• JohnW. Hildebrecht, Sr.

• Richard BrinsonPage 5A �

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Fairfield Commons(behind Chili's next to Men's Wearhouse) By PAUL COLLINS

Staff Writerpcollins@xeniagazette.com

XENIA — Alice Maddox, the former executivedirector of the Greene County Children’s Services,has brought a civil complaint against the agency’sboard of directors.The complaint, was filed at the Greene County

Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday, July 10. Itcalls into question the circumstances surroundingthe board’s April 26 meeting, when members votedto place Maddox on administrative leave.The complaint states the board “announced it

would hold an Executive Session to consider a ‘per-sonal matter,’ without further specifics.” The com-plaint takes issue with the boards alleged lack ofspecificity concerning the matters that would betaken up during the executive session and assertsthat Maddox “was not provided advance notice heremployment would be a topic at this meeting, andwas not given the opportunity to request the meet-ing be held in public.”The complaint states that in the closed executive

session, “the CSB (Children Services Board) pur-ported to vote to terminate Ms. Maddox.”Maddox, according to the complaint, was given

21 days to sign the agreement. The complaints

points out that Maddox “was escorted directly toher office to remove her personal effects and direct-ed to turn in all property of the county, includingkeys to her office.”“At the conclusion of the Executive Session, the

CSB returned to a public meeting, but no vote orother discussion took place pertaining to Ms.Maddox’s employment,” said the complaint.Maddox and her attorneys contend that the

actions taken against her at the board’s April 26meeting violated the Sunshine Law. Other formeragency employees have agreed.Elaine Hughes, a former member of the board of

directors and a current member of the Friends ofGreene County Children’s Services, called theboard’s actions at the April 26 meeting into ques-tion during the public comment portion of theboard’s May 31 meeting.“My concern is how this (Maddox’s placement

on leave) was done,” Hughes said. “It (the record ofthe board’s April 26 meeting) never says there wasa vote taken in public session. It’s my understand-ing that that’s a violation of the Sunshine Law.”Maddox and her attorneys provided a June 26

advisory opinion prepared by Attorney GeneralMike DeWine at the request of Greene CountyProsecutor Stephen K. Haller as support for their

contention that improper procedure was taken dur-ing the April 26 meeting.The advisory opinion states that a public body

that desires to conduct an executive session “must,in the motion and vote to hold that executive ses-sion, state which one or more of the approved pur-poses listed in R.C. 121.22(G)(1) are the purposesfor which the executive session is to be held.” Theadvisory opinion later cites R.C. 121.22(G)(1),“which permits a public body to hold an executivesession to ‘consider the appointment, employment,dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or com-pensation of a public employee or official, or theinvestigation of charges or complaints against apublic employee, official, licensee, or regulatedindividual, unless the public employee, official,licensee, or regulated individual requests a publichearing.’”According to the advisory opinion, merely stat-

ing that an executive session must be held toaddress a “personnel matter” fails to meet therequirements laid down by R.C. 121.22(G)(1).“This requirement is not satisfied if the motion

and vote state, without further explanation, that thesession is to discuss a ‘personnel matter,’” the advi-sory opinion said.

See Maddox on page 2A �

Former director files suit against GCCS

By ASIA AIKINSBeavercreek Editor

aaikins@xeniagazette.comBEAVERCREEK — The Greene’s Beech Street area

was a hot spot for armed robbery last week, as twopeople were approached by suspects bearing handguns last Monday andWednesday.“We believe these are both isolated crimes, not

connected in any way,” said Beavercreek PoliceCaptain Jeff Fiorita.The first incident occurred around 11:40 p.m.

Monday evening on Beech Street, just behind RaveMotion Pictures. According to a press release by theBPD, the victim was driving his car when the sus-pect stepped in front of the car. The suspect walkedup to the driver’s window and pointed a handgun atthe victim, demanding money. The victim immedi-ately drove away to a secure area and called thepolice.“The first incident, we think, was a crime of

opportunity,” Fiorita said.The suspect, Aaron Johnson Jr., 18, was found by

Kettering Police within minutes and turned over toBPD. The handgun was recovered at the scene.

The second incident occurred around 2:05 p.m. inthe Beech parking garage. Police said the victim, a21-year-old female, was exiting her vehicle whenthe suspect approached her, displayed a handgun,and demanded her purse.“There was a struggle over her purse and she was

hit in the face with something during the struggle,”Fiorita said.The suspect fled the scene after gaining posses-

sion of the victim’s purse. Beavercreek Police arestill investigating the incident.The suspect was described as a heavy-set black

male in his twenties with a corn-row hair style andwearing a black t-shirt. He was caught on video sur-veillance leaving the scene in a bright red-colorednewer model Dodge Charger with dark tinted win-dows and custom chrome wheels.“It looks like the vehicle was cruising the garage

prior to the incident, looking for a victim,” Fioritasaid.Anyone with any information regarding the rob-

bery on Wednesday is asked to contact BeavercreekPolice. Information can be given on the department’stip line: 937-320-7393.

