May 7, 2009

<School Levy Passes!

        New Schools!
        It’s been a long time coming but voters have decided to take advantage of the one-time opportunity offered by the Ohio School Facilities Commission. The state will pay 63  percent of the total cost schools and voters will pay the additional 37 percent.
        Switzerland of Ohio School District will have six new schools and a completely renovated River High School.
        On a vote of 3,761 to 2,619 the Switzerland of Ohio School District approved an 8.19 mill levy which will allow a new K-12 school building to be constructed on SR-556 in Beallsville, a new Monroe Central High School building  in Woodsfield, a new Woodsfield Elementary, a new  Sardis/Hannibal Elementary near River High School in Hannibal, a new Skyvue Ele-mentary and a new Powhatan Elementary. In addition, River High School will be completely renovated.
        Of the almost 13,000 registered voters in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District,  made up of Monroe, Belmont and Noble counties, 3,761 cast a vote to bring new schools to the children of the district. Over 59 percent of Monroe County voters cast a favorable ballot. In Noble County 30 votes were for the levy and in Belmont County 51 affirmative votes were cast.
        New schools are coming!

<Shadow Lake Has New Owners

Shadow Lake Resort has new owners and expanded opportunities for campers.
There are also more options for those who want to rent cabins, the lodge or the stone house, shown above. Pictured, from left, are: Jo Eddy and Ruth Workman, representing Monroe County Chamber of Commerce; Bob Copper, one of the new owners; and Tom and Jacqui Gillman, resident managers.
                                                                          Photo by Martha Ackerman

by Martha Ackerman
Staff Writer
        Shadow Lake Campground and Resort, located on County Road 2, near Miltonsburg, has new owners. With the new ownership come improvements, as well as new options for campers and those wanting a weekend get-away.
        Bob Copper of Birmingham, Alabama; Casey Herlihy and Adrian Woods, both of Orlando, Florida, have purchased Shadow Lake. The trio own another resort in Alabama, which is similar to Shadow Lake.
        The new owners found the campgrounds advertised on the Internet. They were in the area checking out a Pennsylvania resort when they decided to look at Shadow Lake, noted Copper. They liked the nice rolling hills of Shadow Lake, it was in good shape and it fit their idea of a peaceful park.
        Shadow Lake has 100 campsites equipped with electric, water and sewer, along with unlimited primitive sites.
        Tom and Jacqui Gillman have been hired as resident managers and are available 24/7 to accommodate visitors.
        Amenities at Shadow Lake include a community pool, gated entrance, recreation hall, putt-putt golf and a stocked fishing lake.
        Nestled in the rolling hills of Monroe County, Shadow Lake is perfect for a weekend get-away or retirement. Lots are now selling with 99-year leases.
        New custom made cabins, one to three bedrooms, with various floor plans, are also available for sale. A fully furnished model is available for tour.
        Available for weekend get-aways, weddings, reunions, company parties or a family get-together are the lodge which sleeps 10, several cabins and sleeper cabins. The Stone House is available by the night with a two-night minimum. It includes three bedrooms, two baths, full kitchen, breakfast nook, living room, dining room, jacuzzi tub in the main bath, Directv, Internet and a large, enclosed front porch.
        The recreation hall and pavilion are also available for rent by the day. The rentals all include use of the pool and miniature golf when open.
        For more information on Shadow Lake Resort or to make reservations, call 740-472-1530 or check them out on the web:
www.shadowlakervresort.com     


       

<        Transtar Welcomed to Chamber

The Monroe County Chamber welcomed
Transtar to the business community April 24.
Transtar provides Directv and Monitronics to
area customers. Mike Lee heads the business
locally. Shown, from left, are: Michael Neff,
Jim Baranich, employees of Transtar;
Bing Tran, owner of Transtar; Mike Lee;
Toni Pope, Andrea Pope, Transtar
employees. Not shown are Ben Botkins
and Nichelle Reed, Transtar employees.                                        

