Southwest Messenger - February 10, 2019

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PAGE 4 - SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - February 10, 2019 TEXT Continued from page 1 www.columbusmessenger.com upgrade,” said Davidson. Davidson said Grove City started working on its upgrade last fall. Then they had to wait for the other communities in the county to complete upgrades. Accuratax of columbus 3099 Sullivant Ave. • 614-274-6900 (at the corner of Westgate & Sullivant) Bring in This Ad and Receive a Discount! “Serving The Hilltop Since 1983” APPLIES ONLY TO TAX RETURN PREPARATION Hrs: Mon.-Thurs. 10 am - 6 pm Fri. & Sat. 10 am-5 pm Not Valid With Any Other Coupon “We all did this together.” Davidson stressed that the text-to-911 service is designed for those who cannot call. Dispatchers prefer residents to call if they can because the emergency workers receive more information from a phone call. “Call if you can. Text if you can’t,” said the communications manager. Still Davidson said the texting capabilities would benefit the hearing impaired, speech impaired or individuals who may be in a situation where calling 911 could be dangerous. Text-to-911 works on cell phones, tablets and other devices with the capability of sending texts. Text-to-911 service is subject to cell signal availability. If an emergency text does not go through, the person trying to use the text-to-911 would receive an automated bounce-back message letting them know the text had not been delivered. According to Davidson, the new service does not include the ability to accept photos or video though she does see that in the future. “The technology is there,” said Davidson. Safety agencies throughout Franklin County partner to share 911 systems and work together to improve emergency service delivery for all Franklin Pancake breakfast The Kiwanis Club of Grove City will hold its annual pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 23 at the Grove City United Methodist Church, 2684 Columbus County residents while reducing costs. Dispatchers throughout the county will now see text-to-911 messages in a similar fashion to what shows up on a smartphone text chain and can text back specific questions to the sender. Agencies jointly developed pre-programmed responses aimed to address the text emergencies they receive and quickly ask for key information. “Grove City is quite proud of our communications center, recently upgraded to the latest 911 communication technology,” said Grove City Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage. “Like many aspects of public safety, this is another great example of sharing resources and technology with all of our partners in Franklin County.” The Grove City Communications Center takes in emergency calls from the southwest quadrant of the county including the city of Grove City, Jackson Township, Pleasant Township and Prairie Township. In January 2019, the center received 1,800 emergency calls. Davidson said so far, the Grove City center has only received a few emergency texts. “It works well,” she said. “Hopefully it means people are getting the message to call if you can and text if you can’t.” For more information about the new text-to-911 service, visit text911.franklincountyohio.gov. around the southwest St. in Grove City. It is an all-you-can-eat breakfast featuring pancakes, sausage, coffee, orange juice and milk. Donations will be accepted. Proceeds will benefit the charitable activities of the club in the Grove City area community. Lowest Prices of the Year LIMITED NUMBER OF UNITS AVAILABLE NEW LENNOX GAS FURNACE AND AIR CONDITIONER 0% Financing Up to 24 Months With Down Payment Sale Good Thru February Triple A Rating INTERSTATE Heating & Cooling 2nd to None Since 1981 Serving Franklin & Surrounding Counties 38 Years - Over 5,000 Installations • Senior Discounts SERVICE ALL BRANDS 614-875-1227 Printed upside down at customer request. Lic. No.: 20687
www.columbusmessenger.com In Education Infinite Campus to expand in SWCS By Dedra Cordle Staff Writer The Infinite Campus in the South-Western City Schools District is set to expand. At the Jan. 28 board of education meeting, food services supervisor Lisa Hamrick announced that the department will soon be making the transition to the online portal. “We are very excited about this,” she told the board. According to Hamrick, the department will be adding point of sale capabilities that will allow parents to have access to account activities and balances, including those who request free or reduced breakfast and lunches. “Having one system to log onto will really speed up the process and make it more efficient,” she said. Though an emphasis will be placed on online applications, Hamrick said they will not do away with paper applications. “We will still be allow those,” she said. There will, however, be the elimination of PayPAMS as the department transitions to the Infinite Campus. “We