2/25/2010 - South Side Leader
     

Green Veterans Memorial Park design presented at Green Expo

GREEN — The Veterans Memorial Park Committee will unveil the winning design for the Veterans Memorial Park March 6 at noon during the Green Expo at Green High School.

The committee was formed in November 2009 to design, select the location, fund the project and build the memorial. The park will serve as a memorial and functional community gathering place to thank, honor and celebrate the lives of all who served and defended the United States by creating a place of respect, pride, hope and a demonstration of patriotism, according to committee officials.

In conjunction with unveiling the design, the committee will launch the official fund-raising campaign for the park.

“We have an aggressive goal of dedicating the first phase of the memorial on Veterans’ Day 2010,” said Joe Sheehan, committee chair, a resident of Green and a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. “Every one of our committee members hit the ground running to make this a reality.”

To date, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization has raised more than $52,000, with $50,000 donated as a grant from the city of Green. The organization also launched a design competition for the three firms that responded to the letter of qualification and selected the location for the park — behind Fire Station No. 1 on Massillon Road.

The three firms will present their designs to the committee March 1. Each firm’s design will be ranked based on multiple criteria, including: functionality and creativity; the firm’s proximity to Green; experience building memorial parks; active participation of a veteran on staff to complete a design; and experience of designers and other staff with similar projects.  

The winning firm will be awarded the contract for the finalized design of the park. 

“Design competitions aren’t new, but aren’t often used for city parks because of the procurement process of government entities,” said John Dodovich, who is a professional architect, committee member and sitting member of the Green Design Review Board. “Since this park is to be funded by community donations and is set up as a not-for-profit, a design competition was a great option to receive multiple design ideas with potentially more creativity in a shortened timeframe.”

The next step to building the park is to solicit donations from local businesses and residents who want to honor those who served in the Armed Forces. Individuals and businesses may purchase a brick paver that will be incorporated into the design or make cash donations to the fund.

The committee will have a display set up at the Green Expo and will be accepting pledge forms.

In addition, one-third of the proceeds from the community pancake breakfast to take place that morning from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the expo will be donated to the Veterans Memorial Park Fund. The cost of the breakfast is $5 at the door.

Donations for the memorial park also are being accepted online through the city of Green’s Web site at www.city ofgreen.org.

All donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to Green Veterans Memorial Park Fund and sent to the city of Green, c/o Green Veterans Memorial Park Fund, P.O. 278, Green, OH 44232.

For in-kind donations or questions, e-mail Mike Elkins, superintendent of Parks and Recreation and secretary of the Green Veterans Memorial Park Fund, at melkins@cityof green.org.

The idea to build a memorial park started with a letter to Mayor Dick Norton this past year from Samantha Kelley, a resident of Green and classmate of Staff Sgt. Matthew Kuglics, a special agent in the U.S. Air Force who was killed in Kirkuk, Iraq, June 5, 2007, by a roadside bomb.

Pharmacy burglars arrested

GREEN — The Summit and Wayne counties’ sheriff’s offices; Wooster, Seville and Brewster police departments; and the state of Ohio Pharmacy Board worked together to arrest three individuals allegedly responsible for pharmacy burglaries in Summit, Medina, Stark and Wayne counties.

The burglaries occurred in July 2008 in Green, Barberton, Wooster, Kidron, Brewster and Seville, and included the theft of OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin and other drugs. Several agencies identified five men as suspects after a lengthy investigation.

On Feb. 5, a Summit County grand jury returned secret indictments for: Joshua Dowdell, 32, of Doylestown; James Devaughn, 32, currently in prison; and Barberton residents Thomas Farrell, 26, Kyle Porkorney, 27, and Joshua Weigand, 21.

All the men were charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities, breaking and entering, theft and possession of criminal tools.

Dowdell, Farrell and Porkorney were arrested Feb. 18 and booked into the Summit County Jail. Devaughn was served with his warrants in prison. A warrant was issued for Weigand, who has not been located yet.

New federal firearms law affects CVNP

CVNP — A change in federal law effective Feb. 22 allows people who can legally possess firearms under federal, Ohio and local law to possess those firearms in Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP).

The new law allows possession of firearms in national parks subject to the firearm laws of the state and communities where the parks are located.

In Ohio, this allows both open carrying and concealed carrying of firearms in CVNP.

“We have been working closely with local, state and federal officials to ensure that we clearly understand the provisions of the laws that will now apply to our visitors when they are in the park,” said CVNP Acting Superintendent Paul Stoehr. “We encourage every visitor who may wish to bring firearms to the park to do their research ahead of time and ensure that they are aware of and abide by the laws that apply.”

The new law has no effect on existing laws and regulations regarding the use of firearms in national parks or hunting. Hunting still is not allowed in CVNP. Federal law continues to prohibit firearms in certain facilities, such as park visitor centers; these facilities are posted with notices at public entrances.

For more details, visit www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Enforcement/Concealed-Carry.

    — By Stephanie Kist

Akron-Canton Foodbank campaign begins

NORTHEAST OHIO — The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank has launched its 2010 Harvest for Hunger campaign with a goal of $700,000. 

Harvest for Hunger is a collaboration of four foodbanks serving 21 counties in Northeast Ohio.

The campaign follows the release earlier this month of Hunger in America 2010, which reported more than 40,000 different people are fed every week by the Foodbank.

“Northeast Ohio is not recovering from the recession as quickly as other parts of the country,” said Daniel Flowers, president and chief executive officer of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. “We are still seeing increasing numbers of people coming to local food pantries and meal sites and expect the numbers to continue to rise throughout this year. We have to feed more people, and we can do it with the community’s support.”

The biggest impact in the fight against hunger is made through financial donations, according to organizers — every $1 donation provides three meals for people in need. 

Monetary donations are being accepted at the Foodbank by mail or online at www.akroncantonfoodbank.org.

Also, six local supermarket chains are participating in Check out Hunger, which allows shoppers to scan coupons and make donations of $1, $5 or $10 at the check-out register. 

Donations for Check out Hunger, supported by the members of UFCW Local 880, will be accepted Feb. 28 to April 10 at Acme Fresh Markets, Buehler’s Fresh Foods, Dave’s Supermarkets, Fishers Foods, Giant Eagle and Heinen’s Fine Foods. Organizers say 100 percent of all Harvest for Hunger donations are used to provide food at no cost to local food pantries, hot-meal sites and shelters with emergency food programs.

More than 200 businesses, schools and community organizations are holding Harvest for Hunger food and funds drives in the eight counties served by the Foodbank, according to organizers.

Coordinator kits that provide tips on hosting successful food and funds drives are available on the Foodbank Web site or by calling (330) 535-6900.

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