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Preble Proud 2017Preble County: 209 years and growingBy Eddie Mowen [email protected]

PREBLE COUNTY — Preble County was settled in 1798 by John Leslie and was established as a county in March of 1808, five years after Ohio was admitted to the Union in March of 1803. The coun-ty was named for Commo-dore Edward Preble who served as the Commander of the American Naval Fleet in the Mediterranean during the Tripolitan War, as well as in the Revolu-tionary War and the War of 1812.

Preble County has only one city, Eaton (the coun-ty seat,) which was named for William Eaton, the U.S. Consul at Tunis during the Tripolitan War. This war influenced not only the naming of the county and its only city, but the names of many streets and com-

munities throughout the county as well.

In addition to the city of Eaton, there are sev-eral villages located in the county: Camden, College Corner, Eldorado, Gratis, Lewisburg, New Paris, Verona, West Alexandria, West Elkton, and West Manchester, and there are a dozen townships: Dixon, Gasper, Gratis, Harrison, Israel, Jackson, Jefferson, Lanier, Monroe, Somers,

Eddie Mowen Jr. | The Register-HeraldGroundbreaking for the new facility at the Preble County Landfill was held in November 2016.

Preble County CommissionersRodney Creech

Chris DayDenise Robertson

Commission StaffConnie Crowell,

Commission ClerkKim Keller,

Administrative AssistantSara Wilson, Deputy

Clerk

See PROGRESS | 12

By Kelsey [email protected]

EATON — The new year will bring affordable housing to the City of Eaton. Eagles Point apart-ment complex is slated to open their doors in the near future. Built in the former Eaton High School, the H.I.T. Foundation re-purposed the space to bring one, two, and three bedroom apartments to the com-munity at an affordable price.

The pet friendly community will include 40 resi-dential apartments as well as community space. The complex will include a business center, media room, fitness center, and a community room with a kitchen and dining area.

Applications are currently being accepted.

Eaton growing with affordable housing

Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-HeraldFuture residents are set to move into the affordable apartments at Eagles Point in the near future.

2016 Chamber awardsBy Eddie Mowen [email protected]

EATON — The Preble County Chamber of Commerce turned its annual awards dinner into a holiday day gala, celebrating a year of business and professional successes and enjoying the Christmas season on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2106.

This was the 35th year the chamber took a spe-cial evening to honor businesses and individuals nominated by chamber members.

Jason Moles, 2016 Preble County Chamber Board Chairperson, welcomed those in attendance, and honored outgoing board members Dave Weber, who was unable to attend, and Joanie McDaniel, who was presented a special award for her service.

Moles was later honored as outgoing board chair.Home Is The Foundation employee Toni Morgan

was recognized as the chamber’s Citizen of the Year.

Morgan is a program coordinator for HIT, who helps people “because that’s the person she is,” Moles said.

“Honestly this recognition has very little do about me,” Morgan said. “You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I have a championship team.” Morgan recognized and thanked her family, coworkers, and others.

By Eddie Mowen [email protected]

EATON — At recent Preble County Development Partner-ship investor and chamber of commerce annual events, Preble County Economic Development

Director Brenda Latanza shared success stories, business updates and insights into potential future growth for the area.

“There is no better marketing strategy than the demonstration of a successful and thriving busi-ness climate,” she began.

Businesses small and large were part of Latanza’s presentation.

“Last year Henny Penny Cor-poration celebrated the opening of their new training center,” she said. “This $8 million investment in a 46,000 square foot facility includes a test kitchen, auditori-um, training room and additional manufacturing and office space.

Preble business climate thriving

See AWARDS | 9See PCDP | 11

See HOUSING | 8

Businesses, individuals honored

Ec. Dev. Director shares update

PREBLE PROUD Register-Herald2 Wednesday, March 1, 2017

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Preble Proud 2017CommunityFairgrounds updates highlighted 2016R-H Staff

EATON — The Preble County Fairgrounds has a new look after an $875,000 facelift overseen by county commissioners, the County Engineer’s Office, and the City of Eaton.

Grant money from the state was heavily utilized for the work, recently completed after beginning in the fall of 2015. Reno-vations included major work on the grandstands, new paint and roof work for all but three buildings on site, demolition and replacement of the public restroom building, and a major repaving of the entire fairgrounds.

“When we were in the early stages with this grant money,” Commis-sioner Rodney Creech said last summer, “there were three things we focused on. The first was safety, the second was economic development, and the third was aesthet-ics. We tried to come through everything where we saw safety risks, and we started there. For example, most of the money went to fixing up the grandstands. It would take a lot of money to replace those, so our goal was to reinforce it and keep it in shape. The beams were rusting, and those were replaced, and they painted the roof and the structure. The work on that alone took months, and they just fin-ished it last month.”

“The bathrooms were plumb disgusting,” he said. “Nobody wanted to use them. People would walk all the way across the fairgrounds to use another one. The new bathroom building is my favorite improvement.

The whole building is new. They ripped out the old concrete, put in new concrete, new stalls, everything. And it’s ADA compliant. Roughly $70,000 was spent on that, and we’re very happy with it.”

Old barns on the property went unused for years because they appeared unsafe, Creech said, when in fact the buildings were structur-ally sound but badly weathered.

“We went through the proper channels and made sure they were in solid shape,” he said. “You don’t want to put $15 or $20,000 into a building and then tear it down a few years later. But, if an old building is still sound, it’s cheaper to make it look good than to replace it. Now we have horses in the barns, and we’re generating revenue from them.”

The restoration of the ticket booth at the entrance has garnered major positive feedback since its completion two weeks ago, said Creech. Some $10,000 in county dollars were used to bring it back into shape, along with the help of several local volunteers and a roofing donation from Sherriff-Goslin Roofing of Richmond, Indiana.

The newly paved roads were a major effort. Neglected for many years, they made driving through the fairgrounds a difficult and sometimes hazardous experience for area citizens. The main road that travels through the property is considered a county road, so funds for its repav-ing were contributed by the county commission ($100,256.91), the county

engineer ($132,737.19), and the City of Eaton ($238,650.11).

“That’s definitely the biggest improvement,” Creech said of the repav-ing. “The county engi-neer, Kyle Cross, really stepped up and helped out, and out of a quarter million dollar project, he covered almost half of it. We would never have been able to do it without him coming in and help-ing us like that.”

The fairgrounds is comprised of six parcels totaling 112.4 acres, with the main portion sitting on 50 acres. More work is planned for the property. Another $400,000 in new state grant money will allow the installation of bathrooms, showers, and possibly meeting rooms in the Expo Center. The small sheriff’s building will be razed, with the county and sheriff’s office collaborating on ideas for replacement. Two build-ings near the entrance, in less sturdy shape than the other structures, were not renovated; commissioners are still working to deter-mine whether they will be restored or removed. Creech said commis-sioners also hope to sell annual sponsorships for each of the structures on the fairgrounds, with each building sporting the name of a different area business.

“We’ve already gotten a lot of calls from people who can’t believe how much better it looks,” he said. “A year ago, none of this looked anywhere near this good.”

“The fairgrounds is the heartbeat of Preble Coun-ty,” he said. “It means so much to the people here, and we wanted to make sure we got this right.”

The Register-Herald | File photosA refurbished, grandstands is just one item on the list of renovations at the Preble County Fairgrounds. Most of the grant money went to fixing up the grandstands, according to commissioners.


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Camden Town Hall nearing completionBy Kelsey [email protected]

CAMDEN — After a year’s worth of renovations, Village of Camden staff will move into the Camden Town Hall within the next two months.

In 2016, Council voted to commit to renovating the building. A loan of $650,000 was obtained to remodel and enhance the two floors, including new utilities. The second floor will be used for community and private banquet and receptions rental.

The police department, historical society, village office, mayor’s court, and water department will all be mov-ing into the newly renovated building.

Thanks to McCullough-Hyde Memo-rial Hospital, there is new playground equipment at the local Water Park. The hospital donated and installed the equipment themselves. This was a gift of $65,000 the village is very apprecia-tive of.

During 2016, work was done in the village to maintain streets and improve beautification. A vacant build-ing on Second Street was demolished and the village completed the street repaving project.

A property at the edge of the village, Devil’s Backbone, was recently gifted to the Preble County Park District. This property will be opened to the public to enjoy the natural rock forma-tions that are found there.

Two lots were also gifted to the vil-lage by the Shank Family. These lots will be transformed into a park for the community to enjoy.

The year 2016 saw two new mem-bers to the local government. Mayor

Lisa Moss defeated Dan Michael in the November 2015 election and served as the new mayor for 2016. Moss was joined by new council mem-ber Ernest Crabtree, who replaced Roy Ebbing.

In 2017, the village will design plans for the West Central Avenue (Ohio 725) improvements. These plans will include storm drainage and sidewalks.

The Camden-Somers Fire Depart-ment’s annual downtown carnival will be held on May 17, from 4-7 p.m.

Planning is currently under way for the village’s bicentennial celebration in 2018. Participants are needed to take part in planning and activities. Orga-nized by Karen Moss, planning meet-ings are being held monthly at Ron’s Pizza in Camden.

Moss is active and engaged in social media for the celebration and addi-tional information can be found on Camden Bicentennial’s Facebook page.

In the future, Camden plans to con-tinue to be engaged in their efforts to increase pride in the community and improve life in the village. They will continue to make improvements to the infrastructure and hope to serve both the village and surrounding areas with water and sewer service.

Camden plans to make the Old Well Field aquifer reusable by 2020.

Village Administrator Nelson McK-eever said that what makes this village stand out is their resilience.

“In 2010, unlike any other commu-nity for the most part, we experienced the water contamination,” McKeever said. “The strides that they made to make that better, they endured the cost. Most communities would have

had grants and funding and things of that nature, but those were not made available to the Camden community.”

He added, “Council has taken a foot-hold in supporting a better commu-nity. Looking forward to people taking pride in their properties to enhance our living.”

The focus on pride in the commu-nity is something Camden wishes to improve in the future. Council member Toni Keesler added, “I think we have a lot of older residents who take pride in their community, and I hope we can restore some of the pride in everyone.”

Reach Kelsey Kimbler at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @KKimbler_RH

Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-HeraldThe police department, historical society, village office, mayor’s court, and water department will all be moving into the newly renovated Camden Town Hall within the next two months. Finishing renovations are being completed on the building.

Mayor: Lisa Moss

Village Administrator: Nelson McKeeverFiscal Officer: Becky Wilson

Council: President:

Melissa Shull, Toni Keesler, Ernest Crabtree, Kelly Doran, Todd

Angell and Judy MichaelPolice Chief:

Matthew SpurlockFire and EMS:

Camden Somers Fire Department Chief:

Gary Taylor


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New playground equipment coming to EldoradoBy Kelsey [email protected]

ELDORADO — The Village of Eldorado is on the north-ernmost side of Preble County and had 509 citizens as of the 2010 census. Sadly, the village does not grow much each year. Longstanding Mayor Tiana White said that she does not foresee the village growing in size any in the next several years.

Small is not always bad, however. Mayor White said, “Because of our small size, I think our village is small enough that a lot of people know each other still. Neigh-bors watch out for neighbors.”

The village has seen no new businesses open in the last year, but they also have not lost any. Key businesses in the area are HarvestLand, Miami Valley Plastics, Trend Setters Hair Salon, Suds Restaurant and Pub, and AMVETS Post 726.

The biggest change to the village in 2016 was the addi-tion of a recreational boosters group. It reorganized and started holding ball games at the Eldorado Ball Park. At press, sign ups for 2017 were under way.

Eldorado’s playground equip-ment was removed in 2015. Mayor White said, “Our equip-ment was so old that it wasn’t meeting insurance require-

ments, so we had to tear it all out.”

However, the village has received a grant from the Ohio Department of National Resource to add new equip-ment. The grant was for a little over $16,000, which does not provide much money for the equipment, but White is sure it will give the village something to add to in the future. They plan to buy a small section of swing sets and some multipur-pose equipment.

The village intends to scope out grant possibilities within the next five to six years. They want to upgrade the outside of the sewer plant. They have made many upgrades to the

inside of the plant, but the out-side has not had work done for many years now.

One thing that makes Eldo-rado stand out against other Preble County villages is that they own their own electric company. “We feel because we own our own electric company, that our utility rates are very reasonable for people living within the village,” White said.

