tdn progress 22412

MovingForward

MovingForward

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT OF THE PIQUA DAILY CALL & TROY DAILY NEWS

EMERGENCY SERVICES • GOVERNMENT • COURTS

February 24, 2012Section 3

BY MELODY VALLIEUOhio Community [email protected]

MIAMI COUNTY — Inan ever-changing world oftechnology, the MiamiCounty CommunicationsCenter has kept up — ifnot surpassed others.

Jeff Busch, director,said thanks to plannerswho more than 20 yearsago had the foresight tocreate a single communi-cations site for public safe-ty — one of few in Ohio —in Miami County, the cen-ter has continued to keepup with the times.

Busch, who joined thecenter in September 2010,said a new CAD — com-puter aided dispatch sys-tem — implemented inDecember 2010 has con-tinued to improve servicesto the public. He said thenew system, with anupgraded mapping sys-

tem, is more detailed andallows staff to make betterdecisions, especially onfire and EMS calls. Hesaid dispatchers can nowbetter know not only whoto send, but what type ofequipment to send to acall depending on the loca-tion of the incident.

County residents nowusing Phase 2 cell phonesto call into 9-1-1 also cannow be tracked by theCAD system within a fewfeet of an emergency,Busch said.

“Previouslywewould haveto rely on someone else to callus from a home or locationnear an emergency,” Buschsaid.“Nowwe can locate thempretty accurately.

“It certainly gives us thepotential to get help to theright location faster and getpeople the help they need,” hesaid.

The Miami CountyCommunications Center,

which is funded by sales tax,is staffed by 25 employees,Bush said. The staff includesfive supervisors, 17 dispatch-ers, one administrative sec-retary and a network admin-istrator.

The center works withsix law enforcement agen-cies and 16 fire and/orEMS departmentsthroughout the county.With that many agencies,Busch said consistencycan be a challenge.

“We have two full-timedepartments (Troy andPiqua) that are sitting inthe station ready to gowhen a call comes in, andthen we have volunteerdepartments where volun-teers have to be paged outto respond to the stationin emergencies,” Buschsaid. “So, it can be chal-lenging.”

In the next severalmonths, Busch said, thecommunications center willbegin implementing anaddition to the CAD systemcalled HIPLINK. He said in

addition to the radio pagingsystem that now alertsemergency responders, thenew system also will sendtext message alerts to theircell phones. Busch said hebelieves this will helpbecause responders will notonly hear what is going onfrom their pager, they willhave written informationas to what kind of call it isand where the emergencyis located.

“It’s just another pieceof technology that we areusing to try to improve ourservices to the citizens,” hesaid.

The communicationscenter also has been work-ing to upgrade its 800megahertz radio systemby adding new tower loca-tions in Tipp City, WestMilton and Brandt, andreplacing equipment inTroy and Piqua. Work isexpected to be completedin the next months andwill drastically improvecommunication in lowspots, or “dead zones,”

where communicationbetween the center andsafety responders wouldsometimes be lost, Buschsaid.

“It will give us muchbetter communicationwith the public safetyresponders,” he said.

In the next five to 10years, Busch said the com-munications center hopesto be APCO-25 complaint.APCO-25 is a suite ofstandards for digital radiocommunications for use byfederal, state/province andlocal public safety agen-cies to enable them tocommunicate with other

agencies and mutual aidresponse teams in emer-gencies. He said the stan-dards have been set fol-lowing the issues firstresponders saw during the9-11 tragedy. Busch saidwith this system, theradios — no matter whatbrand is purchased — willbe able to communicatewith other radios in otherareas during any situa-tion.

“It improves the abilityto work with other coun-ties and other jurisdic-tions in some cases, like amass disaster situation,”he said.

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Striving to keep up with technologyImprovements

better servecommunity

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BUSCH

“It improves the ability towork with other countiesand other jurisdictions insome cases, like a massdisaster situation.”

— Jeff Busch

PROGRESS 2012 Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily News2 February 2012

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BY MELANIE YINGSTOhio Community Media

[email protected]

TROY — With an increase of ambulance service calls,Troy Fire Department will add an additional ambulance toits fleet in 2012.The new ambulance will move one of its existing

response vehicles to its reserve fleet. The city has budgeted$180,000 for the new ambulance that should arrive nextfall, according to Troy City Fire Department Chief ChrisBoehringer.“It’s just making our runs and staying safe,” said

Boehringer about the outlook for his department in 2012.Boehringer also said the city’s fire department is in the

process of selecting another firefighter to add the depart-ment.“We are making preparations in selecting another candi-

date,” Boehringer said. The department currently has twoassistant chiefs, three platoon commanders, 30 shift per-sonnel and two inspectors.The department’s responses to emergency calls have

increased from 2010. The department made 3,966 ambu-lance runs, up from 3,725 runs in 2010.“The increase is due to the population increase because

we are servingmore residents now than before,” Boehringersaid. Boehringer also said the city’s departments assist sur-rounding townships on their needs as well.The department also responded to 1,045 fires with 16 of

those fires that sustained damages of more than $1,000. In2010, the total amount of fire damage to property is esti-mated at $566,365. There were no fatalities due to fires inthe city in 2010.The city’s fire department also will continue to hold its

programs to provide community outreach.The fire department will continue to provide coupons for

bike helmets for families in need.The bike helmet voucherswill be available at all three stations beginning in Maythrough September and can be redeemed at Station No. 2located at 1528 N. Market St. on the from 10 a.m to noonsecond Saturday of each month.The city’s fire department also is certified to provide car

seat safety checks throughout the year by appointment. Tomake an appointment call the Fire Prevention Bureau, 335-

