January 2007 - The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills

Vol. 34, No. 4 $2.00 January 2007 

Council Approves 4% Raises for Village Employees in 2007 

Village Council last month unanimously 

passed a 2007 appropriations budget that 

calls for 4 percent raises for all Village employees 

and targets $100,000 to market the 

Village and study its use of land. 

Overall, council has earmarked nearly 

$5.3 million for its 2007 operating budget, 

which is about $100,000 more than it budgeted 

for 2006. Of that figure, about $1.76 

million will be used for capital projects, including 

major street repairs, heavy equipment 

purchases, police and fire radios, and 

computer technology upgrades. 

Councilman Jack Straub, who chairs 

Council’s streets and bridges committee, 

said the “big road projects” in 2007 will 

include a nearly $500,000 upgrade to the 

intersection of Secor Road and Bancroft, 

which includes upgrades to Brookside and 

Orchard roads at Bancroft; repaving the remainder 

of Indian Road west of Evergreen 

Road; repaving Talmadge Road north of 

Indian, and improvements to Chestnut Hill 

and other roads west of Talmadge. 

Other major road projects include 

continued on page 13 > 

Indian Rd. Residents 

Up In Arms Over 

Tree Pruning Efforts 

Recent tree trimming and pruning work 

by contractors for Toledo Edison has upset 

a number of Villagers. 

According to Village Administrator 

Marc Thompson, his office heard from a 

number of residents who were upset with 

the sometimes drastic trimming of trees 

near power lines, particularly adjacent to 

the power line that runs down the north 

side of Indian Road. 

The work along Indian was particularly 

noticeable to both residents and commuters 

alike, since the power line runs along 

the north edge of the street directly in 

front of homes. 

Elsewhere in the Village, the utility 

poles are along the back edge of property 

lines. 

Carol Nichols, of 3672 Indian Rd., was 

one of dozens of residents who came 

home one day in November to a noticeably 

different landscape. 

“My son Ted left me a message at work, 

saying ‘Mom, they are cutting down our 

tree.’ I didn’t quite understand what he 

was talking about until I came home and 

saw what had happened.” 

What she found when she came home 

was that crews had removed all of the 

branches along the southern half of the 

pine tree in her front yard. Aside from the 

very top 10 to 15 feet of the tree, which 

was well above the top of the 40-foot 

power lines, all of the branches on half of 

the tree were gone. 

“We have been in the house 14 years, 

and the tree was here when we moved 

in,” Nichols said. “It may have been here 


— Village Voice photo by Yarko Kuk 

Recent tree-trimming work around the 

energy lines that run down Indian Road 

resulted in drastic pruning to a number 

of trees. This tree in front of 3672 Indian 

Rd. was subsequently cut down. 

Traffic Stop Gone 

Wrong Results in 

$9 Million Lawsuit 

Attorney Joan Szuberla has been retained 

by the Village to defend itself against a $9 

million lawsuit filed by a 24-year-old Toledo 

woman who was pulled from her car and 

wrestled to the ground by a former Ottawa 

Hills police officer during a Sept. 17 traffic 

stop. 

Village Administrator Marc Thompson 

said Szuberla, of the Toledo law firm Spengler 

Nathanson, P.L.L., will be paid by the 

Village’s insurance company, though the Village 

is responsible for the policy’s $10,000 

deductible. He said the Village was served 

with the lawsuit, which claims violations of 

civil rights and other charges, on Dec. 6. 

LaToya Brown filed the lawsuit in U.S. 

District Court against Ottawa Hills, the Village 

police department, police Chief Robert 

Overmeyer, and former police Officer Mark 

Deters, who resigned from the police department 

nine days after the incident. 

The incident was captured in a 40-minute 

video recorded by the police cruiser’s dashcontinued 

on page 16 > 

Inside this issue ... 

Longtime Firefighter Retiring 

Assistant Fire Chief Steve Bettinger is 

retiring after 33 years. ... page 4 

Life-Changing Mission Trip 

Eric and Maria Konoff discuss their trip 

to Romania. ... page 7 

Meet Cathleen Heidelberg 

The new superintendent discusses the 

future of OH schools. ... page 27

The Village Voice 

of Ottawa Hills 

Vol. 34, No. 4 — January 2007 

Subscription price $18 per year. Single 

copy $2. Published monthly. Periodicals 

Postage Paid at Toledo, OH. USPS 000-259. 

Ad rates available on request – closing date 

8th of the preceding month. POSTMASTER 

– send address changes to: 

The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills 

4041 W. Central Ave., Suite 6 

Ottawa Hills, OH 43606 

Published by Village Voice Publishing, 

Limited, an Ohio Limited Liability Company. 

Copyright 2006, with all rights reserved. 

Reproduction in any manner without permission 

is strictly prohibited. Publication of 

advertisement does not imply endorsement 

of advertisers’ good or services. 

phone: 419-537-0286 

fax: 419-537-0369 

news e-mail: news@vvoh.com 

advertising e-mail: ads@vvoh.com 

EDITORS …......... Yarko Kuk & Tony Bassett 

FOCUS WRITER .................... Hollis Barber 

Emeritus: Sharon F. Simmons 

Editor/Publisher, 1975-2005 

Classifieds 

PLACE YOUR AD! Just $7 for 12 words, 15¢ each 

additional word. Box $3 additional. All ads must 

be pre-paid by 15th of the month. To place your 

ad, call 419-537-0286 or e-mail: ads@vvoh.com 

————————————————————— 

CHAIR CANING, rush, & Herringbone weave. 

419-841-3285. 

————————————————————— 

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PHOTOGRAPHY 

STUDIO ... Ty Photography. Providing wedding, 

senior, and family services. Call for an appointment. 

419-536-9422 www.typhoto.com 

————————————————————— 

VILLAGE RESIDENT SELLING ... Custom Made 

Area rugs cream with two narrow borders navy 

and cranberry excellent condition 12ft by 24ft. 

Arhaus Furniture kitchen table with six oak chairs 

solid oak top white legs and trim 3ft by 5ft 30 

inches high. Antique Wicker Rockers with cushions. 

Reasonably priced call 419-536-8788 

————————————————————— 

FOOSBALL TABLE ... Tornado storm II Model. 

Like new. 56”L x 30”W x 36”H. $575. 419-536- 

3641. 

————————————————————— 

Classifieds 

DON’T BECOME A VICTIM of Identity Theft! 

Don’t get rid of your old computer without first 

having the hard drive securely wiped. Deleting 

files and formatting the hard drive does not guarantee 

your privacy! Email, photos, passwords, 

banking details, and credit card information can 

still be EASILY retrieved. I can securely wipe your 

hard drive to Department of Defense standards. 

Michael Maxson 419.535.7972 

————————————————————— 

WEBSITES ... Professional web design. Email: 

Carey@Richardson-Graphics.com. Ottawa Hills 

references. 

————————————————————— 

BODY RECALL CLASSES … begin January 

2 at Epworth UMC. Classes meet Mondays, 

Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. 

and 4 p.m. Start your year off right! Improve 

your health, your spirit, and quality 

of life. Join this class of slow, stretching 

exercise, and enjoy the benefit of regular 

movement with other who include fitness as 

a goal. $45 for 10 weeks … phone Epworth 

to register and begin today! 

————————————————————— 

OH GRANDMOTHER … will baby sit. Call 419- 

531-2274. 

————————————————————— 

IN HOME CARE ... Insured, bonded, and reliable. 

3 hours care, 24 hour care, 7 days a 

week. We are there when you need us. Call 

Guardian Angels 419-882-8222 

————————————————————— 

OTTAWA WOODS CONDOMINIUM … 3 bedrooms, 

11/2 bath. Investor’s opportunity or fix it 

up yourself. To be sold as is. Great location! 419- 

531-8949. 

————————————————————— 

PLEASE tell our advertisers you saw 

their ad in THE VILLAGE VOICE! 

————————————————————— 

FIVE ACRES … behind Kitty Todd Preserve. Nice 

and quiet. $68,900. 419-276-2266. 

————————————————————— 

OTTAWA HILLS LUXURY APARTMENT 

3030 Hardale, upper unit 

2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Living, dining, and den 

with wood burning fireplace. Wet bar, builtin 

bookshelves. Washer and dryer hookup 

in unit. Basement. Garage. Large gourmet 

kitchen. A stunning 1,700 sq. ft. apartment 

in Ottawa Hills. $990.00 per month. One or 

two year lease. Call Adam Crane 419-356- 

9190. 

————————————————————— 

Classifieds 

COLLEGE COUNSELING ... I facilitate the best 

possible college matches for high school students. 

With 23 years of individualized educational consulting 

experience, my clients have earned acceptance 

to premier colleges and universities. 

Village resident/references. Janet Robinson − 

Master of Arts in Higher Education Counseling. 

Call Career Dimensions, 419-536-3630. 

————————————————————— 

NAPLES/BONITA SPRINGS … Golf course 

condo with full club privileges, 14’ ceilings. 

Newly painted and brand new furnishings. 

Very private view across lake and four fairways. 

Call for availability, 239-289-8619 

————————————————————— 

A NEW COMPUTER ... should not mean new 

headaches. Have a new computer? Expecting 

one for the holidays? I can setup it up, transfer 

files from your old computer, install all security 

patches and updates, and securely erase your old 

hard drive. Wireless security setup at an additional 

fee. Call Michael Maxson 419.535.7972 

————————————————————— 

FLOOR COVERING INSTALLATION 

CARPET - LAMINATE - VINYL 

carpet repair, restretching, binding, fringing, 

custom work free estimates 40 years 

experience, Village references. 

Karl Wagenknecht 419-343-1791 

Mark Domalski 419-320-2993 

————————————————————— 

PC COMPUTER SUPPORT. Are you tired of all 

those unfathomable computer manuals? Then 

call me for help! I have already suffered through 

the archaic terminology so you won’t have to. I 

am well-versed in all versions of Windows, the 

Internet, and most of the more popular programs. 

I am capable of installing almost all computer 

hardware, and also write web sites worldwide. So 

the next time your computer leaves you staring at 

a blank screen, don’t shoot it − call me! Certified 

by Novell and A+. Village resident. Village references 

and competitive rates. Commercial and 

residential accounts. I am also available nights 

and weekends. Call and ask for Mike. 419-535- 

7972 (office). 

————————————————————— 

SUN-SHINE SERVICES HOUSECLEANING. 

Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Senior discount. 

Insured, bonded. 419-471-9901. 

————————————————————— 

CLEANING GENIE “A Wish Come True.” Cleaning 

Village homes since 1980. Supplies and 

equipment, bonded and insured. Gift Certificates. 

Free estimates. Hire us for weekly, bi-weekly, 

monthly, fall, or special occasion cleaning. Carpet 

cleaning also available. Call 419-885-5511. 

www.cleaninggenie.us. 

TOM’S PEST CONTROL 

Serving the Village since 1979 • (419) 868-8700 

Page 2 • The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills • January 2007

Classifieds 

YOU’VE GOT IT MAID. House cleaning, pet sitting, 

caregiver. Call Leoma, 419-215-8095. 30 

years’ experience. References available. 

————————————————————— 

HARRIS TREE & LANDSCAPING … Trimming, 

planting, etc. 20 years experience. 419-865- 

2266. 

————————————————————— 

GROUNDWORKS LAWN & LANDSCAPE 

Snow removal, property maintenance. At 

odds with any task or job? Just inquire. Free 

estimates. A Village resident and insured. 

Call John 419-350-1960. 

————————————————————— 

VILLAGE RESIDENT & BUILDING / Remodeling 

contractor. All types ROOFING, VINYL SID- 

ING, REPLACEMENT WINDOWS, QUALITY 

PAINTING, and ROOM ADDITIONS. 35 years 

experience. Many Village references. Licensed 

& insured. Owens Corning Preferred Contractor. 

Please call Terry Jarecki, 419-536-8900, anytime. 

As always, free estimates. 

————————————————————— 

TONY’S REMODELING … Doors, windows, siding, 

carpentry, roof repairs, Handyman Services. 

25 years experience, insured. Ottawa Hills references. 

Call Tony, 419-726-9394, or 419-213- 

0047. 

————————————————————— 

HANDYMAN SERVICES … home repairs, garage 

and attic cleanout, deck and fence repair and replacement. 

Fix home drafts, etc. 419-276-2266 

————————————————————— 

HAUL ANYTHING! ... Great service & affordable 

rates. The Ottawa Hills Dumprunner 

ohdumprunner@yahoo.com 537-8288. 

————————————————————— 

BUCKLEY’S HARDWOOD FLOORS. Installing, 

finishing, repairs. Ottawa Hills references. Fully 

insured. Free estimates. 419-280-1385. 

————————————————————— 

FREE ESTIMATE … light hauling, metal hauling, 

garage clean out, gutters cleaned, power washing, 

lawn care, weeding, spring and fall clean 

up and more. No job too small. B.T.W. 419-283- 

7333, 419-382-4443 

————————————————————— 

PAINTING. Quality work. Village references. 

Prompt reply to all calls. Gary, 419-536-6152. 

————————————————————— 

INTERIOR PAINTING AND WALLPAPERING. 20 

years experience, Village references. Ed Shinaver. 

419-343-8678. 

————————————————————— 

PAINTING, WALLPAPERING, pressure washing, 

various related work and repairs. Also deck 

cleaning and gutter cleaning. OH references. 

419-537-6709. 

————————————————————— 

COLLUM PAINTING 3 − Interior, exterior painting, 

power washing, wallpapering. Member, BBB. 

Village references. Karen Collum, 419-478-4222; 

pager, 419-252-7127. 