The village is served by the National Trail School District and the village office is located at 160 N. Main St. Council holds meetings on the fourth Monday of every month at 7 p.m. and BPA meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.

Mayor: Tiana White

Council: Barry Martindale, Teresa

Freeman, Ruth Weldy, Ed Utley, Chad Hoke,

Bob CookBoard of Public Affairs:

Brian Hines, Helen Roberts, and Joe Wethington

Clerk: Karen Hunt

Fire Chief: Tom EvansWater/Sewer

Superintendent: Forrest Leyes

Street/Electric Superintendent:

Ed Baker

Gratis turning 200By Kelsey [email protected]

GRATIS — The Village of Gratis, with 881 inhabitants as of the 2010 census, will celebrate its bicentennial in 2017.

The celebration will be combined with the village’s annual Summerfest. The main celebration will be held on June 10 at Library Park downtown. There will be live music, games, and the possibility of carnival rides.

The planning committee is hoping to get pictures of the village from the past. They want to set up pictures in front of

village buildings to show what they used to look like.

Mayor David Johnston said that in the future Gratis will work to improve the village. They try to “stay in the loop” on applying for grants to make improve-ments. “We’re trying to make everything better,” he said. “We’ll concentrate on some more streets this next year and in the future.”

In 2016, the Village of Gratis worked to improve streets and on beautification. The village spent $7,000 on fixing pot- Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-Herald

The Village of Gratis will celebrate it’s 200th birthday on June 10, 2017. The celebration will kick off at Library Park, with live music, games, and carnival rides.See GRATIS | 9


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PCDP wins state awardBy Kelsey [email protected]

EATON — In early Decem-ber 2016, the Preble County Development Partnership was invited to apply for the ACT Workplace Success Award.

The ACT College and Career Readiness Campaign celebrates high school seniors, high schools, post secondary insti-tutions, and employers who promote or exemplify readi-ness for college and careers in states across the country.

According to Economic Development Director Brenda Latanza, the PCDP completed the application from a different viewpoint — it’s not a high school, college, or an employer.

The PCDP is a community which has worked very hard to obtain the ACT Work Ready Community Certification.

According to Latanza, the Partnership wasn’t was not sure if they would even be con-sidered for the award.

Yet, they received an email informing them they had been selected as the Ohio Workplace Success Award recipient from among all the applications for the 2016-2017 ACT College and Career Readiness Cam-paign.

The Ohio ACT Council was incredibly impressed with the work the Partnership does to support economic development in Preble County, according to

Latanza.As the state employer award

winner, PCDP received a ban-ner and recognition certificate on Jan. 31. The Partnership will also move forward in the consideration process for national recognition.

National semifinalists will receive awards in recogni-tion of their achievement. For those semifinalists, a national selection committee composed of national education and workforce leaders will choose four national exemplars. These national exemplars, along with all state exemplars and semifi-nalists, will be honored at an ACT event in October 2017.

The national exemplars will receive plaques and recogni-tion from ACT at an event in Iowa City, for which ACT will cover all travel costs for two attendees from each award winner.

Reach Kelsey Kimbler at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @KKimbler_RH.

PCDPThe Preble County Development Partnership was an Ohio Workplace Success Award recipient.

By Kelsey [email protected]

LEWISBURG —The Village of Lewisburg was founded in 1818, but merged with Euphemia in 1916 to create the village Preble County knows today. At the 2010 census, the population of the vil-lage was 1,820. Current residents are preparing to celebrate the vil-lage’s bicentennial in 2018.

Planning for the bicentennial celebration actually began in 2016 with the formation of a planning committee. Meetings are being held every month and planning is well on its way.

The celebration will begin on Dec. 31, 2017, with a gala at the Lewisburg Community Center.

Also in 2016, the Village of Lewisburg became the first village in Preble County to create a dog park. Called simply Lewisburg Unleashed Dog Park, it was opened by Royal Canin to give resident’s a location to let their pets play in a safe and gated envi-ronment. The park is separated into two individual fenced areas, one intended for small dogs, and the other for larger dogs. Each park has its own gated entry.

Royal Canin also provided a sun cover for the Spray Park to offer shade and they sponsored the first annual pet contest at Derby Days.

Lewisburg Police Department provides the Senior Watch Pro-gram to help the village’s aging population. To qualify for services, residents must be 65 years old or older, live alone, and have limited to no contact with family mem-bers or caregivers.

Participants have the oppor-

tunity to have police officers call their homes to check in. If no con-tact is made with the resident, an officer will be sent to their home.

In 2017 the village will begin their Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project to improve the downtown. Awarded through Preble County, the pro-gram is meant to provide commu-nities with resources to address community development needs.

Lewisburg was awarded $300,000 to improve downtown businesses and buildings. The project is a two-year program and will not be completed until 2018.

Part of that project is streetscap-ing. New benches, street lighting, and traffic signals are all in the plans for the next two years.

The village was also awarded the Ohio Department of Trans-portation Alternative grant to con-struct sidewalks on Clay Street. These improvements will provide safe pedestrian access to the Com-munity Center and Spray Park, all while tying in with existing walk and bikeways.

Lewisburg has 12 fulltime employees, including: three fire and EMT, three police, two administrative personnel, and four service department staff.

Lewisburg has 30 part time

employees, including: six fire and EMT, 14 police, two administra-tive personnel, and eight service department staff.

Lewisburg is very proud of the Brown Memorial Library, an amenity that is used by young and old alike.

“We’re one of the best kept secrets in Preble County,” Munici-pal Manager Jeff Sewert said. “It’s just a nice little town. With quality services, from our Fire Department and EMS to our Police Department to our Service Department. We do so much for our citizens.

“It’s a good quality of life in Lewisburg for our citizens. I think Mayor’s Village Council has afforded them that. It’s just a nice place to live.”


Lewisburg plans bicentennial celebration

Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-Herald

Key personnel:Municipal Manager:

Jeff SewertAdministrative Asst.:

Kim CahillFiscal Officer:

R.E. SchlotterbeckUtility Clerk: Margie McClain

Fire Chief: BJ SewertPolice Chief: Rick McGeeService Superintendent:

Josh HarryMayor: Pat Putnam

Village CouncilMarsha K. Jones

Mark MadiganDennis RobertsJackie Sewert

Jeffrey Chad WoodworthBelinda Zumstein-Harry


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West Elkton celebrates local talent, wants to keep schoolBy Kelsey [email protected]

WEST ELKTON — The Village of West Elkton is one of the smaller villages in Preble County with a population of 197 as of the 2010 census. While it may be small, village officials like to say 2016 was a year West Elkton was able to defeat a recent Preble Shawnee bond issue/tax levy.

West Elkton Mayor Bill Crawford said, “With the support of the community, we were able to defeat the levy. Which is good for West Elkton. We’re trying to keep our school, basically.”

Two days after the vote, the Preble Shaw-nee Board of Education voted to bring the issue back to the ballot in May 2017. Mayor Crawford is actively campaigning against the levy as he feels it will be a detriment to West Elkton.

“We’re going to keep pushing hard to defeat it again in May,” he promised.

Also in 2016, the village focused on improving their streets. West Elkton acquired a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to have Main Street revitalized. This program is meant to provide communi-ties with resources to address a wide range of community needs.

In addition to the work on Main, new side walks and curbs were added to Beechwood Avenue and Maple Street. The sidewalks now connect from the north side (where the elementary school is) all the way to the south side of town (where the community park is located).

The village also acquired a grant from Ohio Public Works Committee to replace the bridge on Buckeye Street. The construction portion of this project has been completed, but they were unable to pave due to the bad weather. The paving should be finished by April, according to Crawford.

While all of this work was undoubtedly good for the village, it did take a toll on the fiscal base. The village itself had to pay for a large portion of the revitalization project on Main Street. This means that in 2017 the vil-lage will not focus on construction, but rather upkeep of parks, buildings, and the walking path. The village plans to be frugal in the upcoming year.

However, that will not stop them from employing a part time maintenance person.

In May the village will hold its annual Memorial Day parade and ceremony. Offi-cials are starting now to look at planning that celebration. The village hopes to make the celebration bigger than last year.

In the same vein as 2016, West Elkton will highlight local talent at the celebration. They are actively looking for musical talent, but have already found local artist Christopher Walden, whom they are hoping will display art. He is a wildlife and landscape artist who is world renowned. Walden’s son is also an artist and he displayed his art last year.

Mayor Crawford wants to continue to work with village council to make improve-ments to West Elkton.

“We want to provide things that help the community like the walking path and com-munity park,” he said. “We want to continue

making improvements and add things like public restrooms and picnic tables around the park.”

“We want to work with the schools to keep our school,” he added. “We want to keep making improvements so the community can use the school.”

West Elkton Village Council has six seats and one is open. Crawford said they would love to have someone run for the vacancy. The village also offers a fully staffed Fire Department, which Crawford himself sits on as Assistant Chief.

West Elkton’s village office is located at

235 N. Main St., and can be reached at 937-787-9006.


Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-Herald

Mayor: Bill CrawfordFiscal Officer: Venida Thompson

Council: Richard Kirby, Gary Thompson, Charles Pennington, Gevella Wilt,

Jonathon BerterFire Chief: Mike Roberts Sr.

Dow Chemical received the Outstanding Recycling Program Award.

L&M Products was named Business of the Year. Director Terry Stevens is shown accepting the award from Jason Moles, Chamber Chair for 2016.

Robert Moyer of Rexarc (right) accepts his Young Professional of the Year Award from Jason Moles.

Photos By Eddie Mowen Jr. | The Register-HeraldHome is The Foundation employee Toni Morgan was named the Preble County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year. Chamber Chair Jason Moles is shown honoring Morgan during the special awards gala on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Photos from the 2016 Chamber Awards


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Road improvements in West Alexandria retain local jobsBy Kelsey [email protected]

WEST ALEXANDRIA — In 2016, the Village of West Alexandria put state funding into roadwork in order to keep manufacturer Rexarc Interna-tional, Inc. in business. The facility sits at 35 E. 3rd Street and according to Village Administrator Chris Day, the surrounding roads had gotten so bad the village risked losing the com-pany. Semi trucks could not get into the facility.

This roadwork was completed in 2016 and it greatly improved the road around the building. Now the trucks can get in and out of the loading docks. The work also greatly improved Rexarc’s ability to do its jobs in a timely manner, and now they can even get larger pieces of equipment into the facility.

Main Street also had significant

work done to it during 2016.In 2014, ODOT was going to come

to the village and repave Main Street, which happens to be Ohio 503. The village put money into upgrading their water, sewer, curbs, sidewalks, and street lighting to prepare for the project.

Due to financial issues, however, ODOT had to put off the repaving.

Finally in 2016 they were able to complete the project. They ground down the road and repaved it. Day added, “It’s a great improvement with the new curbs, sidewalks, and lighting. What it did is, it really made a nice improvement when you come through the village on 503.”

In 2006 the village did a similar proj-ect on Dayton Street, so now visitors get to see the village looking in tip-top shape, no matter how they come into town.

Between the state and the village, $1.5

million was spent on the project.The roadwork will continue through

2017. The village is trying to see what can be done to bring back state dollars and help offset the local cost.

The main upcoming project will be the new waste water treatment facility. Day explained that the current facility is “in desperate need of replacement.”

The village is dedicated to growth and improvement. “We always continue to work with our businesses locally, to see if we can’t help them,” Day said. “If there’s a chance that we can get a busi-ness to come to our community, we will continue working with those folks that are interested.”

In the future, West Alexandria will continue to add amenities to enhance to life of locals. They will work on their parks, add equipment, benches, and picnic tables so locals have a place for recreation, year-round.

Because the village is constantly work-

ing to improve the quality of life, Day believes it makes West Alexandria a great place for families.

“We’re a nice, quiet village,” he added. “We try to maintain a nice, clean com-munity. I think it’s a great place to work, live, and raise a family.”


Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-HeraldPeace Park is home of West Alexandria’s popular Oktober Fest.

