Dorr Fourth-Graders Link With Soldier And Marine
BY KAREN BERGER— MIRROR REPORTER
This isn’t the first time that Ciarra Seman has written to a soldier.
“I wrote a letter to my cousin Matt Niemic, who is in Afghanistan. I tell him to stay strong and that I’ll see him soon. I tell him to stay positive,” the Dorr Elementary fourth-grader said.
On November 15, Ciarra and her peers in Kristi DiSalle’s class spent the morning writing letters to two soldiers they’d only just met – via Skype – on Veterans Day, November 11.
While the letters are an excellent way to tie in language and writing standards, the kids used them to ask some of the questions they didn’t get answered during the Skype session.
“I want to know what MRE’s (meals ready to eat) taste like,” said Donovan King. While he was asking that question of Marine Cpl. Dominick Post, others were writing to Army Spc. Chris Scott.
“I learned that you have to work hard and have good grades to be in the Army Reserve,” wrote Dani Sabin.
Post and Scott are friends of Natalie Thobe, a student teacher from Bowling Green State University. Both men have served four years and are currently stationed in Columbus.
The Veterans Day Skype experience allowed students to form questions and write down notes for their letters. It was also an ideal way to celebrate the holiday, with most of them decked out in red, white and blue.
The Skype camera was purchased with a WalMart gift card given to DiSalle by the company.
“One girl asked what kind of character they need to be a soldier,” DiSalle recalled. “Both of them agreed that being away from friends and family is the hardest. They said their moms miss them but they are proud. Being a mother to three boys, I know how that must feel.”
“It was cool to learn how tough and hard it is to be a Marine, and how hard they had to train,” Broc Toth said.
Broc’s neighbor is an Air Force veteran and his great-uncle was in World War II.
“They have some cool history,” he said.
McKenna Pietrowski has several family members who served in the Army and Marines.
“I’m thankful because you protect our nation,” she wrote to Scott.
“I think it would be hard to keep moving from place to place,” said Arianna Scott.
While her father was in the Navy before she was born, Arianna admits that she’d never used the word “veteran” to describe him – just “dad.”
Lidya Hollingsworth wanted to know if the two men would be able to spend holidays or days off with family.
“I love my family. I think it would be hard to spend time away from them,” Lidya said.
All agreed – in their concluding sentences – that the two men endure so much to keep America safe.
“I’m grateful for veterans. They protect us from dangerous things,” Tyler Kelly wrote.

Township Temporarily Suspends Collecting On Lighting Assessments In 18 Districts
BY KELLY J. KACZALA — MIRROR REPORTER
Some Springfield Township residents will see a temporary reduction in their property taxes following action at the November 7 township trustees’ meeting.
The trustees agreed to suspend collections of outlying lighting district specials in 18 of 99 lighting districts for the 2011 fiscal year as a result of surpluses in those accounts. The suspensions will last from six months to a year.
Fiscal officer Paul Hoag told trustees that an analysis recently performed on all 99 lighting districts in the township showed there were significant surpluses. The analysis compared balances, or deficits, with Toledo Edison payments and current homeowner assessments.
Eighteen districts were found to have surplus account balances well in excess of any annual assessment versus Edison cost differences, and, in some cases, well in excess of total annual Edison billings.
Hoag said he met with Gary Langenderfer of the Lucas County Auditor’s Office to discuss options to address the issue.
“Some of these are out of balance by five, six, seven years ahead in payments,” Hoag said.
Langenderfer suggested the township suspend the collections in those districts until the accounts are brought to within six months of what they owe, according to Hoag.
The township will reevaluate the accounts next fall and decide whether to continue suspending the billings, or recalculate future payments and recertify, according to Hoag.
Hoag will send a letter to Langenderfer advising him of the township’s request along with the specific districts that are affected.
Hoag, who was appointed township fiscal officer earlier this year, said he was unsure how the accounts ended up so out of balance.
“I figure that everybody just kind of rubber-stamped them through and put them in. The last recertification was in September 2009,” he said.
Trustee Andy Glenn asked whether it would cause a problem or “mild uproar” when the township reinstates the payments and people see their property taxes go back up.
Hoag suggested sending letter to affected residents explaining that the accounts are ahead and collections will be suspended temporarily.
Glenn asked whether the payments could be reduced rather than suspended.
“If we reduce, we’ll have to put a formal request in. That won’t happen until next September. The auditor won’t accept it for the 2011 tax year. I can only suspend it,” Hoag said.
The lighting districts that will be affected include:
• Airport Executive, payments suspended six months.
• Sawmill Run, plat 1, payments suspended six months.
• Sawmill Run, plat 2, payments suspended one year.
• Commerce Executive, payments suspended one year.
• Courtyard Holloway, plat 1, payments suspended one year.
• Heather Glen, plat 6, payments suspended one year.
• Wynnbrooke, plats 1-3, payments suspended one year.
• Stone Oak, plats 1-6, payments suspended one year;
• Fox Run, plats 1 and 5, payments suspended one year.
• Spring Meadows West, payments suspended one year.
• Wolf Creek Executive, plat 1, payments suspended one year.
• Wexford, plats 1 and 2, payments suspended one year.
• SpringDale Parke, plats 1 and 2, payments suspended one year.
• The Quarry, plats 6-7, payments suspended one year.