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Local News

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Findlay's islands
By Joy Brown

STAFF WRITER

It's where the sidewalk ends, where Findlay police and fire protection ends, and where a 50 percent surcharge for Findlay's water begins.

It's where 40 homeowners, and a Speedway service station, become a geographical and political island.

It's where their section of the east side Orchard Acres Subdivision is surrounded by Findlay, but not in Findlay, because it was never annexed by Findlay.

It is not the only residential "island" within the city. There are two others.

An island on the west side, which includes part of the Croy and Slough additions, and Northtowne Condo Villas, affects nearly four times as many homes.

Houses on Del Monte Drive, Ferndale Avenue and Cottonwood Street are not annexed, nor are those on portions of West Melrose Avenue, Edith Avenue, Bolton Street, North Town Drive, Villa West Drive and Villa South Drive.

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 622 W. Melrose Ave. is on this same "island."

And there's a lonely lot on Parkside Place, a single house, that's within the city but not actually in the city, officials claim.

These areas receive fire protection, street plowing and salting from the nearest townships, and police protection from the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.

And they pay a 50 percent surcharge to Findlay for water and sewer service because they are not city residents.

Jim Slough, Findlay councilman-at-large and Planning and Zoning Committee chair, said he did not know about Findlay's islands.

He described them as "very interesting" and "ludicrous."

"I would think council would want to look at that to see what the reasoning is" for their existence, he said.

His curiosity aroused, Slough said he spoke to some island residents and was surprised to encounter some irritation, but mostly apathy.

Several complained to Slough about their higher utility rates.

Some told him they did not know they are not covered by Findlay police and fire departments, but that they did not mind since no fires or major crimes had occurred at their places.

Most he talked to seemed content with their "county resident" status.

"It was an eye-opener," said Slough.

An annexation attempt failed years ago in the Croy Addition. A different outcome would have saved people "a lot of pennies," said Richard Lane, 1916 Del Monte Drive.

During Mayor John Stozich's tenure, Lane said, a neighbor hired an attorney and got the majority of island residents to sign a petition requesting to be annexed.

But in what Lane called "a typical attorney maneuver," the lawyer hiked his fees and "that stopped everything."

"It'd be to our advantage to go into the city," said Lane, who has lived there since 1965.

He pointed out that island residents are already paying city school taxes, and much more for water and sewer service. But they do not have city street lights or fire hydrants.

"Plus, the insurance rates are higher on the homes because of the fire protection," he said.

Fire protection is provided not by city Fire Station 2 on North Main Street, but by the Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department that is double the distance to the west, Lane said.

A Ferndale Avenue homeowner, who asked that her name not be used, said the police and fire protection issues worry her, but the township takes good care of the neighborhood.

"We do have very good service from the county. They plow the streets" and keep a small park nearby maintained, she said.

"We have some advantages and disadvantages" to not being annexed, she said.

An Edith Avenue resident, who moved into her house this past winter and also did not want to give her name, called the situation "silly." She said she may start another petition drive.

"I guess I'd rather be in the city," said another islander, Gene Bauer of 2024 Lone Tree Drive.

Bauer, who has lived there since 1990, said plenty of sheriff's deputies patrol the area, but he does not prefer to pay extra for water and sewer.

Bauer's neighbor at 2018 Lone Tree Drive, Diane Ressegui, said residents tried to complete an annexation petition "several years ago, but people thought (incorrectly) the school district would change" to Findlay City Schools.

School district boundaries do not change when land is annexed into the city, unless a school district requests it at the state level, according to city Law Director Dave Hackenberg. Students in the Orchard Acres Subdivision attend Van Buren School District.

"Now we really don't care" about not being annexed into Findlay, Ressegui said.

Findlay firefighters are well aware of the islands.

"Sometimes it creates confusion, but our guys go through monthly street training. There are actually less (islands) than there used to be... but we know where they are," said Findlay Fire Chief Tom Lonyo.

According to Lonyo, 911 calls made from "island" residences are recognized as being outside of the city limits, which prompts dispatchers to notify the appropriate first responders from the county.