Mayor: Carol Lunsford

Council: Holly Robbins, Ian Campbell, Deb Smith, Dawn Mitchell, Ray Waldeck, Ken Carter

Village Administrator: Chris Day

Fire Chief: Jeff ShaferEMS Chief: Tommy SmithVillage Clerk: Judy Corn

Solicitor: Rick FaberPolice Chief:

Terry Strawser


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West Manchester focused on street maintenanceBy Kelsey [email protected]

WEST MANCHESTER — The Village of West Manchester had a “crazy year,” said new Mayor Tim Rodefer. He has only been mayor since late 2016, but has served on vil-lage council for several years. After the need arose for a new mayor, Rodefer was nominated and accepted. It was a long and “crazy” process that required a lot of work from village council.

In addition to obtaining a new mayor, the village also completed a lot of small main-tenance projects to keep the village in good shape. They focused on repairing buildings the village owns. They replaced roofing on several buildings, some due to damage from windstorms.

They made repairs to the inside of the fire house, which were completed in January 2017. Improvements were also made to the outside of the fire department. The approach to

the building was improved so workers could back in easier. Concrete was also placed on the outside of the building.

Rodefer added, the village worked on, “Keeping the lights on and keeping bills paid, which is not always easy for a small village.”

In 2017, Rodefer hopes to explore the possibility of a joint fire district with Eldorado. The two villages talked about this possibility in 2016, but they hope to further explore the idea in the upcoming year. West Manchester’s Fire Chief has said that the collaboration would make sense, with how close the two villages are to each other.

The Village has recently found out that Preble County villages are not eligible for any CDBG Grants until 2018 due to new regulations. They accept that they are not going to be able to apply for those grants to do additional street projects, but while they wait for that money to become available,

the Village of West Manchester hopes to maintain their streets which have already been paved. They will spend this next year committing to the upkeep of their streets.

Citizens have requested the addition of street lights. Rode-fer is hopeful of that addition happening in 2017.

Village council is short sever-al members. They hope to add a minimum of two additional members this year. They urge anyone interested to look into the possibility and consider running.

They hope to start a Christ-mas decorating contest again in the village.

Looking into the future, the village would like to build some sort of splash pad or water park for kids to play in. They want to attract the younger families to the parks and make some-thing fun for the youngsters residing in the village.

At some point the village would like to switch to read-ing water meter electronically.

This will call for an investment of $90,000-$100,000 so the vil-lage cannot consider this at the moment, but they know that this switch will help save the water superintendent hours of work and free him for addi-tional projects.

The village would also like to replace the village tractor for the same reason. The current tractor is older and not working well.

“The village is a good place to live,” Rodefer added. “We have a lot of younger families move into the village, probably based on affordable housing in the area. We’re happy to have some young families, but there’s also some families who have lived here all their lives. Good people. It’s part of what brought me to the village. Over-all a good area to live in. Easy access to larger cities, but a good place to live and friendly people to live around.”


Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-HeraldWest Manchester

Mayor: Tim RodeferCouncil: Doug Thompson, Robert Long, Teresa Long,

Jane ReederFiscal Officer: Leslie Evans

Fire Chief: Dale BakerMaintenance and Street

Superintendent: Forest LeyesBoard of Public Affairs: Doug Evans, Tom Weaver,

Brian Robinson.

Eagles Point is not the only new housing to come to the city. Cobblestone Trails brings condominiums to resi-dents 55 years or older. This residential project is located on East Avenue and will offer over 70 units containing both one and two family homes. Building is still underway, but residents are currently mov-ing in.

The city also saw the con-struction of Meadowbrook Estates on U.S. 35 and Rolling Hills Estates off of East Avenue. Meadowbrook Estates is an active subdivi-sion that is currently adding new homes.

In 2016, Eaton saw the addition of more than just new housing developments. The new Main Street aquatic center opened on May 27, 2016. The only swimming pool was over 50 years old and was in disrepair. Through donations and grants, the city

was able to build a complete-ly new aquatic center.

The new pool was a hit with the community. There were 700 attendees at the grand opening and through-out the year the pool saw consistent traffic. City Man-ager Brad Collins added, “We really hope in 2017 the community continues to sup-port the Main Street aquatic center.”

The center will reopen for the year during Memorial Day weekend.

The historic steel bridge on St. Clair Street was also reopened during 2016. The construction saw the replace-ment of steel girders and new decking.

Whispering Christmas cel-ebrated it’s 30th year in 2016. “Those volunteers do a super job at putting that on for the public,” Collins said.

As the county seat, the City of Eaton has a population of 8,407 according to the 2010 census. In each year, the city sees a lot of construction to increase employment and bring new life to the com-munity.

There are already several projects in the plans for 2017.

A new Twin Valley Bank will be opening soon on Washington Jackson Road. The new year will also see a reconstruction project on Nation Avenue. Construction on the south half of the road was completed last year and now it is time to finish con-struction on the street. Work will be done on the sidewalks, curbs, and pavement.

A lumber and home improvement store, Gillman Home Center is set to open in fall 2017.

Silfex will be working to increase their production and hire over 100 new employees.

The big project set to begin in 2017 is the construction of the helicopter base. Through a partnership with Med-Flight, Kettering Health Net-work will bring a permanent medical helicopter and base to the Preble County Medical Center.

Eaton is always looking to expand their workforce. Col-lins said, “We have a lot of great jobs right here in Preble County and there’s a need for

the work force to come back to Preble County. Whether it’s a high tech manufacturing or engineering or the medi-cal field, there’s employers here in Eaton that need good workers.”

Mayor David Kirsch said, “We have a great commu-nity that consists of business leaders that aren’t afraid to reinvest in the city. They give back to such things as sup-porting athletics and boost-ers, the new swimming pool, and the sports complex. The city has an attitude and a commitment to be business friendly. The other internal resources, which is commit-ted to citizenry which helps secure the business work force and our tomorrows as a city.”

Collins added, “Eaton has affordable housing with plen-ty of recreational activities. It has a small town feel with a good fix of amenities and ser-vices that one would need. It is a great place to work, live, and raise a family.”


From page 1

HousingMayor:

Dave KirschCouncil:

Brad Moore (Vice Mayor), Craig Moormeier,

David Daily, Joe RennerCity Manager:

Brad CollinsAssistant

City Manager: Joe Ferriell

Finance Director: Stephanie Hurd

Maintenance and Street Superintedent:

Greg FrostPublic Works

Superintendent: Chris DenlingerPolice Chief: Chad DePew

Fire/EMS Chief: Brian Smith

Administrative Secretary: Marsha Shannon

Law Director: Jill Allen

Building Inspector: Jim Ankrom


S10

holes on Harrison Street. They received grants for Phase I of work on Ada Doty Street (Ohio 503). There are two grants the village has been awarded, one to focus on water and the other for storm sewer. The work on Ada Doty will begin in 2017. They will focus from downtown to High Street. According to John-ston, there are “a lot of water breaks along that area.”

The village started the process to receive a grant for work on the Geeding Street bridge under ODOT’s Municipal Bridge pro-gram.

They hosted a clean up day this past year where they rented a dumpster for village residents to throw away unwanted items.

All of the village’s fire hydrants were tested and repainted. In November the village purchased a used dump trump equipped with leaf pick up equipment and the village will utilize that equipment to clean up during fall season.

The Town Hall was demolished and the village will make a new park out of it.

Christmastime in Gratis was a big hit this year. They held sever-al events, including the Fire and EMS Santa Parade. They also had a town Christmas tree which was lit. At that celebration, three prizes were given away from the Village Christmas Lights contest.

Two used police cars were purchased from another village.

A safety officer car was also purchased — this vehicle will be shared between Gratis Fire and Police. A new ambulance was purchased for EMS.

Gratis EMS and Fire Depart-ment even hosted a GOBA lunch for the bike riders.

“We’re small, but with a big heart,” Mayor Johnston said. “We do have a few drug prob-lems around, but we try to keep plenty of emergency personnel and police officers so we can stay on top of the problem and get rid of it.”

He added, “I have seven grand-kids who live in this town and I like it to be a good place for them to grow up. I grew up here. It’s a nice place. It doesn’t cost a lot to live out here. We’ve tried to control our water and sewer rates, we haven’t raised them in a few years. They might have to be raised in the coming year or two.”


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Mayor: David Johnston

Council Members: Cindy Hoffman, Doug Farquer,

Don Cronan, James Neal, Bejamin Roles, Chase Johnson.

Fiscal Officer: Tammy Line

Utility Clerk: Donna Hicks

Village Administer: Dale SmithFire Chief:

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Police Chief: Jeff King

From page 6

Gratis

“My small part of the cold shelter is a small part of a bright and shiny example of what a community can accomplish when we come together,” she said. “The real winners are our guests who come in out of the cold.”

Lewisburg Village Manager Jeff Sewert received the Dis-tinguished Service Award. Chair-elect Cindy Kaufman said every advancement Preble County makes, every committee doing something great, it seems “Jeff Sewert is involved somehow.”

“He’s just one of those great people you just can’t say enough about,” Kaufman said.

Sewert is vice president of the Preble County Historical Society, is treasurer of the Preble County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and is outgoing chair of the Preble County Development Part-nership.

“I look out in the audience tonight and there are many more people out there that deserve this award more than I,” Sewert said. He dedicated the award to his father.

“He taught me the word volunteer and how to do so,” Sewert said. “He taught me to give back to the commu-nity. But the most important thing he taught me was respect.”

Rexarc’s Robert Moyer was

honored as Young Profession-al of the Year. Moles called Moyer “passionate about training, developing and empowering the employees of Rexarc.”

“Growing up in Preble County, many of you have seen some of the achieve-ments I’ve accomplished — this is just another one that I will use as a springboard onto others, as an ‘old profession-al,” Moyer joked. He spoke of the great team at RexArc and offered thanks for the honor.

Wildcat Sports & Graphics in Eaton was named Small Business of the Year, while L&M Products was named Business of the Year. Latanza presented owner Jeff Weireter with the award.

Weireter said he has the “best customers.” He thanked the Preble County Develop-ment Partnership for its ser-vices, his family, and God.

L&M Executive Director Terry Stevens accepted the Business of the Year award on behalf of her board, staff, and the people they serve.

“2016 was a great year of excitement for us,” Stevens said. The new Wagner Cen-ter, home of L&M Products, opened its doors to the com-munity in July. L&M pur-chased and moved into the former Eaton Church of the Brethren located at 1407 N. Barron Street in Eaton.

Plans call for the new facil-ity to welcome community members into the new build-ing for meetings, activities and events. This will aid in the integration of people into

the community, give them life experiences and help teach skills.

Dow Chemical Company of West Alexandria was awarded the Outstanding Recycling Program Award.

Special guest speaker for the evening was Matt Appen-zeller, executive director of Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance. He spoke about the health insurance programs offered on the SOCA benefit plan. Preble County Econom-ic Development Directory Brenday Latanza reported on the progress of the Preble County Development Partner-ship.

This year’s awards gala, held at The Grange in Eaton, was sponsored by Premier Sponsor, Mary Bullen; Prin-cipal Sponsor Henny Penny; and supporting sponsors LCNB, SOCA and the PCDP. Dinner was provided by Buck-eye Jake’s of West Alexandria.

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4056 or on Twitter @emowen_RH.

Citizen of the Year: Toni Morgan

Young Professional of the Year:

Robert MoyerDistinguished Service Award:

Jeff SewertSmall Business

of the Year: Wildcat Sports & Graphics

Business of the Year: L&M Products, Inc.

Outstanding Recycling Program:

Dow Chemical Company

From page 1

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New restaurant opens in VeronaBy Kelsey [email protected]

VERONA — Mayor Mary Myers considers Verona’s greatest strength to be the communication between village officials and the “villagers.”

“Communication will make or break a village,” she said. “If you do not have that sort of commu-nication and trust, your village will go down the tubes.”

That is actually her main goal as a mayor. She wants to prove that Verona is a friendly village. She said, “I want people to know that we’re open, to talk to them and to listen to their needs. That to me is the most important part — being able to communicate with us here in the office.”

Verona is located on the eastern-most part of the county and resides in both Preble and Montgomery counties. Students of the

village are serviced by the Tri-County North School District. As of the 2010 census, the village had 494 citizens. The village office is located at 138 Mill St.

Verona welcomed new restaurant Bank House Cafe on Nov. 4, 2016. The cafe serves soup, salad, and a variety of coffee. They are open Thursdays and Fridays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday’s 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Every year Verona has

one big project and right now they are gearing up for one to begin in July or August. The village will see a complete restoration of West Main Street from the bridge all the way to the railroad track.

The village has applied for other grants to restore the rest of Main Street.

