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From the 4/1/07 Springfield News-Sun: Hospital uncertain about planning Community Mercy CEO George Miller says he doesn't know if the private surgical hospital will cooperate or compete with his new facility. By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Sunday, April 01, 2007 City leaders are pleased a surgeons group has focused on downtown for its private hospital. Community Mercy Health Partners officials, however, are less than thrilled. "It really depends on what services they offer ... if we're competing or cooperating," said Community Mercy's regional president and CEO George Miller Jr. Miller had hoped the surgeons would accept Community Mercy's offer of five acres on the campus of its future $373 million downtown hospital. Instead, the surgeons have set their sights on West Main Street where National Trail Parks and Recreation District had planned an ice arena. "We could have had better synergy (if on the same campus)," Miller said. With the surgical hospital likely off-site, Community Mercy must now wait to see if the surgeons plan to share resources, such as Community Mercy's imaging and labs, and if the surgical hospital's overnight beds will empty those at Community Mercy. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/31/sns040107moratorium.html

From the 3/29/07 Springfield News-Sun: Future ice arena site is preferred location for surgical hospital By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Wednesday, March 28, 2007 It will be at least two weeks before the city will know if a portion of West Main Street will house an ice arena or a surgical hospital. That is when the city plans to bring a final proposal for 6.5 downtown acres to local surgeons who plan to build a multi-specialty hospital in Springfield. The downtown property, currently planned for a family ice arena, is the surgeons preferred site, said Dr. Ajay Mangal, president and CEO of developer Prexus Health Partners. He said the nearly 40 local surgeons are waiting for the city and the land's owner, National Trail Parks and Recreation District, to address some issues about 116-120 W. Main Street. That land, plus a portion of the block just east makes up 6.5 acres. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/28/sns032907hospital.html

From the 3/27/07 Springfield News-Sun: Surgeons eye future site of downtown ice rink By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Monday, March 26, 2007 The site of Springfield's proposed indoor ice skating rink is the latest site eyed by local surgeons looking to build their own hospital. City officials, on Friday, presented to the surgeons cost and acquisition estimates for that site. The presentation does not guarantee they'd get the land, said City Manager Matt Kridler. It would be up to the land's owner, National Trails Recreation and Park District, to decide if it is willing to sell the land and find a new home for the promised ice skating rink. The developer for the surgeons group said they want to have a letter of intent signed by Wednesday. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/26/sns032707icerink.html

Link contains a photo. From the 3/23/07 Springfield News-Sun: Residents raise questions regarding area purchased for hospital construction By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Friday, March 23, 2007 Michael Hosier wants to know why the city hasn't begun razing buildings it owns in the hospital redevelopment area. "What is taking so long for those eyesores to be done and to be taken out?" he asked at a meeting at City Hall on Thursday night. The city is in the midst of a federal environmental review process, City Manager Matt Kridler said. The meeting, as part of that process, was to discuss the area potentially affected by the hospital project. The city is buying property in about 45 acres downtown to make way for the hospital. The preliminary area designated as potentially affected includes the hospital core area, the urban renewal area south of that and some areas north of Buck Creek and west of Yellow Springs Street. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/22/sns032307hospitalmeeting.html

From the 3/20/07 Springfield News-Sun: City presents several sites for downtown specialty hospital By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Monday, March 19, 2007 A surgeons group heard a presentation by city officials on three possible downtown sites for a proposed surgical hospital and have asked the city to look into two more. City Manager Matt Kridler met with a representative group of the about 40 surgeons who plan to open their own specialty hospital in Clark County. The city is hoping the surgeons will choose to build their proposed 15 to 20 bed hospital downtown. The surgeons have asked the city for 10 contiguous acres and a commitment of five more. The surgeons also are considering several sites including 35 acres near Enon. The three downtown sites presented include an area on Community Mercy Health Partner's future hospital campus, just west of the Springfield Regional Cancer Center; the site of the former Haucke Building, located on West Main between Plum and Lowry streets; and an area of West Columbia Street between Yellow Springs and Plum streets. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/19/sns032007surgicalhospital.html

