Updates from Dave Berger

January 9, 2011 Update from Dave Berger

2011-01-09T17:07:00.009-05:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

I hope that you and your families had a wonderful Holiday Season and that 2011 proves to be a year of health, success and fulfillment for all of you.

Newest Edition: OUR COMMUNITY, January-March, 2011

You can access the full text at the following link: http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/ourcomm1101.pdf

We have some terrific pieces in this edition:
• The front page highlights opportunities to volunteer for the Lima Public Library, helping to distribute reading materials to shut ins.
• Honors given to LPD officers for courageous actions in the line of duty.
• Comments from civilians who have participated in ride-along experiences with police officers and sheriff's deputies.
• A set of columns about and from Lima's teacher in our Sister City of Harima-cho, Japan.
• And much, much more.

I know that you will enjoy all 18 pages of this OUR COMMUNITY edition! Please share it with family and friends.

Progress on the Vine Street grade separation project
Below are a set of photos illustrating the continuing construction on the railroad grade separation (underpass) on Vine Street. Lots has taken place, with much more to be done.

Train operating on shoofly, as construction continues.

Bridge structural components under assembly at factory.

(Vine Street photos compliments of American Structurepoint.)

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

December 1, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-12-01T17:32:00.013-05:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

Our Thanksgiving holiday brought us together with family members and friends stretched all across the region. Lots of good food, hugs and kisses, fun and games, and important conversations. I hope you and yours had similarly enjoyable and engaging festivities!

Several project updates via photos
Photos really do provide a wonderfully concise way to tell our many stories of projects large and small. Enjoy.

Cook Park walking path improvements

A closer view at Cook Park

RiverWalk re-paving

Downtown streetscape improvements: Our contractors are yet working to finish the project before the winter snows arrive!

Vine Street Underpass: Shoofly (by-pass) construction

Photo compliments of American Structurepoint

Vine Street underpass: Shoofly cutover completed

Photo compliments of American Structurepoint.

Lima's Furl Williams Reservoir project: New Pump Station on the Auglaize River is capable of pumping 90 MILLION gallons per day.
(For a very detailed description, photos and video, please check out the Lima News at http://www.limaohio.com/news/lima-57417-look-project.html)

Photo compliments of Peterson Construction

Granular Activated Carbon Filter excavation underway at the City's drinking water plant.
As some have described it, Lima's new giant BRITA water filter, capable of processing 30 million gallons per day.

Photo compliments of Peterson Construction

Public policy and action does matter
In the fall of 2008 and the first half of 2009, the Lima Auto Task Force took a very public role in describing the impacts of a failed auto industry on our community and region.

We highlighted the potential loss of over 16,500 jobs from Allen and the surrounding counties should no action be taken by the federal government.

Because federal action did occur, we avoided the worst case scenario involving the permanent loss of a million jobs nationwide.

Lima is a member of the Automotive Communities Program sponsored by the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research (CAR).

Their recently published report provides much insight into the disaster that was avoided. Please check out their report at http://www.cargroup.org/pdfs/bankruptcy.pdf

Independent fire service expert validates opportunity for change
As you are likely aware, the city is in the process of some pretty dramatic changes in our Fire Department. These changes are necessitated by economic constraints, but are designed to improve the safety of both the firefighters and the community.

This is not just my personal opinion. It is also the conclusion of a fire service expert that we hired to review the proposed changes. For details on Chief Kramer's report, click on the following link: http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/fire/FireRescueEMS2010Analysis.pdf

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

October 31 Update from Dave Berger

2010-10-31T15:30:00.004-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

Furl P. Williams, Community Leadership and Service Acknowledged!
When I first came to Lima in the last '70's, I was soon introduced to a man who had a long and admired history of community service and who would continue that service for two more decades as President of Lima City Council. He was still in that position when I was first elected Mayor in 1989. And I am proud to say that Furl was a friend and source of wise counsel. Current Council President John Nixon and I agreed that Furl's life and service should remain a living memory and we recommended that City Council name the soon-to-be-completed water reservoir as the "Williams Reservoir." The members of Lima City Council unanimously approved a resolution this past Monday effecting that name. It is a resolution that I signed with much enthusiasm!

Three links will provide you with some historical insight into the life and times of Furl P. Williams:

The first couple are the Lima News stories reporting on Council's action:
http://www.limaohio.com/news/name-55879-reservoir-williams.html

http://epaper.limaohio.com/OLIVE/ODE/LIMANEWS/LandingPage/LandingPage.aspx?href=TE1BLzIwMTAvMTAvMjY.&pageno=MQ..&entity=QXIwMDEwNA..&view=ZW50aXR5

The second is a set of remarks delivered at the Council meeting by Bluffton University's Professor of History Perry Bush, who has been researching and writing about Lima and Allen County's social and economic history.
http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/local/Perry%20Bush%20remarks.pdf

As we approach the November election, it is good to be reminded that our community has benefitted from the courage, integrity and actions of men and women who provided public leadership during previous difficult times!

High Speed Rail: The Lima region will benefit from a fully built high speed passenger rail system
For years, the City of Lima has worked consistently and vigorously to support the planning and now the construction of a high speed passenger rail service in the Midwest and in the nation. We shall continue to do so, because it will benefit both freight and passenger rail interests. Economic development will be stimulated with this investment, and jobs will result. There are several items I would like to share in this regard:

First, until very recently, high speed passenger rail was supported in Ohio on a BI-PARTISAN basis. As recently as 2006, the Ohio Senate voted UNANIMOUSLY with all 33 of Ohio's Senators voting in support of obtaining federal funding for the construction of the Ohio Hub system, beginning with the 3-C corridor, from Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati. This link documents the resolution that was adopted: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/res.cfm?ID=126_SCR_30

Second, the November 2 election will have a bearing on where Ohio goes with respect to high speed passenger rail. A summary provided by All Aboard Ohio provides pertinent information for your consideration.
http://freepdfhosting.com/bd2d18def6.pdf

Third, while we certainly live in Lima, Ohio, USA, it is vitally important that we understand that we live in global world with stakeholders that are making decisions for long term competitive advantage, not just short term political reasons. In this regard, I found of interest the following article at Yahoo's AP link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101026/ap_on_bi_ge/as_china_engineering_marvels_2

As I said, the City of Lima remains a vigorous advocate for the full implementation of the Ohio Hub plan and the Midwest Regional High Speed Passenger Rail system. Please join in active support of these investments for our region, state and community!

Economic Development: A Public & Private Responsibility
For the past two decades, Lima and Allen County have benefitted from a public and private sector commitment to economic development. The private sector funding has been derived from local business and industry contributions raised by the Visionaries, a non-profit organization.

You can access the Visionaries 2010 annual report at http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/local/Binder1.pdf

It features timely information concerning Lima and Allen County's new brand: REAL AMERICAN STRENGTH.

A picture is worth a thousand words: University Boulevard's new sidewalks
One important infrastructure project completed this summer was the re-build of University Boulevard, with new sidewalks and with traffic calming improvements. Reports from West Middle School indicate that students are readily using the sidewalks.

But we think a picture is a very effective way to also tell this story.

Take care, everyone.

Dave Berger

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

October 3, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-10-03T13:18:00.015-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

The recent cooling weather is a welcome change, as we enter what is my favorite season: Sweater Weather! Hope you are enjoying it too.

