Benefit For Vickie Cataldo McCombs September 12

In all my years and all the places I've been in this world I could probably count on my fingers the number of people that have always greeted me with a big smile & a friendly hello every time our paths crossed. I'm not talking one of those "just to be polite" smiles. I'm talking about being sincerely greeted and getting the feeling they mean it. Mr. & Mrs. Cataldo's little girl, Vickie McCombs, is one of those I can count on for that every time we run into each other. I didn't even know the lady until our kids were playing high school sports a few years ago. I was across the pond in the Republic of Viet Nam when she graduated from high school.

Since I've got to know Vickie she always has that smile. It's just been in the past few years that I have gotten to know her. She's always been an eager helper volunteering to assist with just about anything she's been asked to do. I mostly see her at public events that are raising funds for this or that. Being a long time member of the Chamber she always seems to be one of those behind the scenes giving a hand. With that pretty smile and warm hello she's one of those people you consider to be a friend at the get go.

Well, as my Kentucky relatives are apt to say, Vickie has be "up agin it" the past year and could use a little help from her friends. Bill & Vicki Roberts and family have been the first ones to step up to the plate. Bill, Vicki, Erin, Adam & son-in-law Jason Orr are sponsoring "An Evening of Entertainment" September 12 at Wellsville's SOI Lodge on Main St. for Vickie's benefit. They have gone out and enlisted more of Vickie's friends to lend a hand and are getting things organized for a great time.

It will start at 4 o'clock in the afternoon with what Bill swears is some of the best sauce he's ever tasted on a plate of spaghetti. I think Bill was drooling when he was describing Marlene Corbisello's spaghetti sauce. For just $5 you can enjoy a spaghetti dinner with all the fixings. Bill was so enthusiastic about Marlene's sauce I'm hungry to sample it. The dinners will be over at 7 P.M. Carry-outs will be available too. Children 6 & under get to eat for free.

Starting at 8 o'clock Wellsville's Route 45 band will be taking the stage playing some great music. For just a $10 donation you can join the party this band brings to every place they play. They have a loyal fan following that are easily spotted in their bright fluorescent t-shirts. Every place they play they pick up more fans. They're one of the best bands around and are scheduled to play until 11.

The SOI will have the bar open to member's guests. While the band is entertaining there will also be snacks, pop & water available. There will be door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and a Chinese Auction. The cheer leaders from the Old Gray Mayor's Basketball Game is donating a big basket of kitchen stuff for the auction. Vickie was a member of that cheer leading squad. There will be two special hand made Corn Hole games raffled off. One is being personally decorated by Wellsville native Jeff Campbell of Campbell's Signs with a Tiger skin design. If you have ever seen any of Jeff's art work you'll want to frame this set rather than throw bean bags at it. The other game is being donated by Highlandtown cabinet maker Darrell Utt. Billy Roberts says his corn hole game pieces are a work of art too. There's that plus a lot of other nice stuff you'll be wanting.

Tickets are available in advance at Center Pharmacy, AirWaves, Tony's Bar, Robert's Funeral Home or at the door or by calling 330-692-2037. The sponsors are suggesting getting tickets in advance. There's limited space especially when Marlene is cooking and you don't want to miss The Route 45 Band.

Shown above around the bench from the left are Route 45 Band members Tim & Karen Kelly, Vicki Roberts, Erin Roberts-Orr, Lisa's mom Marlene and Bill Roberts. See you there.

God's speed Vickie...

ole nib

Notes From Last Week

Advances in the medical field are almost too much to keep track of anymore. Just in the last fifty to one hundred years the introduction of new vaccines & surgical techniques are mind boggling. Just look at procedures for heart diseases and knee & hip joint replacements. I can remember old folks in my childhood days that were wheel chair bound when their aging knees couldn't bear their weight any longer. Just in the ville it hasn't been all that long ago that treating drinking water to rid it of harmful bacteria was first done. I could go on and on listing some of the marvelous life saving discoveries & life prolonging treatments that have come about in the 20th & is still continuing into the 21st Century. What got me thinking along these was an article last Wednesday in the Pittsburgh Trib-Review about Carnegie Mellon scientists developing a computer program to look at how genetic changes cause some diseases including asthma, diabetes and cancer. The program helps researchers determine whether multiple symptoms share a common back ground. It looks for patterns that result in an illness. If a pattern is found then they can develop pre-treatments to prevent an illness before it gets started. The possible applications for this developing program goes beyond imagination. There are many people still walking around today that owe their lives to new discoveries first found in a research lab. It's mind boggling.

The MJ's Tom Giambroni reported last week that the unemployment rate for CC for July remains steady at 14.7%. Statewide the rate went up a tenth of a point to 11.2% and the national average dropped a tenth to 9.4%. Williams County, in northwestern Ohio, has the highest rate in the state at 17.5%. No numbers were given for the different towns in our county. With very little industry in the village I imagine Wellsville's numbers are right up there.

The Viet Nam Memorial Traveling Wall is returning to EL's Thompson Park this week. It's arriving Thursday and will be here through Labor Day. There's five sons of the ville with names on that wall that I know of and according to Mike McElwain there's a total of 36 from Columbiana County. Opening ceremonies will be held at the park next Friday. We'll have more on it later but I'd like to say thanks to all that made this possible.

Looks like EL is taking a serious look at their problems with pit bull dogs. Officials in the ville started to get serious a couple of months ago and currently have a couple of cases going through Magistrate Court. Since our Magistrate & EL's Asst. Law Director is one and the same person wonder if Tim McNichol had anything to do with that.

JoBob reported that Madison Twp. Trustees have expressed concern about road conditions after the Buckeye Water District installs the first portion of the new Salineville pipe line. One of the BWD trustees advised them they can rest easy and I believe he is sincere. When they buried the water line from the new pumping station Wells Hollow Rd. was put back in better condition than it was in before they started digging.

We've been all over Tiger football and time permitting, I would like to keep it up. I need a schedule for the high school reserves. If anybody can help please e-mail me at olenib@gmail.com. I got the varsity schedule & the Jr. Tigers but nothing on the reserves.

The WHS Golf team keeps improving. They took the honors at a tri-match last week improving their record to 4-5 for the year & 3-3 in ITCL play. Next scheduled match is against Southern Wednesday at Cedar Hills.

An AP article in last week's MJ reported that speeding is the number one cause of accidents with juvenile drivers in Ohio. Come on guys... Slow down and drive safely. There's not one reason on earth that's worth messing yourself up or risk getting someone else hurt trying to shave off some time driving somewhere.

Got a call from Charlie Wilson the other night but dumb ole me forgot about the telephone conference Town Hall meeting concerning the health care reform. I wasn't at home and didn't get the message until afterwards. After seeing what the Tea Party and others of their ilk have done at other Town Hall meetings for this subject I think that was the wisest way to conduct a fact finding meeting. Wilson probably was able to answer more questions on the phone than what he would have been able to do in front of a room full of people. The opponents that are protesting the much needed reform have a common theme of trying to shout down any honest & sincere questions & answers. Even though I missed the call I did get a follow up e-mail the next day. Thanks Charlie.

Seems like the head of the head of the Youngstown/Warren Chamber-of-Commerce is a pouting snob. A piece in yesterday's Youngstown Vindicator quoted that Chamber's President & CEO, Tom Humphries, as saying he thinks that having a welcome home event for the former congressman is "inappropriate". Traficant is scheduled to be released from prison this week and a former staffer is hosting a big party to celebrate Jim's release. A MJ article last week said Traficant wants to keep a low profile and may not attend the event. At least someone is showing some common sense.