————————————————————— 

BRICK-BLOCK-CONCRETE. New or repair. 

Porches, chimneys, sidewalks. Experienced, dependable. 

Many Ottawa Hills references available. 

Tom Spy, Brick Guy. 419-467-0265. 

————————————————————— 

DR. DAVE, M.D. Masonry Doctor. 36 years’ experience 

in chimney repairs, porches, tuck pointing, 

fireplaces. I can cure any masonry problem. 

Call local cell phone 419-575-0408 for immediate 

answer, or 419-534-3977. 

To Our Readers: Important Subscription Info 

Effective with the February 2007 edition 

of The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills, we will 

be changing the way we notify subscribers 

that is time to renew. 

In the past, we have mailed postcards to 

the homes of subscribers who were set to 

expire in the coming month. 

However, recent issues have arisen that 

has caused us to re-evaluate the postcard 

system. A significant number of long-time 

readers have reported either not receiving 

their reminder postcard, or not seeing it at 

all. 

In this era of ever increasing junk mail, it 

is easy for something like a postcard to get 

lost in the flood. 

To that end, starting with the February 

edition, subscribers who will be expiring 

in March will receive a special copy of The 

Village Voice. 

A “cover” will be added to the paper, 

drawing your attention to the fact that it is 

time to renew. The cover will include a tearoff 

tag to be mailed back to us with your 

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the best kept secret in wines & champagnes! 

Domestic/Imported Wines & 

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by the bottle or case. 

Adorable 

Wine Accessories! 

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Tuesday 5:30-7:30pm 

and Thursday 7:00-9:00pm 

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renewal payment. If you receive your copy 

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January 2007 • The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills • Page 3

Busy Days are Still Ahead for “Retiring” Assistant Fire Chief Bettinger 

A very familiar face in the 

Village’s fire department will be 

gone come the end of the month 

when Assistant Fire Chief Steve 

Bettinger retires after 33 years of 

service. 

But you better say your goodbyes 

to Bettinger this month 

– chances are he’ll be too busy 

in “retirement” to have any visitors. 

A lifelong resident of rural Berkey 

– about 10 miles west of Ottawa 

Hills – Bettinger is a farmerat-heart 

currently working 200 

acres of family-owned land and 

looking for 100 acres more. He’s 

also a doting grandfather and an 

avid outdoorsman, not to mention 

a husband whose wife has 

plans for him. 

“Well, I’m told I have to clean 

the house, paint the garage, fix 

the car …” Bettinger says with 

a chuckle, counting on his fingers, 

when asked what he plans 

to do after he retires. “Actually, I 

am looking forward to it. I never 

thought I would be here for 33 

years.” 

A graduate of Evergreen High School in 

Fulton County, Bettinger was hired to be 

an Ottawa Hills firefighter in January of 

1974. Back then, he was a member of the 

Richfield Township-Berkey Fire Department 

along with former Fire Chief Don Farley, 

who “talked me into working here.” 

Bettinger was promoted to fire captain in 

February of 1990, and then to assistant fire 

Page 4 • The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills • January 2007 

Ottawa Hills Assistant Fire Chief Steve Bettinger is retiring after 33 years of service. 

chief in February of 2002. He has numerous 

letters of achievement, recognition, and 

thanks in his personnel file, and is a very 

likeable personality in the firehouse and 

around the community, Chief Jim Sedlar 

said. 

Bettinger also was one of eight people 

who ran for two open seats on the Richfield 

Township board of trustees in November of 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

— Village Voice photo by Tony Bassett 

2005. With 186 votes, he finished third to 

the two winners 262 and 258 votes. Though 

not bad for a political rookie, Bettinger said 

“I don’t think I’ll do that again. It was too 

much work and a headache.” 

Village Administrator Marc Thompson 

said Bettinger currently is the longest serving 

member of any Village department, 

and that his easygoing personality will be 

missed. 

“Steve has been a very valuable member 

of the fire department and of the village 

team,” Thompson said. “He has provided 

extraordinary leadership for the department 

and we have all appreciated his dry sense of 

humor. His experience and dedication will 

be difficult to replace.” 

Bettinger said he enjoyed watching the 

department grown with the changes, especially 

the way technology upgraded fire 

equipment, gear, and response time. He 

said he liked getting to know a lot of the 

residents, helping others when needed, and 

listening to stories from his peers during 

down time. And one of things he’ll never 

forget about his soon-to-be old job was “the 

day I watched the fire truck roll down the 

parking lot and crash into the apartment garage 

across the street.” 

– Tony Bassett

Property Maintenance Commission Lauds Four Village Homeowners 

Four Village property owners are being 

recognized for their “extraordinary efforts” 

in making improvements to their homes. 

The Citizens Property Maintenance Commission, 

a five-member board created to 

monitor complaints about property conditions 

and violations of the Village’s property 

maintenance ordinance, voted unanimously 

during its Nov. 29 meeting to mail letters 

to the homeowners commending them for 

their actions. 

The homes being recognized are at 2550 

Westchester Rd., 3880 Indian Rd., 4144 

Sheraton Rd., and 2212 Talmadge Rd. Improvements 

at the homes included such 

things as additions, new landscaping, fresh 

painting, and new doors and windows. 

Voting in favor of recognizing the homeowners 

were commission members John 

Longthorne, Sandy Michalski, Councilman 

Rex Decker, and Mayor Kevin Gilmore, 

while Cheryl Silverman was absent. 

“I think we need to do something that 

says, ‘Good job – you make us proud to live 

here,’” Longthorne said. “Everyone needs to 

know we are going to do more than just answer 

to the complaints. We also are going to 

recognize residents for making their homes 

very attractive.” 

Creation of the commission was the biggest 

part of an overhaul of the Village’s 

 

property maintenance ordinance, which 

restricts Villagers from maintaining public 

“eyesores” such as peeling exterior paint, 

fences in disrepair, damaged homes and garages, 

unfinished construction projects, tall 

grass or weeds, and piles of debris. 

The commission, which has met twice 

since forming in March, acts as a buffer 

between an initial complaint and court action 

and serves as an independent review 

process, without either side incurring the 

cost of an attorney. Prior to the creation of 

the commission, the Village’s only option 

in dealing with property violations, aside 

from continuing to send letters requesting 

compliance, was to file civil and criminal 

complaints in Toledo Municipal Court. 

Also during its Nov. 29 meeting, the 

commission and Village Administrator Marc 

Thompson discussed the status of 10 complaints 

filed by either residents or Village 

employees against nine homeowners. The 

complaints were about such things as fences 

in disrepair, tall grass and weeds, peeling 

paint, incomplete construction, a basketball 

hoop in the front yard, a damaged garage 

door, untrimmed hedges, and debris on a 

front porch. 

The homes are in the 4400 block of Northmoor 

Road, 2300 and 2500 blocks of Manchester 

Road, 2900 block of Westchester 

Road, 4300 block of Sheraton, 2200, 2500 

and 2900 blocks of Talmadge Road, and the 

3500 block of Brookside Road. Most of the 

homeowners were notified more than once 

to fix their property problems, Thompson 

said. 

Decker said he was concerned that the 

commission and Village were “getting away 

from a level of predictability by not enforcing” 

the property maintenance ordinance, 

noting one home on Northmoor that was 

damaged by fire nearly a year ago but where 

no progress has been made in making a 

needed fence repair. He suggested getting a 

commitment from the violators by imposing 

a deadline to have repairs made. Thompson 

and the rest of the commission agreed. 

“I can appreciate people fighting with 

their insurance companies, but that has 

nothing to do with us, and that has nothing 

to do with their neighbors,” Decker said. 

In other business, Gilmore appointed 

Longthorne to a six-year term on the commission, 

Silverman to a four-year term, and 

Michalski to a two-year term. 

The commission’s next meeting in tentatively 

scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Jan. 24 in 

Council chambers. For more information, 

call the Village offices at 419-536-1111. 

– Tony Bassett 

Business (419) 382-8311 

Residence (419) 531-3366 

Voice mail (419) 479-2227 x145 

E-Mail kryan@bex.net 

2805 Riva Ridge - Hasty Hill Farms Finest! 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic ravine lot. Custom home built by 

Bridgewater Construction. One Owner Home. 

4 beds, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 

updated kitchen, finished basement. 

 

Call Kathleen Ryan for a private tour. 

Available in the Village 

Single Family 

40 Exmoor 

3525 Ridgewood Rd. 

2805 Riva Ridge 

Condo’s 

4243 W. Bancroft 206E 

4343 W. Bancroft #1L 

5440 N. Citation Rd. 

SOLD 

$595,000 

$459,900 

$99,900 

$120,000 

$209,900 


Here is a recap of recent criminal activity 

in the Village, as reported by the Ottawa 

Hills Police Department. 

Oct. 27 – A diamond ring, a set of earrings, 

and a silver band ring were stolen 

from a home on Underhill Road. 

Nov. 15 – Several items, including a drill 

press, soil chopper, two mowing decks, several 

power saws, aluminum scaffolding, a 

battery charger, and a weed trimmer, were 

taken from the Ottawa Hills school district 

storage garage over a period of time. It 

was later determined that an employee of 

the district’s maintenance department had 

taken the items. After meeting with police 

and school officials, the employee agreed 


TRUS140 NewImageAd_4.875x7.5FA.i1 1 

Ottawa Hills Police Beat 

to return the items, pay $1,500 in restitution, 

and retire from the district. No charges 

were filed. 

Nov. 17 – Police responded to a domestic 

argument on Manchester Road. 

Nov. 21 – A Village youth was arrested on 

a charge of telephone harassment for allegedly 

leaving a threatening voice mail at the 

home of a Village police officer. 

Nov. 23 – Police responded to a domestic 

argument on Sulphur Spring Road. 

Nov. 26 – A car with several people fled 

police after running a stop sign at Brookside 

and Talmadge roads. The driver parked the 

car in a driveway on Talmadge and fled on 

foot with several other people. The driver, a 

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19-year-old man from Erie, Mich., was cited 

for obstructing official business and running 

the stop sign after his father – the owner of 

the car – brought him to the police station 

later the same day. 

Nov. 26 – A Blissfield, Mich., man was 

arrested on charges of physical control and 

driving under suspension after Ottawa Hills 

firefighters saw him sitting in his car outside 

the fire station. The man told police he had 

been drinking, did not know where he was, 

and stopped his car to call his ex-wife. 

Nov. 29 – Police confiscated a large hunting 

knife from a convicted robber/rapist 

during a traffic stop at Bancroft and Dundas. 

The man, 45, from Toledo, was arrested 

and charged with a felony count of carrying 

a concealed weapon. He was also cited 

for driving with a suspended license and a 

cracked windshield. 

Dec. 6 – Two guns and four knives used 

for hunting were turned in to police for safekeeping 

by a Village resident. 

Dec. 7 – A resident on Dauber Drive received 

a harassing telephone call at home. 

Dec. 13 – A Village resident was taken to 

an area hospital for psychiatric treatment 

following a domestic dispute. 

Dec. 13 – Three Toledo teens were 

charged with criminal mischief and criminal 

trespassing for destroying Christmas 

decorations along Edgevale, Hillandale, 

and Ridgewood roads. The teens were spotted 

throwing a Santa sleigh in the Ottawa 

River by a Villager walking his dog. The Villager 

yelled at the youths, chased them out 

of the area, and memorized their license 

plate number. 

From Nov. 16 through Dec. 15, Village 

police issued 155 traffic citations and 220 

warnings. They arrested five drivers on outstanding 

warrants, five for drug violations, 

and eight for driving under the influence. 

They also handled nine traffic accidents and 

issued 32 parking tickets. 

Register Online to 

Recycle Toxic Trash 

Registering for Lucas County’s specialty 

waste recycling program can now be done 

by clicking on the “Specialty Waste” icon 

at www.lucascountyoh.gov, the Web site for 

Lucas County. 

Residents will respond to a series of questions 

to register for an appointment at the 

collection site for household hazardous 

waste, electronic waste, and tire recycling. 

After logging in, residents will be given a 

summary of applicable costs, a site location 

map, and directions for material drop-off as 

well as an email confirmation. 

For a limited time, electronic waste can 

be recycled free of charge through project 

grant. Other costs for tire disposal still apply. 

Residents can register anytime online, 

or by calling 419-213-2230 from 8:30 a.m. 

to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Mission Group Trip to Romania An Eye Opening Event for Village Couple 

On the last day of October as their three 

kids prepared for Halloween festivities, Villagers 

Eric and Maria Konoff flew to Romania 

to help other children in need of much 

more than a fresh bag of candy. 

Spurred by their peers at Hope Lutheran 

Church in Ottawa Hills and a desire to 

reach out to disadvantaged people, the Konoffs 

were part of a Hope Lutheran mission 

group that traveled to Romania to visit just a 

small handful of the country’s ever-growing 

population of orphans. 

Since the fall of Communism in Romania 

in 1989, Romanians have struggled to free 

themselves of a legacy of a crazed dictator 

who – despite the country’s vast wretched 

poverty and repression – aggressively promoted 

population growth by banning contraception 

and abortion for women with 

fewer than four children. 

The end result was thousands of babies 

and children living in deplorable conditions 

in packaged orphanages, where they 

were exposed to the AIDS virus from forced 

blood transfusions. Or, just as bad, living on 

the streets as prostitutes and drug addicts, 

the products of sexually and physically abusive 

upbringings. 

