the district’s board of directors should be removed from office.

“I’m going to do more now,” he said. “(Ohio Revised Code) section 3709.35 says we can recall them.”

Mueller represents Russell Township on the Health District Advisory Council, which is made up of one trustee from each township, as well as a representative from each of the county’s five cities or villages and one Geauga County commissioner.

The HDAC elects board members and approves the annual budget for GPH. They meet quarterly and Mueller attended the March 15 meeting.

Under the ORC, a public official can be removed from office for malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance and for failure to do their duties, Mueller said, adding he needs a few more HDAC members to join the movement to recall.

“I’m filing it against four members,” he said. Dr. Mark Hendrickson was not in office when the 27-page contract between GPH and LCGHD was drawn up to apparently gut the Geauga County office and terminate 17 employees at the end of March, Mueller said.

LCGHD workers would then take on the duties of the former Geauga County employees in a move Geauga’s health board claimed

Ohio Revised Code section 3709.35: If the lesser of three or one-fifth of the members of a district advisory council have reason to believe a member of the board of health of a general health district is guilty of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance or has failed to perform any or all of the duties required by … the (ORC), the district advisory council members shall prefer a charge against the board member before the district advisory council and shall notify the board member as to the time and place at which such charges will be heard.

If a majority of the council, after a hearing, finds the board member guilty of the charge, it may remove the member from office.

will save GPH from possible fiscal failure. GPH employees would be welcome to apply for any open positions at the LCGHD, but their hiring would not be guaranteed.

The HDAC elected Hendrickson to the health board just hours after the March 15 GPH special board meeting where the contract was unanimously signed. He replaced board President Richard Piraino, who said during the GPH meeting he had only had a short time to review the contract.

“It’s obvious to me the fix was in,” Mueller said. “They had made up their minds.”

The Geauga County Maple Leaf asked the health board to produce the minutes showing the GPH employee layoffs were decided in open session, but Mueller said he believes those decisions were not made in public meetings.

The board’s private counsel, Bryan Kostura, said in an email those deliberations were not subject to Ohio’s open meetings act.

Mueller said he will file a suit against the board for violating the Sunshine Laws that he feels require such actions be taken in open meetings.

“I’ll ask that the contract be null and void until the Sunshine Law violation is adjudicated. That should delay it a couple of months,” he said.

Even the HDAC members who were tentatively in favor of the contract asked the board’s action be delayed long enough for the council members to read and digest the implications, Mueller said.

His fellow Russell Township trustees disagreed with each other during the March 16 regular trustees meeting.

The matter was on the agenda at Mueller’s request. However, Mueller was absent from the March 16 trustees meeting due to a scheduling conflict.

“Jim was alarmed at the situation with the board of health,” said Trustee Matt Rambo, adding Mueller requested a resolution reflecting the trustees’ lack of confidence in the board.

“I don’t necessarily disagree with him,” Rambo said. “The decision was questionable to do what they did.”

However, Rambo said he read through the contract between the two health district boards.

“It doesn’t seem terrible to me,” he said, admitting he was originally unhappy with the elimination of positions previously held in Geauga County, but the agreement is a “simple cost sharing of personnel.”

He noted Mueller objected vocally to the contract during the GPH board meeting.

“Jim was heard. I think that’s where our role stops,” Rambo said.

Trustee Kristina Port disagreed.

“I believe Geauga County should retain a health department as opposed to going with (LCGHD),” she said, noting it will be two years before Geauga County can get out of the contract. “We already have a foundation for a health department. It would be hard to rebuild that.”

Townships and villages could address questions about alleged financial shortfalls by contributing more toward the health department operations, she said, adding the issues may be political as well as financial.

“I think there are factors that aren’t positive in respect to Lake (County),” she said.

Rambo, who is chairman of the board of trustees, stood firm.

“I don’t believe it is the business of township trustees to vote on the competence of the (GPH) board,” he said. “I will not be calling a special meeting to discuss this matter in public forum. We will not be passing a resolution.”

HDAC President Jonathan Tiber had reservations about the contract during a phone interview March 18.

“This agreement might be necessary and wise now, but why didn’t they see it coming two years ago? Why not at least ask the voters to authorize a levy? At least ask?” Tiber said.

He also was concerned about rebuilding a health district once it is dismantled should the GPH board change its mind in two years and not renew the contract.

“If it’s a failure, it’s a long turnaround,” Tiber said. “I want what’s best for the residents. In a perfect world, I don’t want to do this.”

HDAC Ousts Piraino Hours After ‘Bombshell’ GPH Agreement

Newbury Surgeon Appointed as Replacement

By Amy PAtterson Amy@kArlovecmediA com

The Geauga County Health District Advisory Council voted to remove former Geauga County Board of Health President Rich Piraino from his seat at their annual meeting March 15.

The HDAC is made up of trustees of Geauga County’s 16 townships, a representative from each of the county’s five villages and cities and one Geauga County commissioner.

The council met three hours after the health board’s special meeting during which it voted to execute an agreement with Lake County General Health District that stipulated the termination of 17 out of nearly two-dozen Geauga Public Health employees.

Only those in the Vital Statistics Program at GPH will remain employed, while all other roles in the department will be staffed through LCGHD as of April 3. (See main story on page 1)

“For those of you that attended the special Geauga Public Health board meeting, I’m glad that you were able to attend. I’m disappointed that you don’t think that we did not take your concerns … into consideration, but all I can tell you is this board has been very, very proactive,” Piraino said in his opening comments to the HDAC. “They have all contributed a lot of time. And this is not just a board that … you meet once a month and you make medical decisions.”

Piraino stood for re-appointment to the

board along with candidates Frank Gliha — the former Geauga County auditor who pled guilty to a dereliction of duty charge related to an embezzlement scheme by a former em ployee — and surgeon Dr. Mark Hendrickson, a Newbury resident.

Hendrickson spoke before Piraino, tell ing HDAC members while Geauga County is ranked third for health in Ohio, the number one cause of death in the county is cancer. GPH should consider linking its website to the National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query, which can help patients and their families who are battling cancer.

In response to a question from South Rus sell Trustee Jim Mueller, Hendrickson said he would not have pushed through the agree ment with LCGHD.

“I think I can answer this very simply,” he told Mueller. “Did Lake County give up any (employees), have to retire people?”

Hendrickson also said he plans to connect with Auburn Career Center to chart a course for a specialty in septic and well inspection since there are not enough people trained in the field to meet the current demand or demands of GPH’s sewage treatment operations and maintenance program.

Referring to Hendrickson’s concerns regarding cancer in Geauga residents, Piraino said while cancer is serious, the maintenance of well and septic systems takes up about 80% to 90% GPH’s attention and work.

“I don’t want to disagree with the good doctor. I know he’s a lot smarter than me

and he is right, cancer is a serious thing. But I can tell you, after being on this board ... population health is actually not that important in this department in this county,” Piraino said.

The health board currently has a physician, Dr. Mark Rood, Piraino said, as well as Dr. Ashley Jones, who holds a doctorate in pharmacy.

“So, do we need more medical or do we need people that understand environmental (health),” he asked HDAC members.

Mueller told Piraino he would hold him accountable for his decision not to go along with the wishes of the 50 to 60 people in the room during the health board meeting who asked board members to hold off on a decision to sign the agreement with Lake County until the HDAC and the public had a chance to review it.

“This was a decision that had to be made tonight. We could not hold it off,” Piraino said. “And frankly, waiting a week or waiting

Chardon Township Trustee Mike Brown, standing, aggressively questioned the Geauga County Board of Health members decision to partner with the Lake County General Health District. Brown also serves as secretary on the Geauga County Health District Advisory Council which, hours later, removed health board President Rich Piraino from his seat.

GPH

from page 1 timeline for a shift to an LCGHD-staffed department.

Employees, several of whom lined the back of the meeting room on the third floor of the county administration building, found out their termination date at the same time as the public.

Board members Carolyn Brakey and Lynn Roman took credit for negotiating the deal over the last few months, since LCGHD announced late last year they were no longer willing to share Administrator Adam Litke and Environmental Health Director Dan Lark with GPH.

“Under this agreement, we estimate we will save Geauga residents between $350,000 and $600,000 a year in health services costs,” Brakey said. “We will continue to maintain our vehicles, our office, our website and our identity.”

Since November, Roman and Brakey have provided periodic updates to the board about plans to replace Litke with a new administrator, as well as discussions with LCGHD Commissioner Ron Graham.

“We had another meeting this week, Lynn and I, with Ron Graham. One thing that came up was some discussion regarding programs we may be able to create, additional services to the community, if we partner with Lake that would have no additional cost to (GPH),” Brakey told the board Feb. 2.

However, none of those reports contained details of the agreement, which Roman and Brakey said were being considered by the full board for the first time on March 15.

Both Roman and Brakey raised the specter of looming budget shortfalls, with Brakey telling the board the 2023 budget showed the district facing a $35,000 deficit. Records obtained from the Geauga County Auditor’s Office show GPH had a year-end general fund balance of $2,713,235, with a carryover of $1,824,759 — a budget totaling at $4,537,994.

Another report from the auditor’s office shows a 2022 GPH budget report indicat ed expenses exceeded revenues by about $44,000 for all funds combined and that GPH projects a shortfall of roughly $450,000 in its 2023 budget.

Questions sent to the GPH board, Inter im Administrator Adam Litke and the board’s attorney, Bryan Kostura, were answered by Kostura only, who was hired as outside counsel and whose firm was paid a total of $169,562, spread across 25 payments, be tween April and December 2022.

In response to a public records request for information related to the GPH budget shortfalls, Kostura provided a chart showing revenues and expenditures for the health district. The chart did not provide dates or indicate whether some funds would be later replenished by grants or other sources of funding.

“At this point, all public statements about the agreement will be limited to the news release, which as you know was previously distributed, the agreement itself and the FAQ, which recently was added to the GPH website,” Kostura answered when asked to clarify further details regarding the financial situation of the health district prior to the agreement.

At the meeting March 15, Brakey said annual deficits are likely to rise and the GPH board has a “fiduciary duty” to address a potential shortfall now. Although the board voted Jan. 19 not to put its levy on the May ballot

“I have worked for (GPH) for 28 years. I have two and a half years until retirement. Imagine hearing yesterday that I was not going to have a job, two and a half years from retirement. I have seen this place through good, through bad, through horrible, and I have stuck with it. This is the worst this place has ever been. Morale is down, you don't know whether you should come and go. You're being watched like you're some sort of a criminal. You do one thing wrong, and you're written up for it. This is not a good environment for these employees and changing it over to Lake County is only going to make it worse. That's what I have to say. I really enjoyed my time here and I'm really sorry to have to go.”

— Alta Wendell, Director of Administration

“So when you lay us all off on the 31st, are you going to lay us all off and there's not going to be anyone here to serve the public? How is that going to work? Or are we going to find this out on the 31st? It would be nice to let your employees know. We have families, some people have only this place as their insurance, and I know that this was thought of ahead of time because somebody was asked about when our insurance cutoff was. … We deserve respect, just like you all want respect from everybody else. We deserve that. We are your employees. We are here, the ones running the place, for the people of this county. I'm the one that gets yelled at when the inspectors come in, not you. I get yelled at. An apology would be nice.”

— Chris Toth, Clerical Specialist

“I've been with Geauga County, almost 4 years. I will go on the record that I turned in my resignation Friday because I was informed by the health commissioner of Lake County that I will not have a position. If I do, it will be at a severely decreased rate, and potentially part-time. … We have an administrative director here that's been here 28 years, a little over, is eligible to retire. She's going to be forced out. There's no job for her. None. She can retire in less than two years. There hasn't been any communication. I have supported this board. I had complete faith in them, complete faith that this was going to be done the right way. … I am part of leadership here, and every explanation that I get is, ‘I don't know,’ ‘I'm staying out of it,’ ‘I don't know anything about it.’ Zero comment. I have a team, I have assembled a great team. I got this county, my team, through COVID. Regardless if you took the vaccine or not.”

— Carol Straniero, Director of Nursing and Population Health

“(I was) raised in Geauga County, graduated from Chardon High School. I left to western Ohio to get my education, and worked at two different health departments. I saw the job opening in Geauga last year and I love Geauga County, so I moved back, and it's just really upsetting to hear that we're now losing our jobs, and we'll be employed by Lake County. I love Geauga County, I live in Geauga County, I want to work for Geauga County.”

— Ashley Winters, Sanitarian

“After COVID everybody hated us. I run the Safe Communities Grant -- if you look at that draft (agreement), that grant is not even in there. I don't know if it's going to be or not. I don't know if I'm going to have a job or not. … Imagine not knowing where you're going since November. Like, how do you move forward? How do you plan for your activities, your community events? Nothing. When was the last time you guys checked on your employees? When was the last time you guys gave us an update? … You guys should have just prepped us for this. We know there's no going back. Well, maybe check on the employees that have been killing themselves for this place. We have done so much for this place because we wanted to serve the residents of Geauga County. We have people that moved back this county, to work for the county. But we're gonna serve Lake County, and we will continue to do our jobs as best — if we have a job, actually —we will continue to do our jobs like we have been doing it.”

— Magaly Rios, Health Educator

“Today we learned that the 31st is cutoff. During this meeting. So, we did not get to know that beforehand. We saw the contract yesterday just like everybody else. So we just learned that's the cutoff.”

— Sarah Sullivan, Epidemiologist

“If we are to give up control or to go into a contractual agreement, and say this contract doesn't work, who's left on the inside of GPH if things go bad? Who's actually fighting for that, to help the Geauga County residents? Who's pulling for them, if it's Lake County people who are actually here running it?”

— Joelle Weiss, Registrar

for renewal, Brakey said the board owes it to residents to explore the most cost-efficient path forward.

“It’s important to emphasize that we are not broke, we maintain a healthy reserve or ‘rainy day fund,’ but we can’t rely on that,” Brakey said.

Roman said one of the biggest difficulties the board faced was finding qualified candidates for the administrator position. Litke was named interim administrator after the August 2021 firing of Health Commissioner Tom Quade over public posts on his personal Facebook page. Litke was handed the official administrator role in March 2022, but LCGHD announced they wanted to end his contract with GPH in December 2022.

“As I stated earlier, the last time we needed to look for a health commissioner, there were no qualified candidates,” Roman told

the board. “This time, we had 20-some applicants (and) we only interviewed four people. And … they’re not as skilled as some of the people we have in the workforce right now.”

Brakey added, “We are using Lake County as staffing agency.”

As a result of the agreement, all GPH employees not currently working in the Vital Statistics Program will be laid off.

“The reason for this decision was that the Vital Statistics employees have a deep institutional knowledge and are best equipped to handle the tight controls the state places on these confidential records,” Kostura said in an email. “Moreover, contracting this department to Lake would not result in cost savings, which is the primary purpose for the institution of the Cross-Jurisdictional Agreement.”

The board said except for some roles Lake County will not be duplicating, GPH em-

ployees will be allowed to re-apply for their jobs through LCGHD.

“(GPH employees) would be able to apply for employment with Lake to supply those staffing services, but no one’s guaranteed a position,” Brakey said. “We have worked diligently to find the best solution, but I’m sure the employees would have preferred a quicker timeline over months of uncertainty.”

The draft agreement states LCGHD reserves the right to review and confirm the eligibility of employees to be hired for equivalent positions at its sole discretion.

“All employees shall be subject to a background check and verification of their licensing and registration credentials as required and defined by the state or federal requirements,” the agreement said.

AMY PATTERSON/KMG

Mary Briggs, left, questions the Geauga County Board of Health during the public comment portion of their special meeting March 15.

At the March 15 meeting of the Geauga Public Health board employees were told their positions will be terminated effective March 31. In emotional public comments, several employees expressed frustration and disappointment with the action of the board.

Piraino from page 6

a month would actually put more anxiety, probably, on the existing staff that we have.”

Chardon Township Trustee and HDAC secretary Mike Brown, who had earlier tan gled with Piraino over his statements during the health board meeting, told HDAC he was still in shock over how that vote went down.

Employees from page 7

Brakey said the board recommended sev erance packages, which would be discussed with employees. However, about an hour and 15 minutes into the meeting, Roman said employees would be given two weeks of sev erance pay, as well as their accumulated va cation time.

Hard Questions

Before the final vote took place, a crowd made up of several township trustees that serve on the GCHDAC — which, hours later, would move to remove board President Rich Piraino from his seat on the GPH board — near-unanimously expressed reactions from incredulity to outrage over the plan.

Jim Mueller, Russell Township trustee and former Geauga County commission er and state representative, told the board Geauga County is one of the healthiest and wealthiest in the state.