will no longer be using those,” said Hamrick. The transition to the Infinite Campus will come at the beginning of August, weeks before the start of the 2019/20 school year. Hamrick said they didn’t want to make the switch during a school year that was already in progress. The district began using the Infinite Campus in 2012 as a way to allow parents access to their children’s academic reports and class schedules, and to update emergency contact information through online tools and applications. It can now also be used to update medications, health information, pay school fees and contact teachers. In related food services news, Hamrick said more students are eating breakfast and lunch. “Our numbers continue to grow for breakfast and lunch,” she said. around the southwest Grove City Preschool enrolling Grove City Preschool is now enrolling children for the 2019/20 school year that will begin in September. The school is located at 1761 Gateway Circle in the Cheer Center. Information can be obtained by calling the preschool at 614-875-4432 or emailing gcpreschool@gmail.com. Two or three half day classes are available for children who will be 3, 4 or 5 by Sept. 30. Registration is open to all families and forms are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is a $30 registration fee. Free tax preparation at Church of the Nazarene AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers are offering free tax preparation from early February through mid April at the Grove City Church of the Nazarene, 4770 Hoover Road in Grove City. Because of the new tax laws, demand is expected to be heavier this year. Residents According to Hamrick, more than 6,900 students eat breakfast daily (an average of 1.2 million per year) and more than 13,500 students each lunch daily (an average of 2.4 million per year). She credited the food service cooks and staff for the continued increase in breakfast and lunch participation. “I cannot be more proud of our staff,” Hamrick said. “They work really hard.” Hamrick also spoke of the pilot café that was established earlier this year at Grove City High School. “I think it is going over really well,” she said of the ‘Greyhound Ground Café,’ which serves hot and cold drinks during breaking and lunch hours. Board member David Donofrio asked whether the café would be expanded to each of the high schools in the coming years. “If things go well, we will consider looking at the other high schools,” she said. Hamrick added that it was piloted at Grove City High School because there was more of a need for it there. In other news, transportation supervisor Tim Cox gave an update on the department. According to Cox, the department is running smoothly and inspections are in progress for all of the buses in their fleet. He also presented a snapshot with the average number of students, runs, routes and miles traveled per day. Cox said the buses transport more than 15,000 students per day, the fleet averages more than 16,000 miles per day, and there are more than 180 routes driven per day. During his report, he also announced that the First Time Riders event will be held on Aug. 10 at Central Crossing High School from 9 a.m. to noon. “We’re going to make it a oneday event, so we’ll see how that goes,” he said. are urged to sign up early for an appointment time. Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. While Tax-Aide’s focus is on low-to-moderate income senior citizens, the service is available to anyone regardless of income or age. Taxpayers are asked to bring a photo ID, last year’s tax return and all tax-related documents. To schedule an appointment, call 614- 277-1060. For more information, visit www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide. Immunizations in Jackson Twp. Franklin County Public Health will offer adult and childhood immunizations on Feb. 11 at the Jackson Township Adminstration Building, 3756 Hoover Road in Grove City. Most insurance plans accepted. Discounted services are available for those with no insurance. To schedule an appointment, call (614) 525-3719 or visit www.myfcph.org. February 10, 2019 -SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - PAGE 5 SUPPORT your Community Paper Through advertising, community newspapers like the Messenger have always been FREE papers. In these tough economic times we are asking you the reader to help offset the current decline in advertising revenue by participating in a voluntary payment program*. To those who have already participated - We Thank You. For those who would like to, below is a form you can mail with your payment. *This is not a subscription. .Name: Address: City/State/Zip columbus 3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, OH 43204 1 year ($9) 2 year ($18) Eastside Westside Southwest Southeast
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Southwest Messenger - February 10, 2019

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