OSU, Columbus plan bitchin’ summer spot in Hilliard

By: BERNERD CORRAL

HILLIARD–Opponents of a boathouse on the Sciotto River are about to get a big slap in the face.

At the Nov. 17 meeting of Columbus City Council, OSU officials announced their intent to expand plans for a boathouse on the est bank of the Sciotto River in Hilliard.

“We’re going to add a beach house, or mansion, you might call it,” said George Sanderson, OSU development director.

The location, which is currently parkland behind the Society Terce subdivision, does not have what amounts to a beach, but OSU officials to plan to let that stop them.

“We’re going to truck in 100 tons of sand and make outselves a beach,” Sanderson said. ”Then we’re going to build ourselves a 2,000-square-foot pimp pad. We’re gonna get all the ladies.”

When Ohio State University and the City of Columbus proposed the installation of a boat house last spring Hilliard residents were far from happy. Columbus City Council is unsure how they’ll take this latest news.

“It’s pretty ballsy,” said Councilwoman Kathy Krumer. “But it’s OSU. We can’t, as a legislative body, stand up to OSU. They could destroy this city with the shake of a leg.”

Residents argue the boathouse would be better suited on the east bank, where other boathouses now reside.

OSU will use the $6 million, 40,000-square-foot site for the OSU women’s varsity rowing team and Greater Columbus Rowing Association, and says the west bank is preferred for it’s looks.

“It’s just prettier over there, all that parkland. It’s perfect for our big ass boathouse,” said OSU rowing team coach Sam Schnieder.

Schneider did not know what to think of the beach house.

“I’m just here for the rowing, man,” he said.

Opposition from both residents of Hilliard and the City of Hilliard has been ongoing for months, but the city’s hands are tied.

“We can’t really do anything about it,” said Hilliard Mayor Denny Wood. “The City of Columbus is all powerful. It doesn’t matter if it is our land, this is OSU, and we’re all OSU’s bitches.”

When asked about the opposition, witnessed through protests and the organization of several official groups, including the Anti-Rowing League, and the Women Against Land Use Coalition, or WALUS, Sanderson said he didn’t see how OSU could ever make them happy anyway. 

“We figured the residents are already pissed off. They can’t possibly get more teed-off.”

Columbus City Council approved OSU’s new plans unanimously at Monday’s meeting. OSU expects to start construction in the spring.

Woman Says Thing was Otter, not Groundhog

By: FERDINAND MONTGOMERY

WORTHINGTON – Debbie Marshall said she’d never seen anything like it.

Marshall, 84, said she has lived in Worthington her entire life. On Sunday, Nov. 16 Marshall said she saw something “long, sleek and black ” slip into the fish pond at Shadowy Gardens First Lutheran Elder Care Community where she makes her home.

“I have never, in my life, seen a thing that looked like that thing did,” said Marshall. “I didn’t even know we had otters in Ohio.”

Marshall said it took her a minute to realize what she was seeing.

“I’ve seen them before,” said Marshall. “I saw a special on them on WOSU once. That was an otter.”

Marshall said she was waiting for her ride to church when she saw the “otter” slip out from beyond the Shadowy Gardens sign on the side of the building. She said she then watched it as it made its way across the parking lot, the yard and into the fish pond where she then watched it swim around for ”a couple or three minutes” before it dove down and disappeared.

“I saw it,” said Marshall. ”It was an otter.”

Samuel Ridgeway, 67, drives a group from Shadowy Gardens to church every morning and was the first one on the scene after the sighting.

“I didn’t see it either,” said Ridgeway. “I saw once how those things will lay on their backs and use their front claws to eat a fish like a person would.”

The incident raised quite a commotion with the church group, said Harold Dormer, an employee at Shadowy Gardens.

“They were all out there at the pond looking into the water,” laughed Dormer. “I’ve never seen them late to church. Sunday, they might have been a little late.”

Not everyone in the church group was ready to take Marshall’s word for it.

Max Leeds, 81, is also a resident at Shadowy Gardens and he said he has never seen an otter in the area and that he doesn’t believe Marshall saw one either.

“(Marshall) wouldn’t know an otter if she found it sleeping on her t.v. tray,” said Leeds. “It was just some big groundhog or something.”

Ridgeway said the argument actually got pretty heated.

“(Marshall) wouldn’t even go eat with us,” said Ridgeway, adding that the group normally goes to Bill Knapps for lunch after church on Sundays. “She made us bring her back and she went to her room without even saying goodbye to anybody.”

“It was an otter,” said Marshall. “I saw it plain as day.”

Marshall said she plans to use the media center to print off pictures of an otter. She said she plans to distribute them through the building and intends to nominate the creature as the official Shadowy Gardens mascot.

“Groundhog,” said Marshall. “I seen a lot of ground hogs and that was an otter.”

Doctor to bring perfect skin to Violet Township

By: BERNERD CORRAL

CANAL WINCHESTER — Bad skin beware. A new medical facility is preparing to go to emergency lengths to fight acne.

With the October groundbreaking, the completion of the Fairfield Medical Center, Mount Carmel joint emergency center in Violet Township is still almost a year away, but a second occupant is set to join.

The medical campus, designed to be a stand-alone emergency room with separate office buildings, will welcome the emergency facility of Dr. Brutta Pelle: dermatologist.

“Skin conditions affect all of us,” the Italian-born doctor said. “We all have skin. We can all be plagued by its maladies.”

GeofferyHolmes, communications coordinator with Fairfield Medical Center, said Pelle’s practice was welcomed onto the emergency campus so the facility could offer a wider variety of emergency care.

“Dr. Pelle will offer immediate care to those suffering from any variety of skin conditions,” Holmes said.

Holmes emphasized, however, Pelle does not offer burn care.

“This is not to be confused with a burn ward. We have no intention of offering that,” Holmes said. “The nearest burn ward will still be in Columbus.”

But when one thinks of emergency care, dermatology is not necessarily the first line of medicine to come to mind.

“But skin care is essential!” Pelle said vehemently. “The appearance of ones skin, be it on the face or on the rear, affects our daily lives. It affects people’s perception of us. I bet when people talk to you, they stare at your cheek scar. Don’t you want them to look you in the eye?”

Pelle received her bachelors degree from Wright State University and went on to earn her doctorate from Miami University.

Pelle explained why she was drawn to dermatology.

“Good skin ran in my family,” Pelle said. “So imagine my surprise when on prom night an overbearing zit starts blooming on my forehead.”

Pelle went silent, caressing her forehead, as she recalled the trama.

“I didn’t have bangs to hide the thing, so what could I do? I skipped my only chance to dance with Marcus Baush because of a skin condition. I won’t let that happen to another girl,” she said.

The Fairfield Medical Center, Mount Carmel emergency facility is expected to be open by fall 2009.