Tag: Loveland Magazine

Tom Scovanner on annexation of Grailville: Loveland taxpayers are being played for fools

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio, At Tuesday’s City Council meeting resident Tom Scovanner went to the podium and laid out his reasoning and research into State and Federal law as to why he declares that Loveland residents are being, “played for fools” over the request by the Drees Company to annex Grailville into the City. The Grailville annexation involves 95 acres on O’Bannon Road and Scovanner cited a Drees’ press release that said they intend to build over 200 homes on the site.

He discussed the zoning the Drees Company expects to receive and the cost to the Loveland taxpayers of providing police, water, sanitary and stormwater sewers, fire and EMS services, street lighting, inspection services, and planning and zoning services. He said that Drees is expecting that City Council will re-zone the property and allow more than double the number of home sites than the land is currently zoned to handle.

He requested that Council rescind their request of approval to the Clermont County Commissioners until more is known about the impact to the City of the annexation is known.

Scovanner, a lawyer, said while holding up a large set of printed files, that although he has done the legal research, more is needed.

At press time, it is unknown if the Commissioners signed the paperwork on Wednesday as Scovanner anticipated they might.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Clermont County Commission approved the Annexation by unanimous vote on Wednesday, October 27.

October 28, 2021
Signups Have Been EXTENDED for Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition!
by Cassie Mattia

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THE WEATHER WILL BE PERFECT AND THE BEER WILL BE FLOWING!

SIGNUPS ARE EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT!

Loveland, Ohio – Halloween is in just a few days, which means Downtown Loveland is ready to see you in your costumes at Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition!

In year’s past, the city of Loveland has celebrated Halloween with costume contests, special live entertainment at Downtown’s local restaurants, and spooky vendors that typically set up along the Loveland Bike Trail, but this year Little Miami River Chamber of Alliance Board President Doug Portmann envisioned something a little different…Loveland decked out in its very own Wonka-Land!

“As my wife and I were brainstorming as to what Loveland’s theme should be this year for Halloween my daughter said, ‘It’s Halloween so why don’t you do a Willy Wonka theme?” Portmann explained, “From there all we really needed to do was fill in the details!”

On Saturday, October 30th from 6 PM-8 PM teams of 4 will go on a hunt through Loveland’s impromptu candy land in search of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket! Teams will participate in “sweet” games including 25 stations of challenges, riddles, and drinking in order to find the grand prize. Those that will be participating are asked to please eat dinner beforehand as beer sample tickets and appetizer discount tickets will not be given out to teams until after the games have ended.

Teams and those that attend Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition can dress up in Willy Wonka-themed attire, but ARE NOT REQUIRED to dress in a costume to participate in the games! Some of the Willy Wonka characters are as follows: Willy Wonka, Charlie Buckett, Grandpa Joe, Veruka Salt, Mike Teave, Arthur Slugworth, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Teavee, Oompa-Lumpas, Mrs. Gloop, Mr. Turkentine, and The Tinker. Here are a few links to places where you can purchase Willy Wonka character-inspired costumes, HalloweenCostumes.com, Walmart, and Amazon.

Need more Wonka inspiration? Check out the original Willy Wonka movie trailer from 1971 starring the legendary Gene Wilder!

Excited and ready to sign up yet?! Registration is $35 per person or $140 a team, plus fees and taxes. We have included the link to sign up below, but before you do so here are a few simple rules to adhere to before you enter into the search for the Golden Ticket!
1. All those participating must be 21 years old.
2. It is recommended that all participants eat dinner beforehand as the event will be very crowded and hard to order a full dinner quickly!
3. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no food tastings this year, but select restaurants will be offering 50% off appetizers to all participants after the games!
4. DORA will be in full swing in Downtown Loveland!
5. The most important rule is…HAVE FUN!
Loveland’s Wonka-Land Halloween Edition is nearly sold out so we encourage you to grab your team and sign up before it’s too late!

Visit the Web Site

A Huge Shout-Out to This Year’s Sponsors! Thank you so Much for Your Support!

For more Loveland event updates stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!
October 28, 2021

Sharon Scovanner on the annexation of Grailville and suppression of speech by Mayor Bailey

Loveland, Ohio – Sharon Scovanner went through the legal channels to be permitted to speak for 10-minutes at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Even though she followed the rules, Mayor Kathy Bailey refused Scovanner’s request to be “Placed on the Agenda”.

