Engagements___________________________ Anderson - Lucius Schaff - Brittain
Mr. and Mrs. William Schaff are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Tammy Lynn Schaff of Washington Twp., Ohio to Henri Anthony Brittain of Cincinnati, Ohio. |
DBA attorneys attend Bar Leadership Institute
Joining some 300 other emerging leaders of lawyer organizations from across the country at the American Bar Association’s Bar Leadership Institute (BLI), March 12-14 was Thomas P. Whelley, II, incoming President (at right, third from left), and Hon. Mary E. Donovan, incoming First Vice President (at right, second from left) of the Dayton Bar Association. Whelley and Donovan joined ABA President H. Thomas Wells, Jr. of Birmingham, AL, and ABA Executive Director Henry F. White, Jr. in sessions on bar governance, finance, communications, and planning for a presidential term.
Jr. High team places 1st at Destination Imagination
Oakwood Junior High team 3 Degrees of Phenomenal placed first at the Ohio Region 12 Destination Imagination Tournament held at Sinclair Community College.
Team members Rebecca Deal, Ellen Geiselman, and Taylor Morrissey combined improv, research, writing, prop & costume design, and engineering to construct a
29 gram balsa wood angled structure that held 270 lbs.
Their skit of fashion designing cows, Bessie, Vivian, and Gemma entertained the audience by creating a new form of fashion called Fashetti, the combination of fashion and graphetti.
They will be participating at the state level on April 25, in Dublin, Ohio.
Taylor Morrissey, Rebecca Deal,
and Ellen Geiselman
Notes from the Edge... I came across a list of the Darwin Awards the other day and scanned it to see if my name was on it. The Darwin Award is presented you see to those folks who have done something so stupid that they have been voted out of the gene pool. Ouch. Now I think there’s dumb and then there’s really dumb. Unfortunately I qualify in both categories. I am not talking about just distracted dumb where you put the phone in the freezer or drive off with your coffee cup on top of the car. The friend who put her three older kids in the car and left her baby on the counter in the gas station pushes the limits on this but it’s still pretty benign. What I’m talking about starts with ignorant dumb. As a new bride and really scary cook I attempted to make Kraft Mac and cheese. Nowhere on the box did it say to drain the noodles before adding the cheese sauce – they foolishly assumed it was obvious. The result of course was a nasty yellow soup. I earned further Darwin points by not knowing I had to lube and oil my car. I had heard of it of course but somehow didn’t think it applied to me. I found out differently when I dropped my axle on Far Hills. Now that’s dumb. The Darwin judges are pretty picky and only reward the inexcusably dumb who must not be allowed to reproduce. These include the guy who tried to hold up a liquor store for booze and cash. The quick thinking clerk demanded I.D. before he’d give him any alcohol so the thief dutifully handed over his license. He was astounded when he got home to find the police waiting for him. Out, out, out. My own Darwin Award was earned when our boys were little. Being boys, they had the ‘take it apart’ gene so we would give them old clocks, broken radios, and leftover springs and wire to invent stuff. They spent hours making all kinds of magic machines. One day they came bounding into the kitchen with their best invention ever – a bundle of weird parts, antennas, and knobs, attached to an old toaster cord. “Can we plug it in pleasepleaseplease?” they begged. “Of course not” I told them.“Electricity is dangerous.” And then, after a fatal pause during which apparently every shred of common sense I ever had left me, I said “Give it to me… I’ll do it”. Good plan. Flames shot out of the blackened socket, smoke rose from the magic machine, the lights went out, and the breaker melted. If Darwin had ever heard about this he would have quit science and become a nun. As for me, I display my award on the mantle to remind myself that I am an idiot. I am hoping that after reading this you will all contribute your own dumb stories. Maybe we could meet for coffee some morning at the DNA Cafe and you could begin by saying, “Heh…that plug thing was nothing. Let me tell you about the time I…” |
Recreation facility plan will focus on two venues
If you ever wanted the city of Oakwood to build an indoor swimming pool, a larger fitness complex, or more basketball, tennis and soccer courts, then your appetite might be fulfilled within the next decade while the city develops and implements its first Comprehensive Athletic and Recreation Space Master Plan.
According to the request for proposal, the purpose of the master plan is to “provide a guide for operations, maintenance, and capital improvements over the next 5-10 years. The Master Plan shall include a vision for the future, taking into consideration the existing facilities as well as unmet athletic and recreation needs as identified by the Oakwood community.”
