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From the 6/20/07 Sandusky Register: PHOTO: Work is being done to make a new parking lot in front of Harbor Light Landing in Catawba. Register photo/JASON WERLING PHOTO: Water fowl and fish swim through the central water feature at Harbor Light Landing Monday afternoon in Catawba. Register photo/JASON WERLING Center of attention By JACOB LAMMERS | Wednesday June 20 2007, 6:20am PORT CLINTON -- An incomplete shopping center is getting a facelift and some new blood. Harbor Light Landing, 753 S. East Catawba Road, was recently bought by Sandusky developer Ralph Ruta, who is pumping about $1 million into the renovation and completion of the retail center. The center was built in 2004, but went into foreclosure, leaving 40 percent of it yet to be completed. The original owners, Christopher and Jeffrey Kolar from Geauga County, designed Harbor Light Landing to reflect a New England-themed shopping center. The retail center, located across from the Ottawa County Visitors Center, features a boardwalk with shops and boutiques stretching along an inland lake.

From the 6/20/07 Sandusky Register: PHOTO: A tour looks through one of the loft apartments on the third floor of the Chesapeake Tuesday afternoon. Register photo/Jason Werling PHOTO: Ken Kibbey looks out to the Jackson Street Pier and downtown Sandusky from the condo he and his wife Cheryl will share when it is completed. The couple is moving into the Chesapeake Loft complex from Columbus. Register photo/Jason Werling PHOTO: A tour filters through the first floor of the Chesapeake Tuesday afternoon. They are pictured through a skylight in the building. Register photo/Jason Werling PHOTO: Sandusky City Commissioner Dave Waddington breaks a bottle of champagne on the side of the Chesapeake Lofts building Tuesday afternoon prior to a walk through the building. Waddington promised the late Bob Davis he would break the bottle when the Chesapeake was open to residents. Register photo/Jason Werling Condo fit for a king By MOLLY LINN | Wednesday June 20 2007, 1:13pm SANDUSKY King and Marie Baer's dream of living on the water has come true. During an emotional ribbon-cutting Tuesday, Chesapeake Lofts developer Chuck Davis welcomed the Baers to their new home -- a home his father dreamed of, too. http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/06/20/front/316988.txt

From the 6/20/07 News Leader: Financing deal for road debated by Jeff Saunders Reporter Macedonia -- A developer will have to wait a little longer for Council to approve using tax dollars to build a road through a private, $31 million senior residential development... E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169 http://www.the-news-leader.com/news/article/2149892 From the 6/20/07 Ashtabula Star Beacon: PHOTO: THE LINCOLN Elementary School building at the end of Lincoln Drive in Ashtabula Township. BILL WEST / The Star Beacon Future Luxury Living? Owners of Lincoln School want Ashtabula Township to rezone land for condos SHELLEY TERRY Star Beacon ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP - - Neighbors of the former Lincoln Elementary School soon may be living next door to luxury condominiums... http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_171072335

Fostoria: Vision for downtown area presented A "new" downtown Fostoria — more pedestrian-friendly, geared toward local residents' needs, and promoting the city's glass and train heritage — is the goal of the recently-completed downtown revitalization plan. The "road map" will now be utilized by a steering committee as a long-range plan for the city's business district. An upgrade of the downtown area was last undertaken in the early 1980s. A summary of the plan was submitted to Fostoria City Council this week. The improvement plan is a joint effort of the Fostoria Economic Development Corp. (FEDC), Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce and the city administration. The steering committee worked with Danielle Steinhauser, a community development specialist with Poggemeyer Design Group, a Bowling Green engineering, architectural and design firm. The company was hired by FEDC to help develop the downtown revitalization plan.

From the 6/20/07 Athens Messenger: Law director won't take action against development now CASEY S. ELLIOTT Staff Writer A request for a taxpayer lawsuit against a proposed south-side apartment project is premature, according to Athens Law Director Garry Hunter. Hunter's opinion is in a letter sent Monday to Herman Carson, an attorney representing citizens who asked Hunter to take action to stop the Summit at Coates Run, a student apartment building that would be built off Richland Avenue. Hunter called the request "hypothetical and speculative," arguing that there is no basis for filing a taxpayer lawsuit because the city has revoked the only permit issued for the project. The permit was rescinded because the developer currently does not have ownership of all of the project site, but the permit is expected to eventually be re-issued. http://athensmessenger.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=273&ArticleID=3959&TM=46770.08