She wanted to speak about the annexation into the City of the Graville property.

“WOW! If Mayor Bailey doesn’t want to hear from the citizens of Loveland maybe being mayor of Loveland is not for her.” – Sharon Scovanner

Not being deterred, Scovanner went to the meeting and signed up for “open forum” which would allow her 5-minutes to speak.

As soon as the 5-minutes was over, Scovanner was interrupted mid-sentence by Bailey and told that her speaking time was over. Scovanner immediately left the podium.

You can watch Scovanner speaking last night in the LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video below and also read her entire statement to see what she was not allowed to say.

Also below is a post-meeting LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV interview with Scovanner being asked how she felt the meeting went and Mayor Bailey’s response to the accusation of suppressing free speech.

City council

I’ve spoken with numerous members of council recently including Mr. Oury, Mr. Bateman, (at my house) Mr. Blair, and Mr. Butler (at the committee appreciation dinner) about some really important issues recently. There has been debate and at times we have agreed to disagree. Disagreement is not a negative, but a way to understand each other’s point of view. I have also had productive meetings and discussions with Dave Kennedy, Tom Smith and Mark Medlar. The best results are always when there is dialogue, each person defending their positions. That’s how democracy works, when it is working well. Governing bodies succeed when there is open sharing of facts, discussion, deliberation and at times, compromise.

A couple of weeks ago all the city council candidates were invited to attend a meet the Candidate forum after our neighborhood’s annual HOA meeting. Mr. Butler, Hart, Phelps and Ms. Lukens attended. At our meeting there was spirited debate about the development of Blossom Hill, annexation of the Grail property, the proposed parking garage, all of which significantly impact TRAFFIC congestion in DT Loveland. Mr. Phelps and Hart took a lot of tough questions, as the residents were concerned about the disproportionate detrimental effect each of these developments would have on the residents of Warren County. Hopefully they heard the collective and heartfelt voices of the residents. Mr. Phelps stayed after the meeting and talked further about these issues which was most appreciated. He suggested that I add my name to the agenda of the next city council meeting for further discussion. I attempted to do so.

Rule 19 of the Loveland City Council rules (five-day rule) states “Any person, group or delegation wishing to be placed on the agenda to appear before council shall direct a letter to the clerk of council so it is received by the clerk no later than 12 noon on the Thursday preceding the regularly scheduled Tuesday council meeting,….

Rule 19 was followed, despite this, On Friday, I received an email from Misty, the clerk of council. It read, “Sharon, Mayor Bailey has DECLINED your request to be placed on the October 26 agenda and suggested that you speak during open forum.” WOW! If Mayor Bailey doesn’t want to hear from the citizens of Loveland maybe being mayor of Loveland is not for her.

According to rule 19, the mayor has no authority what so ever to deny a request to appear on the agenda. Just because the mayor does not like what a citizen has to say, does not give her the right to try to silence them.

If you look at the organizational chart of the city, one and only one group is at the top, it isn’t the mayor, the city council, businesses or developers. It’s the citizens.

Allowing active participation of the citizenry should be the goal of any functioning democracy and should be insisted upon by all who are in positions of power.

In 2017, a group known as Loveland Community Heartbeat, lead by Neal Oury (our community advocate, as per his political sign) initiated a recall of Mayor Mark Fitzgerald. The grounds for removal were as follows.

1. Conducting city operations and meetings in a manner which prohibits full participations by all council members, resident involvement and transparency and

2. Willfully and flagrantly exercising authority and power without the consent of the resident electorate or city council

2017 was a dark time for the city of Loveland and Mayor Bailey is returning us to those same dark days. Over the past few months Mayor Bailey has prohibited full participation by all council members and resident involvement by

1. denying my request to be on the agenda to limit my time for speaking, after I was invited by Mr. Phelps to be placed on the agenda.

2. telling another Resident he could not speak (Dave Stanton), only to be admonished by the Law Director because she overreached her authority.

3. voting in favor of taking a sitting Council Member off the agenda to limit his speech.

4. denying a sitting Council member’s request to be on the agenda to limit his speech.

5. trying to limit members of the press from access to meetings and taking pictures.

6. showing favoritism to one member of council by allowing him more times to speak, while denying that same right to others council members.

7. Earlier this year, she voted to change council rules to limit the time any one topic could be spoken about by residents in one meeting to 20 minutes.

