Wednesday, April 22, 2009 3:07 AM
By Holly Zachariah
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- Alarmed by news of recent teenage overdoses and bearing headlines about Ohio's growing heroin problem, parents came to a town-hall meeting last night full of questions.
They wondered how to talk to their kids, how specific to get. Someone suggested that too much talk of the wrong kind could be dangerous, that no one wants to provide a roadmap of where to get the drug and how to use it.
And in a roomful of treatment, school and police officials, it was a high-school junior who stood up and gave the most answers.
"We already know all about it," said Mallory Underwood, an honor student at Marysville High School. "But we're acting on it. We're not going to sit around and watch this happen anymore."
Mike Witzky, director of the Union County Mental Health and Recovery Board who convened the meeting, said that kind of peer pressure is exactly what is needed. He hopes both a teen and an adult task force will sprout from what began last night in the gathering of about 60 people.
For some time now, law-enforcement and public-health officials across the state have described the growing problem of prescription-drug abuse and how it leads to heroin addiction.
They stepped up the campaign last week with the announcement that drug overdoses have eclipsed traffic fatalities in the number of annual deaths. In addition, heroin --- a natural opiate -- and synthetic opiates such as OxyContin have replaced cocaine to become the second-most-common drugs for which people seek treatment, ranking behind alcohol, officials said.
"It all starts in the medicine cabinet," Witzky said. "Prescription drugs are expensive, and heroin, unfortunately, is not."
The number of heroin-related deaths annually in Ohio nearly doubled between 2000 and 2007, the latest year for which statistics are available from the Ohio Department of Health.
Also, the number of Ohioans in the state's publicly funded heroin treatment programs has tripled, to almost 10,000 individuals in the past decade.
A quarter of those in treatment for opiate addiction at Maryhaven now say their troubles began with prescription medicines, most often prescribed as part of a pain-management regimen for an illness or injury, said Paul Coleman, president and chief executive officer of what is central Ohio's largest treatment center.
Once people become addicted, they adjust their habit to the supply, said Anthony Marotta, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency's Columbus office.
"Someone is paying $40 or $50 a pill for OxyContin and the money runs out or the supply dries up. But they're already hooked," Marotta said. "They have a physical craving, so they spend $10 for a balloon of heroin instead."
Heroin is well-established in central Ohio. The DEA seized between 18 and 22 pounds here since January, nearly twice as much as it had taken from the streets by May of last year.
hzachariah@dispatch.com
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Ohio - Marysville - Parks, Fitness and Leisure
Parks, Fitness, and Leisure
The Marysville area is host to a wide variety of parks, fitness, and leisure activities.
Parks and Leisure
There are numerous parks, totaling over 300 acres (1.2 km2). They include such features as walking and bike nature trails along Mill Creek, with trails at Aldersgate, Eljers, McCarthy, Mill Creek, Mill Valley South and Central, and Shwartzkopf parks. There is an amphitheater at the American Legion park, soccer and baseball fields at Eljer, Lewis, Mill Creek,and Mill Valley South and Central parks, lighted tennis courts at Eljer and Lewis parks, basketball courts at the American Legion and Aldersgate park with lighted courts at Eljer and Lewis parks, and a football field at Lewis park. There is fishing at Aldersgate, McCarthy, Mill Creek, Mill Valley Central, and Shwartzkopf parks. There is a nature preserve at MacIvor Woods. There is a Frisbee golf course, and a skateboard park at Eljer Park.There is discussion in city council of constructing a dog park.
The Central Ohio Riding Club at Avalon Farm is located in the Marysville area. There are several local golf clubs, including Timberview, Marysville, Blues Creek, Rolling Meadows, Buck Ridge, Flagstone, and Darby Creek. The Piatt Castles, Covered Bridges of Union County, and the Big Darby Plains Scenic Byway are a short drive.
Marysville has a small, classic style cinema Uptown, and the Houston House Art Gallery and the Brodrick House Bed and Breakfast, near Uptown.
Marysville has its library at plum street called marysville public library.It has good collection of magazines, books and DVDs , and free internet service.