From the 3/18/07 Springfield News-Sun: Hospital decision delayed City to present downtown site possiblities By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Sunday, March 18, 2007 A group of local surgeons considering building its own surgical hospital in Clark County is postponing its decision on where to locate the campus. The group was scheduled to meet today to choose a site. But Dr. Richard Nedelman, spokesman for the surgeons, said the group is rescheduling its vote to allow Springfield officials to present possible downtown locations. The surgeons are considering building a 15-to-20 bed specialty hospital and have looked at a location near Enon, among other sites. Springfield City Manager Matt Kridler expected to make a proposal to the surgeons this weekend. While he did not identify the exact blocks, Kridler said they would push for a downtown site. It would include part of the expansion area for Community Mercy Health Partners' new health care complex. The expansion area is just south of the hospitals' core site, near Plum and North streets. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/17/sns031807surgerycenter.html

From the 3/16/07 Springfield News-Sun: Forum leaves more questions than it answers about hospitals Surgeons are a no-show before standing-room-only crowd. By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Friday, March 16, 2007 There are two sides to every story, but only one side of the surgical hospital debate was heard Thursday. A public forum Thursday was supposed to bring together surgeons seeking to open a surgical hospital and Springfield community leaders hoping to bring that facility downtown. But it was minus the surgeons after the group's spokesman, Dr. Richard Nedelman, fell ill and was unable to attend the event, according to organizers. The standing-room-only crowd in City Hall forum, most of whom came for a debate, stayed anyway. The event turned into an informational session into why the county's hospital system — Community Mercy Health Partners — and officials with the city, county and state oppose the surgeons building a surgical hospital out of town. George Miller, regional president and CEO of Community Mercy Health Partners, said delays in building its proposed downtown hospital campus have raised the project's costs from $240 million to $373 million. Some of the delays have come because Community Mercy needs to wait to see where the surgeons build their facility. The surgeons appeared to have few allies in the audience. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/16/sns031607hospitalweb.html

From the 3/13/07 Springfield News-Sun: Planning Board approves unified downtown plan The plan unites development ideas and includes an annual review. By Samantha Sommer Staff writer Tuesday, March 13, 2007 The Springfield City Planning Board unanimously approved a unified downtown plan and some related zoning Tuesday night. It now heads to the Cooperative Economic Development Agreement planning board and city commission. "The unified planning process is probably one of the largest and most creative planning processes Springfield has gone through in a long time," said Heather Whitmore, planning and zoning administrator. The plan includes uniting other downtown development ideas into one, economic development incentives, land use maps and an annual review to see how it's working. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/12/sns031307planningboard.html

From the 3/11/07 Springfield News-Sun: Private hospital company hasn't ruled out downtown site But Prexus Health Partners says it has other sites under consideration. By John Nolan Staff Writer Sunday, March 11, 2007 The head of a company that wants to build and operate what he described as a multi-specialty surgical hospital said he is working with city leaders and is open to locating the facility in downtown Springfield. Dr. Ajay K. Mangal said, however, that physician-owned Prexus Health Partners wants to move quickly on selecting a site and would consider other locations if agreement cannot be reached on a downtown site in the city. He said Prexus wants a site of 15 to 20 acres on which to establish a medical campus and also would consider a site at Enon or others that Mangal declined to disclose. Mangal, the president and chief executive officer of Prexus, said 37 Springfield-area physicians involved in the proposed hospital project are to vote March 18 on how to proceed. Prexus wants to select a site and make progress before a moratorium that the Ohio General Assembly approved takes effect March 28. "We can purchase land between now and March 28," Mangal said. "It's our hope that we will be able to consummate a deal with the city prior to that." MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/11/sns01107prexus.html