There is not much hap-pening currently by way of improvements in the vil-lage due to the preparation for the restoration project.

In the spring the village plans to get the concession stand “back up and going.” Mayor Myers clarified, it has been “going,” but is in dire need of rehabilitation.

Last fall the village com-pleted a project on Sand-hurst Street. There was a complete reconstruction of the road to improve its aesthetic.


Kelsey Kimbler|The Register-HeraldBank House Cafe opened in Verona on Nov. 4, 2016. They are open Thursdays and Fridays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Mayor: Mary MyersCouncil: Nikki Plank,

Jenni Baker, Jamie Strayer, Andrew Baker,

James DempseyFiscal Officer: Julie SmithFire Chief: Ray RayburgWater Superintendent:

Gary WagnerStreet Superintendent:

Tim DelkZoning: David Smith

BPA: Kim Askins

Photos from the 2016 Chamber Awards

Jeff Sewert receives the Distinguished Service Award from Cindy Kaufman, Preble County Chamber Chair-Elect.

Home is The Foundation employee Toni Morgan was named the Preble County Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year. Chamber Chair Jason Moles is shown honoring Morgan during the special awards gala on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Photos by Eddie Mowen Jr. | The Register-HeraldWildcat Sports & Graphics in Eaton was named Small Business of the Year.


S12

The 539-employee company continues to grow. This year, Henny Penny applied for — and was approved for — a $500,000 Economic Development CDBG loan with the Ohio Development Services Agency, to be used toward the purchase of $1.7 million in new equipment.”

According to officials, with this investment, Henny Penny will create 21 new jobs.

“This ODSA funding is a great opportunity for Preble County. As Henny Penny pays back the $500,000, it goes into a County Revolv-ing Loan Fund that will be utilized for companies in need of gap financing. Thank you Henny Penny!” Latanza said.

She continued, “Just this year, Kettering Health Net-work invested $10.5 mil-lion to build and equip the Preble County Emergency Center. As a result, 43 jobs have been created to date. Coming soon is the helicop-ter base for MedFlight. This is an awesome benefit to the county!

“Silfex continues to grow. In 2010 there were 206 employees — prior to the most recent project this year, they had 366 employ-ees.”

According to Latanza, with a new investment of $5.4 million in equipment and facility, Silfex is adding 109 new jobs. Working in conjunction with the City of Eaton, JobsOhio and the Ohio Development Services Agency, Silfex received a commitment of $541,000 in state incentives and $135,000 Job Creation tax incentive from the City of Eaton.

The Preble County Devel-opment Partnership works with businesses of all sizes. “This year the PCDP made our first loan to a small business from a Revolving Loan Fund that was cre-ated through the Business Development Commit-tee,” Latanza explained. “The Revolving Loan Fund Committee reviewed the

application from Wilcat Sports & Graphics’ screen printing and embroidery business and approved them for funding in the amount of $10,000. This small business, located on Main Street in Eaton, continues to grow and build their business. They are greatly appreciative to the partner-ship for this gap financing resource.”

The PCDP continues to work to promote area prop-erties for potential growth opportunities.

“Early this year, the Part-nership submitted two prop-erties for the Ohio Devel-opment Services Agency SiteOhio initiative,” Latan-za said. “The sites could fall within the ‘fatally flawed’ group, the ‘pipeline group’ or the ‘ready to be certified’ group. Both of ours fell into the pipeline category.”

According to Latanza, the PCDP has been able to con-tinue working with one of the sites, 161 acres located in Lewisburg. “We resub-mitted the site with updated information mid-November for a second round review,” she said. “This is a work in progress. We should hear from them by end of Febru-ary 2017 on our new score.”

Preble County held its first Business Walk this year. Representatives from the Preble County Develop-ment Partnership and other regional resource partners canvassed the community to talk with business owners.

“We were able to discuss opportunities and obstacles that may face their business and to provide them with resources and assistance to address their needs,” Latan-za said. “We broke into teams and visited 20 small businesses in Eaton, West Alexandria and Lewisburg.”

The Preble County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and Land Use Plan was in the final stages of completion in early December. Preble County Commissioners completed their review, it was approved by the Plan-ning Commission and the required two public hear-ings were held.

“This was a huge under-taking by the Partnership, the county and the Business

Development Committee,” Latanza said. “Once the process is complete, we will present the plan to our mayors and townships. We appreciate the input from all who were involved.”

Other success stories stem from Workforce Devel-opment Committee activi-ties.

“We are fortunate that Sinclair Community College operates a manufacturing training lab in our county,” Latanza said. “Several of our companies are utilizing the lab now. The Partner-ship and our Workforce Development Committee work closely with our edu-cators. Sinclair recently invested $75,000 in new equipment for the lab. It is in a very convenient loca-tion and easy to access.”

According to Latanza, the PCDP Workforce Develop-ment Committee assembled the manufacturing com-munity this past summer to assist Sinclair and MVCTC in creating an entry-level manufacturing training pro-gram to address challenges “with regard to the pipeline of entry-level workers and skills gaps with current workforce.”

Some 25 industry part-ners participated in the session, according to Latanza. “Input from the county’s employers ensures outcomes are aligned with industry needs,” she said.

“As part of our strategy to simultaneously address workforce development and economic development, Preble County has worked together to become an ACT Certified Work Ready Com-munity,” Latanza reported. “We are excited to say that we reached that goal early this fall. We are the only Certified ACT Work Ready Community in the State of Ohio. Others are working toward certification.”

The ACT certification is based primarily on the National Career Readiness Certificate, according to Latanza, who said this is a “portable industry-recog-nized credential that identi-fies a person’s skills by uti-lizing three ACT WorkKeys assessments: applied math, reading for information and locating information.”

“When a person walks into a company to interview for a job, we have 38 com-panies in our county that understand the value of the NCRC,” Latanza said. “It is just as important that the individual understands the value as well.”

Marketing Preble County and encouraging growth will continue, and many things make it easy, accord-ing to Latanza.

“We have all the benefits of having I-70 run through our county, along with the abundance of water, great utility partners, and land and buildings, and we welcome the opportunity to market Preble County for potential new business opportunities,” she said. “With our JobsOhio part-

ners, we have the opportu-nity to showcase our region and Preble County to site selectors across the United States. Whether we are visiting them in their state or they come to Ohio to visit our region, these are invaluable opportunities to learn from site selectors and to show the value of our region and our communities for potential new business opportunities.”

“Preble County is the fifth largest ag county in the state and we pride ourselves in our strong workforce and strong work ethic,” Latanza said. “These traits make it easy to market Preble County.”

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4056 or on Twitter @emowen_RH.

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SubmittedSinclair Community College operates a manufacturing training lab in Eaton. Several Preble County companies are utilizing the lab, and the Preble County Development Partnership and Workforce Development Committee work closely with local educators. Sinclair recently invested $75,000 in new equipment for the lab.

From page 1

PCDP

SubmittedThe Preble County Development Partnership submitted two properties for the Ohio Development Services Agency SiteOhio initiative in 2016. They have been able to continue to work with 161 acres in Lewisburg, and should know more about the site’s future in the program in February 2017.


S13

Twin and Washington. These communities are connected to each other and to the outside world by a network of roadways including 1-70, U.S. 127, U.S. 35, U.S. 40, and 10 state routes.

There are 18 public schools in the county’s five school districts, which provide primary and sec-ondary education to close to 8,000 school-aged chil-dren. Several colleges and universities located nearby provide higher education, including Miami Univer-sity, Wright State Uni-versity, Earlham College, University of Dayton, and Sinclair Community Col-lege, which has a branch campus located in Eaton.

Nearly three quarters of Preble County is farmland and it consistently ranks in the top ten in hog and corn production for the state of Ohio.

In their State of the County update, held in March 2016, Preble Coun-ty Commissioners noted several recent accomplish-ments, and discussed the financial status of the county.

“Things are a lot bet-ter” now than they were in 2008-2009, according to Preble County Com-mission President Rodney Creech.

Creech had his first experience at presenting the annual “State of the County” address during a breakfast event hosted by the Preble County Chamber of Commerce in March 2016.

According to Creech, a lot of improvement has been seen on the relation-ship side of things, partic-ularly between the county offices, City of Eaton, and area villages.

“Relationships have come a long way,” Creech said in opening his presen-tation. “If we’re all going in separate directions, it’s just not going to happen.”

Hearkening back to the ‘08-‘09 fiscal years, and citing cuts from the state and more that began around that time, Creech said the county’s general fund is in a better state now than it was then.

Number one reason: an increase in sales tax reve-nue, which is the county’s largest revenue source at 51 percent of the GF.

The increase in sales tax revenue means the economy in Preble County is doing well. “For the most part, people are doing great,” Creech said of area businesses.

The second increase is due to property tax rev-enue (23 percent of the GF,) most of which goes to the five area school districts.

The property tax increase was seen state-wide, due mostly to the triennial update and CAUV (Current Agricul-tural Use Value.)

Other revenue is nowhere near where it was in ‘08-‘09. State-pro-vided Local Government Funds were at $800,000 then, and continue to drop. These funds, which make up four percent of the county’s General Fund was just over $412,000 in 2015. Although LGFs recently showed a slight increase, they are expect-ed to decrease again next year.

Interest income is beginning to go back up, according to Creech.

On the service revenue side of things, Creech pointed out there hasn’t been a lot of change to charges for services from the Clerk of Courts, Juvenile Court or Preble County Recorder — these are very important sources of revenue for the county, and account for 11 percent of the total Gen-eral Fund.

The county saw approx-imately $483,000 from Ohio’s Casino Tax, which accounts for four percent of the General Fund.

On the expense side of things, Creech pointed out, in 2008, the county was typically spending more than it was taking in. In 2009, after some “changes in leadership” he said the county made some “dramatic cuts.”

Some six years later, Creech noted, the expen-ditures and revenue were close in 2015, but for good reason, and mainly because there was a lot of facility upkeep and main-tenance taken care of. That makes the figures a little misleading, he noted.

The Preble County Courthouse is almost a century old — “there’s a lot of maintenance to a courthouse,” he said.

Other county court-houses have been found to not be safe. Not so Preble County’s.

Other increased expen-ditures are attributed to Children Services, and the mandated services which are “pretty much out of our control,” Creech said.

In 2010, JFS services accounted for $162,000 from the General Fund.

In 2015, that number rose to $571,000.

Of mandated services, Children Services, which includes child placements, was up most, with an $160,000 increase in man-dated services.

The steep increase in need for services can be highly attributed to the ongoing drug issues, including the heroin epidemic, according to officials.

“Until we can stop that, we’re going to have this issue,” Creech said. “And even the professionals can’t figure out how.”

Indigent defense costs from the General Fund are down, but this is another expense which is out of the county’s control. Thanks to an increase in reimbursement percent-ages, now at 48 percent, this expense continues to trend downward.

“Income is up, expenses are up, but it’s getting bet-ter,” Creech said.

The current board made some decisions to update facilities and equipment, $36,000 of which was on cleaning and maintaining the outside of the court-house.

Some accomplishments for the county in 2015 included:

•Cleaning and repairing of courthouse parapets.

•Paving and striping of parking lots. (County officials also worked in conjunction with the City of Eaton, to pave some alleyways, a collaboration which worked out well, according to commission-ers.)

•Updating the Juvenile Courtroom

•Updating the 1980s telephone system

•Updating the 9-1-1 dis-patch consoles, providing new radios to all Preble County Sheriff’s Deputies to enable the SO to com-municate on the state’s MARCS (multi-agency radio communication) system.

•Installing new boilers and chillers at the Preble County Sheriff’s Office.

•Receiving funds to aid in the purchase of electronic poll books for voter verification for the Preble County Board of Elections. The county has also set aside funds to purchase new voting equipment, according to Creech.

According to Creech, the county currently has approximately $3 mil-lion (about two or three months’ expenses) unen-cumbered in the county’s “checkbook.”

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” said Creech, who

said the county spends approximately $900,000/month.

The county could barely make payroll at one point in 2009, according to officials. “We can’t look at a few months ahead, not even six months,” Creech said. “We have to look out a year ahead.”

Preble County has saved about $320,000 by pumping leachate from the Preble County Landifll to the Lakengren Water Authority for processing. This is a considerable sav-ings, according to Creech, who said there has been so much rainfall this year some leachate still had to be trucked out.