From the 6/20/07 Mount Vernon News: Questions surround development in Centerburg By Richard Moss, News Staff Reporter Wednesday, June 20, 2007 CENTERBURG — The Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission met with Kno-Ho-Co-Ashland Community Action Commission on Tuesday to discuss the possible approval or conditional approval of Kno-Ho-Co-Ashland’s development, Heart of Ohio Homes. Heart of Ohio Homes would consist of 25 single-family residential units located adjacent to the current Kno-Ho-Co development Centerburg Commons. Access to this 16-acre development would be from Cleveland Avenue, which would be extended from its current length. Zoning for the parcel is R-1, single-family dwelling. Read more at http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/07/06/20/centerburg.dev.html

From the 6/20/07 Marysville Journal-Tribune: Honda modifies smoking policy Employees will be allowed to light up in personal vehicles and in 'smoking areas' By MAC CORDELL Honda of America is not softening its stance on employee smoking. However, the company is offering a "modification of our smoking policy," said Ed Miller, Honda spokesman. "Starting today (Monday), we are creating some smoking areas on our property," he said. The modification also allows employees and visitors to smoke in their personal vehicles. The entire Honda campus went smoke-free Feb. 8, in response to the statewide smoking ban passed by Ohio voters in November. That policy led some associates, contractors and visitors to drive off Honda property and park along Honda Parkway and other surrounding roads so they could smoke. Read more: http://www.auroraadvocate.com/news/article/2150222

Link contains photos. From the 6/20/07 Enquirer: Kids rally for reform THE ENQUIRER A small group of mostly Latino children paraded in a circle in front of Cincinnati City Hall mid-day Tuesday, carrying signs on behalf of what they called "fair immigration reform" and "family reunification." Signs included such messages as "We're All Americans Just Like You," "Don't Split Our Families Apart" and "Our County Needs Me and My Talents." The children were joined by about a dozen adults, including union members demonstrating for the "Janitors for Justice" campaign. The group chanted as they marched: "What do we want? Family reunification! When do we want it? Now!" Organizers, including volunteers with the International Center of Greater Cincinnati, said the children's rally was to show that immigration is a local issue and immigration reform should uphold family values. Parts of a Senate bill could split families and block foreign adult children and parents from reuniting with families already in the U.S., they said. MORE: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070620/NEWS01/706200358/

From Cincinnati.com, 6/19/07: The Woodlands at Morrow—A Development on the Rise Contributed By Sarah Black | Strata-G Communications CINCINNATI, OHIO [June 14, 2007] –The housing market may be down in most communities, but the Village of Morrow is in an upturn with the developing Woodlands at Morrow, a 425-acre planned community in Warren County. Over the next 15 years the Woodlands at Morrow will be developed into a community consisting of about 980 homes, nearly doubling the population of the Village of Morrow. The new community will contain 156 acres of green space, including woods, lakes, streams and a creek for residents to enjoy. On June 23 and 24 Nathaniel Development will host a grand opening event for phase one of the community. The first phase of the development will consist of 220 single family lots on about 83 acres of land divided into 42 acres of building lots and 27 acres of open space. http://rodeo.cincinnati.com/getlocal/gpstory.aspx?id=100211&sid=114239

From the 6/20/07 Lorain Morning Journal: J.C. Penney coming to Avon MEGAN KING, Morning Journal Writer 06/20/2007 AVON -- A J.C. Penney store is expected to be located at the proposed Avon Crossing shopping center, according to drawings submitted to the city. Plans submitted to the city Monday show a 104,175 square-foot J.C. Penney store next to the proposed Lowe's at SR 83 and Chester Road. The project was requested to be on the Avon Planning Commission agenda for its July meeting. http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18496487&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

From the 6/20/07 Enquirer: Zoo rock thrower told to apologize BY SHARON COOLIDGE | [email protected] One of two boys accused of throwing rocks and bricks at school buses headed to the Cincinnati Zoo last month was ordered today to undergo counseling and write a three-page apology letter -- no double spacing, no oversized handwriting. The 13-year-old pleaded guilty and was convicted on a charge of misdemeanor assault on June 6 stemming from the May 3 incident. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070620/NEWS01/306200021/