Proposals are to be submitted by 5 p.m. this Friday but will remain valid until July 16, 2009. Consultants are expected to review existing facilities, obtain citizen input in developing needs assessment, evaluate possibilities for joint use facilities, identify land acquisition opportunities and analyze capabilities and constraints of the current management structure within the Leisure Services Department.
“The city of Oakwood will award a contract to the consultant whose proposal is most advantageous to the city,” according to the request. The process of selecting a consultant will include the city’s selection of two or three finalists, “who will then make oral presentations to a committee of city staff members and Oakwood citizens.” After presentations, the city will then select and “negotiate with the favored
consultant to finalize the project scope and fee.”
The request also says that the selected consultant is expected to give progress reports to the city every six weeks and must develop a master plan and project schedule.
There is no proposed budget for the plan, but one is expected to be projected following the approval of a consultant and the master planning process. The budget for the master plan will be drawn from the Department of Leisure Services. The department’s 2009 budget is approximately $1.3 million.
Although the master plan is expected to involve all of the city-owned athletic and recreation facilities include Irving field, Creager Field, Fairridge Park and Orchardly Park, the plan is expected to focus on the Oakwood Community Center, located at 105 Patterson Rd., and the Old River Sports Complex at 1611 S. Main St.
A summary of community outreach activities in 2004 identifies the areas in need of the most attention as after school recreational programs for teenagers, the lack of a health and fitness complex, and the construction of an indoor pool and track as well as the addition of more athletic facilities.
Results from interviews conducted by the Athletic and Recreation Committee in 2004 show that 51 percent of citizens who responded rated the recreational facilities and programs in the city as ‘good’, 26 percent rated them ‘fair’ and nine percent rated the programs as ‘poor’. The percentage of interview respondents who would like the recreational facilities and playing fields to be the city’s top priority involved with the master plan during the next 10 years is 42 percent.
Last year, 30 percent of Oakwood residents, about 2760 people, purchased a membership to the Oakwood Community Center. In past years, membership has exceeded 50 percent.
“In 2008, the Department of Leisure Services collected approximately $460,000 in revenue from program and facility user fees,” according to the request for proposal.
Space and location are two issues to be considered with the possible renovation or rebuilding of the community center.
“If acquiring land for a new indoor recreational facility is not possible, then the city should consider redevelopment of the Oakwood Community Center,” according to consultant recommendations from the 2004 comprehensive plan.
Phone interviews conducted by the Athletic and Recreation Committee show that “45 percent of the individuals surveyed with children at home would like to see the city build a new indoor facility.”
There has been speculation that if a new recreation complex were to be built, the new location would be at the Old River Sports Complex.
No one will know exactly what the city is planning to do with the Comprehensive Athletic and Recreation Space Master Plan until the selection of a consultant within a few weeks after April 17.
At The Wright Library_____________________ ‘Friends of Wright Library’ signups underway Wright Library is looking for friends. Many libraries have organized groups of supporters known as “Friends of the Library” and now Wright Library does too. What does it mean to be a “Friend?” Well, some friends talk every day and get involved in whatever the other is doing. These friends of the library are most likely to use library services often and get involved in doing special projects for the library. Such projects might include decorating the library for the holidays, facilitating a coffee hour for seniors, planning a first library card party for first graders or volunteering at the annual book sale. The cost of an annual membership entitles you to attend a preview of the annual book sale. As our base of membership grows we trust other benefits will follow. Complete the following Friends membership form and your new friends will be in contact with you.
|
Junior League meetings slated
The Junior League of Dayton, Ohio, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. We are welcoming new members. Open house events are scheduled to learn more about the Junior League of Dayton:
April 18, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm (Junior League Office, 601 W. Riverview Ave., Dayton)
April 20, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (786 Murrell Dr., Kettering)
May 5, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (Moraine Country Club, 4075 Southern Blvd., Kettering)
Open houses are free to attend. For more information, visit www.jldayton.org. RSVP at: office@jldayton.org , or call (937) 222-5541.
April 15, 2009
Volume 18, No. 15
front page
arts
schools
sports
editorial
'round town
people
events
obituaries
The
|
|
What's Up gives you the head's up on interesting |
