Trustees to send letter concerning air quality

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP - Trustees Tuesday night voted to send a letter to the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services voicing township concerns over two air emission permits sought by Rumpke Sanitary Landfill.

The trustees' letter was to be sent today as part of public comment solicited by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency on the permit application. The document lays out the township's expectation that air quality around the Colerain Township landfill would improve if OEPA grants the permit.

Mason delays sale of city buildings

MASON - A deal to sell the city's former municipal building and a city-owned house behind it has been put on hold until next month.

City Council on Monday discussed but did not vote on a contract that would allow HiFive Development Inc. to purchase the downtown building for $200,000. HiFive plans to invest about $1.4 million to restore the municipal building before turning it into restaurants and office space. The house will be removed to make space for parking.

Elmwood Place hires new solicitor

ELMWOOD PLACE - A month after the village's solicitor resigned, saying he hadn't been paid in months and calling council "extremely dysfunctional," officials have hired a replacement.

Village Council at a special meeting Monday approved hiring Cincinnati lawyer Laura Abrams as prosecutor and solicitor at a rate of $125 an hour, Mayor Barney Philpot said.

Abrams, of the firm Sirkin Pinales & Schwartz, also represents the village in its legal fight against police Sgt. Paul Corbeil. Corbeil is suing over his demotion in January from lieutenant, which village officials said was to save money.

Stewart Mathews turned in a resignation letter dated March 26 in which he said he hadn't been paid for work in January, February and March.

Transportaton agency in Butler gets director

HAMILTON - John Fonner, 45, of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce's Cincy-TechUSA technology initiative, is the new Butler County Transportation Improvement District director.

The Deerfield Township resident was a transportation planner for the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of from 1985-88. He also was development director for Duke Realty Investments before joining the chamber staff in 1998.

He earned a civil-engineering degree from Ohio State University in 1981, and spent four years as a project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He will earn $92,000 a year, beginning May 10, to manage the agency, which built the Michael A. Fox Highway (Ohio 129) and the Interstate 75 Union Centre interchange. He replaces Rick Bailey of Oxford, who is retiring.

Give some blood, get it back in steak

MOUNT WASHINGTON - There will be a blood drive will be 3-8 p.m. May 14 at the American Legion Post 484, 1837 Sutton Ave.

There is a free steak dinner for all donors. Nondonors may purchase a steak dinner for $10.

Reservations are not necessary, but can be made by calling Bill Michel, blood-drive chairman, at (513) 231-0191.