According the National Authority for the 

Protection of Children’s Rights in Romania, 

by June of 2005 there were more than 

80,287 children living in substitute families 

or institutions. The children are broken into 

two groups – Children Protected in Substitute 

Families (49,180) and Children Protected 

in Institutions – (31,107). Romania 

currently has more than 1,400 institutions 

to house these children. 

In June of 2004, Romania’s government 

– still seemingly clinging to its hard-line 

Communist roots – passed a new adoption 

law that prohibits international adoptions by 

anyone who is not a biological grandparent 

of the child to be adopted. The new law also 

makes domestic adoptions more difficult to 

complete. Currently, Romania is averaging 

1,260 domestic adoptions a year. 

Human rights groups such as UNICEF 

report that more than 4,000 babies in Romania 

are abandoned each year – adding 

2,740 new children annually to an already 

overburdened child care system. 

By the time their 10-day mission trip ended, 

the Konoffs were so moved by the children 

they met – and equally as frustrated 

with the Romanian laws that block international 

adoptions – that they already started 

planning their next trip to the country. 

They started fund-raising events for the 

orphans, including raising $750 through the 

sale of donated gift certificates from Calvino’s 

Restaurant in the Cricket West Shopping 

Center. And they spread the word of 

the orphan’s plight through their family and 

friends at church, school, and other activities. 

This issue of the Village Voice features a 

first-person account of the Romanian or- 

phanage mission by Maria Konoff, as well 

as a few of the hundreds of images she and 

Eric captured by digital camera. 

“I went on this mission trip because I 

have always wanted to go to orphanages 

with the hopes of possibly making a child’s 

life a little bit happier,” Maria said. “I have 

always wanted to adopt an older child that 

has the odds stacked against them of ever 

knowing what a family life is like. Yes, I will 

go back and hopefully I will return with another 

member to be added to my family.” 

“I would go again. It felt like a calling,” 

Eric said. “There where several things that 

became obstacles during the planning, however 

in the end everything worked out. For 

me this was an opportunity to completely 

do something for someone else. My only 

mission was to be productive for the children 

in whatever way God wanted me to.” 


Konoff Recounts Life-Changing Mission Trip 

Have you ever faced a situation that was 

so overwhelming you did not even know 

how to pray about it? 

Have you ever been so overcome with 

grief or burdened by heartache that you 

couldn’t put your emotions into words, 

much less pray about them? 

Four years ago, our church, Hope Lutheran 

on Secor Road, partnered with Holy 

Trinity Church and Children’s Home in 

Lupeni, Romania, through Missio Link International, 

a team of Romanian Christian 

missionaries dedicated to addressing the 

material and spiritual needs of the Romanian 

people since the fall of Communism 

in December, 1989. On Oct. 31, a Hope 

mission team left for Romania, with my 

husband Eric and I included. Our goal was 

to reach out to the many orphaned children 

throughout Romania. 

We didn’t know it, but this would be an 

experience that would truly change our 

lives. 

Life for the people of Romania has not 

been idyllic. For over 40 years Romanians 

suffered under a harsh communist regime, 

which devastated the country’s economy, 

suppressed religious expression, crippled 

the cultural life, and reduced most of the 

people to poverty. 

Since the end of communism in 1989, 

the Romania people have faced overwhelming 

challenges, struggling to free 

themselves from this legacy. 

Lupeni, with more than 31,000 people, 

lies in the Jiului valley, surrounded by 

mountains. People have been digging for 

coal in these mountains for more than a 

century, as it was one of the country’s main 

economic resources for many years. But 

the mines have all but closed and the unemployment 

rate is over 55 percent. 

Last year alone, more than 4,000 people 

lost their jobs. The politicians keep telling 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Events of Interest ... 

Spend an afternoon with Hostelling International 

with “Travel Circle” from 1 

to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 6 at Wildwood Preserve 

Metropark’s Ward Pavilion. Hike or ski at 1 

p.m., weather permitting. At 2:15 p.m., enjoy 

a slide show presented by Ken & Mary 

Sawers. … 

Kids 7 to 11 can explore the trails and 

participate in stewardship projects during 

“Wildwood Kids” from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 

6 at Wildwood’s Metz Visitor Center. Reservations 

required. … 

Help naturalists and land management 

staff restore a savanna in the Oak Openings 

Region from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 6. Program 

canceled if stormy. Long pants, work gloves 

and sturdy shoes recommended. Great for 

service hours and groups. Reservations required. 

… 

“Coffee with the Birds” will be held 

from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Jan. 9 at Wildwood’s 

Window on Wildlife. Relax and watch resident 

and winter migrant birds while staying 

warm inside, sipping on shade-grown, birdfriendly 

coffee. … 

Friends of the Lathrop House will meet at 

7 p.m. Jan. 9 at Wildwood’s Manor House. 

Get updates about the restoration project 

and opportunities to volunteer. … 

“Remember The Ladies” will be held 

at 10 a.m. Jan. 10 at Wildwood’s Manor 

House. An interesting way for students to 

learn history with living-history characters 

bringing to life famous women in history. 

Reservations required. … 

Wildlife Winter Survival will be held at 1 


Events and Postings ... 

Junior League’s 2007 Toledo After Hours Feb. 1 

Vicente Fox, President of Mexico from 

2000-06, will appear at the Junior League 

of Toledo’s premier annual event, “2007 

Toledo After Hours,” Feb. 1 at the Valentine 

Theater in downtown Toledo. 

Fox’s appearance at Toledo After Hours 

will generate funding for the Junior 

League’s current community service projects 

that are focused on health and wellness 

issues: “Camp Little Shots,” “Food 

and Fitness,” “Toledo Smiles,” and “Done 

in a Day.” 

Over the past 17 years, Toledo After 

Hours has raised more than $1 million to 

benefit the community through projects 

and activities developed, implemented 

and carried out by Junior League trained 

volunteers. 

A charismatic reformer, Fox is credited 

with playing a vital role in Mexico’s 

p.m. Jan. 13 at Secor Metropark’s National 

Center for Nature Photography, 1 to 2 p.m. 

Survival is a challenge for the wildlife that 

call the Metroparks their home. This indoor 

program will focus on how animals beat the 

winter woes. … 

The Toledo Symphony will present “Of 

Love and Other Demons” at 7 p.m. Jan. 

14 at the Toledo Club. The other-worldly 

novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez from 

which this concert draws its title invites us 

to look at love from unusual perspectives. 

John Cage’s “Amores” is the first piece ever 

democratization and strengthening the 

country’s economy. During his tenure, 

Fox succeeded in controlling inflation 

and interest rates, and in achieving the 

lowest unemployment rate in all of Latin 

America. His engaging personality and 

belief in the potential for change and economic 

development led to his election as 

President in what has been called the 

“fairest” election in Mexico’s history. 

Tickets are $175 each and include a 

cocktail dinner reception prior to the 

speech and coffee and dessert immediately 

following. A private reception attended 

by Fox prior to the cocktail dinner 

is available for an additional $100. 

For more information on purchasing 

tickets, corporate sponsorship packages, 

or to learn more about this event, call the 

Junior League at 419-534-3138. 

to use the prepared piano. Joined by three 

percussion instruments, “Amores” explores 

the quietness between lovers as the starting 

point for its spare and unpredictable textures. 

Two uniquely South American views 

on love follow. Brazilian composer Heitor 

Villa-Lobo’s “Choros” takes the form of an 

urban serenade, while Astor Piazzolla, the 

Argentinean King of the Tango, presents this 

most seductive of dances for string quartet. 

One of the centerpieces of the string repertoire, 

the Brahms second string sextet, is a 

final goodbye to the only woman to whom 

Brahms was engaged, Agathe van Siebold. 

Call 419-246-8000 for tickets. … 

“Volunteer Trail Patrol: Overview” will 

be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 14 at Wildwood’s 

Manor House. Find out more about Metroparks 

Volunteer Trail Patrol and consider 

volunteering at one of eight parks - on 

foot, bike or horseback. Training begins in 

March. … 

“Wednesday at Wildwood” will be held 

at 10 a.m. Jan. 17 in the Manor House. 

Speakers will present topics of local interest. 

Coffee and rolls served at 9:30 a.m. … 

The Thursday Concert will be held at 7:30 

p.m. Jan. 18 at Wildwood’s Manor House. 

Warm up while enjoying the musical talents 

of Whitmer High School students. … 

“Preschool Pioneers: O-H-I-O! Go Buckeyes!” 

will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 19 at 

Wildwood’s Oak Grove School. Fun for kids 

3 to 5 as they brush up on the Buckeye State. 

Listen to a story about Ohio history, hear the 

state theme song and make buckeyes to eat. 

Call 419-277-0107 for reservations. … 

The Toledo Symphony “Classics Series 

IV: The Planets” will be held at 8 p.m. 

Jan. 19-20 at the Toledo Museum of Art 

Peristyle Theater. Chelsea Tipton II brings 

together two twentieth-century British 

continued on page 9 >

... from around town 

> continued from page 8 

landmarks. Known for her beautiful sound 

and natural assurance, the young American 

cellist Alisa Weilerstein is an extraordinary 

exponent for Elgar’s poignant and poetic 

Cello Concerto. Elgar’s compatriot Gustav 

Holst is most famous for his tour-de-force 

portrait of The Planets. Concert will also 

feature Kernins’ Musica celestis. For tickets, 

call 419-246-8000 or visit www.toledosymphony.com. 

An Oak Openings Research Forum will be 

held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Toledo-Lucas 

County Main Library, McMaster 

Family Center. An update on a year’s worth 

of research in the amazing Oak Openings 

Region of northwest Ohio, including presentations 

and posters about rare plants, 

insects, birds, amphibians and geology. Call 

419-407-9706 for reservations. … 

The Toledo School for the Arts Concert 

will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 21 at Wildwood’s 

Manor House. Enjoy an afternoon in the 

Manor House and the musical talents of 

students from the Toledo School for the Arts. 

… 

Help naturalists and land management 

staff restore a savanna in the Oak Openings 

Region from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 21. Program 

canceled if stormy. Long pants, work gloves 

and sturdy shoes recommended. Great for 

service hours and groups. Reservations required. 

… 

“Volunteer Trail Patrol: Overview” will 

be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 21 at Secor Metropark’s 

Indoor Facility. Find out more 

about Metroparks Volunteer Trail Patrol and 

consider volunteering at one of eight parks 

- on foot, bike or horseback. Training begins 

in March. … 

A BGSU concert “Winter Wonders” will 

be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at Wildwood’s 

Manor House. Christopher and Ellen Scholl 

will delight with their amazing vocal talents. 

… 

“Volunteers In Parks: Restoring The Oak 

Openings” will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 

at Wildwood’s Ward Pavilion. Come to the 

VIPs winter meeting to learn more about the 

work of the Metroparks land management 

team, which restores native habitats and operates 

the Blue Creek native seed nursery. 

… 

“Remember The Ladies” will be held 

at 10 a.m. Jan. 24 at Wildwood’s Manor 

House. An interesting way for students to 

learn history with living-history characters 

bringing to life famous women in history. 

Reservations required. … 

“SAFE for Women” will be held at 6:30 

p.m. Jan. 24 at Wildwood’s Ward Pavilion. 

Metroparks rangers trained as Project SAFE 

(Self-defense Awareness and Familiarization 

Exchange) instructors conduct a course for 

women to learn how to avoid being a target 

of violence. … 

The Toledo Symphony presents André 

Watts in Recital at 8 p.m. Jan. 25 in the 

Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. At the age 

of 16, a sudden debut with the New York 

Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein was 

a triumph that made André Watts a legend. 

Don’t miss André Watts on his 60th birthday 

tour. Call 419-246-8000 for tickets. … 

Everyone is welcome to attend a meeting 

of the Toledo Area Aboriginal Research 

Society at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Wildwood’s 

Manor House. Hear a presentation of Ryan 

Duddleson’s research on Plains Woodland 

Pottery. … 

The Maumee Valley Antiques Show will 

be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 

from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Lucas 

County Recreation Center, 2901 Key St., 

Maumee. More than 90 dealers will display 

a diverse selection of quality antiques for 

the beginning and advanced collector. Call 

419-893-9602 for information. … 

“Friends of Secor: Photo Journal of the 

Yukon Territory” will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. 

28 at the Secor Metropark’s National Center 

for Nature Photography. Art Weber, director 

of the National Center for Nature Photography, 

shares stories and photos from a recent 

trip to the Yukon Territory. … 

The Toledo Symphony presents “Lemony 

Snicket – The Composer Is Dead!” At 

11 a.m. Jan. 27 in the Toledo Museum of 

Art Peristyle Theater. The second concert of 

Mercy Health Partners’ Family Series – pro- 

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More Events ... 


grammed specifically for children ages 4-14 

and the young-at-heart. 

This concert features narration by Robert 

Clemens and music from Harry Potter and 

the Chamber of Secrets and Berlioz’ March 

to the Scaffold. Young Artist Competition 

winner, pianist Phillip DuPont, will share 

his talents on the first movement of Prokofiev’s 

Piano Concert No. 3. Call 419-246- 

8000 for tickets. … 

A BGSU Concert “Musical Arts Showcase” 

will be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at 

Wildwood’s Manor House. BGSU’s firstever 

doctor of musical arts candidates will 

showcase their talents with a variety of instruments. 

… 

The Toledo Symphony presents the “Classics 

Series V: Dvorak New World” at 8 p.m. 

