Geauga County Maple Leal April

Leaf Thursday, April 7, 2022 Vol. 28 No. 14 • Chardon, Ohio www.geaugamapleleaf.com $1.00

Mother of ‘Geauga’s Child’ Convicted of Murder

By Amy Patterson

after community members raised money to give him a proper burial and gravestone in Thompson’s MaGail M. Ritchey, who stood ac- ple Grove Cemetery. cused of the 1993 abanBlood and tissue samdonment of her newborn ples from the infant providchild in the woods in ed a DNA sample, which Thompson Township, has led Geauga County Sherbeen convicted of murder. iff’s Office detectives to A jury in Geauga Counthe doorstep of Ritchey’s ty Court of Common Pleas Euclid home.

Judge David Ondrey’s courtGeauga County Proseroom acquitted Ritchey, 51, Ritchey cutor Jim Flaiz convened a of aggravated murder April 4, but special grand jury in June 2019, which held her accountable in the death issued an indictment against Ritchey of her baby, found by two newspaper for aggravated murder and murder. delivery women in a wooded area on She was arrested shortly thereafter Sidley Road. in Cuyahoga County, found lying in At the time, the unknown new- the back seat of her husband’s car, born was dubbed “Geauga’s Child,” according to authorities. amy@karlovecmedia.com

FILE PHOTO

A gravestone in Thompson’s Maple Grove Cemetery marks the burial site of Geauga’s Child, abandoned in woods near Sidley Road in 1993.

She later admitted to birthing the baby, placing him in a trash bag and discarding him, Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand said at the time. Ritchey later married the father of Geauga’s Child and has three adult children.

Flaiz said the aggravated murder charge was presented to the jury based on evidence of premeditation — as Ritchey also admitted to committing a similar crime two years earlier in Cuyahoga County — however, the judge excluded that evidence from trial. Even with the exclusion of that evidence, Flaiz felt the jury came to a just verdict.

See Guilty • Page 7

Equine Massage Therapy Can Heal Body, Mind

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com

Communicating with horses and dogs is usually a matter of touch for Debby Melvin.

A certified equine massage therapist, Melvin gets calls for help from horse owners and trainers throughout the year.

Some of her equine patients are lame, some seem ill, some have behavior problems. When visits from veterinarians, injections, salves and food supplements have failed, her phone rings and Melvin hits the road.

But, as she opens the stall door, she prefers to start her process with minimal information.

“I don’t want to be told what’s wrong. I just spend 15 minutes with them,” she said during a meeting of the Western Reserve Mule and Donkey Club March 31. “I just get out in the barn and start poking.

That’s why I get bitten so much.”

Watching the patient’s body language — the way they stand, how See Massage • Page 6

VALERIE S. CLAUSE/KMG

A glimpse of the “Eggshelland” spring scene inside the barn at Eddy’s Fruit Farm in Chester Township.

‘Eggshelland’ Lives On at Eddy’s

By Valerie S. Clause editor@karlovecmedia.com

A true harbinger of spring is hatching at Eddy’s Fruit Farm this year with “Eggshelland” on display to delight both young and old.

“Eggshelland” has been attracting visitors for 63 years, when it was first created in 1957 by Ron and Betty Manolio, of Lyndhurst.

When creator Ron Manolio died in 2012, his family shared “Eggshelland” with the community one last time in 2013 and it was then put in the care of The Euclid Beach Boys, who wanted to preserve the local tradition.

“I was in Florida when I heard they (the Manolio family) were just going to throw it away,” said Joe Tomaro, of The Euclid Beach

Boys, who preserve local memorabilia. “I told my wife, ‘Please, go talk to Mrs. Manolio. Don’t let her throw it away.’ So we talked with her and she talked it over with her kids, and she just gave it to us.”

There are about 16,000 to 18,000 original eggs in the collection.

“It’s a preservation thing,” Tomaro said. “We can never recreate See Eggs • Page 6

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Community Meetings Geauga County: April 12, 7:30 a.m. – Geauga SWCD, Patterson Center, Burton Fairgrounds, 7:30 a.m. – Planning Commission, 470 Center St., Bldg. 8, Chardon, 9:30 a.m. – Geauga County Commissioners. All county commissioners meetings are held at 470 Center St., Bldg. 4, Chardon, unless otherwise noted.

Aquilla Village: April 12, 7 p.m., Village Council.

All meetings are held at Village Hall, 65 Turner Drive, unless otherwise noted.

Auburn Township: April 12, 7 p.m., Board of Zoning Appeals; April 14, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission.. All meetings are held at the Administration Building, 11010 Washington St., unless otherwise indicated.

Bainbridge Township: April 11, 6 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Town Hall, 17826 Chillicothe Road, unless noted.

Burton Township: April 11, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at the Township Administration building, 14821 Rapids Road, unless otherwise noted.

Burton Village: April 11, 7 p.m., Village Council; April 12, 7 p.m., Board of Public Affairs. All meetings are held at 14588 W. Park St., 2nd Floor, unless otherwise noted.

Chardon City: April 14, 6:30 p.m., City Council. All meetings are held at Municipal Center, 111 Water St., unless otherwise noted.

Chester Township: April 7, 6:30 p.m., Board of Trustees; April 11, 7 p.m., Board of Zoning Appeals. All meetings are held at the Township Hall, 12701 Chillicothe Road, unless noted.

Claridon Township: April 4, 6 p.m., Board of Trustees. 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.

Middlefield Township: April 11, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All trustees meetings are held at Township Office, 15228 Madison Road, unless otherwise noted.

Middlefield Village: April 12, 5:30 p.m. – Streets, Sidewalks & Utilities Committee, 6 p.m. – Planning Commission; April 14, 5:15 p.m. – Recreation, 5:30 p.m. – Finance & Ordinance, 6:30 p.m. – Safety Committee, 7 p.m. – Village Council. All meetings are at the Municipal Center, 14860 N. State Ave. Munson Township: April 11, 6:15 p.m., Park & Recreation Board; April 12, 6:30 p.m., Board of Trustees; April 13, 6 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at Township Hall, 12210 Auburn Road, unless otherwise noted.

Russell Township: April 7, 2 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Russell Town Hall, 14890 Chillicothe Road, unless noted.

South Russell Village: April 7, 8 a.m. – Building Committee, 9 a.m. – Safety Committee, 7:30 p.m. – Planning Commission; April 11, 7 p.m., Village Council. All meetings are held at Village Hall, 5205 Chillicothe Road, unless noted.

Troy Township: April 7, 7 p.m., Zoning Commission. All meetings are held at Troy Community Center, 13950 Main Market Road, unless noted.

Berkshire BOE: April 11, 6 p.m., regular meeting. All meetings held at BOE offices, 14259 Claridon Troy Road, Burton, unless otherwise noted.

Cardinal BOE: April 13, 6:30 p.m., regular meeting. All meetings held at BOE Office, 15982 E. High St., Middlefield, unless indicated.

Chardon BOE: April 7, 4 p.m., special meeting for approval of change orders for roofing project.

All meetings held at Ira A. Canfield Building, 428 North St., Chardon, unless otherwise noted.

Kenston BOE: April 11, 7 p.m., regular meeting.

All meetings held at Auburn Bainbridge Room at Kenston High School, 9500 Bainbridge Road, Bainbridge.

West Geauga BOE: April 11, 7 p.m., regular meeting. All meetings are held at the BOE Community Room, 8615 Cedar Road, unless noted.

Geauga County Maple Leaf

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Robots Changing the Workplace Environment

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com

While the nationwide worker shortage is impacting many people, there’s one population it’s benefitting — the robots.

The cost of one robot can be less than the average employee costs a company in a year, and robots don’t need vacation, health insurance or lunch breaks, said Mike O’Donnell, vice president of operations for MAGNET, a widespread team of consultants and industry experts committed to helping grow manufacturing in Northeast Ohio.

He spoke to a roomful of area businesspeople at a Geauga Economic Leadership breakfast April 1 at Kent State University – Geauga about the value and future of robotics.

The current worker shortage is an ideal opportunity to put Industry 4.0 automation in all but the smallest manufacturing facilities, O’Donnell said.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution creates manufacturing systems that are not only interconnected, but communicate, analyze and use information to drive further intelligent action back in the physical world, according to Deliotte Insights website.

As such, it minimizes a company’s dependence on line employees doing repetitive work, providing them with new opportunities among the robots, O’Donnell said.

“You can’t find operators, anyway,” he said, adding the fewer people a business employs, the better the company can pay the ones they have if collaborative robots are taking care of production.

Industry 4.0 is a big step beyond automation, O’Donnell said.

Correction

ANN WISHART/KMG

Mike O’Donnell, vice president of operations for MAGNET spoke to a roomful of area businesspeople at a Geauga Economic Leadership breakfast April 1 at Kent State University – Geauga about the value and future of robotics.

According to a MAGNET pie chart, the workforce shortage for manufacturers has four main causes: working-age people lack necessary skills or education (39.5%); they lack interest in manufacturing (24.25 %); they can’t pass the drug test (8.3%) or the firm is too small (9.6%). About 18.35% of reasons for worker shortage are charted as “unknown.”

But, O’Donnell went to NEO demographics for another reason — workers are scarce.

“There are not enough humans” in the region to fill the openings, he said.

The growth of the working-age population is slowing and by 2060, the number of workers in the U.S. reaching retirement age of 65 will double to 95 million, O’Donnell said.

In addition, besides attracting skilled See Robots • Page 5

Part of a sentence in the story titled “New GPH Board Member Seated,” in the March 31 edition of the Geauga County Maple Leaf, was inaccurately placed in quote marks and attributed to newly-appointed board member Carolyn Brakey. Brakey said governments, in a broad sense, have used fear as a tool to decimate the economy, close businesses, schools and playgrounds, and noted that last September, GPH and its board members issued guidance to schools during the pandemic that recommended harsher quarantine measures for schools that did not have a mask requirement.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Page 5

Grant Helps Catch & Release New Life for Threatened Trout

By Rose Nemunaitis editor@karlovecmedia.com Geauga Park District Park Biologist Paul Pira vividly remembers the first time he toured the former Wicked Woods Golf Course back in 2018.

He recalled spotting a particular springfed stream system.

“Wow, I thought immediately that this place had enormous potential to be a significant spot for conservation and maybe even a totally unique and imaginative hair-brained idea that I had of somehow turning it into a native Ohio brook trout stream,” Pira said.

In November 2018, the park district purchased the site with intent of restoring the picturesque rolling lands to a more natural state.

“One of the more interesting things that I do here at the park is look at potential new land acquisitions and write assessment reports and recommendations on the ecological significance of the land,” Pira said.

His vision for the 180 acres of the upper west branch of the Cuyahoga River watershed within Newbury and Burton townships was one such example.

And as fate would have it, the GPD was awarded a $1,166,575 restoration grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, with assistance from Chagrin River Watershed Partners, to restore streams and forests at Veterans Legacy Woods in Newbury and Burton townships.

The goal of GPD’s stream restoration efforts is to create a headwater stream for environmental integrity.

“CRWP is very excited to be working with Geauga Park District on this project to restore the park’s streams and surrounding riparian corridor to improve water quality and prevent the loss of biological diversity in the area,” said Laura Bonnell, CRWP senior project manager. “Our partnership with Geauga Park District has enabled our organizations to accomplish more by pooling our combined resources and expertise. CRWP works with our members and partners to get valuable projects like these funded and constructed.

CRWP will provide technical assistance and

Robots

from page 4 workers, regional factories are struggling with the rising costs of healthcare and raw materials.

Emerging concerns include cyber security, inflation, increasing salaries and, again, healthcare costs.

While manufacturing productivity has been escalating since 2009 and is projected to continue upward, employment has nearly flat-lined and is expected to remain pretty level through 2024, O’Donnell said.

review, develop educational and outreach materials, and administer the sponsorship award.”

Pira said this grant will help ensure the county has another cold-water stream habitat that is potentially an introduction site for Ohio brook trout.

In addition, 5 acres of prior fairway will be reforested with native trees and shrubs, providing shaded stream and wetland environments.

“This project is important for a couple of reasons. First, it perfectly aligns with the mission of the park district,” Pira said. “We were created over 60 years ago in order to protect and conserve the special natural resources of Geauga County.”

The cold-water habitat found at the park is a clear, clean, groundwater fed stream which is becoming less and less common in Ohio.

“This type of special natural resource (habitat) may be able to support the totally unique native Ohio brook trout, which are only found in Geauga County,” Pira said.

“Second, this grant will be a major jumpstart to healing a damaged landscape. Ecological restoration is intentional work that aims to accelerate the recovery of an ecosystem’s health, integrity, resilience, etc. We have a lot

of work ahead of ourselves and the OEPA is key to allowing us to make these important changes. This a damaged landscape.”

Saving a Threatened Species Pira journeyed on a recent late afternoon by golf cart to the northern section of the park, past former greens and tee-off spots, stopping at the future home for the state-designated threatened species.

“Personally, this fish is probably my alltime favorite aquatic species,” Pira said. “I have been obsessed with fishes ever since I was a young boy and this is arguably one of the most beautiful and stunningly colored fish in Ohio and is so darn rare here. It also represents a time of unspoiled natural wildness in Ohio before this land was settled.”

This fish has been here since the last ice age.

“Only 30 years ago, we were down to only one stream left in the entire state that harbored these gems,” Pira said. “They were close to being gone forever.”

Thanks to The Ohio Division of Wildlife, The Ohio EPA and several other key partners, there are about three streams, all managed

by GPD, that are self-sustaining, he said.

“Anytime we can take a parcel that has

been adversely altered and restore functioning wildlife and aquatic habitat is an exciting adventure,” said Curtis Wagner, ODNR fisheries management supervisor. “Paul and Geauga Park District are extremely conservation conscious and I have no doubt this will be a great headwater habitat. If the project goes well and resultant habitat and water quality characteristics are appropriate, it may well be a great candidate for native Ohio brook trout transplant.”