Police looking for armed robbery suspect

Submitted photoBeavercreek police are still searching for a suspect seen driving this Dodge Charger before

robbing a woman at gun point in the Beech parking garage at The Greene last week.

By ASIA AIKINSBeavercreek Editor

aaikins@xeniagazette.comBEAVERCREEK TOWNSHIP —Elected officials

from all over the area gathered last Wednesday tolearn about an inevitable change to local radio sys-tems.Project 25 is a federal project that aims to create an

open architecture for emergency response radio sys-tems nation-wide. The goal of the project is to preventmass-casualty disasters, like 9/11, from happeningthrough open radio systems used by emergencyresponding agencies.“The reason why so many fire fighters died in the

towers that day and so many police officers survivedwas because the police radios got the message to getout,” said Bob Glaser, Beavercreek Township trusteeand coordinator of the P25 information session.As of 2018, the federal government will require

that all local government and county radio systems becompliant with Project 25 standards. But someCounty officials are urging communities to get onboard sooner.Recently, state leaders have nailed down P25 com-

pliant systems and are offering incentives to thosewho upgrade now.“Right now there are federal grants available and a

competitive market to work with,” Glaser said. “Idon’t expect those grants to be available long.”Counties have also been given the option to partner

with the state-funded MARCS (Multi-Agency RadioCommunication System) or W.S. Electronics. Theycould also choose to build their own system throughanother state-approved radio system, such asMotorola, as well.Representatives from MARCS, Motorola andW.S.

Electronics were at the session, answering questionsabout their services and P25 standards.Since 1991, Greene County agencies have used

radio technology manufactured by Harris (whose par-ent company is W.S. Electronics). However, in 2011,Harris warned County agencies that the technologythey have been purchasing will no longer be support-ed as of 2018.The current technology used in Greene County is

another issue that urges leaders to make a decisionbefore the 2018 deadline. According to BeavercreekTownship Battalion chief Nathan Heister, radio sys-tems all over Greene County are reaching the end oftheir life and are in need of an upgrade.Heister said that the Township’s radios most recent-

ly experienced glitches and down-time during thewindy storms that rolled through the county twoweeks ago.“We could wait until 2018,” said Rosanne Anders,

director of Greene County’s Emergency ManagementAgency. “But what’s the point in waiting when we’vealready experienced problems and could preventworse things from happening.”Greene County Commissioners Alan Anderson,

Marilyn Reid and Rick Perales all attended the ses-sion, and are expected to be the first area leaders totake the next step.The county will bare the cost of upgrading the

overall radio system. As of now, MARCS, MotorolaandW.S. Electronics are all three competing to pro-vide that system. Local governments will then decideon complying with the system the County chooses orcreating their own. Cities and townships will also barethe burden of funding the upgrades for dispatch con-soles, hand-held radios and mobile radios.Representatives from Clark County attending the

session said that they are strongly considering theMARCS system. If Greene County chooses to gowith the MARCS system as well, a tower will be builtin John Bryan State Park that will allow respondersfrom each county to communicate even in the mostdense areas of John Bryan as well as surroundingrural areas, MARCS Office Manager Dick Millersaid.Commissioners Anderson and Reid stayed after the

presentation to speak with the system representativesand County officials.Greene County Administrator Howard Poston said

he is not sure when the commissioners will make adecision, but is confident that the information sessionhelped them to understand their options at this time.

Officials meet to discusspotential radio upgrades

By ASIA AIKINSBeavercreek Editor

aaikins@xeniagazette.comBEAVERCREEK —The struggling economy doesn’t

usually bring about laughter, but three Beavercreeknatives are using comedy to help each other succeed inbusiness.Rocky’s Pizza Ring has been a staple to the

Beavercreek community for more than 40 years. Amy(Knight) Calcutta’s father, Dave Knight bought therestaurant 23 years ago and now she’s the owner of thefamily business.“In this economy, ma and pap businesses struggle,”

Calcutta said. “It’s hard.”Mike Etienne grew up next door to the Knight fami-

ly and has been a patron of Rocky’s his entire life. Forthe last few years, Etienne has worked to build a careeras a comedian. He and fellow Beavercreek nativeJonathan Craig were looking for a local venue to getsome stage time when Etienne thought of Rocky’s.“We were finally getting shows and we were looking

for another place to perform,” Etienne said. “I was eat-ing at Rocky’s one night and thought it would be a per-fect space. I called Jon and had him look at it and hewas sold.”Rocky’s first comedy night took place in March of