Get your new gas budget yet? According to an article in the Review last week natural gas prices are at a seven year low. Of course demand is always down during the summer months but industrial demand is also at an extreme low. There was a very noticeable difference in my budget this month compared to a year ago. However, I'm not kidding myself. If this economy gets turned around and those idled manufactures get back to work that excess supply will dwindle.

Don't forget the 6th Annual Village Yard sale this coming Saturday. For only $3 bucks you can set up your table at Village Hall and be in one of the biggest central locations in town. All proceeds go to the Fix-up/Clean-up Committee for supplies. With bargain hunters like me you'll probably have that back in no time. It runs from 9 A.M. til 4. You can register at Village Hall or by calling 330-532-4331 or 853-2010.

The regular Council meeting is tomorrow evening, Tuesday, September 1, at Village Hall. It will be the only one for September. It starts at 6. Hope it's one of their fast ones. I'd like to catch some of the Volley Ball's opening match against Southern Local at the high school.

The deadline for being guaranteed a "Dash for Mat's Bash" t-shirt is September 15. It's only $10 to register whether you run, walk or just want to be a spectator. Contact Tim or Annie Long at 330-532-3336 or at 412-735-0418 for details. The "Dash" will be held October 3 beginning & ending at Village Hall. It's a 1 mile dash through the ville's scenic streets that not only includes t-shirts but there will be awards, door prises, water stops and first responders. It also includes a kids dash that makes them eligible for a candy bag. They will have a Halloween costume contest and other happenings. It's a fun time community event to raise funds for the Mathugh Johnston Scholarship. It's for serious joggers, walkers and even fools like me. I'm not much of a sports competitor any more but I hope to be there. I may even walk it!


ole nib

Coal Hollow's End of Summer Bash 2009

Toward the end of a busy Saturday afternoon the missus & I stopped out to catch some of the entertainment at the End of Summer Bash 2009 at the Kazee's Coal Hollow Amphitheater & Motor Sports Complex. It was worth the trip. There was a vendor set up & a huge wood pile for a bon fire ready to go. We got there around 6:30 and there was already a nice crowd spread around in front of the stage on blankets & lawn chairs. The party was off to a good start.

The Bash featured three musical groups with the entertainment starting a 5 o'clock. First up was an area band called The Borderline Band that is made up with four talented guys. On vocals is Eric Metze from Rogers, Tim Massie from New Middletown on guitar, Jeff Smith from East Liverpool on bass guitar & Wellsville's Dave Halfhill on drums. They say they're not just a band. They're a party and we have to agree with that. Not only are they entertaining to listen to they are very considerate advising the audience anytime they want to call a time-out to wet your whistle to just hollar. They're more than willing to give you the time to do that without missing any of the music.

The Borderline Band has played the Pottery Festival the past few years and have put on shows at Wellsville's Busy Bee Tavern. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/ohioborderline for more info. They are scheduled for the Appleseed Festival for their next appearance.

Next up on the bill was Nashville artist Rorey Wesney and his band. It was my first time to catch Rorey and it wasn't disappointing. You can sit and listen to him all evening. Wesney appeared at this year's Jamboree In The Hills. For more info check out his web site at http://www.roreywesney.com/. He will next appear September 4 in a benefit for the coal miners sponsored by the Genesis Health Care at the Muskingum County Fair Grounds.

Closing out the evening's entertainment was the popular Route 45 band. We have to apologize to the members of Route 45. We left before they got started to check out the Steelers game. Although we didn't catch their act we did talk to them. They were there to enjoy the other two acts along with some of their fans in those brightly colored t-shirts. We do look forward to catching them at the Vickie McCombs benefit being held at the SOI on September 12. We promise. The Steelers aren't playing that night! Check them out a www.myspace.com/431659492. It's loaded with news and pictures.

For more info on Coal Hollow see the piece posted August 28 below. It's such a nice place I'm thinking of taking up camping next summer. Just minutes from downtown Wellsville it's an ideal spot that is well taken care of for guests to enjoy.

Not only that, Mike & Sherry really know how to throw a party! Thanks for having us.

ole nib

Nazarene Impact Youth Group Block Party

Yesterday afternoon, Saturday, August 29, Wellsville's Nazarene Church's Impact Youth Group held a block party for all area youth of all ages. It was held on Maple Avenue in front of their church on a beautiful August afternoon.

There were rides and games to enjoy. They had free school supplies. The Youth Group performed skits depicting religious themes, testimonials from some of the members and songs sung by this talented group. There was free food & refreshments. All in all it was a fun & entertaining time for everyone to enjoy. From my view point everyone there was enjoying themselves - young & old.

Kudos to the young folks and members of the Nazarene Church for organizing and putting this outreach program on for all to enjoy. It was an event that hasn't been seen anywhere in the area and you made Wellsville proud to have your congregation in our community.

Wellsville's Rev. Dirk Hall is pastor of the Nazarene Church.

ole nib

Jr. Tigers Kick Off '09 Season

The Wellsville Junior Tigers got their season underway yesterday, Saturday, August 29, at home. It was a successful start taking two from the visiting Beavers of Beaver Local. It's exciting and fun football watching these future gridiron stars. I was only able to catch part of the Junior's game. Next time they're at home I'll try to catch the Jr. Varsity.

The Jr. Tiger's games have it all with enough players for each age division, a large squad of cheer leaders & the concession stand is open. All home games start at 1:30. Admission is free.

The Jr. Tiger's next game is at Salem September 5. After that they're at Oak Glen September 12. The next home game is September 19 against United. You'll want to catch some of the action.

Congratulations Tigers & Good Luck on the season.

ole nib

WHS Tigers Tough It Out

The WHS Tigers opened the '09 Football Season at home last night, August 28, against a visiting Strasburg team that fought for victory to the end. Last year the Tigers defeated Strasburg 60-3 on their field. That was not the team that showed up last night.

In a game that saw several changes in the score it was a tough fought for victory for the Tigers. Wellsville scored first with 7:23 left in the first quarter on a quarterback keeper by Jeremy Carter. Faking a kick Bubba Dowling's pass to Chad Elliott on the extra point made the score 8-0.

Then it began. Strasburg had a touch down called back on a penalty but the lead kept changing hands until late in the fourth quarter. The final was 24 - 17 in favor of the Tigers.

If I was awarding a game ball it would have to go to #13 - Bubba Dowling. After J. Carter went out in the first quarter with an injury Dowling stepped into the roll of quarterback. With Wellsville on the visitor's 40 yard line Dowling looked to be in trouble with a bad snap. It would have been a big loss had he given up. Instead he nimbly weaved and jumped over defenders carrying the ball to the one yard line. If he hadn't been next to the sidelines he would have carried it and a Strasburg defender into the end zone for the score. The Tigers scored one play later but that run by Dowling seemed to turn the momentum in favor of WHS just before the end of the first half. Dowling finished the night with 63 yard rushing and 79 yards passing.

It wasn't an easy walk away victory but the Tigers prevailed. Next up they travel to Toronto this coming Friday. Hopefully they got the first game jitters tucked away.

ole nib

Announcers & Broadcasters

Everybody was ready to go for the first game of WHS Football in '09. Next home game I'll have to work my way up to the pressbox. That notion got rained out for me last night. While I was saying hello to the broadcasters for WKMXlive.com it started sprinkling and I wasn't prepared for the wet stuff.

WKMXlive.com is once again bringing WHS Football worldwide coverage via the internet. With some help from their friends they got a new lap top and were ready to go. The guys in the booth - Joe Surace, Roger Miller & Bud Ceneviva - do a great job of bringing us the play-by-play. From the ville to Timbuktu the game is available on the World Wide Web, thanks to the sponsors, for anyone in the world to listen to live. Pictured here is Joe Surace & Roger Miller. Moved the camera & got nothing but blur with Bud's picture.