Fitness
The city of Marysville operates a swimming pool at the American Legion Park. It has olympic size swimming lanes, three various height diving platforms, bathhouses, concessions, and ample parking. The Union County YMCA, located in Marysville, which recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, provides a fully serviced fitness center, an indoor swimming pool, and basketball courts, and numerous athletic leagues and activities. There are also many private fitness centers in the city and surrounding areas.
The Marysville area is host to a wide variety of parks, fitness, and leisure activities.
Parks and Leisure
There are numerous parks, totaling over 300 acres (1.2 km2). They include such features as walking and bike nature trails along Mill Creek, with trails at Aldersgate, Eljers, McCarthy, Mill Creek, Mill Valley South and Central, and Shwartzkopf parks. There is an amphitheater at the American Legion park, soccer and baseball fields at Eljer, Lewis, Mill Creek,and Mill Valley South and Central parks, lighted tennis courts at Eljer and Lewis parks, basketball courts at the American Legion and Aldersgate park with lighted courts at Eljer and Lewis parks, and a football field at Lewis park. There is fishing at Aldersgate, McCarthy, Mill Creek, Mill Valley Central, and Shwartzkopf parks. There is a nature preserve at MacIvor Woods. There is a Frisbee golf course, and a skateboard park at Eljer Park.There is discussion in city council of constructing a dog park.
The Central Ohio Riding Club at Avalon Farm is located in the Marysville area. There are several local golf clubs, including Timberview, Marysville, Blues Creek, Rolling Meadows, Buck Ridge, Flagstone, and Darby Creek. The Piatt Castles, Covered Bridges of Union County, and the Big Darby Plains Scenic Byway are a short drive.
Marysville has a small, classic style cinema Uptown, and the Houston House Art Gallery and the Brodrick House Bed and Breakfast, near Uptown.
Marysville has its library at plum street called marysville public library.It has good collection of magazines, books and DVDs , and free internet service.
Fitness
The city of Marysville operates a swimming pool at the American Legion Park. It has olympic size swimming lanes, three various height diving platforms, bathhouses, concessions, and ample parking. The Union County YMCA, located in Marysville, which recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, provides a fully serviced fitness center, an indoor swimming pool, and basketball courts, and numerous athletic leagues and activities. There are also many private fitness centers in the city and surrounding areas.
Ohio - Marysville - CITY DIRECTORY
Department Telephone
Administration (937) 642-6015
Building & Grounds (937) 642-7557
Clerk of Council (937) 642-6015
Economic Development (937) 642-6279
Engineering, Planning & Zoning (937) 642-6015
Finance (937) 642-6015
Fire (937) 642-2065
Municipal Court (937) 644-9102
Municipal Pool (937) 642-1046
Oakdale Cemetery (937) 642-4791
Parks & Recreation (937) 642-0116
Personnel & Services (937) 642-6015
Police (937) 642-3900
Public Service Center (937) 642-0116
Sanitation (937) 642-7305
Streets & Stormwater (937) 642-4767
Utility Department (937) 642-6861
Wastewater Plant (937) 642-1036
Water (937) 644-9858
Water Plant (937) 644-9115
Administration (937) 642-6015
Building & Grounds (937) 642-7557
Clerk of Council (937) 642-6015
Economic Development (937) 642-6279
Engineering, Planning & Zoning (937) 642-6015
Finance (937) 642-6015
Fire (937) 642-2065
Municipal Court (937) 644-9102
Municipal Pool (937) 642-1046
Oakdale Cemetery (937) 642-4791
Parks & Recreation (937) 642-0116
Personnel & Services (937) 642-6015
Police (937) 642-3900
Public Service Center (937) 642-0116
Sanitation (937) 642-7305
Streets & Stormwater (937) 642-4767
Utility Department (937) 642-6861
Wastewater Plant (937) 642-1036
Water (937) 644-9858
Water Plant (937) 644-9115
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Honda workers to take unpaid days off
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is starting its new fiscal year by cutting North American production and implementing as many as six unpaid days off through the summer at its U.S. and Canadian facilities.