“How the hell do you give up having a health district for money,” Mueller asked the board. “We’re wealthy enough to be able to afford this. And we should have our own health district. I think it’s sad that a county like ours has to find ourselves in a situation where we have to crawl on our hands and knees to Lake County. And that’s what I view it as.”

Chardon Township Trustee Mike Brown was vocal in his opposition to the plan. Brown also serves as GCHDAC secretary and said he was surprised to see the special meeting held during the day when most people are not able to come — and with the board’s intent to not only introduce but pass the plan on the same day.

“I don’t understand how you think that that would pass the smell test for anybody in Geauga County. Geauga County citizens respect their sovereignty. They know that they’re from Geauga County. We don’t really have a whole lot in common with Lake County,” Brown said. “The icing on the cake is you’re going to get rid of all of the employees and you speak about it as if it’s already happened. This item is listed in the old business on your agenda. Was it ever in new business? Was it discussed in public meetings?”

Brown said the board never approached townships for a subdivision assessment, which under Ohio law, is a mechanism used to fund health districts.

“Apparently, there was enough forethought put into it for the board to schedule a special meeting, try to avoid a large public presence and approve this contract,” Brown said. “So obviously, they knew this was going to be a testy subject. Geauga County people

option after approaching trustees or going for a levy.

“That rubs me the wrong way. To do something of this magnitude in a single meeting without public discourse — if I were to do that in Chardon Township, I would expect to

GPH agreement with LCGHD, he opted to give Piraino another year on the board to see the process through.

Gliha received five votes and Hendrickson won his seat on the GPH board, effective at the conclusion of the HDAC meeting, with

going right to the death punch, as far as I’m concerned,” Brown said.

Chris Alusheff, of Aquilla Village, said while there may be some good aspects to the agreement, that does not negate an “unacceptable lack of transparency” by the board and lack of self-awareness when confronted with disagreement from the public.

“I suggested forming a committee of community stakeholders to allow input while still having the board retain full control of any final agreement. I saw this reaction from the public coming. For some reason, you guys did not and that troubles me,” he said.

Munson Township Trustee Jim McCaskey said the vote was rushed and should be pushed back a month to allow the public to review it and weigh in.

He is not against shared services, he said, pointing out his township shares some equipment with Chardon Township.

McCaskey said if GPH had approached townships for an assessment to cover the potential $500,000 shortfall Brakey and Roman referenced, that would add up to only $30,000 from each of the county’s 16 townships.

“Would I like to get that bill, no. But would I be willing to pay to keep our personal identity? Yes. I’d find $30,000 somewhere from Munson Township,” he said.

McCaskey also called the board out for its treatment of GPH employees.

“I think that is a total disservice to our employees, to give them a 16-day notice that

years,” he said.

Catherine Whitright, who served on the GPH board through the COVID pandemic, wondered whether the board realized employees and the public had no idea the extent or timeline of the agreement with LCGHD.

“I’m really proud of the county,” she said. “I was at the (Geauga County) Board of Elections for 27 and a half years and we were considered the best everywhere. Every department was considered the best. Now, all of a sudden, we can’t even pay our bills? And we don’t do what’s available like (ask) the trustees? I hope you guys really think about what you’re doing. It’s very discouraging.”

‘Unneeded Bureaucracy’

The GPH board attempted to regain control of the room after the public comments section, but continued to be interrupted as members of the audience reacted emotionally or shouted out questions. Brakey attempted to answer some of the questions that had been raised.

“There was a question about, why didn’t you put a levy on the upcoming ballot or why didn’t you assess the townships. To that I would say, because it was not necessary,” Brakey said. “We have an opportunity to save money without cutting services. It would be breaking our fiduciary duty not to pursue that. And I’m personally not interested in just propping up unneeded bureaucracy.

“I understand it may be new to some people in the room, but we’ve been having board meetings with public comment since November. Sometimes, at least monthly, sometimes weekly,” she continued. “We’ve had extensive discussion already. And in terms of the employees, I think the timeline is probably too long, not too short.”

Laughter spread around the room in response to Brakey’s comments, which came after multiple employees expressed distress over the announcement of their two-week notice of termination.

Piraino, agitated with the response from the audience, said the public has a misunderstanding of the agreement. In response to questions regarding which board would have local authority, Piraino had earlier clarified the GPH board would not disband.

“I don’t know if anybody read the contract, but I can tell you that I counted at least, at least, I believe, 10 times, it clearly states in there, Geauga Public Health makes the decisions,” he said. “(Lake is) offering us contract services for employees.”

Piraino added he has received phone calls from elected officials who said the department has never run as well as it has with Litke and Lark at the helm.

“And some of the staff may not like that and that’s okay, but, you know, that staff, some of them have been there a long time, okay? But, you know, we are dedicated as a board to move this county, to move this department forward,” he said. “We’re not going broke. We have seen the writing on the wall of where … the excessive costs are and … we could survive a few years. Sure, we have … money in reserves. We’re trying to be proactive and to stop the bleeding.”

Addressing Brown, Piraino said Chardon Township shares a chip and seal machine with Concord Township, in Lake County.

“Are you correlating a piece of equipment with the human capital that we’ve built up over 150 years?” Brown asked. “Come on, Rich. That’s weak.”

A public records request for all conversations regarding the agreement, including discussion between board members of the March 31 termination date, was sent to the board, Litke and Kostura. Kostura said those communications did not fall under public record laws, citing a 1991 case between Sun Newspapers and the Westlake Board of Education.

Commissioners Award $2 Million for Asphalt Projects

By BriAn doering BriAn@kArlovecmediA com

Geauga County Commissioners opted to stay in their lane as they approved two as phalt projects March 14 to further the goals of the county’s five-year road plan.

Commissioners awarded bids to Karvo Companies, Inc. for the resurfacing of Old State and Farmington roads in Parkman Township for $971,225 and to Ronyak Pav ing, Inc. for the resurfacing of Morgan and Leggett roads in Montville Township for $1,109,840.

“It is a big chunk of our 2023 list of proj ects. They are essential to our long-range plan and we were very pleased with the bid numbers that we saw,” said Deputy Engineer Shane Hajjar. “We’re looking forward to pro ceeding.”

Morgan and Leggett roads abut each an other and the resurfacing project will cover a total of 4.6 miles while resurfacing of Old State and Farmington — which are in close proximity — will cover 3.1 miles.

“Our estimates for those two projects were right around $2.5 million combined, so to be recommending the award at $2.1 million represents a moderate savings of what

Carver

from page 1

trainer urged the Carvers to look for a more experienced horse if Jeffrey wanted to get serious about competing at recognized cutting horse shows.

Jeffrey and his parents attended the National Cutting Horse Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas, and met up with Scott Amos, a cutting horse trainer from Colorado who introduced the teen to the talented Whiskey Cat.

When the pair won at the American Quarter House Association Congress in Columbus, Ohio in 2021, they relocated to train with Casey Crouch, a famed cutting horse trainer. Under his tutelage, they placed seventh at the NCHA World Championship that year.

Over the next year of travel and competition, Jeffrey and Whiskey were in the top 10 finalists at the Eastern Nationals in Mississippi and the top 20 at the National High School Rodeo Association competition.

In December 2022, they won the NCHA World Championship for Jeffrey’s division.

It’s been a whirlwind of a year.

Before he partnered up with Whiskey Cat three years ago, Jeffrey spent much of his youth trail riding with his family at their farm in Hambden and competing at area shows in team penning and team sorting. He got his start in the latter with local horseman Rich Bradshaw, who recalled Jeffrey’s early days riding.

Jeffrey was diagnosed and treated for brainstem cancer at the age of 4 — resulting in several developmental disabilities.

His mother, Jan, was told to “take him home and give him the best life you can.”

To help him regain his balance, his grandfather, the late Jeff Carver — Bradshaw’s friend and a well-known horseman — put the boy up on a horse and it was the beginning of a lifelong passion.

“To get him off a horse is the problem,” Jan said in a recent interview.

His grandfather brought Jeffrey to Bradshaw for riding lessons and Bradshaw said despite Jeffrey’s issues, he learned to ride,

projects on Washington Street due to what Hajjar said were some anomalies in the bidding process.

He said rebidding was the best available solution.

sort and pen, a precursor to cutting horse competition.

Success in either venue requires a relaxed rider and a well-trained horse.

Learning to slow down and let the horse do its job was a challenge Jeffrey, “but he was a real good listener and he had other people coaching him,” Bradshaw recalled.

Jeffrey can make a plan when he starts his ride and he knows how to cue the horse to which calf to cut out of the herd and where to push it, he said.

“I’m real impressed with his mind,” Bradshaw said. “For what the kid went through, he’s got a lot in there. The cutting sport is perfect for him. He’s a very relaxed rider and he fit right in.”

Once Jeffrey partnered with Whiskey, his parents knew they had something special, but they needed to find a professional cutting horse trainer to work with the pair.

“There is not a lot of cutting horse trainers around,” Jan said. “In the space of three years, we went from, ‘We’ll try it a couple of times’ to buying a trailer for them to live in.”

That trail ended up with Jeffrey’s championship ride in the NHCA $15,000 amateur division, open to riders who have not won more than $15,000.

The stakes have gone up this year and Jeffrey is competing against riders who have won $50,000 and above, Jan said.

Jeffrey Rides High

Home-schooled all his life due to learning disabilities, Jeffrey is set to graduate from high school this year.

It is his last year competing in High School Rodeo Association shows.

Whiskey, only 13, has about topped out for competing in the NCHA shows because he has won roughly $150,000 over his lifetime, Jeffrey said.

He could compete in open classes, might be leased to someone learning the sport or just be retired, since Jeffrey is so attached to him, Jan said.

Replacing Whiskey could be difficult. Jeffrey understands the champion’s ability to

state Route 306, and the second would run from state Route 306 to the intersection of Bainbridge Road.

The projects represent the final components in resurfacing the street, he said.

focus makes him fantastic at what he does.

“He likes to eat, sleep and play with cows,” he said.

Jeffrey credits Crouch with getting him and his horse to this level and admires Crouch’s strategy behind moving up in the winnings divisions.

“Casey knows what shows to go to that pay well,” he said.

Jeffrey also comprehends the realities of the dreams he and his parents have been pursuing the last few years. It’s complicated – and expensive.

“Now we need a new truck, a new trailer and a new horse,” he said, adding the Ford that pulls their living quarters is three years old and has 94,000 miles on it.

“Most of that time, it’s hooked up at fourand five-day shows,” Jeffrey said.

But horse shows are not all glamour and trophies. There is work to do and a fair amount of time when nothing is happening. Jeffrey will take a nap during the day because many times, his classes run into the wee hours of the morning, Jan said.

When the lights go out, it is time to pack up and move on.

“They travel at night because of the heat,” Jan said. “When it’s right for the horse and time to go, you go.”

The distances in Texas are huge and restaurants are often a long way from the show grounds, so anyone free from the class schedule for a few hours may carpool for a sit-down meal.

“It’s nothing for us to drive one or two hours to go to dinner,” said Tim, Jeffrey’s father.

“(The resurfacing) would complete the project for all of Washington Street to be improved from one end to the other across the county,” Hajjar said. “This is a major thoroughfare, a county highway that gets used by 10,000 plus people a day, so to be able to go forward with this project would be a big asset for the public.”

Bid openings for both projects are set for 2 p.m. and 2:05 p.m. April 19 and a notice for the bid openings will be advertised on March 23 and March 30, as well as on the county website. Hajjar said the Geauga County Engineer’s Office would like to start around July 1 and wrap up in about 90 days.

In other business, commissioners approved the appointment of Reba Dykes to the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services. Dykes will fill the unexpired term of Jennifer Malainey through June 30 of 2023.

Commissioners approved the retirement of Geauga County Department on Aging Recreation and Education Coordinator Amber Weinhart, effective June 5, and gave the department permission to advertise internally for the post. If no qualified candidate is found, an external advertisement will be conducted until the position is filled.

Jeffrey recently relocated to southern Indiana to study with cutting horse trainer Nick Pilchers. There, he and Whiskey can compete through the winter — difficult to do in more northern areas because of winter weather.

Jan said his 3-year-old quarter horse filly — currently housed at local trainer and family friend Emma Bates’ stable in Hambden — will be joining Jeffrey to start training as the next cutting horse for him.

And while the teen admits to enjoying the glitz and excitement of traveling and showing, he knows where his ultimate interests lie.

“I just like to ride horses,” he said, adding he isn’t necessarily aiming to become a trainer, but would like to stay in the horse show business one way or another, and has already talked to Bates about his future and the huge responsibility of a career in training, teaching and showing.

“I’ll probably help a trainer somewhere,” he said.

Mediator Requested on Fairgrounds Flooding

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

A solution to the flooding problem at the Geauga County Fairgrounds is on hold until a professional mediator can schedule a session between leadership at the fairgrounds and Berkshire Schools, said Superintendent John Stoddard last week.

The school board has requested the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to send a mediator to help the two parties to solve the issue, he said, adding the OFCC originally financed the loan for the new school.

According to emails from the last few months, the fair board is claiming water from the new Berkshire campus north of the grounds is causing flooding on the fairgrounds and erosion of the racecourse.

While water has always flowed from the higher northern elevation to the fair property, in the past, it came down and spread across the northern property line in a sheet formation that did not cause the pooling and erosion now being seen, according to officials.

The school district is claiming the cause of the flooding has to do with the stormwater system on the fair property not being properly maintained.

Carmella Shale, executive director of the

Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District, said the water coming through a 15-inch pipe from the detention pond west of the new school cannot be adequately accommodated

by the much smaller pipe serving the fair grounds’ stormwater system.

A much larger pipe is needed through the fairgrounds property to carry the runoff away

from the racetrack, she said.

In a phone call March 20, Stoddard said the OFCC expects to send a mediator sometime in April.

GPD to Participate in Road Funding Program

By BriAn doering BriAn@kArlovecmediA com

The Geauga Park District Board of Com missioners hit the pavement March 20, ap proving the district’s participation in an Ohio Department of Transportation program to fund future road improvement projects.

During the meeting, commissioners passed a resolution allowing GPD Deputy Director Matthew McCue to submit the re quired paperwork for the ODOT Ohio Park Districts Roadway Fund program prior to a June 1 deadline.

“The Geauga Park District has partici pated in this funding program over the past 15 years,” said GPD Executive Director John Oros. “Improvement projects have consisted of stone and asphalt materials and labor used to resurface roads and parking lots through out the district.”

Funding for potential road projects is for fiscal year 2024 through 2025.

Funds can be used for materials and labor necessary for the construction or reconstruc tion of park drives, roads, new or replace ment bridges, park access roads and parking lots, as well as the cost for hauling materials and equipment rental, according to the resolution.

Ineligible costs include bikeways and items such as shelter houses, wells, pumps, restroom facilities and park buildings. All projects must be associated with public vehicular access to be eligible for funding and funds may be used for eligible construction costs, according to the resolution.

The park district would pay all costs incurred over the appropriated allocation and for all costs associated with design, environmental studies and documents, as well as right-of-way activities. Any deviation from the guidelines regarding environmental studies or roadway design would require written approval from ODOT, the resolution said.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to participate for a number of years. It’s nice to have that allocation through ODOT,” Oros added.

Park commissioners also approved a motion to appoint Administrative Assistant Jessica Alpers to the position of GPD secretary.

“The board and I look forward to working alongside Jessica. Since her time with Geauga Park District, Jessica has proven herself,” Oros said. “She keeps accurate records and is organized. She is a hard-working and a dedicated member of our team.”

The appointment of a park secretary is required, according to Article II of the district’s bylaws.

The secretary is responsible for recording the park commissioners’ board meeting minutes.

Oros said Alpers’ hourly rate would be $19.95 for both roles.

“Jessica has a background in customer service and a variety of duties as an administrative assistant. We are confident,” Oros said. “Jessica is succeeding in a variety of administrative and visitor service roles. She has received a number of compliments from park users and our staff for her work ethic, dedication and timely customer service.”

In other business, park Commissioner Howard Bates addressed public concerns about board members doing business with the park district.

“My company bid on the aggregate bid this year and several times before. This year, we were the low bidder at approximately 6%,” Bates said. “It’s a competitive bid. Our company is made up of a lot of local people that

live in Geauga County that pay taxes in Geauga County. This is frustrating when people complain. They don’t think we should bid.”

Bates addressed the rumor of bids being rejected for Asphalt Improvements to the Swine Creek Reservation because of cash flow.

“That is not true. There was some design questions,” Bates said. “Since that time, McCue has had several people out looking at projects, coming up with different ideas.”