2011. Since then, the show has ran consistently everysecond Monday of the month.“It’s really taken on a life of its own,” Etienne said.Headliners like Geoff Tate, John Evans, Vince

Morris, Roy Habor and DaveWebster have sought outthe local venue to get stage time.“We don’t want to compete with the big clubs

around here in any way,” Craig said. “The thing thatcomedians like about Rocky’s is they can come hereand try out new material. They’re not getting paid to dothe show, and people aren’t paying to get in. So they’refree to try something without risk.”The comedy night has also helped Craig and Etienne

get gigs of their own and network with other comedi-ans.

“It’s like a fraternity,” Craig said. “Everyone helpseach other and promotes each other.”Calcutta said the night is also helping to promote

Rocky’s.“We’ve got these headliners contacting Jon and

Mike trying to come to my restaurant,” she said.“They’re talking about Rocky’s and getting the nameout there … No matter who is performing my profitson those Monday nights are always higher.”Craig said the venue is getting so popular, he is hav-

ing to turn comedians away.“We’ve thought about doing comedy night twice a

month,” he said.Calcutta said that she is also looking into coordinat-

ing a benefit show this fall for a child with cancer.Although the comedy business is booming at

Rocky’s, Calcutta said making good pizza will alwaysbe her business.“I love this place. I just hope these guys get big and

this can be the place where they got started,” she said.“I want to be the pizza place with the autographed pic-tures hanging on the wall … the place they come towhen they do ‘Before TheyWere Stars’ on TV.”For Etienne, Craig and Calcutta, Rocky’s isn’t just a

place to get started. It’s a place to be with friends andhelp each other.For more information about comedy night at

Rocky’s, visit Rocky’s Pizza Ring, Inc. on Facebook.

Rocky’s Pizza feeds the funny bone

Local comedians gather for a photo after thefirst comedy night at Rocky’s in March, 2011.

BEAVERCREEK —Thefirst Caffeine for K9’s PokerRun will be held at 10:30a.m. Saturday, July 28 at theGreene CountyAnimalShelter, 641 Dayton-XeniaRoad in Xenia.The entry fee is $25 and

the last bike or car is out by11:30 a.m.Like a kind of motorized

scavenger hunt, poker runplayers follow a predeter-mined course through fiveGreene County towns.Drivers will collect one cardat each of the destinationcoffee shops in an effort tohave the best hand at theend of the journey.From the animal shelter,

motorcyclists and car driv-ers will ride to Stoney CreekRoasters, 83 N. Main St. inCedarville, then on to theSpirited Goat Coffee House,118 Dayton St. inYellowSprings.FromYellow Springs they

will proceed west toExpressions Coffee House,313W. Main St. in Fairborn,finally ending up at 4-Starters Coffee Cafe, 2495Commons Blvd. inBeavercreek. Each biker/dri-ver will receive free BoarsHead hot dogs and coffee.The contestant with the bestpoker hand at the end of therun will win a flat screentelevision.Event organizers Kathy

Ramsey and her husbandJim are the owners of 4-Starters Coffee Café inBeavercreek.“The money we take in

from the event will be usedto purchase needed pet foodand supplies for the animalshelter,” Ramsey said. “Wewant everyone to come out,enjoy the food, music andother activities and supportthe efforts of the shelter.”AmandaWissinger is the

animal shelter’s administra-tive support technician.“We are here to help as

many animals as we possi-bly can,” she said.“Unfortunately we are over-populated but we do ourbest to find homes for theanimals we take in.”For more information,

contact Jim or KathyRamsey at 4Starters CoffeeCafé by calling 937-320-5866.

GCCC graduationphoto page

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Local..............................................2ALocal..............................................3AOpinion..........................................4ARecord...........................................5AObituaries......................................5AEducation.......................................6ASports............................................9AGrad pages.............................13-14A

•William HarbineHagenbuch

• Eleanor Eddings• Marcia Williams

ShannonPage 5A �

THURSDAY,May 31,

2012

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Vol. 8 No. 46

Sports: Beavercreek boy honored at Dragons game, see page 9A �

THE

Local News

Deaths

Index

Carroll High Schoolgraduation photos

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Bike Rodeo

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Honoring our nation’s heros

Beavercreek residents came together honoring our nation’s heros dur-ing the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Veteran’s Memorial ParkMonday, May 28.This year’s ceremony featured local VFW members and music from

the Beavercreek High School music department. Mayor Vicki Giambroneopened the ceremony and introduced guests speaker Colonel WilliamVenanzi. News-Current photos by Barb Slone.