When it started sprinkling shortly after the start of the second half I came home and tuned them in on the 'puter. Was able to stay dry & hear the rest of the game. Think they are still planning to have video of the game on the web site.

ole nib

Don't Talk To Strangers

Entering the stadium for last night's game I spied these two you men and asked if I could take their pictures. Their mom had done an excellent job of face painting. They are brothers and the only other bit of information I got was that they were waiting for "Mom". The older brother refused to let me know what their names were, even first names. "Might get in trouble" he said.

I got the impression that Mom had them well trained not to talk to strangers. She did a good job and can be proud of her boys. I got the feeling they were ready to bolt if I got any closer. I didn't see them again later on. I was hoping I would see them with their mother & get their names.

I was impressed with the face painting and even more impressed that these kids listen to their "Mom".

ole nib

Chamber-of-Commerce August Business of The Month 2009

Tonda's Place located in the former Miller's Insurance building on the 4th Street Square was named the Business-of-the-Month at the Chamber luncheon yesterday.

Shown above is Chamber President Randy Allmon presenting the travelling plaque to co-owner Tonda Ross. Tonda's other half Rick is a Wellsville native and they opened the popular eatery not too long ago.

Serving up some of the best home cooking food in the valley they are open 7 days a week. Saturday & Sunday they open at 7 A.M. and the rest of the week they open at 8. Service is fast and friendly and the prices are easy on the wallet. Dining is casual and you won't be disappointed.

They even occasionally host dinner meetings for business groups, clubs and organizations such as the monthly Chamber luncheon. Give them a call at 330-532-4000 for details.

If you stop in for breakfast sometime I recommend the sausage gravy biscuits. It puts that national chain to shame. Tell 'em Nib sent you.

See article below for a report on the August Chamber luncheon.

Congratulations to the staff and management of Tonda's Place...

ole nib

Chamber-of-Commerce August Luncheon - 8/27/09

The August Chamber-of-Commerce Luncheon was held yesterday at the Dairy Queen on 3rd Street. Chamber President Randy Allmon opened the luncheon welcoming new members Glasgow Storage, Sell's Auction & Mrs. Linda Surace. The addition of these three new members brings the Wellsville membership to over 70 members. Allmon remarked the C-of-C membership was around 50 at the beginning of the year and said his personal goal was to increase that number to 80. Allmon went on to introduce Tom Wyckoff of the EL Motor Lodge. Wyckoff joined a few months ago & this was the first luncheon he was able to attend.

Allmon went on to explain a county program & business plan called "Building a 20/20 Vision" stating there is a crying need to entice new industry to set up shop in Columbiana County. According to Chamber statistics only 7.4% of our county residents have Bachelor degrees and over 50% of the households have an average annual income under $30,000 a year. In comparison neighboring Beaver County has 14% of their residents holding at least a Bachelors degree.

EL Chamber V.P. of Economic Development Scott Shepherd explained the program to Wellsville members at the August Board meeting telling them a Business Plan is necessary. The cost to get this plan started is $120,000 and they are presently soliciting donations. Anyone interested in donating are encouraged to contact Connie Bauer at 330-532-5069.

It was announced there will be a benefit spaghetti dinner and evening of entertainment September 12 for long time Chamber member Vickie Cataldo McCombs. The benefit will be hosted by the Roberts family - Vicki, Bill & Erin at Wellsville's SOI. We'll have more about this event later but in the meantime circle that date on your calendar.

Also announced was the Chamber joining up with the "angels" of the Alley Cat Aid Brigade(ACAB) to help put on this falls' Howlin' Harvest Moon Festival. The all volunteer ACAB is the group that does the ville's trap-neuter & release program for cats and frequently have pet food give aways. Member Connie Carmichael explained the festival will be held October 3 at their facilities on Commerce Street from 11 A.M. - 7. We'll also have more on this later but Carmichael explained it's an event for the whole community to enjoy with things for both children and adults. A howling good time is guaranteed. Vendors interested in setting up for this are encouraged to contact either Carmichael at 330-532-9064, Connie Bauer at 330-532-1057 or Randy Allmon at 330-843-3475 for details no later than September 30. Electric is not available.

Allmon updated the gazebo renovation project stating all material has been ordered and they are only waiting for the treated lumber to arrive to get the project started. The ultimate goal is to have it in pristine condition well in time for next year's 5 Year All-Class Reunion. The project is being funded with money raised at a Chamber auction in early July. Union members of the Western Reserve & Construction Trades Council are donating the expertise & labor to do the renovation.

Allmon also advised he has been receiving requests from all across the nation for copies of the new Wellsville Visitor's Guide & Map that was printed up and made available by the Chamber earlier this year. It's a beautiful brochure that really shows off the village and all it has to offer. If you are in need of one contact Allmon at 330-843-3475. Supplies are available all around town in various places and are free of charge.

Chamber President-elect Diana Spencer talked about the new CC Chamber Visitors Guide & Business Directory brochure that is being developed. It will be an 8-1/2X11 glossy booklet designed by the same company that put the Wellsville brochure together. Anyone wanting to place ads in the new publication should contact Spencer at CF Bank at 330-532-5062.

Guest Speaker for the luncheon was EL Municipal Court Judge Melissa Byers-Emmerling shown above to the left. Next to her is Chamber Historian Marjorie Dysert & Speakers Chairman Paul Blevins. Byers-Emmerling is a Wellsville native & Alumni of WHS. She holds degrees from Miami of Ohio & Akron Univ. She has been a judge since January, 1990 and before that was an Assistant County Prosecutor.

Her topic was the Litter Program and how she uses it as a behavioral change program in lieu of sentencing actual jail time for non-violent offenders that come before her bench. It's a community service program that in many instances is learning tool for those assigned to the program. Since starting the program for the EL Muni Court 105,620 hours of free work has been performed from its inception in 1991 through 2008. It is an alternative punishment that in many cases turns into a networking opportunity for some of the offenders to meet and get acquainted with many community business people and public officials. Byers-Emmerling went on to explain that the Litter Program is not restricted to offenders passing through her court. Many public service organizations such as the C-of-C have started like programs with volunteers with projects such as "Adopt A Highway". All that is needed is garbage bags, reflective safety vests for the participants, a rider on liability insurance, plans for disposal and a form to keep track of the hours of each volunteer. It would be an ideal inexpensive way to help a cash strapped village keep its streets free of litter not to mention a great public relations opportunity.

Next luncheon is September 24 at noon at the Dairy Queen. There will be a Business-After-Hours hosted by Holly Development September 8, from 5:30 - 7:30 P.M., at their offices on Main Street. That's where Perpetual Bank use to be located.

ole nib

Coal Hollow Amphitheater & Motor Sports Complex

Here's a gem of a place located just minutes from downtown Wellsville. Until last spring I never knew it existed. There's 250 acres nestled on top of a hill overlooking the Ohio Valley that once I found it was surprised. I tried to find it last spring when they were hosting a motor cross event but I couldn't find Coal Hollow Road. In the advertisement for that event they said something about following the signs off Hibbetts Mill Road. I went out Hibbetts Mill and wound up on 10th Street Extension. Then I came home & Googled Coal Hollow and the map didn't show it. I think it's actually Hibbetts Mill Road but don't ask me to explain it.

It took a while but we finally found it. They are having an "End of Summer Bash 2009" with three musical acts this coming Saturday. It sounded interesting. So the missus & I went visiting this past Sunday and W O W!