2227 to schedule an appointment.The department also will be providing the students of

Troy City Schools’ elementary students a bicycle safetycourse and basic bicycle safety program called “Be a BetterBiker” along with the city’s police department.The fire department will continue to participate in local

events and provide its Fire Safety trailer that travels to theelementary schools and appears at Kid’s Day at the MiamiCounty Fair.“We put all third grade students through the fire safety

program each year,” Boehringer said.The Troy City Fire Department also will continue its

“Firefighter Phil” program for Troy City,Troy Christian, St.Patrick and Miami Montessori students in grades K-5 eachfall.For more information about the Troy Fire Department,

visit its Web site www.troyohio.gov/fire/fire.html.

New ambulance will add to Troy fleetWelcomes another firefighter to department

BY WILL E SANDERSOhio Community [email protected]

COVINGTON — For the CovingtonPolice Department, last year was rela-tively quiet one, and it looks as thoughthe upcoming year will be, too.But Covington Chief of Police Lee

Harmon says the department is pro-

gressing and is more community-orient-ed than ever before.“We spent a lot of the time just trying

to run a police department as effective aswe can and watch our pennies,”Harmonsaid. “We are trying to provide the bestpossible service we can.”Like a lot of smaller police depart-

ments in the area, Harmon labeled theeconomy as one of the biggest problems

facing the department.“Our biggest issue right now is fund-

ing,” Harmon said. “We are just trying toprovide the best service we can for thepubic.”Harmon said a school resource officer

programatCovington schools isworkingwell and lastyearperformedamockacci-dent for high school students last year—something they do every other year atthe school.“We have a very active relationship

with the schools and the kids and theadministration,”Harmon said. “Weworkhand in hand with them. One of ourbiggest safety concerns are the kids atthe schools.”Officer Steve Blei, who works within

the schools, has done a great job in thatrole,Harmon said.The department has five full-time

officers and three part-time officers.

Relative quiet for Covington police departmentMIKE ULLERY/

STAFF PHOTO

Covingtonpoliceinvestigatea crash thatoccurred intheir villagelast sum-mer.

PROGRESS 2012Piqua Daily Call • Troy Daily News 3February 2012


PIQUA — Both thePiqua police and firedepartments are operat-ing on lower manpowerthan ever before due tobudget constraints thatare grappling other areadepartments, but theyhave courses of action toensure their services donot decline as a result.For the Piqua Police

Department, last year wasone of changes, and as aresult very stressful, saidPiqua Police Chief BruceJamison.Those changes dealt

with implementing anentirely new dispatchingsystem at the MiamiCounty CommunicationCenter and getting wellacquainted with it, but thedepartment is also makingdo with less manpowerthan in years before.“Because of reductions

to civilian staff, weinstalled a new perform-ance tracking system as itrelates to the variousthings the officers do inorder to document whatthey do right and whatthey do wrong,” Jamisonsaid. “It was a lot of work.”Thirdly, Jamison added,

a new policy system wasushered in at the start ofSeptember.“It had a pretty direct

effect on the employees,”Jamison said. “Any changeis stressful for people, butthe people in this depart-ment responded excellent-ly.”With all of those three

things in place, the Piqua

Police Department aims tooperate at a higher per-formance now that all ofthe bugs have beenworked out of the systemand hopes to make full useof the means at their dis-posal, according to thepolice chief.But, the chief said like

other area departments,several employees havebeen lost through attri-tion. Presently, the forcehas 31 sworn officers aftertwo positions wentunfilled following tworetirements.“We are going to contin-

ue having fiscal chal-lenges, but we are going toget through it,” Jamisonsaid. “So now we arespending time tweakingand taking full advantageof the new systems” forbetter efficiency.He said he is “continu-

ally pleased and apprecia-tive” of how understand-ing the people in the pub-lic are.“There were services

we use to perform but wedon’t anymore,” Jamisonsaid, speaking of morepublic relations like tasksthe department once hadmanpower for. “I havebeen pleasantly surprisedand we get such support-ive compliments. Now thatwe have this foundationbuilt, we might look atnew ways to accomplishsome of the things the cit-izens deserve.”Piqua Fire Chief Mike

Rindler said the comingyear will offer littlechange for his depart-ment, but he hopes to cre-ate continued progresswith more and additional

training in the wide fieldsin which firefighters/para-medics train for, whetherit be water rescue or roperescue.Last year, the depart-

ment, which employs 27,handled a record numberof EMS runs with 3,536and fire runs, which wereat 482, according toRindler.Rindler could not deter-

mine why that was butcited an aging populationas one factor, though it’sentirely possible there isno real reason.Like the police depart-

ment, the fire departmenthas also lost through attri-tion. The fire departmentdid not fill two positionsfollowing two retirementslast year, and presentlyhas an employee deployedand has two others thatare missing work due toworkmen’s compensationissues, the fire chief said.“We just hope to pro-

vide the services the peo-ple have come to expect inPiqua, and that’s quick,professional service,”Rindler said. “We can pro-vide good service here inPiqua. We provide thehighest level of EMS thatwe can.”