Feb. 2-3 in the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle 

Theater. One of the premiere exponents 

of twentieth and twenty-first century American 

music, Albany Symphony Music Director 

David Alan Miller leads the TSO in two 

symphonies that have significant American 

roots. Barber’s First Symphony is a bold revisiting 

of the symphonic form – synthesizing 

all four movements of the typical symphony 

into a single movement. Dvorak’s 

New World Symphony, an exemplar of the 

symphonic form at its finest, is his most famous 

orchestral utterance, a treasure chest 

of melodies that are effortlessly presented 

and developed. 

Principal flutist Joel Tse is featured in the 

Flute Concerto by the Danish composer 

Carl Nielsen, a light-hearted work whose 

sense of humor masks its unusual and highly 

innovative form. Call 419-246-8000 for 

tickets. … 

The Toledo Museum of Art’s “In Stabiano: 

Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the 

Roman Elite” runs through Jan. 28 at the Toledo 

Museum of Art. 

An extremely rare exhibition of 2,000- 

year-old Roman frescoes that have never before 

toured the United States, the exhibition 

consists of more than 70 works of art and 

artifacts recovered from five ancient Roman 

villas located in Stabiae, a resort community 

of lavish summer homes overlooking 

the Bay of Naples. Call 419-255-8000 for 

tickets. … 

“The Lure of Pompeii” is on display at the 

Toledo Museum of Art through Jan. 14. After 

the rediscovery and the excavation of the 

buried Roman city in the 1750’s, Pompeii 

soon became an important stop for scholars 

and the fashionable elite. 

Notable writers such as Goethe visited in 

1787, Charles Dickens in 1844 and Mark 

Twain in 1885. It still remains an important 

tourist destination for anyone visiting Italy. 

What is it that has drawn people to this incredible 

site even to this day? Discover the 

lure of Pompeii for yourself! 

At the Museum through Jan. 21 is “The 

End: Mortality and Remembrance.” Explore 

how mankind artistically portends, 

represents, and venerates life’s inevitable 

conclusion. 

This exhibition, drawn from the museum’s 

extensive collection of works on paper, features 

more than 75 works of art ranging 

from Albrecht Dürer’s 16th-century biblical 

engravings to Manuel Alvarez-Bravo’s 20thcentury 

photographs of the joyful Mexican 

celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of 

the Dead). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expect Noteworthy Results! 

Paintings 

Glass 

Jewelry 

Prints 

Sculpture 

Ceramics 

Fabric Art 

Naples to Ft. Myers 

 

11 % Sale 

off 

Celebrating our eleventh year, 

11% off everything in the 

gallery during January! 

6600 Sylvania Ave. 

M 10-5; T-F 10-6; Sat 10-5 

(419) 882-8949 

GARREN GRUP 

Ottawa Hills & 

University of Toledo 

Graduate 

 

 

 

 

Lifestyle & community info at www.buyupnaples.com 

Call Garren at 239-289-8619 


The Great Outdoors 

Winter Brings Out Frozen History of the Oak Openings Region 

The holidays were a nice distraction to 

the fact that we can no longer be outside 

in our gardens. In January reality sets in and 

we sit by a window longing for a break in 

the weather so we can get back outside. As 

I look across my winter garden covered in 

ice and snow, I am reminded of our history 

here in the Oak Openings. 

I think of the great Labrador Glacier 

which pushed down from Canada forming 

the Great Lakes, heaping tons of sand from 

an ancient sea onto our clay-based landscape 

before it receded about 10,000 years 

ago. 

The landscape composition and the evolution 

of the species that reside here have 

created an ecosystem which is now well 

recognized around the globe. The Nature 

Conservancy, a global organization dedicated 

to the preservation of such unique places 

as the South American rainforests and the 

African plains, considers Oak Openings 

one of the top 200 “great places on earth.” 

The plant life that resides in the Oak 

Openings region is indigenous with the 

history from which it sprouted. Great landscape 

designers such as Dutch-born Piet 

Oudolf, architect of the New York Trade 

Center memorial gardens, are using a significant 

number of our native plants in their 

garden designs. 

But just knowing that our native plants 

possess a unique history of survival and evolution 

allows us to understand a lot about 

how to garden in this area. The fringe of the 

Ottawa River flood plain yields a strange 

mixture of sand and clay which perplexes 

many gardeners. 

Plants that survive in sand don’t ask for 

much and, once established, don’t need 

much. These plants grow slowly and have 

surprising longevity. It is not uncommon to 

see an oak tree that has survived over 600 

years in our area. 

There are at least 180 varieties of these 

plants to choose from, and 61 of these cultivars 

live only in the three counties that 

make up the Oak Openings: Lucas, Henry 

and Fulton. The Oak Openings have their 

own distinct varieties of lupines, bee balms, 

asters, orchids, dry shade plants, wetlands 

iris and oak trees to name just a few. All are 

proven survivors, hardy in this area, resistant 

to disease, and tolerant of the mixture 

of landscape composition. 

Many natives are ideal for gardening with 

minimal supplemental watering or xeriscaping. 

This benefit to our pocket books mirrors 

the importance of our ecology and preservation 

of our precious resources. 

Once established, our native plants will 

stand the test of time and will prefer to be 

left alone. In response to their rising popularity, 

many local greenhouses are carrying 

a larger variety of native Oak Openings 

plants. 

The plants of the Oak Openings require 

little but give back so much. This is one of 

the reasons why so many varieties of birds 

and butterflies make their homes here. This 

is also why so many more make the incredible 

migration over thousands of miles from 

the tropics, to breed and raise their young 

in our parks, flood plains and yards each 

summer. We have the good fortune to be located 

right along one of the major migratory 

paths of these incredible creatures, many of 

which are directly or indirectly dependent 

on the flora of our area. 

In actuality this is a winter hiatus for us 

hard working gardeners. A good time to 

Change your thinking for the New Year 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TracyBoiceRealtor.com 

419-265-3447 

Tracy Boice, the right choice. 

think, meditate, and plan. To read new garden 

books, reread favorite articles that have 

inspired us and to study the garden catalogs 

that arrive at our door step. 

Some of us like to graph our garden 

changes on paper or make shopping list of 

new additions for Spring. As you plan and 

dream of Spring, remember the importance 

of our ecology and to not only plant for 

beauty, but also preservation of what makes 

Northwest Ohio special and unique. 

– Leah Hileman 

Villagegardener@buckeye-express.com 


Set Sail at “Celebrity 

Wait Night” Mar. 16 

They say you can’t buy brains, but the Ottawa 

Hills Mothers Support Group is going to 

try to buy some smarts … SMART boards, that 

is. The MSG’s biannual “Celebrity Wait Night” 

will be at 6:30 p.m. March 16 at Inverness 

Club. The theme of the evening is “Set Sail 

with the Pirates of the Hills.” The night will include 

drinks, dinner, live music by Rayz, and 

valet parking. 

MSG hopes the wait night will raise $20,000 

to purchase SMART boards for Ottawa Hills 

schools. 

A SMART board is an interactive whiteboard. 

The touch-sensitive display connects to 

a computer and a digital projector to display 

the computer image. Teachers can control 

computer applications directly from the display, 

write notes in digital ink and save their 

work to share online with students later. The 

boards cost $3,000 each. 

Cindy Steele is chairing the event. She is 

working with fellow volunteers Stephanie Judis, 

Terri DeRosa, Tima Simon, Cathryn Cason, 

Sherry-Ann Jenkins, Sonja Baehren, Shannon 

Johnson, Kristi Hoffman, Robin Isenberg, Barb 

Yavorcik, Patty Koury, Erica Scharer, Lori Hanrehan, 

Joyce Stengle, and Marla Schecht. 

Villagers are encouraged to save the date 

for the evening. Invitations will be going out 

to the community starting this month. 


Some of the members of the Mothers Support Group’s “Celebrity Wait Night” committee 

take a break from a recent planning meeting. They are, from left, Tima Simon, Patty 

Koury, Sherry-Ann Jenkins, Cindy Steele, Stephanie Judis, and Marla Schecht. 

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www.harmsflooring.com 

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Toledo area for over 47 years. 

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Village to Spend $100,000 on Future Housing Feasibility and Land Use Study 


$230,000 in repaving and drainage improvements 

in Exmoor and a more than 

$200,000 Edgehill/Underhill road repaving 

project originally scheduled for last October. 

In addition to employee raises, Council 

set aside an additional $10,000 to be used 

for “incentive pay” bonuses to recognize 

the “extra effort” put forth by members of 

the Village workforce. In 2006, the first year 

the bonuses were available, one employee 

received $1,000 and four others received 

$500 each under the program. 

Other highlights of the 2007 appropriations 

budget include $50,000 for a new plan 

to market the Village to potential homebuyers; 

$50,000 to examine how the Village 

uses its land and the feasibility of future 

housing projects; $110,000 to replace the 

1987 refuse packer; $43,500 for new police 

and fire radios; $25,000 for a new scooter 

in the service department; $15,000 to resurface 

the tennis courts, and $20,000 to hire 

a part-time prosecutor or pay the City of Toledo 

for such services. 

Potential additional expenses in 2007 include 

about $85,000 for a new dump truck, 

$10,000 for online filing income tax software, 

and an unknown amount to put a new 

roof on the service department building. 

Other possible additional expenditures 

in 2007 include the purchase of commercial 

property at the corner of Bancroft Street 

and Richards Road and the development of 

property at the corner of Richards Road and 

Dorr Street currently owned by the University 

of Toledo Foundation. 

In other business, council: 

• Heard that the Ottawa Hills Athletic 

Boosters Association is studying the 

need for a joint recreation district to 

help coordinate the community recreational 

activities offered to Village residents. 

With support from Council and 

the school board, the Boosters first step 

will be to gather and analyze feedback 

from community members who use 

Village and school facilities for club, 

association, league, or recreational 

programs. 

• Heard John Potts pleaded no contest to 

violating the Village’s property maintenance 

code in connection with his 

home on Sheraton Road, which was 

damaged by fire nearly two years ago. 

Potts was given 45 days to complete 

the rehabilitation work at his home, but 

still faces a civil charge related to the 

same violations. 

• Received two bids for landfill use, one 

at $23 per ton from BFI and the other 

$30.26 per ton from Waste Management 

(which currently has the Village 

contract). By switching from Waste 

Management, which has to impose 

added fees from Wood County and 

the Ohio EPA, the Village could save 

as much as $12,000 a year. The BFI 

landfill is just over the state border in 

Michigan, and does not pay the fees. 

• Was told the Boosters and a private 

donor are splitting the cost (about 

$10,000) for a new scoreboard at 

Geresy Field. 

• Heard the Village still has not resolved 

a dispute with contractors over repairs 

made nearly a year ago to the 

new grandstands at Geresy Field. The 

Village is holding back more than 

WELCOME TO THE 5TH ANNUA L 

Women’s Heart Health Forum 

This FREE program is limited to 

the first 350 registrants 

LEARN ABOUT: 

The 

Heart of 

the Matter 

Friday, February 9, 2007 

8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The Pinnacle 

1772 Indian Wood Circle 

Maumee, Ohio 

Women’s Risk for Heart Disease 

Sleep Apnea and Your Heart 

Exercise – Yoga – Tai Chi 

Gynecological Issues 

Osteoporosis 

DASH Diet Update 

Hear the personal stories of women 

who have faced heart disease and won. 

TO R EGIST ER: 

Contact Katherine Kortier at 419-842-3008 

Or email: kkortier@nwocc.com 

PRESENTED BY: 

$100,000 in unpaid bills until a resolution 

is reached. Councilman Bob 

Reichert said the Village offered to pay 

$69,000 of the outstanding amount as 

a settlement, but the contractors wanted 

$78,000. The dispute stemmed from 

a bad concrete pouring, which led to 

parts of the grandstand coming apart. 

Council’s next regular meeting is at 7:30 

p.m. Jan. 22 in the Municipal Building. 



Newsmakers ... 

Duke and Martha Wheeler’s Whitehouse 

Christmas Tree Farm raised $17,000 this 

season for 3-year-old Kaylee Halko. A local 

girl, Kaylee was diagnosed with an accelerated 

aging disease called progeria when she 

was 12 months old. 

Progeria is a progressive terminal condition 

which mimics many of the characteristics 

of the normal ageing process, but about 

eight times faster. A 10-year old progeria 

child will have the appearance of an octogenerian 

with symptoms including baldness, 

arthritis and heart problems. The average 

lifespan of a child with progeria is about 

13, and there is no cure. There are about 50 

known cases of progeria around the world, 

and only 14 in the United States. 

The Christmas Tree Farm donated $5 for 

every tree sold, and also collected additional 

donations from the community. Contributions 

for Kaylee can also be made at any 

Fifth Third Bank. … 

Rooftop Publishing of Bloomington, Indiana, 

has published Lead or Be Led: A Guide 

for Intentional Living, a book by Villager Bill 

Munn. A successful speaker and corporate 

coach, Munn helps others with business 

and lifestyle management. In his book, 

Munn “lays out a roadmap for ‘intentional 

living,’ the idea that people must lead and 

control their lives, instead of being led by 

life’s events.” Lead or Be Led is available in 

major bookstores and on Amazon.com. … 

Villager Jo Cooley, the former coach for 

the Ottawa Hills High School field hockey 

team, was honored at the field hockey state 

tournament in November for her “outstanding 

achievement and contribution at the 

highest level” of the sport of field hockey. 

Her accomplishments include coaching the 

Green Bears to three state championships 

and nine trips to the final four. Cooley was 

also recently named head coach for Region 

9 of the FUTURES program, which will be 

held at the University of Michigan. The season 

starts in March. … 

Thomas Baird’s Financial Consulting Associates, 

Certified Public Accountants, and 

Richard F. Bernstein, CPA, have merged as 

of Dec. 1. The combined businesses continue 

to offer management advisory services, 

monthly accounting write-up services, income 

tax preparation and planning, technology 

consulting, and accounting software 

training and implementation. Baird and 

Bernstein will be based out of the company’s 

Reynolds Road offices. … 

Villagers ... 