If Findlay firefighters get to the scene first, "We'll give (the responding county agency) a size-up of the situation through sheriff's dispatch," Lonyo said.

"Obviously, we're not going to let anybody burn to death," he said.

But if lives are not at risk, city firefighters generally cannot battle an "island" fire unless the fire department responsible for the property asks for help through a "mutual aid" agreement.

Before Lonyo became chief, he said his department responded to a house fire on Edith Avenue which caused some confusion when firefighters realized it was not within their jurisdiction.

"We made quick entry, did a knock down (of the flames), got out and they (Liberty Township) took over. That's typically the way it has been handled," he said.

Several years ago, Findlay firefighters could only watch a home south of the Tiffin Avenue Speedway burn while waiting for Marion Township firefighters to arrive, Hackenberg recalled.

Hackenberg also remembered a similar situation at a house, owned by a dentist, that was not annexed.

Considering the fires and higher utility costs to homeowners, city officials and some residents said they do not know why certain places in town have never annexed.

Speedway did not petition when it was built because the city would not allow the business to have the two entries that it wanted at Bright Road and Tiffin Avenue, according to Linda Casey, communications manager for Marathon Petroleum Co.

Safety Director Jim Barker said Findlay over the years has tried to rid itself of islands with limited success. But such efforts have not been a priority.

Barker said annexation is not always fiscally desirable for the city since it then would be responsible for street upkeep and safety.

That is why administrators have not forced the annexation issue with newer subdivisions like those on the eastern and western edges of the city, he said.

"The income tax money we would generate off of those is probably minimal. It'd be a loser" for the city, Hackenberg said of east side annexations.

But, Hackenberg said, "It would be nice to get those pockets (islands) brought in," and Barker agreed.

Any resident or neighborhood with property contiguous to the city limits is eligible to annex.

They must submit signatures from the majority, pay a $75 filing fee and hire an attorney, Hackenberg said.

By state law, the city also has the right to force annexation, something past administrators have examined in a handful of cases but never pursued, Hackenberg said. In such instances, residents would still have to hire legal representation.

Many cities force annexation before providing water and sewer service, but Hackenberg said he sees safety as being the only reason for forcing the Findlay islands to join the municipality.

"You would think that with an issue like this, the administration would want to look into it" and residents would desire it for the savings, said Slough.

Brown: 419-427-8496,

Send an e-mail to Joy Brown

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2 Comments

Latest comments listed first.
adam wrote:
zones
“ they failed to mention that the aparments on south main are like that also. greenbrier on the west side of the road is hancock county sherrif and the apartments right across the street is findlay city ”
Pamela Hallam wrote:
Findlay's Islands
“ Perhaps it is time for the Ohio state legislature to create, within each county, a Local Agency Formation Commission(LAFCO)to be comprised of represetnatives from each of the 88 counties within Ohio. The purpose of these county LAFCO commissions is to have county-wide jurisdiction, with LAFCO's independent of county government designed to provide assistance to local agencies in overseeing jurisdictional boundary changes. LAFCO within each county would responsible for coordinating, directing, and overseeing logical and timely changes to local governmental boundaries, including annexation and detachment of territory, incorporation of cities, formation of special districts, and consolidation, merger, and dissolution of districts. In addition, LAFCO would be charged with reviewing ways to reorganize, simplify, and streamline governmental structure.

The primary objective of LAFCO would be to initiate studies and furnish information that contributes to the logical and reasonable development of public agencies and to initiate proposals involving district consolidation, dissolution, subsidiary district establishment, merger, and reorganization, thereby alleviating the Findlay "Islands" situation.
”
   NEWS VIDEO

Neighbors react

Residents in Findlay's Dold subdivision say they are worried following an alleged abduction attempt Tuesday.

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    News Briefs Abduction attempt reported Tuesday
    The Hancock County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alleged abduction attempt in a western Findlay subdivision.

    A sheriff's deputy said he was called to Dold Drive, near Liberty-Benton High School, just before 5 p.m. Tuesday after a girl reported a suspicious man had followed her and eventually chased her.