Pira said they have to slowly bolster the number of streams with Ohio brook trout in them in order to help ensure future survival of the species.

“Not that the species, brook trout, are necessarily special in their own right — although I do have a soft spot for these gorgeous fish — but rather the fact that we know from genetics work that these Geauga County brook trout are wild fish and remnant post-glacial Ohio populations,” Wagner said.

“This uniqueness of their wild lineage in Ohio is what makes them so special.”

Of all the native Ohio fishes, this species requires the most pristine of habitats.

“They require constant supply of cold flowing water and a low to no silt environment with just the right rocky substrates to thrive,” Wagner said, adding they are a “gem indicator” of the best that Ohio headwater streams has to offer.

“Having an imagination, and sometimes almost crazy ideas, is actually an important part of science and land management,” Pira said. “It is really rewarding to have these ideas come to you, then pursue the actual means to make it happen with the help of great conservation partners … and then see it all eventually come to fruition.

“It is so satisfying to be part of protecting the future for plants and wildlife and then educating people about it. Then you see them truly get the importance of it. That is inspirational and one of the very best parts of this job,” he added.

Pira will speak about rare species protection and ecological restoration April 1 at a mid-west science conference hosted in Cleveland by Cleveland Metroparks for The Society for Ecological Restoration meeting.

Meanwhile, 44% of companies in Northeast Ohio surveyed last year increased their automation, either proactively to join the revolution or reactively to compete for contracts, he said.

Manufacturing is increasingly a safe and clean environment aided by robotic production — a concept job candidates need to understand.

And, in a world where young people have grown up playing Xbox and are familiar with technology, robots are an excellent recruitment visual during a tour.

“As you invest in technology, people see it and get excited,” O’Donnell said.

Companies of any size can afford robots that can use optical censors and vibration monitors for predictive maintenance and production records, he said.

“You can start to track it and get more capacity out of your machines,” O’Donnell said.

“Anything done manually, you can automate,” he said, such as mechanical systems, quality control, assembly and processes. “If you know how it runs, it can be automated.”

Many robots are also being made sensitive, so they can avoid contact with humans, allowing an operator to safely work alongside the machines, O’Donnell said.

“Collaborative robots will have a very

significant return on investment,” he said, adding the human element is not being eliminated.

“You still need operators and machinists,” O’Donnell said. “We need them more than ever.”

The world of robots is merging the physical and cyber environments to improve processes and materials and reduce scrap.

“Things are going to be changing in the future,” he said, likening Industry 4.0 to George Jetson’s world with the optimization of technology.

“We strongly feel this is the future for Ohio,” O’Donnell said.

ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG

Geauga Park District Park Biologist Paul Pira visits Veterans Legacy Woods in Newbury and Burton townships, where a recent grant will help streams and forests at the park.

Geauga County Maple Leaf

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Massage from page 1

they move, how they look at her — gives her a sense of what the problem is.

“I have found the more I put my hands on these horses, they talk to me. They have something they need to tell me,” she said.

A lot of physical issues are caused by pain that won’t necessarily show up in an X-ray, Melvin said.

Performance horses are especially prone to soreness that gets worse as the show season progresses and stressed muscles become sore and knot up.

An hour or two of massage and a little pasture time will usually set things right and the show may go on, she said.

“I find physical problems are easier to deal with. Mental health problems are sometimes a long-term thing,” she said.

A horse with behavior issues — and there are many — may act out because of pain, as well as fear and stress. Massage can work wonders, encouraging the production of a substance in the brain that attaches to the same cell receptors that morphine does and provides some of the same positive feelings.

“It’s all about releasing endorphins,” Melvin said.

Thoroughbreds off the track carry a lot of baggage when sold to someone who wants to give them a new career, such as jumping or dressage, she said.

Her daughter liked to jump the former race horses and they sparked Melvin’s interest.

“That’s basically why I got into massage,” she said.

That led her to become certified through the Equissage sports massage therapy program in Round Hill, Va.

Eggs

from page 1 what the Manolio family did.”

After a two-year hiatus, Eddy’s Fruit Farm in Chester Township became the host location for 2022. The display contains thousands of colorful eggs arranged into different patterns to create familiar spring scenes — with ducks, bunnies and Easter-related themes.

Tomaro said working with Bart Eddy was a natural fit. Tomaro has been visiting Eddy’s since he was a kid.

“It was my family’s Sunday drive to get apples and cider,” Tomaro said, adding when Tomaro started an ice cream concession, he bought candy apples from Eddy’s Fruit Farm for the business.

“We just started talking about it (‘Eggshelland’) and Bart said, ‘We’ve got this space,’ and we both thought it was a good idea,” said Tomaro.

“Eggshelland” is set indoors this year.

The thoroughbred industry has changed for the worse over the years, she said.

While there are many beautiful and talented racehorses coming off the track now, Melvin warns they need special attention and they aren’t for the amateur rider.

“You have to have horse skills to take on a track horse,” she said.

The average foal is weaned early and turned out to pasture for a year with a herd.

They are brought into training before they are 2 years old and many stables don’t have the time to bother with handling or teaching them manners, she said.

If they run fast enough, they are shipped from track to track for races and kept in a stall most of the time, seldom bonding with humans, which can lead to a number of bad habits and behaviors, Melvin said.

“Track horses are treated like a commodity,” she said, but many high-strung horses don’t respond well.

When they finally become slow, unsafe or lame, they are sold, privately or at auction.

Melvin recommended when a track horse is acquired, it should be turned out to pasture for a while and handled as much as it will tolerate.

“Boot them out for six months. Then they can learn how to be a horse,” she said, adding it is called “letting them down” by horse trainers.

Teaching them safe barn behavior can be done during this time, but it may take years for a thoroughbred off the track to quit habits like stall walking, Melvin said.

When she is called to address a track horse with issues, she has an idea of what she is dealing with, but it can take several visits before she can do a full massage.

“A lot of track horses don’t like to be touched,” Melvin said, and she advises the handlers be patient. “They have to understand this is a different life.”

Filling the large barn at Eddy’s, the benefits of an indoor display not only help preserve the painted shells from harsh Northeast Ohio weather, but also makes visiting the display more pleasant in unpredictable weather.

Putting the display together is a collaborative effort.

“I move everything to the site, but my business partner, John (Frato), does the decorating,” Tomaro said. “John does a phenomenal job of putting it all together. There is no blueprint — once we lay out the dynamics in our head, then we start placing stuff.”

Visitors are greeted by a human-size bunny as they enter the barn at Eddy’s. The display then wraps around the interior of the barn with lighted vignettes and plaques offering the history of “Eggshelland” and information about The Euclid Beach Boys.

Some may better know The Euclid Beach Boys as the owners of the Rocket Ship Car that can be seen touring groups of people around Cleveland. Tomaro and Frato have focused on preserving memorabilia from

Thursday, April 7, 2022

SUBMITTED

Equine massage helps horses relax and recover from injuries. Massage can also help horses with behavior problems adjust to new environments and human handling. Massage therapist Debby Melvin from Trumbull County, not pictured, recently spoke on massage to the Western Reserve Mule and Donkey Club at Middlefield Library.

She also recommends lots of grooming and handling. If any horse bonds with a human and learns the handler is the “boss mare” or alpha of the herd, that animal usually comes around.

Then massage can make the horse more relaxed and amenable to training, Melvin said.

“Anybody can do it. It doesn’t take any special skill,” she said, adding she is happy to teach the basic points of a massage to whoever handles the horse.

“Start by putting your hands on them. Learn what’s normal for them,” she told the club members who met at the Middlefield Library. “You may have to adjust your thought processes. The horse will tell you what’s going on.”

Although she has never done massage

therapy on a donkey or mule, many of the equine cousins likely will have the same reactions to massage and, overall, it will make a better bond, Melvin said.

One club member said she had a female donkey – called a Jenny – who was “the worst example of a donkey,” but two years ago, she found a well-mannered pasture friend and started to come around.

“She never liked me. She never liked anyone. Now she’s just wonderful,” she said.

Having good company and regular pasture time does a lot to help a horse adjust to the world of caring humans, Melvin said.

“When an animal comes from a bad situation, they put up a wall. It’s hard to get over it,” she said. “A lot of abused horses need (massage).”

VALERIE S. CLAUSE/KMG

Visitors to “Eggshelland” at Eddy’s Fruit Farm in Chester Township are greeted by a human-size bunny coloring eggs in a vintage kitchen.

Euclid Beach and Geauga Lake.

Much like the memories generated by those amusement parks, “Eggshelland” was too beloved to let end with Manolio’s death.

“I know nothing lasts forever, but it just brings back so many memories,” Tomaro said. “People don’t want to let go of these things from their childhood.”

The Eddy family farm history dates back to 1869. Clay Eddy, the 93-year-old family patriarch and fourth-generation farmer, was born and raised at the farm. His family now assists with orchard operations, the on-site market and events.

Tomaro is grateful for the help of spon-

sors like Eddy’s and Brandt’s Candies, located in Willoughby.

“This has always been a free family event,” Tomaro said. “But if it wasn’t for Eddy’s and Brant’s Candies, we couldn’t do this.

As sponsors, they’re the ones who make this possible.”

Eddy’s Fruit Farm is located at 12079 Caves Road. “Eggshelland” is open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors are asked to enter from the Wilson Mills Road entrance. There is ample parking and the barn is handicapped accessible. “Eggshelland” will end on Easter, April 17, 2022.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Page 7

Auditor of State Advises on ARPA Spending Berkshire Heights Sewage Plant Discussed

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com

Many government entities in Geauga County are still trying to figure out how to spend their federal COVID-19 dollars within the parameters set in the American Rescue Plan Act. ARPA funds distributed early in the pandemic had strict guidelines and left some public officials struggling to meet them without losing the surfeit dollars before the spending deadline. Some of the restrictions have been lifted and deadlines changed in the last year.

Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber sat down with Geauga County Commissioner Tim Lennon, Geauga Park District Commissioner Pat Preston and state Rep. Diane Grendell in Preston’s office April 1 to answer questions and offer advice regarding ARPA funds.

First, he cautioned against using the funds that will be distributed over two years to most government entities, for operational expenses such as payroll or retirement plans.

Those expenses should be figured into the entity’s regular budget, Faber said, adding economic development would be one place to use the ARPA funds.

A second suggestion is for those receiving funds to figure out how to benefit the community’s tax base, he said.

For instance, adding water or sewer lines to improve an area would also be good for the tax base, Faber said.

Third, he encouraged townships, villages, cities and the county to “save for a rainy day” and meet the self-auditable requirements, documenting expenditures tied to the ARPA distributions.

Lennon asked if ARPA funds could be used to offset the cost of the Berkshire Heights wastewater treatment plant and save 114 homes from being assessed more than $4 million for construction of a wastewater treatment plant, sewer lines and connection costs.

The cost for each home has been estimated at above $30,000.

Guilty

from page 1 “We’re obviously very pleased that the jury looked at the evidence, looked at the medical evidence, and looked at all the hard work that detectives from the sheriff’s office did, and reached a guilty verdict on the murder count,” Flaiz said.

The age of the case added difficulty for the prosecution, he added, because the autopsy was conducted decades ago and changes in methods and scientific standards presented challenges.

Additionally, Flaiz said the statute of limitations had run out on every potential charge except for murder and aggravated murder.

Normally, Ritchey would have been charged with crimes like tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, among others, he said.

In October 2019, Ritchey’s lawyer, Steven Bradley, asked Ondrey to move her case out of Geauga County due to widespread publicity, including “publicity that harkens back

ANN WISHART/KMG

Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber, left, Geauga Park District Commissioner Pat Preston and Geauga County Commissioner Tim Lennon, right, met April 1 to discuss the American Rescue Plan Act distribution to government entities. Also pictured, left, is state Rep. Diane Grendell.

Many of the houses in the old hillside development in Chardon Township are valued on the Geauga County Auditor’s Office website at less than $200,000.

In 2020, when the cost of construction was estimated at over $5 million, resident Joanne Eging, 91, said the cost to pay for the improvements, connection to the new sewer lines and to have her recently-updated septic system destroyed will be about $40,000.

Many in the neighborhood are on fixed incomes, so paying more than $1,000 a year in assessments over 35 years would be impossible, she said.

Additionally, the fees attached to their property taxes would make the homes hard to sell, residents said.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency tested the community outflow from all the septic systems years ago and found a high level of pollution. Instead of tracking down the properties responsible for the

more than 20 years ago.”

Ondrey deferred ruling on that request and the trial began in September 2021.

After the verdict, Bradley told the Associated Press he was “shocked and surprised” by the outcome.

“I certainly respect the jury’s verdict, but the state frankly did not have enough evidence to meet their burden of proof,” he said.

Bradley also questioned evidence presented by the Cuyahoga County coroner that the baby was born alive.

Ritchey was isolated and alone, and had never seen herself as pregnant, he said.

During the trial, the defense team for Ritchey — who did not testify — asked for acquittal on the grounds that the crime, if it occurred, took place in Cuyahoga County.

A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Flaiz said Ritchey is subject to the sentencing that was applicable in 1993, but the sentence for murder has not changed in that time.

The only available sentence for Ritchey is life in prison, with parole eligibility after 15 years, he said.

John Karlovec contributed to this article.

contamination and ordering those septic systems to be replaced, the EPA determined the entire development had to be put on sewers. The treatment plant and lines are completed, but individual home connections have not been started due to a lawsuit.

“The EPA has one tool – a sledge hammer,” Faber said, calling the situation there “huge.”

The county has up to $10 million in discretionary funds in the ARPA distribution, and work on water and sewer systems is high on the priority list, he said.

However, one of the ARPA parameters is the funds cannot be spent for projects for which local funds have been allocated, which Lennon said is the case at Berkshire Heights..

Faber said his team of analysts may be better equipped to determine if the county commissioners may legally help offset the costs of the new facility.

He told Lennon to confirm that answer before the commissioners spend the ARPA money on the Berkshire Heights plant.