By ASIA AIKINSBeavercreek Editor

aaikins@xeniagazette.comCOLUMBUS — State and local representatives are

reaching the end of a project that could save emer-gency responders time, confusion and potentially,lives.Project 25 is a public communications standard that

is designed to allow open communication betweenlocal, state and federal agencies while protecting thepublic’s welfare.Communication problems between emergency

responders had been acknowledged in the past aftertimes of large-scale emergency. During the OklahomaCity Bombing and Columbine, different respondingagencies were unable to communicate because theirradio systems were operated by incompatible equip-ment. But on Sept. 11, 2001, the inability to commu-nicate was blamed for the loss of thousands of lives.“On 9-11, everyone was using separate systems,

different equipment, and couldn’t talk to each other,”said Bob Glaser, Beavercreek Township Trustee andProject 25 advocate. “P25 is a universal program thatwill allow these agencies to communicate at any timeof disaster, like 9-11.”The significant impact radio communication had

on 9-11 immediately prompted a movement toimprove the radio systems in America’s largest cities.In 2004, NewYork City was ranked number one inthe nation for communication between emergencyresponse chiefs.Now, Ohio is getting on board with P25. Local and

state representatives, like Glaser, and members of theOhio Controlling Board are locking down on a systemthat will allow local, state and federal agencies toopenly communicate with each other if need be.“We’ve been working on it for months,” Glaser

said.Last Monday, the Controlling Board unanimously

voted to allocate $90 million of tax payers’ money forthe upgrade of Ohio’s Multi-Agency RadioCommunications System (MARCS). This upgradewill allow state-wide open communication.The next step for representatives is to choose a sys-

tem provider.“We are using $90 million of our taxpayers’

money,” Glaser said. “It’s important to choose a prod-uct that creates a truly open architecture.”Glaser said his concern is that the state sole

sourced the work to one vendor without a biddingprocess. He is concerned that the end product must bean open architecture P25 compliant system.In a little more than six years, every state is expect-

ed to have an open radio system, allowing the oppor-tunity for nation-wide open communication.Glaser said Ohio representatives expect to have a

plan for P25 locked down by the end of this year.“We should start to see remnants of P25 by

September,” he said.Local representatives who sit on the Ohio

Controlling Board include: Sen. Chris Widener (10thDistrict), Sen. Shannon Jones (7th District) and Rep.Clayton Luckie (39th District).

Memorial Day crash kills 18-year-oldBy ASIA AIKINS

Beavercreek Editoraaikins@xeniagazette.com

BEAVERCREEK —An 18-year-old man wasfound dead at the scene of an early morningcrash on Memorial Day.Beavercreek police responded to reports of an

SUV crashing into a tree near the intersection ofFairknoll and Claydor drives around 4 a.m. Thedriver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at thescene.“It looked like he came to the intersection and

tried to make a turn, but didn’t make it,” saidSergeant Phil Wesseler. “Speed may have been afactor.”The driver of the SUV was identified as Zane

Clark of Hendersonville, Tenn. Police said theythink Clark recently relocated to the Beavercreekarea.Police are still investigating the official cause

of the accident and said they believe that therewere additional passengers in the vehicle at the

time of the crash who left the scene beforeresponders arrived.“We will have to wait for toxicology reports

and more information from the investigationbefore we determine the cause,” Wesseler said.Police are asking for anyone with additional

information about the crash to contact officerDan Krall at 937-426-1225.

A man died in an early morning crash ina Beavercreek neighborhood on Monday.Photo courtesy of WDTN.

Politicians pushfor Project 25

BEAVERCREEK —TheCity of Beavercreek and theBeavercreek BikewayAdvisory Committee willhold a Bike Rodeo from 9-11 a.m. June 9 at ShawElementary School’s rearparking lot, 3560 KempRoad.Children in kindergarten

through sixth grade are tobring their own bicycles andhelmets.Children will be required

to demonstrate five bicy-cling skills with prizesawarded in each age divi-sion. All bicycles willreceive a free safety checkand the first 25 participantswill receive a free helmetprovided by Children’sMedical Center.The event’s rain date is

June 16.Organized by the

Beavercreek BikewayAdvisory Committee, theBike Rodeo will be held topromote safe biking.Contact Roger Brislawn at937-426-3253 for moreinformation.