From the 6/20/07 Hamilton JournalNews: Township residents protest Oxford connector Property owners tell trustees to maintain rural character of Milford Twp. By Meagan Engle Staff Writer Wednesday, June 20, 2007 MILFORD TWP. — When Ric Glauser bought his rural township home he planned on settling into a quiet life by his property's pond. He didn't sign on for a bypass running through his backyard, but that is now a possibility. Glauser's property, along with about 24 residential properties in the western edge of Milford Twp., is included in a study area being considered for the construction of a connector road between Ohio 73 and U.S. 27. While the road is earmarked to be built, its location has not been set and is pending the completion of an environmental study. But since the area being studied stretches into Milford Twp., residents say they should have a voice in the decision. More than 30 concerned property owners on Tuesday night met in the Collinsville community center gymnasium to urge the Milford Twp. Board of Trustees to become involved in the road's planning process. They had many questions: What is the benefit of the road? Is it just an additional path to Miami University's football stadium? But their main concern was why Milford Twp. is not represented in the stakeholders committee. "We are concerned that the 'Stakeholder's Committee' created by the city of Oxford has no representation from the Milford Twp. Trustees," resident Jack Cotter read to the trustees from a prepared letter. "The City of Oxford, Miami University, (Ohio Department of Transportation), Gannett Fleming Engineering and the Oxford Twp. Trustees are all present. Why is Milford Twp. left out?" The residents said they want to maintain their community as a "delicate blend of rural and residential." "The rural character of the landscape, the view, sound levels, diversity of plant and wildlife alongside family homes should be thought of as a very specific balance of land use and development," Cotter said. Trustee Robert Ison said he realizes Oxford has heavy truck traffic, but that is Oxford's problem. He suggested widening existing roads or converting the university's existing streets to one-way roads. He expressed concern about Milford Twp. becoming like West Chester Twp. — which not long ago was rural but today is a sprawling urban area. "I'm a trustee, that is not what I want," he said, reflecting the feelings of many in the room. In the end, Ison was selected to represent the township in the road's planning process. The residents also planned to form a subcommittee of no more than 10 people of varying occupations and backgrounds to advise Ison and keep the township residents and property owners aware of the process. Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or [email protected]. http://www.middletownjournal.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/20/hjn062007oxfordconnector.html

From the 6/20/07 Enquirer: Senior center to get major upgrade BY BRENNA R. KELLY | [email protected] Nearly two years after the Boone County Senior Center moved to the R.C. Durr YMCA, the center is about to get an upgrade. The county and YMCA are working together to build a new center that will be three times larger. "It's quite exciting," said Marty Herbert, senior center coordinator. "We're going to have an outside deck so in nice weather seniors will be able to go outside." Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070620/NEWS0103/706200376/

MAY 2007 NUMBERS From the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Ohio and U.S. Employment Situation (Seasonally Adjusted) Ohio's unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in May, unchanged from April, according to data released this morning by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ohio's nonfarm wage and salary employment decreased 800 over the month, from 5,429,800 in April, to 5,429,000 in May. "The labor force held steady in May," ODJFS Director Helen Jones-Kelley said. "Total employment stayed about the same as in April with slight gains in service-providing employment offsetting marginal losses in the goods-producing sector." The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in May was 342,000, up from 339,000 in April. The number of unemployed has increased by 20,000 in the past 12 months from 322,000. The May unemployment rate for Ohio was up from 5.4 percent in May 2006. The U.S. unemployment rate for May was 4.5 percent, unchanged from the April rate. Total Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (Seasonally Adjusted) Ohio's nonagricultural wage and salary employment dropped 800 over the month, from 5,429,800 in April to 5,429,000 in May, according to the latest business establishment survey conducted by ODJFS. Goods-producing industries fell 2,000 to 1,020,900. Losses in durable goods reduced manufacturing 1,200. Construction employment was down 900. Natural resources and mining increased 100. Service-providing industries, at 4,408,100, rose 1,200. Sectors with employment growth included other services (+1,000), leisure and hospitality (+700), and educational and health services (+400). Small declines occurred in government (-400), professional and business services (-300), and information (-200). Trade, transportation, and utilities and financial activities were little changed. Over the past 12 months, nonagricultural wage and salary employment fell 14,800. The goods-producing sector was down 23,500. The largest decrease was in manufacturing (-18,400). Also down were construction (-4,600) and natural resources and mining (-500). Service-providing industries rose 8,700 over the year. Educational and health services advanced 10,800. Professional and business services gained 3,900 jobs, while trade, transportation, and utilities was up 1,800. Sectors that declined from March 2006 were financial activities (-2,400), leisure and hospitality (-2,200), government (-1,200), other services (-1,100), and information (-900). For more information contact ODJFS Communications, (614) 466-6650. EDITOR'S NOTE: All data cited are produced in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Labor. Data sources include Current Population Survey (U.S. data); Current Employment Statistics Program (nonagricultural wage and salary employment data); and Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program (Ohio unemployment rates). More complete listings of the data appear in the monthly Ohio Labor Market Review. Unemployment rates for all Ohio counties as well as cities with populations of 50,000 or more are presented in the monthly ODJFS Civilian Labor Force Estimates publication. Updated statewide historical data may be obtained by contacting the Bureau of Labor Market Information at (614) 466-1109. http://jfs.ohio.gov/releases/unemp/200706/UnempPressRelease.asp

