The Independent Voice of the Oakwood Community

Archives

Also featuring photos from our monthly supplement...

Advertisers may check ad placement online! Click below...

Do Not Open (until 2108)

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, June 8, 2008 AD, at Wright Library, children from Harman, Smith, Oakwood Jr. and Sr. High, and Lange School presented items to be placed in time capsules to be opened in 2108, at the Oakwood Bicentennial. The students presented items, such as, report cards, schoolwork, CDs, and others. Dr. Scalzo introduced each school in chronological order, beginning with Harman, then Sr. High, Smith, Jr. High, and finally Lange School.

Photo by Leon Chuck

Lange School principal Kim Kappler holds the Lange time capsule, perhaps the most unusual container, taking the form of a small barrel. A crowd of over 60 were in attendance for this event.

Excellence in Learning celebration held June 8

A crowd gathered in front of Wright Memorial Public Library Sunday afternoon, June 8, to honor the tradition of excellence in learning in celebration of Oakwood’s centennial. Dr. Mary Jo Scalzo, Superintendent of the Oakwood City Schools, welcomed representatives of teachers, students, and volunteers from Harman, Smith, Lange, and Oakwood senior and junior high schools as they presented time capsules to Wright Library. Library director Ann Snively said that contents of the capsules will go on display at the library next week for the duration of the centennial celebration, and then they will be stored for posterity, so bicentennial celebrants will be able to learn about the Oakwood of 2008. Items chosen by the students included cell phones, sample class schedules, a report card, yearbooks, a current issue of Seventeen magazine, and stories and essays composed by students.

Following the time capsule presentation, author Ann Hagedorn spoke at Smith School Gym. Hagedorn’s books include Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919 and Beyond the River: the Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad. Besides being an author of noted nonfiction books,

Hagedorn’s career includes years as a journalist at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Daily News. In her address she spoke about her life as a writer.
Hagedorn attended Oakwood schools until her family moved when she was in the eighth grade. She believes lessons learned during that time contributed to her success as a writer. The author commented that even her time walking to and from school taught her to think at an early age and fueled her imagination. Mayor Judy Cook presented Hagedorn with a proclamation from the city recognizing her success and thanking her for returning to Oakwood to join the centennial celebration.

The excellence in learning celebration was sponsored by the generous support of the University of Dayton and Sinclair Community College.

$200,000 Dispatch Center upgrade to begin

By Lance Winkler

The Oakwood City Council convened on Monday, June 9 will all members counted as present. In Status Reports, Stan Herr was appointed to the Environmental Committee. Councilmember Steve Byington gave a report on Sugar Camp and Pointe Oakwood, announcing that much of the public roadway, Sugar Camp Circle, is complete. A presentation of the landscaping master plan to the Oakwood Planning Commission is slated for August. When asked about the progress of the roadway from Far Hills to the soccer field, utility pole relocations were given as the reason progress has been delaying roadwork.

In visitors, citizen Faye Wenner came up and quizzed the council on why county records show an amount of delinquent and past due taxes in the amount of $50,901 for the Versant Group LLC and for the Oakwood Investment Group LLC in the amount of $227,328 with regards to the Sugar Camp development. The explanation given by Attorney Dalma Grandjean was that the three lots comprising Sugar Camp and Pointe Oakwood are all going to be re-assessed by the State Tax Board and this could take “months and months” according to City Attorney Dalma Grandjean. City Manager Norbert Klopsch opined that as soon as the valuation of the three respective lots are re-assessed, both Versant and OIG will promptly pay the bill.

In legislation, a resolution passed authorizing the purchase of $200,000 in products and services for the purpose of upgrading the Oakwood Dispatch Center. Using informal competitive procedures, City Manager Klopsch said that there are three semi-finalists bidding for the job and a final decision will be made at the end of June.

Oakwood Safety Director Alex Bebris gave the council an update, announcing that fire safety has improved that there was $100,000 in fire damage totals for 2007 and $50,000 so far for the year 2008. He also pointed out that Oakwood now has over one billion dollars in insured liabilities.

Bebris also noted that the city’s response time for fire is about the best anywhere, with the first unit on the scene in an average of two minutes and a fire engine arriving in an average of 4 and1/2 minutes. Similarly, EMT medic response time is two minutes with an ambulance arriving in about 3 and ? minutes. The national average for both fire and EMT response is six minutes. According to Bebris, the EMT service has a 90 percent “Excellent” rating.

In the City Manager’s report, Norbert Klopsch announced that construction at Orchardly Park of the new swing set/jungle gym/water project is moving along and that a grand opening and ribbon cutting will take place on Monday, June 30th at 5 p.m.

Also announced was that there are two finalists for Finance Director and one should be picked within the week.

The next formal meeting is scheduled for July 21, 2008.

top of page

June 10, 2008
Volume 17, No. 24