BBeeaavveerrccrreeeekk HHiigghh SScchhoooollCCllaassss ooff 22001122

ggrraadduuaattiioonn pprreevviieewwBy ASIA AIKINS

Beavercreek Editoraaikins@xeniagazette.com

BEAVERCREEK — The Beavercreek HighSchool Class of 2012 will graduate at 9 a.m.Saturday, June 2 at the Nutter Center.BHS faculty members will hand off 694

diplomas this year, including 184 with honors.Seven of those seniors will be honored as theclass valedictorians and an additional sevenstudents will be honored as salutatorians.Samantha Venkatesh leads her class as one

of the valedictorians. She plans to enter theaccelerated medical program at BostonUniversity, where she will earn her MedicalDoctorate in seven years. She is the daughterof Seshadri and Latha Venkatesh.Venkatesh said her role model is her mother.“She taught me the value of hard work and

inspired me to become a doctor,” she said.Yiran Zhang is also a Class of 2012 valedic-

torian. He plans to attend Vanderbilt Universityto study cellular and molecular biology andmathematics, with a minor in music. He is theson of Jun Zhang and Shuxia Sun.Zeshan Hussain leads the Class of 2012 as a

valedictorian. Hussain plans to attend StanfordUniversity and study bioengineering. Zeshan’sparents are Saber Hussain and Durdana Begum.Adam Moran leads his class as one of the

valedictorians as well. He plans to Carnegie-

Mellon University and study computer science.He is the son of Kenneth and Tracy Moran.“My role model is my father for his hard

work in achieving a lasting career in engineer-ing when he started from nothing,” Moran said.Michael Wang represents the Class of 2012

as one of the valedictorians. He plans to attendChicago Northwestern University and studychemistry and bioengineering. He is the son ofHuabin Wang and Yu Chen.Brian Nam is one of the class valedictorians

as well. He plans to attend the University ofPennsylvania and study Bioengineering. Namis the son of Deok and Okhwa Nam.Nam said his role model is physicist Richard

Feynman.Shayta Roy also represents the Class of 2012

as a valedictorian. She plans to attend theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tostudy chemical engineering. She is the daugh-ter of Ajit and Indira Roy.Roy said her role models are her parents and

her brother.“My parents have taught me all that I know

and have always worked hard to provide for ourfamily,” she said. “My older brother, Shuvro, issomeone I’ve always looked up to since he’sconsistently setting the bar so high. He’s evenstarted a non-profit organization with his col-lege roommates to provide clean water inimpoverished areas.”

Maybe you think the presiden-tial election will come down tothe issues. That would meanlooking at how Barack Obamaand Mitt Romney differ onimportant matters — or, in manycases, how they don’t. Or per-haps the election might be allabout money, and the shadowySuper PACs that will bombardus with TV advertising. Butoften the campaign dwells onsomething else: gaffes. What’s a“gaffe”? One of those unscriptedor “off-message” comments that,according to big-media pundits,are deeply revealing.Here’s the bad news: The

presidential campaign has barelyeven started. And the worsenews: The media is in full-ongaffe mode. The gaffe seasonwas in full swing a few weeksback when Barack Obama saidat a press conference that theprivate sector is “doing fine.”He was comparing the employ-ment picture among privatecompanies to that of the publicsector — government jobs. Isuspect even the White Housewould agree this was not wellput. But it happened to be anaccurate observation. The num-ber of private-sector jobs hasrebounded to about what it waswhen Obama took office, whilethe number of government jobshas declined by more than600,000. Meanwhile, corporateprofit margins are at record-highlevels.Romney’s campaign used this

supposed gaffe to illustrate howObama “doesn’t understandbusiness,” which is its main lineof attack. Those few ill-chosenwords would form the basis formany thousands of words thatwould attempt to tell us how this

comment would affect, or evendefine, the presidential cam-paign season.And just think: We’ve got at

least four more months of this tocome. Not too long afterObama’s comments about theprivate sector’s wellbeing camea “mini-gaffe,” where reportersspent the better part of an after-

noon suggesting that MittRomney was dazzled by thesandwich kiosks at a Wawa con-venience store.That sandwich flap followed a

cascade of out-of-touch com-ments from Romney that wereso absurd that Mad Magazinecreated a quiz to see if readerscould distinguish the ”GOP can-didate’s gaffes from zany thingsuttered by Mr. Burns on TheSimpsons. “I like being able tofire people who provide person-al services to me”? Romney.“I’m really enjoying this so-called ‘iced cream’”? The filthy-rich owner of the SpringfieldNuclear Power Plant on the TVshow. Mitt Romney has, howev-er, had trouble identifyingchocolate doughnuts and treat-ing locally revered cookies inPennsylvania with the appropri-ate degree of reverence.One of the strangest things