First off, to find Coal Hollow Road you have to go north on Route 45 out of the ville and make a left onto Crawford Road just before you leave the Hillcrest area. There's a hand made sign there that says Coal Hollow but the street sign says Crawford. Once on Crawford keep going straight for maybe two or three miles. It's not clear where Crawford leaves off and Coal Hollow begins but it's the same road. It's also an old, winding, narrow, country road that's mostly unpaved. At points you're parallel to a creek. Just keep on that road until you come to the signs next to the red gate. Then you make another left onto the grounds. There are other ways to get there but I'd probably get you lost trying to explain it.

About a mile back the dirt road, through wooded areas and past corn fields, sits a natural made amphitheater with a man made stage. From what we saw there isn't a bad place to sit to watch the entertainment. You have to bring your own blankets & lawn chairs if you don't want to sit on the ground. The grass is all closely & newly mowned and the inclined seating area allows for unobstructed viewing of the stage. I have never been to a performance out there but I can just imagine the music rolling off those speakers up the hillside.

In addition to the amphitheater there are miles and miles of trails for four wheeling or riding dirt bikes up and down hills and some through wooded areas. Then there acres of level land for setting up camp sites or campers. Coal Hollow has been host to many dirt bike racing and four wheeler events in the last few years in addition to having concerts. Most of them are benefit concerts.

It's a beautiful, serene place in a rustic setting that seems like it's out in the middle of nowhere but is really in our back yard - just minutes away. It's an ideal spot to get away from it all and enjoy the clean country air. There's Porta Johns available for nature calls. There's even a beautiful waterfall on the property. The best part of it all is that it won't break the bank to take advantage of the place. All events only cost $10/head with children under 12 admitted free. There's a spot for vendors and they have electric power for the stage. If you want to camp and need power you'll have to provide you own generator. Other than a creek down over the hill there's no running water. Other than that there's all the comforts of home!

If you want to go off road riding during any week-end it's still only $10/head. Motor sports riders must have a photo identification and sign a liability waiver. As I mentioned this Saturday, August 29, is the "Bash" featuring three acts. The Borderline Band will be performing along with Nashville artist Rorey Wesney. Wesney performed at the Jamboree In The Hills this year. He started in the music profession at the age of 13 playing guitar for Johnny Paycheck. They say he has a style all his own that has been described as a blend between Merle Haggard and George Straight. The third group to perform Saturday is Wellsville's Route 45 band which need no build up from us. They're good & very entertaining as you well know. Karen & Tim can probably walk there.

Gates open at 3 P.M. Saturday. The music will start at 5 P.M. The End of Summer Bash 2009 will go on come rain or shine. Camping is free the night before & the night of the show. With just a slight chance of rain it should be a beautiful day to spend at a beautiful location.

Mike & Sherry Kazee say come on out and enjoy yourselves. Everybody is welcome. I bet on a clear night you can see just about every star in the universe out there.

ole nib

Maple Street To Be Closed Saturday

Maple Street will be closed to traffic this Saturday, August 29, from 16th St to 17th St. The Impact Youth Group from Wellsville's Nazarene Church will be holding at block party that begins at 2 P.M. Village officials advised that the street will be closed from early morning until sometime in the evening. The closure has been approved by both the Police & Fire Dept.'s Chiefs.

According to an advertisement for the block party there will be a bake sale, food, face paintings, drama skits, free school supplies and testimonies. It's open to the public and all are invited to come & enjoy the fun.

Wellsville native Dirk Hall is pastor of the Maple Street Nazarene Church.

ole nib

Finance Committee Meeting - Tuesday - 8/25/09

Yesterday at Village Hall the Finance Committee for Village Council met to discuss the ville's financial condition. Present was Committee Chairman Tony Cataldo & Committee members Randy Allmon and John McMahon. Also in attendance was Mayor Joe Surace, Villiage Administrator Jim Saracco, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, WFD Chief Bill Smith, WPD Chief Joe Scarabino and Zoning Administrator Rick Williams.

For the month of July the Village's General Fund started with $35,405 and ended the month with a balance of $12,607. Although seeming frightening low FO Dale Davis advised the second half of real estate taxes are just starting to come in. He projects Village finances will be okay but it depends mostly on property owners paying their taxes. If they don't pay in these economic times the Village doesn't get their portion of the tax. Davis advised the biggest expenditure for the General Fund is payroll.

WFD Chief Bill Smith addressed the committee about the demolition of derelict buildings in town. As previously noted there are six structures ready for this project just waiting for the County to release the funds. The County has been awarded grant money and has in turn budgeted the ville and other communities amounts for this project. Contracts for the demolition will be put up for bid and awarded by the County. Smith advised the owners of these six buildings have signed agreements for the demolition.

Of concern were seven additional properties in town that need to be brought down. Smith advised all have been condemned but the property owners can not be located. In this situation, by law, these properties have to be advertised for six consecutive weeks in an attempt to locate the owners. At the end of that period if the owners are not found the next step is to go to County Court to get approval to proceed. Once that is achieved the Village has to run another series of ads for an extra six weeks for public notification on each. Smith said the average cost for each building to go through the advertising & court process is around $15,000 and asked the Committee if money was available to go ahead with the whole process. Davis advised that there isn't that amount available at this time and the Committee will revisit the situation after the first of the year.

Smith remarked that two houses - one on 18th Street & one on Wood Street - should have priority and would have been part of the original six if the owners could be located. It was suggested that a Demolition Fund be established in the yearly budget.

Chairman Cataldo expressed concern about the Fire Dept. budget stating that year-to-date the department has spent $128,000 and receipts have only been $110,000. Last year they were able to carry over $25,000 to this year to keep the Department going. That is not available for this year but Davis said he feels the fund will be okay for the balance of the year. Davis reminded the Committee that the WFD exists solely on income from the Fire Levy and the condition of the fund again depends on property owners paying their taxes.

WPD Chief Scarabino addressed the Committee about budgeting, the COPS Grant and wages for his officers. Currently a full time officer starts at a wage of $8.65/hour while a part-time officer is being paid $9.00/hour. The Chief stated he was concerned about his ability to get some officers to take one of the full time positions that will be open with the COPS grant. It was also noted that full time officers receive insurance benefits among other things in addition to their wages. Part timers do not get these perks. Mayor Joe Surace remarked that it is time to address the fines collected in Magistrate Court. Most of the money received in fines is the result of WPD officers issuing citations. Surace noted that in 2008 the court took in $56,318 in fines and year-to-date income from fines is around $70,000.

The COPS grant is money from the federal stimulus program to revive this Dept. of Justice program. It pays for hiring or keeping an officer for three years and the Village has to agree to pay for the fourth year of salary & benefits. The grant can be used to pay for an additional officer or keeping one that is in danger of being laid off as other communities are planning on doing. Wellsville applied for three officers hoping to get enough for two. It got enough for one. Money from the awarded grant is expected to start coming in around January, 2010.

In the good news category Cataldo announced they have been advised by the Village engineers that Region 5 EPA officials said that if documentation can be furnished for 15 expenditures of the STAG funds by September 3 all will be forgiven. All documentation furnished by the Village has been examined by the EPA that was originally asking for $1.2 million in findings for recovery earlier this year. If Village officials can furnish documentation for the 15 items the balance of this old grant will be released. That amounts to approximately $600,000 which has been earmarked for the Highland Avenue project and to finish up-dates at the Sewage Plant. The 15 items in question involve payments to three different contractors. Both Cataldo & Dale Davis expressed confidence that the documentation can be located and sent onto the EPA. This grant was first awarded in the early 1990s for various sewer projects.

It was interesting that Davis announced that he recently renewed a Certificate-of-Deposit for the viilage and the best interest rate available was 1%. Glad it's not in STAR Ohio. Rates from them were a mere 0.19% for July.