“I can’t give forgiveness, but I can give permission,” Faber said. “You guys have to make a decision in the best interests of Geauga County.”

During a discussion about the issues between the Geauga Park District and the Geauga County Budget Commission, Faber asked a number of questions and then said, “That’s an area I don’t interact with. I know we can’t overrule (the budget commission’s) decision.”

He also recommended negotiation rather than legal action and mentioned he had visited with the Geauga County auditor earlier in the day.

“In 86 of 88 counties (in Ohio), everybody works together, even if they have political disagreements. Do mediation. It’s always better,” Faber said, adding there may be a legislative fix, but there are usually political ramifications.

Obituaries William R. Ryks

MUNSON TWP. – William R. “Bill” Ryks, age 73, of Munson Township, unexpectedly passed away on Friday, April 1, 2022, at his home.

Born April 17, 1948, in East Cleveland, to William T. and Anne (nee Marko) Ryks, and raised in University Heights.

Bill owned and operated several car washes throughout Northeast Ohio.

He enjoyed trains, with a large train display in his basement, watching his grandchildren play soccer, his Mustang and Vintage Gas Pump Collection, and had a great love for his black labs Zoey and Macie.

Survivors include his wife, Dagmar (nee Schutt) Ryks, of Munson, whom he married May 13, 1972; children, David

(Vanessa) Ryks and Shaun (Tara) Ryks, all of Munson; and grandchildren, Shelby, Aubrey, Brantley, Annaliese, Lila, Juliette and Micah.

Bill also leaves his brother, Raymond (Cathie) Ryks, of Myrtle Beach, S.C. He was predeceased by his parents.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, from 5-8 p.m., at Burr Funeral Home, 116 South St., Chardon.

Funeral service will be Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at 11 a.m., at the funeral home, with Fr. Chris McCann of St. Luke Church officiating. Burial will follow in Chardon Municipal Cemetery.

Arrangements made by Burr Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Chardon.

Information and condolences online at www.burrservice.com.

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Claridon Township

Zoning Commission Explores Flag Lot Regulation

By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com Claridon Township Trustees discussed new regulations the township zoning commission could present that would allow home construction on flag lots during their April 4 meeting.

A flag lot is a large parcel with minimum road frontage. If the property only has 250 or 350 feet of frontage, only one house and one driveway are permitted there under current Claridon zoning regulations.

Trustee Jonathan Tiber said he has asked the zoning commission to explore the possibility of writing a strict amendment to the zoning resolution that would permit at least two homes to a driveway.

“The zoning commission has to tread

very carefully. We don’t want to encourage developments,” he said. “Is there any real harm to having two houses on 80 acres?”

Claridon resident Dennis Kellogg said the township needs to look into it.

“There are a lot of properties that could be good with flag lots. Going forward, I can’t see an issue,” he said.

Tiber said the zoning commission plans to work with the Geauga County Planning Commission to create the new regulations. If it’s not possible to create a regulation that will stand up to legal challenges, it won’t happen, he said.

“Our default is to keep things as they are,” Tiber said.

In other business, trustees discussed the newly-created cemetery group with recent volunteers Carol Palansky and Melanie Yats-

ko, both of Old State Road.

Palansky made a case for keeping some of the bushes and trees that have caused maintenance personnel some problems, offering to advise on trimming and reshaping those in place and planting others.

“We have to respect the plants,” she said.

Yatsko asked how much beautification the group can undertake without requiring too much labor and cost.

Tiber said the township has been saving money for the restoration of its cemeteries and urged the volunteers to “branch out” from the headstone and mausoleum renovations.

The cemetery beautification group is one of three informal groups established. An events group and a history group are all in the works, Tiber said.

He also discussed the introduction of Ohio House Bill 463 that, if passed into law, would eliminate the Geauga County Health Advisory Council that appoints members to the county health board Under the proposed law, the five individuals on the health board would be appointed by the county commissioners, he said.

HB 463 would also change the make up of the health board, he said.

Currently, board members are appointed by a majority of votes from the health advisory council made up of one member from each municipal council or township board of trustees.

“I don’t like doing away with the health advisory council,” Tiber said. “The county commissioners have enough appointing authority.”

Chardon Chamber Shines Light on Local Businesses

By Rose Nemunaitis editor@karlovecmedia.com Patricia McCaskey chatted with family inside St. Denis Golf Course & Party Center, every so often eyeing the entrance for her son, Jim McCaskey.

It was a special night for the matriarch of the McCaskey family.

“You can’t even begin to understand how proud I am,” said Patricia, mother of five sons. “They are an incredible group of young men.”

But this night, in particular, belonged to her middle son, Jim, owner of McCaskey Landscape & Design, who was recently named Business Person of the Year by the Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber held its annual awards ceremony March 29 at St. Denis, recognizing the contributions of chamber business members and the positive impacts they have on the community.

“Jim lives and breathes Chardon and Geauga County,” said Cathy Peters, chamber board of directors president.

Peters said Jim, who began his growing business back in 2003, is the epitome of caring for his community.

“It’s extremely special to be recognized by your business peers as they recognize your hard work and dedication to the community,” Jim said. “It’s like winning the ‘Oscars’ in the Chardon business community.”

Melissa Ricco, chamber executive director, said Chardon is a small enough community that everyone is able to get to know each other.

“People here in Chardon want to be involved and positively shape the environment,” Ricco said. “What is special about Chardon is that we have so many individuals, groups, and small and large business owners that truly care about our city and surrounding area.”

Like Mike Butt, Chardon lands and building supervisor, who was recipient of this year’s Maple Leaf Community Impact Award.

Butt said along with his small crew of two, they maintain the Chardon Square, municipal center, theater and old village hall, and help out with all events that happen on in the square.

“I am very honored to receive this award,” Butt said. “I am just doing what I love and thankful for my wife, Tina, and daughter,

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Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year Jim McCaskey (holding award), owner of McCaskey Landscape & Design, is surrounded by his family, who surprised him at the chamber event March 29 at St. Denis Golf Course & Party Center in Chardon.

ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG

Pictured is Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce scholarship recipient Zach Kalis, of Chardon High School, with his parents at the 2022 chamber event held March 29 at St. Denis Golf Course & Party Center in Chardon.

Ashlei, for volunteering with me to make it a family affair. Some people work to live, but I live to work.

“Chardon is a terrific city because of all the great people,” he added. “It takes everyone to make this city so great. We are blessed to have so many wonderful organizations and volunteers to make everything run so smooth. I’m proud to be a graduate of, raise my family and live in, Chardon.”

Two $1,000 scholarships were awarded to Chardon High School seniors Zach Kalis and Charlotte Bennett.

“Chardon has provided me with a sense of belonging and community, which I will cherish forever,” Kalis said. “I am grateful to have met all of my best friends at Chardon and gone through first to 12th grade with them. It is an

ROSE NEMUNAITIS/KMG

Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce members pose with Maple Leaf Community Impact Award recipient Mike Butt, Chardon lands and building supervisor, and his wife and daughter.

honor to have received this scholarship because many other outstanding students with impressive resumes applied and I was one of two chosen. It feels wonderful to be acknowledged by my community in such a way.”

Kalis said the scholarship will help defray the cost of attending The University of Cincinnati, and he has been accepted into the Lindner Honors College Program.

Upon graduation, he hopes to work in operations management for a large automotive manufacturer.

Other award recipients included Walmart Supercenter of Chardon, which was named Large Business of the Year; Polished Salon & Boutique LLC, named Small Business of the Year; and Geauga Growth Partnership, named Organization of the Year.

“With a vision to become the lead economic driver in Geauga County, (GGP) fulfills its mission to enhance the economic climate in Geauga County by attracting new business, supporting existing businesses and preparing the workforce for the future,” Peters told the audience.

Proceeds from the Chamber event help sustain the scholarships and additional programming.

“Chardon is a very tight knit community where everybody knows everybody, but more importantly, helps one another,” Jim said.

“It’s a place where competing businesses join forces to help a worthy cause. It’s also where it’s hard to get in and out of the grocery store quickly, as you bump into everyone you know, and stop just to say, ‘Hi.’”

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Page 9

Deaf, Blind Dog Inspires Book About Hope, Life

By Kristin LeFeber editor@karlovecmedia.com Every dog lover can understand the warmth a cold nose can provide, but not all of them can say their four-legged friend was their greatest teacher.

Chester Township resident Tracy Richards can.

The author of a new memoir titled, “Asha: Lessons in Hope and Life,” Richards wrote about her dog, Asha, a deaf, blind and epileptic Australian Shepherd who entered her life more than 11 years ago and proceeded to change it in nearly every way.

“I got the dog because I was looking for purpose. I didn’t like who I was. I had lost my spark,” Richards said in a recent phone interview. “Honestly, in a very selfish way, I hoped other people would look at me for doing this great thing.”

Richards knew Asha was deaf and blind when she adopted her as a 5-month-old puppy. After two weeks with her, Asha began having seizures.

“I just thought I couldn’t be a lazy pet owner,” Richards recalled. “I wouldn’t be able to call her. I’d have to get up to get her. I thought that would be the scope. I was so naive,” From the beginning, Asha was difficult.

In addition to her obvious disabilities, she also struggled with chronic anxiety and sleep issues. She seemingly could not self soothe.

“She never slept. She was frantic. She would spin and bark, spin and bark. Nothing you could do would calm her down,” Richards said. “I would sleep on the floor in the bathroom with her and she would wake up every

15-20 minutes all night long.”

Medication helped with the seizures and the anxiety, but Richards was relentless in trying to help, in trying to prove she could take care of her dog. She tried Chinese medicine doctors, food therapy, animal communicators, acupuncture and finally, a behavioral veterinarian.

Then, a simple trip to a pet store became a revelation.

“I took her to PetSmart. It saved her life,” Richards said.

There, Asha was adored by the staff and other customers. They greeted her openly and gave her the human attention she loved.

Richards was able to get a break and step back and really observe her dog.

“She would use her nose to touch all the tags on the items down the aisles,” Richards said. “I could see joy and happiness and love of life in Asha. It gave me hope that Asha could have a life that could be manageable.”

Asha’s curiosity, fascination with life and love of people inspired Richards. She admitted to, at first, putting on a brave face and acting as if everything was under control, that she wasn’t having problems in her life with Asha or otherwise.

“I shared the story I thought people wanted to hear,” Richards said. “But the truth of our lives is not flowery — there is a lot of mess. As Asha is getting older, I am trying to process our life together. I wanted to pull the curtain back. She showed me I was impatient and selfish, but she also showed me that those things I didn’t like about myself weren’t really me after all. If you want patience, don’t

Walder, Faber Discuss Cyber Security

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Chester Township resident Tracy Richards has written a memoir about her journey raising Asha, a deaf, blind and epileptic Australian Shepherd.

pray for patience, pray for opportunities to be patient. The Universe gave me this opportunity in bucket loads.”

Richard’s book about Asha is scheduled

Joyce Secures $4.3 Million For Geauga County Projects

Staff Report

Staff Report

Many counties in Ohio are threatened by hackers, viruses and a variety of Internet crimes — a hazard Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder is taking very seriously.

Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber visited with Walder and his staff March 31 to explore Geauga County’s efforts to ward off those Internet crimes that can cause extreme financial pain.

During the visit, the auditors shared concerns about responsible county fiscal practices and cyber security, Walder said in a statement.

“Our conversation involved in-depth discussion of the current cyber-threats experienced by all counties at this time,” Walder said in a follow-up text. “He asked about what steps we were taking and we discussed our recent use of black-box RedTeam to perform a county-wide vulnerability penetration test of our facilities, as well as our recent inspection by (U.S. Department of) Homeland Security personnel.”

According to the RedTeam Security Threat Prevention Experts webpage, when testing software or a network, the black-box testing is a method in which the testers performing it have zero knowledge of the software’s internal structure, source code or network they’re testing.

“Auditor Faber is Ohio’s chief compliance officer and his office works to make Ohio’s government more efficient, effective and

Last month, U.S. Congressman Dave Joyce (R-Bainbridge Township) announced $18 million for projects in Northeast Ohio, with $4.3 million dedicated to Geauga County infrastructure.

The funds were secured as part of the 2022 House Appropriations Act. Joyce said in a statement he was proud to have secured the funding requests for local communities.

“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I take seriously the responsibility to not only scrutinize federal spending, but also direct it where it’s needed most back home,” Joyce said. “I look forward to having these tax dollars returned to Northeast Ohio and seeing the positive impact they have in our communities.”

Of the portion dedicated to Geauga County, $3.5 million will go toward improvements at the Chagrin Falls wastewater treatment plant on Meadow Lane, which serves Chagrin Falls, as well as portions of Bentleyville, Moreland Hills, South Russell, Russell Township and Bainbridge Township.

Joyce’s office said the plant is the county’s largest, treating over a million gallons per day, and has in the past received violations from the U.S. Environmental Protection agency.

The funds secured will go toward

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Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber, left, visited the office of Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder on March 31 to discuss cyber security.

transparent by placing checks and balances on state and local governments for taxpayers,” Walder said.

In the last decade, as cyber-crime has increased, government entities have had to take on the responsibility of protecting taxpayers’ dollars and information from tech-savvy criminals.

“Auditors are a vital safeguard in protecting your public funds,” Walder said. “Auditor Faber and I take our roles very seriously. I would like to thank Auditor Faber for visiting our office today. Geauga County is best served when government officials work together.”

to be published in September. Pre-sale and more information on supporting the publishing of her book can be found on her website at www.tracyrichards.com.

improvements and repairs necessary to ensure the plant can continue to protect public health and maintain the health and vitality of McFarland Creek and the Chagrin River.

An additional $800,000 in federal funds have been set aside for improvements and repairs to the McFarland Wastewater Treatment Plant, located on Chagrin River Road, to meet increased environmental protection regulations.