about all of this “gaffe” businessis that it’s so transparentlyphony. A campaign seizes upon

a minor event. It makes a quickWeb video. And reporters spenddays, if not weeks, ponderingthe meaning of it all.Of course, the same journal-

ists could do something elseentirely. They could cover theissues that actually matter. Ormaybe, believe it or not, fact-check the candidates’ claims andcounter-claims. Without journal-ists playing that role, campaignsare developing a monopoly overdefining which issues shouldmatter to voters. Too many cam-paign reporters are behaving likethey’re on the weather beat.They’re telling folks what hap-pened that day and maybe what’slikely to happen tomorrow. Butthat’s not really the way itshould work. Journalists don’tjust observe the action. They areactive participants in the cam-paign, making choices aboutwhat to treat as important newsand what to ignore.Waiting around for candidates

or spokespeople to misspeak —is this any way to run a democ-racy? Of course not. But so longas big media sticks to the cam-paign “narratives” and wastestime wondering what the latestpoll numbers might mean, itmakes it that much harder to fixwhat is so obviously broken.Peter Hart is the activism

director of Fairness & Accuracyin Reporting. www.fair.orgDistributed via OtherWords(OtherWords.org)

GUEST COLUMNIST

By Vicka Bachmann

Editorial

The Beavercreek News-Currentencourages readers to write lettersto the editor:• Letters should be typed, or

printed legibly, signed and includecurrent address and daytime phonenumber of the author. We will pub-lish only the name of the author andcity, or organization. Full addresseswill not be published. Form letterswill not be accepted. Anonymousletters will not be printed.• Letters to the editor must be

350 words or less. Deadline for let-

ters is 9 a.m. The Friday beforepublication. Letter writers have alimit of one published letter every 30days.• Letters will be verified by the

newspaper via telephone. Thenewspaper reserves the right to editfor length, style and grammar andto limit the number of letters on aspecific topic.• If content is libelous or mislead-

ing, letters will not be printed. Forletters that include claims that arenot a matter of public record, the

burden of proof of the claim(s) fallupon the letter writer.• Election letters will be published

prior to the election, but not the daybefore the election, that issue isreserved for the newspaper’sendorsements.• Opinions of letter writers or

columnists are those of the authoronly. They do not represent theopinion of the staff and manage-ment of the Greene County Dailies.Send letters to 1836 W. ParkSquare, Xenia, 45385 oreditor@xeniagazette.com.

Letter to the Editor Policy

COMMENTARYBy

Peter Hart

GuestColumnist

OPINIONCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of

speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.- The First Amendment to the United States Constitution

I’ve been wanting to go to Buenos Airessince I was a little girl and my wish cametrue! My family and I went there to pick upmy host sister that was returning toArgentina from her exchange experience inOhio.In the United States the presidential office

is called the “White House,” in Argentina it’scalled the “Pink House!”There are many areas of Buenos Aires,

such as: La Boca, Obelisco, La avenida 9 deJulio, Puerto Madero, El Cabildo, La casaRosada, Los bosques de Palermo, La calleCaminito. My favorite was the Caminitostreet because all the houses were colorful;green, yellow, red, blue, orange. It was thecheapest and most popular way of living inthe 19th century. I couldn’t believe that peo-ple actually live there.Another reason why it’s my favorite area is

because the Caminito Street is the birth placeof Tango. I actually got to dance Tango in arestaurant, in front of people for the firsttime. I was so nervous! People dance Tangoin restaurants to make money, some dance,just for the love of Tango. Overall, I wenthome with a big smile on my face!

Vicka Bachmann is a student atBeavercreek High School. She is visitingArgentina as an exchange student and writ-ing about her experience for the BeavercreekNews-Current.

Severe weather brings outbest in Red Cross and community

Editor:First the March tornados. Then, a dramatic

June storm that caused unexpected power outagesand oppressive heat. At times like these the pub-lic hears a lot about the American Red Cross inaction providing shelters, cooling centers andwater. While these actions may seem like quickspontaneous responses they are actually monthsin the making and show our community at itsbest.Last year leaders at the Dayton Area Red Cross

Chapter conducted almost four hundred- yes,400- meetings with government agencies, com-munity based organizations and citizen groups.Of those an estimated four out of five wereproactive to specifically focus on disaster plan-ning: What happens when the storms hit? Howwill communications flow? What can we expectof each other?