Edgar T. Staren, who graduated from 

OHHS with honors in 2003, has been appointed 

to the board of trustees for the University 

of Illinois system by Illinois Governor 

Rod Blagojevich. Staren will represent 

77,000 students from three UI campuses 

(Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana-Champaign). 

Staren will also supervise the undergraduate 

student government, the graduate 

student council, and the health professional 

student council at UI’s Chicago campus 

consisting of 25,000 students. He plans 

on attending both law school and medical 

school and looks forward to a career in 

healthcare administration and policy. … 

Lauren Kruse, OHHS class of 2003, 

helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes’ field 

hockey team to its first outright Big Ten 

Championship in school history this past 

season. In 2001 the team tied for the title 

with rival Michigan. 

The Buckeyes finished 2006 ranked fifth 

in the country and made it to the NCAA 

Elite 8. Kruse received second team All Big 

Ten honors and was the second leading 

scorer in Big Ten games this year. 

She finished her career as a four-year 

starter, and is a past captain of the Buckeyes. 

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... in the news 

More Newsmakers ... 

Daniel Ruvolo is one of 13 St. John’s Jesuit 

High School seniors named a 2007 

National Merit Commended Student. Active 

in the Titan music program, he is band 

executive officer and drum major of the 

Marching Titans. He also performs in the 

symphonic band, solo and ensemble, and 

Jazz Machine. He has participated in the SJJ 

fall play or spring musical all four years. 

He is assistant editor-in-chief of the Cavalier, 

the school newsmagazine, and editorin-chief 

of the Promethean yearbook. He 

serves on the integrity committee and is in 

the National Honor Society, euchre club, 

and French club. 

Ruvolo also served in the Guatemala City 

dump working with children through the 

SJJ International Christian Service program, 

volunteered at hospice, and tutored elementary 

school students. He is applying to the 

University of Pennsylvania, the University 

of Notre Dame, and Boston College. … 

Ottawa Hills High School senior and 

field hockey standout Hollis Barber has 

been named second team All American and 

west region All American for 2006. Barber 

was selected as west region All American in 

2005 as well. She is the fifth Green Bear to 

be named a field hockey All American in 

the past 20 years. … 

Leigh Rorick, a freshman at Dartmouth, 

was named the field hockey team’s rookie 

of the year for 2006. The rookie award is 

presented to the first-year student-athlete 

who “has had an immediate impact and 

strong on-field presence.” 

Rorick started out the year playing both 

in the middle and on the frontline. After the 

staff saw her speed and determination, she 

was given a solid spot up top. The freshman 

only recorded one assist, but “has come a 

long way with her ability to make things 

happen, as well as shut down opponents’ 

attack,” according to the coaching staff. 

A graduate of Maumee Valley Country 

Day School, Rorick was a four-year member 

of the MVCDS field hockey team, becoming 

captain her senior year and earning most 

valuable player honors in 2005. 

She earned first team All Ohio honors in 

2004 and 2005 and was a three-time Academic 

All Ohio honoree. Rorick also participated 

on the Futures Elite U-19 team in 

2005 and 2006, and played at the Futures 

National Tournament in 2004 and 2005. 

She also played three years of basketball 

and lacrosse, being named captain of the 

lacrosse team as a senior after earning MVP 

honors in 2005. Rorick earned MVP of her 

lacrosse team in 2005 and 2006 and was 

named to the first team All-TAAC. She was 

also named her basketball team’s defensive 

player of the year in 2006. … 

St. John’s Jesuit High School baseball 

pitcher, senior Gerald Timothy Corbey, has 

signed to play for the University of Dayton 

Flyers next season. The academic/athletic 

scholarship is valued at over $110,000. 

Corbey, a three-year starting letterman, is 

on track to break the Titan school record for 

career wins. He was first team, all city and 

first team, all district both his sophomore 

and junior years. When the 6’4”, 215- 

pound pitcher is not throwing in the upper 

80s, he plays first base and right field. 

He earned the St. John’s Jesuit lowest ERA 

award for 2005 with an ERA of 2.13 in 55- 

2/3 innings (51 strikeouts). His 2006 ERA 

was slightly higher at 2.14 in 51 innings (59 

strikeouts). 

Corbey’s baseball career also includes 

playing on some of the premiere summer 

teams in the Midwest such as the Toledo 

Tornados, Glass City Indians, Toledo Hitmen, 

and the Columbus Cobras. One of his 

top baseball honors was playing for Team 



$9 Million Federal Lawsuit Filed In Traffic Stop That Resulted in Arrest 


board camera, showing Brown being pulled 

from her vehicle, wrestled to the ground by 

her arm and hair, and handcuffed and arrested 

by Deters, a full-time officer since 

2001. 

Citing “family reasons,” Deters resigned 

nine days after the traffic stop. 

According to Deters’ police report, Brown 

was stopped at 1:23 a.m. on Secor Road 

near Edgevale Road for driving 49 mph in a 

35-mph zone. Deters reported he smelled a 

strong odor of alcohol coming from inside 

the vehicle, and that the woman’s speech 

sounded lethargic and slurred. 

The woman told Deters she was at a party, 

was the designated driver, and was driving 

her father home. A preliminary breath test 

registered a zero blood-alcohol count, and 

the woman was told to return to her vehicle 

while Deters filled out a citation for speeding. 

The video of the arrest shows Deters 

walking back to his cruiser when he sees 

Brown throw the ticket out the window. Deters 

returns to the vehicle, opens the door, 

and orders her to step out of the vehicle. 

Deters then pulls the woman from the vehicle 

by her arm, spins her around to the 

ground, and handcuffs her. Deters charged 

the woman with littering, disorderly conduct, 

and obstructing official business, but 

all the charges were dropped after Deters 

resigned from the police department. 

In a prepared statement released shortly 

after the incident, Village officials apologized 

to Brown and called the actions of 

Deters “wrong.” In 2004, Deters was honored 

by the Greater Toledo Area chapter of 

Mothers Against Drunk Driving for being 

among a group of area law enforcement 

officers who made the most drunken-driving 

arrests in 2003. He made 65 arrests that 

year, and subsequently led the Village force 

in such arrests year after year. 

Brown’s lawsuit claims that Deters violated 

her civil rights under the 4th and 

14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, 

which protect citizens against unreasonable 

searches and seizures, false arrest, and excessive 

force. 

It also contends the Ottawa Hills police 

department was indifferent to claims of police 

misconduct, that Brown was unlawfully 

restrained and assaulted and suffered intentional 

and reckless emotional stress. The 

lawsuit also claims conspiracy, stating Chief 

Overmeyer tried to persuade Brown to sign 

a release of liability in exchange for dropping 

the charges against her. 

The lawsuit asks for $1 million for each of 

the nine claims filed. 

In 1998, a black construction worker who 

was working at Ottawa Hills High School 

was arrested after refusing to give his name 

to a Village police officer and trying to walk 

away. A neighbor had called police to report 

a strange looking man standing by the 

school. 

Charges of resisting arrest and obstructing 

official business were later dismissed, and 

two courts ruled the arrest was improper. 

The construction worker, Suron Jacobs of 

Toledo, sued the Village, alleging discriminatory 

practices, and settled out of court. 

The undisclosed settlement was paid by the 

Village’s insurance company. 

Brown is being represented by attorney 

Arnold Reed of Farmington Hills, Mich. 

The case has been assigned to Judge James 

Carr. 





Voices of the Past 

Ottawa Hills in Bygone Days, from the Pages of The Village Voice 

5 YEARS AGO – 2002 

Bob Overmeyer was chosen as permanent 

chief of the OH Police Department … 

Bill Niehous was awaiting his turn as a relay 

runner carrying the Olympic torch on its 

way to Atlanta … Federal District Judge David 

Katz was honored with the Thomas Distinguished 

Jurist Award at his alma mater, 

The Ohio State University Moritz College of 

Law … Laura Kistler became the first OHHS 

Lady Bears field hockey player in eight years 

to earn regional All-American laurels … 


Villager Susan LeCron retired as director 

of Toledo Botanical gardens after 20 years 

of service … Joel Beren, Harlan Reichle, 

Jr., Larry Kaczala, and Dan Steinberg were 

honored by the Toledo Junior Chamber of 

Commerce for extensive community involvement 

… Dick Baker, Jr., and Lynn Fruth 

completed their purchase of the Danberry 

Co. Realtors … Ron Langhals was named 

manager of the Toledo Tennis Club … 

basketball coach at OHHS … 


Ottawa Hills police were ending the service 

of monitoring some 300 residential 

alarm systems due to signal inconsistencies, 

telling residents to work with their alarm 

service provider for monitoring … Residents 

were complaining to Village Council 

about single-family homes being occupied 

by multiple individuals … The Committee 

of 100 came into being as the lead economic 

revitalization group for the Toledo area, 

with Villager George Haigh as its chairman 

… Don McKone was elected chairman of 

the board of directors, Toledo-Lucas County 

Port Authority … 


OH police were taking what they described 

as “strong action” against joggers on 

Village streets who were not wearing reflective 

tape or visible colors; joggers without 

identification were being held at the police 

station … Jim Gilbert was named Toledo 

Silver Medalist “advertising person of the 

year” … Wrestling was still an OHHS varsity 

sport, with an annual OH Invitational 

tournament … 

– Ron L. Coffman 


Nine LEAP class students at Ottawa Hills 

Elementary buried a specially-designed 

time capsule on the Municipal Building 

grounds, to be excavated in 30 years; artifacts 

included a computer mouse, beverage 

containers, and some 50 additional items 

… Jim Casper was to retire after 23 years 

as Ottawa Hills High principal … Katherine 

Hurst became OHHS assistant principal 

… Tammy Talmage was named girls varsity 

Renew Dog Licenses 

For the responsible pet owner, January is 

the time to purchase a 2007 dog license. 

The deadline for obtaining a dog license 

is Jan. 31. The cost for a license, which is 

good for all of 2007, is $20. Dog owners 

who fail to license their dog(s) by Jan. 31 

will be assessed a penalty of an additional 

$20 per license. 

Licenses can be purchased at the Lucas 

County Auditor’s office on the sixth floor of 

One Government Center, the Lucas County 

Dog Warden’s office, and at many pet 

stores. 

Not only is licensing your dog the law, 

but it can help ensure lost dogs are returned 

to their owners. More than 300 lost, untagged 

dogs end up in the dog pound every 

month. 

Failure to license your dog can also result 

in a citation that could carry fines and court 

costs in excess of $100. 

Dog owners with questions, or to find the 

location of a license agent closest to you, 

call the Lucas County Auditor’s office at 

419-213-4341. 

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Village Employees “Adopt” Needy Area Family for Christmas Holiday 

Nearly 20 Village employees donated 

$400 for their annual “adopt a family” charity 

efforts. Ottawa Hills Police Officer Dana 

Baertschi coordinated the employees’ efforts 

this year, according to acting Lieutenant 

Mark Kolasinski. 

This marks the third year in a row Village 

employees have adopted a needy family at 

Christmas time. 

According to Baertschi, the Village 

worked with the St. Marguerite d’Youville 

Foundation, which is affiliated with Mercy 

Hospital, to identify a needy family. 

“People apply to the foundation, and they 

review all the application and select the 

neediest families for assistance,” Baertschi 

said. 

For many of the families, welfare and other 

state and federal aid is their only source 

of income. 

The family adopted by the Village this 

season consists of a mother with a 7-yearold 

boy and 8-year-old girl. 

According to Baertschi, the foundation 

gave the Village the family’s name and 

a wish list that had been prepared by the 

mother. The list consisted of various basic 

needs and clothing sizes. 

Village employees donated enough money 

that Baertschi and her co-workers were 

able to purchase socks, shirts, winter coats, 

and shoes for the children. They also purchased 

miscellaneous toys for the kids, and 

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raised enough money to buy both children 

their own bicycles. 

“We tried to make sure their needs were 

met,” Baertschi said. “Food was not an issue. 

Mom never asked for anything herself, 

but we picked her up some slippers and a 

robe. It is hard to shop for someone you 

have never seen before.” 

More Newsmakers ... 


Ohio. He was also selected for the Buckeye 

Scout Top 100 and was winner for the 2005 

and 2006 Wide World of Sports Top Skills 

Award in Orlando, Florida. 

Carrying a 3.7 G.P.A. and on the honor 

roll consistently, Corbey is in the National 

Honor Society and has participated in baseball, 

French, and Titan Pride clubs. He received 

the Who’s Who Among American 

High School Students award – the highest 

honor awarded to less than 5 percent of 

American high school students for academic 

performance. … 

James MacKay, a junior at St. Johns Jesuit 

High School, was one of the Titan “big buddies” 

that treated 101 kindergartners and 

first graders (“little buddies’) from Rosary 

Cathedral, John Paul II, and St. Elizabeth Seton 

schools to an early Christmas on Dec. 

While Baertschi and the mom talked a 

few times on the telephone, the family had 

not met anyone from the Village until the 

presents were delivered a few days before 

Christmas. 

Employees from the police, fire, and administrative 

offices donated to the program 

this year. 

5. “Big buddies” like MacKay braved the 

Thanksgiving weekend crowds to shop for 

that special gift to give to their “little buddies” 

and spent the day playing games, 

meeting Santa Claus, watching a holiday 

movie, and decorating cookies with their 

buddies. … 

A number of Village youths have received 

first quarter honors for their academic performance 

at St. Johns Jesuit High School. 