Steve Oluic, director of the Geauga County Water Resources department, said the funding will keep the county on track to meet the compliance agreement it has with the EPA. “This $800,000 will go a long way in renovating and upgrading the McFarland Wastewater Treatment Plant and helping to safeguard McFarland Creek, a tributary of the Chagrin River,” Oluic said.

Chagrin Falls Mayor William Tomko extended his thanks to Joyce, as well as U.S. sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown, for securing the funds.

“The federal funding will materially reduce the cost of this required plant modernization. These costs would have otherwise had to have been paid by sewer charges on customer’s utility bills,” Tomko said in a press release. “Representative Joyce, in particular, made enormous efforts on behalf of residents of our area, (which) are greatly appreciated.”

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Page 10

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Letters to the Editor Say No More The strong Plain Dealer endorsement for Geauga County Auditor is spot on: Mr. Chuck Walder. Say no more.

Sheldon Firem Hambden Township

Dvorak, Rotary Support Veterans For the past several Octobers, Jeep enthusiasts have enjoyed a 90-minute tour of beautiful Geauga County in its full fall splendor, while helping the veterans throughout the state and county.

The “Geauga Jeep Invasion” was the brainchild of Jim Dvorak and has been growing since its inception.

When Mr. Dvorak visited me to explain the concept, I was unsure how successful it would be. Successful is an understatement!!

This event is eagerly anticipated by Jeep enthusiasts throughout Ohio and several neighboring states. It celebrates our beautiful county, honors the lives and sacrifices of our veterans and military, and raises substantial money for our veteran charities within the local community.

VALOR Retreat, a Chesterland 501(c)3 charity, building cabins for our combat veteran’ and Gold Star families in Hocking Hills, has been the honored recipient of this generosity. We are so thankful to the Burton-Middlefield Rotary for its sponsorship of this event and look forward to celebrating this year’s October Jeep event with Commissioner Dvorak in 2022.

Barbara Titus, Vice President/Director VALOR Retreat

Walder: Track Record for Fiscal Responsibility Many recycled, modified signs used for Tim Grendell’s election campaign have popped up without Tim’s name and the slogan “Experience Matters.”

Diane Grendell, as far as I can see, has zero experience as an auditor. The only person running with experience is Chuck Walder, the current Geauga County Auditor.

Rep. Grendell has experience being elected to the House of Representatives with huge campaign donations steered to her from the House Republican Campaign Committee controlled by the disgraced Speaker Larry Householder.

She seems to take every opportunity to get a photo-op to keep her name out there for

re-election. Has she done some good things?

Perhaps. Is she a good candidate for auditor?

Not in my book.

Are we to assume Diane Grendell does not speak with her husband on his frustrations with the Geauga County Auditor’s Office? Is her run for this office purely to help the people of Geauga County? It would seem she and her husband believe we are just sheep who will follow the loudest leader no matter how they would perform.

As a former Geauga County Deputy Auditor, I for one will cast my vote for someone with the experience and track record of fiscal responsibility, and not for a career politician with an axe to grind!

Please join me in voting for Charles Walder on May 3, 2022.

Bill Wheelock City of Chardon

Friends in Lowest Places “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who YOU are.”

Diane Grendell seems to be a favored friend of once powerful, now disgraced Larry Householder, former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives in Columbus. Bribery, lies, dark money from out-of-state donors in Republican coffers, betrayal of the public trust, these are among the suspicious clouds over Householder’s head stemming from the House Bill 6 utility bailout scandal.

Householder’s name is at the center of this ongoing investigation that follows the trail of $60 million in bribery money. Her first day on the job in Columbus, appointed to fill a vacant seat by her friend Larry Householder, Mrs. Grendell voted to pass HB 6, the bailout and bribery bill that is still costing Ohio taxpayers money to this day.

Now that her friend is out of power in Columbus, she wants to be Geauga County Auditor. Do we want a person even remotely connected to this bribery scandal handling the finances of our county? No! Vote to re-elect Chuck Walder for Geauga County Auditor. His integrity and record of service are beyond reproach.

Kathleen Webb Munson Township

Intentionally Deceptive Loser After receiving Walter Claypool’s campaign literature announcing he is on the ballot in the Republican primary for Geauga County Commissioner, I am a bit confused.

His mailings and his roadside signs say “Re-Elect.” Usually the term “Re-Elect” refers to an incumbent. But to be clear, he is not the incumbent Geauga County Commissioner. Mr. James Dvorak is the incumbent and is seeking “Re-Election.”

I am left with the impression that this is intentionally deceptive wording from Mr. Claypool. Claypool was a Geauga County commissioner from 2015 – 2018, but lost his Republican primary election on May 8, 2018, to Mr. Dvorak.

He was a Chester Township trustee from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2021. He again lost his re-election bid in 2021.

Is he a career politician who will run for any opening? Was using the term “re-elect” a means to infer he is an incumbent when he is not?

Personally, I find this deceptive and misleading to the residents of Geauga County and taints the election process. Mr. Claypool has lost enough times that he should pack his bags and stop trying to run for any office that appears open.

Linda Barnes Gifford Chester Township

Exacting Revenge On Parks I appreciated the Fan Mail. I would like to respond to my critics: 1) I have been running successful companies for almost 50 years. No, we do not pay bill without invoices.

2) The Geauga County Parks account for every penny of taxpayer funds. All bills and invoices are reconciled.

3) Judge Grendell and Auditor Walder’s conflict is between them. Since Walder and Flaiz are unable to win in court, they have exacted their revenge on the Geauga Park System.

4) The Park District has worked with a budget of $6 million for almost 20 years. In 2022 and 2023, Walder and Flaiz cut our park budget by $2 million, or 31%.

During the past two years our parks have been a safe refuge for Geauga County residents to exercise, enjoy nature and decompress. If Walder and Flaiz succeed, we will need to close parks and reduce services.

Pat Preston, Commissioner Geauga Park District

and Privilege Who’s the Real RINO? Honor It was an honor and a privilege to serve

Just received my shiny mailer from Walter “Skip” Claypool, running again for county commissioner.

The flyer he passed out at the county fair last time he was running, which by the way, he used his county email address and phone number as contact information, and was also paid for by Friends of Skip Claypool. For someone who believes in “responsible and accountable government,” he should know better.

Oh, he uses his “go to” terms like woke, CRT, limited government and no more RINOS; quite expected that from him.

Jim Dvorak has lived in this county for 40 years. Skip moved here and shortly after founded the Geauga County Tea Party in 2012. He’s been wreaking havoc in the Geauga GOP and the county ever since.

Claypool’s track record is getting appointed, run again, lose, and then run for something else. Who’s the real RINO? The thing that really upsets me about his latest mailer is when he states that he is endorsed by the veterans. No offense “Skip,” so is Jim Dvorak. Jim spearheaded two veterans’ fundraisers along with the Burton-Middlefield Rotary called Geauga Jeep Invasion and Jeep Night: One at Madrick’s in Newbury that raised over $10,000 in May of 2021 and another one at Mayfield Drive-In in October of 2021 raised $17,000. I didn’t see you there.

How many veterans fundraisers have you spearheaded? And by that, I mean did all the hard work to make it happen, not just show up!

Dvorak has been involved in plenty of county and community events long before he was a commissioner. Claypool’s flyer does nothing but attack his opponent. Get real “Skip,” start by telling what exactly you’ll do.

One question, if you lose again, where will you get appointed or what will you run for next? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rose Yaecker Newbury Township

on the Health District Advisory Council for the first time and be part of the appointment process for a new board of health member.

Many residents wrote letters, made phone calls and attended meetings voicing the opinion that change was needed, and the HDAC agreed and appointed Carolyn Brakey, who has been attending BOH meetings and familiarizing herself with the duties of the board for the past year.

I look forward to continued progress at GPH in serving the needs, and regaining the trust, of the public. I wish Mrs. Brakey and the rest of the board all the best in achieving those goals.

Chris Alusheff Aquilla Village

Walder Protects Taxpayer Dollars I am writing to endorse Chuck Walder for Geauga County Auditor.

As a CPA, we need proper checks and balances within our government and Chuck has proven that he follows the laws and watches out for our taxpayer dollars.

As a former elected auditor, I am disappointed that a longtime legislator would run for a position with an obvious conflict of interest. She has shown she only cares about herself and husband, because she has ignored what is a glaring conflict of interest.

There was also a mention of how she would reduce taxes. This is just a blatant attempt to fool the voters of Geauga County, as an auditor works with the tax mills voted on by the people.

Chuck has been the moderate and consistent voice as the Auditor for Geauga County.

As a finance director for a municipality, his professionalism and the transparency of the office are exceptional, and Geauga County should retain Chuck Walder.

Larry Heiser Chester Township

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Guest Column Crime Victims’ Rights Rally April 28 We often assume that “justice” for crime victims simply means justice in the courtroom — a guilty verdict for the offender, and sentencing commiserate with the seriousness of their crime.

But for those who experienced direct harm as a result of the crime, abstract legal notions of justice tend to give way to personal beliefs and feelings about what is just. “Justice” means something different to each victim.

Criminal convictions are important to many victims, but often what is even more important is that they be treated with compassion and respect, regardless of the outcome of the case. Helping survivors find their justice means enforcing victim’s rights, listening to and making victims’ needs and wishes a priority, and providing victims’ with access to the resources and services that can help them heal.

We have come a long way toward establishing and safeguarding victims’ rights. On Nov. 7, 2017, Ohio voters passed Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment replacing Ohio’s current amendment. Marsy’s Law was passed by a record-breaking 83% of Ohio voters.

Marsy’s Law is named after “Marsy” Nicholas. Marsy was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Only a week after she was murdered, her mother and brother walked into a grocery store after visiting Marsy’s grave, where they were confronted by the accused murderer. The family had no idea he had been released on bail. He

remained free on bail until his conviction.

Equal rights for the victim is the central theme of Marsy’s Law. It only ensures that victim have the same rights as the accused — nothing more, nothing less. The amendment guarantees that victims have a say and that their rights are clear, enforceable and permanent.

I feel those in law enforcement, the justice sys- tem and across the community have embraced Marsy’s Law and are eager to implement the various components that provide crime victims’ and their families these rights they truly deserve.

Awareness weeks like National Crime Victims’ Rights Week encourage solidarity and visibility for individuals who really need the support.

The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, in commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 24-30, 2022, is hosting a Crime Victims’ Rights Rally to raise awareness about crime victims’ issues and rights and introduce the community to the important resources and services available.

Please join the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and many other county agencies at 6 p.m. April 28 at Chardon Square for a candlelight vigil/glowstick walk.

If you are or someone you know if a victim and you are uncertain of your rights, please contact me at 440- 279-2062.

Tracy Jordan, CA Victim Advocate Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Director of Geauga LOSS Team

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

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Geauga Growth Partnership recently partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers, inviting over 100 students to attend a Career Pathway Panel, followed by a tour of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and the Cavs vs. Hornets game. In total, 120 students and chaperones attended the event, which aimed to inspire students to begin considering their future career pathway while having the experience of attending a Cavs game.

Growth Partnership Prepares The Workforce of the Future

By Kristin LeFeber editor@karlovecmedia.com Local students looking for guidance with career awareness or readiness need to look no further than their own county for support.

Geauga Growth Partnership offers a wide variety of workshops and programs for middle school and high school students who are interested in preparing for their future in the workplace.

GGP’s Youth Workforce Incubator Program, previously known as the GGP Summer Internship Program, provides students with broad workplace experiences through a paid summer internship with a county business.

“While summer internships may take place on the manufacturing floor, students also have the opportunity to learn other parts of the business such as sales and marketing and HR. The goal is for them to see, touch and feel all parts of the business,” said Betsy Covington, director of engagement for GGP. The program has recently been expanded to include Friday workshops, which all YWIP students join. These workshops enhance the learning experience by teaching other workplace related skills, such as resume building, interviewing, job searching and how to use social media platforms such as LinkedIn to their advantage.

“It’s really a robust program where they will learn a lot,” said Covington. “They will walk away with employability skills and hopefully a clearer idea of their career path.”

Past participating students agree the summer program can be integral to their future success. “(GGP) has really set me up well as I transition into internships in college and my career beyond that,” said Evan

Ditchman, graduate of Hawken Upper School in Gates Mills and a current student at Dartmouth College, in a video interview. “I would really highly recommend their program to anyone, especially high school students, as Geauga Growth Partnership provides great resources to build strong professional fundamentals.”

The deadline to be a host business for the YWIP has been extended and the application deadline for students 15-18 years old is April 15.

In addition to career readiness, GGP provides opportunities for career awareness, as well. On March 2, GGP partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers to invite over 100 students to attend a Career Pathway Panel, followed by a tour of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and the Cavs vs. Hornets game.

This event was designed to make students aware of career pathways available at the Cavs organization, not only in sports management, but in sales, public relations, marketing and human resources.

GGP is holding another career awareness event on April 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Kent State University – Geauga. Called the Career Exploration Open House, this event will introduce students, parents and educators to the idea of connecting passion with career opportunities particularly in Northeast Ohio, according to the organization.

In addition, students will participate in workshops aimed at identifying their talents and passions and linking them to a career pathway. Students will meet businesses who have agreed to become incubator hosts and who can apply for the YWIP. For more information about this event or any other opportunity at GGP, contact Covington at bcovington@geaugagrowth.com.

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Rabbit Run Offers Variety of Arts, Theater Options Submitted It’s not too soon to think about plans for kids for the summer. Youth of all ages have tons of fun discovering hidden talents in many different fine arts camps available at Rabbit Run Community Arts Association in Madison.

Art Camp is for anyone who likes to be creative and maybe make a mess in the process. In these one-week camps, campers, ages preschool to 16, get elbow deep in paint, pastels and other mediums as they create original two- and three-dimensional works of art.

Youth Art Camps meets Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Art Camp for ages 7 through 10 is June 13 through June 17, and camp for ages 11 through 16 is June 20 through June 24. Preschool Art Camp meets Monday through Friday from 10 to 11:00 a.m., Aug. 1 through Aug. 5.