The Red Cross response to the tornadoes inMarch and its ability to serve the community sowell after the recent storm is a testament to allour partners, including donors who give us thenecessary funds not only to be there when calledbut to know what to do! It also underscores thevalue of the Red Cross regional structure, wherethe entire volunteer base and material resourcesof the thirty six-county Greater Cincinnati-Dayton Region can mobilize at a moment’snotice.As we continue to deal with unpredictable

weather, our Chapter wants to thank all who workwith us- including our army of 900 plus volun-teers- to handle life’s emergencies. As famousbroadcaster Paul Harvey used to say: “Now youknow the rest of the story.”

Tom Fodor, Chief Executive Officer,Dayton Area Chapter American Red Cross

Wishes come truein Buenos Aires

Letters to the editor

YYeeaarr ooff tthhee GGaaffffee;; WWee’’vvee ggoott ffoouurr mmoorree mmoonntthhss ooff tthhiiss

In the last couple ofmonths we have beenschooled on Project 25 — afederal project pushing foropen radio communicationfor emergency responders.With the help of someelected officials and a thickcopy of a slide show andP25 overview, we are final-ly understanding what it isgoing to take our county tobecome P25 compliant.The federal government

doesn’t require P25 compli-ant systems until 2018, butwe have learned thatGreene County emergencyresponder radio systems areaging and experiencingdown times. It is essentialthat we make the necessaryupgrades as soon as possi-ble.In a county that houses a

large Air Force base andhas been torn apart bysevere weather many times,unreliable emergencyresponder communicationis unacceptable. Countyofficials get it and they arelooking at the cost ofupgrading to/purchasingP25 compliant radio sys-tems now.The whole goal of P25 is

imperative for our safety.If Greene County experi-

ences a devastating storm,like the tornado in 1974,emergency responders fromColumbus could comedown and be able to com-municate with GreeneCounty emergency respon-ders as well as any mutualaid from other areas.The cost of this upgrade

is concerning us.Last week staff sat for

three hours learning aboutthe costs of these systems.Cost could be in theupwards of $3 million justfor the county to upgradethe systems.In addition, cities and

townships will have to pur-chase equipment. The stateis offering a deal to cut thecost of the system in halfthrough a Multi-AgencyRadio CommunicationSystem (MARCS) partner-ship. But Ohio doesn’t havethe money to give back tothe county, so they willbasically just not charge thecounty monthly servicefees until the discount ismet.During the information

session, the common sug-gestion was to fund thisupgrade through grants andloans. Sounds like collegeto us. It’s something wehave to do — but who hasthe money just sittingaround to do it? This is acommon problem met inour society today. Here weare, forced to upgrade with-out the money to support it.In the case of P25 radios,

lives are potentially atstake. Our elected officialshave no choice but to spendthe money that they have toborrow to upgrade. It’s justa matter of deciding thebest route to take as we goin debt.

Send us a letter to the editor today. See rules below.editor@xeniagazette.com

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4A Thursday, July 19, 2012 Beavercreek News Current

Vicka noted that the Caminito area ofBuenos Aires was her favorite area becauseof the colorful buildings (pictured above). She also did the Tango during her visit

(top), dancing with a professional Tangodancer in a restaurant.Below, Vicka stands along a busy street in

Buenos Aires.

Necessarycosts for reliability

Thursday, July 19, 2012 3ABeavercreek News Current

ArtAffair

Artist MarketEntertainment

Children’s Art ActivitiesNarrated Architectural Tours

Art ExhibitsVaried Food Fare

Specialty Shops Open All Day

Historic Downtown Urbana

Sat. July 21st

10am-6pm937-653-6126

2298481

LOCAL

By AMANDA CROWEFairborn Editor

acrowe@fairborndailyherald.comFAIRBORN —The public will have their chance to weigh-in on

the relocation of SR 444 during an ODOT public hearingThursdayevening.During the meeting, scheduled for 6-8 p.m. July 19 in the

Fairborn Government Center, the Ohio Department of

Transportation (ODOT) will review the proposed relocation andprovide a Powerpoint presentation with a time for public com-ments.“The purpose of this meeting is to outline our way forward as the

base advances their project to close the road,” said City ManagerDeborahMcDonnell. “Residents should come to understand exact-ly what’s going to happen and what the times lines are. They canask any questions they may have regarding how this will affectthem, if it will.”Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has already received their

signed Record of Decision, which was the last item required forthem to move forward with the project. They currently looking forcontractors and will soon go out for bids, according to McDonnell.Base officials are aiming for full closure of the roughly 2.2 miles

of SR 444 in early October 2012. Message boards created byWPAFBwill notify motorists of upcoming changes to the roadway.“Our strategy is to monitor the traffic to determine the reality of

the impact, and then work with ODOT to determine what changeswill be necessary to accommodate that traffic as it actually comesthrough,” McDonnell said.Public Administrative Services Director Pete Bales stated that

each impacted intersection would be discussed during Thursday’smeeting to show the public how traffic is to be rerouted.“ODOT will provide funding for the restriping. Furthermore,

ODOT will perform a traffic study approximately one month afterthe closure to verify that the restriping and re-signalization plan isworking appropriately,” said Bales. “Should the study show trafficnot flowing as desired, then a new plan of action will be developedto rectify any traffic situations.”The City of Fairborn has created a SR 444 page on their website

and maintained it with updated information along with a map indi-cating relocation at http://ci.fairborn.oh.us/gov/SR444.htm.