From the 3/9/07 Springfield News-Sun: Surgeons group's change of heart has officials concerned Could dissatisfaction with a downtown site place Community Mercy's plans in jeopardy? By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Friday, March 09, 2007 The possibility a group of surgeons could build a medical campus in Enon concerns Springfield officials and others who had sought a hospital campus for downtown. The surgeons group is reconsidering its decision, announced just two weeks ago, that it would attempt to build in downtown Springfield. It's unclear how the decision to build a surgical hospital in Enon will affect Community Mercy Health Partners' plans for a health care complex in downtown Springfield, said George Miller Jr., Community Mercy's regional president. The surgeons' decision to reconsider does not sit well with him, he said. The surgeons' plan calls for a 15- to 20-bed surgical hospital when they decide on a location. The 35-acre tract in Enon is located near Speedway Drive, south of the EMRO/Speedway headquarters. The site is one of several the surgeons are considering, the group said Thursday. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/08/sns030907hospitalinside.html

From the 3/7/07 Springfield News-Sun: City: Fliers sent to downtown neighborhoods not true By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Tuesday, March 06, 2007 The city of Springfield is interested in the opinions of residents west of the hospital redevelopment area, but not their homes. Residents west of Yellow Springs Street received fliers this week about the hospital project, similar to ones passed out in January. "The city is tearing down ALL the houses east of Yellow Springs and north of Columbia St., all the way to the creek. That means YOUR neighborhood WEST of Yellow Springs Street COULD BE NEXT!" the flier says. That's not true, City Manager Matt Kridler said. The hospital redevelopment plan doesn't extend west of Yellow Springs Street and the city's proposed downtown unified plan shows that area as residential. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/03/06/sns030707fliers.html

From the 2/17/07 Springfield News-Sun: City to use eminent domain for hospital City and Calcars, 202 W. North St., cannot agree on a sale price for Calcars' property. The city has offered $224,000. By Samantha Sommer Staff Writer Friday, February 16, 2007 The city of Springfield took the first step toward the first true eminent domain case involving the planned Community Mercy downtown hospital. City commissioners approved Tuesday an ordinance declaring an intent to use eminent domain to acquire the Calcars property, 202 W. North St. The next step is to pass an ordinance authorizing the city's lawyers to file the case in court. The case probably will be filed in Clark County Common Pleas Court in 30 days, Deputy Law Director Andrew Burkholder said. "It's really a disagreement over price," he said. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/15/sns021707citycommission.html

From the 2/16/07 Springfield News-Sun: Surgeons can pursue specialty hospital idea despite moratorium By Kelly Baker Staff Writer Thursday, February 15, 2007 When state lawmakers introduced a 90-day moratorium on the creation of specialty hospitals it was not intended to stop a local surgeon's group from pursuing the idea, said state Sen. Steve Austria. "(It was) to give everyone a chance to have some breathing room," the Beavercreek Republican said. After learning the leaders of both Community Hospital and the surgeon's group worked out an agreement, Austria said the moratorium appears to be serving that purpose. "It appears that both sides are working together in hopes of doing what's in the best interest of the residents and patients, to provide them the best health care," Austria said. Community Mercy's president and the leader of the surgeon's group sat down Wednesday to work on a plan to put the surgical hospital near Community Mercy's new campus. They also discussed ways Community Mercy could recover some of the revenue it expects to lose to the surgeon's group. The moratorium expires June 15. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/15/sns021607moratorium.html

From the 2/15/07 Springfield News-Sun: Hospital, surgeons agree to work together Thursday, February 15, 2007 The president of the city's hospital and the leader of a surgeon's group agreed to work together to allow a community hospital and a surgical hospital to coexist downtown. Community Mercy Health Partners Regional President and CEO, George Miller Jr. and Springfield surgeon Dr. Richard Nedelman met late Wednesday to discuss both parties' plans to build new hospitals and the possible impact on Community Mercy's proposed $300 million complex planned to open in 2011. Both men described the meeting as "very positive." Nedelman said the surgeons have agreed to build downtown. He and Miller discussed how the specialty hospital could help take some of the sting out of the perceived financial loss Community Mercy could have from lost business. Miller had said the proposed specialty hospital could hurt Community Mercy's bottom line and thus its ability to serve the less fortunate because it would take away Community Mercy's primary source of revenue — surgeries. MORE: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/15/sns021507hospitalweb.html

South of Carothers....yeah, I don't know then. I thought the project stopped at Carothers.