Pop Star Camp, June 20 through June 24, gets youth ages five through 10 up and moving as they learn to sing and dance like their favorite pop star. This one-week day camp is from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Campers delve into all areas of the theater arts including drama, music, dance, costumes, make-up, and stage craft in both the Junior Theater Camp for ages four through eight and the Explorer’s Theater Camp for ages eight through 15.

Campers also participate in arts and crafts and age-appropriate games. At the end of each theater camp, actors share their talents with parents in an end-of-week program.

Explorer’s Camp is for those who are new to theater and are looking for a great introduction to the world of drama. The camp meets from 1 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, June 27 through July 1.

Just for Juniors Camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Just for Juniors is a one-week camp, June 27 through July 1, introducing young children to the world of theater through song, dance, and lots of imagination.

For more information, call RRCAA at 440428-5913 or visit www.rabbitrun.org .

RRCAA is a non-profit organization offering year-round instruction in all the major disciplines of the fine and performing arts.

RRCAA receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, Dworken & Bernstein Co., LPA, Hearn Plumbing and Heating, Huffman-Mayer-Paolo Wealth Mgmt. Group and Junction Auto.

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How Kids Can Have Memorable Summer Camp Experiences As hours of sunlight increase, thoughts may turn to summer vacation. For many children, summer vacation wouldn’t be the same without camp.

Adults may have their own fond memories of going to summer camp when they were children because of the opportunities it presented to be independent and meet new people. Campers often bond over shared experiences, whether they are planned activities or unexpected “disasters” like a rainstorm washing out a canoe trip. That is why so many parents choose to carry on the summer camp tradition when they have their own children.

The following are some tips for making summer camp an enjoyable experience.

Try many new activities

Plan ahead

Change another camper’s experience

Families can visit the camp in advance and get a lay of the land. Knowing what to expect in terms of facilities and activities can assuage some anxiety. It also will help campers hone in on what to pack and what to expect over the summer.

Summer camp is about expanding boundaries and interests. Campers should sign up for many activities, including those that normally may be out of their wheelhouse. A camper may be pleased to learn that a new craft activity or a sports game piques his or her interest.

Connect with fellow campers

If the camp has a social media presence, follow the camp’s posts and connect with other like-minded campers even before they arrive. Talking with others who share similar interests can help campers feel more comfortable about meeting up once they arrive at camp.

A camper who recognizes a fellow camper is reserved and shy can invite that person to come sit with other friends at meals or to participate in an activity. This can help build a lasting friendship and make camp that much more enjoyable for someone in need.

Geauga County Maple Leaf

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Fairmount Has Classes for Toddlers Through Adult Submitted Is your child ready to delve into the arts this summer? Fairmount Center for the Arts offers weekly half-day and full-day camps designed to spark creativity and exploration of a variety of art forms. From June 1 through July 29, Fairmount will host weekly camps focused on dance, theatre and visual art. In addition to introductory camps, two new intensives in July are being offered for those interested in a deep dive into dance and musical theatre techniques. Fairmount’s camps are geared towards ages 3 through 12, with select opportunities up to age 18.

Fairmount will also offer a variety of classes for toddlers through adults in a shorter summer session. Dance classes include Kinderdance, Itty Bitty Ballet, music video workshops, ballet, tap, and jazz. Budding thespians can hone their skills in a Musical Theatre Audition Techniques Workshop (ages 11-18) in July, while those interested in the visual arts can explore ceramics, wheel throwing, drawing, watercolor, and crochet. Adult fitness classes in yoga and barre will also be offered.

For more information and to register for Fairmount’s camps and class offerings, visit fairmountcenter.org or call 440-338-3171.

Factors to Choosing a Camp MetroCreative Adults often look back fondly on their childhood experiences at summer camp. Camps can provide the opportunity to form lifelong friendships and discover rewarding hobbies that can enrich campers’ lives for decades to come.

Choosing a summer camp is no small task, as the options at families’ disposal range from overnight camps to weekday afternoon camps to camps that specialize in certain programs, such as music or dance. Cost also is likely to factor into families’ decisions, as the American Camp Association notes that cost can vary greatly depending on which camp families choose. For example, the ACA notes that the average daily fee at a resident camp is $85, while the same fee at a day camp is $43.

When looking for a summer camp for kids, families should make the decision together.

Kids should be involved in the selection process, as they’re more likely to have an enjoyable camp experience if they had a say in where they will be spending their summers.

Kids’ interests

The ACA urges parents to consider the child’s interests and personality before choosing a summer camp. Parents might want their children to attend the same summer camp they visited as youngsters, but

each child is different. Just because mom and dad liked a particular camp does not mean their children will.

Locale

Locale may only be a consideration for families considering overnight camps. Kids will likely be familiar with the locations of local day camps, but overnight camps might be set in mountain ranges, near the ocean or environments less familiar to youngsters. Kids who love the ocean might benefit from oceanfront camps that focus on marine biology or boating.

In the same vein, youngsters who like camping and hiking might be more likely to embrace camps located in mountainous regions.

Session length

Camps may last as little as one week or up to a couple of months. Session length should be considered by families looking at both local day camps and overnight resident camps. Parents who want their children to enjoy a largely schedule-free summer might not want to commit their children to lengthy camp sessions, even if those sessions are close to home. If parents think their children can benefit from the same structure they’re accustomed to during the school year, then an overnight camp that stretches for several weeks might be what they’re looking for.

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How to Handle Summer Camp Questions in the Pandemic Era MetroCreative Children make cherished memories at summer camp, where many youngsters first discover passions and hobbies they will enjoy for the rest of their lives.

These past two summers were camp seasons unlike any other. Some camps closed their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

while others downsized their offerings in an effort to keep campers safe while still providing them with a much-needed outlet.

As the new summer camp season approaches, parents may be a little less hesitant about sending their kids to camp than they were a year ago. The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has helped millions of people return to some semblance of normalcy, and

that rollout has put summer camp back in play for families.

Choosing a summer camp is not always so easy, and it might be especially tricky as the world slowly emerges from the pandemic. The following are some tips for parents as they consider if camp is a good idea this summer.

• Consider your comfort level. It’s understandable if parents are hesitant about sending their youngsters to camp this summer. In fact, some camps may still be closed while others may only offer limited day camps this summer. Parents should consider their comfort levels before enrolling kids in camp. Vaccines have proven effective, but COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, and some regions have yet to vaccinate teenagers. Vaccines also have yet to be offered to children under 16. Parents can ask themselves how comfortable they are sending kids to camp, and if they’re hesitant to do so they can explore their alternatives.

• Ask children if they want to go to camp.

Everyone is experiencing some measure of pandemic-related burnout, and that includes kids. Kids may be sick of wearing masks at school all day and, even if they have loved

camp in the past, may not be looking forward to wearing masks all day at camp this summer. Others might not be experiencing such burnout and may see camp as a way to quell boredom at a time when boredom has seemingly lingered over every day. Either way, solicit kids’ input and let them know their feelings matter regardless of which side of the fence they’re on.

• Inquire about safety protocols. When researching summer camps, ask about the safety protocols each camp will have in place. Will masks be mandatory for both campers and staff? How much direct interaction will campers have with each other?

Have staff members been vaccinated? What measures are being taken to keep kids safe?

Camps should have detailed protocols and share those protocols with parents upon request.

• Ask about alternatives. If parents and/ or children are hesitant about attending camp in person, ask camp officials if there will be any virtual events or programs this summer.

Some camps may be organizing activities like craft projects online, and that can help kids overcome the boredom of being stuck at home all summer.

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S P O RT S Geauga County Maple Leaf

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WWW.GEAUGAMAPLELEAF.COM/SPORTS

WRC Title the Goal for Kenston

By Alan Kornspan sports@karlovecmedia.com In the past two weeks, Geauga County’s high school sports season has gotten off to slow start. With rain, snow and cold, coaches and athletic directors have been keeping close track of daily weather reports.

Unfortunately, challenging decisions have had to be made on whether to have competitions early in the season or postpone until a later date.

On April 2, a game-day decision was made

by Kenston and Aurora to postpone their baseball game due to unplayable field conditions.

However, instead of cancelling completely, the schools decided to play a scrimmage.

Since Kenston’s varsity baseball field was unplayable, the scrimmage was moved to the Bombers’ stadium turf field.

Playing baseball on a 120-yard turf field inside Bombers Stadium led to a very short right field fence. The short porch was tempting for hitters and entertaining for fans to see if players would hit any home runs to right field.

Aurora junior Ben Schechterman, an Ohio State University baseball commit, hit two balls over the right field fence. One was awarded a ground double, while the second cleared the right field bleachers and was awarded a home run.

In addition to the fun the venue for the hitters, multiple pitchers got work in while

ALAN KORNSPAN/KMG

Kenston’s Jake Vasil on the mound in a scrimmage against Aurora April 2 on the Bombers’ football field. The game was switched due to weather.

ONLINE VIDEO: Kenston Coach Joe Hritz • Jake Vasil and Shane Rothlisberger • Kenston Coach Tyler Rendlesham

throwing against an opponent from another school.

Ultimately a six-inning scrimmage was played.

In the Bombers lineup were standout seniors Jake Vasil and Shane Rothlisberger, as well as juniors Nikko Georgiou and Drew McKenna.

Coach Joseph Hritz discussed what these

players can add to the lineup throughout the season.

“We have Shane Rothlisberger; (if) he goes hot, all of a sudden we have a two-hitter that’s driving everything gap to gap,” Hritz said.

“Jake Vasil, he is another big one. He committed to Lake Erie College. Just getting him on the ball is the big thing right now — if he gets going on the ball, we’ll be going there. We have a third baseman, Nikko Georgiou, he’s another power batter in the lineup.

And then finally I think Drew McKenna has great hands, finds the baseball well, locates the baseball well.”

In addition to many great hitters, the Bombers also have an excellent pitching staff.

“I think we have a really good core group of five or six guys who we can throw on the

mound at any one time,” said Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach Tyler Rendlesham. “We have Jake Vasil coming back, we got Nikko (Georgiou) on the mound. We have a couple of underclassmen who are going to be big for us this year up on the mound.

“I think we have a good core group of pitchers this year that will help us win a lot of games.”

Both Vasil and Rothlisberger agree they have an opportunity to win a lot of games, and feel excited.

“Looking to win the WRC,” said Rothlisberger.

“WRC Champs coming in right here,” said Vasil.

Kenston is scheduled to start its season April 4 against Madison, weather permitting.

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Cardinal Hosts Full-Speed Meet

By Rich Kelly sports@karlovecmedia.com

It has been a very long time since anybody has been able to have a full-speed outdoor event at the high school level. But on April 2, some semblance of normality revisited Cardinal High School as sunshine covered Richard A. Moss Field and 16 teams arrived for the William E. Fisher Track and Field Invitational.

Cardinal Athletic Director Jimmy Soltis was a busy man.

“This is just so great to be able to have so many people here today for this event,” he said. “We even had to turn some schools away, and we have eight teams on a waiting list in case of cancellations. It’s mind-boggling.”

To show how really inspiring the event was, the athletes brought fans aplenty, and the parking situation became such as to have a large number of ruts in the soft lawn areas around the school.

University School took honors as a boys team with 164 points. Hawken School also had a good day, taking second with 103 points. The NDCL Lions finished ninth with 26 points, and the host Huskies, paced by solid efforts from throwers John Avalon and Mike Soltis, took 10th place with 25 points.

As for the girls, Hawken emerged victorious from a close battle against Madison with 81 points, winning by only two. The host Huskies were good for fifth place, solid in several areas with 55 points.

Soltis was solid in both throws. He took third in the shot put with a toss of 50-5.5 feet. Avalon finished sixth with a heave of 455.75.

Soltis’ effort ranks him in the state’s top 10 at this point in the young season, and Avalon’s ranks in the top 25.

In the discus, Avalon got off a 132-11 throw for third place, ranking him in the top 25 of the state so far. Soltis was right behind him with a heave of 124-9.

Both athletes felt conditions had factored into their efforts — but conditions, while muddy, were the same for all.

BILL FUGATE/KMG

Cardinal’s Anthony Soltis participates in the hurdles April 2 as 16 teams participated at the William E. Fisher Track and Field Invitational. The Huskies boys finished in 10th place.

“Things were similar to last year,” Soltis said. “Events like this are a lot of fun, but early in the season, conditions aren’t quite what you would want to throw. It was muddy, but once you get by the first couple throws, it’s easier to settle into what is around you.”

Avalon was in total agreement. That may be part of why these two young men have anchored Huskies teams the last couple of seasons no matter the sport.

“It would be better if temperatures were warmer; when it’s cold out, footing isn’t the best,” he said. “But everybody has to throw in the same conditions, so it evens out well.”

Audrey Avalon gave the Huskies a solid day in girls throwing. She fired out a 30-1.5 foot effort in the shot put, good for seventh place, and also finished seventh in the discus with a toss of 90-6, a personal best effort.

The Huskies did have a winner in the

girls events, as Lily Ayre took first in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:32.76.

Karalyn Rutkowski had a good day as well, with her best efforts being in the 300 meter hurdles. Her effort of 52.65 seconds was good for second place. And Cardinal’s 4x400 team ended the day with a solid third place effort.

Hawken efforts for the girls were led by Makayla White, who won the 200 meter dash.

She was pushed by teammate Leila Metres, who finished second in that event while also taking second in the 400 meter dash.

Brielle Collins of Hawken gave a glimpse into the future by taking both long-distance events, the 1600 and 3200 runs.

Hawken’s boys were especially powerful in the relay races to score points. They took first in the 4x800 race, second in the 4x100 race, third in the 4x200 effort, and only a seventh in the 4x400 race — that, late in the day,

as the incoming cold weather finally began to take its toll.

Youth also played a part in the festivities.

Many freshmen did their best for both boys and girls, with some success along the way.

Cardinal freshman runner Aubreigh Kitzmiller, bundled up between her events, was one of them.