From the 6/21/07 Cleveland Free Times: PHOTO: ESOp's Barbara Anderson - A binder documents a neighborhood's fight. PHOTO: Abandoned Homes in slavic village - Weeds take over. News Lead Credit Where It's Due Subprime Loans Can Expand The American Dream. And They Can Devastate Neighborhoods. By Charu Gupta. First In A Series Five years ago, Barbara Anderson didn't know what predatory lending was. As her elderly neighbors vanished from Slavic Village one by one, she chalked it up to hard luck. But in time the pattern became impossible to miss. Homes were abandoned and boarded up with too much speed and frequency. Few were ever reoccupied, unless you counted the drug-boy squatters and the urban scavengers who stripped away the copper pipes and aluminum siding. Then the trucks started rolling through - day, night, didn't matter - dumping dirt and debris into empty lots, as if no one had ever lived nearby or ever would. Anderson bought a home security system. She stayed indoors, kept her grandchildren inside too. It was no way to live, she remembers telling a friend. Residents were losing control of their neighborhood. They wanted to restore their part of the world, but how? They wanted to understand why so many of their former neighbors had been forced to flee. ... More at: http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/7/credit-where-its-due

From the 6/19/07 Pomeroy Daily Sentinel: ODOT considering impacts of coal mine on Ohio 124 By Beth Sergent Tuesday, June 19, 2007 5:15 PM EDT RACINE - The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is considering comments from the public concerning possible impacts to Ohio 124 in regards to Gatling Ohio's proposed coal mining operation and Meigs Point Dock's proposed conveyor beltline in the Racine area. Meigs Point Dock and Gatling Ohio have requested a public road consent from ODOT for the installation of a conveyor beltline and to conduct surface mining operations outside the right-of-way line but no closer than 20 feet of the traveled portion of Ohio 124, respectively. ODOT is specifically considering how the conveyor beltline and surface mining operations will affect the roadway. MORE: http://www.mydailysentinel.com/articles/2007/06/19/news/local_news/news01.txt

So true. The construction is just a disappointment. If I was a neighbor I'd be more concerned about the looks of that front house than I would be about the setback.

From the 6/19/07 Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune: Decision due soon By Zachary Petit, [email protected] With the 1800s county courthouse looming only about a block or so away, the building is never very far from the tongues of citizens and politicians at the Seneca County commissioners’ headquarters. In the wake of a new courthouse plan unveiled by Commissioner Ben Nutter June 7, Board President Dave Sauber and Commissioner Mike Bridinger said Monday they will have their own ideas etched out in one week’s time. http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/articles.asp?articleID=8767

From the 6/19/07 Chillicothe Gazette: IMAGE: Shown is a sample violation notice that would be mailed to drivers who run a red light in Chillicothe should the city approve red light camera use. Frank Robertson/Gazette Red light cameras may be in future By LOREN GENSON Gazette Staff Writer Those who run red lights in Chillicothe may soon be monitored by cameras - the kind that allow law enforcement to issue tickets through the mail. City council members Monday reviewed the capabilities of Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. to monitor accident-prone intersections within the city limits. According to Joe Moore, a customer service manager with the company, Chillicothe could benefit from the installation of cameras at 10 intersections that would take digital images of red light runners and allow law enforcement to mail out tickets. http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/NEWS01/706190302/1002/rss01

From the 6/19/07 Lorain Morning Journal: New schools coming to Lorain ALAN INGRAM, Morning Journal Writer 06/19/2007 LORAIN -- The Ohio School Facilities Commission and Lorain City Schools have agreed to build four new school buildings, according to an OSFC official. The two new elementary schools would each house about 350 students, Rick Savors, chief of Communications for the OSFC, said yesterday. A new high school that could handle 1,150 students would replace Admiral King, and a new middle school would also be built... http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18491648&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