McCue said alternatives have been looked into and GPD would be looking to rebid.

“The previous engineer’s estimate when we bid the first time was posted at $250,000. When we rebid it, it’s probably going to be closer to $200,000,” McCue said. “The project is going to move forward.”

Mouldings One Still Open After Nearby Building Burns

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

The huge fire two weeks ago on Station Road in Middlefield Township destroyed much of the structure in which it started, but the blaze did not spread to the neighboring Mouldings One, as was previously reported, or Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling on nearby Burton Windsor Road.

Dozens of fire departments from Geauga and surrounding counties fought the blaze for hours March 9.

Derek Gingerich, controller of The Hardwood Lumber Company, which owns the building, expressed his gratitude for their efforts and explained where the fire did most of its damage.

“The area affected by the fire was primarily used as a countertop and stair treads showroom and sales offices,” he said in an email. “The structure also housed management offices, door inventory, the pre-finishing operation and the shipping and receiving facility.”

Gingerich said the fire occurred in what the public would know as the “old St. Nick Brush building.”

“Hardwood Lumber Company, Mouldings One and Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling remain open for business and are continuing to fulfill current and future orders,” he said. “We are eager to work through this difficult time to grow and rebuild our business to allow for the continued growth and success of our organization while allowing us the efficiency and capacity to increase our product offerings to our customers and community members.”

Gingerich added on social media: “It’s one of those things that you wish you never have to deal with. Unfortunately, Thursday evening, (we) experienced a devastating fire

that destroyed our showroom, offices and a portion of our production area. Luckily, no one was working or inside the building at the time of the fire. The good news is we operate across four buildings which will allow us to continue our production of our products with a minor bump in service.”

Flames were not apparent when Middlefield Fire Department arrived at the scene about 8:30 p.m. March 9, but there was plenty of smoke.

“Smoke was pushing out of the eves of the building,” Lt. Ben Reed said March 11.

Because of the thick smoke and the building’s location — one wall against a hill — the interior was hard to approach, Reed said.

“Once we found (the fire), it was difficult to get to,” he said.

As the firefighters worked to save the building, others began to arrive with water tankers from all over Geauga County, as well as from Ashtabula, Portage and Trumbull counties, Reed said.

A total of 25 departments contributed to the effort, he said.

“We needed a lot of water,” Reed said, adding when the wind picked up in the morning, conditions for fighting the fire worsened.

A press release from Middlefield Fire Department said there were no injuries and no other buildings were damaged.

About one-third of the building owned by The Hardwood Lumber Co. was saved because of a firewall, but the main part of the building was charred and smoking come the next morning.

“I would like to thank all of the community members who have reached out to help, brought food to those of us working and fighting the fire and would like to thank the entire Geauga County emergency services and first responders and their mutual aid companies who worked for hours fighting this fire and takes Hardwood

County Suspends Large Lot Septic System Evaluations

By BriAn doering BriAn@kArlovecmediA com

The Geauga County Planning Commission recently asked Geauga County Commissioners to suspend a septic system rule as they work through potential edits to subdivision regulations — a process that could take up to a year.

Commissioners voted March 7 to temporarily suspend enforcement of the septic system lot evaluation requirement for lots of more than 5 and fewer than 20 acres.

“Back in around October or November of 2022, I presented to planning commission some potential edits to the subdivision regulations,” said GCPC Director Linda Crombie. “That process is going to take six months to a year depending on how much has changed and how much discussion there is.”

Crombie said there’s been a lot of discussion among planning commission staff, Geauga Public Health, surveyors, property owners and real estate agents about the evaluation requirements for large lots.

“Anytime somebody splits their property, they have to obtain a lot evaluation approval from the health department. That’s to say, ‘Okay, this is feasible,’ put a septic system on this lot,” Crombie said. “The experience has been that those are really never denied. Not to say that it couldn’t happen, but chances are slim that it would happen.”

Crombie said knowing it could take six to

12 months to get through the redlining of the subdivision requirements, the planning commission opted to ask commissioners to temporarily suspend the lot evaluation requirements as a courtesy, only relating to households and not commercial sewage disposal.

Currently, GPH is required to conduct lot evaluations when a lot is going to be built upon, regardless of size.

“The reason for the relaxation of the requirements is that there are a lot of different types of septic systems that are available to residents now, which there weren’t in the past,” Crombie explained. “The lot evaluation approval is only valid for five years, so you spend about $1,000 to $3,000 to get a lot evaluation done and its only valid for five years and you potentially have to go through that process again.”

Suspension of the requirements will not prevent homeowners from conducting lot evaluations on their own.

“Buyer beware,” Crombie said. “As a purchaser of a property, you have to know what you’re buying.”

Commissioner Tim Lennon asked how many septic system lot evaluations are ongoing, to which Crombie replied, “There are probably less than 10.”

Crombie said because this is a lessening of a requirement, homeowners may choose not to continue the process.

“If someone is already in the lot evaluation process and if they plan on building within five

years, they might as well just finish the process. If they don’t plan on building within five years, it is up to them to choose whether to continue that process,” she said. “If the regulations were being made more strict, we would be adamant that they would have to have a full application.”

Commissioner Jim Dvorak asked GPH Administrator Adam Litke if he had anything

to add since the requirement suspension began with the health board.

“I think it’s good for the community. It takes down the fees that get associated with things that aren’t always necessary,” Litke said. “Still, buyer beware, you need to do your due diligence before you buy anything, whether you’re buying a car or something else. It should take a lot of the onus off the homeowner.”

Lumber Company and its Marshal’s Office.

Geauga Public Health Regionalized in Rushed, Opaque Process

Last Wednesday, the League of Women Voters of Geauga had a front row seat at the 4:00 p.m. special meeting of the Geauga Public Health District (GPH). There, Board members Lynn Roman and Carolyn Brakey introduced a draft cross jurisdictional agreement with the Lake County General Health District (LCGHD,) which had been shared online the previous afternoon.

Visibly surprised township and village representatives, many of whom also serve on the Health District Advisory Council (HDAC), strongly urged the Board to delay their vote and allow for public discourse and scrutiny by stakeholders. The appointed board members, in an affront to transparency advocates on both sides of the aisle, disregarded their elected colleagues and voted unanimously to adopt the agreement.

Later that evening, angry HDAC members rebuked GPH by ousting Board President Richard Piraino, who had requested re-appointment, in favor of Dr. Mark Hendrickson, a retired Cleveland Clinic surgeon.

We offer no comment on the agreement itself and wish Geauga Public Health success in executing its plan. We do, however, have plenty to say about the GPH Board’s missteps, which unfortunately landed with an ironic thud in the middle of Sunshine Week.

As it relates to a citizen’s right to know about their government:

• This Board failed to present a comparative financial analysis of an independent staffing model vs. a regional staffing model. Such an analysis should have formed the basis for selecting a staffing strategy and for handling GPH’s expiring levy. As it stands, we have no idea how the Board made these decisions.

• This Board failed to clearly communicate, through motion or resolution, its decision to pursue a cooperative agreement with LCGHD. As recently as the February regular meeting, Mrs. Brakey and Mrs. Roman stated they had no information to share about their weekly meetings with LCGHD. How can the public be informed when government bodies refuse to share information?

• This Board failed to identify and engage with community stakeholders. They took no steps to advocate for their employees, did not consider their ability to pass a levy after firing most of the Geauga employees, decided without evidence that voters, townships and villages would not financially support Geauga Public Health, and rejected input from HDAC.

• This Board claimed to have a fiduciary duty to make immediate budget cuts, while failing to mention GPH began 2023 with nearly $3.8 million in cash reserves. Had a financial analysis shown the independent model to be the best long-term choice, GPH had the resources to make that a reality. Citizens had a right to this information.

• This Board failed to provide a financial report or budget presentation to support the claim that without a cooperative agreement, GPH would suffer annual losses in excess of $500,000. If your entire premise is based on

a financial assertion, you need to show your math.

Two appointed members of GPHD, alone and in the dark, negotiated an agreement that fundamentally changed Geauga’s public health system to a regional service model. Elected officials from across the political spectrum, the representatives of the people, uniformly criticized the health board’s lack of transparency and failure to engage with stakeholders. In their advisory role, they recommended more public discourse and delaying the vote.

Not only did GPHD fail to engage in substantive public discourse about their plans to regionalize public health, by disregarding HDAC, the Geauga Public Health Board effectively disregarded voters. Such behavior from public officials deserves to be condemned.

Shelly Lewis Auburn Twp

Unpopular Agreement

Geauga Public Health held a special meeting on March 15. The board signed an unpopular agreement with Lake County General Health District. The Health District Advisory Council (HDAC) held their annual meeting shortly after.

HDAC is made up of one elected official from each municipality in the county and one county commissioner. HDAC’s purpose each March is to appoint a Geauga Public Health board member. This year, Mr. Richard Piriano’s term ended. He was one of three candidates last night as he was seeking to serve another five-year term. Because of certain aspects of the agreement, especially the process, HDAC, including myself, did not vote him back in.

It was a hard decision for me because I like and respect Mr. Piraino. Although I disagreed with the process of the agreement, I know Mr. Piraino was convinced he was doing what was best for Geauga County. His heart was right.

He being voted out should not be a reflection of his character, competence and the endless heart-felt effort he put into that position. Further, I will not forget the many prudent and smart decisions he made during his tenure. Mr. Piraino is a good and solid resident of our fine county and I thank him for his years of service as a Geauga Public Health board member.

Finally, although I disagreed with the agreement, it is official and being implemented, therefore, I hope and pray it will be successful and beneficial for Geauga County residents.

Jonathan Tiber Claridon Township

Chardon High School: A Saddam Spider Hole? Part 2

In reference to Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz and Auditor Charles Walder voiced concerns over the surplus of general funds held by Chardon Schools ($24 million) and school repairs. Ruminating on “Chardon

Schools Fiscally Responsible,” and signed by 26 residents, verifies Carl Sagan’s maxim: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The 26 signees explained the characteristics of the following: DISinformation: essentially a lie uttered with malicious intent. The individual or entity speaking knows what they’re saying isn’t true and is intentionally trying to deceive people into believing something false to achieve an objective.

MISinformation: occurs when someone inadvertently spreads false information. Unlike disinformation, people who share misinformation do not intend to lie or deceive. People believe many things that aren’t true, so bad information proliferates with no ulterior motives.

MALinformation: is the most Orwellian of the three concepts. The government’s de-

scription for this one deserves to be quoted. According to DHS, “malinformation is genuine information, typically private or revealing, that may be distributed in a campaign to cause harm to a person’s reputation in furtherance of the campaign’s objective.” That’s a useful definition of the term.

But it’s also so vague that it can be used to discredit, disparage or suppress all sorts of speech and expression. Giving the government free rein to determine what constitutes “malinformation” — and the power to stifle it — is guaranteed to result in abuse.

Sadly, it appears that many are not thinking clearly enough to understand that they are not thinking clearly.

David Hancock Chester Township

Viewpoint

‘Should We Continue to be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?’

By sue PlAtz hAmBden toWnshiP

I recently read where Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz commented on the condition of Chardon High School. He stated he had concerns about the lack of attention to school repairs and updates. He went on to say he recently had been to the high school and it is terrible. The design, the safety and security of it is terrible. The condition of it is just not great.

I couldn’t agree more, but it’s easier to find a hen’s tooth in this district than it is to pass a levy. The board has repeatedly placed levies on the ballot for both new buildings and for capital improvements, and they are voted down. The board can only guess when a new levy will be passed and what monies they will be receiving from the state in order to meet the needs of the district.

We have, by far, the worst facilities in the county. The high school was built in 1953, middle 1974, Early Learning Center (Maple) 1955, Munson 1955 and Park 1938.

Mr. Flaiz went on to say there is money in the general fund, so why not use it. I ask, how many times are we going to put a band-aid on aging buildings instead of addressing the real concern we have in this district, and that is these buildings no longer serve our students or the general public.

Recently, a window blew open in the high school. Pipes froze and two hallways, plus multiple classrooms, were impacted. The administrators, along with the custodial staff, worked tirelessly to clean things up.

An outside firm was called in to address the area and it was discovered that asbestos along with mold might be a concern. The hallways were sealed off while the cleanup continued.

Because there are no empty classrooms in the building, some creative thinking had to take place. Classes were held in the cafeteria, on the upper level of the gym behind the bleachers, any open space that

could be used was. Certainly not a conducive learning environment.

In addition, if students had classes on the north side, they had to exit the doors on the east side of the building, walk down the sidewalk and reenter the building. This took place during the months of January and February. Talk about a security concern.

The article went on to say the board is looking at addressing the traffic congestion at Park. The library apparently wants to expand to the north. If the board approved the removal of the playground, then that would allow for additional lines of traffic.

Back when these buildings were built, the majority of families had one car that was used to take someone to work. Kids walked to the end of their driveway and got on a bus.

I, like many of you, never took my kids to school, but families are different now. Approximately 30% of students in our district don’t ride the bus. There is not one building in our district that can handle this change in traffic, yet the board is considering changes to an area around an 85-yearold building. Really? Is this being fiscally responsible? I would suggest that Mr. Flaiz walk across the street and visit Park at the beginning of the school year. It is unbelievably hot. The traffic pattern is the least of that building’s concerns. Yet, the staff and students are expected to thrive. I can only imagine what they would find if a pipe broke in that building.

My mother used to say you can be penny wise and pound foolish. We can continue to pour money into these buildings, which no longer serve our students and their families, or we can realize the time has come to do something about it. The board will eventually place additional levies on the ballot for new buildings, and the first thing that is going to be said is that we just spent all that money on capital improvements. So I ask you, Mr. Flaiz, is it fiscally responsible to continue to put money into these aging buildings just because it is there? Should we continue to be penny wise and pound foolish?

Letters to the Editor

Knowledge is Key

As a founding board member of Geauga SOGI Support Network (GSSN), I have devoted much time in the last five years to becoming informed about all aspects of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. I have engaged in much reading, interacted with the youth and adults/parents in our support groups, attended monthly LGBTQIA Coalition of NEO meetings, and participated in many trainings.

At my age (late 60s), I have made many mental shifts to fully understand and appreciate the lived experiences and needs of LGBTQIA people and their families.

There are two facets of being LGBTQIA that are important to highlight. The history and stigma, including former mental health diagnoses, religious beliefs and discriminating laws have contributed to false information that plague this population. People of non-traditional sexual orientation and genders have existed in cultures worldwide since ancient times, just as other wildlife does in nature. The past and current negative messages about this population cause anxiety, depression and higher rates of discrimination and physical violence.

The other topic is the biological aspects of being LGBTQIA. I understand that without knowledge, it is hard to fathom the confusion transgender people experience between the genitalia they were born with and internal feelings about their gender identity. There are life situations that others have not experienced (disease, loss), but that does not negate the existence.

Numerous studies have shown that both sexual orientation and gender identity are rooted in biology. We know that in utero, genitalia form at a different developmental stage than the part of the brain that designates gen-

der identity. This explains how a person can be born with genitalia that does not match how they feel about their gender identity.

How many people know that the “I” in LGBTQIA stands for Intersex? This umbrella term is used for about 40 conditions that alter the typical combination of genitals, chromosomes, hormones, the reproductive system and internal anatomy. An intersex person may be born with ambiguous external genitals or appear female externally, but have male-typical anatomy internally.

Intersex conditions are undeniable physical facts that affect about 2% of humans. (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16324-intersex). Given this wide variation, it logically follows that sexual orientation and gender identity are also the result of complex biological factors.

Please take time to learn more, and help stop the oppression of LGBTQ people and their family members. I have the pleasure of being involved in our supportive and affirming youth and adult peer groups — and the resounding message by all is “I/we did not choose this — it’s too hard.”

GSSN provides presentations for groups — email us at info@GeaugaSOGI.org

Chris Steigerwald M.Ed. Board President, GSSN

Letters to the Editor

The Maple Leaf welcomes readers’ letters on matters of public interest.They should be original and not exceed 500 words, although longer letters occasionally will be printed. Letters should include the writer’s name, street address, and daytime phone number. Due to space limitations, not all letters can be printed or acknowledged. Email your letters to editor@karlovecmedia.com

Former Pet Store Takes on New Life in Chester

By Allison Wilson editor@kArlovecmediA com

Mark Wardeiner hopes his new pet sup plies store in the West Geauga Plaza main tains the spirit of its previous inhabitant — the late Theodore ‘Ted’ Berr, longtime owner of A Pet’s Life.