From the 5/10/07 Blade: PHOTO: A test run of the lighting system for the bridge pylon, illustrated here, is to occur next week. ( FIGG ENGINEERING GROUP ) VIEW the Skyway animation Skyway set for test run of high-tech light show in Toledo Sneak preview for bridge watchers on tap By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER For Independence Day, the internally lit pylon on the Veterans' Glass City Skyway will light up Toledo's night sky with red, white, and blue. For St. Patrick's Day, the colors could be green, white, and orange. And for the eve of the Ohio State-Michigan football game, maybe scarlet and gray on one side and maize and blue on the other? The possibilities are almost endless. And sometime next week, bridge-watchers will get a low-key sneak preview of the pylon's lighting system when technicians test it to make sure its light-emitting diode arrays and computer controllers work properly. While the test patterns will be nothing spectacular - just small sections of red, blue, and green, the primary colors of light - the system is capable of 16.7 million color combinations, said Mike Gramza, the project manager for the Ohio Department of Transportation. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070510/NEWS11/705100358/-1/RSS

Link contains a photo. From the 5/4/07 Blade: Bridge memorial gala to go on Fund-raiser moved to riverboat, but goal stays the same By JC REINDL BLADE STAFF WRITER Despite last month's death of a fifth bridge worker, an evening gala to commemorate the finish of the Veterans' Glass City Skyway will go on as originally planned, although the festivities have since been moved onto a riverboat, officials announced yesterday. The $100-a-person event May 24 has been named "Some Enlightened Evening," and is expected to help raise the approximately $130,000 needed to build a permanent tribute sculpture in East Toledo honoring all workers involved in building the I-280 bridge. That stainless-steel tribute sculpture will give special recognition to the four ironworkers killed in a February, 2004, crane collapse, and to Andrew Burris, a carpenter, who died April 19 when the platform on which he was working broke free from the bridge. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070504/NEWS16/705040346/-1/RSS10

From the 4/21/07 Blade: PHOTO: Bob and Pat Evans read messages on a makeshift memorial at the site where Andrew Burris fell to his death. ( THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON ) VETERANS' GLASS CITY SKYWAY PROJECT Co-workers leave messages of tribute for Toledo bridge victim Officials defend safety record of Skyway project By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER Friends, co-workers, and fellow carpenters’ union members scribbled messages yesterday on a sign added to the makeshift memorial for a worker who died while working on the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway project Thursday. “Build us all a stairway to heaven. God be with you and rest in peace,” Brett Morris, a project inspector for the Ohio Department of Transportation, wrote on the memorial sign erected yesterday morning next to a seven-foot wooden cross on the spot where Andrew Burris, 36, fell 82 feet to the ground at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday. The work platform on which Mr. Burris was working broke free from the bridge. “To a good man and a good carpenter: May peace be with you and your family,” added Ron Rothenbuhler, the executive regional director of the Ohio Vicinity Regional Council of Carpenters. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEWS01/70421001/-1/RSS

Both from the 4/20/07 Blade: GRAPHIC: History of Veterans' Glass City Skyway project Project is a failed model of workplace safety Deaths, regulatory violations have dashed early ambitions of contractor, ODOT By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER On the frosty but clear afternoon of Presidents' Day, 2004, the ambitions of Fru-Con Construction and the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Veterans' Glass City Skyway project to be a paragon of workplace safety failed when a construction crane collapsed, killing four workers and injuring four others. The Feb. 16, 2004, accident near Front Street in East Toledo - for which the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Fru-Con $280,000 and for which the contractor later paid out at least $11.25 million to the dead workers' families - forever placed a symbolic stain on what was to have become a celebrated signature to the Toledo skyline. Yesterday morning, the fall of a construction platform that killed a construction worker was another traumatic event. It brought the I-280 project's overall death toll to five and rekindled memories of that horrific afternoon 38 months ago. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS11/704200346/-1/NEWS PHOTO: Andrew Burris, wife, Shonna, and daughter, Breanna, lived in Curtice. PHOTO: Andrew Burris holds his daughter, Breanna, high up on the bridge project. Mr. Burris was a Genoa High School graduate. PHOTO: Andrew Burris, a carpenter by training, loved working on the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway project. Here he is at the job site. MORE NEW: I-280 bridge accident photo gallery OLD: I-280 bridge photo gallery View Ohio Department of Transportation web cams at I-280 bridge WANTED TO SEE SKYWAY COMPLETED Carpenter was proud to be part of the big I-280 bridge project in Toledo By CHRISTINA HALL BLADE STAFF WRITER Andrew Burris died working on the bridge he loved. The 36-year-old husband, father, and carpenter from several generations of carpenters kept a scrapbook of the new I-280 span. He had worked on its towering main pylon. Tragically, he fell 82 feet to his death yesterday - just two months before the scheduled completion of the state's largest construction project. FULL ARTICLE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/704200347/-1/NEWS

