A Stronger Community
As the President of the Geauga County Library Board of Trustees, a father of two elementary school children, a proud Chardon resident of 13 years, a volunteer coach and business owner, I write in support of the Geauga County Public Library’s upcoming November Bond Issue.
While Geauga County is blessed with an amazing library system, it has become abundantly clear that we need to improve our facilities to bring them up to acceptable levels.
Several facilities have outdated mechanical systems, faulty HVAC, drafty windows, inadequate community meeting space, no study rooms and not enough room for library materials.
A “yes” vote on Bond Issue 4 will allow Geauga citizens to have access to facilities that promote a stronger community where people can come together to learn, to work, to grow, to exchange ideas and, yes, get books.
If this bond issue does not pass, these facility issues will not go away. We will still be dealing with cramped facilities and a lack of meeting spaces.
I, along with many others, have dedicated many hours studying all of the library facilities to understand where we can improve. We have come up with a well thought out, specific plan to address these needs. By voting for the levy this November, residents can look forward to the following:
- Expanded meeting, community and study spaces at various locations;
- Increased ease of booking meetings for community groups and shared spaces for collaboration and innovation at all locations;
- A dedicated library building in Thompson, one of the fastest growing areas in the county, to replace the existing small library station in Ledgemont School;
- Room for an expanded collection at all locations, with deeper resources for education and entertainment;
- Expanded room for technology and resources at all locations.
If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at jake@yancharlaw.com or attend one of the upcoming town hall forums where members of the board and of the committee will be in attendance.
- Geauga West: Oct. 5, 5 – 9 p.m.
- Thompson: Oct. 12, 6 – 8 p.m.
- Bainbridge: Oct. 16, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
In support of Geauga County Public Library, I ask you to vote “yes” on Issue 4.
Jake Yanchar
Hambden Township
Bigger Not Always Better
Imagine a small school that creates great educational outcomes, leadership opportunities and extracurricular activities for all students. Look no further than Newbury Schools!
Our community needs to recognize the great efforts of our staff, our administrators and our school board. They give countless hours, support and dedication to the betterment of our community by serving our children.
Additionally, there has been nothing but positive things coming from our school district in the last four years.
Did you know that we are fiscally solvent and the five-year forecast remains that way unlike many other county schools?
Did you know that 73 percent of our students participate in extracurricular activities?
Did you know that more than 10 students graduated last year with a combined total of 262 college credit hours?
Did you know that we added Robotics along with nine new courses to our curricula? This includes a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics ) program introduced to our freshmen and sophomores.
Bigger is not always better! Living in a small township with a personal feel is greatly enhanced by a small school that gives a personal education to all of our children!
Our teachers offer differentiated instruction and repeated practice that enable our students to make strong connections to the rigorous academic content and, therefore, have a greater chance for success in the years to come.
We urge you to vote for our hard-working and dedicated school board officials this November: Susan Arnold (re-elect), Anne Kolenic and Dean Mansfield.
Go Knights!
Scott and Vicki Koller
Newbury Township
Protect Geauga Parks Members Concerned Citizens
I am not a member of the group Protect Geauga Parks. However, while I certainly do not know all of them, there are a number of individuals in the group whom I have known for 20 or 30 years. They are good people and good citizens: usually the first to volunteer in our schools, in our churches and for our most time-consuming community projects.
They are the hikers I pass on our beautiful park trails, the people I find myself sitting behind at naturalist programs and the faces I recognize from park board meetings during my time as a park board commissioner.
These people are not disruptive and they are not “dangerous,” as has been intimated by some quotes in newspaper articles. I do not always agree with them, but I have found them to be unfailingly respectful of my point of view.
By and large, they are well-informed taxpaying citizens who are merely worried about the future of Geauga’s precious natural resources; they are frustrated at being denied their freedom of speech by an administration and park board commissioners who often appear far less informed and much less concerned with the fragility of our environment.
I do not like seeing Protect Geauga Parks members maligned nor having antagonistic motives attributed to them where none exist. Many of them have been the most ardent supporters of the Geauga Park District since its inception, instilling in their children and grandchildren a true dedication to preserving and protecting our natural treasures.
Nicholas E. Fischbach
Burton Village
Libraries Great Resource
I am on the board of trustees of the Geauga County Library. This is not because I am particularly eminent in the community, but I have been a heavy and steady user of the libraries in the area for the 40 years that I have lived here.
When I saw an opportunity to serve the library in the capacity of a trustee, well, I owed my service.
One of the chief reasons that I am indebted to the libraries of our county is because I was a homeschooling mother for 25 years. The library was a great resource for my home-schooling effort.
True, I bought textbooks; we owned the Britannica Encyclopedia sets, and we were early adopters of the Worldwide Web for educational purposes, but the library provided us with vast variety of supplementary books and videos suitable for all of the ages educated in our home. We were often at the maximum number of books allowed to us.
There is so much to know about the world. The library is a tremendous educational resource for parents teaching their children, whether those children go to school or school at home.
I wanted my six children to learn as much possible about our world. Our local library helped me with that goal.
It’s evident to me that our county library system does all it can to help parents with the education of their children. The resources, both print and digital, that the Geauga County libraries provide (and our staff are always watching out for new and better options) mean that our system is poised to provide the best available for both the education and pleasure of the people of the county.
Let’s support the growth and improvement of our county libraries in November. Please vote “yes” on Issue 4.
Kate Pitrone
Hambden Township
Appreciate the Library
Having lived in Geauga County for over 40 years, I have appreciated the services of the Geauga County library system for all of those years. The people in all of the branches are most helpful and professional.
I have seen the holdings of the library explode exponentially along with the number of the people that they serve. The recent move to utilize the CleveNet system allows the borrowing of material from libraries all over Northeast Ohio and is most useful.
This past summer, with the guidance and inestimable help of the library’s genealogist, Cheryl McClellan, I researched my family tree back to the early 1800s!
I fully support and urge all voters in Geauga County to vote for the library’s levy in November. The infrastructure must keep up with the demands made on the system. Having attended a public meeting at the Chardon library (where I was the only member of the public to attend), I am very confident in the ability of the library administration and board to see that your money is well spent and invested wisely.
Keith Douglass
Hambden Township