Community Develop-ment Block Grant awards from the state have allowed the county to help area villages with major infrastructure projects for the past 33 years. Since 1982, the county has received over $5.1 million which was used in improvements for the City of Eaton, villages and townships and improve-ments at several county agencies. Most recently, in 2015 West Elkton received $51,000 for sidewalks, curbs and storm sewers and Lewisburg received $40,000 for downtown improvements.

In 2015, West Elkton also received $300,000 in Community Distress/Neighborhood Revitaliza-tion funding for Main Street improvements in the village.

•The Preble County Sanitary Landfill hosted a ground breaking for its new administration and maintenance building on Monday, Oct. 24.

Reverend Ken Harbaum of Covenant of Peace Church opened the festivi-ties with a prayer, blessing the property and praying for the safety of the people working at the facility. Commissioner Rodney Creech, County Commis-sion President, followed by saying, “The Commis-sioners are excited that this project is coming to fruition after years of plan-ning. We thank everyone involved for their hard work and support of the building effort.”

“The steel building will have an 88 by 60 foot footprint and the offices

will occupy an area 40 by 60,” said Commissioner Chris Day as he explained the displayed building drawings. “The mainte-nance area will occupy the remaining 48 by 60 feet, providing a covered heated area for our people to work on the landfill equipment.”

“We also wish to thank the men and women who work here on a daily basis, providing a safe location for the proper manage-ment of the County’s recy-clable and waste streams,” said Commissioner Denise Robertson.

The building was designed under a contract with T&M Associates. The site work is being performed by C.G. Con-struction and the building contractor is Arcon Build-ers.

•Preble County recent-ly received a $500,000 Community Develop-ment Block Grant award through the Economic Development Loan and Public Infrastructure Pro-gram to help local manu-facturer Henny Penny purchase a new laser and two pieces of associated equipment.

Henny Penny Corp. is a manufacturer of commer-cial food equipment for fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, Wendy’s and KFC. Locat-ed in Eaton, the company employs more than 500 people at its facility. It sources approximately 50 percent of its materials from Ohio companies, and exports nearly 50 percent of its products outside the United States.

The company will create 21 new jobs as a result of the project.

“Working with local offi-cials, we are helping cre-ate jobs in Preble County,” said David Goodman, director of the Ohio Devel-opment Services Agency.

“The Preble County Development Partnership and the county worked closely with the state to make sure we had every-thing in place that was required from Henny Penny and our offices to gain approval on this ini-tiative,” Economic Devel-opment Director Brenda Latanza said.

“The Community Development Block Grant

Economic Development Program is federal fund-ing that provides up to $500,000 per project. We were fortunate to get the maximum amount for Henny Penny,” Latanza said. “Funds are granted to communities to make loans to local, for-profit businesses for fixed-asset financing – such as the equipment for Henny Penny. Loan repayments come to the county into a local Revolving Loan Fund and may be used to finance additional Com-munity Development Block Grant-eligible proj-ects in the community. This is a great resource for Preble County and the Partnership.”

“Henny Penny Corpora-tion is fortunate to contin-ue to experience a steady growth in sales, and as a result, we continue to invest in our business and provide more employment opportunities,” said Art Harlan, Henny Penny’s Executive Vice President, and the company’s rep-resentative on the Preble County Development Partnership board of trust-ees. “We are grateful to the Preble County Devel-opment Partnership, the Preble County Commis-sioners and the State of Ohio for this grant in sup-port of our manufacturing equipment project.”

“Henny Penny Cor-poration, has purchased the latest in Punch/Fiber Laser technology,” said Jeff Maggard, Henny Penny Manufacturing Manager. “The equip-ment is engineered for high-speed productivity. In addition to ensuring maxi-mum speed, the highly efficient fiber laser uses approximately a third of the electricity of our cur-rent systems. Investing in this high speed processing center will provide Henny Penny a foundation to build upon for many years to come.”

The Community Devel-opment Block Grant Eco-nomic Development Loan and Public Infrastructure Grant Program is admin-istered by the Ohio Devel-opment Services Agency’s Office of Community Development.

Historical information from Preble County Commissioners can be found at www.prebco.org.

Preble County Courthouse

Photos By Eddie Mowen Jr. | The Register-HeraldPreble County Commissioner Rodney Creech speaks during the annual State of the County address held in March of 2016.

From page 1

Progress


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Building Condos in Cobblestone Trailoff of Eaton Ave., Eaton, OH

Senior Condominium DevelopmentAge 55 and over

Check out the condos in progressCall JP Frizzell Construction LLC to set up an appointment to get started

1727 North Barron St., Eaton, OH 45320www.jpfrizzellconstruction.com

40963030

•Walking Paths •A Neighborly Life Style•Great Location •Quiet Neighborhood•Maintenance Free Exterior •Choice of Floor Plans•2 & 3 Bedrooms Available •Pond•Clubhouse & Pool (will build at later date)

TRI-STATEHOME MEDICAL

1409 U.S. Route 35 EastEaton, Ohio 45320

Office (937) 472-3335Toll Free (866) 464-5805

Fax (936) 472-3332Email: [email protected]

40962993

IN

KYOH Dlan PhilbeckManager of Operations

SUPPLYING ALL YOUR HOME MEDICAL NEEDSWhat We DoTri-State Medical is a family owned and operated DME company supplying all your home medical needs to patients in Ohio, Indianna and Kentucky.

Tri-State Home Medical works in collaboration with others in the medical community to provide the highest quality healthcare products and services to patients in their own home.

Below are a few examples of services that we provide to our patients.

•Free delivery and setup•Free consultations and evaluations•Maintenance and repair service•Satisfaction gaurantee

Preble Proud 2017Businesses

First Impression Wear (FIW)First Impression Wear (FIW)Manager: Andrea ThompsonAddress: 120 E. Main St., Eaton.Years in business: 11Number of employees: 4Goods manufactured/sold: Custom screen

printing/embroidery, spirit wear, tuxedo rental.Plans for 2017 and beyond: Continue to strive

to make our customers happy and make the com-pany the best it can be.

What should readers know? FIW is a local business who takes pride in making our customers happy. We’re honest and hardworking.

Preble County Ace Hardware celebrating 25 years

Business Name: Preble County Ace HardwareOwner’s Name: Travis EarleyAddress: 1104 N. Barron St., EatonYears in business: 25Number of employees: Six full-time, eight part-timeGoods manufactured/sold:Standard hardware items, to include: cleaning sup-

plies, paint & sundries, hand tools, power tools & accessories, electrical supplies, plumbing supplies, hardware, fasteners, lawn & garden supplies, outdoor equipment & power tools, and outdoor living.

Recent accomplishments:We are a certified helpful hardware store. Our Ace

Hardware cooperative has won the JD Power and Asso-ciates “highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores” for 10 consecutive years. Our Clark + Kensington exterior paint tied for number one in Consumer Reports’ 2017 paint study.

Plans for 2017 and beyond?We will continue to provide our customers with

excellent customer service, relevant product lines for today’s consumers, and an ongoing support of the com-munity.

What should readers know about Preble County Ace Hardware?

We are a locally owned and operated member of the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry. We are committed to being “the Help-ful Place” by offering our customers knowledgeable advice, helpful service, and quality products. Our staff members not only work, but live, in the community which affords us a good understanding of our customer base and their needs.

Walnut Harvest Auctions, LLCEATON — Walnut Harvest

Auctions, LLC was founded in 1999 here in Preble County by Bob Roach and then in 2007 Anna Marie “Bullock” Roach, came on board as a “wife-manager” and realtor. It has grown to be South-west Ohio’s premier auction and real estate service. Trust a busi-ness that mixes modern technol-ogy with old-fashioned values and work ethic. Choose a hard work-ing family-owned and operated business for honesty, competitive pricing, and no hidden fees.

Are you searching for a knowledgeable team to provide residential, commercial or farm property services? Do you need

help auctioning an estate’s items? Count on the knowledgeable team of Walnut Harvest Auctions to work hard for you. Browse their real estate listings and read about their company’s 25 combined years of experience…

Clients know their marketing plans are in great hands with them. They custom tailor plans for their needs. Clients include probate courts, trust officers of banks, attorneys, schools, govern-mental entities, estates, private sellers, businesses and farmers. State-of-the-art equipment and technology is used to showcase auction property. Walnut Harvest Auctions wants to get you the

largest return for your invest-ment.

Auctioned products have included real estate of all types, industrial plants and heavy equip-ment, farms and livestock and equipment, business liquidations, construction and restaurant equipment, bankruptcies and fore-closures, antiques, coins, firearms, toys, jewelry benefits, fine art, fur-niture, cash buyouts, automobiles and asset seizures.

For a free confidential con-sultation call 937-456-4967. We provide service you deserve with experience that makes a differ-ence. That’s our auction advan-tage!

Knolls of OxfordOXFORD — The Knolls

of Oxford is a non-profit continuing care retire-ment community, owned and operated by Maple Knoll Communities Inc., with a history of more than 168 years of serving older adults. Located on an 85-acre campus, the community offers villas, assisted living apartments

and skilled nursing facility and a rehabilitation center.

Designed for those with a sense of discovery and a zest for life, the community is located just one mile from Miami University. Here, in a spacious new home, one can enjoy all the charm, security, stimula-tion and culture of living in a University town.


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FURNITURE

100th Anniversary

McFall’s Furniture Store, A Family Owned Business

FlOOR SAMplE SAlE gOINg ON!!!Save up to 400.00 off !!

McFall’s 215 East Main Street, Eaton, OH

937-456-357040963001 40962990

JP Frizzell Construction LLCJP Frizzell Construc-

tion LLCOwners: Jim and Pat

FrizzellAddress: 1727 N. Barron

St., EatonYears in business: 7Number of employees: 8

(Looking for qualified help)Goods manufactured/

sold: New homes, senior condos, remodeling

Recent accomplish-ments? Developed senior condo project off East Ave., Eaton.

Plans for 2017 and beyond? Building homes, senior condos, and doing remodeling jobs.

What should readers know about your busi-ness? JP Frizzell Construc-tion LLC, new name, same

familiar faces. Jim and Pat Frizzell have been in the construction business for over 40 years, with experience in custom and spec homes, also building senior condos off of East Avenue in Eaton. Build-ing a home on your lot or ours, it doesn’t matter. We will build a quality home for a good price. We have a packet of plans you can pick from or Jim can build from your prints, he can also change any blueprints to your liking since blue-print drawing is done at our office. We have a show-room of samples to choose your own flooring, roof-ing, brick, cabinets, and countertops. JP Frizzell Construction LLC can also

do any type of remodel-ing, room additions, blow insulation in your attic, excavation work. No job is too big or too small. Our office is located at 1727 N. Barron St., Eaton, Ohio. Call us for a free estimate or to talk to us about build-ing your dream home or condo at 937-456-4296 or stop by the office Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or drop us an E-mail and we will be glad to call you. Our e-mail address is [email protected]. Jim and Pat will be more than happy to talk with you in the evenings or weekends by appointment only. Check out our website at www.jpfrizzellconstruction.com.

Just Teasin’ ready to showcase skillsBy Adam CobleFor Just Teasin’

EATON — When a business undergoes a structural change, whether it is a change in location or a change in management/own-ership, there are things that can often be lost in the shuffle. These changes tend to lead to new and unforeseen challenges such as productivity issues to the poten-tial loss in foot traffic.

Regardless of what changes there are, potential challenges have a habit of rearing its ugly head on any given day. For some, these challenges can discourage new owners from implementing new ideas, but for 24-year-old Sheena Moyer, these challenges are just another way for her to showcase her skills.

Just Teasin’ has been in busi-ness for just over a decade (11 years) and has become a staple in Eaton. Previously owned by Kathy Clapp, the salon which is located on 110 E. Main St. is known for offering services that have become standard in salons all over the country. With the ownership change, Sheena plans on incorporating some of her own ideas and passions into the shop while still staying true to the salon’s essence.

Sheena and the Just Teasin’team are hard at work with introducing Eaton to an entirely new and unique salon

experience. Sheena wants to breathe new life into the salon, by bringing in two more hair stylists, as well as bringing a nail technician to the team. In addition to a growing team, the salon will also carry cosmetics and fashion collections inspired by the 50s (think Grease meets Dior). Sheena also plans on offer-ing personal shopper services, for those looking to get a ward-robe makeover to go with their new hairstyle.