Spokesman Ron Lietzke said Honda will reduce vehicle production by 62,000 units from May through July, including an 18,000-car cut at the Marysville, Ohio, plant and a 10,000 vehicle reduction at the East Liberty, Ohio, plant. Honda also operates a recently opened assembly plant in Greensburg, Ind.
The automaker is pulling 13 production days off the schedule to better align its inventory with demand. But in a change from other recent reductions, employees will not have the option to come into work and receive pay for as many as six of those days.
Lietzke said employees do have the option of using vacation days on the non-production days to receive pay. On the non-production days that haven’t been designated no-work days, employees will have the choice of working non-production duties and still receive pay.
The number of no-work, no-pay days and when those are designated at each facility will vary, he said, but there will be no more than two scheduled per month to minimize the financial impact to workers. Those days will fall sometime during the following non-production schedule:
• May 1, 8, 15, 19, 22 and 29.
• June 5, 19
• July 6 through 10, the week after the company’s annual summer shutdown.
The changes also affect the Anna Engine Plant and the transmission plant in Russells Point in western Ohio.
Hourly wages will remain unchanged, but bonuses are being reduced and eliminated for both hourly and salaried employees, Lietzke said, declining to share specific cuts. Salaried employees already have taken a pay cut.
Honda also is offering incentives for early retirement for those eligible, and for voluntary quitting for those not at retirement age. Lietzke would not say what those incentives are.
“We remain confident in the long-term prospects of Honda, but we continue to carefully and strategically manage because of what is happening in the marketplace,” Lietzke said. “Regardless of title or job level, each Honda associate is sharing the responsibility. We all need to endure this at this time.”
Honda’s U.S. sales fell 38 percent in February, its biggest drop since a slide began eight months earlier. Sales through the first two months of the year were down 33 percent.
The newest round of production cuts is the fifth in five months for the manufacturer. The previous four cuts removed 204,000 vehicles from its North American plan for fiscal 2009, which ended today. Honda produced 1.25 million vehicles for the fiscal year.
Marysville-based Honda of America Manufacturing employs more than 11,800 workers at assembly and engine plants in and around Ohio, where they produce Honda Accords, Civics, CR-Vs, Elements and Acura TLs and RDXs.
Spokesman Ron Lietzke said Honda will reduce vehicle production by 62,000 units from May through July, including an 18,000-car cut at the Marysville, Ohio, plant and a 10,000 vehicle reduction at the East Liberty, Ohio, plant. Honda also operates a recently opened assembly plant in Greensburg, Ind.
The automaker is pulling 13 production days off the schedule to better align its inventory with demand. But in a change from other recent reductions, employees will not have the option to come into work and receive pay for as many as six of those days.
Lietzke said employees do have the option of using vacation days on the non-production days to receive pay. On the non-production days that haven’t been designated no-work days, employees will have the choice of working non-production duties and still receive pay.
The number of no-work, no-pay days and when those are designated at each facility will vary, he said, but there will be no more than two scheduled per month to minimize the financial impact to workers. Those days will fall sometime during the following non-production schedule:
• May 1, 8, 15, 19, 22 and 29.
• June 5, 19
• July 6 through 10, the week after the company’s annual summer shutdown.
The changes also affect the Anna Engine Plant and the transmission plant in Russells Point in western Ohio.
Hourly wages will remain unchanged, but bonuses are being reduced and eliminated for both hourly and salaried employees, Lietzke said, declining to share specific cuts. Salaried employees already have taken a pay cut.
Honda also is offering incentives for early retirement for those eligible, and for voluntary quitting for those not at retirement age. Lietzke would not say what those incentives are.
“We remain confident in the long-term prospects of Honda, but we continue to carefully and strategically manage because of what is happening in the marketplace,” Lietzke said. “Regardless of title or job level, each Honda associate is sharing the responsibility. We all need to endure this at this time.”
Honda’s U.S. sales fell 38 percent in February, its biggest drop since a slide began eight months earlier. Sales through the first two months of the year were down 33 percent.