I'm going.

From the 2/23/07 Springfield News-Sun: Siemens to move to Mexico By LaToya Thompson Staff Writer Friday, February 23, 2007 Siemens Energy and Automation announced Friday it will close its plants in Urbana and Bellefontaine — a loss of more than 700 jobs to the area. Government and civic officials and union members in Champaign and Logan counties have met with the company, since Siemens first announced its shutdown plan in December, to try to keep the facilities operational. The company said the plants, which manufacture circuit breakers, are no longer competitive in their markets, and the products will be outsourced to plants in Mexico and to other third-party suppliers. ... More at: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/02/23/sns022207siemensweb.html

From the 5/14/07 Wooster Daily Record: Planners approve Orrville project Developers will seek federal funds for Orchard Glen By BOBBY WARREN Staff Writer WOOSTER -- Thirty-two working class families with a desire to purchase their own homes in Orrville might have their dreams realized if a development company can secure federal funding. David Cooper and Ian Maute of Woda Development cleared one hurdle for the company's Orchard Glen project on Hostetler Road when the Wayne County Planning Commission gave its clearance for the subdivision Wednesday. Woda representatives tried to get the plan off the ground last year but were not successful. In June, the developers will apply for federal funding and tax credits totaling $11.9 million to finance the project. They should have an answer by August. If the financing is secured, the homes will be offered to families who make between 25-60 percent of the area median gross income. The rents are expected to be between $435-$710... http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/1996892

From the 5/14/07 Enquirer: IMAGE: This portion of a Google satellite map shows the site just north of Ky. 18 across from Saddle Ridge Drive. Provided Builder tries for subdivision Developer seeks planning commission's help BY BRENNA R. KELLY | [email protected] Maybe the third time will be the charm for developers who want to build homes on 50 acres just west of Burlington. Twice in the last two years, plans for a subdivision on the land across from Saddle Ridge Drive have been rejected by Boone County officials. But Tom Flesch, co-owner of Gerdes & Flesch Custom Homes, says the 40-home subdivision he wants to build is not like the other plans, which included nearly 150 homes. Read more here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070514/NEWS0103/705140377/

LOL. From the 5/13/07 Enquirer: Cops: Man robs KFC, drops wallet BY EILEEN KELLEY | [email protected] AVONDALE -- An Avondale man who allegedly robbed a fast-food restaurant gave police a lot of help in finding him on Sunday. As he fled, he dropped his wallet, which contained a photo identification card, his Social Security card and birth certificate, according to police Nathan James McFarland, 42, of the 900 block of Burton Ave., is accused of assaulting at least two employees of the Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 3000 block of Reading Rd before racing out with a fist full of cash. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070513/NEWS01/305130016/-1/rss

From the AP, 5/14/07: No damage from ethanol boom BY ALAN ZIBEL | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON – An anticipated 58 percent jump in corn-based ethanol production next year will not boost food prices enough to harm consumers, the Agriculture Department’s chief economist said last week.. The economist, Keith Collins, projected that 118 U.S. ethanol plants will produce 9.3 billion gallons of ethanol for the crop year ending August 2008, up from the 5.9 billion gallons expected for the current crop year. “This is just amazing, that’s a huge increase,” Collins said at a briefing with reporters. More at: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/BIZ/305140004/1076/rss01