“I had hoped to carry on his legacy and great reputation,” said Wardeiner, who re cently opened Happy Tails Pet Supply in the same spot as Berr’s store, 12654 West Geau ga Plaza.

Wardeiner, a native of Mentor, is no stranger to the West Geauga Plaza, having also opened a Great Clips salon there in Oc tober 2020.

At the time, he found his fellow business owners to be incredibly welcoming and helpful, he said, adding the experience has been no different with his expansion into pet supplies.

“I’ve had stylists from Great Clips come over and make signs or help stack the food, and I had Ace (Hardware’s help). I kept asking how they run their POS system and printing out their price labels,” he recounted.

Wardeiner said the atmosphere in Mentor is busy with an abundance of traffic and chain brands in comparison to the loyal support he found in Chester.

“Even businesses go out of their way to support each other,” he said, adding he was partially inspired to open a pet supplies shop

after he and his wife bought a dog, but he didn’t seriously look into it until he saw a Pet Value in Madison go out of business.

“It looked like, ‘Hey, this could be fun to own a pet supplies store,’” Wardeiner said. “And I started interviewing and looking around. I looked into franchising and I just didn’t like the feel of the franchise that was offered.”

During his search, he spoke with Jennifer Kluk, current manager of Happy Tails and then employee of A Pet’s Life, which was closing following the death of its owner.

“The store was open for 18 years and closed I believe on Nov. 18, 2022, at which point Mark approached me to run a business here for Happy Tails for him using the previous customer base that has been very loyal,” Kluk said.

Happy Tails, which officially opened Feb. 3, offers a variety of healthy dog and cat foods and toys, as well as a self-serve dog wash and professional grooming services. They are also looking to expand into options for less common pets, such as rodents.

The quality of customer service and knowledge of the staff is what sets Happy Tails apart from other similar shops, Wardeiner said.

“You can come in and your dog has a certain problem and (the staff is) able to guide you on the food that might help your dog,” he said.

Kluk, who was trained by Berr, has made it her mission to help the pets that come through the store via the knowledge passed down to her.

“(Berr) basically through the years taught me everything about nutrition and how to specialize in healthy alternatives for some of the prescription foods that are out there that a lot of people are dealing with now,” she said. “I made it a goal to use my knowledge that he taught me as far as to help customers that come in to find healthy alternatives and to teach them the overall health of the pet.”

More information about the brands stocked by Happy Tails can be found on their website, www.happytailspetsupply.com. They are currently working on a system that would allow customers to order online and pick up in store, Wardeiner said, adding he is also looking to set up cross promotions between Great Clips and Happy Tails, and promotions based around the offered food brands.

Happy Tails is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

Pictured, from left, are Happy Tails Pet Supply owner Mark Wardeiner and employees Rachel Robey, Jennifer Kluk and Garrett Gierlach.

Amish Crafts and History Partner on Nauvoo Road

By Ann WishArt Ann@kArlovecmediA com

The past and the future are within walking distance of each other at the Geauga Amish Historical Library and Gift Shop at 15848 Nauvoo Road in Middlefield.

On the west side of the tidy white structure, just east of state Route 608, is a treasure trove of Old Order Amish history and genealogy.

But on the east side — and what greets visitors as they come through the door — are shelves full of hand-crafted wood carvings, colorful baskets, signs bearing homilies, quilted placemats and hot pads, knitted scarves, wooden toys and all things Amish for sale.

Librarian John Gingerich is taking his first steps into retail sales behind the cash register starting March 25, hoping the shop will fund a permanent home for his library at some future date.

Many of the items are made locally. Gingerich pointed out the baskets made by octogenarian Mahlon Byler.

“We have items made by a 13-year-old boy

and a 90-year-old woman,” Gingerich said. Two quilts for sale hang on the walls. Not everything is locally crafted. Many of the painted wooden signs — ‘Drink coffee and do good’ and ‘Love never fails’ — are produced in Holmes County, he said, adding more inventory is needed.

Gingerich admitted to being a novice in the business world. A week before the grand opening, he realized he would need bags if shoppers are going to take their purchases home.

“We’re kind of figuring things out as we go along,” he said. “We have a group of volunteers taking turns, so I don’t have to be here all the time.”

The shop and library are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, and will be open during the Home Show next door on March 25. It could be a good sales day with a lot of foot traffic, Gingerich said.

“Hopefully, we will run out of inventory,” he said, adding if that happens, he will have

to collect more items to stock the shelves.

Gingerich, who is not Amish, said there are five Amish members on the seven-member library board, one Mennonite member and himself.

The goal is to raise enough money to build a permanent home for the treasured Bibles and research materials, some of which are displayed under glass in cases donated by Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op years ago.

“They were going to trash these,” he recalled as he admired the handcrafted oak and glass cases made by an Amish carpenter.

When the building was being remodeled in 2014, someone called him and asked if the library, then housed on Shedd Road, could use them, he said.

Gingerich rounded up a truck and salvaged them.

Along one wall are Anabaptist testaments — small, leather-bound books with metal corners. In the 1700s, they were illegal in Switzerland and anybody possessing one could be severely punished, he said.

The state considered them “false and dangerous publications” because the word ing was different from the approved state religion.

Gingerich said he saw his prize copy be ing auctioned off online in a lot of 600 books and he couldn’t justify the purchase. Some one else won the bid.

“Within a few days, it was on EBay and I got it from him,” Gingerich recalled, not ing he now owns two of the four testaments known to have survived the centuries.

A Swiss Bible printed in 1534 and a 1763 German Bible from Somerset County in east ern Pennsylvania are preserved in the cases. Traditionally, births and deaths were record ed in the family bibles, he said, adding that makes the old bibles valuable for genealogy studies.

A large part of the library shelves are dedicated to Amish history and tracking family trees, but college students occasionally visit and school field trips include the library, as well.

A back room is being remodeled as a reading room, Gingerich said.

Many of the reference materials will be stored there, making it a handy place for researchers to sit by the fire and learn all about Amish history, he said.

Richard J. Taylor

Meanwhile, the gift shop revenue will be saved against the day when a permanent home can be built for the historic collection.

Gingerich said such an effort will probably cost at least $300,000, but he believes in the mission and is making use of modern conveniences to see it happen.

“The shop takes credit cards,” he said with a smile.

Obituaries

His career focused on industrial machinery manufacturing as a sales engineer and entrepreneur. He developed several businesses, enjoying the support of his wife and family.

In his early years, he worked as a mechanic and building contractor.

He met the love of his life in Chardon, where the family lived for 27 years.

Richard was a music enthusiast, enjoying big band music, playing gigs for local engagements as a teenager.

ard City, Mich., passed away on March 17, 2023.

He was born Oct. 20, 1932, in Chardon, the son of Elmer and Josephine (nee Blaha) Krejci.

Richard is survived by his children, Sharon (Richard) Miller, of Mesopotamia, Patricia (Gregory) Krebs, of Salida, Calif., Richard (Sandra) Taylor, of Chardon, Pastor Frank (Joan) Taylor, of Howard City, Mich., and Julia Taylor (Dave), of Alpharetta, Ga. Additional survivors include cousins, Sharon Blaha Taylor and Shirley (Gregg) Kinson, both of Huntsburg Township; 14 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 64 years, Sarah A. Taylor; parents; and two brothers and sister.

He lived a full life with many interests as a stock car racer, pilot and instructor, musician, inventor, gardener, baker, card player and story teller.

The family will greet friends from 6-8 p.m. March 24, 2023, at the Brigham Funeral Chapel, 9977 Howard City Edmore Road, Lakeview, Mich.

Funeral services will take place March 25, 2023, at 11 a.m., at Deerfield Bible Church, with Pastor Frank Taylor officiating and burial in the Deerfield Cemetery. The family will greet friends at 10 a.m. until time of services at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Deerfield Bible Church, 159 150th Ave., Morley, MI 49336.

Condolences can be made by utilizing the guest book at www.brighamfuneralchapel. com.

ANN WISHART/KMG

Handmade items, such as this colorful pillow, are being sold at the Geauga Amish Historical Library and Gift Shop at 15848 Nauvoo Road in Middlefield.

Frank James Stanko

Frank James “Jim” Stanko, age 64, passed away unexpectedly on March 11, 2023.

He was born in Santa Monica, Calif., to Francis and Jamima (nee Gayhart) Stanko, on Dec. 16, 1958.

Jim graduated from Massillon Washington High School, class of 1977, and then attended Case Western Reserve University, where he earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering in 1984. He later earned his MBA from Weatherhead School of Management in 1995.

Jim worked at Argo-Tech for most of his career and later retired from Eaton Corporation.

He enjoyed golf, football, watching movies and films, and was a music enthusiast. His favorite activity later in life was walking with his dog, Bella.

Jim is survived by his wife, Maura O’Beirne-Stanko; two children, Christine and Justin Stanko; and siblings, John (Jennifer) and Jerry Stanko.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Jamima Stanko; and grandparents, Frank and Anna Stanko, and Jim and Dora Gayhart.

Family received friends on March 20, 2023, at Burr Funeral Home, 116 South St. Chardon, from 4-6 p.m., for a visitation and concluding with a prayerful tribute at 6 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements made by Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Chardon. Information and condolences online at www. burrservice.com.

Leanne Pealer-Bahnick

BURTON TWP.

– Leanne Peal er-Bahnick, 81, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at Universi ty Hospitals Geauga Medical Center.

She was born on July 26, 1941, in Cleveland, the daughter of Delbert F. and Rosalind Ida (nee Waterston) Pealer.

Leanne was a 1959 graduate of Chagrin Falls High School.

She was an accomplished and very creative floral designer, and worked for many years at Petal Pusher. Her clients loved her creations and would return time and time again when they needed that special floral piece.

Leanne was a wonderful artist and enjoyed crafts, creating homemade greeting cards that were just perfect for an occasion that she wanted to acknowledge. She also enjoyed gardening and going for rides on her golf cart!

Leanne had many stuffed animals at home and especially enjoyed them if they were of a witch theme, especially snuggles.

She will be greatly missed by her sister, Gayle Hallstrom; “adopted” son, Kevin (Linda) Suszyniski; niece, Dana (Keith) Parker; nephew, Rich (Jenni) Hallstrom; her late husband’s children, Ken (Wendy) Bahnick and

Connie (Karl) Smith; grandchildren, Noah and Alyssa Bahnick, Brook and Alan Smith; great-nephew, Andrew Parker; and several dear cousins.

Leanne was preceded in death by her parents Delbert and Lindy Pealer; and her beloved husband, Richard “Dick” Bahnick in 2018.

Calling hours were held March 18, 2023, at Sly Family Funeral Home, 15670 West High St., Middlefield, where a celebration of her life service was held at 12 noon.

Burial followed at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.

Leanne asked that, in lieu of flowers, to consider memorials in her memory to the Geauga County Dog Shelter, 12513 Merritt Road, Chardon, OH 44024; Siedman Cancer Center, c/o University Hospitals of Cleveland, P.O. BOX 94554, Cleveland, OH 44101; or a charity of your choice.

“See you over the moon, Love the Red Witch.”

Memories and condolences can be shared with the family at www.slyffh.com.

Dawn Luhta

It is with great sad ness that the family of Dawn Luhta (nee Johnston) announces her peaceful passing on Thursday, March 16, 2023, after her cou rageous six-year battle with breast cancer.

Beloved wife of Randy Luhta and fur Mom to Gage and Chance; daughter to Ronald and Louise Johnston (both predeceased); daughter-in-law to William and Bonnie (predeceased) Luhta; the best sister to Elaine (David), Jennifer (Jasiu), Todd and Alison; sister-in-law to David and Kevin (predeceased) Luhta; cherished aunt to Mitchell, Owen, Emma, Lucas and Kristen; and great-aunt to Kacee.

Predeceased by fur babies, Bullet, Winston, Sully, Maggie and Cricket.

Dawn graduated as a registered nurse from Ursuline College and enjoyed her work in various positions at Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

Dawn’s compassion and love led her and Randy to rescue seven of the most in-need, that became the luckiest, golden retrievers throughout the years.

Dawn is the friend of many and will be missed by all.

Resting at Burr Funeral Home, 116 South St., Chardon, visitation was held March 21, 2023, from 4-7 p.m., with funeral services at 7 p.m.

An additional service will be held for Dawn in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, on March 26, 2023, at Lougheed Funeral Home, 252 Regent St., Sudbury, ON CA, www.lougheedfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Breast Cancer Research; Golden Retrievers In Need Rescue Service; or Golden Treasures Rescue.

Arrangements made by the Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Chardon. Information and condolences online at www. burrservice.com.

Frank Joseph Galinsky

Frank Joseph Galinsky, age 88, of Chardon, passed away Saturday, March 18, 2023, at Mapleview Country Villa.

Born Sept. 4, 1934, in Cleveland, to Walter and Mary (nee Bednarek) Galinsky.

He proudly served in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Newfoundland, Canada, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the Korean War.

Frank retired from Modern International Graphics, where he was a bindery pperator, in April 2000.

He was a scuba diving instructor at Cleveland YMCA.

Frank had a passion for bowling and was most proud of achieving a perfect game. In his spare time, he enjoyed working with wood and creating cabinets and entertainment centers.

He is survived by his wife, Judith (nee Bitonti) Galinsky, whom he married Aug. 4, 1990; daughters, Kathy Fucci, Fran (Ernie Santin) Malinkey and Debi (Rob) Rhodes; grandchildren, Chris Brilla, Leiah Malinkey, Chase Galinsky, Justin (Katie Allison) Rhodes, Hanna Rhodes, Matt Rhodes and Adam James; and great-grandchildren, McKendra Brock and Trace Wagner.

He is preceded in death by his parents; and sisters, Florence Nosetic, Mary Ann Panko and Dorothy Galinsky.

The family will receive friends March 25, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at Burr Funeral Home, 116 South St., Chardon, with funeral services beginning at 12 noon.

Graveside services will be held at a later date.

Arrangements made by Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Chardon. Information and condolences online at www. burrservice.com.

Kathryn Sue Knotts

Kathryn Sue Knotts, age 71, of Chardon, went home to our heavenly father on March 18, 2023.

Kathy was born to Ellsworth and Esther (nee Blair) Briggs on Nov. 6, 1951, in Cleveland. She married Charles Knotts on Sept. 24, 1977.

Kathy was an accountant for several local businesses and, as a hobby, she decorated wedding cakes for friends and family. She was a member of the Chardon United Methodist Church and volunteered at the American Cancer Society.

Kathy loved to travel, especially to Seattle to visit her son Brad.

She enjoyed baking, playing with her dog Maisy Mae and spending time with her friends and family.

She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Charles Knotts, of Chardon; sons, Bradley Knotts, of Seattle, Wash., Joe (Amy Rose) Knotts, of Chardon, Robert (Mary

Joan) Knotts, of Maryland, Ronald Knotts, of Perry; sisters Patsy (Bruce) Brigham, of Burton, Phyllis (Tom) Sawyer, of Huntsburg Township, Joyce (Al) Bates, of Burton; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; as well as beloved nieces, nephews, their families and dear friends.

Preceded in death by her parents; sister Judy (Rick) Nelson; daughter, Karen Knotts; and daughter-in-law, Pamela Knotts.

The family will receive friends April 3, 2023, from 9-11 a.m., with the memorial service to follow at 11 a.m. at Burr Funeral Home, 116 South St., Chardon.

The family asks for friends to join them after the service to celebrate the life of Kathy Knotts at the United Methodist Church, 515 North St., Chardon.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the American Cancer Society at www.donate.cancer.org in Kathy’s honor.

Arrangements made by Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Chardon. Information and condolences online at www. burrservice.com.

Shirley J. Ward

Shirley J. Ward, age 90, passed away March 18, 2023.

Shirley and her husband of 67 years, Osborne N. Ward, were lifelong residents of the area. He preceded her in 2022. They were devout members of the Chardon United Methodist Church.

Shirley worked for Geauga Hospital as a medical secretary, retiring after 20 years of service.

Her greatest passion was cooking and baking. She believed in providing delicious, well-balanced meals and never disappointed, especially when it came to the “Best Rhubarb Pie” imaginable!

But above all else, Shirley will be remembered for her loving nature and devotion to her family.

She is survived by her children, Keith Ward, of Champion, Carolyn (John) Krejci, of Chardon; son-in-law, Bob Soss, of Chardon; grandchildren, Randall (Audrea) Ward, Chelsea (Steve) Kalinic, Melissa Soss, Ashley (Oliver) Krejci Herthneck, and David Krejci; great-grandchildren, Hannah and Holden Kalinic; and sisters Marilyn (Allen) Place and Sharon (Rudy) Waller.