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TROY — Miami CountyCommissioners faced atumultuous year of suc-cessfully attempting tobalance a budget in 2011,and while 2012 will pres-ent similar financial prob-lems, commissioners areoptimistic.Last year’s budget was

balanced and in the blackwithout the commissionneeding to dip into countreserve funds after cutting$4 million from the budget

since 2009.With financial projec-

tions related to estimatedrevenue, carry-over bal-ance and anticipatedexpenditures all takeninto account, the commis-sioners approved generalfund appropriations of$25.48 million in January— an increase of about$1.4 over last year’s budg-et. Revenues this year areprojected at about $21.72.Meanwhile, 2012 appro-

priations this year for allcounty funds, includingthe general fund, were setat $91.58 million while

projected revenues areexpected to top $81.73 mil-lion.In January, the commis-

sion elected CommissionerJohn “Bud” O’Brien, whoalso is the chairman of theMiami County RepublicanParty, as commission pres-ident.Commission newcomer

Richard Cultice wasappointed to serve as vicepresident.In January, commis-

sioners approved that non-union county employeeswould be receiving a 2 per-cent raise.

Miami County Commissioners John “Bud” O’Brien, Richard Cultice and JackEvans, l-r, conduct a session in the commission meeting room at the Miami CountySafety Building on Jan. 24.

MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTO

County commissioners optimisticLast year’s budget balanced and in the black

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AP PHOTO/CLIFF OWENIt’s not only local leaders thatare struggling with tightbudgets. President BarackObama budget reflects theend of stimulus spending onbig programs like educationand transportation. HereObama waves from Air ForceOne at Andrews Air ForceBase, Md., Wednesday, Feb.15.


MIAMI COUNTY —The Northern MiamiValley Chapter of theAmerican Red Cross hasbeen helping those in needfor 95 years. Devoted RedCross volunteers worktirelessly to provide helpand hope to people in need,down the street, across thecountry and around theworld. The NorthernMiami Valley Chapterresponds to disasters, helpmembers of the militaryand teach lifesaving skills.

The past year has notonly been challenging formany organizations andbusinesses but also for theAmerican Red Cross. Stepswere taken last year on anational level to ensurethat the Red Cross wouldalways be ready by reduc-ing costs and streamliningoperations to better servethe public. The actions willreinforce the ongoingnecessity for the organiza-tion to continue its pledgeto be good stewards ofdonated dollars. TheNorthern Miami ValleyChapter united with nineother Red Cross chaptersto form the GreaterCincinnati-Dayton Regionin serving 36 counties insouthwest Ohio and por-tions of Indiana andKentucky. The move wasmade to provide a moreefficient and effectiveorganization with the con-tinuing goal to better serveour communities and

reduce expenses.The Northern Miami

Valley Chapter operatestwo training facilitieslocated at 1314 BarnhartRoad, Troy and 207 W.Water Street, Sidney andprovides essential pro-grams and services utiliz-ing more than 250 dedicat-ed volunteers.

Last year the NorthernMiami Valley Chapterresponded to 37 local dis-asters, providing on-siteand follow-up relief assis-tance by helping childrenand adults with emer-gency food, shelter, cloth-ing, medication and neces-sary health items. Chaptervolunteers and staff pro-vided emergency pre-paredness training to4,541 individuals and dis-aster education was pro-vided to 1,330 people.

The chapter processed175 emergency messagesand counseling casesbetween families andmembers of the U. S.Armed Forces worldwide.

“Get to Know Us BeforeYou Need Us,” and out-reach program was pre-sented to 1,920 localNational Guard recruitsand their families inpreparation for deploy-ment. Services to theArmed Forces are providedat no cost to families ormilitary personnel 24hours each day, 7 days aweek.

The Northern MiamiValley Chapter trained3,792 individuals in FirstAid and CPR with 660 tak-ing Red Cross water safetycourses. 181 studentsbecame certified in theRed Cross Babysittingtraining course. More than3,000 youth were reachedthrough educationalhealth fairs and aware-ness campaigns. One hun-dred twenty-five preschooland elementary studentsreceived Scrubby Beartraining that focuses onpersonal hygiene, cleanli-ness and the importance ofhand washing to prevent

the spread of germs, with820 students receivingBasic Aid Training.

The chapter also wasactively involved in com-munity events includingcommunity disaster educa-tion, emergency prepared-

ness training, healthexpos, fairs, festivals andparades. Chapter volun-teers touched the lives of50,000 local residents byproviding relevant com-munity services and pro-grams at no charge.

The Red Cross relies onvolunteers of all ages andbackgrounds to carry onits work. Volunteers serveas members of the board,disaster action team mem-bers, service to militaryfamily case workers,instructors, facilitators,fund raisers, office assis-tants, event organizersand more.

The American RedCross depends on the sup-port of the community tobe able to continue itswork. The Red Cross is nota government agency andrelies on donations of time,talent and resources. “Anaverage of 91 cents ofevery contributed dollar isinvested in humanitarianservice and programs andwe are very proud of ourfour-star rating by CharityNavigator,” stated R. ScottMiller, Executive Director.

Miller added, “We areexcited to continue ourstrong history of serviceand commitment to ourcommunities. Recentchanges will allow us tobetter serve our area andbecome more efficient inour response efforts aswell as provide greateropportunities for volun-teers, donors and commu-nity partners to becomeinvolved.”