No new legislation was proposed to be presented at the next regular Council meeting. Davis said a review of the budget would be advisable. Not being able to count on what amount will be received from taxes in the second half it is time to "start tightening the belt" according to the Fiscal Officer.

Council will only have one regular meeting in the month of September. That is scheduled for 6 P.M. at Village Hall Tuesday, September 1. In October they will return to holding meetings the first & third Tuesdays of each month.

ole nib

Meet The Tigers

Yesterday evening, August 24, at the football field was Meet The Tigers night. I think all the participants in WHS fall sports teams, the cheer leaders and band were there. There was the Varsity football team, the volley ball team and the golf team.

As of last night the golf team has played six matches. They got started on August 10 and have 11 more matches before getting into tournament play.

The Varsity football gets underway this Friday evening at home against Strasburg. Kick-off is set for 7:30.

The Volley Ball Team's first match is Tuesday, September 1, at home. That's set to begin at 5:30.

This is the first part of three. Did that to get more pictures in so you all could see most of this year's team members. Scroll on down to see the other two parts. You can click on any picture to enlarge. The first is the football team.

Good luck to all the Tigers...

ole nib

Meet The Tigers - Part 2

Here's some pictures of the Jr. Tiger Football team & the Golf Team.

The Golf Team got there last evening straight from a winning match over ITCL rival McDonald. They are now 2 - 4 over all and 2 - 2 in league play. They travel to Western Reserve Wednesday, August 26.

Good luck to all...

ole nib

Meet The Tigers - Part 3

Here's the final piece on last night's Meet The Tigers. Couldn't fit a picture of the cheerleaders & volleyball team in a collage and get them all in the picture.

Best of luck to all the Tigers on the season.

The volleyball team open Tuesday, September 1, at home at 5:30, against backyard rival Southern Local.

The cheer leaders & band will be in action this coming Friday evening at the stadium.

Go Tigers....

ole nib

Notes From Last Week

It was a quiet week-end for us. Had to go out of town Saturday for a family function and we missed the shindig at the Kenney Center for the kids Saturday evening. Hope they had a good turn out. The Kenney Center is an ideal spot for such events and it is mostly unused.

The dead line for filing for issues and non-partisan candidates for November's election has come & gone. In the ville we will be voting on three County issues - the renewal of the 1% sales tax, renewal of a 0.75% Children Services levy for foster child care and replacement of a 0.2 mills for the County Health Board Cancer Clinic levy. We'll be choosing two out five candidates for Village Council and two out of three candidates for the two open seats on the Board of Education. There is also an unexpired term on the BOE with Karen Dash being the only one to file for that. There were no village tax levies applied for this year.

Speaking of the County sales tax, Tom Giambroni brought us a story in last Thursday's MJ that the Commissioners are getting concerned about steady decline in sales tax receipts in the last three months. Wonder if the Clash-for-Clunkers and the boost in auto sales it brought about will see an improvement in the sales tax? According to news accounts it was such a success that GM is adding a second shift to make more of their Chevy Cobalts at their Lordstown plant.

The MJ has a weekly Roast & Toast column in which they praise folks for the good things they do and chastise others for screwing up or being thoughtless. Well, here's a Toast to the MJ. Last Wednesday they listed the winning numbers for the Mega Million drawing Tuesday night and they had me all excited. I had a big $10 winner until I found out the numbers posted were for the Saturday before that drawing. You guys sure took the wind out of my sails!

Thought there would be some roasting taking place at last week's BWD Board of Trustees Meeting in regards to the village wide water shut off three weeks ago. I heard a lot of complaints immediately following and during the nearly 36 hour shut off from both residents and Village Officials. There's a Public Speaking portion on the agenda at this monthly meeting that would be a perfect time to go on record registering complaints and ideas for improvements. There was not one single person present - neither Village Official or resident - to voice their opinion on anything. You get what you ask for.

Personally I think there are a couple of things the BWD can do to help us customers when the water goes off. One is furnishing a place to get water as soon as the water goes off or even before if they know it's going off. A water buffalo at Village Hall to get a couple of gallons of potable water for cooking and drinking would be a humane customer service act. Also advanced notification to customers should be incorporated into their policy book. There are phone systems available that would automatically place calls to phone numbers on a customer list. It could be a recorded message that is computer generated and started with a simple entry. Many people fill up bath tubs and such for washing up and using to flush toilets if they know the water is going off. The district has a recording available for up-dates customers can call. Even if it's a sudden shut off customers should be notified instead of left wondering what is going on.

Charlie Wilson sent us a couple of e-mails this past week. One is about the Credit Card Act that went into effect. Among the provisions for that act is that credit card companies must notify customers 45 days in advance of any increase in rates and also remind customers of their right to cancel the card before the rates take effect.

The other is some facts about what is being considered for the health care reform. One of them is that it will not cover illegal aliens living in this country as many protesters would have you believe. It will not create a government run care health system. If you have coverage and like what you have it will remain private and you can keep it. No problem. It will help people that have no insurance through their jobs and are ineligible for Medicare. It will close the donut hole for Medicare Part D in prescription costs that many senior citizens are experiencing. And for God's sake it does NOT promote euthanasia as the former Alaskan governor would have you believe. As I said last week it's far from settled but it's not creating a Huxley "Big Brother" health system.

Long time Daw Middle School principal Dave Buzzard is moving on to Columbiana for a similar position. Buzzard has been with the Wellsville system for 13 years. From what I was told this morning there will be a qualified interim, substitute principal in place for the start of the school year in a couple of days. In the meantime the position will be put up for bid for qualified applicants within the system for five days. If that fails to get a winning candidate it will be advertised for others to apply. Gee, and Mr. B happily announced that all certified positions were filled at the BOE meeting last Monday. Looks like "Murphy" stopped by in the mean time!

Here's a subject dear to me. Last fall a popular long time Pittsburgh blogger that went by the anonymous name of "Pitt Girl" shut down her blog for fear of losing her job. She never did anything scandalous on her blog. She was just voicing her opinion on various Pittsburgh subjects and politicians as is her constitutional right to do. Recently she started a new blog and brought herself out of the closet, sort of speak. Sure enough, as she feared, she was fired from her six year job at a non-profit agency as reported in the Pittsburgh Trib-Review. To me that is a grave injustice by the bureaucrats that don't have the spine to stand up for what's right while they are worrying about losing some corporate sponsorship or political backing. They certainly violated her freedom of speech.

The Youngstown Vindicator had a special section in their paper yesterday covering all the area high school football teams. That included the WHS Tigers which open at home next Friday against Strasburg. Tonight is your chance to meet all the Tigers plus members of the golf & volley ball teams, the cheer leading squad and band members at Meet The Tigers event that begins at 7 at the stadium.

It's my time of the year. High school football starts this week. The OSU Buckeyes get going September 5 in Columbus against Navy and the Steeler's regular season starts September 10. It don't get much better than that.

School starts Wednesday, August 26. Entrance bell for the high school is 7:55, 8:20 at Daw Middle and 8:25 A.M. at Garfield. Bet those students can't wait.

Getting your stuff ready for the Village Yard Sale? It's a week from this coming Saturday, September 5, from 9 A.M. - 4. If you want to set up at Village Hall it's only $3 and you can stop by the Mayor's secretary's office during regular business hours to reserve a space. Any proceeds go to the Fix-up/Clean-up Committee. We don't get into the selling part but the missus & I have fun going around looking for some of those treasures that always appear. You can set up at home or join them at Village Hall. The Friends of the Old Fire Station will be open again this year at the old fire hall. It your choice and a chance to make some money.