She is preceded in death by her husband; parents; daughter Alicia Soss; sister Marie White; and brothers, Ron Hand and Bruce Hand.

Private family services have been held. The family has suggested donations to National Multiple Sclerosis Society, at www. nationalmssociety.org; or American Heart Association at www.heart.org.

Arrangements made by the Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Chardon. Information and condolences online at www. burrservice.com.

Notices should be sent in writing to: Geauga County Maple Leaf, P.O. Box 1166, Chardon, OH, 44024-5166 or emailed to editor@karlovecmedia.com.

When Duty Calls, Gender Doesn’t Matter

By rose nemunAitis editor@kArlovecmediA com

Everyone has a story and every time Danielle Baird picks up her pen to take notes inside Hambden Fire Department, she forges a new chapter in her own book.

The mother of five never intended to join fire services after graduating from Willoughby South High School in 2000.

However, after she moved to Chardon, she had several friends on the HFD force who encouraged her to join and has served her community ever since, earning the rank of lieutenant in February and studying for her Advanced EMT certification at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center.

“Becoming a lieutenant took a lot of hard work and dedication, and I look forward to my new role,” Baird said.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 5% of all career firefighters are women and 11% of volunteer fire service people are women.

“Although a full-time career did not come in the cards for me, I have five beautiful children and an amazing husband (HFD Capt. David Baird),” she said, adding he has been her biggest role model. “This was an opportunity for self-growth. I have basically been a stay-athome mom for 18 years and truly wanted to do something for myself. I stayed active and completed all my training throughout the years.”

Baird husband said his wife, who is responsible for 13 members in her platoon, is the “true hero” of their family.

“Besides her dedication to the community, she selflessly guides our family. She rarely misses a school function, kids’ sports event or anything that holds true meaning to our kids,” he said. “To be honest, I tried to do what she does and epically failed, that’s why to the kids and I say she is our family’s hero with or without a uniform on.”

Over the last three years, Baird has really push herself.

“The feeling of being a lieutenant is surreal,” she said. “I’m still adjusting to my new role.”

Department.

About half of his students are female.

“I don’t see a tremendous uptick in female firefighting candidates, however,” Blauch said. “It has stayed steady. Unfortunately, we are seeing a decrease in the number of people entering fire/EMS and police, nationally — male and female. The need is reaching critical levels.”

He believes females are much more accepted in most fire and EMS careers due to equality issues.

“As long as the women entering the field can do the job adequately and pass cognitive and physical agility requirements, they are a great addition to this field,” he said.

Blauch said a person right for the career

empathy towards people while maintaining a high standard of care and professionalism,” Blauch added. “Women should expect to earn their way into each department, just like any other candidate, and will not get any special treatment.”

Training and testing are rigorous.

“Contrary to what you might see on TV, it’s not all glamour,” Blauch said. “There are lots of lift-assists, non-emergency transports and psychiatric calls on the EMS side.”

On the fire side of things, there are many false alarms for malfunctioning smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, odor investigations and concerned citizen calls, as well as non-emergencies calls where a rescue squad or fire engine is really not needed.

Blauch said locally, there see to be more female members in part-time and volunteer positions, allowing them to gain experience and work toward full-time career positions or change career goals.

Many leave to continue their schooling in nursing, as a physician assistant or in other positions.

“I tell my female students that I’d love to see more women in fire and EMS,” Blauch said. “Some of the best paramedics I’ve ever worked with were women. I have a few former female students who are heavily into CrossFit and take great pride in running circles around the guys. Others really had to work hard to achieve the minimum time on the firefighter physical agility test. Some took the test many times before ‘making the time.’”

Either way, the key to their success was perseverance and drive, he said.

“They simply didn’t give up, much like the fire service credo — ‘adapt and overcome, because failure is not an option,’” Blauch said.

Ella Rhodes, 22, also serves on the HFD.

Her desire to be in the field of work began when she was a sophomore in high school during a tour at ACC.

“I fell in love with the EMT class and decided I wanted to help people by becoming a paramedic,” she said.

During the class, she discovered most

began to change my future plans to incorporate firefighting,” Rhodes said. “Now, I am one of the advisors of the Explorer program to help encourage more young and inspired people to join this field.”

She is a paramedic/firefighter, fire safety inspector, CPR instructor and is in the process of obtaining her bachelor’s degree in emergency management.

Her father serves as a captain of the Middlefield Fire Department, one of many family members in fire services, along with her boyfriend, whose dad is an assistant chief at Bainbridge Fire Department.

She is also a Geauga County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher.

“I found a new love for the job by being able to see both sides of the radio,” Rhodes said, adding the profession has become more inclusive of women, like other previously male-dominated jobs.

“Of course, when you’re in the gear, you don’t see gender,” she said. “We are all firefighters. We all made it through the same class with the same physical and educational requirements. In our county alone, there are two fire chiefs and many fire officers that are women.”

Her advice for young women is not to let anyone sway their decision as they find their own path.

“I feel times have definitely changed over the last 20 years,” Baird said. “A lot of departments are more open to female firefighters than they were back then. I have seen and heard of more and more females, not only in the firefighter role, but in a supervisory role, as well. My advice is, don’t ever give up on yourself or your goals. Don’t ever let anyone tell you your value. If you believe, they will believe.”

HFD Fire Chief Scott Hildenbrand is proud of his crew.

“Firefighting is a very dangerous job, but at the same time rewarding,” Hildenbrand said. “We help people when they need help and sometimes having the worst day of their lives. Our people care very much about what they do and enjoy it. For this, I thank them all.”

Badgers Boys Volleyball Off to a Great Start

By AlAn kornsPAn sPorts@kArlovecmediA com

The Badgers boys volleyball team is off to a great start in this, the inaugural year of OHSAA boys volleyball.

While the Badgers have had a boys volleyball team the past few years, this is the first year boys volleyball is a recognized OHSAA varsity sport.

With the change, more Geauga County schools have also added boys volleyball this year.

Chardon added a boys volleyball team that faced Berkshire on March 16. In an extremely close match, the Badgers defeated the Hilltoppers, 3 games to 1.

“It was an awesome match. It’s great to have Geauga County rivals forming here in boys volleyball,” Berkshire Head Coach Tim Percic said. “For the last couple years, we have been by ourselves here, and so we heard about Chardon and now NDCL, so I am looking forward to some hometown competition.”

The Badgers vs. Hiltoppers match was extremely competitive. It started very close as both teams split the first two games. Berkshire won the first game, 28-26.

The Hilltoppers, though, came back strong in the second game and defeated the Badgers, 25-19.

The third game was very intense and shifted the momentum in the Badgers’ favor as they defeated the Hilltoppers, 31-29.

“It was neck and neck,” Berkshire’s Apol lo Percic said. “We just didn’t want to let it go. We were determined to get that point to get us up 2-1.”

Added Eric Hotchkiss, “We were just hap py to pull through and get it done.”

Coach Percic also discussed Berkshire’s pivotal third-game victory.

“We have a tendency to go into a slump, like a lot of teams do, and things get out of sorts; you know, you get comfortable. Those are two enemies of good volleyball,” he said. “And so credit to the guys: they screwed their heads on straight and really pulled themselves together. Again, Chardon is an awesome team, lots of smart players, good hitters and good setting, and it wasn’t easy. We just had to find our way.”

As the Badgers battled through game three, the players talked about what Coach Percic told them during a few crucial time outs.

“He was just saying (to) keep our heads and play like we know how, and we’ll pull it off,” Apollo said.

Added Hotchkiss, “(Coach said) keep our

composure, we’ll get the W.”

Coach Percic also talked about staying focused.

“For us, it’s always about the next point,” he said. “When it builds like that, there is no place to hide on a volleyball court. So the tension really builds, and when you go into extra points like that, it is just something we have

to fight through. We had to find a way to be calm in the eye of the storm.”

The Badgers claimed victory by winning game four, 25-19.

They returned to the court March 21 against Perry and March 24 against NDCL.

The Hilltoppers played Perry March 20, then Midview March 22.

Tigers Win Season Opener Versus Toledo Opponent

By AlAn kornsPAn sPorts@kArlovecmediA com

The Tigers boys lacrosse team opened its season March 17.

As the season got under way, the team’s new head coach, Zak Gebler, picked up his first career victory when Chagrin Falls defeated Toledo St. Francis de Sales, 8-4.

“A nice win early in the year,” Gebler said. “It’s always hard in Northeast Ohio to get out here and fight the elements and get the boys going in this cold weather.

“The boys came out ready to go. Jumped out on them early, fell a little bit in the second half there, but still young enough in the season where we’re still learning and still rotating some guys in. We were happy with the win tonight.”

As their coach said, the Tigers got off to a very quick start.

Max Crandall, fresh off the basketball court, started his senior year of lacrosse with an excellent performance, scoring three goals.

Crandall described his strategy and the important role he will have offensively this year.

“Mostly just the run and zone, so I was just running through, cutting,” he said. “You know we needed someone to put their head down, catch the ball, and put it into the net, so I am just trying my best to do that.”

Early in the first period, Crandall did just that as he got the Tigers on the scoreboard early with a 1-0 lead.

“I just pulled it over the top,” Crandall said. “I knew he was over-playing, and I just went back with the left and shot it, and it went in.”

Shortly thereafter, Owen Shaw scored two more goals to put the Tigers up 3-0 with 5:15 remaining in the first period.

“Max and Owen, two of our offensive guys, we have put in a completely new offense, so we’re asking them to do some new things this year,” Gebler said. “Seeing some early signs of positives, but still a ways to go with our offense. We’ve completely revamped it, so those guys are learning some things and making the guys around them better players.”

Zachary Neimeier also scored in the first period, with 2:15 left, to make it 4-0.

The Tigers scored three more times in the second period on two goals by Crandall and one by Neimeier to take a 7-0 lead into halftime.

Then Shaw scored one more goal in the second half, and they defeated Toledo St. Francis de Sales by a final score of 8-4.

As a captain, Crandall feels excited about the season ahead and leading his peers.

“I am trying to be a leader this year,” he said. “We got Grant, me, James and Shaw. You know, we’re just trying to represent the team. We lost a lot of seniors last year, so I am hoping we just fill in that gap, keep the leadership going, just keep on winning.”

The Tigers returned to the field March 21 to face North Canton Hoover.

ALAN KORNSPAN/KMG

Berkshire’s Levi Rohl, left, and Anthony Masters at the net for the Berkshire Badgers boys volleyball team, in its third season, but first as an official OHSAA varsity sport. Berkshire went on to beat Chardon 3 to 1 at Chardon High School.

ALAN KORNSPAN/KMG

Chagrin Falls GK Joey McCamon during the Tigers win against Toledo St. Francis de Sales, 8-4 on March 17. The Tigers got off to a quick start — scoring three straight — in the win.

Geauga Sheriff’s Report

The following is a sampling of the calls handled by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office March 10-16, 2023.

AGENCY ASSIST

March 12

9:49 a.m., Madison Road, Thompson. Geauga County game warden requesting deputy to assist him. Got a call about a group of 4-5 people camped off of part of Sidley’s property. There is a long access drive in the field and that’s where they are at. Individuals were verbally aggressive and smell coming from tents. Cuyahoga responding as well. UTL.

ANIMAL PROBLEM

March 14

7:33 a.m., Swine Creek Road, Middlefield. Cow running down the road toward Bundysburg. Caller thinks the cow belongs to Amish at bottom of hill. OSHP unable to go. UTL/GOA.

March 16

7:57 p.m., Ravenna Road, Munson. Caller has two bald eagles that were fighting in his driveway and now they are stuck together or something and laying in his yard. Caller now states they flew away.

CITIZEN ASSIST

March 11

6:58 p.m., Kinsman Road, Middlefield. Caller would like deputy to respond to his home regarding a theft. Deputy spoke with caller. He asked a deputy come out and look at the tires he was charged with stealing because they were in the same spot Monday when deputy was at his house. Deputy explained to caller he still needs to go to court and deputy will not be coming out to his house. Deputy ended contact. Deputy spoke with other deputy and was told other deputy did not observe any tires at location when he was there.

March 13

4:56 p.m., Ledge Road, Thompson. Caller states a male has shot his place up with two different airsoft guns and a third he is unsure of. He stated this has been reported to Thompson PD around three weeks ago and has since not stopped and is continuing to take place every day. This is all taking place at nighttime usually around

Lenten Retreat

March 24 and 25

Bulletin Board

4:12 a.m. Caller states he has many things damaged because of the bb’s. One night caller says his dogs were bleeding and he found a yellow powder around the dogs that caller things is consistent with a poison that can be given to animals called zein. It is a corn protein that causes an allergic reaction and dig until they bleed. Caller advised male involved lives on Ledge Road. Caller also stating male shoots at house while his son is getting on bus. Advice given, transferred to Thompson PD.

DRUGS

March 10

12:23 p.m., Leggett Road, Montville. Request to meet with a deputy to turn over drug-related items. Complainant is on the way home from court now. Collected meth pipe and bindle of meth. Placed in GCSO evidence to be destroyed.

FRAUD

March 13

12:45 p.m., May Court, Auburn. Caller wanted to report a fraud incident involving Facebook Marketplace. Caller sold an item on Facebook and received a check for $10,450 from the potential buyer. Check cleared and caller sent $2,450 via a cash app to the buyer. Check was fraudulent and the money was not available after caller sent it. Caller’s bank cleared the funds before confirming they were available from the fraudulent account. Caller requested a report and stated his bank is handling the investigation. Report for documentation only.

March 15

12:46 p.m., Turner Drive, Aquilla. Caller states she went to file her taxes and her accountant said someone filed under her name already.

THEFT

March 14

12:06 p.m., Mayfield Road, Huntsburg. Push lawnmower, weed whacker, circular saw and grinder taken sometime in last two weeks. Female is currently in Florida. Caller is landlord. Theft investigation.

Religion

St. Luke Episcopal Church will host a Lenten retreat titled, “In Spite of my littleness I can hope to be a saint: On the Christian Way.”

On Palm Sunday, April 2, the church will offer a community meal at 11:30 a.m. following worship. All are welcome.

For more information, call 440-279-4022. The church is located at 11519 Wilson Mills Road in Chardon.

The Maple Leaf Community Bulletin Board is a public service of the Geauga County Maple Leaf. Notices of nonprofit organizations, schools, and churches will be published without charge. The Maple Leaf cannot guarantee publication, and reserves the right to edit, condense, cancel, or refuse any notice at any time. E-mail submissions to: cbb@karlovecmedia.com

Gardening 101

March 25, 10 a.m. to noon

Geauga County Master Gardener Volunteers’ free Gardening 101 series continues with “Seed Selection and Planting Plan” in the Patterson Center at the Geauga County Extension Office, 14269 Claridon-Troy Road, Burton. Master gardeners Dick Coin and Charlie Stevens will guide attendees in making seed choices, plant selection and planting plan.

Registration is not required but is appreciated. Contact Wendy Ward at 440-8344656 or email ward.714@osu.edu.

Geauga Dems Collect Signatures

The Geauga Democratic Party will hold two weekends of drive-thru events to collect signatures on the petition to restore reproductive rights in Ohio. Stop by party headquarters at 12420 Kinsman Road in Newbury Township from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 25-26 or April 1-2.

Pond Management Workshop

March 30, 6-8 p.m.

Join the Geauga and Portage soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) for an informative and free Pond Management Clinic on at Centerville Mills Park Dining Hall, 8558 Crackel Road, Bainbridge Township.

The program is free, but registration is required by March 27; call Portage SWCD at 330-325-6811.

Munson Indoor Flea Market

April 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Munson Township’s indoor flea market will be held at the Munson Town Hall and Fire Station Bay, 12210 Auburn Road. The $1 entrance fee for shoppers will go toward the Munson Township Scholarship Fund. Youth 12 and under are free.

Contact the township office at 440286-9255 for more information or to rent a space.

G.A.R. Highway Presentation

April 3, 6 p.m.

Come to Hambden Town Hall to learn the history of U.S. Route 6, the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, the longest, oldest and highest transcontinental highway in the country. Gary Hunter, with the U.S. Route 6 Tourist Association, will take attendees on a 3,652-mile adventure.

LCRTA to Meet

April 11, 11 a.m.

The Lake County Retired Teachers Association will meet at the Mentor United Methodist Church, 8600 Mentor Avenue,

Mentor. Social time will be followed by a turkey club or vegetarian wrap luncheon and program at 11:30 a.m.

Speaker is Rob McFee, president of the Willoughby-Eastlake Schools Teachers’ Association.