Our Community--the Fall, 2010 Edition
As customary, this quarter's edition of Our Community is jammed pack with great information about people and events that make a difference and add spice and energy to our life here in Lima. I hope you enjoy it, and that you will share it with others.

Use this link to access the entire publication: http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/ourcomm1010.pdf

JRS Site. What is the JRS Site?
We often speak in abbreviations in order to shorten things up. And that sometimes gets in the way of accurately communicating with others. "JRS" stands for Job Ready Site. It refers to a economic development project that the City has been engaged in for several years on S. Main Street.

Below you'll see an aerial photograph of the neighborhood that has been our focus. It combined several residential blocks with the old parking lot from the Lima Locomotive Works.

Our vision for the site is captured in the rendering below which illustrates the opportunities for Research and Development (R&D) lab facilities that we are working to develop in conjunction with partners that include Global Energy, American Trim, Ohio Northern University and American Electric Power.

For the past year we have been demolishing the structures on the site, removing undergound pipes and foundations, reconfiguring the topography and now constructing fencing and lighting. New sidewalks and street surface on S. Main are yet to be constructed this fall.

The photos below give you a sense of the new R&D-related manufacturing site that we are creating.

JRS Site: Interior

JRS Site: Main Street looking North along the fence line

JRS Site: Fencing around Century Link switching station

Hope you'll take the time to drive by to see the transformation that is underway!

We are not going to hide these lights under a bushel basket!
The City of Lima has been pursuing energy savings by installing new LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting for several years now.

During 2007 & 2008, we replaced over 2700 incandescent light bulbs in traffic signals at 106 intersections. The resulting energy savings was more than $62,000 per year.

Now, we are replacing street lighting, 1200 cobra-headed lamps and 400 decorative lamps. These replacements will result in nearly a 70% energy savings, with total economic savings of roughly $75,000 per year!

You can check out several test locations where we have installed these new lamps at the map linked below:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=118135980284348919514.000490ce27f5990cea596&z=15

These locations include the following:
• Garfield Avenue, from Elm Street to State Street
• Kibby Street, between S. Elizabeth Street and S. West Street
• In front of the Lima Chamber of Commerce on S. Main Street
• At the northeast corner of North Street and Jackson Street, adjacent to the Lima Senior High School Campus

Enjoy Downtown Lima's Lantern Tours for a spooky good time!

Visit www.limalanterntour.com for more information!

Take Care.

Dave Berger

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

September 6, 2010 Update

2010-09-06T18:52:00.009-04:00

Ladies and Gents:

With some cooperation from Mother Nature, we had a terrific Labor Day parade this morning. I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend with family and friends.

Water, Water Everywhere & Lots of It to Drink (With apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

As you are no doubt aware, throughout this year we have been actively engaged in constructing another large up-ground reservoir (5.1 billion gallons) to the west of our existing Bresler Reservoir (4.9 billion gallons). The dry weather throughout the summer has allowed rapid progress. The aerial photo below shows the position of the new reservoir in relation to Bresler. Bresler, by the way, is roughly 1 mile square, while the new reservoir is T-shaped, with wetland preserves established in the cut-outs.

You can access additional photos at the following: http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/mayor/photos.asp.

A watery comparison of Lima and Ancient Rome

So how would Lima's water system stack up against that of the city of ancient Rome?

When I have a chance, particularly with groups of students or engineers, I enjoy challenging them with the following comparison: The metropolitan area of Lima served by our water system is roughly 10 square miles and has a population of 83,000 persons, while the city of Rome at the time of the Colosseum's construction in 80 A.D. was about 4 square miles (12 miles in circumference) with a population of 1 million. Lima's average daily consumption of water for our residential, commercial and industrial customers is roughly 20-25 million gallons per day. Lima has the Ottawa River coursing through its center with an average daily flow of 30 million gallons per day, accounting for both high storm levels and low dry weather periods, while Rome had the Tiber River, which extended for nearly 250 miles through the Italian peninsula.

With that information, can you estimate what the average daily consumption of water was by the city of ancient Rome?

Keep in mind that they did not have a refinery, which is our largest water customer.

Ancient Rome's average daily consumption of water was 350 million gallons! Their system brought water to the city from Apennine mountains via the Tiber and 11 aqueducts, and that water was used in nearly 900 public and private baths, 1400 fountains, and many other public facilities. In addition, all that water was in a constant flushing system and was taken away via massive underground sewers. Obviously the Romans possessed incredible civil engineering talents!

Just so you know, over the years that I have issued this challenge, none of the engineers nor the students to whom I have posed the question of comparing Lima to ancient Rome has ever come close to the correct answer! How close did you come?

A Unique Fisherman at Bresler Reservoir

In the wetlands that the city has preserved next to the new reservoir, it appears that we have a nest for bald eagles! In the pictures below you'll see the unique fishing habits of a juvenile bald eagle successfully getting his lunch.

Eagle Photo here and at the above link are compliments of Russell Reynolds.

Another wonderful visit by our Sister City delegation from Harima-cho

Once again, we have been privileged to host a large delegation from our Sister City in Harima-cho, Japan. 10 days ago, 15 students and 12 adults traveled to Lima and stayed with many local families in home-stays. Much thanks is deserved by Mary Buckley, the officers and members of the Lima Sister City Association, and the host families for all the preparatory work and the time spent so generously shepherding our guests around NW Ohio. Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Among the delegation was the superintendent of Harima-cho schools, who is seen below presenting me with a bamboo carving which literally translates as "One time, one meeting." Its more loose translation is "You may only have this one chance to meet. Enjoy this meeting and enjoy the life that you are allowed to have."

This carving now adorns the entrance to the Lima Municipal Center. Stop in an see it sometime, along with all of our collection of Japanese gifts from Harima-cho.

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

August 11, 2010 Update

2010-08-11T22:18:00.005-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!
The hot and humid August weather has been generous with sunshine and with rain in and around Lima and Allen County. I hope that you are yet enjoying great summer time activities with family and friends as a result.

Toast to the City & the 2010 Square Fair
Speaking of terrific summer time activities, the 2010 Square Fair has come and gone and was once again an energetic celebration of music and arts, bringing thousands of people into Town Square for 4 nights and 3 days of entertainments.

A round of applause and thanks is due to Diane Peterson and her dedicated team of hundreds of volunteers for all their work in planning and creating a wonderful event. In addition, much thanks to all the sponsors and donors who underwrote this year's performances, special events and midnight fireworks!

I had the opportunity to lift a glass and recite the Toast to the City at the festival's kick-off event. Because a number of people remarked positively about the Toast, I want to share it with you here. Please know that it is a text composed by Lima News reporter and columnist, Bart Mills. I have relied on him for a number of years for compositions for this event, and appreciate his flair with the written word.

I think you will too. And as you read it, lift a glass of wine in salute to our community!