The Potter Players Community Theatre are currently putting on a play called "Shop 'Til You Drop - Dead!" It's dinner theater at DaLonzos and next Friday & Saturday will be your last chance to see this one. In the mean time, tonight & tomorrow night, they will be holding auditions for the mid to late October production of Steel Magnolias from 7 - 8 P.M. each evening at the theater located at 415 15th St. This play will be directed by veteran PPCT member Dave Pierce. It's your chance to get in front of the spot lights or even behind them. For more info you can call 330-532-5540.

ole nib

Shop 'Til You Drop - Dead

Looking for something to do this evening, tomorrow night or even next week-end? We found something that is inexpensive, entertaining and a good way to get something good to eat while you're at it.

Those zany actors of the Potter Players Community Theater are at it again and back teaming up with Wellsville's Nick DaLonzo to bring you another dinner theater production right here in the ville at DaLonzo's Pizza on Main Street.

Tonight, tomorrow and next Friday & Saturday, starting at 6:30 P.M. each evening, for only $15 you can enjoy Nick's mouth watering penne pasta dinner with meatballs, salad, beverage & dessert. After dinner you can sit back and enjoy the comedy murder mystery "Shop 'Til You Drop - Dead!". It's a Craig Sodaro play about a game show gone completely awry when one of the celebrities gets murdered during a live taping of the show.

The play is directed by Mary Beth Morse and has a very talented cast & crew. It'll be an enjoyable evening of entertainment and laughs. You can never go wrong with Nick's cooking and the PPCT folks are always entertaining. You won't be disappointed.

You can call 330-532-5540 form more info or to make reservations. You can also check out their web site at http://www.thevilletheatre.blogspot.com/. See you there...

ole nib

Buckeye Water District Meeting - Thursday - 8/20/09

The BWD's regular monthly meeting was held Thursday morning at the Wellsville Village Hall. In attendance for the Board was President Mike Ryan & members Chuck Bibbee, Cal Carney, Jack Whitaker, Dave Lloyd, Tim O'Hara, Bob Wines and Jack Call. Also present was District Manager Al DeAngelis, District Legal Council Fred Emmerling & Office Mgr./Fiscal Administrator Sara Crouch.


Minutes of previous meeting were approved as read and there was no one wishing to address the Board during the Public Comment Period.


With the recommendation of the Finance Committee the Board voted unanimously to name Wellsville's Central Federal Bank as their new depository for the next five years. Allowing time for various administrative functions the contract will take effect 11/1/09. Other bidders for depository were Huntington National and 1st National Community. Huntington is the current depository.


Also under the Resolutions portion of the agenda Dave Sugar Excavating of New Middletown, OH was awarded the contract for the Phase A construction of the Salineville project. Phase A is the installation of the water line & hydrants from the new Water Treatment Plant to the Southern Local High School area on Route 39. Sugar was the low bidder at $2.7 million out of the 11 bids submitted. Engineer estimates were $3.4 million for this phase. After being approved by the District's engineers and upon recommendation of the Board's Engineering Committee the contract was awarded by another unanimous vote.


Awarding that bid is just Part 1 of the process. Before Notice to Proceed can be given to begin construction approval by the Ohio EPA must be given, finalization for financing the project must be completed and a bond must be filed by the contractor among other things.


Payment of a bill to Pusateri Excavating for $9,957 was approved for work done on the water line break two weeks ago. It was also announced that the district received the $15,000 grant from Homeland Security for surveillance cameras to be installed at the new facilities. Total cost for this project is $17,588 and cameras will be installed at the Pumping Station, Reservoir and the Water Treatment Plant. Once operational personnel will be able to monitor those areas via district computers at any of their facilities.

Various water line extensions were discussed when the County Liason Committee met recently. Phase B of the Salineville project will have bids ready to go sometime around late September or early October. This phase will be the continuation of the water line installed under Phase A into the village of Salineville. Bids for a bed for a new truck purchased by the District will be published soon.

For the District Manager's Report it was announced the new decking for the bridge was finished this past Wednesday at the old Salineville Water Treatment Plant. Board President Ryan said he went out to check on it and thought it was very substantial. It should allay any fears of crossing it. He commended the BWD employees for the excellent job on that.

DeAngelis went on to advise that ODNR will be conducting a warranty inspection on the new facilities August 31. Once satisfied the money tied up in bonds will be released. DeAngelis also announced that ODOT is requiring a $60,000 bond on Phase A of the Salineville project. Instead of going out and purchasing an actual bond ODOT has approved that the amount be held in escrow. Pusateri has begun work on repairing the slippage at the Route 45 holding tank. Completion of that job is estimated to be five weeks.

Next regular meeting is scheduled for September 17 at 9 A.M. at Wellsville Village Hall.

Following the regular meeting the Service Committee met will the owner of an apartment complex here in Wellsville and who was asking for some consideration for his July water bill. The complex has six units and all units are on one water meter. Monthly water bills are usually around $275/month. The bill for last month was $525 and after investigating the owner found three toilets that were constantly running. His tenants did not report that they were not functioning properly. District officials advised that toilets that don't shut off after refilling are the number one cause of enormous water bills. Committee Chairman Cal Carney apologized for the owner's hardship but advised the Water District was not responsible for malfunctioning privately owned equipment. Committee members Dave Lloyd & Tim O'Hara agree with O'Hara advising an extended payment plan for this bill could be arranged if necessary. The apartment owner thanked the Committee for their time stating he felt it was worth the effort to try. It may have effected his immediate cash flow but come tax time it's all deductible.

ole nib

A Little Help From Our Friends

Like the old Beatles' song the Wellsville Carnegie Library will be trying to "get by with a little help from my friends". In an effort to stave off cut backs in services, hours of operation, or staff the Wellsville Library is looking to start up a "Friends of the Library" group. The primary goal is to get a group of library friends together to generate ideas to raise funds to cover the cut-back amounts from the State budget cuts.

This morning's papers reported a couple of libraries in the county cutting back hours and staff. The EL Library Board even voted to reduce salaries of some of the remaining staff. Wellsville's Library Director Tracee Murphy is trying to avoid such drastic steps.

In the early stages of organizing a Friends Group, Murphy is putting out feelers to see who and how many are willing to help and when best to meet. There is a form available at the library to register your name and to answer a couple of questions. Stop by and fill one out.

Use of the library has been increasing in these economic times and our library has always been there for us. Now is the good time to show some appreciation of that and help where you can. Please consider joining the Friends Group.

ole nib

Fundraiser For WHS Football

In an effort to raise some funds for this year's Wellsville Football teams Nick DaLonzo & Anthony Lombardozzi have joined up and will be chancing off five authentic, official game replica jerseys. These are nice jerseys that I wouldn't mind having myself.

One winner will be drawn at half-time at each of this year's five home games for one of the jerseys. The first winner gets his choice of one of the five. The next lucky person gets their choice of one of the four remaining and on down the line. Winners do not need to be present at the game but you should go to support the Tigers anyway.

There's a throw back #58 Jack Lambert jersey with a USA bi-centennial patch. There's two with commemorative Super Bowl XLIII patches. One has James Harrison's #92 and the other is Santonio Holmes #10. Both made huge, I mean really huge, plays in that game last February. There's #43 Polomolu All-Star Game jersey and one Penguins.

All proceeds go to benefit the football teams. Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. Ticket can be purchased at DaLonzos Pizza on Main St. or from Nick or Anthony. You can call 330-532-0900 or 330-362-0270 for more info.

You can click on any of the pictures shown here to enlarge for a better look or you can stop by DaLonzos to see the real thing. All five are on display there.

