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Progress 2013 On the Horizon
February 18, 2013
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A supplement to
February 18, 2013
Signs of Progress 2013
• Energy Projects mean new jobs • Capital Improvements in your town • New investments, new businesses
Progress 2013 See second section
Serving The Eastern Maumee Bay Communities Since 1972
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Board president charged with misdemeanors By Melissa Burden Special to The Press Misdemeanor charges were filed on Feb. 13 in Oregon Municipal Court against Oregon School Board President P.J. Kapfhammer after an altercation he had with a man with autism last week at Clay High School. Kapfhammer has been charged with “menacing knowingly cause to believe serious physical harm” and “disorderly conduct recklessly by fighting, threatening harm or in violent turbulent behavior,” according to court records. Terry Blachowski, the mother of Thomas Blachowski, 25, who has autism, filed a report with the Oregon Police Department on Feb. 3. Blachowski stated her son was the honorary manager of the baseball team and was working out in the weight room with 50 other team members on Saturday, Feb. 1, according to the report. According to the report, Kapfhammer entered the room and began yelling at Thomas. “During the course of the yelling, the suspect told the victim that he needs his f***ing ass kicked,” states the report. The report further states the baseball team manager went up to the suspect and, “explained what the situation was.” “At this point, the suspect walked out,” according to the report. Blachowski also requested a civil protection order against Kapfhammer in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on February 4, according to records obtained by The Press. The order was dismissed on the same day by the court.
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uote of The Week
They keep taking things away from us but still expect us to do the job. Charles Brinkman See page 6
The Birmingham Library held a St. Valentine’s Day party which included games, storytime and snacks. Pictured, Adrianna Rucki and Allie Rucki play Twister. (Press photos by Ken Grosjean)
Northwood
State to assess school buildings By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com The Northwood Local Schools District has been working with the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) to create a possible Master Plan for new or renovated school buildings. “The Ohio School Facilities Commission has built a lot of buildings and done a lot of renovations around the state. Basically, it’s Northwood’s turn,” said Superintendent Greg Clark. Based on Northwood’s eligibility ranking, the district was offered the chance of an OSFC state/local shared project in the near future. “We got a letter from the state saying it would like to partner with us to figure out what is in the best interests of our district. Where we stand right now, if we do end up with the project, 35 percent of the money would come from the state, and 65 percent would come from us locally. That’s a little bit of a hurdle,” said Clark. He estimated the total cost of such a
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We’re hoping to have the widest variety of citizens from our district to attend and give as many opinions as possible.
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Unidentified adult Kapfhammer told The Press this week he was uncomfortable with an unidentified adult being in the weight room with the students. “At the time, I did not know what I know now,” Kapfhammer said. “This has torn me up. It makes me look like I pick on disabled people and that is not who I am.” Kapfhammer said he was at the high school speaking with a wrestling coach outside of the weight room. Clay was hosting the Three Rivers Athletic Conference varsity wrestling championships at that time. “There were a lot of kids in the room and we had a wrestling tournament going on so there were a lot of people we don’t
Valentine party
project could be about $30 million, but a final figure has not yet been determined. “We don’t know that for sure. Right now, they are doing an assessment of all our buildings. At our end, we’ve put together a Facilities Planning Committee. That group is looking at what the best options are for our district between now and early June.” The committee is planning public meetings in the district to gauge input on the matter, he said. The first meeting was held at the high school earlier this month. “We had 39 people at our last meeting. At the end of that meeting, people had the
chance to walk around and look at that facility,” said Clark. “We’re hoping to have the widest variety of citizens from our district to attend and give as many opinions as possible. We will use the information we get from the state’s assessment to come up with what we believe to be the best options for us, and that could mean either no buildings at all, renovation of what we have, or brand new buildings,” said Clark. “Everything is preliminary right now,” he said. Clark is urging those who are interested in the fate of the buildings to attend the meetings to become aware of the district’s options, the assessment and to offer input. “The more people are aware of what’s being contemplated, the less likely they are to be surprised if we do end up with something on the ballot in the fall,” he said. The next committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at the middle school. “It’s a very open process. I don’t have a preconceived notion of what ought to
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