It is apparent that Sheena wants to make Just Teasin’ a one stop shop for everything beauty and fashion. And even though we are just two months into the new year, Just Teasin’ is already mak-ing great strides under Sheena’s lead. The changes to the salon will bring a new perspective to Eaton, and will hopefully become a destination not only for the citi-zens of Eaton, but also for people looking for something fresh and unique without having to drive great distances to find it.

Just Teasin’ has a bright future ahead of it, and it is only getting brighter. Remember to bring this article into Just Teasin’ to receive 20 percent off of your ser-vice that day (this includes hair and eyelash extensions). If you are an aspiring stylist wanting to get a fresh start, then it would be good to head on over to Just Teasin’ and apply inside.

Wildcat Sports & Graphics, LLCOwner: Jeff WeireterAddress: 121 E. Main St., EatonYears in business: 25+Number of employees: 2-3Goods manufactured/sold: Custom

screen printing & embroidery for: t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, sportswear, team uniforms, corporate apparel, outerwear, varsity jackets, bags & promotional products. We also rent tuxedos.

Recent accomplishments? 2016 Preble County Chamber of Commerce Small Busi-ness of the Year Award

Plans for 2017 and beyond? Future plans include expanding into new markets such as: trophies & awards, signs & banners, direct-to-garment printing, and sublimation transfers.

What should readers know about your business? After selling Wildcat Sports in 2011, Jeff Weireter, the original owner, is excited to be back as owner/operator. Jeff and his daughter Natalie along with his brother Curt returned at the beginning of 2016 and want to thank each and every customer for the warm welcome back. Our philosophy: “The creativity is already in our customers, we sim-ply have to ability to put it on their shirt!”

Wildcat Sports & Graphics, LLC


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Retirement Lifestyle At Its BEST!

40963025

No up-front Endowment or conversion of your assets!

Lakeview Assisted living is for individuals needing some assistance with activities of daily life but do not require continual skilled medical services. Located within the beautiful BrookHaven com-munity, Lakeview offers a safe supportive, enjoyable lifestyle for seniors who find

that living alone is no longer a viable option.

Comfort and CareWith a Supportive Lifestyle!

Unique SettingWith an Independent Lifestyle!

The cottage homes in the Estates at BrookHaven offer a uniquely independent life-style with all the comfort, care and security. You’ll enjoy the comforts of your own home without the worries of house-hold upkeep.

All your basic services are located on campus - including banking, salon, transportation

and healthcare - all within easy walking distance.

Our goal at BrookHaven Rehabilitation Center is to get you back to those you love as soon as possible with maximum mobility, performance and communication skills. Our professional staff evaluates each patient’s functional abilities and then designs a

customized rehabilitation program for each individual.

RehabilitationFor a Better Quality of Life

RehabilitationFor a Better Quality of Life

Carefree LivingWith All the Amenities!

The apartments in BrookHaven’s Villas provide all of the freedom, comfort, convenience and security you deserve. All your basic services are right here on campus - including banking, salon, transportation and healthcare - and within easy

walking distance.

Exceptional CareWith Compassion!

The BrookHaven Nursing Center with 140 beds is located on the 116 acre BrookHaven Retire-ment Community Campus. The Center offers

long-term care for individuals with a chronic medical condition. Our nursing staff is available around-the-clock to assist your loved one with daily physical, social and psychological needs. We are licensed by the Ohio Department of Health and Medicare and Medicaid Certified.

Nursing Center and Memory Care

LIMITED AVAILABILITY!Are you looking to enjoy your retirement in a unique setting with an independent lifestyle?

Contact us at 937-833-2133 for a tour today.

One Country Lane, Brookville, OH 45309 • www.brookhavenoh.org

BrookHaven is conveniently located in Brookville, Ohio, just twenty minutes from Dayton.

937-833-2133


BODY SHOPStan’ s OVER 30 YRS EXPERIENCE

456-1387410 N. Cherry - Eaton, OH.

BODY wOrk ON all makESInsurance claIms InvIted

CHIEF E•Z-lINEr & GENESIS GOlD

CHIEF E-Z LINER & VELOCITY• Complete Paint Specialist• Heavy Collision Work• Fiberglass & Metal Work• Future Cure Spray Booth

Body Work On All MakesInsurance Claims Invited

PrecisionCollisionrepair

FrEE ESTImaTES

40962976 4096

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Jesse’s DinerBusiness name: Jesse’s DinerOwner: Jesse KittsAddress: 123 Camden Ave., West Elkton.In business for less than a year, Jesse’s is a

local diner selling fresh, locally grown products.Recent accomplishments: Opening day took

place on Feb. 13. The restaurant will be holding “Fish Friday” every Friday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Plans for 2017 and beyond: Planning on hosting community events like car shows and drive-in movies.

What should readers know? Jesse’s Diner is locally owned and operated by a young couple, native to the area. Jesse is a professionally trained chef who strives to bring personality and love to the food he serves.

Greenbriar Sr. Living CampusGreenbriar Sr. Living CampusOwners: October EnterprisesAddress: 501 West Lexington, Eaton.Years in business: 25-plusNumber of employees: 90-plusGreenbriar has skilled nursing, assisted

living, independent living, short term reha-bilitation, outpatient therapy and 24-hour nursing care.

Recent accomplishments: Certified for music and memory therapy, certified thera-

pist for Parkinson’s disease.Plans for 2017 and beyond: Continue

the most up-to-date campus for therapy, nursing and more.

What should readers know? Beautiful country campus. Less than 5 miles from I-70; less than 2 miles from U.S. 35; cen-trally located in the heart of Eaton. Active supporter of Alzheimer’s Association. Fam-ily owned and operated.

Summit ChiropracticSummit ChiropracticOwner: Dr. Earl HouseAddress: 1338 N. Barron St

Eaton, Ohio 45320Years in Business: Just begin-

ning 4th yearNumber of employees: 3Summit Chiropractic has been in

their new facility since August of 2015. The office is located at 1338 North Barron Street in Eaton at the Five Points Shopping Center.

Summit Chiropractic is owned and operated by Eaton native, Dr. Earl House, D.C., who is a gradu-ate of Life University in Marietta Georgia. Dr. House is passionate about setting people free from their current health conditions so they may live their lives to their fullest potential

Over the past 3 years, Dr. House and the Summit Chiropractic Team have served the Preble County community with cutting-edge Neuro-structural Chiropractic care. The Summit team looks forward to continue serving Preble County and the surrounding com-munities in their “state of the art” facility. With regular Chiropractic care, nerve interference is removed with gentle specific scientific chi-ropractic adjustments, restoring mental and physical well-being. According to the research, that means more energy, better move-ment, and a stronger immune sys-tem! More families are choosing Chiropractic care to take control of their health than ever before because no one is ever too young or too old to obtain a life of opti-mal health.

Summit Chiropractic corrects the underlying cause of many

health issues by adjusting the structure of the spine and allowing the body to function properly, the way it was designed. Summit Chi-ropractic offers the convenience of on-site x-ray and Dr. House special-izes in adjusting people of all ages including pediatrics and children, pregnant women, geriatrics, ath-letes of all kinds, and families. New practice members are always accepted and appointments are available the same day in most cases. At Summit Chiropractic, our mission is to empower our community to take control of their health naturally.

The Summit team enjoys serv-ing the Preble County and sur-rounding areas through a variety of community services with our annual Thanksgiving Turkey drive, the Military Care package drive, The “Undie 500” and our annual Food and supply drive for the Humane Society of Preble County. Summit also sponsors many local sports teams including local Little League and Softball teams and the Dire Skates Roller Derby team.

Summit supports the local citi-zens through community health and wellness talks for local busi-nesses, private groups and church-es. Call today to add Summit to your event calendar today.

Stop in and see the Summit Team and take a tour of our “state of the art” facility. Office hours are Monday 9 a.m.-noon, 3-6:30 p.m., Tuesday 3-6:30 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m.-noon, 3-6:30 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m.-noon, 3-6:30 p.m., Closed Friday-Sunday. Call to schedule a complimentary consult, 937-369-0422.

Yankee Clover MercantileYankee Clover MercantileOwners: Jerry & Jacki GrossAddress: 208 N. Commerce St., LewisburgGoods sold: We are an eclectic blend of

antiques and home decor. Nice collection of unique items and handmade gifts. Upscale selection.

Recent accomplishments: We bought the building in January 2016 and opened in June after a complete remodel. We have been very successful so far, and try very hard to carry items not found anywhere else.

Plans for 2017 and beyond: Keep growing! We have been so pleased! Our customer base is a one-hour radius — Tipp City, Troy, Cen-terville, Springboro — we’d love more local!

What should readers know? My husband and I have collected antiques for about 35 years and are getting rid of our collection so the antiques are coming from our house. Decor items are lines that I have always loved. I want you to be inspired when you come in the store — there’s always something fresh and new!


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Prodigy Salon and Spa LLC

EATON — Prodigy Salon and Spa LLC is a new full-service salon located in downtown Eaton at 122 N. Barron Street.

The salon opened in fall 2016 and was honored by the Ohio Senate on their grand opening on Nov. 18, 2016.

Open Monday through Satur-day, Prodigy has 10 hairstylists, a nail technician and a massage therapist.

Various retail salon hair care products are available for pur-chase.

Prodigy offers services includ-ing haircuts, colors, perms, manicures, body waxing, spray tans, and massages. Prices vary depending on services.

In the future, Prodigy would like to expand its business by adding additional services for its clientele.

The storefront is owned by Jacob and Chelsea Sorrell. For additional information or to schedule an appointment, call 937-336-5442.

National Trail Antiques MarketLEWISBURG – Located at 109 N.

Commerce Street in Lewisburg, National Trail Antiques has been in operation for 20 years under owner Judy Holster.

“Our customer- friendly pricing makes a purchase at National Trail Antiques Market one of the best antique values around,” Holster said in a press release. “We have thousands of items, both large and small covering many eras in our 7,000 square foot building. The well-stocked shelves and large selection of furniture provide interest for everyone. Primitives to Victorian furniture, jew-elry, glassware, kitchen items, postcards, linens; the stock is always changing thanks to great dealers.

“Our location at ½-mile north of Ohio Exit 14 off I-70 has good street park-ing and makes National Trail Antiques Market a great stop. The well-lit, air-conditioned vintage building makes a very pleasant

shopping experience. Dealers from all over the country come here to shop when traveling to and from nearby antique shows.

Although there is a waiting list, we

offer great booth rent with no commis-sions for persons looking for space. We cheerfully will tell customers about other shops in the area and provide maps for this part of Ohio. At our annual Christmas Open House, National Trail Antiques Market, holds a prize draw-ing (no purchase necessary) featuring gifts valued at $25 to $75. These gifts are provided by our dealers to express their appreciation for your patronage. The gifts include cash, gift certificates for restaurants, and more. Many booths offer special sale pricing at this time. And of course there are lots of goodies to nibble. Also, for children, there are take away gifts and a special drawing just for kids.

“The 2016 National Trail Antiques Market Christmas Open House will be held Nov. 25-27.

“Be sure to visit National Trail Antiques Market during the U.S. 40 Days Sale starting the Wednesday after Memorial Day. We are just a few blocks off U.S. 40 on Ohio 503. And don’t forget the U.S. 127 Sale — we’re close enough for a visit then, too.”

Camden Village PharmacyCAMDEN — In operation for 35 years,

Camden Village Pharmacy is a longtime, hometown business. Located at 75 w. Cen-tral Avenue in the village, Camden Village Pharmacy employees 15 people, according to owner Carol Perry.

Camden Village Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy offering prescriptions, vitamins and diabetic supplies at competi-tive prices. They offer compounding of

prescriptions as well.Perry and her staff are customizing

packaging to help customers take the right medications, at the right time, every time.

“We pre-sort multiple medications, in a single package, for the specified time of day. Compounding is available for indi-vidual prescriptions, for you or your pet,” Perry said.

Eaton Floral LLCEATON — Eaton Floral, LLC

is owned by Angela & Darrell Bryant. Located at 1320 N. Bar-ron Street, Eaton, the shop has been in business for 39 years and has four employees.

Angela and Darrell purchased the store in November 2015 after Angela had been employed there over 26 years.