So, if an issue comes up that brings 100 people to open forum only 4 people can speak? Council has an obligation to listen to all the residents who take the time to prepare and come to speak to council, regardless how long it takes; its what you were elected to do.

These are only the things that I know of, who knows who else has been denied the right to speak? This is all very alarming and needs to stop.

Suppression of speech undermines the very core of any democracy.

The recent actions of Mayor Bailey serve as a wakeup call for the citizens of Loveland, members of council and to those who spoke so loudly against Mark Fitzgerald 4 years ago.

We can and must do better.

I welcome your questions and comments

October 27, 2021

Homemade Greeting Cards Create Important Opportunities for LHS Special Needs Students!

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – “Making these cards makes me feel both fulfilled and safe. This Arts and Crafts show has been my home for 4 years and now I want to be an entrepreneur!”

Loveland High School (LHS) Senior Annelise Dartnall expressed how excited she was on Tuesday about The Loveland Arts and Crafts Fair being back in action after not having it 2 years in a row due to COVID-19. Dartnall along with several other LHS special needs students have participated in creating handmade cards to sell at the Loveland Arts and Crafts Fair in order to raise funds for the LHS Special Needs Program and gain valuable work experience. Dartnall has also worked at the Loveland Farmers Market, several Loveland Arts and Crafts Fairs where she showcased the special needs students carefully crafted cards, and the Loveland High School News Network.

Retired Teacher Molly Swaine came up with the idea of LHS’s special needs students designing, creating, packaging, and selling these handmade cards to the community and staff members of Loveland right in her very own room just a few years ago.

“The past couple of years the students were unable to attend our biggest sales event, The Loveland Arts and Crafts Fair, due to the pandemic so the fact that our students have the opportunity to once again practice social and life skills out in the community is great,” LHS Intervention Specialist Emily Hicks said.

Caitlin Haury, LHS Intervention Specialist, and Payton Lafonda also aided Hicks with the handmade cards project in hopes that the special needs students at LHS would gain valuable work experience and raise enough sales to buy supplies for the classroom, activities, and celebrations.

Over the past few weeks, the excitement for Loveland’s Arts and Crafts Fair has been building, as the event is set for November 6th at LHS from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. We decided to take a trip down Tiger Trail to LHS to talk to Annelise about the handmade cards project and why it’s so important that everyone gets involved.

Buying the cards during the Craft Expo requires cash. The students can not accept credit cards, Apple Pay, Venmo, etc.

Without further ado, we bring to you LHS Senior Annelise Dartnall as she explains to YOU the Loveland Magazine readers why you should support the LHS Special Needs Handmade Cards Project!

Interview and video by David Miller

If you are unable to attend Loveland’s Arts and Crafts Expo the Special Needs Program created a contactless google link in which you can select your cards and have them sent to you through the mail. Cards are $2 for a pack of 4. You will also need to send your form of payment through the mail to LHS’s Caitlin Haury. Click here to order your handmade cards today!

If you missed our previous article on the LHS Special Needs Handmade Cards Project click below!

You can buy handmade cards made by special needs students at LHS

For more inspirational Loveland stories stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!

October 27, 2021
Loveland School Covid 19 Dashboard for October 24, 2021

Loveland, Ohio – At the beginning of each week, the Loveland City School District releases their latest Covid 19 Dashboard.

Note the correction to the 10/3/ report and that community cases increased from 51 to 62.

October 26, 2021
EIA forecasts U.S. winter natural gas bills will be 45% higher in the Mid-West than last winter

Expect the largest increase in retail natural gas prices to occur in the Midwest, where prices rise to $11.28/Mcf, a 45% increase compared with last winter

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Winter Fuels Outlook

In their latest Winter Fuels Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecast that U.S. households that primarily use natural gas for space heating will spend an average of $746 on heating this winter (October–March), which is $172, or 30%, more than last year.

Natural gas is the primary heating fuel for 48% of U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. Residential spending on winter natural gas bills is largely determined by the retail price of natural gas and the amount of natural gas consumed.

Higher retail natural gas prices are the primary driver for the expected increase in natural gas heating expenditures this winter, according to the Agency. On average, retail natural gas prices in the United States are expected to rise from $10.17 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) last winter to $12.93/Mcf this winter, the highest price since the 2005–06 winter average. They say they expect the largest increase in retail natural gas prices to occur in the Midwest, where prices rise to $11.28/Mcf, a 45% increase compared with last winter.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Winter Fuels Outlook

The increase in retail prices reflects rising natural gas spot prices over the past year. Changes in natural gas spot prices typically get passed along to retail rates over a period of months because of regulatory rate structures. Utilities generally cannot profit or lose money from natural gas commodity sales, whose costs are passed along directly to the consumer.