Link contains a photo. From the 6/18/07 Dayton Business Journal: Farm site to become senior housing 332 units set for Bonnybrook Farm Dayton Business Journal - June 15, 2007 by Yvonne Teems DBJ Staff Reporter Developers are moving forward on a 332-unit senior housing community set to sprout on the former Bonnybrook Farm site in Washington Township. Township trustees in early June reviewed plans and held a public hearing on the project, White Oak, geared toward folks age 62 and up. Brentwood Builders in Cedarville is the builder for the project, and David O'Neil of QI Exchange Corp. is the developer. Following approval, developers are slated to begin construction on the first phase of the project -- a 185,000-square-foot lodge containing housing and amenities including a cafeteria, bank and barber shop -- and finish that phase within a year of the start date, said Jo Postle, development services director for the township. The senior community, on 85 acres on Clyo Road across from the upscale Saddle Creek single-family home project to be developed, has several housing components, including: * 49, 2,000-square-foot single-family detached homes; * 168, 1,500-square-foot cottage homes attached in two, three or four units per building; and * 115, 1,000-square-foot apartments attached to the large lodge complex. MORE: http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2007/06/18/story4.html Site plan approved Beavercreek News-Current, 6/14/07 A specific site plan for an office building on the northeast corner of New Germany Trebein Road and Royal Gateway was recently approved by Beavercreek City Council. Plans call for the three-story, 83,294-square-foot building to include a one-story, 10,760-square-foot auditorium for Advance Technical Intelligence Center-Human Capital Development (ATIC-HCD). "The proposed development is a continuation of the ongoing office development in this corridor, developed by Mills-Morgan, which has become known as Pentagon Park," according to the staff report.

From the 6/19/07 Enquirer: Pleas fail to derail budget cuts City school board hears from budget backers, critics BY BEN FISCHER | [email protected] Seven people appeared at a special public hearing of the Cincinnati school board on Monday to discuss the district's pending budget plan, and just three testified. After hearing from those three people, board members asked a few questions of Superintendent Rosa Blackwell's administration and adjourned the meeting after less than an hour. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070619/NEWS01/706190386/

St. Marys pursues school building project Lima News, 6/14/07 The question is no longer if St. Marys schools will pursue a new building project. Now, it is a question of when. On Wednesday, the school board accepted the state’s offer to fund more than half the project. School leaders learned last month that funding through the Ohio School Facilities Commission would be available for the district next year. Wednesday’s decision means the district will pursue a bond issue to fund renovations to East Elementary, renovations and an addition to West Elementary, construction of a new combined junior and senior high school as well as renovations to the Dennings vocational building. “We will now be in communication with our consultants, Fanning/Howey, about the next step of the process," Superintendent Ken Baker said. “The bottom line is the state money is there if the St. Marys community approves their portion of the project. We will continue to interact and engage with our community throughout this process as we move forward.” The state will pay 61 percent of the nearly $46 million estimated cost of the project. Locally funded additions to the project could swell the cost as high as $54 million, with the local share as much as $26 million. The school board has made no decision on locally funded initiatives, so the cost estimates could vary. MORE: http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=39559

Nordstrom elevations Building Cincinnati, 6/15/07 These elevations are by FRCH Design Worldwide for General Growth Properties. They were assembled in May 2007 for review by the Sycamore Township Zoning Commission. As of this posting Nordstrom has not officially signed on to the project. Existing site plan with Parisian and parking structure Site plan with new Nordstrom Mall elevation, Kenwood Road Nordstrom elevation, Kenwood Road Mall elevation, Montgomery Road Nordstrom elevation, Montgomery Road Mall elevation from some unspecified spot Nordstrom elevation, east Nordstrom elevation, north http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com/2007/06/nordstrom-elevations.html

From the 6/19/07 Lorain Morning Journal: Prisoners could see temporary housing MATT SUMAN, Morning Journal Writer 06/19/2007 ELYRIA -- Lorain County Jail officials could soon present temporary housing plan to the county commissioners as another option to relieve jail overcrowding. A study by Colorado-based Voorhis Associates Inc. had suggested three short-term solutions for overcrowding: sending inmates to other counties, an early release program or a temporary housing for low-level offenders such as trailers. Ted Kalo, Lorain County commissioner, said it's not financially feasible to pay to house inmates at a jail in Morrow County. M-Space, a Medina company, is working on costs and plans to provide temporary housing for 75 to 100 inmates, said Lorain County Sheriff's Lt. Jack Hammond. Kalo said he would rather see temporary housing than reducing the population through early release of low-risk inmates. ''I don't want to do the early release at all,'' he said. http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18491665&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6