West Side News & Notes
By Stephanie Kist
Akron councilman chosen
as new county clerk of courts
SUMMIT COUNTY — Akron City Councilman Dan Horrigan (D-Ward 1) was chosen as the new Summit County Clerk of Courts at a meeting Jan. 16 at North High School.
Also nominated was Tallmadge Mayor Christopher Grimm.
Russ Balthis, executive director
of the Summit County Democratic Party, said 229 Democratic
precinct committee members attended the meeting and
voted by secret paper ballot
for the person to succeed Diana Zaleski, who retired
effective Dec. 31. Horrigan received more than 130 votes
and Grimm more than 90.
“It’s a great opportunity,”
Horrigan said. “I’m excited about starting
right away.”
Horrigan submitted his resignation
to Council Clerk Cheri Prough Jan. 17. He also resigned
his teaching position at Stow-Munroe Falls High School.
He said the school was able to
find a long-term substitute teacher for the remainder
of the year.
He’ll miss both his Council
colleagues and his students, he said. He plans to return
to Council for a farewell, although he’ll be out
of town for the next Council meeting Jan. 22.
“There’s some very
good people on City Council, and I learned a lot from
them,” he said.
A screening committee will begin
searching for a new Ward 1 representative as soon as
possible, according to Horrigan.
While Horrigan said he was planning
to visit the office and become acquainted right away,
Balthis said the results of the vote must be certified
by the Summit County Board of Elections, and Horrigan
must receive a certificate from the Ohio Secretary of
State’s office before he officially begins his
duties as clerk.
According to the Summit County
Clerk of Courts Office, the office is the official record
keeper for the Summit County Common Pleas Court and
the Ninth District Court of Appeals. The office is divided
into the legal division and title division.
The title division processes more
than 300,000 titles per year, while the legal division
processes more than 16,000 cases per year. The clerk
is responsible for collecting revenues of more than
$77 million annually from both divisions.
The clerk of courts seat will
be up for election in 2008.
Sand Run Parkway closes
for repairs
WEST AKRON — Sand Run Parkway
in Sand Run Metro Park closed Jan. 15 between Sand Run
and Revere roads and will remain closed for up to three
weeks as crews repair damage caused recently by excessive
rain. It should reopen for traffic Feb. 3.
The suggested alternate route
is Sand Run Road to Smith Road and back to Sand Run
Parkway via Revere Road.
The 6-mile Parkway Jogging Trail
will remain open to runners and walkers during the road
closure.
For updates, visit www.sum
mitmetroparks.org
or call (330) 867-5511.
ODOT to accept
applications for community projects
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department
of Transportation (ODOT) is accepting funding requests
for transportation enhancement, small city and municipal
bridge projects.
The programs provide approximately
$27 million in federal funding through ODOT throughout
the state.
The Transportation En-hancement
Program makes available $11 million in federal funding
to preserve historic transportation sites, provide landscaping
and other scenic enhancements to local roadways and
add pedestrian bicycle and walking paths.
Local governments outside the
boundaries of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
are eligible for program funding. Citizen groups or
other private organizations also can sponsor a project
by coordinating with the local government having jurisdiction
over the transportation facility involved.
The funding will be provided for
projects in state fiscal year 2010.
A letter of interest is due to
the respective ODOT district by Feb. 1. Based on the
acceptance of the letter of interest, sponsors will
be invited to submit an application.
The Small City Program provides
approximately $8 million in federal funding to cities
with populations between 5,000 and 24,999. This program
may be used by the incorporated localities for any road,
safety or signal project on the federal-aid highway
system. The funding will be provided for projects in
fiscal year 2010. The application process runs through
March 1.
The Municipal Bridge Program provides
approximately $8 million in federal funding to municipal
corporations and transit authorities for bridge replacement
or bridge rehabilitation projects. Bridges must carry
vehicular traffic. The funding will be provided in state
fiscal year 2011. The application process runs through
March 1.
For details, visit www.dot
.state.oh.us/local or
call Program Manager Randy Lane at (614) 644-8211.
Peninsula Library Foundation
receives Cooke tribute
gift
PENINSULA — The Peninsula
Library Foundation received a grant of $100,000 in honor
of Honoré Guilbeau Cooke.
A beloved and respected member
of the Peninsula community, Cooke was one of the co-founders
of the Peninsula Library & Historical Society, a
trustee for 27 years, an author and an artist. She died
May 22.
Cooke is considered to be one
of the co-founders of the
Peninsula Library along with her friend Ruth Roush and
a committee of seven other women. They had a fund-raiser
as a Girl Scout troop service project and collected
100 books and $40.
In February 1943, they officially
opened the library. In 1964, Cooke installed the “Mural
of Transportation Into the Valley” on the front
of the library and added the Peninsula Python mural
inside the library in 1970.
Most recently Cooke designed both
prints and posters to commemorate the library’s
60th anniversary in 2003, as well as book bags for the
Friends of the Library organization.
The grant, one of the largest
received by the foundation in recent years, was given
by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Following the wishes of the donor,
the grant will be directed to the organization’s
endowment, a permanent fund that supplements the Peninsula
Library & Historical Society’s regular operating
funds.
This grant will increase the value
of the endowment fund by 50 percent, according to foundation
officials. Income from the endowment fund will help
to provide the resources for capital improvements, repairs
and renovations, acquisitions, services or operating
expenses for years to come, according to foundation
officials.
For more information, visit www.peninsulalibrary.org/foun
dation.php.
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