It's a winning way to support a winning team.

ole nib

Notes From Last Week

Normally I'll cover just about anything in town if I know about it and can get there. However, there are times I'll hold off if I feel I haven't been told the whole story or I'm not convinced that I've been dealt with complete honesty. Such is the case with the CC Tea Party that held another protest last week at Village Hall. Dropping off demands at Charlie Wilson's District Office this protest was allegedly about health care.

I was going to devote an article to them but reading that their group is already splintering apart and the actions of their Pennsylvania cohorts at Sen. Arlen Spector's Town Hall meeting in Kittanning last week I've decided my jury is still out on this group. Another decisive factor is that some members protesting last week hid behind their hand made poster signs every time I lifted my camera. The ones that were hiding did it four or five times even after being asked them to show their faces. It's my opinion that if you're being truthful to yourself and feel your public display of your convictions is the right thing to do you should have the guts to be seen.

Registrations are open for the October 3rd "Dash for Mat's Bash". You have to be registered by September 15 to be guaranteed a tee shirt for this event. It's a fund raiser for the Mathugh Johnston Scholarship Fund. Cost is $10 per head and $3 for the Kid's dash. It's a mini-marathon, or walk-a-thon if you're not a runner. Contact Tim or Annie Long for more details. Contact numbers are 330-532-3336 or 412-735-0418.

The CC Budget Commission published a list of this year's distribution of Local Government Funds in last weeks papers. Out of $3 million distributed in the county the Village got $72,091.04 and the Wellsville Library got $325, 709.84.

Lawyers for Eric Dillard have filed an appeal of his conviction of murder & weapons charges with the 7th District Court of Appeals. An earlier appeal in Common Pleas Court was denied.

J.C. Amato's murder & weapons trial has once again been delayed pending results from an independent expert examination of the bullet believed to contain DNA of the murdered wife of Amato. According to the newspapers Common Pleas Judge Pike granted delays for this trial and the second trial for additional weapon's charges pending the test results.

Even though school hasn't started the WHS Golf Team already has three matches played and now stand at 1 - 2 for the season. No results were in this morning's papers for yesterday's match against Southern. The Tigers will be back in action today against Jackson-Milton at home. Home matches are played at Cedar Hills out in Glenmore. Good luck Tigers!

So far we have two candidates declared for this fall's election for the Wellsville School Board. Retired educator Bill Miller of Broadway has filed for a seat and long time Board member & this year's President, Tom Brophey put his papers in Monday. Deadline for filing is tomorrow at 1600 hours.

County Commissioners have decided to put the sales tax on this fall's ballot as a five year renewal according to the papers. They were debating whether to do this or change it to a permanent tax.

Two weeks from today former congressman Jim Traficant is going to be released from prison. The previously planned "Traficant Release Night" at the Mahoning Valley Scrappers game has been cancelled according to news sources. The baseball organization will host a Valley Pride Night instead.

With funding cuts from the State Wellsville Library Director Tracee Murphy is putting out feelers for people interested in becoming a member of a Friends of the Library group according to Jo Ann Bobby-Gilbert. The primary focus of the group will be fund raising to enable the library to maintain the current level of services. Anybody interested in helping with this worthwhile cause should contact Murphy at the library.

Being familiar with both the Mega Millions & the Powerball lotteries for years now I find it amazing that gamblers all over Europe have been going ga-ga over the Italian National Lottery. The next drawing for that is expected to amount to over a record $200 million jack pot for anywhere on that continent. Amounts like that are old news to us familiar with the Mega & Powerball. Jackpot for tonight's Powerball is expected to be $250 million & Friday's drawing for Mega is suppose to be $207 million. You'll all be invited to the party when I win either to supplement my retirement income!

The Potter Players Community Theater will once again be performing dinner theater this coming week-end and next at DaLonzos on Main St. For $15 you get to see the play "Shop Til You Drop-Dead" performed by a very talented group of actors and also enjoy an award winning DaLonzo penne pasta dinner with all the trimmings. It all starts at 6:30 this coming Friday & Saturday evening. Call 330-532-5540 for reservations.

This coming Sunday and again on August 30 will be your last two chances to tour the Wellsville Historical Society's River Museum for this year's season. The Museum is open from 1 - 4:30 P.M. on each of those days. Admission is free and open to the public. After that special tours of 10 or more are available by calling either 330-532-1018 or 330-532-3941.

Here's another WHS alumni web site I just recently learned about. It just got started at the end of July and is still in the building process. With the All Class 5 Year Reunion coming next year you may want to add it to your list of favorites. You can find it www.wellsvillealumni.org.

Are you getting ready for the 6th Annual Village Yard Sale? For just $3 you can set up at Village Hall. It's open to anyone and everyone. All donations go to the volunteer Fix-up/Clean-up Committee to be used for supplies and equipment. The sale is from 9 A.M. - 4, Saturday, September 5. It's an excellent opportunity to turn you "junk" into cash to become some buyer's treasure. You can call 330-532-4331 or 330-853-2010 for more details.

Next Monday evening, August 24, at 7 o'clock is "Meet The Tigers Night" at the football field. It includes players from WHS's football, volley ball & golf teams and the cheer leaders. The announcement in the paper didn't say anything about the band but I 'spect they'll be there too. It's a good time to wish those participating students good luck and to show your support.

In closing I would like to say I try to make it a point not to "scoop" the newspapers on any story I write. I did go ahead and do it with the water line break story & the 10th St. Ext. closing up-dates because I felt word needed to get out as soon as possible about things like that. The only other time I go first is when a subject is about to become "ancient" history after waiting a few days to see it in the paper or if I don't see news coverage at an event I'm attending. The rest of my articles mostly deal with historical stuff from around the village.

Just like I use to do, the "newshounds" are just trying to make a living. I never had a newspaper job beyond being a paper boy but since I retired I love what I'm doing. However I don't want to be in competition with the professionals. I could come home after a council meeting and have my report on-line hours before the print media but that is not my goal. I've always been taught to be fair with whatever you do and with whoever you meet. I have no bosses to report to and my blogging does not put one extra red cent in my pockets. What I'm doing is for the fun of it and I try to be considerate of others.

ole nib

Wood Street Fire Destroys Garage

With billowing smoke filling the air a fire of undetermined origin destroyed a garage on the estate of the late Jenny Hammond yesterday afternoon. The garage faces Wood Street and sits behind the Washington Street trailer home of the late Mrs. Hammond. At one time it was used as Jenny's Beauty Shop according to Mrs. Hammond's relatives. Wood Street resident Mrs. Opal Lombardozzi told me her husband Mike called in the alarm. The Lombardozzis are in the process of moving back into their home across the street from the garage. Lately the garage had only been used for storage.

According to this morning's papers the fire was called in at 1:47 and the State Fire Marshall has been asked to help investigate the cause. It was a quick burning fire. By the time I grabbed my camera and got to the scene shortly after 2 o'clock the WVFD had the fire knocked down and the garage was gone. The rear of the unoccupied trailer was slightly damaged in the blaze and a next door garage got some fire damage to the eaves of that building. Check out Jo Ann Bobby-Gilbert's spectacular picture in the MJ. With the way the flames were shooting out and our dry weather conditions neighbors were fearful it was going to rapidly spread to other buildings in that closely space neighborhood.

Those fears were quickly laid to rest with the professional and commendable job performed by our village firefighters. All that training pays out big dividends holding down collateral damage in such a situation. It's nice to have them around.

ole nib

Buckeye Water District Finance Committtee Meeting - 8/17/09

Getting prepared for the regular monthly meeting the BWD's Finance Committee met yesterday at the district's offices on Clark Street. Attending were Committee Chairman Chuck Bibbee, members Bob Wines, Gene McGaffick, Board President Mike Ryan, District Manager Al DeAngelis and Fiscal Administrator Sara Crouch.