The 2010 Toast
By Bart “the Bard” Mills

To a city and people both smiled on by fate
May our pains make us stronger
And may our strengths make us great

To our parents and others who came on before
Who paved from a swamp this great place we adore
Then brought the world oil, locomotives and tanks
Neon and engines, restaurants and banks

To the soldiers who fight in wars far from here
May they know we continue to hold them all dear
May God guard their actions wherever they roam
And see them returned to the safety of home

To our children who venture too far away
And to those, best of all, who would venture to stay
May we leave them a city of which to be proud
May their happiness flourish and their riches abound
May their leaders be wise, may their troubles be few
And more than all else, may their motives be true

And until such a time, as we toil for today
May the Lord bless our efforts and keep trouble at bay
May he smile on this city, this county, this state
And most of all, on you people, who help make them great.

To Lima, to Allen County, to Ohio and to the USA and to all who love her here and away

Annual Report from the Lima Police Department
Just off the presses is the 2009 Annual Report from the Lima Police Department. Not only is it full of important information about the current LPD organization and its activities throughout the last calendar year, it also has a very visually engaging format and a great deal of historical data and analysis. You can access an electronic version at: http://www.limapolice.com/2009rpt.pdf

What is a Shoofly?
For train buffs and railroaders, the term "shoofly" is familiar jargon. For the rest of us, it leaves us scratching our heads when we first hear it.

Below is picture focused on the base that has been laid for the Vine Street underpass (grade separation) shoofly. The photo helps suggest the meaning of the term.

A shoofly is a temporary railroad track that is laid around an obstacle.

In this instance the obstacle is the deep cut being made at the Vine Street intersection with the CSX and NS railroads. Because there are 35 trains per day that must continue operating along these lines, a temporary and parallel track must be put in place to allow those trains to move north and south while the rest of the construction for the underpass continues for the next 18 months.

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

July 11, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-07-11T11:16:00.004-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

A Grocery Store conversation: High speed passenger rail remains in our future!
Earlier this past week, I was shopping for groceries and was stopped in the aisle by an acquaintance that I had not seen for a while. This person expressed regret that Lima's opportunity for re-establishing passenger rail service had expired, and then was surprised when I responded that no such thing had occurred.

The rail announcements made 6 or 8 months ago pertained only to the first federal commitments to funding high speed passenger rail, and Ohio is moving ahead with the initial leg of its Ohio Hub Plan, which will link Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. Lima remains a part of the Ohio Hub Plan's later phases, and the City of Lima remains actively involved in supporting its full development statewide, including helping to lead the 4th Congressional District Rail Task Force.

For some additional background on the long term importance of high speed rail, I am providing links to a couple of resources below:

• Duke University just published a study concerning the nation's existing rail manufacturing capacity, entitled U.S. Manufacture of Rail Vehicles for Intercity Passenger Rail and Urban Transit: A Value Chain Analysis. We should not underestimate the permanent job creation opportunities connected with a revitalization of passenger rail and the establishment of high speed service. http://apolloalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/cggcrailvaluechain.pdf
• The US Conference of Mayor's recently conducted a study with Siemens on the impact of high speed passenger rail on cities. Please visit the following, include an exciting video link: http://usmayors.org/highspeedrail/
• Finally, in the debates that will continue around transportation policy, it is important to access accurate information. For example, it is sometimes asserted that high speed passenger rail will not pay for itself in the U.S., but the fact is that the Acela high speed line which functions between Boston, N.Y., and Washington, D.C., pays for its operating costs NOW. More fact-vs.-fiction relating to high speed rail can be found at http://www.midwesthsr.org/fact-vs-fiction

I am committed to working long term to bring all of the Ohio Hub Plan to completion, including high speed passenger rail for Lima! I hope that you will continue to work with us as well.

Newest Issue of Our Community, Lima's e-newsletter
Once each quarter, the City of Lima publishes its quarterly newsletter, Our Community. Below you will find the front page and a link to access the entire document from the city's website.

http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/ourcomm1007.pdf

Because we no longer print a hard copy, we rely on folks to access the electronic version and to share it with family and friends. I hope you will forward to someone in your circle of associates. Thank you.

Progress on the New Reservoir: You can see via your computer screen!
The rain that fell in the late spring and early summer slowed construction on the new reservoir, though we were generally appreciative of the precipitation to finally fill the city's other reservoirs!

Now that the rain has halted the crews engaged in constructing the reservoir are hard at it.

And you can view the activity and progress by going to the following website: http://www.earthcam.net/users2/login1.php?

You will need to input the a username and password, which are "Lima" and "password". Once you do, just click on the photo of the Lima reservoir and it will take you directly to the camera controls.

The webcam can be manipulated for zooming and panning. It's a lot of fun!

A couple of video follow-ups
In my prior two June Updates, I highlighted the Children's Fountain in Faurot Park and a recent visit to a newly established food manufacturer, Kettle Creations. Two friends recently shared a couple of video clips that wonderfully illustrate both of these locations. Enjoy!

• Faurot Park's Children's Fountain on a recent sunny afternoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgcuRU_QW0U Thanks, Rob, for sharing your video with us!
• Kettle Creations during a tour by the Allen Lima Leadership class: http://www.youtube.com/alleadershiptv#p/u/1/VG86UkfP4V8 Matt, you look great in the hair net! Thanks much for the video tour of a terrific new family-owned business in Lima and Allen County.

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

June 20, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-06-20T16:28:00.008-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads!
Today is, of course, a moment to reflect on the importance of our fathers and the role of being a parent.

My dad, Joe, was born in N. Dakota on a farm and was one of 13 children! (Mom too was from a large N. Dakota family, with 10 siblings.) Dad grew up with confidence born of hard work and with principles and values that German pioneering and immigrant families shared. He served in the U.S. Army, later trained as an electrician, and moved with my mother to Mansfield, Ohio to pursue work and raise a family.

Dad had an ornery sense of humor. As a person of slight stature, he would sometimes meekly tell new acquaintances that my mother was a 300 lb. professional wrestler and he had to behave himself or she would hurt him! Mom, of course, was not much bigger than Dad.

Dad loved to sing and spent many decades as a member of the parish choir. He volunteered endless hours working at the parish and often had my brother, sisters and me in tow to help.

Dad died 11 years ago after a long battle with heart disease and alzheimers, both likely brought on by an unyielding addiction to smoking.

Dad and, love of his life, Mom, were married for nearly 48 years.

Smokey and I took a walk in Faurot Park today to visit a pine tree that we had planted a decade ago in Dad’s honor. Bright sunshine, children at play, and good memories of family.

In my June 2 Update, I missed a Veteran in the ranks of the City’s employees…
My last Update highlighted the U.S. military service Veterans that are employed with the City of Lima. Thanks to a careful reader of the Update, I was notified that I had failed to list John Beebe, a decorated Viet Nam Veteran, who works diligently in the Street Department. If you are not aware from the news a couple of months ago, John was responsible for pulling an elderly man out of a burning building. A Lima News article from 12/22/2009 about John’s actions can be found at http://www.limaohio.com/articles/resident-44869-department-fire.html?cb=1277061447

John, thank you for your service to our nation and to our community!

Kettle Creations
Late last year, the Klausing family re-established their business in food manufacturing in new digs out at the Gateway Commerce Park. A winter storm interfered with an open house that they had scheduled, but last week I had an opportunity to be given a personal tour of the now finished new enterprise, located near the intersection of I-75 & S.R. 65.

Don Klausing here is explaining the production process for their mashed potato, sweet potato and macaroni and cheese lines, where they are currently making 120 boxed servings per minute

Kettle Creations began in the fall of 2009 with 35 employees, has grown to 47 full time positions and anticipates more growth in coming months.

