West Side News & NotesBy
Stephanie Kist
Metro Parks offers Christmas
tree recycling
SUMMIT COUNTY — Since the early 1970s, Metro Parks has “recycled” Christmas trees by chipping them into mulch. On average, more than 2,000 trees are collected each year.
Trees, cleaned of all decorations, may be dropped off at the following locations Dec. 26 through Jan. 31:
• Firestone Metro Park Little Turtle Pond Area, 2400 Harrington Road in South Akron;
• Furnace Run Metro Park
Brushwood Area, 4955 Townsend
Road in Richfield;
• Goodyear Heights Metro
Park, 2077 Newton St. in East Akron;
• Sand Run Metro Park Treaty
Line Area, 995 Treaty Line Road in West Akron; and
• Silver Creek Metro Park
Big Oak Area, 5199 Medina Line Road in Norton.
For more information, call (330)
867-5511.
Akron City Council OKs union
contract
DOWNTOWN AKRON — Akron
City Council on Dec. 18 approved five pieces of legislation
related to a recently negotiated labor agreement between
the city and the American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 1360. According
to Deputy Mayor for Labor Relations James Masturzo,
union members ratified the contract by a vote of 299
to 71.
According to Masturzo, the ordinances
provide for:
√ a 2 percent wage increase
retroactive to Jan. 1, 2006, and a 1 percent increase
in 2007 and in 2008 and 2.5 percent for 2009. The increases
cover about 480 members and will cost about $1.2 million
for the four years;
√ modification to the prescription
program that requires members to utilize a mail-order
program for maintenance drugs, saving the city about
$100,000;
√ an increase in bonuses
paid to members who obtain state certified water or
wastewater plant licenses. The increase affects about
53 members and will cost about $24,000;
√ bonuses to equipment
mechanics who obtain automated service excellence certification,
costing about $25,000 per year; and
√ 1 percent per year wage
increases to school crossing guards for 2007 and 2008,
costing about $13,000.
Akron, Summit County consolidate
divisions
DOWNTOWN AKRON — Council
approved the consolidation of the city’s weights
and measures division with that of Summit County Dec.
18.
According to Summit County Fiscal
Officer John Donofrio, the consolidation of the two
departments “simplifies the oversight we have
of devices for weighing, metering, pricing and measuring.”
The city’s division of
weights and measures will be phased out, and a new contractual
agreement with Summit County will shift all inspection
work to the county government through Donofrio’s
office.
The weights and measures inspections
ensure equity in commercial transactions that involve
the determination of quantity, the
delivery of correct weight, the elimination of fraud
and the enforcement of laws relative to weights and
measures.
No jobs will be lost as a result
of the merger. According to city officials, Akron has
been planning this consolidation for several years and
subsequently has allowed attrition to reduce the weights
and measures staff to one person, who will now be reassigned
to another department.
The consolidation also was approved
by Summit County Council Dec. 18. [See
Summit County Council report on Page
1].
Vigil to memorialize deaths
of soldiers, Iraqis
WEST AKRON — The Northeast
Ohio American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) will
sponsor a procession and vigil to commemorate the lives
of U.S. soldiers and Iraqis killed in the Iraq War.
According to organizers, the
event will demand that not one more life be sacrificed
and not one more dollar be spent in Iraq.
It will begin at the Glendale
Cemetery entrance at 7 p.m. on the day after the announcement
that the 3,000th U.S. soldier has been killed in Iraq.
A short program at Glendale will be followed by a procession
to the Akron federal building, where a 24-hour vigil
for peace will begin. The 24-hour vigil will conclude
at 7:30 p.m. the following day with short reflections
for peace.
The event is intended to bring
attention to the magnitude of death being experienced
in Iraq, say organizers.
According to the AFSC, the number
of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq was 2,940 as of Dec.
14.
“It’s important that
we pressure legislators — both Democrat and Republican
— to create a true end to the occupation of Iraq,”
said Dana Williams of the AFSC. “Not just a mere
gradual pull-out, but one that respects the self-determination
of all Iraqis, by removing the more than 100 military
bases now in Iraq, the thousands of private U.S. contractors
and the continued presence of U.S. military bases in
the region. In order for peace to be long-lasting, all
elements of continued provocation must be eliminated.”
For more information on the event,
visit www.afsc.net/3000
dead.html or call AFSC
at (330) 253-7151.
Counselors sought to
help war veterans
INDEPENDENCE — Northcoast
Conflict Solutions (NCS), a counseling and mediation
practice, has enrolled a national group called Give
an Hour to help Iraq War veterans cope with a wide range
of psychological difficulties.
Give an Hour is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to develop a national network of volunteers
capable of responding to both acute and chronic conditions.
During the current phase of organizational
development, Give an Hour is establishing a national
network of mental health professionals to reach out
to the U.S. troops and families affected by the current
military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
More than 100 mental health providers
are already registered nationwide.
Mental health professionals who
join Give an Hour will donate one hour of their time
each week to provide free mental health services to
military personnel and their families.
Professionals are being asked
to provide the type of services they currently provide
in their offices for up to one year to provide continuity
of care for these military clients.
“What I like about this
concept,” said Dr. John Bertschler, of NCS, “is
that no additional training is required and that we
can take care of clients and charts as we would any
other in terms of paperwork. Most importantly, though,
it’s an honor to care for those veterans who are
daily caring for us.”
Any licensed mental health provider
in Ohio who wishes to volunteer may visit www.
giveanhour.org
to sign up for the national network and to learn more
about the organization. They also may send an e-mail
to bvromberg@givean hour.org.
Volunteers who want to join in
developing and implementing this project also are welcome.
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