The American RedCross shelters, feeds andprovides emotional sup-port to victims of disasters;supplies nearly half of thenation’s blood; teaches life-saving skills; providesinternational humanitari-an aid; and supports mili-tary members and theirfamilies. The Red Cross isa charitable organization— not a governmentagency — and depends onvolunteers and the gen-erosity of the Americanpublic to perform its mis-sion. For more informa-tion, visitwww.redcross.org or jointhe Red Cross blog athttp://blog.redcross.org.

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The Northern Miami Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross has been assistingthose in need for 95 years. This past year, the local chapter assisted with 37 areadisasters.

Red Cross offers help for 95 years

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BY TROY MAYORMICHAEL L. BEAMISH

and SERVICE ANDSAFETY DIRECTOR

PATRICK E. J.TITTERINGTON

TROY — The year 2012promises to be both excit-ing and nerve-wracking forwhat it will bring to, forand against the residentsof Troy. With a U.S.Presidential election thatcould be transformational,we continue to be chal-lenged by the actions of theState of Ohio, GovernorKasich and the StateLegislature. We have metand will continue to exceedthe governor’s mandatethat we work bettertogether with our neigh-boring communities, schooldistricts, local governmen-tal entities and other part-ners to consolidate, region-alize and share services soas to reduce our costs toour citizens.

One project that wouldchange the face of MiamiCounty and Troy for thegood is the possibility ofcreating a regional waterauthority with Piqua.While the study isn’t yetconcluded, we believe thatby coming together to com-bine our water treatmentresources, we can not onlysave the residents andbusinesses of Piqua fromspending millions of dol-lars to build a new plant,but more importantly, gainsome much needed econo-my of scale in Troy’s watersystem, possibly avoidingwater rate increases forour customers in 2012 andbeyond.

Another project that

has been under construc-tion and will be completedin 2012 is the reconstruc-tion of the Adams Streetbridge. As we write thisarticle, the columns arepoured and the beams arebeing laid across the riverto connect north and southAdams Street. Currently,the project is on schedulefor completion in Octoberof this year. After that, theCity will begin to use someof the license plate feesthat were rescinded sevenyears early for repairs andrenovations around thebridge area on AdamsStreet near Main Streetand Hobart Arena.

Finally, the design of thereconstruction, possiblewidening, and infrastruc-ture improvements toNorth Market Street fromStaunton Road north to

Foss Way will be completedin 2012, along with the firstphases of the constructionproject. The result will be acorridor that is new,improved, possibly wider,and more traffic-friendlyfor our junior and seniorhigh schools, as well as ourbusiness community.

With these opportuni-ties will come several chal-lenges that we will monitorand fight during 2012.First, everyone has felt theeffects of the current eco-nomic downtown and theCity of Troy’s finances areno different. We will con-tinue to monitor thoseclosely, while we also con-tinue to pursue economicdevelopment opportunitiesthrough retaining andexpanding our existingbusinesses, recruiting newbusinesses, and pursuing

project leads both in theUnited States and over-seas.

Part of our financialstewardship is to makesure that our citizens, busi-nesses, and property own-ers are paying their fairshare of the costs – and nomore. A recent study by theUniversity of Toledo con-cluded that townships andtheir residents – particu-

larly large, urban town-ships — are, by and large,not paying the full price forroad maintenance, lawenforcement and otherservices they receive. Asour residents know, if thetownships aren’t payingtheir fair share, then citiessuch as Troy and our resi-dents have to subsidizethem through our taxes.That’s simply not right andwe will work in 2012 toidentify those subsidiesand begin to correct themfor the long term.

A final challenge — andperhaps the biggest one wehave and ever will face – isthe idea being promoted bythe State of Ohio to collectour local income tax on ourbehalf. While the promot-ers of this idea feel itwould be more efficientand less costly, in reality, itwould cost the City of Troyand its taxpayers up to $1million per year if thatwere to happen. Why?Because in exchange forcollecting our taxes “forus,” the State of Ohiowould charge us a fee wecurrently don’t pay. So, theState would take Troymoney with no guaranteeof what we would get backin total collections, which

has been used to pay forpolice, fire, paramedic,street repairs, etc.Customer service would behurt because the State alsodoes not audit tax returns,doesn’t pursue delinquenttaxpayers, doesn’t providepreparation services to ourcitizens, and doesn’t eventake appointments when ataxpayer has a problem.The result is that the Citywould have to keep staff tomake sure that all taxpay-ers are paying their fairshare or risk losing $1 mil-lion or more each year.Losing that revenue wouldhave severe consequencesfor our citizens: eithergreatly reduced servicessuch as police, fire, streetplowing, and other servic-es, or large increases intaxes, fees, charges, andassessments.

2012 promises to be anexciting and nerve wrack-ing time for the City ofTroy. Many good changesin terms of new and posi-tive projects will improveour community, while wework diligently to makesure we continue to havethe resources locally tokeep the high quality oflife that makes Troyunique.

The reconstruction of the Adams Street Bridge is one of the biggest projects facingthe city of Troy this year.

Year promises to beexciting, nerve-wracking

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ANTHONY WEBER/STAFF PHOTO


BY BETHANY J. ROYEROhio Community Media

[email protected]

PIQUA — It’s all about vision for thecity of Piqua and her leaders in 2012 asmade evident by city manager Gary Huff.

Huff came on boardOctober 2011 with aplethora of changes andnew opportunities for notonly citizens but stafffrom new citizen engage-ment and involvementthat will include a gov-ernment academy thisspring, to economic devel-opment, major projects,new city operations andchanges to city commission.