Congratulations to the Klausings and all their associates!

Harima cho, Japan and Lima, Ohio, Sister Cities for more than a Decade
A delegation of Lima students just returned from spending a week in our Sister City in Harima cho, Japan. From the Lima News account (http://www.limaohio.com/news/return-51509-allen-trip.html) you can get a palpable sense of the excitement that the students feel.

Also, the following link will take you to the Lima Sister Cities Association newsletter, http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/local/sistercity/Newsletter1006.pdf

Please note that we will be receiving a large delegation of adults and students from Harima cho in the latter half of August. If you would like to become involved, perhaps host a Harima cho guest in your home, please contact Mary Buckley, the President of LSCA @ mbuckley2@woh.rr.com, or Ardeth Sunderland @ abs2020@wcoil.com. Your hospitality will be greatly treasured by our guests. Thanks for your consideration.

Vine Street underpass progress
As you may know for the June 2 Update, we broke ground on the Vine Street underpass just a couple of weeks ago. The picture below gives you a sense of how deep we are going!

Take care.

Dave Berger

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

June 2, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-06-02T16:11:00.012-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

Memorial Day festivities!
I hope that you and your families enjoyed the Memorial Holiday weekend, and that this included some overt and appreciative acknowledgment of our nation’s veterans and their families, in particular those who have died or been injured in military service. As usual, our community turned out in large numbers for the parade down Main Street, which this year was punctuated by a fly-over by two fighter jets! Pretty spectacular, when combined with the rolling might of the Lima-built Abrams battle tank that accompanied the marching parade units.

In addition to the events that took place on Memorial Day itself, a couple of local events were appropriate lead-ins for the nation’s holiday:

On Saturday, May 22, the Freedom Flag Monument was dedicated at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center.

You can check out its unique and inspiring design at www.uawfreedomflag.com, where this photo and lots of others are catalogued. You can also fill out a form to sponsor a brick in the name of a veteran that you wish to honor. A great way to say “thank you” to a family member or friend who served.

Congratulations to UAW Local 2075 which represents workers at General Dynamics’ operations at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center. Their many years of team work and creative efforts stimulated generous donations from individuals and organizations in order to create this wonderful reminder of the men and women who make up our nation’s military organizations, the sacrifices they have made, and the freedom which we enjoy as a consequence.

Also, on Wednesday, May 26, the City of Lima opened up the Faurot Park Children’s Fountain for the summer season by spotlighting the Veterans who work in the employ of the City.

Peter White and Amy Harpster were on hand to flip the switch to turn on the Children’s Fountain and to start the summer season.

In addition to Peter and Amy, the City gratefully acknowledges the other military veterans that work in all municipal departments: Allan Eversole, Andrew Groman, Andy Green, Damon Engleman, Gilbert Frew, Greg Adkins, Greg Zickafoose, Harold Camper, Jason Warren, Jim Watson, Joe Clay, Kevin Martin, Lewis Shepherd, Mark Factor, Michael Ovelgonne, Mike Caprella, Nathan Garlock, Randy Tigner, Richard Shade, Shelly Scarberry, Steve Cleaves, and Vince Ozier.

Our thanks to all who have served in the US. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard!

Ground Breaking for the Vine Street Grade Separation (aka Underpass)
Tuesday, May 25, brought the Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, Jolene Molitoris, to Lima to assist in the ground breaking ceremony for the much anticipated Grade Separation project on Vine Street. This project is the largest federal stimulus project in the 8 county region, involving two mainline railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern. The project will cost approximately $15 million and provide relief each day for 17,000 vehicles which routinely are in conflict with the 40 passing trains.

The graphic illustrates the finished look for the Vine Street project. Two local contractors, R.D. Jones and Tuttle Construction, are the primary contractors on the project.

Team work involving ODOT District and Central offices, architects and engineers from the Bassett Company, Kohli & Kaliher, and the Poggemeyer Design Group, the CSX and NS railroads, and the City of Lima not only accomplished the groundbreaking, but also pushed the project across the finish line in order to secure the federal stimulus funding.

The Lima News article at http://www.limaohio.com/articles/breaks-50597-city-ground.html discusses the project and its safety, job creation and economic development implications.

A Personal Invitation from Unity Elementary’s 2nd Grade Class
One day recently I was doing chores at home when the door bell rang. There was a young boy and his mother. He said that his name was Xylon, that he was a student at Unity Elementary school, that he had told his teacher he lived in my neighborhood, and that he would be willing to invite me to visit their classroom.

Would I come?

Well, sure I would.

On May 20, I had the opportunity to visit the 2nd grade classrooms of Unity Elementary teachers Julie Rummel and Kimberly Schmenk, where the students have been learning about Lima. They have a special motivation for their studies because they are engaged in a distance learning project with a classroom in Huntington, West Virginia. Just as the Unity students were preparing reports about Lima, the Huntington students were researching their community. Soon they will be sharing their reports with one another via a video hook up between their classrooms. I was invited to hear their presentation and help answer their questions.

As you can see, we had fun and learned a lot too!

Take care, everyone!

Dave

David and Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

May 16, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-05-16T11:57:00.016-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

In Memoriam
This past week witnessed the annual Police Parade and Memorial Service, conducted in tribute for the seven Lima and Allen County officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Please take a moment to remember them and their families for the sacrifices that they made on behalf of our community. (You can access biographical information about these officers at the following: http://www.odmp.org/agency/76-allen-county-sheriffs-department-ohio & http://www.odmp.org/agency/2155-lima-police-department-ohio)

Lima Police Department Chief Greg Garlock, Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish, and Ohio State Highway Patrol representative place their wreath during the Memorial Service.

Allen County Commissioner Sam Bassitt and I presented proclamations, while Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray reminded us of the 125 officers killed in the United States this past year in the line of duty.

In addition to this annual event organized by the Fraternal Order of Police, a service is held each year at the Lima Firefighters Museum in Lincoln Park (http://www.limafiremuseum.org) honoring the Lima firefighters who have died while serving our community. This is held on Memorial Day in the early afternoon. The public is encouraged to attend. Please watch for media announcements in coming days.

Your attendance is a significant way of showing appreciation for the sacrifices of these public servants and their families.

Thank you for supporting Ohio’s Third Frontier Program
Voters in Lima and Allen County, along with the majority of voters across the state of Ohio, approved the renewal of the Third Frontier Program at the May 4 primary election. This approval assures that investments in cutting edge technology and job creation will continue in Ohio and in our community. THANK YOU.

Excerpts from the Ohio Business Development Coalition website:

FEATURED STORY:
Ohio Voters Overwhelmingly Approved Renewal of the Ohio Third Frontier Program Through 2016
On May 4, 2010, Ohio voters approved a $700 million renewal of Ohio Third Frontier , extending the program through 2016.
Established in 2002, the 10-year, $1.6 billion initiative fosters the creation of high-paying jobs through innovation, research and development and the commercialization of next-generation products designed to improve the lives of Ohioans and people around the world. Since its inception, Ohio Third Frontier has:
• Created 48,000 Ohio jobs
• Created, attracted or capitalized 571 start-up companies
• Produced more than $6.6 billion in total economic impact
• Attracted $3.2 billion in additional investments from other public and private sources
The Ohio Third Frontier Annual Report details the successes of the program and opportunities for growth in the coming six years.