For reservations, send a check payable to “LCRTA” for $15.50 to Susan McCarter, 9720 Johnnycake Ridge Road, Concord, OH 44060 to arrive by March 31.

All newly retired teachers are invited to attend. For more information, visit lakecountyrta.weebly.com

Happy Tails Benefit

April 23, 2-5 p.m.

The non-profit, no-kill Happy Tails Cat Sanctuary is holding a “Sunday Dinner with a Purr-pose” benefit at St. Noel Banquet Center, 35200 Chardon Road in Willoughby Hills. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m.

Event includes food, silent and Chinese auctions, 50-50 raffle. Tickets are $50 per person and will be held at the door unless requested in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets by March 31, call or text Doreen at 440-759-0076.

Veterans Resource Fair

April 19, 3-6 p.m.

Geauga County Veteran Services is hosting a Veterans Resource Fair in room 168 of the new Geauga County Offices, 12611 Ravenwood Drive in Chardon.

Speak with a Veterans Affairs representative about a VA claim, obtain a Geauga County veterans ID card, receive a biometric screening from University Hospitals Geauga, learn about the new VA Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act and conditions that are covered and much more. To register by April 14, call 440-279-1860 or email Geaugavet@CO.GEAUGA.OH.US

American Legion Fundraiser

April 22

Burton American Legion Atwood-Mauck Post 459 is hosting two fundraisers and gun raffles on the same day at the post located at 14052 Goodwin Ave., Burton. All proceeds benefit the post to add a wheelchair accessible ramp entrance and ADA compliant upstairs bathroom.

An Amish barbecue luncheon and bluegrass band concert featuring The Country Strings will be held from 2-6 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Lunch ticket is $25.

Then, from 6-9 p.m., attend a World War II U.S.O. big band dinner dance featuring dinner by Mangia Mangia and music by Dan Zola Orchestra. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dinner ticket is $35.

For tickets, call James at 440-477-2956 or Jim at 440-478-2459.

The Chester Township Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 23 began with a zoning commission update. The discussion included signage, pool covers and updating the Chester Township Zoning Resolution and township map to include passive and active parks. A joint meeting with the BZA, ZC and BOT was scheduled to be held on March 1 to discuss the items in more detail.

In Chester Road Department business, it was approved to advertise for a seasonal worker at rates of $17 to $20 per hour. Trustees approved the recommended revisions by Road Superintendent John Onyshko to existing Chester Township Policy 2.03 Driveway Aprons and Drive Pipe Work Orders. Department expenditures approved included a new John Deere tractor at $66,308.50 and $70,200 for a Diamond rotary head attachment.

Regarding the Chester Fire Department, trustees approved an application for an Ohio Department of Public Safety Division of EMS Grant for training and equipment. Trustees also approved hiring Mitchell King and

PGP Offers Scholarships

Chester Government Update

Anthony Mariola as part-time firefighters/ EMT-B effective March 5 at $19.18 per hour upon successful completion of a background check and drug test. The board then approved after the fact $1,750 payable to Truck MD for preventative maintenance and replacement of rear brake chambers.

In police business, trustees moved to amend motion # 2022-338 to include “per the conditional offer of employment” for employee Tyler Dankovich and motion #202343 to include the words “per the conditional offer of employment” for employee Robert Rowland. Finally, they approved payment to Bob’s Garage & Towing for vehicle repairs of $3,000.

Regarding new business, the board moved to reappoint Linda Palchick to a position on the West Geauga Community Joint Recreational District Board for the term expiring March 31, 2026. Trustees approved an increase in the revenue fund 2904-599-2901 One Ohio Opioid for $ 2,295.83.

Moving to the township park, trustees approved a three-year contract for the landscap-

Schools

Protect Geauga Parks is offering its sixth annual Bob McCullough Memorial Conservation Scholarship to assist Geauga County high school seniors interested in pursuing careers in science, environmental studies or environmental policy advocacy.

Three scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded. Applications are due by April 16.

Visit ProtectGeaugaParks.us for application information and eligibility.

Questions? Email info.protectgeaugaparks@gmail.com.

Farm Bureau Scholarships Available

The Geauga County Farm Bureau is offering scholarship opportunities to students pursuing post-high school education. The scholarship amount is determined by the number of acceptable qualifying applications. Applicants or parents/legal guardians must be current Geauga County Farm Bureau members at the time of application and scholarship payout. They must be a part-time or full-time enrollee of an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or technical school.

The fillable form is available online on the farm bureau’s website www.geaugafb.org or by emailing geauga@ofbf.org. No handwritten forms will be accepted

Applications must be submitted by March 31. For more information, call 440-426-2195.

Academic Awards Available

The Awards Committee for the First Congregational Church of Claridon announces the availability of awards for the 2023-24 academic year. The purpose of the award is to encourage people to further their education through a traditional college, trade school or the equivalent.

Graduating high school seniors, college students or high school graduates are encouraged to apply. Candidates should be prepared to write about church, school and community involvement.

Application forms are available through the guidance offices of Chardon, Berkshire and Cardinal schools or Claridon Congregational Church, 13942 Mayfield Road, Huntsburg, OH 44046. Completed applications should be mailed to the church and must be postmarked by April 14.

Scholarships for CHS Graduates

The Melzer Smith Memorial Foundation, established in 2016 in memory of two Chardon High School graduates, is offering six scholarships to students graduating from Chardon High School who are interested in furthering their education in the state of Ohio.

Deadline to apply is April 21. For more information and applications, visit melzer-smith.org.

Geauga Park District

For more information and registration, contact the park district at 440-286-9516 or visit www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.

National Take A Walk In

The Park Day

March 30

Park district naturalists are gearing up for a special celebration of National Take a Walk

in the Park Day by leading six walks throughout Geauga County.

Hour-long outings will be held to explore Beartown Lakes Reservation at 8:30 a.m., Frohring Meadows at 10:30 a.m., The West Woods at 12:30 p.m., Swine Creek Reservation at 2:30 p.m., Claridon Woodlands at 4:30 p.m. and Eldon Russell Park at 6:30 p.m. Visit the district website for information on each walk as well as registration.

ing and ballfield maintenance to Innovative Companies with no price increases during the three-year contract 2023 to 2025. Trustees sent out thank you letters to all who sent in bid proposals.

The board moved to enter into executive session at 8:38 p.m. pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 121.22(G) (1) to consider the promotion or compensation of a public employee and (4) preparing for, conducting or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment.

Upon return, trustees moved to approve, authorize and ratify the collective bargaining agreement as presented by John Onyshko. The agreement was recognized as being entered into by the membership of the Chester Township Road Department / International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Chester Township Board of Trustees. By the approval, said contract shall be deemed effective and retroactive to a beginning date of June 1, 2022, and an expiration date of May 31, 2025. Also approved was an

American Legion Post 459

Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Atwood-Mauck American Legion Post 459 is serving its annual all-you-can-eat pancake, sausage and scrambled eggs breakfasts every Sunday through April 16, except for Easter, at the post located at 14052 Goodwin St. in Burton. Eat in or take out. For information, call Skip at 440313-2095.

Berkshire Athletic Boosters

Sundays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Berkshire Athletic Boosters are hosting all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts every Sunday in March in the new Berkshire High School cafeteria, 14155 Claridon Troy Road in Burton.

There will also be a craft and vendor show hosted by the Berkshire Tunebackers in the Berkshire High School gym on the same dates from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Burton Fire Station

Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Burton Fire Station will serve all-youcan-eat pancake and sausage breakfasts every Sunday in March at the station located at 13828 Spring St. in Burton. call 440-8344416 for information.

Burton Health Care

March 24 and 31, 10 a.m. to noon

Burton Health Care is offering free drive thru pancake breakfasts. RSVP to Kimberly at 440-834-1084.

Chardon VFW Breakfasts

Sundays, 8 a.m. to noon

Chardon VFW Post 6519 is serving its annual pancake breakfasts every Sunday through April 2 at the post located at 752

additional week of vacation for Chester Fire Chief William Shaw and a wage increase for Salli Mehall, administrative assistant, from $18 per hour to $18.54 per hour effective the first full pay period of 2023. With no further business before the board, Mr. Richter adjourned the meeting at 9:06 p.m.

The Chester Township Zoning Commission held a joint meeting with the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Chester Trustees at 7 p.m. March 1. The boards had open conversation on signage; parks, including both passive and active in the districts; swimming pool covers; and views on cluster homes. Mr. Radtke shared he would reach out to the prosecutor to determine the best way to prohibit nursing homes in the township. An open discussion with the boards and the public took place.

The Chester Township Board of Trustees meeting on March 2 had a working budget meeting with department heads for the final 2023 permanent budget and the temporary budget for 2024.

Submitted by Joseph C. Mazzurco, Chester Township Trustee

Water St. in Chardon. Breakfast features three flavors of pancakes, French toast, eggs made to order, bacon, sausage, ham, home fries, toast and beverages. Call 440285-3699 for takeout orders.

Geauga Historical Society

Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Geauga County Historical Society is hosting all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts every Sunday in March, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Century Village Museum, 14653 East Park St. in Burton. Cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children 5-12 years and free to children 4 and under. Takeout is also available.

For more information, call 440-8341492.

Parkman Chamber Pancakes

Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parkman Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual pancake breakfasts every Sunday in March at the Parkman Community House, 16295 Main Market Road. Enjoy the special recipe sausage and local pure maple syrup. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-10. Eat in or drive-thru/ carry out.

WG Kiwanis Pancakes

Sundays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kiwanis Club of West Geauga is hosting its 70th annual all-you-can-eat pancake, sausage and French toast breakfasts every Sunday in March in the cafeteria at West Geauga High School, 13401 Chillicothe Road, Chester Township. Cost is $10 for adults and $6 for children 6-11. Children under 6 are free. Early bird special is from 8-9 a.m. Curbside pickup is available. For more information, visit wgkiwanis.org.

CREW Open House

Community members, businesses and organizations are invited to attend the Chardon High School CREW open house at CHS on April 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to learn how the school’s one-of-a-kind CREW career-based program collaborates with local businesses and organizations to produce skilled and certified workers.

Through a variety of courses, the CREW guides CHS students on a journey of investigating career pathways and acquiring job skills for post-graduation success while helping to fill the skills gap that is occurring in our community.

Science Olympiad Vaults to States

The Chardon middle and high school Science Olympiad Division B and C teams, respectively, completed a stellar 2022-23 season earlier this month, both emerging as qualifiers for the Ohio Science Olympiad state tournament on April 29 at The Ohio State University. Congratulations to all

West Geauga

team members, head coaches Emily Tusick and Gordon Burgess and assistant coaches and parent volunteers on the outstanding achievement.

The Division B and C teams placed second and seventh, respectively, at the Northeastern Region 1 regional contest held March 4 at Baldwin Wallace University. Twenty-three individual medals were earned in all by Chardon — 18 by Division B and five by Division C.

This year’s state qualification builds on a long-running history of success for Chardon Science Olympiad — with 2023 marking the 27th consecutive year and 25th year that Division B and Division C, respectively, will compete at the state level.

The Chardon Board of Education will recognize the two teams’ 2022-23 achievements at a board meeting later this spring. For a detailed listing of the 2023 regional medals earned by the Chardon Science Olympiad teams, visit the district news page at https:// www.chardonschools.org

OHSAA State Championships

West Geauga High School had three athletes advance to the OHSAA State Championships in their respective winter sports. Senior Ashley Chase competed in the swimming girls 200 free, senior Rey Lifford represented the gymnastics team and freshman Brian Denamen competed in the wrestling championships at 144 pounds. Advancing to this level is a great accomplishment.

WGMS Book Club

The West Geauga Middle School Book Club is one of the many wonderful extracur ricular opportunities available to students after school. The club has eight voracious readers in grades six through eight, includ ing Vivian Lanzaretta, Janna Winningham, Morgan Savage, Lena Wright, Aurora Pavick, Evelyn Hosemann, Gabby Ohlsen and Caleb Wright (not pictured).

Each month they select either an excit ing novel to devour, a genre to explore or an author to read and compare texts. The after-school discussions of the novels are en tertaining as well as thoughtful.

WGMS Power of the Pen

The West Geauga Middle School Power of the Pen team recently competed in the regional competition. The talented group of students proved their skills in writing and were a great representation of the school, announced by the host as “the kindest team he’s ever met.”

Janna Winningham took first place out of all competing seventh-graders and Gabby Ohlsen placed ninth. Both students will advance to the state competition. The final scores will be announced soon for all other writers to determine advancement.

West Geauga High School student Bryn Morgan finished second for his oral presentation at the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium. He now moves on to the na-

WGMS GameCON

GameCON was a success at West Geauga Middle School, as students in the second trimester tech program learned skills to code original games, design 3D prints based on the game and use Photoshop to make posters, T-shirts, advertisements, logos, video game covers and more.

During the event, students choose the game(s) they want to play and winners are crowned based on the total “sales” their game generates. The participating students exhibited tech-savvy skills and creativity.

Winningham and Gabby Ohlsen on their performance at the regional competition. Both girls advance to states.

“Newsies” on April 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. and April 22 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Kenston High School, Robert A. Lee Auditorium. Tickets are $14, $12 and $10 and go on sale via the Kenston Box Office on April 8.

Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, this new Disney musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. But, after publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. With help from the beautiful female reporter Katherine Plumber, all of New York City soon recognizes the power of “the little man.”

Rotary Senior

In March, Sam Koltas was selected Kenston’s Chagrin Valley Rotary Club Student of the Month. He maintains a 4.363 grade point average. He is a National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar and has earned the President’s Education Award for scholarship and community service. In addition, he placed in the top 150 students in the state on Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics test.

Sam is a member of baseball, track and field and the varsity golf team Western Reserve Conference Scholar Athlete honors. He is an active member of the Math Club competed in the News 5 Academic Challenge as part of the Kenston Trivia Club, and captains the Science Olympiad team. He is a member of National Honor Society and serves as treasurer of the Class of 2023.

Outside of school, Sam has participated in Boys Scouts since first grade and is an Eagle Scout with a bronze palm. Sam gives

Sam plans to study statistics with a focus on actuarial science. He is the son of Linda and Greg Koltas.

Mixed Choir Qualifies for State

The Kenston High School choirs traveled to Mentor High School on March 3 for the Ohio Music Education Association District 7 Large Group Adjudicated Event. At the event, bands and choirs from across Northeast Ohio were rated on a five-point scale for their performance and sight reading skills: (I) Superior (II) Excellent (III) Good (IV) Fair and (V) Poor.

The Kenston High School SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Base) Chorus received a (I) Superior rating at the event, qualifying them for state competition and the Chorale SSA (Soprano Soprano Alto) Chorus received a (II) Excellent Rating. The Kenston High School choirs are under the direction of Mrs. Julie Green and were accompanied by Mrs. Kerry Norman.

DARE Graduation

Congrats Class of 2030 D.A.R.E. graduates. There were 199 fifth-graders who completed the 10 week D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) designed to teach students good decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives.

Bainbridge Officer Brian Reardon has work with students teaching valuable skills for making safe and responsible choices that can have a lasting impact on their daily lives.

D.A.R.E. is not only focused on harmful substances, but it also teaches students ways to handle stress, friendships and other decision-making tactics.

Seventh-graders

Governor’s Art Exhibition

After an outstanding showing in recent regional judging, 21 works of 19 NDCL artists have advanced to state-level competition in the annual Ohio Governor’s Art Exhibition.

According to art teacher George Yaniga, NDCL had more artwork advance to state competition than all but one other school in the entire region. Only Lakewood High School - with an enrollment twice that of NDCL - had more state qualifiers.

NDCL topped all schools in the region for the number of photography entries advancing to the final round of state competition.

The state qualifiers are all students of Mr. Yaniga except for sophomore Elliana Bottino, who is the student of art teacher Claire Raack. They are: Mohammed Abumathkour, Elliana Bottino, Carley DeRespiris, Krista Duffy, Liam Filson, Paige Fisher, Gabriella

Garcia (2 entries), Isabel Hamilton, Alexis Hoinski, Jordan James, Jane Koci, Michael Mangelo, Colm Matheney, Helena Mayer, Sophia Rowan, Angelina Simerale (two entries), Daisy Tardio, Peter Wesen and Sofia Zgela.

Robotics Team Excels

NDCL’s robotics team finished eighth in a highly competitive field of the top 36 teams in Ohio at the FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship at Hobart Arena in Troy on March 11.

The Lions, who finished the tournament with a 4-1 record, took second place in the Innovate Award competition sponsored by the Raytheon Corp.

While in Troy, NDCL’s team connected with the robotics team from Notre Dame Middle School, which was among 40 teams that competed in the FIRST Lego League Challenge Ohio Championship on March 12.