A newer element to Huff ’s plan is ablog where he will post the latest happen-ings at the city level, keeping to an opendoor policy between leaders and the pub-lic.

Commission meetings, held twice amonth and can be viewed on Channel 5,will be available in real-time online, whilea citizen survey will be mailed out thiswinter.

In terms of the economy city leaderswill continue to work towards the brand-ing and marketing of all that Piqua has tooffer, while continuing work through such

organizations as Grow Piqua Now, thePiqua Chamber of Commerce and MainStreet Piqua.

Efforts towards riverfront developmentwill see the implementation of specialtyshops, restaurants, business offices andmore into the future, while drawing recog-nition to the community for theseimprovements.

Major projects this year include a $4.5million power public service center, con-tinued fieldwork towards a $31.6 millionwater treatment facility, $2.5 million forthe East Ash Street reconstruction proj-ect, $2.0 million for the Piqua hospitaldemolition and $1.4 million/$2.0 millionfor phase II of the power plant demoli-tion.

Further works includes the new finan-cial software recently installed at the gov-ernment complex, comprehensive plansfor a wastewater collection/treatmentplant, installation of Smart Streets, thenew GIVE program (Generosity,Involvement and Volunteerism byEmployees), an in-house employee med-ical clinic and an internal in-houseintranet.

For city commission changes havealready been implemented with a newmonthly casual work session that is opento the public and commission coffees thatbrings city leaders to informal meetingswith department heads.

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BY TOM MILLHOUSEOhio Community Media

[email protected]

COVINGTON — After ayear that saw the village ofCovington accomplish anumber of goals, includinga major street project and acomplete review of employ-

ee insurance, officialsreport 2012 looks to beanother year of change ascouncil prepares to hire thefirst village administrator.

Mayor Ed McCordpointed to the completionof the Walnut Street recon-struction project, the revi-sion of village employee

health insurance and thepurchase of a new policecruiser among the goalsthat were met during 2011.

Thanks to a donationfrom the CovingtonCommunity Chest, the vil-lage was able to providematching funds for a grantthat covered the cost toreplace a lift station at thevillage park.

Covington VillageCouncil also passed legisla-tion that will pave the wayfor future improvements,including the purchase ofold railroad property fromHabitat for Humanity withthe land being earmarkedfor the bike path the com-munity hopes to establishin the future, according toMcCord.

Other accomplishmentscited by village officialsinclude:

• Establishment of a

tree committee.• Revising the village

income tax ordinance.• Setting annual review

dates for village services.• Approval of contracts

with the Covington FireDepartment and CovingtonRescue Squad.

• Reinstated the councilpolice and street commit-tees.

I nadditionto thosea c c om -p l i s h -m e n t s ,McCordcreditedv i l l a g eemploy-ees andcouncil with holding theline on expenses in 2011,and the result has been amuch better financial out-look for the village.

“It has been a total teameffort,” McCord said.

McCord remarked thathe is looking forward to thevillage making more for-ward strides this year.

“I think 2012 is going tobe an outstanding year forCovington,” McCord said.I’m confident that 2012being even better than2011. I’m optimistic thatwe will continue to makeprogress,” he said.

Council membersrecently approved an ordi-nance that will break newground as they created theposition of village adminis-trator. McCord said coun-cil’s timeline for theadministrator’s position isto have a person on the jobby July 1.

Village officials havestated the time has come tohire an administratorbecause there is a need to

have a full-time person incharge of the day-to-dayoperations of the village.Council members notedthat an administratorwould have the expertise tosecure grants for variousprojects, something the vil-lage currently lacks.

McCord said councilmembers all have full-timejobs and the mayor’s posi-tion is part-time, meaningthere is no one to overseethe village government ona daily basis.

Among other goals forthis year include startingthe planning process forstreet projects the villagehopes to undertake in thefuture, including the recon-struction of Spring Streetand improving communica-tion with village residents.

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Approval of contracts with the Covington Fire Department and Covington Rescue Squad was one of severalaccomplishments cited by Covington city leaders for the 2011 year. This includes reconstruction projects, therevision of village employee health insurance and the purchase of a new police cruiser among the goals met,while looking forward to continued progress into the new year.


BY CHRISTINE HOBBSOhio Community Media

TIPP CITY — The TippCity Fire Department isgetting a new ladder truck.But the question is, willthey have a big enoughbuilding to put it in?The current truck is 35

years old and lime green.When Tipp originally pur-chased it, the federal gov-ernment was endeavoringto make all fire trucks limegreen because the ideawas green would be easierto see at night. Accordingto Fire Chief SteveKessler, that fell throughbecause people alreadyassociated red with fire-fighters.The new aerial fire

truck will be red. It cost$935,082 and includes a100 feet rearmount plat-form and 2,000 gallon perminute fire pump. Thispurchase is funded by thecapital improvement levy,which passed in May 2010.Since $1 million was bud-geted for the truck, thecity saved approximately$60,000.The new truck was

ordered Jan. 20 fromSmeal FiretruckApparatus in Snyder, Neb.and will be expected fordelivery between 300-360days. However, the newtruck will not fit inside thecurrent bay.“The ladder truck is

three inches taller thanany of the doors in thebuilding,” Kessler said.The levy approved $1.2