Eaton Floral offers fresh flowers, plants, wind chimes, throw blankets, stepping stones, Dayspring, Legacy and Pum-pernickel cards, Candleberry candles, Be Happy snap jewelry,

Rothchild dips, Willow Tree and much more.

“We are a full-service florist specializing in everyday and sympathy as well as wedding work,” Angela noted. ” We take pride in our work and customer service is our number one priority. Our goal is to make everyone feel special, happy, and satisfied with their Eaton Floral experience. After all, we are your “Friendly Full-Service Florist.”

Visit Eaton Floral online at eatonfloral.com.


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An Eaton Legend....Now A Tradition

Phone 937-678-4981 Fax 937-678-9001811 St. Rt. 40 West, Eaton, Ohio 45320

Located 1/2 mile west of 127 on US 40

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.rodeoshop.com

Western Wear - Equipment ● Trailer SalesQuality and Service Since “1959”

Rodeo Shop Hours:Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. 10-6 ● Sun. 12-5

Closed Thursday & HolidaysTrailer Sales Hours:

Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 10-6 ● Sat., 10-4 Closed Thursday & Sunday

Celebrating58 Years!

4096

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Weaver Electric of OhioSubmitted

WEST ALEXANDRIA — Operated by own-ers Jesse and Andrea Weaver, Weaver Electric of Ohio has been in busi-ness for five years.

Located at 63 N. Main Street in West Alexan-dria, they currently have three employees.

Weaver Electric sells, services and installs Generac generators for home and business standby power. They also sell and install Square D QO and Home-line circuit breaker pan-els for home and busi-ness electrical services.

Weaver Electric of Ohio completely rewired a Burger King restau-

rant near Cincinnati in December 2015, install-ing conduit, wires, out-lets, and lights for the dining area and commer-cial kitchen.

“In the summer of 2015, we wired a new pole bam for Wesler Orchards in New Paris that they’ll use for their cider making process,” Weaver said.

“We want to continue to grow and expand our services to Preble Coun-ty and the Greater Day-ton area, and become the go-to electrical contrac-tor for all your electrical needs,” he added.

What should readers know about Weaver Elec-tric? “We are a locally

owned and operated electrical contractor with a focus on top qual-ity work, integrity, and reliability. As a grow-ing company, we are uniquely suited to give you our personal time and commitment with the resources to handle your project in a profes-sional and timely man-ner. We have a broad area of expertise, and we stay informed of current industry trends so that we’re relevant to your needs. We have a web-site with photos and tes-timonials from past cus-tomers, and more details about the services we offer, at weaverelectrico-fohio.com.”

Bales Funeral HomeBales Funeral HomeOwners: Derek & Eshelle BalesAddress: 249 N. Main St., CamdenTime in business: 7 monthsNumber of employees: FamilyServices: Death care and funeral

needs, pre-needs, insurance needs, cre-mation and memorial services. Pet cre-mations. Memorial markers, headstones for cemetery.

Recent accomplishments? Remod-eled and renovated new chapel area.

Plans for 2017 and beyond: Con-tinue to update funeral home.

What should readers know? We are a full service funeral home from death care to funeral planning. Our caring and knowledgeable funeral director will walk you through the planning process. We will care for your loved one in your time of need. If you have made pre-arrange-ments through the funeral home here in Camden, please call us to check on your account. 40962984

Life insurance underwritten by Nationwide Life Insurance Company. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies, Home Office: Coumbus, OH 43215-2220 L1 11/00

134 N. BarronEaton, Ohio 45320Office 456-3818

HERB GIBSONLISA BURROWS ASSOC AGENT


Stop in and see us!

The White Squirrel 111 W Somers St.

Downtown Eaton

Now acceptingnew dealers

Spaces are limited

DEALERS WELCOME • SPACE AVAILABLE937~456~1455

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Preble Proud 2017SchoolsEaton Community Schools proud of accomplishmentsSubmitted by Eaton Community Schools

EATON — The Eaton Com-munity School District enjoys a strong tradition of excellence and can be proud of its many out-standing accomplishments. The staff in our schools and the Board of Education are committed to providing quality educational pro-grams that meet the diverse needs of all students. We enthusiastically accept the challenge to create an array of learning experiences that will raise the level of academic achievement and enable our youth to be competitive in a rapidly changing world.

Eaton Community Schools’ reputation is built on great tradi-tions, high standards of excellence and community values. Through the generosity of our commu-nity, the district is also known throughout the area as providing outstanding and beautiful school buildings. In addition, through private donations, our Community Athletic, Wellness and Arts Cen-ter provides state of the art facili-ties. These facilities allow us to enhance instruction and advance the academic achievement of our current students and those in gen-erations to come.

Listed below are a few high-lights of this school year:

Hollingsworth East Elementary Project More

Hollingsworth East Elementary School is in its third year of imple-menting a mentor based reading intervention program called Proj-ect More. This is a highly effective community based volunteer read-ing program that assists students in grades K-2 who need additional support with reading. Each stu-dent enrolled in Project More receives 1-to-1 reading instruction with a mentor, 3 times a week. Currently there are 42 students benefitting from this initiative. Program data has shown that Project More has a huge impact on student’s reading success. Men-tors and students enjoy working with each other and establishing

a positive relationship. We are continually recruiting additional volunteers who would be willing to spend a minimum of 2 hours a week mentoring students in this program. Early intervention is key to success in reading and overall academic success. If you are inter-ested in making a difference in the success of an East Elementary stu-dent, contact Mary Mendenhall, Project More Coordinator, at 456-5173 or [email protected] to become a mentor.

William Bruce Elementary School — Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS)

Positive Behavioral Interven-tion Supports (PBIS) is a decision making framework that guides selection, integration and imple-mentation of evidence-based academic and behavioral prac-tices. The focus of this program is improving important academic and behavior outcomes for all stu-dents. This includes proactive and responsive methods which align classroom and school-wide expec-tations. The PBIS team at William Bruce Elementary School is work-ing collaboratively to revise and redesign their student behavior system to include current research and practices along with growing an understanding of the social and emotional behaviors of students.

Eaton Middle School — Project Lead the Way

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) introduces students to the explo-rations of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). This program is designed to engage students, increase confi-dence, enhance inquisitiveness, and challenge students to find alternative methods to solve a problem. Students receive rigor-ous and relevant experiences through activity, project, and problem based learning. PLTW uses industry-leading technology to solve problems while students gain skills in communication, col-laboration, critical-thinking, and creativity. All 7th grade students participate in a nine week class

with a focus on design and model-ing. In 8th grade, PLTW is a nine week elective with an emphasis on automation and robotics.

Eaton High School — Credit Recovery

The Eaton High School Credit Recovery program is a non-tradi-tional classroom which provides assistance to students who are credit deficient. The goal of this class is to give credit deficient stu-dents an opportunity to graduate high school in four years. Students work diligently at their own pace to complete assignments in an effort to earn credits toward grad-uation through a computer based program. Currently four students have completed the courses nec-essary to earn their high school diploma. In addition, there are eight students that are on track to graduate at the end of this school year.

Preble County Success ProgramThe Preble County Success

Program is a new program funded by a Healthier Buckeye Grant, administered through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The program provides a Community School Liaison

who has a degree in a social service related field and experi-ence working with families. The Success Program has already made positive impacts with many students within the district by working directly with families of school aged children to help them access needed resources to suc-ceed. The goal is to remove any non-cognitive barriers that are preventing students from learn-ing in the classroom. The liaison assists families with items such as food, clothing, access to doctors, housing, mental health resources, etc. This program also facilitates communication between parents and their child’s school as well as provides support to parents within the educational setting. The Suc-cess Program has a history of pro-viding services in Butler County and has demonstrated positive outcomes for children and fami-lies. It is the expectation that simi-lar results will be shown in Eaton, leading students and families to succeed, as well as benefiting the community as a whole.

District Professional Development Team

The Ohio Department of Educa-tion has revised the standards for Professional Development with greater emphasis on creating a learning system within a district. The district created a K-12 team of teachers and administrators, and completed training on design-ing effective professional develop-ment. Brian Pete, from Robin Fog-arty & Associates, provided pro-fessional development throughout this year with a focus on Literacy for All through Critical Thinking. The Professional Development team continues to support the use of strategies learned during these presentations during build-ing level collaboration. In order to create continual and aligned learning, teachers are now sharing and collaborating with others to implement the strategies through a system called, “The Pineapple Chart.” Each time teachers imple-ment a new or successful strategy, they place their name on the chart

to welcome any other teacher into their classroom to “see it in action.”

Plans for 2017 and beyond? The district will continue implementing school initiatives that focus on increasing student achievement and preparing our students for college and career readiness.

Saving taxpayers over $3.7 million

In November 2001, the Eaton community supported a voted general obligation bond issue for the new construction of a high school and renovations to buildings including Bruce and East elementary schools in the District. The original terms of the $28,199,985 bond issue which was issued in April 2002, entailed a 28 year amortization schedule (expiring in 2029) and a fixed interest rate of 5.07 percent. The district refunded (refinanced) a portion of this issue in 2006, low-ering the interest rate to 4.43 per-cent. A portion of the 2006 bond issue was able to be refinanced with tax exempt bonds again in 2016.

Well ahead of time, the Dis-trict’s Treasurer, Rachel Tait, reviewed the refunding option of the 2006 bond issue in January 2016 and recommended pursing a tax exempt bond issue at the earliest opportunity to do so. In August 2016, the District secured the refinancing of a callable por-tion of the 2006 bonds with a fixed interest rate of 2.38 percent for the duration of the bond issue, providing a savings of $3,748,489 over-the-life of the refunding bonds for local taxpayers.

The low 2.38 percent fixed interest rate was attainable largely due to the District’s affirmed cred-it rating by Moody’s of Aa3. The timing of these callable bonds, the District’s excellent financial condition and the near historic low interest rates were very ben-eficial to the community, evident by the significant savings to the constituents.

Barbara Curry, SuperintendentRachel Tait, Treasurer

Cindy Neanen, Director of Education

MissAnne Imhoff, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction

Scott Couch, Eaton High School Principal

Ross Dearth, Eaton High School Assistant PrincipalDerek Flatter, Eaton Middle

School PrincipalKip Powell, William Bruce

Elementary PrincipalPam Friesel, Hollingsworth East

Elementary PrincipalTravis Miller, Athletic DirectorMatthew Robbins, Director of

Operations

Number of students K-12: 2,111

Number of employees: Certified, 135; Non-certified,

105


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Preble Shawnee seeking to build new facilitiesSubmitted By Superintendent Matt Bishop

CAMDEN — The Preble Shawnee Local School District is a traditional rural public school that is working hard to deliver a 21st century education. The mission of the district is to prepare stu-dents for their future by offering a qual-ity educational experience in a positive and innovative learning environment while utilizing resources responsibly. Each year, we look at ways to enhance our offerings through teaching styles, materials, or equipment. We must pre-pare our students for lifelong learning through career, college, and/or the mili-tary.

Recent accomplishments or proj-ects completed?

Extensive repairs were completed for our track

We purchased two buses and two work trucks for the district and plan to add one more bus for next year

Continued implementation of RTI (response to intervention)

Continued implementation of PBIS (positive behavior intervention sup-ports)

We are analyzing data in our TBT’s (teacher based teams) and BLT’s (build-ing leadership teams) to make impor-tant decisions on instruction to improve academic achievement

Plans for 2017 and beyond?More Chromebooks for upper elemen-

tary, junior and senior high school stu-dents

A new math intervention online pro-gram called ALEKS from McGraw-Hill

The addition of an intervention period at the junior/senior high school to pro-vide help with AIR tests and the End of Course Exams for students who have yet to achieve a qualifying score

Addition of a College Credit English class at the high school taught by a Preble Shawnee teacher (we hope to add more classes the following school year)

Improve sound system at the football/soccer/track stadium

Seeking new facilitiesThe Ohio School Facilities Commis-

sion (OSFC) approved over $29.2 mil-lion in state funding for school construc-tion work in the Preble Shawnee Local School District. The district is one of several league schools like Carlisle and Valley View that received an offer of

funding from the Commission, which oversees the state’s school facility reno-vation and construction program.