NDCL and NDMS robotics teams connect during their state tournaments March 11 and 12.

SUBMITTED

delivered informational speeches in first person point-of-view about a person in history, literature, pop culture, sports, business or entertainment while describing their famous person’s contribution to society. Adorned in costumes, they did a phenomenal job.

Legal Notices

Sheriff’s Sale of Real Estate General Code, Sec. 11661

Revised Code, Sec. 2329.26

Case No. 21-F-000230

The State of Ohio, County of Geauga, ss:

CHRISTOPHER P. HITCHCOCK, TREASURER OF GEAUGA COUNTY, OHIO, Plaintiff vs. UNDER THE HOOD, LLC, ET AL., Defendants

In pursuance of an Order of Sale in the above entitled action, I will offer for sale at public auction, at https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, on Thursday, the 13th day of April, 2023, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., the following described real estate, situated in the County of Geauga and State of Ohio, and in the City of Chardon to wit:

Situated in the City of Chardon, County of Geauga and State of Ohio being part of Original Lot 129 of said Village and part of land in Lot 147 annexed to said Village by Ordinance Number 503 and recorded in Volume 9, Page 74 of Geauga County Records of Plats and further described as follows:

Beginning in the centerline of Mentor Rd (Center Street) at a point which is North 46 degrees 24 minutes 30 seconds West along said centerline a distance of 375.00 feet from the most Westerly corner of land conveyed to the Sabin Development Co, by deed recorded in Volume 496, Page 720 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds. Said point being the principle place of beginning. Thence continuing North 46 degrees 24 minutes 30 seconds West along the centerline of said Center Street, a distance of 269.09 feet to a point; Thence North 31 degrees 44 minutes 37 seconds East and passing through an iron pipe set 30.64 feet therefrom, a distance of 839.13 feet to an iron pipe set in the South line of land in the name of H. Cooley, as recorded in Volume 423, Page 911 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds; Thence South 86 degrees 49 minutes 19 seconds, East along the Southerly margin of said Cooley lands a distance of 579.60 feet to an iron pin found at the Northwest corner of lands in the name of Dauntless Leasing Co., as recorded in Volume 537, Page 1197 of the Geauga County Records of Deeds; Thence South 43 degrees 35 minutes 20 seconds West along the Westerly margin of said Dauntless Leasing Co. lands, a distance of 1197.00 feet to the principle place of beginning and passing through an iron pin found 30.00 feet therefrom, containing 8.6000 acres of land, be the same more or less, but subject to all legal highways.

Said Premises Located at: 500 CENTER STREET, CITY OF CHARDON, OH.

INSIDE APPRAISAL COMPLETED

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Permanent Parcel Number: 10-087295

DEPOSIT: Pursuant to O.R.C. 2329.211, the required deposit for this offering shall be $10,000.00. Said deposit shall be paid by WIRE TRANSFER of ACH DEBIT TRANSFER with https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction. ohio.gov.

The purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Said Premises appraised at ($1,000,000.00) and cannot be sold for less than two-thirds of that amount ($666,667.00). Please note: The appraisals are based on an exterior appraisal of property only, unless otherwise noted.

TERMS OF SALE: The FULL purchase price shall be paid to the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of confirmation of sale, and on failure to do so, the purchaser may be held in contempt of court, the court may forfeit the sale and/or deposit, or the court may issue any other order it sees fit.

SCOTT A. HILDENBRAND, Sheriff Geauga County, Ohio Kirk W. Roessler, attorney Mar16-23-30, 2023

Sheriff’s Sale of Real Estate

General Code, Sec. 11661

Revised Code, Sec. 2329.26

Case No. 21-F-000586

The State of Ohio, County of Geauga, ss: TANGLEWOOD GREENE CONDOMINIUM UNIT OWNERS ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, ASSIGNS AND CREDITORS OF MICHAEL RAND FORBES, DECEASED, ET AL., Defendants

In pursuance of an Order of Sale in the above entitled action, I will offer for sale at public auction, at https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, on Thursday, the 13th day of April, 2023, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., and if the parcel does not receive a sufficient bid, it shall be offered for sale, without regard to the minimum bid requirement, at the same time of day and at the same place of the first sale, on Thursday, the 27th day of April, 2023 the following described real

estate, situated in the County of Geauga and State of Ohio, and in the Township of Bainbridge to wit:

Situated in the Township of Bainbridge, County of Geauga and State of Ohio: And known as being Unit No. A-4 of the Tanglewood Greene Condominium, as shown by the Declaration and By-Laws recorded in Volume 532, Pages 1268 thru 1292 of Geauga County Deed Records, and Drawing recorded in Volume 9, Pages 114 thru 137 of Geauga County Condominium Map Records, with Amendments, if any, be the same more of less, but subject to all legal highways.

The improvements thereon being known as 17507 Fairlawn Drive, Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023.

Said Premises Located at: 17507 FAIRLAWN DRIVE, (UNIT NO. A-4 OF THE TANGLEWOOD GREENE CONDOMINIUM), BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, OH.

Permanent Parcel Number: 02-261400

DEPOSIT: Pursuant to O.R.C. 2329.211, the required deposit for this offering shall be $5,000.00. Said deposit shall be paid by WIRE TRANSFER of ACH DEBIT TRANSFER with https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction. ohio.gov.

The purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Said Premises appraised at ($160,000.00) and cannot be sold for less than two-thirds of that amount ($106,667.00). Please note: The appraisals are based on an exterior appraisal of property only, unless otherwise noted.

TERMS OF SALE: The FULL purchase price shall be paid to the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of confirmation of sale, and on failure to do so, the purchaser may be held in contempt of court, the court may forfeit the sale and/or deposit, or the court may issue any other order it sees fit.

SCOTT A. HILDENBRAND, Sheriff Geauga County, Ohio Ellen L. Fornasch, attorney Mar16-23-30, 2023

Sheriff’s Sale of Real Estate

General Code, Sec. 11661

Revised Code, Sec. 2329.26

Case No. 22-F-000202

The State of Ohio, County of Geauga, ss: DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE HOLDERS OF SOUNDVIEW HOME LOAN TRUST 2005-D01, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-D1, Plaintiff vs. MICHAEL J. FECKANIN, ET AL., Defendants

In pursuance of an Order of Sale in the above entitled action, I will offer for sale at public auction, at https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov/, on Thursday, the 13th day of April, 2023, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., and if the parcel does not receive a sufficient bid, it shall be offered for sale, without regard to the minimum bid requirement, at the same time of day and at the same place of the first sale, on Thursday, the 27th day of April, 2023 the following described real estate, situated in the County of Geauga and State of Ohio, and in the Township of Montville to wit:

Situated in the Township of Montville, County of Geauga, and State of Ohio:

And known as being part of Section No. 12 in said Township and further described as follows; Beginning at a point in the centerline of east and west Center Road, known as GAR Highway at the southeasterly corner of a parcel of land deeded to H.W. Bacon as recorded in Volume 205, Page 294 of Geauga County Records of Deeds. Thence Westerly along the centerline of said east and west road, 194.00 feet to the principal place of beginning.

Course No. 1: Thence Northerly at right angles to said East and West Road, 363.00 feet to an iron pipe. Course No. 2: Thence Westerly and parallel to said centerline of East and West Road, 120.0 feet to an iron pipe.

Course No. 3: Thence Southerly along a line parallel to Course No. 1, 363.00 feet to the centerline of East and West Road.

Course No. 4: Thence Easterly along the centerline of East and West Road, 120.00 feet to the principal place of beginning. Containing 1.00 acre of land according to the survey of W.E. Holland Engineering Co., Chagrin Falls, Ohio, March 1964, be the same more or less, but subject to all legal highways.

Said Premises Located at: 15794 GAR HIGHWAY, MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP, OH.

Permanent Parcel Number: 20-009600

DEPOSIT: Pursuant to O.R.C. 2329.211, the required deposit for this offering shall be $5,000.00. Said deposit shall be paid by WIRE TRANSFER of ACH DEBIT TRANS-

FER with https://geauga.sheriffsaleauction. ohio.gov.

The purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Said Premises appraised at ($75,000.00) and cannot be sold for less than two-thirds of that amount ($50,000.00). Please note: The appraisals are based on an exterior appraisal of property only, unless otherwise noted.

TERMS OF SALE: The FULL purchase price shall be paid to the Sheriff within thirty (30) days from the date of confirmation of sale, and on failure to do so, the purchaser may be held in contempt of court, the court may forfeit the sale and/or deposit, or the court may issue any other order it sees fit.

SCOTT A. HILDENBRAND, Sheriff Geauga County, Ohio

Peter L. Mehler, attorney Mar16-23-30, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Sale of Real Estate Geauga County Foreclosure Auction Case# 20-F-000086. LoanDepot.com, LLC vs Kenneth Mcelroy, Chunyan Mcelroy, et al.

The description of the property to be sold is as follows:

Property Address: 9970 CHARDON ROAD, CHARDON, GEAUGA, Ohio, 44024;

Legal Description: Full Legal Listed on Public Website; Parcel Number: 06-017800 Bidding will be available only on www.Auction.com opening on 4/4/2023 at 10:00 AM for a minimum of 7 days.

Property may be sold on a provisional sale date should the third party purchaser fail to provide their deposit within the allotted time.

Provisional Sale date: 4/18/2023 at 10:00 AM. Sales subject to cancellation. The deposit required is $5,000.00 to be paid by wire transfer within 2 hours of the sale ending. No cash is permitted.

Purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover. To view all sale details and terms for this property visit www.Auction.com and enter the Search Code 20F000086 into the search bar.

Mar9-16-23, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Sale of Real Estate Geauga County Foreclosure Auction

Case# 22-F-000261. U.S. Bank National Association vs BRIGHAM L. LAYMAN AKA BRIGHAM LEE LAYMAN AKA BRIGHAM LAYMAN, et al.

The description of the property to be sold is as follows:

Property Address: 15462 TRASK ROAD, THOMPSON, GEAUGA, Ohio, 44086; Legal Description: Full Legal Listed on Public Website; Parcel Number: 30-035900 and 30-036000 Bidding will be available only on www.Auction.com opening on 4/4/2023 at 10:00 AM for a minimum of 7 days.

Property may be sold on a provisional sale date should the third party purchaser fail to provide their deposit within the allotted time.

Provisional Sale date: 4/18/2023 at 10:00

AM. Sales subject to cancellation. The deposit required is $5,000.00 to be paid by wire transfer within 2 hours of the sale ending. No cash is permitted.

Purchaser shall be responsible for those costs, allowances, and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover. To view all sale details and terms for this property visit www.Auction.com and enter the Search Code 22F000261 into the search bar.

Mar9-16-23, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

The following matters are the subject of this public notice by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The complete public notice, including any additional instructions for submitting comments, requesting information, a public hearing, filing an appeal, or ADA accommodations may be obtained at: https://epa.ohio.gov/actions or Hearing Clerk, Ohio EPA, 50 W. Town St. P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216. Ph: 614-644-3037 email: HClerk@epa.ohio.gov

Burton WWTP

13875 Memorial Dr, Burton, OH 44021

Facility Description: Individual

Receiving Water: East Branch Cuyahoga River ID #: 3PB00066*JD

Date of Action: 03/21/2023

Streamlined Orders

Hambden Country Inn PWS 13960 Rock Creek Rd, Chardon, OH 44024 ID #: OH2874512

Date of Action: 03/13/2023

Streamlined Orders with a $150 penalty was issued for failure to monitor drinking water for total coliform during December 2022. Mar23, 2023

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING

Russell Township

Notice is hereby given that the Russell Township Board of Zoning Appeals will have a Public Hearings on an application of appeal for a variance to the Russell Township Zoning Resolution on Monday, April 3, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at the Russell Town hall, 14890 Chillicothe Road.

Variance Application #551, submitted by Mr. James Fantozzi for property at 8415 Hideaway Trail. The applicant is seeking relief to the side and rear setbacks for the purpose of constructing a new home. The Board of Zoning Appeals welcomes factbased testimony to assist in making an informed decision.

Cathleen Birli, Secretary Mar23, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS GEAUGA COUNTY, OHIO

23-F-000103 - Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, as Trustee for the benefit of the Freddie Mac Seasoned Loans

Structured Transaction Trust, Series 2021-1 vs. Carol Dean, et al.

Unknown Heirs at Law, Devisees, Legatees, Administrators, and Executors of the Estate of Michael Carothers, whose present place of residence is unknown, will take notice that on February 17, 2023, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, as Trustee for the benefit of the Freddie Mac Seasoned Loans

Structured Transaction Trust, Series 2021-1, filed its Complaint in Foreclosure in Case No. 23F000103 in the Court of Common Pleas Geauga County, Ohio, 100 Short Court Street, Suite 300, Chardon, Ohio 44024, alleging that the Defendants, Unknown Heirs at Law, Devisees, Legatees, Administrators, and Executors of the Estate of Michael Carothers, have or claim to have an interest in the real estate located at 11658 Pekin Road, Newbury, OH 44065, PPN #23-297500 and 23297600. A complete legal description may be obtained with the Geauga County Auditor’s Office located at 231 Main St., Chardon, OH 44024-1293.

The Petitioner further alleges that by reason of default of the Defendant(s) in the payment of a promissory note, according to its tenor, the conditions of a concurrent mortgage deed given to secure the payment of said note and conveying the premises described, have been broken, and the same has become absolute.

The Petitioner prays that the Defendant(s) named above be required to answer and set up their interest in said real estate or be forever barred from asserting the same, for foreclosure of said mortgage, the marshalling of any liens, and the sale of said real estate, and the proceeds of said sale applied to the payment of Petitioner’s claim in the property order of its priority, and for such other and further relief as is just and equitable.

THE DEFENDANT(S) NAMED ABOVE ARE REQUIRED TO ANSWER ON OR BEFORE THE 4TH DAY OF MAY, 2023.

BY CLUNK, HOOSE CO., LPA, Ethan J. Clunk #0095546, Attorneys for Plaintiff-Petitioner, 495 Wolf Ledges Pkwy, Akron, OH 44311, (330) 436-0300 - telephone, (330) 436-0301 - facsimile, notice@clunkhoose.com.

NUMBER 1

April 4, 2023

Geauga County intends to apply to the Ohio Development Services Agency, Office of Community Development, for funding under the FY-2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Small Cities Program, a federally funded program administered by the State of Ohio. Geauga County is eligible to apply for these categories of funding for FY2023 providing the County meets applicable program requirements.

A. Allocation Program - $284,000.00

B. Targets of Opportunity Program (Downtown Revitalization) - TBD

C. Neighborhood Revitalization ProgramApproximately $750,000.00

D. Critical Infrastructure ProgramApproximately $500,000.00

E. Residential Public Infrastructure Program - Approximately $750,000.00

F. Economic Development Program

These projects can include: public service, public improvements, recreational activities, street infrastructure, drainage, water and sewer improvements, demolition of unsafe structures, rehabilitation of neighborhood, rental, and housing rehabilitation, economic development, and the prevention of slum and blight.

Citizens are encouraged to attend this public hearing on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 10:00 AM in the Commissioner’s Chambers at 12611 Ravenwood Dr., Suite B303, Chardon, OH 44024 for more information on the grant and program requirements. The Commissioner’s Chambers are a handicap accessible facility. If a participant will need auxiliary aids or devices due to a disability, please contact Elaine Malkamaki prior to March 31, 2023 at 440-279-1791 in order to ensure that your needs will be accommodated.

Mar23, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Auburn Township

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Auburn Township Board of Trustees, c/o Daniel J. Matsko, Fiscal Officer, at 11010 Washington Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023, until 10:00 AM official local time on April 7, 2023 for The Asphalt Resurfacing of Various Roads in Auburn Township. Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud the same day at 10:05 AM. The estimated construction cost for this project is $825,000.00.

Copies of the plans and/or specifications may be obtained digitally online at https://www. geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/online-plans-and-specifications/ or a hardcopy is available at the Geauga County Engineer’s Office, 12665 Merritt Road, Chardon, OH 44024.

A copy of this legal notice is posted on the County’s website. Go to https://www.geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/legal-notices/ and click on the project name to view this legal.

A bid guaranty in the amount of one hundred (100%) percent of the bid amount or a certified check, cashier’s check, or letter of credit pursuant to Chapter 1305 of the Ohio Revised Code in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the total bid amount shall accompany each bid. The bid shall be let upon a unit price basis.

Bids may be held by the Auburn Township Board of Trustees for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the date of opening, for the purpose of reviewing the bids and investigating the qualifications of bidders, prior to awarding the contract.