million for renovation ofthe fire department build-ing. The flat roof sectionwas built in 1959, and hasnot been remodeled sincethen. The other half of thebuilding with the shingledroof has not seen any

structural changes or ren-ovation since it was builtin 1978.“When this building

was built in 1978, every-thing was volunteer,nobody stayed here,” saidEmergency MedicalServices (EMS) ChiefMark Senseman.Since then, the city has

continued to grow. As thepopulation increases, theEMS and fire departmentshave grown their servicesaccordingly. As theyrecruit more firefightersand emergency medicaltechnicians, more gear andspace is needed in thebuilding.“We’ve modified as

much as we can internally,with extra office space andsome walls, and stackedgear upon gear until it justdoesn’t work anymore,”Senseman said.The shingled roof has

been patched four times.That hasn’t helped theleak in Senseman’s officethat is right above the firedepartment’s security sys-tem. There is another leakin the fire departmentclassroom, which has beentemporarily fixed with agarden hose and a bucket.Another problem is the

lack of sleeping quarters.Although EMS did notoriginally have overnightshifts, the amount of callshas required them to havesomeone at the station atall times. The ambulancesnow go out on calls anaverage of four times aday. The fire truck is sentout about once a day,according to Senseman.The city has hired a

firm to make a blueprintfor the renovation. MarkSchuster Architects havecome up with three plansfor the building renova-

tion, beginning with theleast expensive optionwith the bare minimum,then a plan that has a lit-tle more, and then a planthat has everythingaccomplished. The plansare supposed to be readylater this month for reviewaccording to Senseman.

In each of these threeplans there are three nonnegotiables that have to beincluded.Kessler and Senseman

both feel they need a newroof, space for the new lad-der truck, and sleepingquarters for the overnightEMS staff.

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“When this buildingwas built in 1978,everything wasvolunteer, nobodystayed here,” saidEmergency MedicalServices (EMS) ChiefMark Senseman.


BY CCHHRRIISS WWIITTEEOOFFOhio Community Media

[email protected]

WEST MILTON —With five fresh faces join-ing village council and anew city manager, WestMilton is getting a newoutlook for 2012. The pri-mary goal for the councilover the next year is to cre-ate and maintain arespectful tone duringmeetings.Vice Mayor Jason

Tinnerman describeddeveloping a respectfulcouncil as a slow “healingprocess” with no quickfixes.“However, things have

continually improved overthe last few months,” hesaid.Other council members

share Tinnerman’s view.“Everyone respects each

other’s opinions,” saidCouncilman FredricFrancis.Fellow council member

Susan Willis agreed, stat-ing that there’s “noscreaming” with this coun-cil. From previous issueswith the former city man-ager, who was fired bycouncil in September 2011,to bickering among councilmembers, a shift towardmore civil interactionappears imperative for thecity’s future. The councilhopes that the improvedatmosphere will make iteasier to work together tosolve the city’s problems.The council is also eager

to work with the newmunicipal manager, MattKline.“We are now working

under a completely differ-ent management style,”said Superintendent ofParks and Streets Ben

Herron, who until recentlywas filling in as interimcity manager.“He is very professional

and progressive,” he said.“Prior to the arrival ofKline, many street andparks projects were dis-cussed, but not put intoaction.”Since his start date of

Jan. 3, Kline has alreadycleared out the abandonedPVT building and broughtmany unattended items tothe council’s attention.“He has put a lot of

effort into helping the com-munity,” said CouncilmanOra Ashley.For being new to the job,

the council strongly feels

that Kline is more thancapable of carrying out thisposition. Willis said thatKline will be a positiveforce driving the councilforward and that she’s“looking forward to whatMatt can bring to the com-munity.”Kline is excited to work

with the new council to fixissues with “old infrastruc-ture” and “wastewatertreatment,” but he is main-ly looking forward withbeing an involved andactive member of WestMilton.“I want to become a true

member of the community,”he said.The council also is plan-

ning to tackle other issuesin 2012. Mayor MichaelCoate II wants to lower thecurrent water rates.Although the 20-year con-tract in place with the cityof Troy makes short termsolutions difficult, Coateand other council memberswant to explore “differentoptions for providing thevillage with good qualitydrinking water” at a rea-sonable rate.“Getting a fair deal on

water is one of WestMilton’s most pressingissues,” Ashley agreed.Other concerns include

cleaning up businesses andthe areas along MiamiStreet, trash and waste-

water options, and issueswith the budget.“We have to sift through

all these ideas,” Herronsaid, “and set our goals tomove forward.”

Council meetings areopen to the public and heldthe second Tuesday ofevery month at 7:30 p.m.The government center islocated at 701 S. Miami St.

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City welcomes new faces, outlookHealing in progress as council commits to progress

“Everyonerespects each

other’s opinions,”said Councilman

Fredric Francis.


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Captain Kevin Ganger of the Piqua Fire Departmentuses a hand-held extinguisher while another firefighterhelps to put out a trash can fire on the west end ofPiqua along U.S. Route 36 last year.


FOR PHOTO REPRINTS, GO TO WWW.DAILYCALL.COM MIKE ULLERY/STAFF PHOTO

Firefighters and medics from Pleasant Hill remove the victim of a single-vehicle crash from his truck alongRangeline Road on in 2011.


Miami County Sheriff’s deputies along with members of Troy and Piqua police provide cover for fellow offi-cers as they arrest one of three suspects in September 17, 2010, standoff in Troy.

