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Area man faces sixth OVI charge By Press Staff Writer
Christmas Choir
Students with the Navarre Elementary School choir belt out holiday favorites at the East Toledo Senior Center’s annual Christmas party. Bottom photo, Savannah Bugg, Ailene Lara, and Adriana Mendoza act out verses from the song “Christmas Makes Me Sing.” (Press photos by Ken Grosjean)
Oregon
Council approves budget for 2015 By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com Oregon City Council approved a $19.8 million budget for next year, slightly more than 2014’s budget of $18.4 million. “We believe with this budget, we can maintain Oregon’s tradition of a high level of services for our residents,” said City Administrator Mike Beazley. The city will continue its $1 million road improvement program that was in the 2014 budget. “It’s so important, in terms of quality of life for our residents and from an economic development prospective,” he said. The city will also continue upgrading Navarre Avenue. “It is our main street. It’s an important investment in our future, as we go forward,” said Beazley. In addition, upgrades will be made to capital equipment, some of it as the result of a harsh winter earlier this year, he said. “Some of that investment stems from some of the high costs and wear and tear that came from a very tough winter,” said
Beazley. The biggest expense next year will be for police, fire and EMS services, which total $10,301,898. Other capital costs will ensure the city is energy efficient, he added. “We’ve all discussed at length that Oregon’s revenue tends to be cyclical more than most communities like us. In good times, we do invest in our plant and equipment to make sure we’re prepared for the future. We think these investments will allow us to continue to operate efficiently, and in many cases, lower our costs of operations,” he said. Expenses improving recreational projects, such as the city’s bike trail, are also included in the budget. “We’ve provided for investment in the continued enhancement of our recreation program, continued enhancement of our bike trail, a multi-purpose trail with the start of engineering and phase 1 of our north-south connector that will make it easier for our residents to get to our parks and schools,” he said. “We also have invested in an access analysis for our lakefront, something our
council and mayor believe we can do better at,” he said. “The only change from an operations side worth noting is we are going to add two staff positions to our public service department. They’re part of the effort to deal with all our capital projects and enhanced service needs. We probably have more projects underway than at any time in the city’s history – water plant, sewer plant, changes associated with Oregon Clean Energy, our major streets programs, water and sewer lines replacement, and to buildings and grounds. We have a lot of balls in the air, and we got to make sure we have personnel in place to meet those needs so we don’t just talk about the projects, but get things done,” he said. “We feel good about what this budget does,” he added. “We want to emphasize to the public a budget is always a plan to spend. The world changes during the year. I think this council has demonstrated the flexibility to deal with these things and react to changes and circumstances. This budget is a responsible step forward as we go forward.”
A rural Oak Harbor man is facing a felony operating a vehicle while impaired charge after his Dec. 13 arrest. Authorities say this is the sixth time Steven Ontko, 42, Portage River South Road, has been picked up for the violation. Ontko spent the rest of the weekend in the Ottawa County Detention Facility after his arrest shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday in the driveway of his home. He appeared Monday in Ottawa County Municipal Court. Following his hearing, he was released on a $10,130 cash bond, according to detention facility records. Ontko is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 22. The charge is a third degree felony, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Ontko has five previous OVI convictions, occurring in 1995, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004, records show. According to sheriff’s report, sheriff’s Deputy John Carpenter was traveling east on Portage River South Road when he spotted a Ford pickup approaching in the oncoming lane. He watched the truck swerve off the north side of the road, with both front and back tires leaving the roadway and heading slightly down a grassy grade. The driver then corrected the vehicle back onto the road but then crossed the yellow center line, entering the deputy’s lane. The driver corrected again and swerved back into the westbound lane and turned the truck into a driveway. The deputy turned his vehicle around and headed for the driveway, where he found the pickup parked, still running and Ontko sitting in the driver’s seat, according to the report. Ontko, who was talking on the phone, would not acknowledge the deputy, the report states. The deputy then tapped on the window of the driver’s door. Ontko told him to wait because he was on the phone. The deputy told him to hang up the phone and Ontko responded by motioning for him to move away from the truck. During this time, the deputy saw an open pack of Continued on page 2
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Timothy Karr See page 10
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