The newest round of production cuts is the fifth in five months for the manufacturer. The previous four cuts removed 204,000 vehicles from its North American plan for fiscal 2009, which ended today. Honda produced 1.25 million vehicles for the fiscal year.
Marysville-based Honda of America Manufacturing employs more than 11,800 workers at assembly and engine plants in and around Ohio, where they produce Honda Accords, Civics, CR-Vs, Elements and Acura TLs and RDXs.
Ohio - Marysville - Where The Grass is Greener!
The City of Marysville, county seat of Union County, offers the advantages of a metropolitan area with the charm and hospitality of a rural smaller community. Settled along Mill Creek early in the 1820’s, the city serves as the hub for the county. The city’s administration and leaders are committed to embracing the opportunities for growth, but are careful to maintain control so that growth is orderly and productive. The 2000 census population recorded at 15,932 and estimates the population to be 17,483 (2005).
Marysville’s location is among its greatest assets – conveniently located 25 miles northwest of Columbus, the state capital. Located on U.S. 33, a main interstate-like highway connects Columbus to the southeast and Fort Wayne, Indiana to the northwest. Other principal highways in Marysville are U.S. Route 36 and State Routes 4, 31, 38, 245 and 736.
Marysville is the home of both large and small industries and a diversified business base that helps to provide a “quality of life” that cannot be matched. Marysville is a city of proud people and offers much to many. Few communities in the country have enjoyed the international spotlight which has focused on Marysville in recent years, mostly as a result of the Honda of America Mfg., Inc. facilities located seven miles northwest of the City. Other major industries located in Marysville are The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Parker Hannifin Hydraulics, Nestle, and Univenture.
The Union County Airport, which is located in Marysville, has a 4,220 foot runway. The airport provides complete air service, including passenger and freight and can accommodate private and executive aircraft. Port Columbus International Airport is located 35 minutes to the southeast and offers commercial service from most major carriers.
Excellent educational opportunities are available through the Marysville Exempted School District. There are five elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, one high school and six parochial schools. Career-training programs are offered to students in grades 11 and 12 and adult courses are available at the Ohio Hi-Point Joint Vocational School. Marysville Public Library continues to provide a great service to the community and is a gathering place for children and young families.
The City has a park system that exceeds any other community of its size. Within the City you will find nine parks totaling over 300 acres including such features as a walking and bike nature trail along Mill Creek (Jim Simmons Trail) and a Frisbee golf course and skateboard park. The City of Marysville owns and operates a municipal swimming pool located in the midst of tree-laden American Legion Park. The pool’s well-kept grounds, bathhouse and Olympic-size lanes make it an ideal and much used community resource. Schwartzkopf Park is home of a lighted horseshoe pits and is a great area for family activities. The Union County YMCA located in Marysville provides a fully serviced fitness center including an indoor swimming pool and basketball courts. The Ohio Army National Guard is constructing a 45,000 square foot facility adjacent to the YMCA which will include a gym, kitchen and classrooms for the community.
Memorial Hospital of Union County is a modern 107 bed facility just south of the Uptown area. Located on attractive tree-dotted grounds, the county owned hospital serves the area’s health care needs including a state of the art women’s health center. It also offers mobile meals daily to area shut-ins and seniors.
Marysville and Union County are one of the fastest growing cities and counties in the State of Ohio. Marysville has numerous residential developments which have homes typically ranging from $130,000 to over $500,000. Recent major commercial developments – Coleman’s Crossing and City Gate – have opened over 800,000 square feet of commercial space providing a number of retail options for residents.
Along the US 33 and Industrial Parkway corridor, numerous properties are available for commercial and industrial business expansion. The City is currently investing in a new sanitary sewer facility and a new water reservoir which will prepare the community for future growth and development.
The City’s Uptown area (downtown) has recently experienced a rebirth led by a public-private partnership group known as the Uptown Renewal Team (URT). Over $1,000,000 has recently been invested in Uptown by various business owners; and monthly Friday events during the summer and fall provide festivals known as “Friday Nights Uptown.”