FEATURED TOPIC:
Ohio Fares Well in Tech-Job Rankings
The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that Ohio’s high-tech industry was in the top 10 among all states in gaining jobs for the fourth year in a row, according to a recently released study by the TechAmerica Foundation.
Cyberstates 2010: The Definitive State-by-State Analysis of the High-Technology Industry comprises data from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, for the year 2008. The report details national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors.
Ohio was ranked eighth nationally in adding high-tech jobs between 2007 and 2008, and 14th in the total number of high-tech workers.

You too can stay well informed by signing up for hiVelocity!
Subscribe to hiVelocity
Ohio is at the forefront of a new economy, creating new ideas, innovative businesses and new jobs needed for the 21st century. It's an important story. And hiVelocity, a new online magazine, is here to tell it.

The 2010 Mayor’s Golf Outing: Thursday, May 27
Spring time brings with it intensive planning for the Mayor’s Annual Golf Outing. This year’s event will take place at Hawthorne Hills Country Club (http://www.hawthornegolf.com/) and as always promises to be a terrifically fun event. The format is a scramble with 2 shot-gun starts, at 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a hot lunch at 12:30 p.m. for all participants. Lots of door prizes, food and drink!

I hope you will consider joining us.

For tickets, please contact one of the following persons:

 Carol Buettner, Chairperson, 419-879-4843, cbuettner@superiorfcu.com
 Mike Caprella, 419-236-1074, mike.caprella@cityhall.lima.oh.us

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

May 3, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-05-03T16:04:00.006-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

Tomorrow is Election Day
Though there has not been a deluge of advertising and the event may seem low key, tomorrow’s election is an important opportunity to decide on local issues and candidates, as well as several statewide elections. So I hope that you will take the time to vote.

I would like to call your attention to several issues, and I ask for your support for each of them.

First, the city of Lima will have a second set of changes to the city’s charter on the ballot. (The first set was adopted by voter approval in November, 2009.) This set is the result of study and recommendation by the Charter Review Commission and unanimous approval by Lima City Council. For a full explanation of these changes, please visit the Lima News website for a column by Dr. Zach Broshes, the Chairman of the Charter Review Commission. The link to Dr. Broshes’ column is as follows: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/charter-49705-city-council.html.

My continuing thanks to the members of the Charter Review Commission for their diligence and hard work for nearly 2 years. The Commission includes Nancy Berney (1st Ward), Dr. Zach Broshes (2nd Ward), Deb Tallman (3rd Ward), Ben Rose (4th Ward), John Doxie (5th Ward), John Leahy, Jr. (7th Ward), and Dick Meredith (8th Ward).

Second, voters throughout Allen County will have the opportunity to support the important work of the Children’s Services Board with the replacement levy that will appear on the ballot. We have witnessed some terrible situations for children in our region. It is important that we continue to provide the services necessary to protect and help children all over the county. Following are links to both a column by the Children’s Services director, Scott Ferris, and an editorial by the Lima News in support of voter approval: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/theologian-49496-dietrich-allen.html & http://www.limaohio.com/articles/children-49655-services-important.html

Third, Ohio’s Third Frontier Program is up for voter renewal in tomorrow’s election as Issue 1. Lima and the region have successfully competed for these significant economic development resources and they remain critical to creating jobs and growing the overall prosperity of our region and state for the long term. This is a program that was launched by Governor Bob Taft (R) and continued by Governor Ted Strickland (D). It had at the outset and continues today to have bi-partisan support. Through its several programs more than 500 new companies have been started and nearly 48,000 jobs created. Detailed information on the 3rd Frontier is available at www.unitedforjobsohio.com. Also, following are links to a column by JoAnn Davidson, co-chair of the statewide renewal campaign, and an editorial by the Lima News in support of the renewal: http://www.limaohio.com/articles/ohio-49250-spots-investment.html & http://www.limaohio.com/articles/program-49757-jobs-state.html

So, please take the time tomorrow to participate in our local and state elections. Important issues and the future of our community and state are in your hands. Thanks for your consideration.

Meet our 4 New Officers @ LPD
With the help of a substantial federal grant, the City of Lima has been able to hire 4 new police officers. They were introduced by Chief Greg Garlock at my recent weekly press conference.

Pictured from left to right are: Shane Huber, Nathaniel Garlock, Matthew Woodworth, and Aaron Rode. Welcome, Gentlemen!

During these tough economic times, we are grateful for the resources to add these officers. We are yet hopeful that similar funding will be available for us to hire some firefighters too.

Take care.
Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

April 18 Update from Dave Berger

2010-04-18T13:31:00.016-04:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

The spring time weather has truly been delightful for the past couple of weeks. I hope you are enjoying it!

A Vision Of and For Our Downtown
(Photo below compliments of Jesse Sadiua)

While this aerial snapshot captures Town Square on a bright and sunny day, the work being undertaken by Downtown Lima, via the efforts of Jennifer Brogee, will help fashion a vision for its future.

Jennifer wears several hats. She is a co-owner of the Meeting Place on Market, an employee at HR Services, and a board member for Downtown Lima. In the latter capacity, she has undertaken to create a Marketing Plan for the downtown and wants feedback from you and others. The Lima News website is carrying Jennifer’s survey and it will run for the next 2 weeks.

Please take a minute to fill out the survey & forward this email to friends and associates.

Link: http://www.limaohio.com/sections/infocenter/downtownsurvey/

Also, Downtown Lima now has a Facebook fan page. If you're on Facebook, please become a fan. That way you will be notified as events take place in our central business district. Feel free to post events, information, memories of Downtown Lima to the fan page Wall.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Downtown-Lima-Ohio/112518775432855

Lima’s downtown continues to be a vigorous community center. You can add to its dynamism by partnering with us as we encourage ongoing positive change and development.

Now, tell me, how are you going to fill it?
Last night, I attended the Hall of Fame dinner for Lima Central Catholic High School, as 4 terrific individuals—John Bishop, Tony Lester, Brett DeCurtins and Dick Ireland--were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. (The following link describes the inductees: http://epaper.limaohio.com/Olive/ODE/LimaNews/Default.aspx?href=LMA%2F2010%2F04%2F17&pageno=9&view=document).

Following the dinner, a friend approached and began to comment in some amazement about Lima’s new 5.1 billion gallon reservoir under construction on the west side of town. As he concluded, he wondered aloud, “Now, tell me, how are you going to fill it? Are you just going to wait on the rain? Won’t that take a while?”

The answer is “No, rainfall by itself will not fill the new reservoir.”

Instead, we’ll help Mother Nature by pumping from the Auglaize River in order to fill the new containment, and it will take us most of a year in order to do that.

Below are several pictures of components for the new pump station just installed.

Photo 1: This is a surge tank, constructed in South Dakota and transported across 5 states at 35 mph. It regulates pumping pressures in 3 miles of pipeline connecting to the reservoir.

Photo 2: The surge tank being lifted into place next to the Auglaize River pump station.

Photo 3: The original pump station (in brick), the new pump station (under construction), and the surge tank placed on the east side.