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Piqua fire inspector, Capt. John Kendall, checks out a fire sprinkler system as partof his duties to help Piqua businesses keep their establishments safe from hazards.


Officer Wil Benson searches for evidence during an assault investigation in Piqualast summer.


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BY CHRISTINE HOBBSOhio Community Media

TIPP CITY — Over thecourse of the next year, theTipp City police depart-ment hopes to add a newofficer and begin switchingtheir vehicles to sport utili-ty vehicles (SUV).

In 2011, three policeofficers retired. Sgt. GaryGoulding left May 27, Ptl.John Paul retired Sept. 10,and Sgt. Dave Friend leftOct. 8. City council author-ized the hiring of an officerto replace Goulding. Ptl.Tony Smith was thereplacement.

“We haven’t hired any-one else for those othervacancies,” said PoliceChief Tom Davidson.

The department will beappealing to council to fillanother position due tothe loss of two more offi-cers. Sgt. Joe Mauro willretire March 20. And Ptl.Nick Creech left for a one-year military assignmenton Feb. 7.

At full strength, thedepartment has 19 offi-cers. Once Mauro leavesthe department will bedown to 14. To make upfor the lack of manpowerofficers are scheduled forovertime. When the over-time limit is reached offi-cers are sent home.

“The other alternativeon those days we feel thatyou don’t need the extrapersonnel you just try torun short, which we hateto do,” Davidson said.

Davidson feels that thelack of officers impactsthe service the police are

able to give to residents.“It restricts the activi-

ties you can do and it hasan impact on the serviceyou can provide. We don’tlike to do that too oftenbut we are doing it morethan we have been,” hesaid.

Council did alreadyapprove the purchase of anew vehicle on Feb 6.Since Ford no longermakes the CrownVictoria, the new optionsfor police vehicles are theTaurus or Explorer.Davidson felt theExplorer was the bestoption because it hadmore storage space. TheTaurus offers about 17cubic feet of storage space,while the Explorer offers48-49 cubic feet.

“With all the equip-ment the officers carrythe more space the bet-ter,” Davidson said.

Council agreed withDavidson and authorizedthe Explorer purchase. Itwill replace a currentvehicle with a mileage of100,309 miles. Davidsoninformed the council thatafter 100,000 miles is whenthe police normallyencounter repair problems.

The new SUV will costthe city $25,481, which is$1,481 more than whatwas allotted for in the 2012budget. The cost differencewill be offset by the $8,500appropriation for equip-ment that was also includ-ed in the budget.

In all, the total cost forthe new SUV and equip-ment will stay within the$32,500 that was budgeted.

Big plansfor Tipp PD

City hopes for newofficer, updated vehicles

Piqua Fire DepartmentCaptain Chad Kennedyexplains fire safety totriplets Ethan, Aaron andIsaac Waters as theirfather Jason looks on atMcDonald’s Health andSafety Day in 2011 inPiqua. The boys, 7, hadjust exited the PFD SafetyHouse and were meetingat the “family” mailbox, asthey would in a real fire.The Waters family knowsfirsthand the importanceof fire preparedness, theylost their home to fire 18months ago. It has sincebeen rebuilt.


Two persons were transported to Upper Valley Medical Center for treatment by the Covington Rescue Squadfollowing a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of High and Bridge Streets in Covington onThursday after-noon. The crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. CovingtonPolice are investigating the crash.



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STEUBENVILLE (AP)— Ohio Gov. John Kasichannounced a plan to boostto broadband networkspeeds, introduced anaward honoring coura-geous Ohioans and saidshale drilling shouldn’tcome at the expense of theenvironment in an annualState of the State speechmostly devoid of big initia-tives.Kasich spoke for nearly

90 minutes in the auditori-um of a high-performingelementary school inSteubenville, picking ablue-collar town he saidreminded him of hisPennsylvania hometown totake the speech outsideColumbus for the first timein history.He said Ohio has come

far from a year ago when itfaced an estimated $8 bil-lion budget hole and wasranked 48th nationally injob creation. The state nowhas money in its RainyDay Fund once again andis the top job-creator in theMidwest, he said.“We just looked at the

problems honestly,” saidKasich, a first-termRepublican. “If youlook at a prob-lem and yousee whatit is, andy o udesigna solu-t i o n ,i t ’ sama z -ing howfar youcan go.”A few

hecklers inter-rupted the speechat one point, but theyeither left or were escortedout without incident.The broadband initia-

tive Kasich announced willuse new technology to openup the state’s technologyinfrastructure, increasingspeeds from 10 gigabits persecond to 100. The OhioBoard of Regents said thestate will invest $8.1 mil-lion to connect areasaround the state with thefaster network connec-tions.