The Auburn Township Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids received, and to accept any bid or bids which are deemed most favorable to

the Board at the time and under conditions stipulated, all in accord with the applicable provisions of laws of the State of Ohio governing the conduct of the Auburn Township Board of Trustees.

BY THE ORDER OF THE AUBURN

TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Daniel J. Matsko, Fiscal Officer Mar23, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Geauga County

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Geauga County Board of Commissioners at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 350, Chardon, Ohio 44024 until 1:45 PM official local time on April 19, 2023 for The Asphalt Resurfacing of Sections C-E of Washington Street, CH-0606 (REBID) in Auburn Township and Bainbridge Township. Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud the same day at 2:05 PM in Room B303. The estimated construction cost for this project is $1,600,000.

Copies of the plans and/or specifications may be obtained digitally online at https://www. geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/online-plans-and-specifications/ or a hardcopy is available at the Geauga County Engineer’s Office, 12665 Merritt Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024.

A copy of this legal notice is posted on the County’s website. Go to https://www.geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/legal-notices/ and click on the project name to view this legal.

A bid guaranty in the amount of one hundred (100%) percent of the bid amount or a certified check, cashier’s check or letter of credit pursuant to Chapter 1305 of the Ohio Revised Code in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the total bid amount shall accompany each bid. The bid shall be let upon a unit price basis.

All contractors and subcontractors involved with the project will, to the extent practicable, use Ohio products, materials, services, and labor in the implementation of their project. Bidders must comply with the prevailing wage rates on Public Improvements as determined by the Davis Bacon Act WD#OH20220001.

DOMESTIC STEEL USE REQUIREMENTS

AS SPECIFIED IN OHIO REVISED CODE §153.011 APPLY TO THIS PROJECT. COPIES OF §153.011 CAN BE OBTAINED FROM ANY OF THE OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OR THROUGH http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/153.011.

Bids may be held by the Geauga County Board of Commissioners for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the date of opening, for the purpose of reviewing the bids and investigating the qualifications of bidders, prior to awarding the contract.

The Geauga County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids received, and to accept any bid or bids which are deemed most favorable to the Board at the time and under conditions stipulated, all in accord with the applicable provisions of laws of the State of Ohio governing the conduct of the Geauga County Board of Commissioners.

BY THE ORDER OF THE GEAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Christine Blair, Clerk Mar23-30, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Geauga County

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Geauga County Board of Commissioners at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 350, Chardon, Ohio 44024 until 1:45 PM official local time on April 19, 2023 for The Asphalt Resurfacing of Sections A-B

of Washington Street, CH-0606 (REBID) in South Russell Village and Bainbridge Township. Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud the same day at 2:00 PM in Room B303. The estimated construction cost for this project is $925,000.00.

Copies of the plans and/or specifications may be obtained digitally online at https://www. geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/online-plans-and-specifications/ or a hardcopy is available at the Geauga County Engineer’s Office, 12665 Merritt Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024.

A copy of this legal notice is posted on the County’s website. Go to https://www.geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/legal-notices/ and click on the project name to view this legal notice.

A bid guaranty in the amount of one hundred (100%) percent of the bid amount or a certified check, cashier’s check or letter of credit pursuant to Chapter 1305 of the Ohio Revised Code in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the total bid amount shall accompany each bid. The bid shall be let upon a unit price basis.

All contractors and subcontractors involved with the project will, to the extent practicable, use Ohio products, materials, services, and labor in the implementation of their project. Bidders must comply with the prevailing wage rates on Public Improvements as determined by the Davis Bacon Act WD#OH20220001.

DOMESTIC STEEL USE REQUIREMENTS

AS SPECIFIED IN SECTION 153.011 OF THE OHIO REVISED CODE APPLIES TO THIS PROJECT. COPIES OF SECTION 153.011 OF THE REVISED CODE CAN BE OBTAINED FROM ANY OF THE OFFICES OF THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES.

Bids may be held by the Geauga County Board of Commissioners for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the date of opening, for the purpose of reviewing the bids and investigating the qualifications of bidders, prior to awarding the contract.

The Geauga County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids received, and to accept any bid or bids which are deemed most favorable to the Board at the time and under conditions stipulated, all in accord with the applicable provisions of laws of the State of Ohio governing the conduct of the Geauga County Board of Commissioners.

BY THE ORDER OF THE GEAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Christine Blair, Clerk Mar23-30, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Newbury Township

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Newbury Township Board of Trustees, c/o Beverly Sustar, Fiscal Officer, at 14899 Auburn Road, Newbury, Ohio 44065 until 11:00 AM official local time on April 7, 2023 for The Asphalt Resurfacing of Section A of Addington Court, TR-1052 in Newbury Township. Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud the same day at 11:05 AM at the Newbury Town Hall. The estimated construction cost for this project is $175,000.00.

Copies of the plans and/or specifications may be obtained digitally online at https://www. geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/online-plans-and-specifications/ or a hardcopy is available at the Geauga County Engineer’s Office, 12665 Merritt Road, Chardon, OH 44024.

A copy of this legal notice is posted on the County’s website. Go to https://www.geaugacountyengineer.org/projects-bids/legal-notices/ and click on the project name to view this legal.

A bid guaranty in the amount of one hun-

dred (100%) percent of the bid amount or a certified check, cashier’s check, or letter of credit pursuant to Chapter 1305 of the Ohio Revised Code in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the total bid amount shall accompany each bid. The bid shall be let upon a unit price basis.

Bids may be held by the Newbury Township Board of Trustees for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the date of opening, for the purpose of reviewing the bids and investigating the qualifications of bidders, prior to awarding the contract.

The Newbury Township Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids received, and to accept any bid or bids which are deemed most favorable to the Board at the time and under conditions stipulated, all in accord with the applicable provisions of laws of the State of Ohio governing the conduct of the Newbury Township Board of Trustees.

BY THE ORDER OF THE NEWBURY

TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Beverly Sustar, Fiscal Officer Mar23, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

Geauga County

Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received by the Geauga County Board of Commissioners, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite #350, Chardon, Ohio 44024 until 1:45 P.M. official local time on Wednesday April 12, 2023 for the 2023 Lawn Maintenance of the North and South Areas, Geauga County Department of Water Resources Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud the same day at 2:00 P.M in Room B303.

Copies of the Specifications may be obtained at the Department of Water Resources Office, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 390, Chardon, Ohio, or by contacting Kathleen Miller by phone (440) 279-1971 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or email kathleenm@gcdwr.org.

A copy of this legal notice is posted on the County’s website. Go to http://bocc.geauga. oh.gov/public-notifications/bid-openings . Envelope containing the bid and other documents shall be sealed, addressed (with bidder’s name) envelope and clearly marked “2023 Lawn Maintenance of the North and South Areas, Geauga County Department of Water Resources, Attn: Clerk, Office of the Geauga County Board of Commissioners, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 350, Chardon, Ohio 44024.”

A bid guaranty in the amount of one hundred (100%) percent of the bid amount or a certified check, cashier’s check or letter of credit pursuant to Chapter 1305 of the Ohio Revised Code in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the total bid amount shall accompany each bid.

Bids may be held by the Geauga County Board of Commissioners for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days from the date of opening, for the purpose of reviewing the bids and investigating the qualifications of bidders, prior to awarding the contract.

The Geauga County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids received, and to accept any bid or bids which are deemed most favorable to the Board at the time and under conditions stipulated, all in accord with the applicable provisions of laws of the State of Ohio governing the conduct of the Geauga County Board of Commissioners.

BY ORDER OF THE GEAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Christine Blair, Clerk Mar23-30, 2023

Following is a list of real estate transfers for the week ending Mar. 10, 2023, provided as a public service by the Geauga County Auditor’s Office. Transfers may involve the sale of land only.

AUBURN TOWNSHIP

Joseph W. Rock and Melanie S. Corcoran (co-trustees), 138 S. Pintail, to Jorge Garcia Zuazaga and Stephanie S. Whitko (trustees), $359,900. (0.00 acres)

Stephen H. and Naomi A. Rhodes (co-trustees), 11470 Champlain Trail, to Jason Timothy Chisholm and Catherine Jordan Graham, $600,000. (2.06 acres)

TY Land & Construction LLC, 17680 Auburn Road, to Adrian and Trent Sakoske, $330,000. (1.30 acres)

BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP

Joan Demirjian (TOD), 18939 Brewster Road, to Lisa and Mark R. Dreimiller, $145,000. (11.21 acres)

William A. and Lynette M. Bullock, 8281 Stoney Brook Drive, to Michelle Shahidian, $376,300. (0.46 acres)

Brickman Rebuild LLC, 17793 Lost Trail, to Nathan D. Eaton and Nicole M. Dudas, $445,000. (1.07 acres)

Elaine Weiner, 17370 Hawksview Lane, to Ravi Theja Vuruturu and Megha Gowni, $528,000. (0.61 acres)

Patricia Loraine Piazza (trustee), 8806 Beacon Hill Drive, to Bryce A. and Joeann K. Vasko (trustees), $363,000. (1.55 acres)

BURTON TOWNSHIP

Dylan Vandermaas, 12840 Hotchkiss Road, to Michael and Marie A. Sheets, $61,000. (6.70 acres)

Real Estate Transfers

CHARDON CITY

Brickman Rebuild LLC, South Street, to Alma L. and Jay J. Squire, $344,900. (1.64 acres)

Pramod K. Jaisawal, 134 Pine Hollow Circle, to Nicholas J. Raymond, $308,000. (0.28 acres)

Jeffrey W. and Linda A. Morris, 234 N. Hambden St., to Charles J. Blaser, $174,900. (0.26 acres)

CHARDON TOWNSHIP

James Scott and Stacey Murray, 9624 Ravenna Road, to Cody and Megan Johnson, $575,000. (5.00 acres)

Zada L. and Frank E. Hauser, Ravenna Road, to Riana Fry, $178,700. (12.50 acres)

CHESTER TOWNSHIP

Lucy Patriarca (trustee), 12546 Ward Drive, to Timothy James Helton, $156,000. (0.47 acres)

Patrick J. Toth, 13418 Green Drive, to Carl P. and Carol A. Kellogg, $221,000. (1.01 acres)

Chris Smolko, 8089 Sherman Road, to Anthony and Margaret Pinzone, $138,000. (1.00 acres)

Suzanna H. Saliev, 12873 Kenyon Drive, to Andrew and Anna Quigg, $260,000. (1.08 acres)

MIDDLEFIELD TOWNSHIP

Nancy Darlene Jacques (TOD), 15448 Georgia Road, to Andrew M. Pellegrine, $265,000. (1.40 acres)

MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP

James D. Savage, 17144 Gar Highway, to Jeffrey J. Margelowsky, $174,900. (16.44 acres)

MUNSON TOWNSHIP

Kyle Skolnick, 11495 Woodiebrook Road, to Garret E. Purkapile Fox and Riane L. Tavoli, $234,000. (1.05 acres)

NEWBURY TOWNSHIP

Carl F. Panek and Carol Harrison, Chestnut Drive, to Richard N. and Sandra S. Roy, $375. (0.02 acres)

Carl F. Panek and Carol Harrison, Chestnut Drive (s/l 545), to Richard N. and Sandra S. Roy, $400. (0.07 acres)

James D. and Andrea Kimball, 9820 Kinsman Road, to Robert J. Frazier and Samantha M. Tolley, $297,000. (1.60 acres)

PARKMAN TOWNSHIP

Daniel A. and Miriam F. Yoder, Swine Creek Road, to Allen F. and Marcia J. Yoder, $145,000. (2.50 acres)

Tushar Amin and Sandeep Sheth, 16268 Main Market Road, to Tushar Amin, $89,100. (0.17 acres)

Tushar Amin and Sandeep Sheth, 16260 Main Market Road, to Tushar Amin, $6,400. (0.90 acres)

John M. and Anna M. Miller, 16507 Bun-

dysburg Road, to David E. Miller, $290,000. (12.37 acres)

SOUTH RUSSELL VILLAGE

Michael R. Maier and Katie Louise Troyer, 112 Mapleridge Road, to Michael R. Maier, $94,600. (0.50 acres)

Brickman Rebuild LLC, 1560 Bell Road, to James D. Crawford, $550,000. (7.00 acres)

Scott B. Spieth, 1548 Bell Road, to Northwest Bank, $260,000. (13.18 acres)

FOR RENT

Burton Ranch Condo: 2/BR, 2/Bath, AC, laundry, 2-car attached garage. No pets/smoking. $1,600/month. Includes snow plowing, lawn, trash. 440-221-0649.

Rental Home: Berkshire Schools, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, laundry, family and living rooms, basement, large garage. No pets, non-smoking. 440-636-5747.

Room for Let, $600, Russell. Call for details 440-3385201.

COMMERCIAL RENTALS

FOR LEASE: 120x60 arena barn with pastures for agricultural use or storage and grounds for nursery/landscape operation. Newbury. 440-564-7363.

FOR SALE

FREE: old stamp collection, US and international stamps. 440-564-9221.

Woodburning stove custom hearth 2012 2-speed blower EC, heats 2,500-sq-ft, $800. Snowblower 2-stage 26” EC, $300. 216-244-3767.

Windsor road-bike $500. Horse-drawn sleigh $500. Western saddle $500. Honda push-mower $300. (8) Fishing poles $200/for all. 845-987-0079.

Free: Melodigrand Upright Spinet Piano, good condition. Chardon. Call 440-286-1617.

Couch w/love-seat $200. Old table $75. Cedar chest $40. Large cabinet $40. Old fashioned mirror $40. Single bed $40. 440-632-9675.

Elliptical Exercise Machine: with books, tools, and pulse monitor; $20. 440-313-1178.

Brother JX2517 Sewing Machine VGC $45. Samsung 24” monitor VGC $35. 18” flat TV $25. Teeter traction table $150. 440-431-6944.

NEW Panasonic cordless phone, still in box, 2 additional handsets, can expand. White w/blue trim. 440-2239471. Also Wanted: Level/Transit.

8-foot wide agricultural disc for 3-point hitch tractor. No beauty, but built like a battleship. $200. 440-5482414.

Jack Posts: one pair 93” inch, $200; two pair 100” inch, $500. 440-834-8943.

Antique clocks, many. Oak crank wall-phone $369. Humpback chest $79. Wooden rocking horse $79. Kids spring rocking horse $49. 440-338-3563.

GARAGE/ESTATE SALES

Estate Sale: Fri 3/27-Sat 4/1, 10am-6pm. 11811 Joy

Acre Lane, Chardon. Everything must go! Furniture, tables, lamps, housewares, candles, knick-knacks.

HELP WANTED

Wanted: Retired person to drive one man painter to work and possibly work with me 2-3 days a week. 440636-5348.

Looking for someone to come to my house in Chagrin Falls to help with household cleaning. 440-509-1777.

Full-time and part-time positions available for infant/ toddler preschool and school-age teacher. Experience preferred, but not required. Call Audrey 440-729-8255. Suburban Driving School-Chesterland, looking for individuals to teach driver’s education. Paid training. Call 440-729-4360 or 216-536-6708 or email resume: contact@suburbandriveohio.com.

PETS & ANIMALS

Mini Male Poodle: born 11-22-22, all white, mostly house-trained, very playful. UTD on shots and wormer. $600. 440-635-6607. Bunnies for sale. 440-632-9651.

REAL ESTATE

We buy Houses and Land. Any condition or situation. Fast, friendly, local. Westwind Property Solutions. Text/ call Wayne today at 330-269-9595. Lot for sale. Thompson Township. Buildable. 1 acre. Wooded, scenic, quiet side street $12,900. 440-289-0708.

SERVICES

Offering special discounts for interior and exterior painting and staining. 20+ years experience. Professional and insured. Call Dan 440-342-4552. Joe Eicher doing roofing, siding, remodeling, cleanout houses, we do most anything. Call between 8a-4p, 440-813-4272. No answer, leave message.

WANTED TO BUY

4-wheelers, 3-wheelers, dirt bikes, mini-bikes, go-carts, golf carts, gators, farm tractors/equipment, trailers, riding mowers, snowplows. Paying cash. 440-413-3119. Old fishing tackle wanted: fishing lures (wood or plastic), mouse to bear traps, wooden duck decoys. Call Lee 440-313-8331.

Will pay cash for sports cards & collectibles. Entire collections or individual cards. Organized or unorganized. Call or text Rich at 440-552-0691.

Buying all Stanley Bailey planes and machinist tools. Call Karl at 440-812-3392.

Classifieds

440-729-7667

20 words for $12