James Christy, Andrew Gaillardetz, James 

MacKay, and Daniel Ruvolo received class 

honors for grade point averages of 4.2 or 

higher. First honors, for a GPA between 3.5 

and 4.19, went to Jacob Bourey, Gerald 

Corbey, Todd Corbey, David Gaillardetz, 

Timothy Lemieux, Ian Ludd, Matthew Ruvolo, 

and Charles Stein. Mark Witherell 

earned second honors for a GPA between 

3.0 and 3.49. … 

The Ottawa Hills Junior High School 

seventh grade field hockey team, coached 

by Jordan Izsak, enjoyed an undefeated 

season this past fall. The Green Bears were 

never scored on the entire season. The team 

consisted of Kirsten Alexander, Caroline 

Arnos, Paige Aubry, Clare Bogart, Victoria 

Burchinow, Hollis Dana, Yasi Gore, Maddie 

Hileman, Andrea Hylant, Haley Jarecki, 

Katelyn Konoff, Maggie Machon, Nancy 

Rumpf, Julie Walter, Lucy Zanville, Mary 

Zimmerman, and Marissa Zyndorf. … 

Seven-year-old Kyleigh Baird and 8-yearold 

Charlotte Thurston have been selected 

to participate in the TOPs gymnastic program. 

TOPs is USA Gymnastics’ annual program 

to identify young gymnasts who have 

the ability to excel in the sport. 

Kyleigh and Charlotte will participate in 

TOPs regional testing this summer. Based 

upon their performance, they may be allowed 

to continue their TOPs gymnastic 

training at the USA gymnastics national 

team training center in Huntsville, Texas. 

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Needed Trimming of Trees Near Power Lines Catches Some by Surprise 


since the house was built [in 1926].” 

Tree pruning and trimming along energy 

lines is nothing new and, according to 

Chuck Krueger, Edison’s vice president of 

external relations, the state mandates utilities 

perform the task to ensure the reliability 

of the power supply. 

“Toledo Edison and all of the other electric 

utilities are regulated by the Public Utilities 

Commission of Ohio,” Krueger said. “We 

are mandated to provide as reliable service 

as possible to all of their customers. To that 

end, the trimming of trees that are either already 

impacting our lines or could impact 

our lines, is required to meet those liability 

standards that have been set for us.” 

“We are on a tree-trimming cycle where 

we trim all of the trees beneath or adjacent 

to our lines every four years,” Krueger said. 

“It has probably been at least four years 

since we have been on that line on Indian 

Road.” 

“Our trimming is essentially done to a 

standard that is set by the National Arborists 

Association. They have developed this trimming 

method that generally does not harm 

the tree. It allows for proper clearance between 

the tree and out line, and allows for 

the four-year growth of the tree, for it not to 

get back into our lines.” 

According to literature from First Energy, 

these guidelines, also known as “directional 

pruning,” have been accepted as an industry 

standard and promoted by the National 

Arbor Day Foundation, among others. 

Directional pruning calls for the removal 

of entire branches and limbs back at the 

main trunk of the tree, in an effort to direct 

future growth away from the lines. 

“There are some situations where some 

trees, to trim them for proper clearance, 

leave the tree looking very odd, for lack of a 

better term,” Krueger said. “In those cases, 

we take a look at what is really best for the 

healthy condition of the tree, the reliability 

of our equipment, and the aesthetics. We 

then try to make a decision which we discuss 

with the property owner [if the tree is 

on private property] about the removal of 

the tree.” 

According to Nichols, that was the case 

with her pine tree. 

“After we called, a man came out and 

looked at our tree and agreed that they had 

gone overboard, so they came back and 

took it out,” Nichols said. “We won’t have 

another tree like that in our lifetime, but 

they are going to pay to plant another tree 

for us.” 

“I remember them trimming it a little bit 

here and there,” Nichols said. “I understand 

it has to be safe, but I don’t know why they 



did so much this time.” 

Nichols was also upset that no advance 

warning of the pruning efforts had been 

given. 

According to Krueger, the contractors 

hired for the trimming work are supposed 

to walk the neighborhoods prior to work 

starting, and hang informational tags and 

literature on the door knobs of all of the 

homes with power lines on or adjacent to 

their property. 

Nichols said her family never received 

such information, and Thompson indicated 

a number of other people complaining 

about the work also said they had received 

no advance notice. 

Krueger said he did not know why notice 

was not given, but the matter was addressed 

with the contractor. 

According to the First Energy Web site, 

there are several guidelines homeowners 

can follow when planting trees to avoid 

power line issues. They include: 

• Avoid planting any tree directly under 

power lines. 

• Make sure any tree planted within 20 

feet of neighborhood power lines is 

a variety that will grow to a mature 

height of 25 feet or less. Small trees 

such as flowering crabapple, dogwood 

or serviceberry are ideal for these locations. 

912 Monroe St, Toledo, Ohio 

Telephone: 419.241.8100 

www.paulabrown.com 

• Plant taller trees farther away to ensure 

they can’t grow into power lines. At 

distances of 20 to 50 feet, plant trees 

that grow to a height of 40 feet or less. 

For instance, linden or magnolia trees 

are a good choice in these areas. 

• If you want to plant a tree that grows 

tall, such as a maple, oak, pine or 

spruce, make sure it’s at least 50 feet 

from the nearest residential overhead 

lines. 

The site also lists a number of tree varieties 

that are specifically not recommended 

for use near overhead lines of any kind. 

They include the black locust, callery pear, 

catalpa, box elder, both American and Siberian 

elms, horse chestnut, mulberry, poplar 

(Carolina, Lombardi or other hybrids), silver 

maple, sycamore, tree-of-heaven, white 

pine, and willow 

According to Krueger, the power line that 

runs along Indian is a distribution feeder, 

and supplies a majority of the energy to the 

Village. 

“Trees rank right up there as one of the 

leading causes of power outages,” Krueger 

said. “Our customers enjoy the best reliability 

in the state of Ohio for public electric 

utilities. If you want your lights on as much 

as possible, this trimming activity really 

does need to take place.” 

– Yarko Kuk 

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Villager Recounts Observations, Stories from Mission to Romania 


the people to do something to manage 

one way or another, but the trouble is they 

don’t know where to go. Those who have 

somewhere to go leave, but the others 

remain. There are many who go to places 

they don’t know, leaving their children on 

stairs of a block or with a grandparent who 

can barely survive themselves. 

Day by day the social help diminishes or 

ends, and there are more and more hapless 

people. In this situation, children suffer 

the most. Some of them can’t go to school; 

they don’t have their daily bread, no 

clothes, no heat. The poverty and homelessness 

in Lupeni is inconceivable. 

Upon arriving in Lupeni, we saw many 

dogs roaming the city, and clothes were 

hanging outside to dry. We learned that 

clothes dryers are a luxury in Romania, as 

electric is very expensive. We saw many 

people out on the streets walking to wherever 

or using a horse and buggy, as many 

do not have cars. Others are out on the 

street selling cabbage or pigs – yes, there 

were pigs lying next to commercial buildings. 

At the center of Lupeni is Holy Trinity 

Church and the attached private children’s 

home, our Romanian church partner. 

Ten years ago, the current pastor began 

his tenure at Holy Trinity Church. The 

construction of the children’s home was 

complete, but for some reason the home 

did not have children living there. The pastor 

and the director of the church/home 

enrolled the first four children in 1999. 

Our team first traveled to the Deborah 

House, where we met six of the 10 delightful 

girls who made their home there. These 

girls are not only victims of abuse, but poverty 

and starvation as well. 

The Deborah House is about very young 

girls, condemned by society even before 

they had a trial or lawyer. A facility was 

needed to make a home for them, where 

they could find everything they did not 

receive from their own family. Our team 

spent time with the girls, made scarves, 

played with big balloons, and passed out 

beanie babies, bracelets and many other 

gifts. We shared, loved and then departed. 

The second stop along our travels was a 

state orphanage in Recas, Romania. Here 

we learned about the Harmony Project, another 

ministry of Missio Link that uses music 

to introduce orphans to the church. The 

activities of the Harmony Project include 

special programs with children singing in 

churches in the Timisoara area, including 

Christmas and Easter events. 

About 70 of the 100 children who live at 

this orphanage gathered in a room to sing 

to our mission team. We, in turn, sang to 

the children. Many of the children came 

outside with us before our departure, as 

they wanted us to take their pictures. As 

our van pulled away, many of the children 

chased us down the road. 

On Nov. 3 our mission team went to stay 

five days with church families in Lupeni 

in order to deliver our financial donations 

as well as spend time with the children, 

deepen our relationships with the faculty, 

staff, pastor, church families, and to work 

on the special projects for the children’s 

home (painting the children’s playroom 

and purchasing a new industrial stove/oven 

and washer). 

All of the children I met on this mission 

have been etched into my heart, and I will 

always remember the stories about some of 

the children who call Holy Trinity “home.” 

One of the first boys to live at Holy Trinity 

was a 14-year-old whose parents beat 

him so severely it caused him to become 

mentally challenged. His parents never 

visit and have nothing to do with him. This 

special young man insisted on helping our 

team paint and would always have us on 

the edge of our seats. One time I found 

him trying to get the paint off his hands 

with a razor! We all found a special place 

in our heart for this fun boy. 

A tiny 6-year-old girl recently came to 

live at the home because her mother died 

and her father abused her. Her grandparents 

took care of her, but became too 

ill and the grandfather also abused her. I 

could not reach out and touch this child 

without her flinching. It took several days 

for her to hug me, and even when she did, 

she did not embrace me. Since this young 

girl is new to the home and so tall and 

skinny, she did not have many clothes, so 

we went to the second-hand store below 

the children’s home to buy her some new 

clothes. With excitement, she said in Romanian 

that she would wear the clothes to 

bed. 

A beautiful 13-year-old girl has a mother 

who left her behind at the children’s home 

to work in Italy, illegally, in order to earn 

a living for their family. As a token of her 

appreciation, this child gave me her favorite 

bracelet that says “Love” on it and 

a schoolbook for me to keep. I was con- 


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Reflections on Trip to Romania 


cerned she would be in trouble for giving 

me her schoolbook; however, I was told it 

is important for these children to be able to 

give back, and that it was okay to keep the 

schoolbook because they don’t own much 

to give to others. 

We met an endearing 13-year-old boy 

whose mother is an alcoholic and whose 

father has psychological problems. This 

mother told the administrator of the 

children’s home that she is “stupid” and 

wants her boy to become a good man and 

that she is not able to give him a good life. 

Once when I was trying to hand-wring a 

mop out, this boy shook his head and took 

the mop out of my hand. He went to get 

a bucket that had a special place to wring 

out the mop, and he showed me how to 

use it the correct way. Even though he, like 

many of he children, did not speak English, 

it did not stop us from communicating. 

Many times this sweet boy would come 

up behind me and tap me on the back and 

smile. 

We met an 11-year-old girl and her 

14-year-old brother who live at the home 

because their parents are divorced. The 

mom lives in a basement and suffers from 

tuberculosis, and nobody wants to hire 

Typical Romanian apartments, where the 

heat and electricity is turned on and off by 

the government. 

her. They have an 

8-year-old sister who 

lives with the mom, 

and the dad lives 

in town but never 

visits the children. 

These children are 

both so beautiful, 

and the boy has 

such a unique voice, 

I would know every 

time he was nearby. 

Both children were 

living at the home 

when our last team 

from Hope visited 

Lupeni three years 

ago. 

Another 13-yearold 

girl doesn’t have 

any siblings and 

her father lives far 

away. The mother 

has tuberculosis and 

only works in the 

winter. This pretty 

little thing latched 

onto me once and 

hugged me very 

tightly as she cried. 

She was upset that 

her bed had been 

moved to a new 

room with new 

roommates. Again, 

the language barrier 

didn’t stop us from 

communicating important 

issues. 

A 15-year-old 

boy’s father is in jail for murdering his 

mother. He has a sister and two older 

brothers who are married, but their visits 

are rare. This quiet boy wrote me a note 

telling me he liked the way we worked in 

their playroom and that we did a great job. 

He also told me he likes to ride on bikes, 

play tennis and football, and that he can’t 

wait to see us again. 

Four orphan siblings come from a “gypsy 

family” with six other siblings. Some of 

their siblings are in state orphanages and 

a couple still live at home. When they 

started living at the children’s home, they 

These Romanian orphans were thrilled to meet new people and 

make new friends. 

came with only clothes from the waist up. 

Their house has neither heat nor windows. 

One of the younger girls made a beautiful 

clay sculpture out of a little mound of clay 

while in church. The older girls have issues 

with the fact that some children still live 

at home with the parents. The littlest 8- 

year-old boy is the second youngest at the 

children’s home and was darling. The two 

oldest girls wrote me recently. Smiles were 

rare with these girls when we arrived, however 

were more frequent during our stay. 


BISTRO WASABI 

 

 

 

 

Tues - Thurs 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 9:30 p.m.; Fri & Sat, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 10:30 p.m.; Sun 4:30 to 9 p.m. 


Romanian Mission 


Our team ended our trip by visiting the 

Alpinis Retreat House, where we were able 

to decompress and have accommodations 

much like home. Our view of the Carpathian 

Mountains was just incredible! 

We Americans have such an inadequate 

view of suffering. We have so many privileges, 

but we do not realize them until 

spending time in an impoverished country 

such as Romania. In order to paint the children’s 

playroom, we had to travel to five 

different stores to get something as simple 

as a paint tray. 