“I’m just glad to be able to be part of this,” she said in an impromptu interview as she moved around to stay warm. “I think I had a fairly good day today. I just want to keep getting better and helping out the team.”

After so much time of not competing, or doing so with nobody in the stands to watch, it was a great day at Cardinal High, evidenced by a huge crowd and even bigger efforts from athletes. If ruts in the lawn are the worst of it, high school track is, indeed, emerging from the shadows of the pandemic.

Huskies Look to Improve in New Program’s Second Year

By Jamie Ward jamie@karlovecmedia.com

Cardinal’s softball program resumed last week in its second year under Head Coach Haley Adams. Adams, a Cardinal graduate, wants to re-establish the Huskies as softball winners, though there are challenges early on.

A team that went 4-24 a season ago, and 0-12 in the CVC Valley, has low roster numbers in 2022. But those who return from last season are versatile. Many girls will play multiple positions.

Senior Megan Erhart and junior Hailey Keller are expected to lead the team at the plate. Keller, a first team all-league player, hit .630 in CVC play a year ago (.590 overall).

Keller had 40 RBIs and 45 hits, both school records. She also tied the school record with 13 doubles and 26 runs scored.

Ehrhart hit .350 in the conference, helping her earn CVC Honorable Mention. She and Keller will split time at catcher and first base.

In the team’s opening win, 16-6 against

Laurel, junior Kelsi Collins started things off in the leadoff position, and Haley Domen, Keller and Ehrhart followed.

Sophomore Alaina Rupinski, freshman Morgan Soltis and Kelsi Collins freshman Kayleigh Duncan also reached base.

Junior Makya Gillispie and senior Matty Miller rounded out the starting nine.

“Our girls did a good job of being patient and drawing walks,” Coach Adams said. “On the field, the team committed just three errors behind Domen’s debut since tearing her ACL. She recorded seven strikeouts in five innings pitched.

“Unfortunately, our team has had to battle the injury bug early in our season, and one of the hardest things our coaching staff is facing is just inexperience. We return eight from a season ago, but due to graduation and injuries, some girls are playing a new posi-

2022 Varsity Cardinal Softball Roster

Megan Ehrhart

Hailey Keller

Alaina Rupinski

Morgan Soltis

tion for the first time. The girls have adapted well and are eager to get things right.”

Adams said one of her goals last year was understanding each of her players and how each one reacts to certain things, like criticism.

“Some girls are a bit more reserved, while

Kelsi Collins- SS Haley Domen- P Hailey Keller- C Megan Ehrhart- 1B Alaina Rupinski- 2B Morgan Soltis- OF/P Kayleigh Duncan- 3B Makya Gillispie- CF Matty Miller- OF Jasmine Newman- OF Hanna Hansen- OF Casey Koeth- OF

others are a bit more intense,” she said. “I took the opportunity in the fall and winter to condition and participate in some skills lessons. We had a great turnout with the youth, and I would like to establish myself a little bit more with them so they have a familiar face once they are freshman.”

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

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Notre Dame

Chardon

NEOSEF Award Winners

Congratulations to the NDES students who placed in their selective categories at the Northeastern Ohio Science & Engineering Fair. Award winners include Melanie Drazdik, Brandon Hemrock, Elsbeth Khula, Taylor Kuhn, Mia Lignetta, Drusilla Mango, Collin O’Brien and Natalie Rieger.

Students earning recognition include: Taylor Kuhn, honorable mention, biology; Alexis Urigel, third place, health/medicine; Elsbeth Khula- second place, behavioral science; Drusilla Mango, honorable mention, chemistry; Melanie Drazdik, third place, chemistry; Mia Lignetta, third place, chemistry; Natalie Rieger, third place, chemistry; Collin O’Brien, second place, Earth/space science; and Brandon Hemrock, third place, engineering.

Students earning special fair awards are: Brandon Hemrock, American Institute of Chemical Engineers “Best Engineering and Environmental Award,” $100 and an invitation to present; Natalie Rieger, ASM International, $100 and a certificate; Natalie Rieger, ASM Materials Education Foundation, a cer-

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Marching Band Performs at Disney

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NDES students (l to r) Natalie Rieger, Melanie Drazdik, Drusilla Mango and Mia Lignetta earned awards in their selective categories at the Northeastern Ohio Science & Engineering Fair.

tificate; Natalie Rieger, Cleveland Chemical Association, $50 and a certificate; Elsbeth Khula, Cleveland Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, $50 and a certificate; Natalie Reiger and Mia Lignetta, Iota Sigma Pi National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry- Fluorine Chapter, both earned $50 and a certificate; Collin O’Brien, NEOSEF Board of Directors Award, Science News magazine subscription; and Brandon Hemrock, Parker Hannifin Corporation, a certificate.

West Geauga

The Chardon High School Hilltopper Marching Band had the honor of performing at Walt Disney World over spring break March 19- 24. To audition for the honor, the band submitted three recent performance videos as well as photos of the group.

“The Hilltoppers did an outstanding job marching in the Magic Kingdom on March 21 at the 6 p.m. parade,” said CHS band director Melissa Lichtler. “The parade was onemile long and approximately 1,000 people from all over the world were in attendance.”

Other highlights of the trip included a stop at Buc-ees, morning swimming at the hotel and time spent in each of the Disney parks.

“Thanks to the Chardon board of education and Chardon High School administration for approving this trip,” said Ms. Lichtler. “A huge thank you also to our wonderful chaperones Lorrie Beil, Gloria Koritansky, Chardon Middle School band instructors Michelle Watson and Todd Watson, Jennifer Squires, Barb Breznay, Christine Clark, Cindy Nells and Bill Nells.”

Paper Towels for Rescue Village

The Chardon Middle School Builders Club organized a school-wide paper towel drive the week of March 14-18 to support Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village.

The club’s members are sixth-grader Natasha Sutter; fifth-graders Owen Przepiora and Austin Samf; and fourth-graders Gabriella Frabotta, Kelsey Fisher and Austin Rusher.

The paper towel drive culminated in the collection of 168 rolls of paper towels in all from the school’s homerooms by March 18, with the fourth-grade classes amassing the most at 72 rolls.

“Paper towels are an important resource for Rescue Village as they care for animals in need in our community,” said CMS faculty member and Builders Club advisor Amanda Weaver.

The Builders Club, sponsored and supported by Kiwanis Club of Chardon, is an extracurricular activity open to all CMS students in grade levels four through seven with interest in serving their community and school. Members participate in community service projects and help plan fundraisers throughout the school year.

St. Helen

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West Geauga High School students inducted into the National Technical Honor Society include (l to r) Emma Rubinski, John Mikes, Tessa Kautz, Clayton Reed and Jeremiah Poelking.

Technical Honor Society Inductees

Nine West Geauga High School students are being inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. The students are enrolled in the Excel TECC program with which West Geauga High School is an educational partner. WGHS students can enroll in a host of career programs which, coupled with their formal education, equip them for highly-specialized career fields.

This year’s honorees are: Tessa Kautz, Culinary Arts; John Mikes, Construction Trades; Van Peck, Exercise Science & Sports; Jeremiah Poelking, Auto Technology; Clayton Reed, Fire/EMS Training

Academy; Emma Rubinski, Digital Arts & Technology; Ethan Simmelink, Information Technology; Paige Weir, Performing Arts; and Owen Weir, Performing Arts.

Library Art Show

Students at Westwood Elementary School had their artwork displayed at the Geauga West Library on March 13. The show included work from students in the district and surrounding schools. Students’ work was selected and submitted by elementary art teacher Mary Ann Rodin. Families attended a reception for the students to view the displayed artwork.

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St. Helen School third-graders created their own Flat Stanleys and sent them out on adventures around the world after reading the book “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown.

Flat Stanley’s Adventures

St. Helen School third-graders recently read the book “Flat Stanley.” After reading the story, students mailed their own Flat Stanley to friends and family around the world.

One student sent Stanley to her godparents. Her godfather is a police officer. He took Flat Stanley to work and taught him all about the importance of keeping people safe. Stanley was even fingerprinted and giv-

en a chance to see what it is like to be arrested by being handcuffed and put in jail.

Flat Stanley has been all over the world.

He has visited Japan, Singapore, Rome to see the Pope, Washington, D.C., to meet the president and has met many professional sports figures. The students have been marking Stanley’s travels on a giant map and have loved learning about other parts of the world through this exciting project.

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

Spring Birding

Continuing a Greater Cleveland tradition since 1933, the annual Spring Bird Walk Series returns for six walks throughout April and May. Located where there is the best bet for birds at each particular stage in migration, the walks connect experienced bird watchers with novices of all ages for bird observation, identification and interpretation.

All are Sundays from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and among Nature’s Not to Be Missed opportunities – April 10 at Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve; April 17 at Frohring Meadows; April 24 at The Rookery; May 1 at Eldon Russell Park; May 8 at Big Creek Park; and May 15 at Swine Creek Reservation. Dress for the weather and bring a bird guide and binoculars if available. Registration is not required.

Also available for birdwatchers are naturalist-led adventures, all requiring registration.

Warbler Warm-up

April 10, 2-4 p.m.

West Woods Nature Center Noted local birders Matt Valencic and Kelly Kozlowski present techniques for identifying

Thursday, April 7, 2022

The Gift of Reading

spring warblers using color patterns, habitat, behaviors and song. Program handouts will be emailed upon request. A collaboration with the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland.

Birding for Early Birds

Held at various parks weekdays, 8-10 a.m.

Spot a variety of birds as they return to prime breeding habitat during spring migration. Experienced leaders assist participants with observation and identification.

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Evening Bird Walk

May 16, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Observatory Park This year’s World Migratory Bird Day theme is the impact of light pollution on migratory birds. Weather permitting, there will be a telescope focused on the moon so visitors may be able to see some birds in their migratory journey.

East Geauga Kiwanis Club recently gave literature books to every second-grader at Ledgemont Elementary School to promote the importance of reading. Kiwanian Claire Zurbach delivered the books to students in Mr. Malkus’, pictured above, and Mrs. Nguyen’s classes.

Neotropical Bird Walk

May 21, 7:30-9:30 a.m, Swine Creek Reservation Hike the Walnut and Razorback trails in search of neotropical songbirds. Hike includes a stream crossing with water up to two feet deep, so waterproof or water-tolerant footgear is a must.

Schools Chardon Alum Offer Scholarships

The Chardon High School Hilltoppers class of 1957 is proud to reach out to and congratulate the CHS senior class of 2022.

As a memento to the class and in memory of former classmates who have passed, the class of 1957 is sponsoring scholarships for Chardon High School seniors that are moving on to college and trade school opportunities..

Such assistance could include tuition fees and/or transportation costs.

“It has been 65 years since we were in your footsteps, but it feels like yesterday,” said Jim Rayl, scholarship committee member. “I encourage seniors who are interested in an application to call me at 440-537-4718 or the CHS Guidance Office at 440-2860423.

Academic Awards Available

The Awards Committee for the First Congregational Church of Claridon announces the availability of awards for the academic year 2021-22. The purpose of the award is to encourage students 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.

Application forms are available through the guidance office 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 postmarked by April 15.

Senior News & Events Register for Senior Trash Pickup

Local townships, villages and city road crews will again work with the Geauga County Department on Aging employees and volunteers to remove unwanted items from seniors’ garages and yards during locally scheduled pickups.

Seniors who wish to participate in the trash day pickup program need to register with the department on aging. Seniors who complete their yearly registration prior to the

cleanup dates only need to make a phone call one week before the trash pickup start date to be placed on the community pickup roster.

April trash pickup days are: Hambden Township: April 25 and 26 Munson Township: April 25-28 South Russell Village: April 27 and 28 No more than 10 items per household.

For specific allowable community guidelines or to register for the pickup, call 440-2792130.

Area Easter Egg Hunts Middlefield UMC

April 16, 2 p.m.

Children under 12 are invited to hop on over to the Middlefield United Methodist Church Ministry Campus on Old State Road for an Easter egg hunt.

The Easter bunny is expected to make an appearance and be available for photographs. Age appropriate prizes will be awarded.

For more information, contact the church office at 440-632-0480.

Montville Fire Dept.

April 16, 10:30 a.m.

Montville Fire Department will hold an Easter egg hunt for children ages preschool through 10 at the Montville Community Center pavilion and ball field, 9755 Madison Road, Montville Township.

Bunny arrives at 10:30 a.m. followed by the Easter egg hunt at 10:45 a.m.

Event held outside rain, snow or shine.

Dress for the weather. Bring baskets for gathering eggs. Monetary donations will be accepted at the event.

Munson Township

April 16, 10:30 a.m.

Munson Township will hold its annual Easter egg hunt, rain or shine, at Munson Township Park, 12641 Bass Lake Road. The Easter bunny will arrive at 10 a.m. to greet children and watch them hunt for eggs.

Bring a basket or bag to collect the eggs, which will be turned in for a bag of goodies. Children will be divided into two age groups: 2-5 years and 6-9 years. Contact the township office at 440-286-9255 or www.munsontwp.com for information.

You are invited to visit us at

www.geaugamapleleaf.com

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Bolander Named Executive Director At Fairmount Center for the Arts Staff Report Fairmount Center for the Arts, a dynamic arts education community center located in Russell Township, has appointed Elizabeth Bolander as its new executive director.

Bolander has more than 15 years’ experience as an arts administrator, according to a March 31 press release.

She most recently worked as senior director of philanthropy Bolander and external relations at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where she held increasingly senior roles in marketing, fundraising and ticketing operations. She

American Legion Pancakes

April 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Atwood-Mauck American Legion Post 459 is hosting its final all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast of the season at the post located at 14052 Goodwin St. in Burton. Carryout orders are also available.

also previously worked at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

“Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience to Fairmount to help us continue to grow and thrive,” said Rick Solon, president of Fairmount Center for the Arts Board of Directors. “We are excited to have her join the Fairmount team and launch us into the next 50 years of serving our community.”