Lima’s 3 east side reservoirs—Lost Creek, Metzger and Ferguson—are fed by the Ottawa River. The Bresler and new reservoirs on the west side are fed by the Auglaize River. These five up-ground containments will provide us with over 15 billion gallons of storage, yielding over 40 million gallon per day for residential, commercial and industrial uses. A terrific resource for long term economic development!

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

2010-04-03T11:00:00.008-04:00

April 3 Update from Dave Berger

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

Applause! Applause! For the LCC T-Birds
Last weekend’s OHSAA Division III State Championship victory by the Lima Central Catholic High School boys basketball team was a thrilling, heart-pounding experience! The team, the coaches, the school, all deserve our commendations and applause for a great season of disciplined, hard-driving team play.

You can check out some wonderful photos of the game, courtesy of the Lima News at http://varsity.limaohio.com/sections/slideshow/?pic=3&id=2628820

Lima City Council will be voting on a resolution of commendation for the team on Monday evening, 4/5. You can attend the meeting or tune in on GTV2 at 7:00 p.m.

Congratulations, Thunderbirds! You have made us proud!

Allen County, Ohio: 2 cities, 8 villages and 12 townships: What do we share?
Strength.

Real American Strength.

The kind of strength that just isn't about being powerful - it's about being steadfast and grounded.
It's about understanding who you are and where you've been.
And, perhaps, more importantly - where you're going.

We are more than a city, more than a county.

We are a place that's more than the simple sum of all its people and places.
Here, our strength comes from our Midwestern work ethic and values.
Our productivity, culture, and way of life are sacred gifts passed down to us from those who came before.

They're the kinds of things all Americans want - yet few actually possess.

When you have a moment, please visit www.realamericanstrength.com

Our Community: The Spring 2010 Edition

Here’s the link to the latest edition of Our Community: http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/ourcomm1004.pdf

ENJOY!

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
dberger@wcoil.com

March 17 Update from Dave Berger

2010-03-17T08:08:00.000-04:00

Greetings, Lads and Lassies!

I hope that this St. Patrick’s Day finds you and yours enjoying and sharing an Irish spirit of liveliness, generosity and hospitality!

Invitation to Google!
You may have heard a couple of weeks ago that Google announced it is looking for communities throughout the United States where it would consider investing in the development of high speed internet systems. Since then, the City of Lima has been working with a team to prepare our community’s response to Google’s RFP (Request for Proposals).

We have also prepared a website where you can join us in making our voice heard distinctly by the folks at Google. Please go to http://www.limafiber.com/ and click on the link where you can help nominate Lima for this investment by Google.

If you are a student, tell Google why you think that a high speed internet hook up would help your education.

If you are a business owner, explain to Google why your business needs higher transmission speeds to help you maintain or gain a competitive edge.

If you are a teacher, share with Google your perspective about the importance of a high speed information network for you and your students.

If you are a civic minded person, express to Google your hopes and dreams about how Lima will fit into the global marketplace via an ultra high speed hook up.

If you are a doctor or engineer, describe for Google the band width and speed that you need for your business activities or professional practice to succeed.

We need to show Google that there is broad support for this initiative in our community. Please take a few minute and help us do that in a very direct way by visiting the website and entering your thoughts and ideas. Please respond by March 26, when our proposal is due to Google.

Thank you very much for joining this team effort to Invite and Welcome Google to Lima, Ohio.

How big is 54”?
The City of Lima is currently building a $28 million above ground reservoir complex to the west of our existing Bresler Reservoir. We broke ground last September and have 3 major project components: a large pump station on the Auglaize River, situated adjacent to the present pumps; 3 miles of pipeline to connect the pumps to the new reservoir; and the 5.1 billion gallon reservoir itself. During the winter weather, grading for the reservoir had to stop due to freezing conditions. However, work on the pump station and the pipeline has proceeded largely unhindered by the weather conditions.

Below are several photos that attempt to capture the scale of this work.

So the answer to the question “How big is 54” inches?” is the Diameter of the Pipe being placed in the above photo!

Newsletters at the City’s Website
Without a doubt, VOLUNTEERS are energetically engaged in and on behalf of our community.

Visit the City of Lima’s website to connect with Lima Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership (LACNIP) @ http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/community/NeighNotes1003.pdf. Please plan to join LACNIP for its 4th Annual Cultural Appreciation Festival this Sunday at the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center!

Check out the list of 2010 Volunteer Opportunities @ http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/community/voluntopport2010.pdf. You, your family and friends can become involved in a wide array of activities that improve our community year round.
The Lima Sister Cities Association has a full agenda for this year too. We are sending students from Lima to our Sister City in Harima cho, Japan in June and we are welcoming a delegation of 28 from Harima cho here in August. Click on this link in order to learn more: http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/local/sistercity/Newsletter1003.pdf

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger
1211 Lakewood Avenue
Lima, Ohio 45805
419-228-7498
dberger@wcoil.com

February 28 Update from Dave Berger

2010-02-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

I don’t know about you, but the Chilean earthquake, the threat of Pacific-wide tsunamis, and the blizzard in the Northeast made the couple of inches of snow we experienced in the past day or two seem fairly insignificant. Without a doubt, we should all be thankful and generous as the requests for help in Haiti, Chile and elsewhere are made.

City Finance Director Testifies

This past week, Steve Cleaves, the Finance Director for the City of Lima, testified before the Ohio House of Representatives concerning proposed legislation that would eliminate Ohio’s income tax. Because of the profoundly disruptive impacts that would be felt locally and statewide from such legislation, Steve prepared and delivered comments that argued forcefully against such a step. By virtue of his 28 year career in the international oil business and his half dozen years of service with the City, Steve’s expertise is broadly acknowledged. But his testimony was not an expression of mere opinion. He relied upon a longstanding resource—KPMG’s Guide to International Business Locations—to validate the relatively low tax burden in Ohio and its cities.

This is a subject that deserves some study time.

Please read Steve’s 2-page testimony at http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/dept/local/SCleavesOhioTestimony02242010.pdf

Also, you can download KPMG’s report at http://www.competitivealternatives.com/

The bottom line: There is no free lunch. Quality of life in local communities and in our state requires public expenditures and private investments. We need to do our part as tax payers if we expect to have high quality public services that serve us well and create environments that will motivate investors to keep our economy vibrant in a global economic system.

May 2010 renewal ballot for Ohio’s Third Frontier Program

The Ohio legislature has approved the placement of a renewal for the Third Frontier Program on the May 4, 2010 ballot. The Third Frontier program—begun by Governor Bob Taft--invests in research, commercialization and entrepreneurship in technologies in high tech industry clusters. This past year, the Ohio Department of Development contracted with SRI to conduct an independent economic assessment of the first 7 years of the program’s efforts. SRI concluded that the Third Frontier program created $6.6 billion in economic impact and 41,300 jobs by making grants of $681 million to research, development and commercialization projects at academic, research and development institutions and companies, entrepreneur-development organizations and venture capital funds. An important conclusion of the business case study: the Third Frontier program is likely to pay for itself by 2014 with income and sales taxes generated by organizations receiving its grants.

You can access a copy of the 2009 Annual Report at the following: http://development.ohio.gov/ohiothirdfrontier/Documents/RecentPublications/Third_Frontier_Annual_Report2009.pdf

If you go to pp 14-15, you’ll be able to read about Lima’s American Trim and Rhodes State College teamwork under the Third Frontier Program.