ODOT to host hearing about SR 444 closure

By ASIA AIKINSWeekly Editor

aaikins@xeniagazette.comGREENE COUNTY— Greene County leaders met in Beavercreek

Wednesday to discuss their options while making upgrades to publicsafety radio systems.Making the upgrades is inevitable, officials said.“Our current system is older and we’ve seen some down times

recently,” said Beavercreek Fire Battalion Chief Nathan Heister. “Weneed to make a change to continue reliability.”Wednesday’s informational session went over the federal project

called P25, which requires all public safety radio systems to have anopen architecture, allowingmultiple agencies to communicate on thesame frequency in matters of mutual aid by 2018.Over the last several months, Ohio leaders have made decisions

about what companies should provide to stay in compliance withP25. The Ohio Communications Committee has also made recom-mendations for local governments looking at upgrading their sys-tems.A representative from the state-funded MARCS (Multi-Agency

Response Communication System), Motorola and W.S. Electronicswere at the session answering questions about radio systems and theservices their companies can provide. Both MARCS and W.S.Electronics have made proposals for communities to consider. Theseproposals are expected to save communities money if they act soon-er rather than later.The cost of upgrading the radio system infrastructure will be the

county’s responsibility. It is also the most expensive cost.W.S. Electronics and MARCS are currently offering partnerships,

intended to save the county money. W.S. Electronics is the parentcompany of Harris, the company who has provided Greene County’sradio system since 1991. Harris recently informed county officialsthat the current technology they are using will no longer be main-tained as of 2018.Upgrading the system to P25 standards through Harris with the

partnership will cost the county $4,024,908. But, W.S. Electronicswill include a master controller used to operate the system, decreas-ing the end cost of the partnership to $3,751,986.MARCS is currently the backbone of the state’s transition to

becoming P25 compliant. Through a partnership with MARCS, thecounty will use the state’s existing master controllers, creating ashorter migration from the current system. The state will also beresponsible for maintaining the system.The cost to upgrade through MARCS will total $3,613,359. But

through a partnership, MARCS will credit the state’s maintenancefee of $20 per month for each radio toward the end cost until it totals$1,806,680.With a total of 1,541 emergency responder radios in Greene

County, that credit will be good for almost five years.“The purpose of our proposal is to save money, increase interop-

erability and save lives,” said Dick Miller, MARCS office manager.Counties also have the option of creating their own system through

stand-alone companies like Motorola. According to a chart present-ed at the information session, a system operated by Motorola willcost $4,213,359. Counties will also have continuing costs for main-tenance with stand-alone systems. All systems compliant with P25standards are supposed last for at least 30 years.“This will be the only time that any of us in this room will have to

deal with an upgrade,” Miller said.Greene County Commissioners AlanAnderson and Marilyn Reid

examined the proposals with each representative before leaving thesession.“I’m just worried about how I’m going to get that $3 million,”

Anderson said.According to Beavercreek Township Trustee Bob Glaser, Greene

County has already obtained a Local Government Innovation Fund(LGIF) loan through the state that has zero interest.“Only 12 people applied for the loan state-wide,” Glaser said. “I

believe in using OPM, other people’s money … There are all kindsof federal grants and loans that are available for this purpose thatwon’t be around in 2018.”Glaser also said that two P25 radios cost $13,400 last year; now,

radios are costing around $2,700.The cost for subscriber equipment such as handheld radios and

dispatch consoles will be the burden of local communities.According to Miller, the 800 MHz frequency is designated for

emergency responders only. If local communities decide to go with astand-alone system, subscriber equipment will only work on GreeneCounty towers. If MARCS infrastructure is purchased, subscriberequipment will work with towers throughout the state, and Motorolawill offer a 40-percent discount on subscriber radios if more than1,500 radios are purchased.If the Harris partnership is chosen, Harris will upgrade existing

P25 radios at no additional charge to the communities.Additional prices for communities will vary with each communi-

ty’s needs. Motorola and Harris both provided price menus for eachelected official to overlook with their colleagues.

Financial impact of P25