In 2006, Marysville was named one of the best five hometowns in Ohio by Ohio Magazine. The City prides itself upon a rich heritage, conservative family values, and a populous with an unparalleled work ethic. With its strong corporate and business base and its continual growth and development, Marysville is a great place to call home.
You can learn more information about Marysville at the City’s website – http://www.marysvilleohio.org – or at the Union County Chamber of Commerce’s website – http://www.unioncounty.org.
Marysville’s location is among its greatest assets – conveniently located 25 miles northwest of Columbus, the state capital. Located on U.S. 33, a main interstate-like highway connects Columbus to the southeast and Fort Wayne, Indiana to the northwest. Other principal highways in Marysville are U.S. Route 36 and State Routes 4, 31, 38, 245 and 736.
Marysville is the home of both large and small industries and a diversified business base that helps to provide a “quality of life” that cannot be matched. Marysville is a city of proud people and offers much to many. Few communities in the country have enjoyed the international spotlight which has focused on Marysville in recent years, mostly as a result of the Honda of America Mfg., Inc. facilities located seven miles northwest of the City. Other major industries located in Marysville are The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Parker Hannifin Hydraulics, Nestle, and Univenture.
The Union County Airport, which is located in Marysville, has a 4,220 foot runway. The airport provides complete air service, including passenger and freight and can accommodate private and executive aircraft. Port Columbus International Airport is located 35 minutes to the southeast and offers commercial service from most major carriers.
Excellent educational opportunities are available through the Marysville Exempted School District. There are five elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, one high school and six parochial schools. Career-training programs are offered to students in grades 11 and 12 and adult courses are available at the Ohio Hi-Point Joint Vocational School. Marysville Public Library continues to provide a great service to the community and is a gathering place for children and young families.
The City has a park system that exceeds any other community of its size. Within the City you will find nine parks totaling over 300 acres including such features as a walking and bike nature trail along Mill Creek (Jim Simmons Trail) and a Frisbee golf course and skateboard park. The City of Marysville owns and operates a municipal swimming pool located in the midst of tree-laden American Legion Park. The pool’s well-kept grounds, bathhouse and Olympic-size lanes make it an ideal and much used community resource. Schwartzkopf Park is home of a lighted horseshoe pits and is a great area for family activities. The Union County YMCA located in Marysville provides a fully serviced fitness center including an indoor swimming pool and basketball courts. The Ohio Army National Guard is constructing a 45,000 square foot facility adjacent to the YMCA which will include a gym, kitchen and classrooms for the community.
Memorial Hospital of Union County is a modern 107 bed facility just south of the Uptown area. Located on attractive tree-dotted grounds, the county owned hospital serves the area’s health care needs including a state of the art women’s health center. It also offers mobile meals daily to area shut-ins and seniors.
Marysville and Union County are one of the fastest growing cities and counties in the State of Ohio. Marysville has numerous residential developments which have homes typically ranging from $130,000 to over $500,000. Recent major commercial developments – Coleman’s Crossing and City Gate – have opened over 800,000 square feet of commercial space providing a number of retail options for residents.
Along the US 33 and Industrial Parkway corridor, numerous properties are available for commercial and industrial business expansion. The City is currently investing in a new sanitary sewer facility and a new water reservoir which will prepare the community for future growth and development.
The City’s Uptown area (downtown) has recently experienced a rebirth led by a public-private partnership group known as the Uptown Renewal Team (URT). Over $1,000,000 has recently been invested in Uptown by various business owners; and monthly Friday events during the summer and fall provide festivals known as “Friday Nights Uptown.”
In 2006, Marysville was named one of the best five hometowns in Ohio by Ohio Magazine. The City prides itself upon a rich heritage, conservative family values, and a populous with an unparalleled work ethic. With its strong corporate and business base and its continual growth and development, Marysville is a great place to call home.
You can learn more information about Marysville at the City’s website – http://www.marysvilleohio.org – or at the Union County Chamber of Commerce’s website – http://www.unioncounty.org.
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