West Side News & Notes
By Kally Mavromatis
Norton firefighters receive
new EMS truck
NORTON — Despite questions from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on the status of the volunteer firefighters in the Norton Fire Department, the city of Norton received its brand new EMS truck from the Norton Fireman’s Association May 3.
“We received it as a donation, so the truck belongs to the city,” said Norton Administrator Richard Ryland.
There was a question as to whether
or not the association would be able to donate the truck.
The association bought the vehicle as a gift for the
fire department out of the proceeds of
the group’s bingo operation. The Attorney General’s
Office has been investigating the association’s
bingo operation for more than a year and held a hearing
last month. The next hearing will take place May 30,
after which it will go to a hearing officer for recommendation.
Currently, Norton has four full-time
employees, with the other 26 employees being part-time
volunteers who are on-call but paid only for their hours
of actual service. The Attorney General’s Office
contends the volunteers are full-time employees. If
the Attorney General’s Office determines that
the part-time volunteers are, in fact, full-time employees,
then the Fireman’s Association’s bingo license
will be revoked, jeopardizing any funds or materials
donated to the department.
But events took a strange turn
when the Attorney General’s Office wrote a letter
to Ryland stating that the status of the truck was never
an issue.
“They said that they never
said that [the city] couldn’t get the truck, or
shouldn’t get the truck,” said association
President Robert Copen. “But if Norton wasn’t
a volunteer fire department, we couldn’t give
it to them. We are licensed to support a volunteer fire
department.
“So now I don’t know
if that means they’re accepting Norton as a volunteer
fire department.”
Regardless, the delivery of the
truck couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It was formally delivered”
May 3, said Fire Chief James Calco. “It’s
here and we’re in the process of putting it in
service.”
And not a moment too soon; the
city’s old truck had died the day before.
“It gave up the ghost,”
he said.
Curb-service rules relaxed
for spring cleanup
AKRON — Mayor Don Plusquellic
last week announced a special Spring Cleanup collection
program for city curb-service customers.
During regular city trash pickup
the week of May 21, all refuse conforming to the city’s
rules and regulations placed curbside will be picked
up on trash days.
“Our residents have finally
had a chance to get outside and get this work done,
and they have a lot of yard waste to deal with,”
Plusquellic said. “Similar to what we did over
the Christmas holiday, we have instructed our sanitation
crews to pick up everything placed curbside, regardless
of whether it fits inside their regular trash container.”
Ward 1 Councilman James Hurley
worked with Deputy Service Director John Valle to respond
to citizen calls for assistance
with removing grass clippings, leaves, branches and
other yard waste collected during the past several weeks.
Residents with questions are
encouraged to call the city’s 3-1-1 call center.
From a residential phone in Akron, call 3-1-1. From
all other telephones, call (330) 375-2311 for assistance.
The special service will be offered
through May 25.
— By
Stephanie Kist
Stamp Out Hunger May
12 in Akron
AKRON — The National Association
of Letter Carriers Branch No. 148 will collect nonperishable
food items May 12 for distribution to the Akron-Canton
Regional Foodbank as part of the Stamp Out Hunger program.
Donors are asked to place a food
donation by their mailboxes for the letter carrier to
pick up.
Those who have questions or who
will have large donations are asked to call (330) 535-4500.
— By Stephanie Kist
Furnace Run trail closed due
to coyotes
RICHFIELD — The 1.2-mile
Rock Creek Trail at Furnace Run Metro Park, 4955 Townsend
Road, is closed for six to eight weeks, starting May
7, after visitors reported seeing a coyote in an area
where a den is suspected.
“Although we have not been
able to locate it, we are pretty certain there is an
active den nearby,” said Mike Johnson, chief of
natural resources for Metro Parks, Serving Summit County.
Adult coyotes can be very territorial
when guarding their pups, which are born in April and
May, so the trail is being closed as a precaution.
“Once the pups mature,
the family will abandon the den and the trail can be
reopened,” Johnson said.
Park officials said visitors
have nothing to fear as long as they use common sense,
leash their pets at all times and keep a safe distance.
Coyotes, found in each of Ohio’s
88 counties, can weigh up to 50 pounds.
For details, call the Metro Parks’
natural resources department at (330) 923-0720.
— By
Stephanie Kist
Swearing-in ceremony planned
for Thomas Teodosio
DOWNTOWN AKRON — The public
is invited to the ceremonial swearing-in of Summit County
Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas Teodosio. The ceremony
will take place May 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the atrium on
the first floor of the Summit County Courthouse, 209
S. High St.
“Serving as a judge is
a great responsibility, and I am
honored that the citizens of Summit County elected me
to serve them in this important position in our community,”
Teodosio said.
Summit County Juvenile Court
Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio will administer the oath
of office to her husband.
Thomas Teodosio’s term
begins May 17. He succeeds Judge Jane Bond, who is retiring
after having served as Summit County Common Pleas Court
judge since 1991.
Teodosio is a lifelong resident
of Summit County. He is a graduate of The University
of Akron School of Law and was admitted to the bar in
1982. Prior to being elected to the court, Teodosio
was a partner in the Akron law firm of Teodosio, Manos
& Ward and has been a Summit County councilman since
2000.
The Akron Bar Association will
host a light reception immediately following the ceremony.
For more information, call Kenneth
Martin at (330) 535-9111. — By
Stephanie Kist
Delays possible in
construction zones
SUMMIT COUNTY — Ohio Department
of Transportation (ODOT) maintenance and construction
projects are currently affecting traffic. Motorists
should be cautious and reduce their speed through all
work zones, according to ODOT.