Our buildings were assessed recently and were determined that none are up to state standards. Based on our dis-trict’s valuation, the state has offered to pay 65 percent of the base costs of two new buildings if the district raises the remaining 35 percent. The funding, combined with $22.2 million from our district, will allow us to move forward with the construction of a new Preble Shawnee Elementary and a new Preble Shawnee Middle/High School that will have the capacity for career-technical education.

School districts must raise their local share of the project budget within 13 months before the state funding can be released. The May 2 Special Election may be our last opportunity to solve our facility needs for generations through the assistance of the OSFC. If this doesn’t pass, tax dollars through our general fund will need to be expended to repair our aging facilities. This will take a very long time and most of our current Arrow students may not benefit.

This is a critical step in ensuring that the children in our district are in facili-ties that help support academic achieve-

ment. The students, parents, staff, and community members of Arrow Nation are extremely excited about the ability to return our hard earned tax dollars’ home from Columbus to the communi-ties of Camden, Gratis, and West Elkton as well as our townships. Our district is in a unique position to build two 21st century schools without adding to the tax rate that residents were paying in

2015. This is a once in a lifetime oppor-tunity to build a bright future for our current and future Arrows.

I encourage you to stay informed and if you have questions, please contact me via email at [email protected] or stop by the district office. This is an opportunity to build our future together.

Superintendent: Dr. Matt BishopTreasurer: Mollie Hansel

Board of Education: Candi Fyffe (President)

Gary Rader (Vice President)Charlie Biggs

Emily HamblinJeff Wood

Jr/Sr High School Principal: Dianna Whitis

Jr/Sr High School Asst. Principal: Roger Ellis

West Elkton Intermediate Principal: Kyle Morton

Camden Primary Principal: Heather Campbell

Special Education Director: Jennifer Taulbee

Curriculum Director: Jaime RanlyAthletic Director: Brad Wright

Transportation Supervisor: Kitty LineMaintenance Supervisor: Luke BarnettFood Service Supervisor: Dee JohnsonTechnology Coordinator: Jeff Johnson

Number of students K-12: 1,350Number of employees:

105 certified, 91 classified


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National Trail Local Schools: valuing every childSubmitted by Jeff Parker,Superintendent

NEW PARIS — National Trail Local Schools is a close knit community that val-ues every child and every person who walks through the door. The community members and National Trail staff are very genuine. Our goal is to offer a positive and engaging learning atmosphere that concerns itself with every aspect of a child’s education. We take school safety extremely seriously and we are always looking to improve in all areas.

Recent accomplishments or projects completed?

Grades K-4 — NT Elementary recently upgraded in the area of student technol-ogy thanks to a private donation close to $500,000! Our 3rd and 4th grade students are 1:1 with IPads while at school. Programs such as eSpark, Edcite and Nearpod are used to help increase individual student learning. Students in K-2 utilize IPads, as well within the overall classroom. We believe teacher instruction, including the utilization of technology helped our 3rd Grade Reading Assessment scores to improve significantly. We are are increas-ing the gap between our scores and the state average on both the reading and math assessments.

Grades 5-8 — This year National Trail Middle School is one of three schools in the Miami Valley participating in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) as a Pilot school through MVCTC. PLTW provides NT 7th and 8th graders the opportunity to apply the design process to creatively solve problems. Students learn and utilize methods for com-municating design ideas through sketches, solid models and mathematical models. Stu-dents are able to utilize the 3D Printers we have, thanks to PLTW!

Grades 9-12 — Three consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016) National Trail has been recognized by U.S. News and World Reports as one of “America’s Best High Schools.” NT is the only high school in Preble or Darke County to earn this honor three con-secutive years!

The Graduation rate this past year was 100 percent!

National Trail students have the ability to earn 40 college credits through Edison State and/or Sinclair Community College without leaving the NT campus.

The National Trail Trail Agriculture Department was awarded with a $10,000 Monsanto Grant that will help with the introduction of hydroponics into our HS curriculum. The Ag. Department also dedicated and opened up the “Joe Slone Agriculture Learning Center” this past August. The “Joe Slone Center” is a state of the art greenhouse that was made possible

thanks to the strong partnership that exists between the school and the NT ag com-munity.

Plans for 2017 and beyond?We are looking at a complete electrical

overhaul to our 1968 building so that we will have compatibility with our HVAC and technology systems as we continue to move into the 21st Century. The electrical system and the HVAC system are original and thus approaching 50 years old. We plan to utilize our 1968 building for many years to come, so we have to appropriately take care of it!

We will be adding a program for 8th graders as a part of Project Lead The Way (PTLW). We will be offering an automation and robotics class. Students will be using the VEX Robotics Platform to design, build and program real world objects, such as traf-fic lights and toll booths.

Courtesy photoNational Trail Local Schools

Jeff Parker, SuperintendentEd Eales, Elementary PrincipalMark Wiseman, MS PrincipalBrian McKnight; HS Principal

Kerry Borger, Treasurer (Share services with Preble County ESC)

Dorothy Frist, Director of Food ServiceJohn Toschlog, Director of Transportation

and School Safety DirectorBrian Smith, Director Facilities and

GroundsKevin Alexander, Athletic Director and

Dean of Students.

Number of students K-12: 1,084Number of employees: Certified: 80,

Classified: 47


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Twin Valley Community Local School District making improvementsSubmitted by Robert Fischer, Superintendent

WEST ALEXANDRIA — The goal of the Twin Valley Community Local School District is to provide a safe learning environment where all children are challenged to achieve their maximum potential based on individual needs and abilities while utilizing a team effort among parents, educators, staff and community.

During the 2015-2016 school year, TVS collected nearly $200,000 from gener-ous donors in and around Preble County. With these donated funds, the district was able to replace our home football bleachers and foot-ball sound system. Addition-ally, TVS replaced and/or refurbished our football and high school gym scoreboards and purchased new histori-cal and CCC team banners for the high school gym. In

March of 2016, the school successfully passed a 2-mill permanent improvement tax (with a 5-year renewal) that replaced a bond/maintenance levy that expired in Decem-ber of 2016. With these raised funds, the school will be working to replace parts of the original roof that was constructed in 1994.

Plans for 2017 and beyond?Starting in late spring of

2017, the district will be

begin replacing parts of the original 1994 roof with funds generated from the March 2016 Permanent Improve-ment Issue. Additionally, the district will continue to refurbish many of the inte-riors aspects of the building such as replacing carpet, replacing outside doors and repainting interior walls. Furthermore, the school will be looking for additional donated funds to replace the sound system and resurfac-

ing the 20-year-old floor in the high school gym and pur-chase a digital message mar-quee for Education Drive.

Twin Valley South is com-mitted to ensuring that our students are prepared to pur-sue a fulfilling career sparked by their passions. In partner-ship with the community, It’s important to believe that no matter what our students are planning to do after high

Courtesy photoTwin Valley saw improvements to it’s athletic facilities in recent months.

See TVS | 26


Maple Gardens is a new name to Preble County, but our exceptional service and compassionate staff is nothing new. Located at 515 S. Maple St. in Eaton, OH is the same facility that has provided extraordinary short-term rehabilitation and long-term care to Preble county and surrounding area residents for many years. Our building is filled with the same caring staff that have contributed to our high ratings and highly satisfied residents. We are proud of our recent accomplishments including our 5 star rating by CMS, deficiency free survey and being ranked among the top 10% of facilities for customer satisfaction in the state of Ohio! We are the proud employer of 92 caring people and looking to grow that number this year. Under new ownership, we are also looking forward to many cosmetic updates for our facility in the near future. We

pride ourselves on the family atmosphere we provide for all who enter our building and invite you to visit for a tour.Give Alexa a call at 456-5537 today to learn more!

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Tri-County North ‘preparing for tomorrow’Submitted by Superintendent Bill Derringer

LEWISBURG — Lewisburg is the perfect location for those who may want to work in a bigger city but reside in a small town that has a rich heritage and friendly community. Our school, from the top down is trying to implement a growth mindset with high expecta-tions for every student, faculty and staff member. This is accomplished through a focus not only on promoting our aca-demic achievement but also through a supportive family like culture. I believe that we have a very dedicated teaching staff and we are providing each of them with the tools they need to meet each student at their needs and to help them grow from wherever they start. The mis-sion of TCN is “Preparing For Tomor-row By Expecting Excellence Today”.

Recent Projects: Our biggest project this summer was completing our new sidewalk and entryway project. All of the sidewalks in front of the school were replaced with new concrete and an entryway containing a courtyard of engraved bricks (Valedictorian, Salutato-rian and Sponsor) was installed in front of the school. This has really helped our visitors know which doors they should enter when visiting TCN. We also resealed and re striped all of our parking lots this summer preserving the asphalt and really making the perimeter of the school look better.

As far as accomplishments, we have been able to allocate our federal funds which were in the past only used for the elementary, into our middle school and our high school to support family and community engagement as well as to offer professional development to our

entire teaching staff. As a result, we have offered several evening events such as family fun nights for our elementary which focus on both math and literacy as well as “A Taste of TCN” at the middle school/ high school level where parents have been invited in to eat a bowl of chili and a hot dog and also to meet with their child’s teachers.

Integrating technology into our curric-ulum has also been a major focus for us over the past year. This past fall, using our federal grant funds, we purchased an iPad based program called E-Spark. This program provides our first grade stu-dents with a personalized set of educa-tional apps on each iPad that are tied to the students district MAP (Measures of Academic Progress district assessment)

scores. This personalized and differenti-ated instruction has shown tremendous gains for these students. We plan on incorporating ESpark into our second and third grades in the future. Technol-ogy was also a focus over the past year in our high school where we started the Online learning lab where students were able to complete high and middle school classes using an online program. Students were able to take advantage of these programs by proceeding at their own pace, recovering credits, or enroll-ing in courses that we do not offer or that they could not fit into their daily schedule. This program has been very successful and it allows TCN the abil-ity to offer an alternative education for some of our students.

Our elementary again selected a theme to inspire our students and that theme was titled: “TCNES: Your Passport to Discovery”. Our teachers decided to take their students around the world to a different continent each month to enhance student learning of each of the continents. Our cafeteria even got involved with the theme and has set aside one day each month to offer an ethnic food from the highlighted continent. Each day over the public address system a new fact is shared about the given continent and the begin-ning of each month our elementary principal, Joe Finkbine, even dresses in an outfit representing somewhere from the continent of the month. I know that our elementary students have enjoyed learning about their world through this process.

Our new 6-12 Principal, Mr. Hoelzle, also started a new Student Leadership Club this past fall. Students meet on Fri-day mornings to learn about leadership

Superintendent:William Derringer

Treasurer: Lynn FergusonElementary Principal:

Joe FinkbineMiddle/High School Principal: Joe

HoelzleAssistant Principal/Athletic Director:

Kristen MillsHigh School Guidance Counselor: Andrea

FleischmanHead Bus Driver: April Hobbs

Number of students: K-12: 950

Number of employees: 60 teachers, 40 classified employees

See TCN | 26


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and to develop plans to put their leadership skills into action. As a result of these Friday morning sessions, a peer tutoring program has begun where student leaders help other students with their class work every Thursday afternoon.

Over the past year, our middle school stu-dents have participated and excelled in various academic competitions including a Lego meet, geography bee, and spelling bee and our high school quiz team

won their conference and advanced on to the regional meet. Our middle school VIP (Very Important Panthers) group helped serve the community through proj-ects such as visiting nurs-ing homes and organizing a canned food drive.

Plans for 2017 and beyond: We are a part of a state required improve-ment process that requires us to reflect on what is working well and areas where we still need to improve. We will con-tinue to seek community input in these areas and prioritize these needs. Community engagement will continue to be one of

our goals here at TCN. Academically, our high school and middle school staff has collaborated in department meetings to look at their current course offerings and brainstormed ideas for new elective offerings. Next year we are looking at adding more advanced and college credit courses including two college level government courses. We have also raised our graduation requirements to include a half credit in Personal Finance so that our students will be bet-ter equipped to handle the financial realities of the “real world” as they leave high school.

From page 25

TCN

Superintendent:Robert O. Fischer

Treasurer :Tearalee Riddlebarger

Director of Pupil Services:Dan Lewis

Director of Transportation/Maintenance: Jeff TullyDirector of Technology:

Derrick MyersFood Service Director:

Megan PerryHS/MS Principal:Scott Cottingim

ES Principal:Patti Holly

Number of students K-12: 875Number of employees: 117

From page 24

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