In addition to the steady rise in natural gas spot prices over the past year, many utilities had to raise prices for consumers following the February 2021 cold snap that affected most of the country, but particularly Texas and the Midwest, according to the report. During the cold snap, many utilities had to purchase natural gas at spot prices that were higher than anticipated. However, because retail rates were already set for the month, utilities did not collect enough to cover the cost of the natural gas. To make up for this undercollection, many utilities opted to raise prices in subsequent months to spread out the costs to consumers over several months.

Higher-than-expected natural gas expenditures this winter also result from slightly higher-than-expected consumption compared with last year. For households that use natural gas as their primary space heating fuel, we expect average consumption this winter to be 57.7 Mcf, a 2.4% increase from last winter. The higher consumption is driven by a 2.6% forecast increase in the number of heating degree days (a measure of heating demand) compared with last winter. In our October Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), They estimate that U.S. natural gas inventories ended September at 3,304 Bcf, which is 5.5% below the five-year average for this time of year.

Principal contributors: Corrina Ricker, Stephen York

October 25, 2021
Claudia Bow finds comfort in the wonder of the cosmos
by David Miller

Claudia Bow (provided photo)

Loveland, Ohio – These are some photos of the full moon resident Claudia Bow took in May and October. She told Loveland Magazine, “Astronomy is something I became interested in during this past year. I have developed a great love of space and the universe, and have become fascinated with observing.”

This has become a hobby that means a lot to Claudia. She said, “I find comfort in the wonder of the cosmos.”

These photos were taken using a Polaris reflector telescope, a non-digital manual telescope that uses mirrors and lenses only, and an iPhone 12 held up against the optical lens. Claudia said that she edited the color and clarity using the iPhone to get the effects you see here.

“I hope to continue observing and taking more photos of space and all of its wonders,” Claudia said.

She is a graduate of Loveland High School and is a senior at Northern Kentucky University, studying music education. She plays five musical instruments.
October 24, 2021
Giuffré to remain Loveland Interim Treasurer

Robert Giuffre’

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District Board of Education has decided to temporarily pause the search for a new Treasurer. The District has said in their weekly newsletter that the timing of the search has “proved challenging” for the board and their community advisory group. Also that, “It has also proven difficult for many experienced candidates to apply.”

Robert Giuffre’ will continue as the interim Treasurer of Loveland City Schools.

Robert Giuffré was named the Interim Treasurer in August. Prior to this appointment, he spent 30 years in school finance as an auditor, treasurer, and consultant serving as treasurer for five districts. He previously served the Loveland District from November 1992 through February 1999.

October 24, 2021
Lauren Enda: Respect the citizens of Loveland enough to allow us to vote on the parking garage plan
Lauren Enda lives in Loveland at Hidden Creek

by Lauren Enda,

My name is Lauren Enda and I am a resident of Loveland. Like many Loveland residents, I am concerned about the proposed parking garage and its effect on our city. The largest municipal project in Loveland’s history has not involved public opinion though it will affect the residents of Loveland for years to come. My concern is based on the following:
1. The residents of Loveland have not had a real voice in this conversation since it began in 2019. Residents will be forced to live with changes caused by the garage to the city’s character and natural environment that attract so many to the area. Residents should vote on whether the project should proceed. If the location, design or economics are unsuccessful, the garage would be a blight on our quaint downtown, degrading the town’s ambiance. Residents would be stuck with it for years.
2. The Loveland parking situation has not been properly studied. No data exists that outlines whether more parking is required. The city has provided no evidence, other than anecdote, that we have a parking problem. How can we possibly come up with a solution when we don’t know if there is a problem?

3. Cost estimates that the City Council is using could be grossly underestimated based on construction cost increases seen elsewhere. There are no actual quotes. The opinion of the firm who created the almost $7 million price tag clearly states that they have “no control over the cost of labor, materials, or equipment, or over the contractor’s methods of determining prices.” With the current COVID pandemic, we have seen that inflated costs and severe shortages are the norm, not the exception, which could cause a large overrun of the budget, adding even more to taxpayer’s burden. There is a new idea to use the $1.3 million Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to help cover some costs of this project. This fund is still needed by struggling businesses in Loveland. Why not help businesses that are failing instead?