Paint is not already mixed; you have to 

add the color you want, water, and use a 

large mixer that looks like a large-scale 

kitchen mixer to mix the paint (a stick or 

arm work as equally good, as I found out). 

Water and heat would be turned off on a 

regular basis during the day for repair. Our 

pastor’s host family did not have heat during 

our entire stay. In order to purchase the 

new industrial stove for the kitchen, one 

of our men had to travel seven hours to a 

larger city. 

The private children’s home in Lupeni is 

in jeopardy of running out of funds to operate. 

An American dollar is worth nearly 

triple in Romanian money. A monthly 

pledge of $25 would be almost $75 in Romanian 

money. 

Hope Lutheran Church’s Discipleship Pastor Tom Fraser with some of the children. 

If you decide to donate, you can visit 

either www.missiolink.org or www.veritas. 

ro and specify donations to the Lupeni 

children’s home. Our family has been so 

blessed with many privileges; it has been a 

joy to give back to a country in great need. 

Immediate gratification was received just 

by witnessing the joy we brought to so 

many children. Please feel free to contact 

us with questions, donations or if you just 

want to hear more about this beautiful 

country. 

Pace (peace in Romanian). Maria Claus 

Konoff, 4545 Indian Rd., 419-539-9272 

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Office: 419 535-0011 

Voice Mail: 419-539-2700 

Ext. 168/116 

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Wishing you a New Year filled with peace, happiness and prosperity!

Eating Disorders Not Limited to Girls, Can Be 

Cured with Proper Treatment and Counseling 

Fast Fact: Eating disorders appear to run 

in families, with females being affected most 

often. Whether this is genetic or a result of 

parental attitudes is not certain. One study 

found that mothers who are overly concerned 

about their daughter’s weight and 

attractiveness may put their child at risk. It 

has also been found 

that girls with eating 

disorders often have 

fathers or brothers 

who are critical 

about their weight. 

Q: My son is extremely 

thin and 

does not seem 

to eat anything. 

Should I be concerned? 

A: Food is important, and if you never see 

him eat, that could be the sign of a problem. 

Experts report that between five and 

10 million people have eating disorders 

and roughly 1 percent of all teens are in 

that group. That means in a school of 400 

students, at least four will suffer from this 

condition. 

While most people tend to think of women 

and girls when it comes to eating disorders, 

the reality is that 10 percent of the 

people with eating disorders are male. 

The most common eating disorders are 

anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa – 

most commonly known as simply anorexia 

and bulimia. They are very similar to each 

other in that the person will have a distorted 

image of their own bodies and will be fixated 

on what they eat. 

Girls seem to suffer from these two disorders 

more often than guys do and, as a 

result, male eating disorders tend to be 

overlooked – largely because they focus on 

an athletic appearance rather than simply 

being thin. 

Generally, people with anorexia are 

rarely seen eating and are very afraid of becoming 

fat. In some situations, the person 

will become obsessive about the foods they 

do eat – measuring portions and counting 

calories in every serving. Excessive exercise 

with the intent to lose more weight is also 

a symptom. 

Oddly enough, the body perception of a 

person with anorexia is the opposite of reality. 

While they continue to drop pounds at 

an alarming rate, they do not see themselves 

as thin. The altered perception may even go 

as far as allowing them to see a fat person 

when they look in the mirror. 

Bulimia is a different condition in that the 

person does not avoid eating but rather eats 

large amounts of food then gets rid of it by 

vomiting or taking laxatives – sometimes referred 

to as “binge and purge.” 

Like anorexia, bulimia tends to affect 

more women than men. However, bulimia 

is more difficult to detect because the person 

may look average or above average in 

weight. 

Student athletes are sometimes more likely 

to develop eating disorders than non-athletes 

because of the demands of their sport. 

Wrestlers, for instance, have specific weight 

classes and young men may develop disorders 

in their effort to achieve or maintain a 

certain weight. 

Gymnasts, ballerinas, and figure skaters 

often compete in a culture where being 

thin is essential and even runners are often 

encouraged to lose weight. Unfortunately, 

losing too much weight defeats the intent 

because the lack of energy and nutrients 

degrades athletic performance and leads to 

increased risk of injury. 

Even more significant, anorexia has been 

attributed to heart, liver and kidney problems 

because the body slows, thinking it is 

starving, and blood pressure drops. Anemia 

(a lack of red blood cells), swollen joints, 

hair loss, and breaking fingernails are all 

symptoms of anorexia. 

Constant stomach pain, largely because 

of constant vomiting, is often found in people 

with bulimia. Again, kidney and stomach 

damage, heart problems, tooth decay 

and permanently swollen salivary glands 

creating “chipmunk cheeks” are related to 

bulimia. 

Both anorexia and bulimia can lead to 

emotional and mental problems as well. 

The obsession with weight can make it difficult 

to focus on much else. People with 

eating disorders tend to become withdrawn 

and anti-social. Teens with anorexia do not 

join in on snacks or meals with friends and 

avoid breaking their intense exercise routine. 

Those with bulimia often focus on planning 

the next binge and spend a great deal 

of money on food, only to hide out in the 

bathroom for a long time following a huge 

meal. Additionally, some people, suffering 

from guilt or depression, turn to drugs or 

other substances to feel better, which only 

makes matters worse. 

Luckily, eating disorders are curable with 

proper treatment and counseling. Family 

therapy can be a key to recovery and support 

from parents, siblings and friends are 

essential to making the individual feel comfortable 

again. The most important element 

is early detection and treatment. 

If you believe your child has a problem, 

talk with them or encourage them to share 

their feelings with someone else they can 

trust. Eating disorders rarely go away on 

their own and pretending they do not exist 

is not the answer. 

Have a question for OHPAC? Email it to: 

ohpac@ameritech.net 

Congratulations 

and Thanks to 

Dee Talmage 

for her leadership 

of the inaugural 

2006 Ottawa Hills 

Hall of Fame 

Committee. 

Look for 

nomination ballots 

soon for the 2007 

Hall of Fame gala. 

From your friends 

at the Ottawa 

Hills Foundation. 

www.OttawaHills.org 


FERDOS 

Enjoy one of our many healthy dishes, made with only 

the finest ingredients. Our menu includes: 

Falafel, Chicken Shawerma, Grape Leaves, Fatoosh, and 

our wide-selection of Kabobs, including Shrimp, Scallop, 

and Veggie Kabobs 

3065 W. Bancroft St. 

419-535-9494 

Eat healthy! Enjoy our year-round 

patio. Smoking section available. 

Ask about our catering service. 

One built his house with straw. 

One built his house with sticks. 

Smart ones build with me. 

Ask anyone who’s built a home. You need help handling the details, a fairy 

godmother to keep the wolf at bay. I’ll locate a builder to suit both your 

needs and your personality. Then I’ll stay by your side from groundbreaking 

to move-in to ensure you get just the home you’re dreaming of. 

Work with someone who won’t blow once the contract is signed. 

Cheryl Silverman 

419.376.7125 

“I don’t stop with the house.” 

Schorling’s Market 

3115 W. Bancroft Street 

Mon-Thur 11-10 

Fri 11-11, Sat 4-11 

Buy your extra copies of The Village Voice at SCHORLING’S MARKET! 

Th e Co m p l e t e Gr o c e ry Th at Un d e r s ta n d s Yo u r Ne e d s. 

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Monday-Saturday 8 am - 9 pm; Sunday 10 am - 5 pm 

Self-Defense, Cooking 

Classes Just a Few of 

the Rec Ed Offerings 

Adult Community Education and Recreation 

classes for this winter include a pair of 

cooking classes, three physical well-being 

classes, and a self-defense class. The classes 

are: 

Instinctive Self-Defense – For people 16 

and older, participants will learn a practical 

system of self-defense that is not dependent 

of a person’s size or strength. Taught by the 

same instructor who works with the Ottawa 

Hills Police Department, high school 

students going off to college next year are 

encouraged to attend. The class will meet 

Wednesday, March 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 

p.m. 

Taste of Tuscany – Students will learn 

how to make great homemade Italian cuisine. 

The class will be Thursday, Feb. 22, 

from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Soups, Salads and Such! – People who 

want to learn how to make a great vinaigrette 

or cream soup will enjoy this class. 

The session will be Thursday, March 1, from 

6 to 8 p.m. 

Body Sculpting – A new offering, the class 

features a total body workout with weights. It 

is in tended to help the participant reshape, 

sculpt, and firm while building strength, and 

endurance. Session 1 will be Wednesdays, 

Jan. 17 to Feb. 21, while session 2 will be 

Wednesdays, Mar. 7 to Apr. 25. All classes 

will be from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. 

Hatha Yoga – Take time to learn relaxation, 

breathing, and stretching techniques. 

The class is for beginners through intermediate. 

Morning classes – Thursdays from 

8:15 to 9:45 a.m. – will run from Jan. 11 to 

Feb. 15, and again from Feb. 22 to Mar. 29. 

Evening classes – Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8 

p.m. – will run from Jan. 9 to Feb. 13, and 

again from Feb. 20 to Mar. 27. 

Pilates – Mat classes will focus on floor 

exercises developed by Joseph Pilates. All 

classes will be on Mondays, with intermediate 

classes from 8 to 8:45 a.m. and beginner 

classes from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Session 1 of 

both classes will run from Jan. 8 to Feb. 26, 

while session 2 classes will be from March 

5 to April 23. 

Advanced registration is required, and all 

classes are limited as to the number of participants. 

People interested in participating 

are urged to register quickly. For more information, 

contact the Community Education 

and Recreation office at 419-537-9852. 


CHERI NEWBOLD 

Toledo 

TM 


Sponsored by the Ottawa Hills 

PTO and the Board of Education 

FOCUS ... 

Superintendent’s Column 

School System Gearing Up to Work on Strategic Plan for 2007 to 2012 

As I begin my service as the new superintendent 

of Ottawa Hills schools, I want 

to acknowledge the strong leadership and 

many achievements of Dr. Gail Mirrow during 

her tenure the past seven years. Her 

knowledge, skills, and boundless energy 

have been instrumental in the accomplishment 

of many district goals. 

It is an honor and a privilege to be selected 

as her successor. I have a strong commitment 

to our long established tradition of 

excellence. I believe one of our strengths is 

a desire for continuous improvement. 

What do we want Ottawa Hills schools 

to be like in the year 2010? In 2020? What 

knowledge, skills, and values do we believe 

are essential to our graduates’ success in the 

21 st century global marketplace? 

What programs, facilities, technology, 

resources, services, and personnel will be 

necessary to provide high quality, challenging 

learning opportunities for every child in 

the future? 

These are some of the questions we will 

be asking as we invite community members, 

parents, teachers, support personnel, 

and students to join us in the process of revising 

the school district’s long range plan. 

It is very timely that we are now beginning 

the process of developing our strategic 

plan for the years 2007-2012. The school 

district has operated under a five-year plan 

since 1988. The plan provides structure and 

focus to our efforts. It helps us to identify 

areas of strength and those in need of improvement. 

It causes us to review current programs 

to determine their effectiveness and challenges 

us to be progressive in our thinking. 

It reminds us to make decisions that are 

consistent with our mission. Our goal is to 

maximize learning for every child. 

Soon we will be conducting surveys to 

determine your interests, ideas, and opinions. 

These ideas will be summarized and 

organized under seven major categories: 

teaching and learning; assessment; professional 

development; student services; facilities 

and environment; organization, governance, 

and resources, and family, business, 

and community involvement. 

A task force of residents, parents, board 

members, staff members, and students will 

review this information and determine tentative 

goals for the plan. These goals will be 

presented to the school board for final review, 

revision, and approval. The plan will 

then become an important part of our road 

map for the future. 

Please become involved in this process 

by responding to our survey. We welcome 

and value your strong community interest, 

involvement, and support for our schools. 

I invite you to contact me if you have any 

questions, concerns, or comments regarding 

the new long range plan for the Ottawa 

Hills school district for 2007-2012. I look 

forward to hearing from you. 

– Cathleen Heidelberg 

Sounds All Around At Winter Concert 

The Brown Bag 

chorus, the begining 

band, and the 

sixth grade band 

delighted the 

audience of the 

annual Ottawa 

Hills Elementary 

School Winter 

Concert last 

month. 


... ON SCHOOLS 

Sponsored by the Ottawa Hills 

PTO and the Board of Education 

New Superintendent Did Not Aspire To Top Post Until Late in Career 

Cathleen Heidelberg never aspired to be 

a school superintendent. Since joining the 

Ottawa Hills school system 18 years ago, 

she was more than content working on the 

district’s curriculum needs. In fact, she had 

been a curriculum supervisor with the Lucas 

County Education Services Center prior to 

coming to Ottawa Hills. 

“I have always enjoyed the curriculum 

position,” Heidelberg said. “It is very challenging, 

and I get to work with many parents, 

students, and administrators.” 

It wasn’t until 1999 and 2000, when she 

served an eight-month stretch as interim superintendent, 

that her career goal started to 

change. 

Heidelberg had been named interim 

superintendent while the school system 

searched for a replacement for Bill Reimer, 

who left in 1999 after 11 years as superintendent. 

“I had decided [then] I was not going to 

apply for the position, but I welcomed the 

opportunity to try it,” she said. “I absolutely 

enjoyed it.” 

As her eight-month tenure came to an 

end in February 2000, when Gail Mirrow 

was named superintendent, becoming a superintendent 

became one of Heidelberg’s 

goals. 

“I knew before I ended my career in education 

I wanted to serve as a superintendent,” 

she said. 