In addition to her work at CMA and CAM, Bolander currently serves as the president of the Visitor Studies Association, an international membership organization focused on promoting visitor research in informal learning spaces.

Bolander earned her bachelor’s degree from Miami University and master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Chardon VFW Pancake Breakfast

April 10, 8 a.m. to noon Chardon VFW Post 6519 will be serve an all-you-can eat pancake breakfast at the post located at 752 Water St. in Chardon. Senior and kids menus are available. Call 440-2853699 for takeout orders.

Geauga Public Library Programs require registration unless otherwise noted. Visit www.geaugalibrary.net.

Spring Wildflower Folklore

April 8, 2:30 p.m. • Geauga West Learn about the fascinating aspects of wildflower folklore including the origins of their names and historical uses as medicinal sources and folk remedies. Presented by Geauga Park District.

James A. Garfield

April 9, 2:30 p.m. • Virtual James A. Garfield was a devoted reader of books on all different subjects. Learn more about what he liked to read and the many books displayed in the Memorial Library and elsewhere in the Garfield home.

Historical Seminar

April 11, 7 p.m. • Virtual Learn about young Queen Elizabeth I of England’s struggle to keep her throne, the real reasons she never married and the dark background behind England’s era of prosperity.

Adult Coloring Club

April 11, 7-8:30 p.m. • Chardon Experience the relaxing benefits of coloring. Materials provided.

Book Discussion

April 11, 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. • Bainbridge Discuss “Diamond Doris” by Doris Payne.

Amphibian Awakenings

April 12, 6:30 p.m. • Geauga West Through Geauga Park District’s PowerPoint presentation, calls, and live specimens, youth in grades K-3 will discover the habits and habitats, adaptations and life cycles of salamanders, frogs and toads.

Scrapbooking Basics

April 12, 7 p.m. • Bainbridge Bring any pictures and supplies to work on a scrapbooking project. Basic supplies and the Cricut Maker will be available.

Benefits of Trees

April 12, 6 p.m. • Thompson Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District will discuss how trees provide many benefits to the community, from filtering the air to reducing energy costs and more.

AARP Smart Driver Course

April 13, 12-4:30 p.m. • Middlefield Refresh one’s know-how behind the wheel and improve one’s comfort level in almost any driving situation. Fee is $20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members.

Stories from Millionaires’ Row

April 13, 7 p.m. • Geauga West Declared “the most beautiful street in America,” Euclid Avenue was once home to powerful families who not only shaped Cleveland, but national politics and industry as well. Presented by the Western Reserve Historical Society Cleveland History Center.

Inspiration Station Training

April 14 • Bainbridge The 5-5:30 p.m. class is the mandatory training session for the direct-to-fabric-printer. The 6-6:45 p.m. class is the mandatory training session for the Cricut and heat press.

MUFON: UFOs in Ohio

April 14, 6:30–8 p.m. • Thompson Join UFO expert Thomas Wertman as he discusses the latest research on UFO phenomena, as well as background information on new and historical UFO sightings in Ohio.

Page 23

Bulletin Board 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@geaugamapleleaf.com

All About Assessments

April 7, 7 p.m.

Join Geauga Homeschool for an evening about annual homeschool assessments.

The free event will be held at Chardon Christian Fellowship, 401 South Hambden St., Hambden Township. Registration is requested at www.geaugahomeschool.org.

St. Mary’s Fish Fry

April 8, 4:30-7 p.m.

St. Mary Catholic Church, 401 North St., Chardon, will host its final Lenten allyou-can-eat fish fry buffet.

Pricing for dine-in guests is $15 for adults, $7 for children 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Carryout pricing is $13 for adults and $6 for children 6-12.

Children 5 and under choose two items free.

All proceeds benefit St. Mary School’s tuition assistance fund.

Questions? Call 440-286-8879 for more information.

rooms and more one can utilize to help one’s business.

Fee is $5 for chamber members or $10 for nonmembers. Refreshments will be served. Visit www.cvcc.org for more information and to register.

Genealogical Society Meets

April 12, 7-8:30 p.m.

The Geauga County Genealogical Society will host Genealogy Help Night at the Chardon Library, 110 E. Park St. in Chardon.

The program will begin after a short business meeting. The meeting is open to all, but registration is requested by visiting geaugalib.net.

Woodland Wednesdays

April 9, 9 a.m. to noon The Chardon Police Department and the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office are teaming up with the Ohio State Highway Patrol for a “Can the Cruiser” event at Walmart, 223 Meadowlands Drive, Chardon. Help fill the cruisers full of non-perishable food and supplies. All proceeds collected will be donated to the United Way of Greater Cleveland, which will distribute all items locally back into Geauga County with the help of the Geauga Hunger Task Force.

April 13, 6-7:30 p.m.

The Woodland Wednesdays series continues with “Rough Around the Edges: Creating Habitat on Your Land” at the Trumbull County Agriculture and Family Education Center, 520 W Main St., Cortland.

Learn about the importance of pollinator habitat and how woodland management may be a key tool to helping wildlife. Three speakers will highlight programs that can provide technical and financial assistance to landowners interested in making habitat improvements.

The free, in-person program is limited to 45 and registration is required; visit geaugaswcd.com.

For more information, call 330-6372046 ext. 3.

Friends of WomenSafe Tea

Poetry Reading Series

Can the Cruiser Event

April 9, 12:30 p.m.

Friends of WomenSafe will hold a spring tea at St. Mary’s banquet room, 401 North St., Chardon. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., with tea served at 1 p.m. Light sandwiches, scones, salads and desserts will be offered.

Guests will be treated to a presentation on flower arranging and the meaning of flowers. Cost is $30.

Register online at www.friendsofwomensafe.org or call 440-285-3741.

Audubon Bird Walks

April 10, 7:30 a.m.

Blackbrook Audubon Society will begin its annual Spring Bird Walks at 7:30 a.m. April 10 at the north end of Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve and Headlands Beach State Park. Birders of all skill levels are welcome to attend this series of six walks Sundays through May 15. Participants will meet in the parking lot at 9600 Headlands Road.

For more information, email blackbrookaud@aol.com.

Meet Me in the Morning

April 12, 8-9 a.m.

Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Meet Me in the Morning workshop focused on “Small Business and the Public Library” at the Bainbridge Library.

Learn about digital resources, meeting

April 13, 7-9 p.m.

Beautiful Blasphemy presents “The Word Open Mic” poetry reading series, formerly Words and Wine, at Steele Mansion Inn, 348 Mentor Ave, Painesville. For information, call Ryan Kinney at 440-415-2663.

Good Friday Meal

April 15, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Chardon VFW Post 6519 is serving up a Good Friday meal at the post located at 752 Water St. Menu items include fish, shrimp, crab and shrimp pizza, chicken, chowder, pierogies, cabbage and noodles, and more. Carryout is available. The public is welcome.

Call 440-285-3699.

Christian Women’s Connection

April 20, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Join Christian Women’s Connection for lunch and a program at Family Life Center, 16349 Chillicothe Road in Bainbridge Township.

Featured speaker Lisa Haley will deliver a message on “Surviving Life’s Surprises.” The “OsteoStrong” program focuses on how to improve bone density, muscular strength, balance and overall health.

Cost is $15 at the door. Call or text 440213-1205 to RSVP by April 14. The event is affiliated with Stonecroft Ministries. All are welcome.

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Page 24

Sheriff ’s Report The following is a sampling of the calls handled by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office March 25-31, 2022.

911 PROBLEM March 28 9:26 a.m., Kile Road, Montville. Pioneer land, camper in back. There is a verbally agitated female on the line. Male party wearing a black hoodie and green pants.

911 hang up stated, “I don’t care you tried to f&$%ing kill me.” Male states original call came from his wife. Spoke with male and female about 911 call. Both denied any type of argument had occurred. Female said her 2-year-old son had called 911 on her cell. Said son had awakened before them and had made a mess. Female said she may have said, “Your father will kill me if he sees this mess.” No signs of violence or any indication any domestic situation had occurred. Everyone checked OK. ALLERGY March 26 6:22 p.m., Robert Lane, Auburn. 23-year-old male allergic reaction to drug mushrooms.

Barely speaking, but up and walking around. Took them around 3 p.m. Took about 4 grams of psychedelic mushrooms and was transported to the hospital because his jaw locked. Spoke to male at hospital and he said he took all the mushrooms and did not have any more, and also did not remember where he got them.

FRAUD March 29 3:20 p.m. (Street, City Withheld). Caller would like to speak to deputy. Her son is away from home at college. Caller is receiving text messages threatening to post her son’s nude photos online. Photos are photoshopped. Someone also used her Discover card for fraud charges. Spoke with caller who advised she had $400 in fraudulent charges on her credit card.

Complaint was made with credit card company and they will be investigating.

Caller also received messages from an unknown person demanding money or they would send out nude photos of her son.

Caller said they sent her photoshopped photos. Advice given. See report.

3:51p.m., Huntington Street, Chardon. Male already spoke to Chardon PD. He states they cannot help him. He now wants to speak to a deputy. Complainant has been trying to seek advice as his SSN is attached to an individual in Georgia who is incarcerated. He states when his license plates are run he is stopped by law enforcement. Advice provided.

4:19 p.m., Taylor Wells Road, Claridon. Caller reports someone is using her identity for fraud. Caller reports hackers have taken over her Facebook account and are using a photo of her driver’s license to request money from her friends. Caller is having trouble with Facebook assisting in recovering her account and wants incident documented.

4:27 p.m., Rapids Road, Troy. Caller need to make a report for fraud. She had a check from her account forged for $19,000.

March 30 8:46p.m., Peckham Road, Burton. Complainant

in lobby reported someone used his Verizon account to purchase four iPhones at a Verizon store in St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Complainant asked for incident to be documented, as he already spoke to Verizon and is not going to be charged for the phones.

JUVENILE PROBLEM March 25 6:02 a.m., Claridon Troy Road, Troy. Caller advised a couple kids were accused of vaping at the school. Caller said a parent told him one of the juveniles posted something on social media/online that he was going to shoot up the school. This parent never saw the message. Juvenile’s parents that supposedly posted this was told not to come to school today. Caller is concerned it was never said. One of juveniles has had issues with anger at school in past. See report.

March 30 3:11 p.m., Tallow Tree Drive, Munson. Caller needs to make report for other children bullying her teenage daughter via text messages. Deputy advised, responded to location and spoke with caller. Complainant advised her daughter is getting Snap Chats from a group of girls 14 to 15 years old who are upset over a boy.

Complainant said the messages include terms like “bloody nose,” “You might get jumped,” along with foul language. Complainant requested advice and to have incident documented. Complainant will contact Chardon High School and set up a meeting with staff and parents first.

PROPERTY DAMAGE March 29 8:15 a.m., Old State Road, Hambden. Need a report for damage done by a customer.

No longer on scene. Customer punched a hole in drywall after finding out his dog had passed away. Caller declined to pursue charges and requested customer cover repair costs. Will contact customer later to make arrangements for repairs.

SUSPICIOUS March 29 2:35 a.m., Old State Road, Middlefield. Couple big husky males outside caller’s apartment. Looking in caller’s window. Unsure who they are or if they see him. No tools or weapons seen. Caller says males previously beating on the side of the building.

Males have not said anything the caller has heard so far. Males ran away. Male advised he woke up an heard knocking. Deputies checked area and observed no shoe prints in the snow. Everything checked OK. THREATENING March 31 5:46p.m., Munn Road, Newbury. Subject in lobby to report she has received threatening emails. She was “cat-fished.” She met a believed male on the internet and during course of their conversations the believed male started sending gifts to her. Eventually male sent a key to open a chest with $30 million with gold in it. Key was found to be homemade and fake. Female eventually got emails asking for her to send money to customs agencies to allow the passage of gold through borders. It was believed to be a scam and a fake profile.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Legal Notices Legal Notices are also posted to www.geaugamapleleaf.com and www.publicnoticesohio.com

Geauga County Sheriff – Scott A. Hildenbrand

LEGAL NOTICE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS GEAUGA COUNTY, OHIO 21-F-000686 – Reverse Mortgage Funding, LLC, Plaintiff v. Carol A. Ayala a/k/a Carol Ann Ayala, et al., Defendants To: CAROL A AYALA A/K/A CAROL ANN AYALA AND JOHN DOE, NAME UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN SPOUSE, IF ANY OF CAROL A AYALA A/K/A CAROL ANN AYALA, you will take notice that on November 18, 2021, Plaintiff, filed a Complaint for foreclosure in the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, 100 Short Court, Suite 300, Chardon, Ohio 44024, being Case No. 21-F-000686, alleging that there is due to the Plaintiff the sum of $175,087.91, plus interest, as of, July 16, 2021. In a reverse mortgage all advances are added to the loan balance, per the terms of the note. As such, the principal balance continues to grow due to monthly servicing fees, mortgage insurance premiums, and other costs set forth under the terms of the note and mortgage. The real property has a street address of 8015 FAIRMOUNT ROAD, NOVELTY, OH 44072, being permanent parcel number Parcel Number: 26-004100.

Plaintiff further alleges that by reason of a default in payment of said Promissory Note, the conditions of said Mortgage have been broken and the same has become absolute.

Plaintiff prays that the Defendants named above be required to answer and assert any interest in said real property or be forever barred from asserting any interest therein, for foreclosure of said mortgage, marshalling of liens, and the sale of said real property, and that the proceeds of said sale be applied according to law.

Said Defendants are required to file an Answer on or before the twenty-eighth day following the last date of Publication.

REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC

By Austin R. Decker, 0100918; Benjamin M. Rodriguez, 0079289; Brady J. Lighthall, 0079428; Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 2400 Chamber Center Dr. Suite 220, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017, Telephone: 470-321-7112, Facsimile: 833-310-1332, Email: berodriguez@raslg.com, blighthall@ raslg.com.