Drivers might encounter congestion
and possible delays in some of these zones in the West
Side Leader’s coverage area:
• Interstate 77 northbound
from Cleveland-Massillon Road to Ghent Road will have
nightly lane closures with periodic traffic stoppages
from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. for the erection of new overhead
signs.
• Beginning May 21, the
ramp from I-77 northbound to state Route 21 southbound
will be closed until late September. Traffic will be
detoured to state Route 18 westbound to I-77 southbound.
• Beginning June 1, Brunsdorph
Road will be closed through early September. The detour
will be posted. This work is part of a $60.2 million
project to widen and reconstruct I-77 from Copley Road
to state Route 21. Included is the reconstruction of
the Ridgewood and Brunsdorph Road bridges and the off-ramp
from I-77 northbound to Route 21 south. The entire project
is scheduled to be complete by September 2008.
• Reimer Road over state
Route 21 is closed until early July for bridge reconstruction.
The posted detour is Hametown Road to Wadsworth Road
to Cleveland-Massillon Road.
• Greenwich Road over state
Route 21 is closed until July 24 for bridge
reconstruction. The detour is Hametown
Road to Johnson Road to Wooster Road to Cleveland-Massillon
Road.
• State Route 21 at Reimer
and Greenwich roads has various lane restrictions in
either or both directions. This work is part of a $2.4
million project to raise, redeck and paint the Reimer
and Greenwich roads bridges over state Route 21. The
entire project is scheduled to be completed by September.
• Interstate 271 in Boston
Township over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP)
is reduced to one lane in each direction from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m. daily until October 2009 for bridge replacements.
A minimum of two lanes is open in each direction from
6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This work
is part of a $33 million project for replacing the I-271
twin bridges over the Cuyahoga River and the CVNP. The
entire project is scheduled to be completed by late
fall 2009.
— By
Stephanie Kist
Smoking ban enforcement has
begun
OHIO — Enforcement of Ohio’s
indoor smoking ban began
May 3, more than one month before the mandated enforcement
date of June 7.
Businesses and places of employment
were required to prohibit smoking, remove ashtrays and
post no-smoking signs with the toll-free enforcement
number, (866) 559-6446, beginning Dec. 7. ODH, however,
was unable to levy fines until enforcement rules were
in place.
ODH wrote the enforcement rules
in collaboration with an advisory committee made up
of 34 representatives from 27 statewide organizations
and in recognition of some 55,000 public comments received
either in person at public hearings, in writing or via
telephone and e-mail.
Because of an April 30 temporary
restraining order, Ohio’s private clubs will not
be subject to the smoking ban until at least May 14,
when a hearing is scheduled in Columbus. Since the ban
took effect, ODH has received more than 17,000 reports
of alleged violations; these complaints resulted in
informational letters reminding these entities of their
threefold obligation under the law.
Beginning May 3, alleged violations
are being forwarded to local health departments —
ODH’s designated enforcement agencies —
which will then investigate complaints in their respective
jurisdictions.
No fines were issued May
3, as local health departments must conduct an on-site
investigation before issuing any penalties. Businesses
cited under the law are subject to a warning letter
for the first violation and fines of $100 (second violation),
$500 (third), $1,500 (fourth) and $2,500 (fifth and
subsequent violations).
Individuals are subject to a
warning letter for a first violation and $100 fine for
second and subsequent violations.
Businesses and individuals cited
under the law have the right to appeal.
— By
Stephanie Kist
CVNP to benefit from
RiverDay cleanup
CVNP — Cuyahoga Valley
National Park (CVNP) is seeking volunteers to help clean
up the Cuyahoga River watershed in celebration of the
17th Annual RiverDay May 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Registration will begin at Howe
Meadow, 4040 Riverview Road, one-half mile north of
Ira Road, at 9 a.m. Volunteers will assemble into crews,
be assigned an area to clean and carpool to the site.
Besides trash removal, participants can help remove
invasive plant species.
Volunteers should dress in work
clothes with long-sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy
boots or shoes and bring water and gloves. Some gloves
will be available on site.
Children must be at least 10
years old, be accompanied by an adult, and have a signed
parental permission form provided by CVNP officials.
Sunscreen, water and a snack will be provided.
To register or for more information,
contact Volunteer Program Manager Travis White at (440)
546-5996 or travis_white
@nps.gov.
This event is part of the Friends
of the Crooked River’s RiverDay 2007. For more
information on the other sites in RiverDay 2007, visit
www.
cuyahogariver.net or
call (216) 651-3476.
— By
Stephanie Kist
United Way seeks woman
philanthropist nominees
SUMMIT COUNTY — The Women’s
Leadership Giving Society of United Way of Summit County
is seeking nominees for its Woman Philanthropist of
the Year Award, which will be presented at the Power
of the Purse luncheon July
11.
The award was established to
recognize a woman who has demonstrated a passionate
desire to help others through her financial support
and service to nonprofit organizations and institutions,
including United Way, within Summit County.
Nominations can be made by anyone
in the community. Any woman who displays the characteristics
consistent with the intent of the award, is a resident
of Summit County and demonstrates philanthropic support
in a variety of areas, including United Way, is eligible
for the award. Due to the active, ongoing nature of
the award and its intent, candidates nominated posthumously
will not be considered.
The deadline for nominations
is May 25.
To make a nomination online,
visit www.uwsummit .org and
click the link to “Make a Nomination for the Woman
Philanthropist of the Year,” or send a nomination
to United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect St.,
Akron, OH 44304, Attn: Woman Philanthropist.
For more information on the award
or the Power of the Purse
luncheon, contact Beth Houseman at (330) 643-5519 or
bhouseman@uwsummit.org.
— By
Stephanie Kist
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