“I really believe it is an honor and a privilege 

to have been selected superintendent 

to serve the community,” Heidelberg said. 

“I am looking forward to the challenge and 

eager to serve.” 

“It is a great school district with many 

wonderful people to work with, both staff 

and community,” she said. “I enjoy working 

in a climate of high expectations. I have a 

commitment to quality, and I like the envi- 

ronment of constantly looking 

for ways to improve.” 

First on Heidelberg’s list of 

things to do – work on the district’s 

long-range plan. 

“We are about to start the 

long-range planning process. 

Every five years we devise a 

strategic plan,” she said. “The 

important thing about our strategic 

plan is we don’t develop it 

and put it on a shelf somewhere, 

only to go back to it when it is 

time to write a new one. We live 

it. We use it every year to set 

goals for the coming year.” 

Heidelberg has been part of 

past long-range planning processes, 

and is looking forward 

to working on the new plan as 

superintendent. 

“It is a great opportunity for 

me to begin as a superintendent 

when we are developing from 

the ground up our long-range 

plan,” she said. “It will allow 

me to get from a different perspective, 

community input as to 

what we are doing.” 

The long-range plan will address 

every aspect of the school 

system, from curriculum to guidance 

and facilities to finance. 

The long-range plan will be a major aspect 

of Heidelberg’s first months on the job, 

and it will play a key role in helping Heidelberg 

realize her primary goal. 

“The top priority for me and the district 

is to maximize learning for every child,” 

she said. “When we make a decision, we 

ask ‘what is in the best interest of the children?’” 

“Each district has its challenges,” she said. 


Cathleen Heidelberg started her duties as superintendent 

of Ottawa Hills schools on Jan. 1 

“Student achievement is a top priority for 

our families. We know that, and that is what 

we are about. One of the biggest challenges 

is to uphold that tradition of excellence.” 

“We need to continue to provide opportunities 

so the child can work to their potential,” 

Heidelberg said. “We want to maximize 

the abilities in the academic area. But 


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Girls Basketball Trying to Repeat 

Last Year’s Championship Season 

The Green Bear girls varsity basketball 

team has been picked to win the Toledo 

Area Athletic Conference Championship for 

a second straight year, and its early efforts 

have shown great promise of the possible 

repeat of last year’s stellar season. 

Of the 12 girls that dress for varsity games, 

nine play exclusively on the varsity team, 

while the other three play junior varsity as 

well, according to coach Sean Mercer. 

Eight of the 12 had varsity experience last 

year, including post-season play. 

“Going to regionals last year, that experience 

alone is great,” Mercer said. 

“The seniors are the ones we leaned on 

last year as juniors,” Mercer said. “They 

were our nucleus and strength last year. 

“They play a lot, are valuable, they do a 

bit of everything. They are a tight-knit group 

and have played together a long, long time,” 

he said. “They are hoping to get back to regionals 

and go farther than last year. 

“They are our rock. No question. They 

lead us in everything we do, both our offensive 

schemes and our defensive schemes” 

This year’s captains are seniors Megan 

Jamieson, Kelsey Netter, Jessie Figy, and Annie 

Keener. 

The Green Bears, especially the members 

of the class of 2007, have been anticipating 

the start of basketball for some time. 

“They have been tal king about this season 

since last year,” Mercer said. “They are 

a basketball class. 

“They have worked hard over the summer 

and pre-season as well,” he said. “They all 

have valuable positions on the team. It is interesting 

how the timing and chemistry right 

now is great.” 

The chemistry means Mercer has a great 

deal of talent all over the court. As one 

would expect, hoops 

standout Megan Jamieson, 

whose undeniable 

talent makes 

her the focus of attention 

from opponents 

and the media alike, 

is just one weapon in 

the Green Bear arsenal. 

“Megan is the one 

they always focus on, 

the one who always 

gets double-teamed,” 

he said. “But Kelsey 

and Jessie are strong, 

too.” 

Mercer described 

senior Betsy Lewis as 

“a great sub” for Netter 

and Figy. 

“She is a perfect fit, 

a strong girl. She does 

a great job working 

against them in practice, 

too,” Mercer 

said. “She is probably 

more valuable there, 

but she has been great 

in games, too.” 

“Annie Keener 

probably flies under the radar the most,” 

Mercer said. “She guards the best players 

from the other teams and does a phenomenal 

job of frustrating them and shutting 

down our opponents best players.” 

Senior Sudipa Biswas is the team’s backup 

point guard. 

“She has had some valuable minutes and 

does a great job for us,” Mercer said. “She is 

a great ball handler.” 

— Photo courtesy TyPhoto.com 

The reliable Jessie Figy is one of six seniors on the varsity squad this 

season. The team is hoping to repeat as conference champs. 

“It is rare that you get six kids in one class 

that all can contribute,” Mercer said. 

But he is not complaining. The team is 

thrilled with its No. 1 pre-season ranking. 

“We are all pretty excited, the coaching 

staff and kids alike,” Mercer said. “But you 

still have to play the game, you still have to 

put your shoes on and perform.” 

– Yarko Kuk 

Junior League of Toledo 

presents 

Toledo After Hours 

with 

Vicente Fox 

President of Mexico 2000-2006 

Thursday, February 1, 2007 

Valentine Theatre 

For tickets and information: 

419.534.3138 

www.juniorleaguetoledo.org 


Numbers Benefit 

Hockey Program 


team player.” 

Murra has played both forward 

and defense, according to McKinch. 

“We recently put him back 

playing defense, and that has really 

helped us also,” the coach 

said. 

Ted Nichols, another senior, 

shares the captain’s duties with 

Murra, and can be counted on for 

putting points on the board for the 

Bears on a regular basis. 

As for the underclassmen? 

“Our whole junior class has 

really improved,” McKinch said. 

“They are not scoring a lot, but 

they are playing the game a lot 

better and playing their positions 

a lot better.” 

Goalie Lindsey Roshon, a junior, 

is “playing really well,” and 

freshman goalie Chris Brew, “is a 

nice up-and-comer,” according to 

McKinch. 

Freshman Mike Deckebach 

“has shown us quite a bit,” McKinch 

said. Add Ottawa Hills newcomer 

sophomore Jameson Pike 

to that list, too. 

Not only do the Bears have the 

numbers this year, but it appears they have 

the talent, both raw and realized, to continue 

to grow this season and beyond, according 

to the coach. 

“The beautiful thing about our program 

is we practice six hours a week, which is 


Senior Ben Gibbs gets the upper hand in a faceoff during 

a game against Bedford. 

more than most teams,” McKinch said. “We 

get to work on our skills, which we need for 

the kids who haven’t played as much. The 

program is set up for success, if people want 

to put the effort into it.” 

– Yarko Kuk 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


New Superintendent 

Discusses Challenges 

Facing the District 


landscaping 

professional design • quality plant material 

expert workmanship • landscape renovation 

Brick patios & walkways • grounds maintenance 

stone retaining walls • water gardens 

fred redmann 419-865-7071 Jay Brewster 

Buy your extra copies of The Village Voice at SCHORLING’S MARKET! 

Brad Bender 

Village resident 

6050 W. Central Ave. 

Toledo, OH 43615 

 

(419) 843-4001 

www.bradbender.com 


we also want to give them opportunities to 

explore the arts and athletics, and to give 

them opportunities to explore various career 

paths and ideas.” 

“We are trying to develop the whole 

child,” she added. 

While the long-range plan will focus on 

the next five years, Heidelberg wants the 

school system to be mindful of even more 

long-term goals. 

“We also need to look to the future. What 

do we want OH schools to look like 20 years 

from now?” she said. “We need to identify 

our goals. From an educational standpoint, 

the long-range planning committee has to 

look at what skills we want our students to 

have when they go out in the global marketplace. 

Academically, what do we want to 

provide our student to prepare them for that 

experience?” 

In addition to the long-term planning 

committee, Heidelberg will be working with 

the district’s facilities advisory committee. 

“We have aging buildings that were built 

very solidly, but they have needs that are expected 

for aging buildings,” she said. “We 

have an advisory committee that will identify 

what are essential projects and what 

are non-essential. They help prioritize our 

needs and assess recommendations from 

vendors.” 

Heidelberg marvels at the unending support 

from the community, especially when it 

comes to volunteering. 

“What is wonderful about the school district 

is we have very knowledgeable, very 

talented, community members who are very 

generous with their tune in the point of view 

of volunteering to assist the school on committees, 

etc.,” she said. “There are many 

ways we have parents involved in meaningful 

tasks in the schools. I want to continue 

that. These are the Village’s schools. The 

parents need to be assisting us in deciding 

what the goals are.” 

When she is not tending to the educational 

and administrative needs of the school 

system, Heidelberg enjoys traveling, and 

theatrical productions. 

“I am a big fan of the theater,” she admitted. 

“I love to go to New York and take in a 

Broadway play. I try to get there one or two 

times a year.” 

While she does not have a lot of free time, 

she also enjoys various outdoor pursuits, including 

hiking and walking. 

She also tries to visit her two sons as often 

as possible. One lives in Columbus, while 

her other son and his family, including her 

first granddaughter, live in Tampa, Florida. 

– Yarko Kuk

Box Tops for Education 

Raises Funds for Schools 

Ottawa Hills Elementary School is collecting 

special “Box Tops for Education” in 

hopes of raising $5,000 for the school’s library/media 

center. 

To help the cause, clip and save special 

Box Top coupons found on such grocery 

items as Cheerios, Pilsbury dinner rolls, 

Ziploc bags, and Kleenex tissues. You can 

then give them to any elementary student 

or drop them off at either the elementary 

school or high school offices. Go to www. 

boxtops4education.com for a complete list 

of participating products, as well as money 

saving coupons. 

Another way to help is by doing some online 

shopping at www.boxtops4education. 

com, where you can connect to popular 

retailers such as the Gap, Pottery Barn and 

Lands’ End. 

If you start your “shopping trip” at the 

Box Top Web site, the elementary school 

will earn credit from your purchases. Fundraising 

has never been easier! 

For more information, call Peggy Herman 

at 419-531-6742. 

Moms Club Names 

New Officers for ‘07 

The Ottawa Hills Moms Club held its annual 

Holiday Party Dec. 9 at the home of 

Sandra and Greg Chesnutt. A committee 

of six women lead by Michelle VanSlooten 

planned a memorable night for more than 

75 guests, who were served a delicious dinner 

of poached salmon and beef tenderloin 

while listening to pianist Tom Zor. After the 

party the Moms Club donated more than 35 

toys to Friends of Lucas County Children 

Services. 

In October the Moms Club inducted new 

officers and coordinators at its annual meeting. 

They are: Susan Croy, president; Lisa 

Werner, secretary-treasurer; Dan Feder, 

newsletter editor; Isadora Yazdi, babysitting; 

Amy Gustine, book club; Tricia Daniels, 

Karen Fritts, and Lynne Lohmeyer, moms’ 

night out; Laura Randall, new members; 

Kara Zawisza, play group; Jeanne Erickson, 

mom’s marketplace; Wendy Greeley, supper 

and euchre clubs; Caroline Streak-Jensen, 

secret sis; Michelle VanSlooten, sunshine 

relief and new arrivals, and Meredith 

Wagoner, volunteer outreach. 

The Moms Club organizes play groups, 

supper clubs and a book club. It also offers 

a chance to volunteer in the greater community 

by making meals and snack packs 

for the Ronald McDonald House. The group 

plans four evening parties and two lunches 

during the year. If you are interested in joining, 

call Susan Croy at 419-536-4390. 



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Hockey Much Improved Over Last Season 

Halfway through the season, hockey 

coach Tom McKinch is more than happy 

with his team’s win-loss record of 3-7. Sure, 

a few more wins would be nice, but compared 

to last season – which many euphemistically 

described as a “rebuilding” year – 

the 2006-07 season is a vast improvement. 

“Last year we had some tough games, a 

few mercies, this and that,” McKinch said. 

“This year we are pretty much hanging in 

with everyone.” 

“We have gone through the league once. 

We are looking to surprise a few teams in the 

second half,” he said. “We also have some 

other games scheduled where we should be 

pretty competitive. We have a good shot at 

getting a few more victories.” 

Some of the bright spots on the season include 

a close game against Anthony Wayne 

the Green Bears lost, and an overtime victory 

against Freemont Ross. 

“We have played well,” the coach said. 

“We have been in pretty much every game 

we have played in. We have gone into the 

third [period] with the lead or tied several 

times, but we just have to work on pulling 

VILLAGE VOICE 107 12/18/06 3:23 PM Page 1 

through.” 

McKinch definitely has the players to 

mount a charge, with 20 kids on the roster 

this year, the most in his five years as 

coach. 

The team represents a diverse mix of skill 

from all four grades. Ten of the players are 

returning, while 10 are new to the Green 

Bears this season. 

With the new players – five freshmen, two 

seniors, two juniors, and one sophomore 

– the team has a nice mix of both upper and 

underclassmen, according to McKinch. 

One of the new seniors, Dan Zyndorf, has 

played at the AAA level, according to the 

coach. “He is very skilled and has helped 

us tremendously.” 

“Defensively, we are a lot stronger,” McKinch 

said. “Last year we were really young 

on defense. That extra year of growing and 

getting stronger has really helped.” 

McKinch singled out junior Andy Stancatti 

as a “very solid” player, and lauded cocaptain 

and senior Cassen Murra as a “great 



As goalie junior Lindsey Roshon looks on, 

senior Cassen Murra goes on the defense 

in a recent match. The versatile Murra is 

the team’s co-captain, and a key player on 

defense this year. 

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January 2007 - The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills

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