He cited the broadbandupgrade, aerospace break-throughs taking place atWright-Patterson AirForce Base in Dayton, andcollaborative research anddevelopment efforts inhigher education as amongavenues for economicgrowth.“If we can train, edu-

cate, forecast, use our loca-tion, use our great

people, use ourresource, ourassets, we’llbe num-ber onei n

America,we’ll bethe most

p o w e r f u lstate in

America,” he said.“I have no doubt. We havethe scale, the size, andeverything that we need.”Kasich said he has

asked Ohio StateUniversity President E.Gordon Gee to lead aneffort among universitiesto dovetail resources andcome up with ways toincrease the state’s collegegraduation rates.After the speech, Gee

said university leaders areset to meet with the gover-nor in a week to discuss

their proposal.“In the end, we’ve got to

start thinking about Ohioand Ohio higher educationas an ecological system,not as a series of speed-boats out there racingaround each other,” Geesaid.Sen. Mike Skindell, a

Cleveland-area Democrat,said that while he supportscollaboration among theuniversities, he questionedGee’s role.“To have the president

of Ohio State lead thateffort is kind of self-serv-ing,” Skindell said.Kasich’s new

“Governor’s CourageAwards” honored a womanwho lost her son to pre-scription painkiller addic-tion, another woman whosurvived being a victim ofhuman trafficking tobecome a social worker,and the family of a soldierkilled in Afghanistan.The governor touted

progress in his war on pre-scription painkiller abuseand received a standingovation when he said hewould declare a similarwar on behalf of 1,000 Ohioteenagers who have beenco-opted into prostitution.He also said the state

needs to allow felons whohave served their time towork certain jobs such ascutting hair or drivingtrucks that are currently

off-limits.State Sen. Bill Seitz, a

Cincinnati Republican,said he supports the so-called collateral sanctionsproposal one of the few leg-islative initiatives heheard in the speech.He called it “an uplift-

ing and accurate recita-tion” of Kasich’s first-yearaccomplishments andOhio’s assets.“Where I thought it was

a little short, unlike tradi-tional State of the Statespeeches, was on any spe-cific legislative agendathat he wants us to pur-sue,” Seitz said.A handful of protesters,

likely admitted to thespeech on public ticketsKasich distributed throughan online lottery, tem-porarily interrupted thespeech about an hour and10 minutes into it shouting“John Kasich is selling outOhio!”Highway Patrol Lt.

Anne Ralston said troopers

helped escort out sevenhecklers and that two lefton their own. There wereno arrests or charges filed.The ruckus came as

Kasich was talking aboutdrilling for natural gas ineastern Ohio.He said large energy

companies flocking to thestate amid the Marcellusand Utica shale boom don’twant to leave the stateharmed. “We can’t degradethe environment at thesame time we’re develop-ing this industry,” Kasichsaid.Outside the school,

which shares SteubenvilleHigh School, more than100 demonstratorsgathered some to opposethe use of hydraulic frac-turing, or fracking, toreach Ohio’s oil and gasresources. One sign read,“Frack Off Kasich.” Othersdemonstrated in support ofthe Occupy movement.

STATE OF THE STATE

State shows improvement from year ago

KASICH

“We just looked at theproblems honestly,” saidGov. John Kasich. “If you

look at a problem and you seewhat it is, and you design asolution, it’s amazing how faryou can go.”

Governor speaks atSteubenville schoolon Ohio’s rainy day

fund and job creation

See State/page 16


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State Rep. Bob Hagan,a Youngstown Democratwhose area has experi-enced earthquakes a stateseismologist says are tiedto deep injection disposalof fracking wastewater,spent $800 in campaignmoney to bus in about 50of the protesters.But he said he wants to

work with Kasich on theissue.“Well, if he wants to do

it safely then let’s gettogether,” he said. “Let’sget to the Legislaturewhere these bill arepassed to make sure it’ssafe.” He noted that billsordered a statewidedrilling moratorium anddisclosure of frackingchemicals are stalled.Shane Hanley, 47, a

locked-out worker withCooper Tire & Rubber Co.(NYSE:CTB) and memberof the steelworker’s union,drove the 3.5 hours toSteubenville fromFindlay.He and four others

came to let Kasich know abitter collective bargain-ing fight in which votersturned back a bill limitingthe rights of unionizedpublic workers would not

be forgotten.“The union movement

ain’t going away and don’tforget that.”The day’s speech was

peppered with Kasich’susual array of off-the-cuff,sometimes puzzlingremarks. He at one pointsaid he “never lookedback” when he left poli-tics, presumably referringto his time in Congress.He was elected as aRepublican governor in2010.He also referred to peo-

ple in California as “wack-adoodles.” And he had nosooner told the emotionalstories of his first twocourage award winnersthan he added, “We don’twant to see those on eBay,ladies.”Moving the speech was

a chance for Kasich,whose approval ratingwith voters is under 40percent, to reconnect withvoters after the collectivebargaining debate. Aheadof the address, he enjoyedhandshakes with guestsand congratulations fromsupporters.On Monday, Ohio

Democratic PartyChairman Chris Redfernpredicted “an extendedspeech with little in the

way of nouns, adverbs,subjects and predicates.”Redfern assembled

reporters ahead of thespeech to tout the role hesays was played byPresident Barack Obama,U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brownand other Democrats inthe jobs recovery particu-lar in the automotiveindustry that he correctlypredicted Kasich wouldhighlight.Ohio unemployment

fell to 8.1 in December,down from 8.5 inNovember and from 9.5 inDecember 2010.Kasich said he’s hear-

ing from businesses thatare excited to invest inOhio again.“We’re alive again.

We’re out of the ditch.We’re growing,” he said.Redfern criticized

Kasich’s promotion of aBob Evans Restaurantsexpansion last year thatrelocated the companyfrom Columbus to neigh-boring New Albany.“It’s not about moving

Bob Evans across town,”he said. “It’s about invest-ing in American automo-bile jobs that help realcommunities likeDefiance in a tangible,trackable, empirical way.”

StateContinued from page 15

PROGRESS 201216 February 2012

tdn progress 22412

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