P
The
Since 1972
Napa Valley is a cornucopia See second section
Financial health, lake at center of Ottawa Co. race
RESS November 7, 2016
FREE
Serving More Than h 33 33,000 000 H Homes & B Businesses i iin 4 C Counties ti
Magical season ends See second section
M
By Larry Limpf News Editor news@presspublications.com
Continued on page 2
Q
uote
of The Week
You decide how you will respond to what you are facing. Bryan Golden See page 9
Lake side minstrel
Nathan Perry strums his guitar along the shores of Lake Erie near South Shore Park, enjoying the fall colors and warm temperatures. He is a student at Clay High School. (Press photo by Ken Grosjean)
Oregon Council
Permit to raise chickens revisited By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com Oregon City Council will hold a public hearing on Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. to review a Special Use Exception (SUE) permit that was issued last year for a one year probationary period to allow chickens to be raised in a residential district at 935 S. Wynn Road. Last year, David Pullella, the owner of the property, had requested the SUE to raise six chickens, four rabbits, two ducks, two goats, four turkeys, two swans and four pheasants on two acres. His request was later amended for a permit to raise just six chickens. The Project Review Committee had no objections to the request, but had recommended that a plan be submitted and approved for waste removal and housing. Pullella had planned to raise chickens to lay eggs in the R-1 Low Density Residential District. The chickens would be fenced in. A coop would be located behind a 10 foot by 12 foot shed, about 250 feet from the road. He also planned to build a run for them. Concerns Some area residents opposed to the SUE had raised concerns about possible odor, noise, and attraction of coyotes to the neighborhood with the availability of an
“
It’s kind of an urban thing that’s going on. Chicago allows it. People want fresh eggs.
“
The economic health of Ottawa County and the health of Lake Erie are intertwined and high on the lists of priorities for candidates vying for seats on the board of commissioners. Mark Coppeler, the owner of a Port Clinton business, is challenging incumbent Jo Ellen Regal for a term that begins Jan. 3, 2017. Coppeler, a Republican, said he made his decision to run for the office after listening to the concerns of small business owners, employees and homeowners and hearing a growing chorus of worry. “In my business over the last 26 years, I’ve worked with people from all walks of life,” he said. “They’re worried for their future, their jobs and their paychecks. For too many years we’ve watched the slow steady decline in employment opportunities.” As the owner of Coppeler Heating and Electric, he has “…weathered the ups and downs of operating a business through one of the worst economic recessions of recent times.” Regal, a Democrat, who is seeking re-election after winning a seat on the board in 2013, also sees economic development as vital for the county. “It will be important to work with the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation to ensure the county is business friendly and that we have a work force to meet the needs of all businesses – small, medium, or large – new or existing,” she said. She’s also served as the county’s auditor and says the next board of commissioners will have to contend with the state-wide loss of a sales tax on Medicaid managed care organization starting in July 2017. “This will have an impact on the State of Ohio as well as the counties,” she said. “It will be important to have communications with our state legislators as we work through this change. The heroin epidemic will also have an impact on our budget as our jail population grows and more children are being removed from their homes due to drug issues within the family.” Visitors to Ottawa and Erie counties generated about $2 billion in local tourism-related sales in 2015, according to a
additional food source. Pullella had said the chickens would be fed and watered daily, the coop would be cleaned every couple of days, the waste would be used in his garden, and a fence would be buried deep enough to keep coyotes from digging underneath. Mayor Mike Seferian, who is on the Planning Commission, had asked for a one year probationary period with the possibility of renewal, to determine whether it was a good fit for the area and Pullella’s plans had been carried out. The Planning Commission at an Oct. 18 meeting reviewed the permit and voted 5-0 to recommend that the SUE be renewed permanently.
Pullella said at the meeting that he has not had any incidences with the chickens, coyotes or raccoons, which was a concern that had been raised earlier. Everything is clean and there is no odor. Rick Orovitz, a member of the Planning Commission, asked Pullella if he was using the waste from the chickens as a fertilizer in his garden as he had said he would. Pullella said he was. James Gilmore, Commissioner of Building and Zoning, confirmed there have been no complaints from neighbors, and an inspector was sent out to check the property, which appeared to be in excellent condition. “We didn’t have any complaints during the year,” Gilmore told The Press last week. “We didn’t see hardly anything out there. We had a tough time even locating the chickens. They were there, though.” Seferian last year said he had some inquiries from residents interested in raising chickens for fresh eggs. Gilmore said there have not been any more requests since Pullella’s last year, though it has become a fad in some bigger cities to want chickens. “In other communities, like Toledo, you’re allowed so many chickens per household. It’s kind of an urban thing that’s going on. Chicago allows it. People
WE HAVE ROWS OF USED SUVs 3000 Dustin Rd. Main Lot and I-280 Lot dunnchevybuick.com
419-693-3000
ALL WINTER READY
Continued on page 2
See Our Ad on Back Page!
300+ Used at dunnchevy.com