    The girl was able to get away without being harmed.

    Details are still preliminary, but officials said the man was described as being about 6 feet tall with an average build. He looked to be in his 60s and had red hair, deputies said.

    Deputies searching the area found no one matching that description.


    Man sentenced for two felonies
    A Findlay man was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for two felony convictions.

    Brett M. Ardelean, 21, trespassed at 1112 Crystal Ave. in Findlay, when the resident was present, to commit a theft on Dec. 9.

    Ardelean also admitted concealing a .40-caliber handgun in the city on Oct. 22.

    The burglary charge is a second-degree felony, and the carrying a concealed weapon charge is a fourth-degree felony.

    Hancock County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Niemeyer sentenced Ardelean on Monday to serve four years in prison for the burglary conviction and 11 months for the weapon violation.

    The gun was forfeited to the Findlay Police Department, Prosecutor Mark Miller said.


    Continental man arrested for holdup
    OTTAWA -- A Continental man has been arrested for an armed robbery at an Ottawa tobacco shop.

    Maurice Harsh II, 24, was charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, for allegedly using a handgun to rob Cut Rate Tobacco, 820 N. Locust St., on Friday.

    A robbery that same day in Defiance may have been committed by the same individual, Assistant Putnam County Prosecutor Todd Schroeder said.

    Harsh is being held on $100,000 bond and requested a court-appointed attorney, Schroeder said.

    Police said the robber in Ottawa escaped with an undetermined amount of money and tobacco items valued at $134.

    Surveillance cameras videotaped the holdup.


    Ottawa man gets 5-year sentence
    OTTAWA -- An Ottawa man was sentenced to five years in prison for stabbing a Columbus Grove resident in the abdomen.

    Joshua A. Morman, 41, was convicted of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, for stabbing Shawn Ward on Nov. 3 in Columbus Grove.

    Ward did not suffer life-threatening injuries, according to police.

    Morman appeared in Putnam County Common Pleas Court and said he mistakenly believed Ward possessed a knife at the time.

    Putnam County Common Pleas Judge Randall Basinger disputed this claim, and cited five other instances of charges being filed against Morman for threats or violence.

    Morman was credited with 194 days served in jail.


    Lima Ave. crash injures motorist
    A rural Findlay resident was hurt in a two-vehicle crash on Lima Avenue at 4:46 p.m. Monday.

    James Kelley, 24, was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital, which released no information on his condition Tuesday.

    According to the Findlay Police Department, Kelley was driving an Eagle Talon on Byal Avenue when he failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a vehicle traveling on Lima Avenue.

    Police said Kelley's car hit the side of a trailer being pulled by a Chevy truck driven by Kyle Heitmeyer, 27, of Findlay.

    Kelley was cited for failing to yield from a stop sign and having a suspended license.

    The Findlay Fire Department assisted at the scene.


    Hydrant flushing
    The Findlay Water Distribution Department will be flushing hydrants today from the Blanchard River south to West Hobart Avenue, from South Main Street west to the corporation limit, from West Edgar Avenue south to the corporation limit, and from South Main Street west to Western Avenue.


    'Fun with Fossils' topic of program
    Rikki Youngpeter, a Hancock Park District program assistant, will present a program on "Fun with Fossils" at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Discovery Center in Oakwoods Nature Preserve.

    The program is for children 6 to 9 years old with an adult.

    Registration, with a $3 per child fee, is due by Wednesday at the park district office, 1424 E. Main Cross St.

    For more information, call the park district, 419-425-7275.


    Program planned on lily family
    An open house featuring a program on members of the lily family will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Discovery Center in Oakwoods Nature Preserve.

    For more information, call the Hancock Park District office at 419-425-7275.


    Program planned on homeschooling
    "So You Think You Know the Library," a program specifically designed for homeschooling parents, will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. May 22 in the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library's Lindamood Room.

    Home-school parents are invited to take an in-depth look at the library's resources.

    Registration is not required.