Mar24-31 Apr7, 2022

LEGAL NOTICE Sale of Real Estate Geauga County Foreclosure Auction Case# 19-F-000301. Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper vs Negrelli, Mark, et al.

The description of the property to be sold is as follows: Property Address: 16949 RAVENNA ROAD, AUBURN, Geauga, Ohio, 44021; Legal Description: Full Legal Listed on Public Website; Parcel Number: 01-111350 Bidding will be available only on www.Auction.com opening on 05/03/2022 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: 05/17/2022 at 10:00 AM. Sales subject to cancellation. The deposit required is $5000.00 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 19F000301 into the search bar.

Apr7-14-21, 2022

LEGAL NOTICE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS GEAUGA COUNTY, OHIO 21-F-000652 – Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company as Trustee for Mortgage Assets Management Series I Trust, Plaintiff v. Unknown Administrator, Executor or Fiduciary, Unknown Heirs, Next of Kin, Unknown Spouses, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors and Beneficiaries of the Estate of James D. Stoneman, et al., Defendants To: UNKNOWN ADMINISTRATOR, EXECUTOR OR FIDUCIARY, UNKNOWN HEIRS, NEXT OF KIN, UNKNOWN SPOUSES, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, CREDITORS AND BENEFICIARIES OF THE ESTATE OF JAMES D. STONEMAN, you will take notice that on October 26, 2021, Plaintiff, filed a Complaint for foreclosure in the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, 100 Short Court, Suite 300, Chardon, Ohio 44024, being Case No. 21-F-000652, alleging that there is due to the Plaintiff the sum of $214,327.96, plus interest as of October 1, 2021.

In a reverse mortgage all advances are added to the loan balance, per the terms of the note. As such, the principal balance continues to grow due to monthly servicing fees, mortgage insurance premiums, and other costs set forth under the terms of the note and mortgage. The real property has a street address of 9895 RAVENNA ROAD CHARDON, OH 44024, being permanent parcel number Parcel Number: 06-050150.

Plaintiff further alleges that by reason of death of the borrower, the conditions of said Mortgage have been broken and the same has become due and payable. Plaintiff prays that the Defendant named above be required to answer and assert any interest in said real property or be forever barred from asserting any in-

terest therein, for foreclosure of said mortgage, marshalling of liens, and the sale of said real property, and that the proceeds of said sale be applied according to law.

Said Defendant is required to file an Answer on or before the twenty-eighth day following the last date of Publication.

BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST

By Austin R. Decker, 0100918; Benjamin M. Rodriguez, 0079289; Brady J. Lighthall, 0079428; Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 2400 Chamber Center Dr., Suite 220, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017, Telephone: 470-321-7112, Facsimile: 833-310-1332, Email: berodriguez@raslg.com, blighthall@ raslg.com, ausdecker@raslg.com.

Mar31 Apr7-14-21-28 May5, 2022

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 Streamlined Orders Munson Elementary School 428 North St, Chardon, OH 44024 ID #: OH2850812 Date of Action: 03/29/2022 Streamlined Orders with a $150 penalty were issued for failure to monitor drinking water for total coliform bacteria during November 2021.

Apr7, 2022

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Newbury Township Notice is hereby given that The Newbury Township Board of Zoning Appeals will conduct a public hearing on an application, identified as number AV 22-002, on an appeal for a variance to the Newbury Township Zoning Resolution on the 19th of April, 2022. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm, at the Newbury Township Town Hall, 14899 Auburn Road, Newbury, OH. This application, submitted by Lewis Tomsic, Jr., requests that an area variance be granted for a proposed building, to be built in a B-1 district with a distance of 40 feet to an R-1 district where 150 feet is required, for the property located at 11331 Kinsman Road, Newbury OH 44065.

Lorraine Sevich, Secretary Apr7, 2022

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING APPEAL FOR VARIANCE BURTON TOWNSHIP BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS Notice is hereby given that the Burton Township Board of Zoning Appeals will conduct a public hearing on an application for an appeal for a variance to the Burton Township Zoning Resolution on the 19th day of April, 2022 at 7:00 o’clock p.m. at: Burton Township Administration Building, 14821 Rapids Road, Burton, Ohio 44021 This application #1549-22, submitted by John Mark Byler requests an area variance to create two (2) single family parcels exclusive of R.O.W. (right of way) .258 acres of 5.173 acres in R.O.W. for each parcel. He seeks relief from Article IV, Section 402.5, Minimum Lot Area, of the Burton Township Zoning Resolution as amended August 14, 2019. He asks that this be granted for the lot located at: 15806 Jug Street in Burton Township Ohio, Parcel #04-125000.

Additional details are included in the application, a copy of which may be requested by contacting the Burton Township BZA Secretary at Katie.BurtonTownship@gmail.com.

Following the public hearing, any other business as it relates to the responsibility of the Board, will be discussed and action taken as needed.

Katie O’Neill, Secretary Apr7, 2022

BID NOTICES LEGAL NOTICE Berkshire Local School District Berkshire Board of Education is requesting proposals for Janitorial/Cleaning services until 10:00 am on April 25, 2022. Specifications for proposals are available at the Board of Education Office, 14259 Claridon-Troy Road, Burton, Ohio 44021. This notice and bid specifications are posted at the district web site at https:// www.berkshireschools.org/Content2/248. The Berkshire Board of Education reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals.

Beth A. McCaffrey, Treasurer Apr7, 2022

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Page 25

Classifieds AUTOS & PARTS $Wanted Junk Vehicles$ Call 440-6797293

EVENTS Chinese Auction to support the Conversation Station in Orwell. Held at St. Mary Hall, 103 N. Maple, Orwell. Friday, May 20, 11a-7p and Saturday, May 21, 9a-3p. $10 admission includes 25 bidding tickets and a chance at $100 Door Prize. Presale: 440-563-6327 or 440-812-8811.

SNPJ Music Fest & Craft Show: Saturday, May 21 - Craft show 11a-5p, Music noon-10p. $15 at gate, $10 advance. snpjfarmkirtland.com 440-283-9373.

FOR SALE Ford 9N rebuilt engine, new clutch assembly & flywheel. Lots of new parts and paint, $2,800 OBO. John Deere snow blower, used very little, works real nice, $225. (440) 313-5896 For Sale. Yanmar Tractor Model SA424, only 81 hours, plus bucket box, scraper, backhoe, cutter. $26,500. (440) 548-5282.

Vintage punch bowl set $35. Granite Ware saucepan $16. Coffee mill $75. Milk bottles $10 each. Additional vintage items. 440-729-1082.

Shop AVON at home or office. Bev Thompson Avon Independent Sales Representative Call: 440-708-8045 Visit my Web site: https://www.avon.com/ myavon/bthompson8804

Ford 9N rebuilt engine new clutch assembly & flywheel. Lots of new parts and paint. $2,800 OBO. John Deere snow blower, used very little, works real nice. $225. 440-313-5896.

2711125 style Frogg Toggs waders, vest included $50. “New” Target 10” tile saw with stand $300 OBO. Dan R.T. Byler 440272-5736.

GARAGE/ESTATE SALES Annual Garage Sales on Chipmunk Lane and Georgia and White roads (Middlefield), Wednesday, April 20, 8 a.m.

Watch for balloons.

Marketplace Mall in Middlefield is looking for vendors, retailers, artisans and crafters with unique and quality merchandise. Call 440-313-8147 for more information.

PETS & ANIMALS Green-cheeked conure with large cage and accessories. Can live up to 30+ years. Very sociable bird. $200. 440-9040906.

MISCELLANEOUS FREE fact: To get our kids addicted, cigarette companies flavor e-cigarettes and even use synthetic nicotine. Addiction = Profit!

REAL ESTATE

Oak China Cabinet. Good condition. $350.

440-321-9589.

Lots for sale. Thompson Township. 1 acre. Wooded, scenic, quiet side street $12,900. 440-289-0708

Power recliner sleep lift chair. Used 6 hours. Light tan, heat and massage. Paid $2,300, sell for $1,500. 440-693-4078.

SERVICES

Troybilt rototiller OEM furrower tiller plow attachment #2638, $50. Cultivating tines assembly kit with hardware #1243, $150. Bob 440-548-5801.

Free used motor oil. Portable Hummingbird Fishfinder $85 or best offer. 440-5482657.

2004 Bayliner 265 Ciera Cabin Cruiser.

9.6-foot beam. Fairport, OH. $26,999. Call 440-635-0212.

Applewood chips for grilling $5/bag.

General Electric Dryer, works well, $75.

Chest of drawers, $10. 12724 S.R.88, Garrettsville. 216-410-3265.

Offering special discounts for interior and exterior painting and staining this season. 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.

Experienced caregiver looking for setting with grandparents, mom or dad, while you’re out shopping or for dinner.

Call 440-537-1519.

Reliable drivers available for work crews. Rates negotiable. Phil’s Wheels.

330-978-0367.

Antique clocks, antique crank wall phone $79, humpback chest $79, large wooden rocking horse $79, antique sewing cabinet $89. 440-338-3563.

Kiln dried live edge slabs: walnut, hickory, maple, elm available. We also make custom tables, benches, etc. 440-313-2478.

Hay for sale, $3 per bale. Two 16” English saddles, $50 each. Western saddle, $75. Sewing machine table, $40. 3-tier saddle rack, $75. Call/text 216-347-4434.

John’s Plumbing: Affordable and reliable. Water heaters, toilets, faucets, drain cleaning, gas lines, sump pumps, well tanks. 440-285-0800.

WANTED Wanted to Buy: ATV, 4-wheel drive, in good condition. Call 400-829-1856 Wanted: One donkey for Palm Sunday Procession on Chardon Square. Willing to reimburse. Call 440-285-4641.

WANTED TO BUY Old fishing tackle wanted: fishing lures (wood or plastic), mouse to bear traps, wooden duck decoys. Call Lee 440-3138331.

Buying all Stanley Bailey planes and machinist tools. Call Karl at 440-812-3392.

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

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Real Estate Transfers Following is a list of real estate transfers for the week ending Mar. 25, 2022, provided as a public service by the Geauga County Auditor’s Office.

AUBURN TOWNSHIP Arthur H. Erker, 10559 Longview Trail, to Brian Finkler and Dean Littleton, $168,000.

(4.75 acres) Anthony Genshock, 10730 Dawson Drive, to Brian J. Clayson and Teresa M. Vargin, $535,000. (3.24 acres) Joseph A. Piunno Jr., 17380 Ravenna Road, to Craig and Deanna Postlethwaite, $235,000. (2.15 acres) Jacqueline Tilton (trustee), 17103 Messenger Road, to Jeffery P. and Bridget A. Guhde, $312,000. (7.14 acres) BAINBRIDGE TOWNSHIP M&A Real Estate Group LLC, 17845 Kenston Lake Drive, to Pamela K. Radel, $300,000. (1.55 acres) Timothy J. Jr. and Mary Frances La Ganke, 17615 Walnut Trail, to Elizabeth Gordon, $201,200. (0.00 acres) CHARDON CITY Marla A. Baker (TOD), 114 Park Ave., to Michael E. and Doris V. Rodriguez, $199,000.

(0.25 acres) Arthur D. and Donna L. Grossman (trustees), 108 Park Ave., to Holstein Homes LLC, $140,000. (0.10 acres) Nina Bella Properties LLC, 335 E. King St., to Bruce and Cynthia Barber, $120,000.

(2.50 acres)

CHESTER TOWNSHIP Bruce A. and Brian L. Bierman (successor co-trustees), 7534 Mayfield Road, to Robert Nord and Katalin Stevenson, $128,400. (2.25 acres) Brandon Gray, 8460 Sharp Lane, to Blake Pitzer, $314,500. (0.56 acres) HAMBDEN TOWNSHIP Jeffrey M. Henn, Kile Road, to Rodney L. and Gina M. Dudinsky, $75,000. (8.03 acres) Jeffrey M. Henn, Kile Road, to Paul V. and Deborah E. Craven, $75,000. (8.03 acres) Sandi Jean Butler, 9605 Venus Road, to Anthony P. Klang, $305,000. (4.34 acres) A. Paul and Terese L. Volkmann, 9322 Kile Road, to Jeannie Spink, $85,000. (2.00 acres) HUNTSBURG TOWNSHIP Patricia Dolezal (trustee), Clay Street, to David D. and Andy D. Yoder, $234,000.

(20.25 acres) Patricia Dolezal (trustee), Clay Street, to Dennis M. and Joyce E. Ofiara, $459,600. (39.79 acres) MUNSON TOWNSHIP Martin and Jennifer Berk (co-trustees), 11297 Bean Road, to Bryan G. Kinches, $291,200. (3.39 acres) NEWBURY TOWNSHIP Russell J. and Carrie J. Hamby, 11149 Whitewood Drive, to Kazimierz Bochonowicz, $353,000. (2.96 acres) PARKMAN TOWNSHIP Beverly A. Gates (trustee), Doty Road, to Norman I. and Esther J. Schmucker, $130,000. (9.84 acres) Beverly A. Gates (trustee), Doty Road, to Wayne I. and Arlene J. Schmucker, $130,000.

(9.98 acres) Chester and Katie Troyer, Madison Road, to Andy C. and Ida H. Troyer, $150,000. (9.33 acres) Johnny W. and Rachel R. Burkholder, 17647 Old State Road, to Larry M. and Rebecca Miller, $245,000. (2.91 acres) Eli J. and Laura M. Kauffman, 17481 Tavern Road, to Albert M. and Wilma A. Yoder, $310,000. (10.94 acres)

Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Help Wanted Optical/Optometric Office seeks a parttime receptionist with flexible hours.

Will train. Email resume to: eves@solonberrisoptical.com Looking for part-time help with stocking inventory and eBay assistance. Great pay. Flexible hours. Call 440-729-5000.

Classifieds 440-729-7667 20 words for $12 Deadline: Friday at Noon

You are invited to visit us at

www.geaugamapleleaf.com

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Geauga County Maple Leaf

Thursday, April 7, 2022