As May approaches, I expect to be working to highlight the investments made in our NW Ohio region from the Third Frontier program. There’s lots to talk about.

Take care. And be well.

Dave

David & Linda Berger

1211 Lakewood Avenue

Lima, Ohio 45805

419-228-7498

dberger@wcoil.com

February 14 Update from Dave Berger

2010-02-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

I hope this Valentine’s Day finds you well and comfortably surviving the winter snows that have fallen in 49 out of the 50 states. We have had enough snow here in Lima that yesterday I had to rescue my buddy, Smokey, from a snow drift that he got himself stuck in!

Positive News: $1 million Energy Stimulus award to American Trim

This past week, the Director of the Ohio Department of Development, Lisa Patt McDaniel, was in Lima to announce that American Trim was one of 18 companies around the state that had been selected for a grant of nearly $1 million for construction of a new energy efficient manufacturing line. (cf. http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1510). American Trim will be spending $1.3 million of its own resources along with the grant for a state-of-the art coating line, which will save 95% of the energy used in prior technologies.

Steve Hatkevich, head of R&D, for American Trim, describes the new energy savings technology.

American Trim has been highly successful in rolling out new technologies from its laboratories and scaling them up for high-tech manufacturing. These efforts by American Trim are part of a

multi-year commitment by the Company to reinvent its manufacturing processes and pursue an agile manufacturing strategy with the express purpose of retaining jobs in Ohio and Lima in particular.

And this project illustrates the validity of that strategy: After several years in their labs, the company is now prepared to install a coating line that will apply a protective film to steel panels built for doors on appliances. This coating is cured in place using flashes of ultraviolet light, rather than the traditional heating and cooling processes. The energy savings are enormous, and the technology is entirely “green”, with no environmental emissions.

The announcement was made in the company’s Baxter Street facilities where millions of similar products were previously made using the old technology. These facilities are now vacant and unused, but the new energy efficient manufacturing line will create 40 new jobs and allow the company to once again compete globally.

Congratulations, American Trim!

Lima’s Sister City connection to the Winter Olympics (in Nagano, Japan, 1998)

With Friday’s opening of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Lima Sister City Association has launched a special fundraising effort, connected to the ’98 Winter Olympics held in Nagano, Japan.

Keiko Hahn, a co-chair of our Japan Committee, has a sister, a master quilter, who served as the Coordinator of the Olympic Quilt Exhibition in Nagano. As a part of this exhibition, quilts were created in the shape of kimono using antique kimono fabric by expert Nagano area Japanese quilters. These quilts were presented to each participating country in the spirit of international friendship. After the exhibit, two of these kimono quilts, one for the country of Yugoslavia (which no longer exists) and one for The Gambia, a small country in West Africa, were unclaimed. Keiko’s sister gave these quilts to Keiko and the Lima Sister City Association to be sold as fundraisers in the future.

These quilts were posted separately on e-Bay on February 7.

Bidders should know that 100% of the sale price will go to the LSCA Youth Fund, which provides opportunities for high school students to visit Lima's sister city, Harima-cho, Japan.

Below are links to the quilts' item description pages:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110491805576&ssPageNa

me=S

TRK:MESELX:IT#ht_1136wt_1167

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110491806821&ssPageNa

me=S

TRK:MESELX:IT#ht_994wt_1167

In the spirit of international friendship fostered by the Winter Olympics, I hope you’ll consider participating in this auction and supporting the efforts of Lima Sister City Association.

More Information concerning Ohio’s Passenger Rail Hub Plan

As you probably are aware, the City of Lima has been working for years to re-establish passenger rail service that once linked us to Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York. That opportunity is closer with the federal commitments that are now moving ahead for the funding of high speed passenger rail recently announced. Ohio’s first corridor to be built will be along the 3’C’s and with the announcement of $400 million being available to actually begin its development, lots of debate has begun. And as always, debate is good.

So to help foster the debate I am passing along a link to information being provided by the Ohio Passenger Rail Association.

http://members.cox.net/ohiohsr/3C%20mythbusters.pdf

Hope you’ll take a moment and check it out.

Thanks.

Take care. And be well.

Dave

David & Linda Berger

1211 Lakewood Avenue

Lima, Ohio 45805

419-228-7498

dberger@wcoil.com

January 31, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-01-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

Greetings, Ladies and Gents!

Today’s bright sunshine is terrific, despite the cold temperatures. I hope to find a little time for some exercise with Smokey in Faurot Park, and hope too that your Sunday is pleasant and enjoyable as we prepare for the coming week’s endeavors.

Lima’s Future with High Speed Rail

As you may be aware, this past Thursday, announcements were made around the country for the first federal commitments to building the initial sections of our nation’s high speed passenger rail systems. I and many others have been hoping that the planned route through Lima would be among those first commitments. I drove to Columbus and joined in the celebration at the Statehouse as Governor Strickland and others announced the commitment to the 3 C corridor (i.e., Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati).

For details, please click on the following link: http://209.51.133.155/cms/index.php/news_releases/more/ohio_rail_routes_win_600_million_in_federal_funds/

Though the route through Lima was not among those announced, several things should be kept in mind:

- This really was the FIRST set of commitments, which, of course, implies that there will be future ones as well. Lima is a part of the Ohio Hub Plan and there are 7 major corridors in that plan, and only 1 corridor is now funded. Our job is to continue to work vigorously to see that the entire Ohio Hub Plan is built.

- Thursday’s announcement included a commitment to the Chicago to Detroit route. This will include improvements through Porter, Indiana and as such will help to solve the N. Indiana bottleneck that does impact all routes to the east, including ours. So there is an indirect benefit for us in Lima and Ohio.

- Active support matters! As I joined in the celebration at the Statehouse it was clear that community and political support was essential to obtaining the federal commitment. We must continue to build active support from our 4^th Congressional District and the Ohio and Indiana communities along the proposed route. The build out of these high speed regional systems is a nationally competitive process, and those who compete well as a team with all of their community and leadership assets will be the winners!

There is an insightful article in Wired magazine illustrating these regional systems. Check it out by clicking on the following link: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/01/ff_fasttrack/

So, rather than being discouraged that we were not among the first, let’s remain energized and committed to assuring that Lima truly has a future with our nation’s high speed passenger rail system!

Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Forecast Breakfast remarks

Friday morning, bright and early, the Lima Chamber of Commerce held its annual Forecast Breakfast. I was invited to deliver a 3-4 minute prognostication, which is reprinted below. Feel free to share with others.

2010 will be very, very busy for the City of Lima. Years of planning and engineering are coming to a head on multiple projects.

Through the sustained efforts of the Community Development staff, the city was able to secure $1.7 million in Neighborhood Stabilization funds. Beginning last fall, we identified a list of approximately 250 dilapidated houses and are aggressively pursuing their demolition. Efforts in our first target area on S. Pine are well underway, and similar efforts will now spread to other areas in the city in 2010, all this work being done to clear pockets of blight for long-term redevelopment.

Our west side reservoir project–at $28 million, the single biggest capital expenditure in the history of the City–has made good progress and will continue to come up out of the ground this year. Work on the Auglaize river pump station and 3 miles of connecting pipeline is progressing. The excavation for the 5 billion gallon reservoir itself will begin anew once the spring thaw has taken place. This new water resource will make us drought-proof while providing opportunities for economic and industrial growth.