Receipts for the month of July from operations was $315,298 and expenses totaled $173,935. Receipt's for August are expected to be down with the cooler summer weather we have been experiencing. Costs for testing are slightly up due to the required additional testing for lead and copper when raw water is obtained from a new source. In the past the district's raw water source was from the old Wellsville reservoir. When the new facilities went on-line this year the raw water is pumped from the river which requires the additional testing.

For the month of July the new Water Treatment Plant pumped 28,613,000 gallons of treated water to district customers. Wellsville customers used a little over 6 million gallons of that amount. Still amazing to me is the fact that the Elkton Prison uses more water than the whole village. The prison used 8.7 million gallons in July.

Salineville usage was 2.2 million gallons for July. Until the construction & installation of the water lines from the new plant, Salineville water is still supplied from their old facilities. A contract for the first part of that installation is expected to awarded in the near future. BWD took over operation of the Salineville facilities earlier this year.

The district has received the $15,000 Homeland Security Grant announced a while back. Believe this grant is for the security surveillance cameras to be installed at the Water Treatment Plant. A decision by the Board will be needed very soon on whether or not to renew the USDA discharge permit for the old treatment plant. That permit is about to expire. BWD has held possession of the old plant as a back-up water source. Looking forward to next year District Manager DeAngelis advised the committee the Oakmont & Irish Ridge Road holding tanks will require painting.

The regular monthly meeting is schedule for 9 A.M. Thursday morning, August 20, at Wellsville Village Hall.

ole nib

Wellsville Board of Education Meeting - 8/17/09

The regular meeting of the Board of Education last evening was called to order by Board President Tom Brophey. Members Ed Bauer, Mike Cook, Karen Dash, and Danielle Meek were all present. Superintendent Rich Bereschik, Assistant Superintendent Lisa Ferguson, OAPSE Representative Ed Swogger and Treasurer Coleen Wickham was also present.

Coleen Wickham reported the district is presently in good financial shape with a little over $518,000 in July receipts and a little more that $516,000 in expenditures leaving a balance of $2.6 million. Investment interest earned for July was $5,207.

Under Legislative Update Brophey reported that State HB1 was approved July 17. This bill is the two year state budget that the Governor & State Legislators struggled to get enacted due to the many budget cuts for various funds. Brophey remarked the "ink is hardly dry" and there is already talk that a budget corrections bill may be in the making. There is anticipated additional budget cuts and education funding may be in jeopardy.

Bauer remarked that calamity days are reduced from five to three days for the new school year. Next year there will be none. Calamity days are the "snow days" enjoyed by many. With the new state legislature any days off after three will have to be made up with make up days probably added to the end of the school year calendar.

Mike Cook reported that the CC Career & Tech Center has hired an assistant superintendent for the new school year. The Center has also recently purchased a little over 23 acres of adjacent property for $169,000. Enrollment numbers at the Center are high with just about everything filled to the max.

Ed Swogger reported that all the school district's buildings are ready to go for the upcoming new school year. Much work has been done over the summer months especially with painting. Brophey praised the job that Swogger, Joe Traina & the crew have accomplished.

Since Mr. B left his reading spectacles at home Lisa Ferguson gave the "Good News" report stating that the district will be hosting two student teachers for the fall semester plus two additional KSU education students for their Fall Experience. One of those students is Wellsville's Katie Barnes. The new Promethean Boards are installed. These are interactive "whiteboards" that engage the students with images, audio & video projected from a computer. According to the Promethean web site the whiteboards bring the "classroom to life".

The number of students going out for football, volley ball and band are up. It was noted that 57 students are in this year's band. Mr. B remarked that not too many years ago that number was only 17.

The Board approved a one year contract to hire Maria McNicol as the high school health & physical education teacher. McNicol will be paid the Bachelor's Degree with zero years experience pay rate. They also renewed McNicol's contract for athletic trainer services for five months. Cook abstained from both of these votes. McNicol has served the district as athletic trainer for 15 years. She's a familiar figure along the sidelines. Bereschik remarked that with the teaching contract approved for McNicol all certified positions for the new school year have been filled.

With much praise & wishes for good luck the Board accepted the resignation of Mrs. Cathy Brown retiring as secretary at Garfield. Mrs. Brown had 18 years with the school district.

Other motions passed was the approval of the use of CARTS where transportation by school vehicles is impractical. Mr. B remarked that there is no one currently in need of this and the service is an alternative back-up should the need arise.

Tom Brophey was approved to appoint a delegate & alternative to attend the Ohio School Board's Assoc. Conference in November. Marcus Prendes was approved to serve as a volunteer assistant varsity football coach. Contracts for a school psychologist and technologist with CC ESC totalling a little over $99,000 was approved for the new school year. An increase for substitute teachers pay from $70/day to $80 was approved. This was action was taken to make Wellsville competitive with other area school districts. Last year there were times when substitutes were not available because of the higher rate paid by other districts. A list of seven teachers to be mentors for new teachers was approved. A 3day/2 night field trip for the district's 7th & 8th graders to Washington, DC next May was also approved. A list of 28 substitute teachers, 5 substitute bus drivers and 19 non-certified alternatives was also approved.

Cafeteria meal prices were approved for the '09-'10 year. Free breakfast for all students will still be available. Bereschik remarked that with the outstanding job cafeteria employees are doing the district is able to offer this all important meal and still keep the food service in the black. The free breakfast is offered to all students regardless of their family's income.

Contracts were approved for Pittsburgh's Turner Dairy for milk supplies and Nickles Bakery for bread. Ms. Wickham's contract as Food Service Director was also renewed.

In closing remarks Ed Bauer stated that last month's action to raise rates to $80/meeting paid to Board members was the first in 38 year for the district. The $10 raise will only effect newly elected or newly appointed members and Wellsvile is one of the lowest rates in the state. State law allows a maximum of $125/meeting to be paid if approved. Brophey added that from what he has been able to determine from other districts while attending statewide functions most pay the maximum allowed by law. Bauer also commended the custodial staff and what they have done enhancing the appearance of both Daw Jr. Hi & the Garfield buildings. Mrs. Dash wished good luck to all the sports teams and Mrs. Meek reiterated both comments also wishing good luck to the teams and commenting on what a remarkable job the custodial staff accomplished. Brophey asked Mr. Swogger to relay to his co-workers his appreciation on behalf of the Board.

School starts next Wednesday for all students. Teachers will have in-service days Monday & Tuesday. The next Board meeting is scheduled for September 14 at 6:30 P.M. at the Garfield Elementary School.



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Immaculate Conception Church Picnic

On the front lawn of the historic home that houses the Parish rectory, overlooking the scenic Ohio River, members of Wellsville's Immaculate Conception Catholic Church held their annual Parish Picnic yesterday, August 16. Two huge tents were set up to shade participants that weren't not able to get space under the trees. It was hot and sunny, a beautiful day for a picnic.

From what I could see a good number of parishioners attended and each one of them must have brought two or three dishes of food with them. It was a bountiful feast for all to share. John Monte, shown above in the tan cap, once again brought his snow cone machine and with the heat he was kept busy.

Pictured in his Wellsville orange tee-shirt is the parish priest, Rev. Peter Haladej. That last name is pronounced "holiday". Fr. Peter is a Slovakian native and has been in the States for 12 years. He was ordained a priest seven years ago and the diocese has him splitting time between Wellsville & East Liverpool. He's a busy man.

It looked like everyone enjoyed themselves. You can relax now Mary...

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