Photo by Martha Ackerman


by Martha Ackerman
Staff Writer
        “Transtar’s goal is to supply Monroe and surrounding counties with home entertainment with Directv, the best in HD and picture clarity available. We offer free installation and great service as long as you are connected with Transtar direct,” said Mike Lee, who heads the business locally.       Transtar is owned by Bing Tran of New Orleans, Louisiana.
        “Transtar also offers a 24-hour protection home security in monitored security systems for the home that includes medical, fire, and burglary through one of the best security systems, Monitronics,” continued Lee.
        According to Lee, future plans include adding an internet service. “Watch the Beacon for future promotions,” said Lee.
        For more information on Transtar services, call Mike Lee at 740-865-2094, 1-740-336-0648 (Cell) or:
    mike.directv@hotmail.com

   

<Monroe County EMA Training Exercise Meets State Objectives

An EMA exercise training held by the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency is about to wrap up as Kaiser, the county’s drug dog, and his handler, Joe Kress, capture a “terrorist” who ran from a brick building to avoid law enforcement officials from the Woodsfield Police Dept. and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.  The terrorist is played by Deputy Matt Abbott.

        Two firemen dressed in full hazmat gear carry a “wounded” employee (Dan Haralson) from the scene as Rick Schuerman, far left, evaluates the activity.                      Photos by Arlean Selvy



by Arlean Selvy
Publisher
        Law enforcement personnel scoured the woods and ultimately crept down from the hills on three sides of a block garage where two terrorists were hiding. One man lay dead and another injured as the terrorists threatened to blow up the water plant if their demand for a million dollars wasn’t met.
        The mock situation, which took place May 3, was devised by Monroe County Emergency Management Agency and the Local Emergency Planning Committee. The state mandated full-scale training activity involved 16 agencies.
        Rick Schuerman noted this is the first time in his 14 year career as Monroe County EMA coordinator that he’d had the opportunity to bring law enforcement agencies into the training. “I hope to incorporate more in the future,” he said.
        The state calls for each county to hold a full-scale training exercise every four years.        Schuerman had many, many hours of preparation and planning in the training exercise and tossed in a few surprises for those who played out the scenario. Little did  emergency personnel and law enforcement officers know that a bridge would be blown up and hamper their entrance to the scene. It was from that point that they began walking through the wooded hillsides searching for terrorists while making their way to the plant. One of the terrorists (Kenny Jones) was found walking through the woods and was apprehended by deputies.
        About an hour after the 911 call was made by a plant employee (Dan Haralson), the police could be seen combing the area and making their way to the block garage. At that point terrorists (played by Tom Taylor, firearms instructor and Monroe County Deputy Matt Abbott), ran from the garage and were soon apprehended by law enforcement and the county’s drug dog, Kaiser. Kaiser had accompanied his handler, Deputy Joe Kress, as well as Deputy Derek Norman down a steep embankment behind the garage, from which a terrorist emerged. He was told to stop ... but instead ran, with the dog hot on his trail. After another warning, he dropped to his knees and a warning could be heard on the radios, “He has a detonator in his hand.” Also, a truck was reported to be nearby and in the bed of the truck was a white cylinder appearing to be  a propane tank. Officials radioed there was dynamite strapped to the cylinder.  As the terrorist knelt, multiple explosions were
 detonated in the nearby creek, white plumes of smoke rose. It appeared they were meant as diversions
        The original call by an employee informed the sheriff’s office that he’d observed a van on the property and the occupants were acting in a strange manner. While observing the vehicle and occupants, a delivery truck arrived, stopped along the road, a struggle ensued and the driver (played by Brian Harrigan of the village water department) was fatally shot.
        Officers arriving at the scene, searched the terrorist’s van and discovered what appeared to be drug lab equipment and supplies. Emergency and fire personnel, dressed in full hazmat gear, arrived to help the injured.
        Evaluating the exercise were Jim Hunt, fire chief at Clar-ington; Mike Langsdorf, assistant fire chief at Antioch; and Rick Warren, Ohio EMA.
        Warren, the state evaluator, was  pleased and will ask the Ohio EMA for “concurrence” noting all objectives of the exercise were met.
        Agencies involved were the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Woodsfield Police Dept., Woodsfield VFD and EMS, Lewisville VFD, Woodsfield Public Works, the coroner’s office, Monroe County Health Dept., Ameri-can Red Cross, Barnesville Hospital, Monroe County Commissioners, Monroe County Emergency Manage-ment Agency, Local Emer-gency Planning Committee, Belmont County EMA and the Ohio EMA.