We also have $10 million in equipment upgrades underway at the wastewater treatment facility and are expecting to ramp up a new $12 million activated carbon filter project for drinking water treatment in coming weeks. This project is required under federal regulations to be on line in 2012, but we are hoping to take advantage of the current bidding environment by moving the project aggressively ahead for a ground breaking yet this summer. This filtering process will make our great Lima water even better.

We have finished the detailed design and engineering for the Vine Street underpass, and the project is heading for bidding in March. The project now totals more than $15 million and is funded largely through a combination of stimulus funding and the city’s gas tax and license tag fees. City staff, outside engineers and consultants have been burning the midnight oil in order to meet the deadlines for this project! This underpass has been designed to be aesthetically pleasing, and will not be just a concrete canyon..

Other stimulus projects involving two storm water projects on the west and north sides have been bid, as is a sewer lining project. These total $900,000 in stimulus funding.

As you may be aware, after nearly 3 years of collaboration with Downtown Lima and other stakeholders, the city has prepared specifications for the renewal of the downtown streetscape. Additionally, we succeeded in securing a grant of $1.2 million for funding 80% of the project. By putting together a package for matching funds, we are hoping to avoid assessments to the property owners and yet to be under construction in Lima’s downtown this summer.

Last fall, the bids came in too high for the JRS project on S. Main. We are now out to bid again, expecting that new bids will be more competitive. This project is expected to cost roughly $1.2 million. In all there are a dozen Public Works projects, including the rebuilding of University Boulevard, that will be underway this year at costs totalling $14 million.

In summary, the city of Lima has roughly $65 million in capital construction projects moving ahead in 2010. Truly, an unprecedented year that will create jobs and will make long term investments in our community’s infrastructure, improving our quality of life and increasing our economic development prospects.

The Automotive Communities Program of the Center for Automotive Research

For about 5 years now, I have chaired the Lima Automotive Task Force and we have been engaged in promoting the region’s automotive industrial base. As a part of these efforts, we are members of the Automotive Communities Program and information about Lima is currently highlighted at their website. Please visit by clicking on the following link: http://acp.cargroup.org/

Take care. And be well.

Dave

David & Linda Berger

1211 Lakewood Avenue

Lima, Ohio 45805

419-228-7498

dberger@wcoil.com

January 10, 2010 Update from Dave Berger

2010-01-10T12:21:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gents:

Hot Off the Presses!

The City of Lima’s latest quarterly newsletter, Our Community, is now available for you and for any with whom you would care to share it.

I hope you’ll take a moment and click on the link below to access the entire issue. Great information that you can use now and in the near future.

http://www.cityhall.lima.oh.us/ourcomm1001.pdf

By the way, to the 10th person who responds to this email and correctly identifies the man in the Tartan tie and Scottish kilt pictured in this issue, I will present a set of Kewpee Hamburger coupons.

USPS Needs to Get Some Mail from YOU and ME!

I hope that you have been following the proposal being advocated by the US Postal Service (USPS) for the closure of the mail processing center here in Lima. This past Wednesday the USPS held a public hearing at Lima Senior High School. The event was well attended with over 500 business leaders, representatives from surrounding communities, elected officials, and postal employees participating.

In summary, the information presented by the USPS was incomplete and the rationale for the proposed closure was ill conceived.

For information about the issue, please visit www.458postaltaskforce.com.

Once you have come up to speed on the issue, please write a letter to the persons listed below to express your support for keeping the Lima mail processing center open.

Ms. Chu Falling Star, District Manager

1591 Dalton Ave.

Cincinnati, Ohio 45234-9994

Ms. Megan J. Brennan, VP Operations

One Marquis Plaza

5315 Campbells Run

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15277-7010

Today’s Lima News provides a helpful perspective on this issue:

Lima News Editorial: Closure decision doesn't add up

Comments 1 | Recommend 2

Postal Service should prove its numbers before shutting Lima center

January 10, 2010 12:05 AM

The Lima News

Everyone can understand the U.S. Postal Service’s need to tighten its belt. It is losing billions a year. Something has to be done to stem the losses.

That something, however, shouldn’t be the random throwing of darts at a map. The something the Postal Service does should be on a national basis. The something should make sense, and it should be a savings that the Postal Service can prove will take place.

The possible closure of the Postal Service’s Lima distribution center doesn’t meet any of those criteria. Closing Lima, which serves 458 zip codes, appears to be what District Manager Chu Falling Star thought would be the easiest option.

Falling Star chose to study the Lima center for closure. It has been her call alone to this point. She says closing the Lima distribution center would save $1.4 million a year, but she has been unwilling — perhaps unable — to show how she arrives at that number. She calls it a conservative estimate, but Lima residents, postal officials and members of Congress apparently just have to take her word for it.

That’s not good enough. It wasn’t good enough for community leaders and postal union workers who turned out Wednesday to protest a possible closure. It shouldn’t be good enough for U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, and Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, whose districts could suffer service delays and even the loss of businesses if the Lima distribution center closes.

The Postal Service closing the Lima center would cost this community 87 jobs. Eventually, merging Lima’s work with that of the Toledo distribution center would eliminate more than 50 jobs in Falling Star’s Western Ohio district. It’s believable that those jobs — which the postal union says pay about $80,000 annually in salary and benefits — could save the Postal Service quite a bit.

But Falling Star should be able to put the numbers on paper. How do transportation costs factor in, for example? Would it make more sense to downsize Toledo or Dayton operations a bit, bringing more work to Lima?

Right now, Falling Star told The Lima News before Wednesday’s public hearing, her numbers are tentative. So, despite our having asked, the postal union having asked, Jordan’s office having asked and community leaders having asked, Falling Star isn’t showing anyone where she gets $1.4 million. We’re just supposed to believe it because she says so.

Eighty-two communities in 10 counties stand to lose, so Falling Star should be able to offer more than her word.

Postal officials — the final decision isn’t Falling Star’s — must be able to show these savings are real and this is the best way to realize them.

Even assuming they do, the Postal Service’s district-by-district approach to trying to save — district managers chose which of their centers to look at — is piecemeal. If Congress wouldn’t have bailed out the Postal Service on retiree health costs, it would have lost $7.8 billion last year. The Postal Service needs to do a comprehensive study of its national operations rather than relying on its district managers alone to try to come up with those savings.

Could Lima absorb work from Toledo? Lima is more efficient. Could Lima or Toledo absorb work from Columbus or Indiana — which are in different districts than what Falling Star oversees — or vice versa?

The digital age has taken a large part of the post office’s business. Nationwide, there has been a 9.2 percent drop in parcels mailed over the past two years, while Lima’s handling has dropped off 17.5 percent in that same time. No one would argue that. But while Falling Star can recite those numbers, she can’t say how much business has dropped for Toledo, Dayton or Cincinnati — suggesting Lima seemed like the least hassle to close.

That isn’t fair. More importantly, it suggests Falling Star could be ignoring better ways to save money.

Take care.

Dave

David & Linda Berger

12ll Lakewood Avenue

Lima, Ohio 45805

419-228-7498

dberger@wcoil.com