4. An environmental impact study has not been done. Paved surfaces are one of the major causes of flooding. Increased storm strength and the numbers of storms will also make runoff and flooding worse. Some towns are removing parking areas to increase green space which absorbs water runoff. Why has the City Council not requested an environmental study?

5. A huge, expensive parking garage is a long term, permanent solution for a problem that may not exist. Loveland is not a big city. The garage will sit empty for much of the year when it is rainy, snowy and cold, and in the evenings and nights when businesses are closed. However, the eyesore will not disappear when no one is parked there. Accompanying lighting will be on 24/7, adding to light pollution that detracts from the beauty of our natural spaces that draw people to Loveland.

6. There is no guarantee, data or proof that this garage will decrease traffic in the downtown area or that it will create and retain good paying jobs. In fact, most of the traffic for Loveland will still traverse the downtown area from the west to access the garage. Only rural traffic from the north and east will access the garage without entering the downtown zone. It is a very expensive and intrusive plan for unknown benefit.

I am not against additional parking in downtown Loveland if it’s required. I am against a burden placed on residents without their approval for a project that has not been evaluated for cost, necessity, environmental impact, job creation, or traffic abatement. Residents deserve to know what criteria and data were used to make this project a priority for Loveland. As citizens, we need verifiable information, and we need to be part of the conversation.

Loveland is not, and does not wish to be, an urban center. The proposed garage will negatively and permanently alter the look and feel of Loveland’s most prized asset – our natural, historic downtown. Let’s open the conversation. I ask that City Council respect the citizens of Loveland enough to allow us to vote on the parking garage plan.
October 23, 2021
Loveland native Ensign Jacob Ponchot serves aboard USS Essex

By Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Bryan Niegel, Navy Office of Community Outreach

Millington, Tenn. – Ensign Jacob Ponchot, a native of Loveland, Ohio, is serving aboard USS Essex, a U.S. Navy Wasp class amphibious assault ship.

Ponchot joined the Navy one years ago to follow in family footsteps.

“I joined the Navy to utilize and sharpen my seafaring skills as well as explore the world and be able to see new things and experiences,” said Ponchot. “It was also an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of my grandpas, Disbursing Clerk Second Class Charles Horan and Electrician’s Mate Second Class William Ponchot.”

Ponchot grew up in Loveland, attended Loveland High School, and graduated in 2016. He earned a degree from Texas A&M University at Galveston in 2020. Today, Ponchot uses the same skills and values learned in Loveland to succeed in the military.

“Growing up in Loveland, the biggest lesson I learned is to always make time for friends and family,” said Ponchot. “Although the time I spend at home is not as much as I would like it to be, I have learned to maximize time with my loved ones whenever there is an opportunity. Military life can bring long and hard days, but there is no better remedy than time with the people we care about, and that precious time refreshes me for when the time comes to return back out to sea.”

Homeported in San Diego, California, USS Essex is the second ship in the Wasp-class of multipurpose amphibious assault ships and the fifth ship named for Essex County, Massachusetts. Essex was a 1000-ton ironclad river gunboat of the U.S. Army and later U.S. Navy during the American Civil War.

According to Navy officials, amphibious assault ships are designed to deliver U.S. Marines and their equipment where they are needed to support a variety of missions ranging from amphibious assaults to humanitarian relief efforts. Designed to be versatile, the ship has the option of simultaneously using helicopters, Harrier jets, and Landing Craft Air Cushioned, as well as conventional landing craft and assault vehicles in various combinations.

Serving in the Navy means Ponchot is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

While there are many opportunities for sailors to earn recognition in their command, community and careers, Ponchot is most proud of successfully completing a conning officer evolution.

“Since joining the Navy, my most proud accomplishment was successfully conning the ESSEX during an approach for an underway replenishment with an oil tanker,” said Ponchot. “To receive fuel, our ship comes alongside another ship less than 200 yards away, which is incredibly close for large seagoing vessels. This is a highly technical evolution, and I was proud to be able to execute it.”

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Ponchot, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.

“While serving in the Navy I have learned to be flexible,” added Ponchot. “It seems more often than not, things don’t go as planned due to variable factors and that is all right. The Navy has taught me to adapt to evolving situations and have multiple plans of action prepared.”

October 23, 2021