2023 Year in Review: January through March
Summary compiled by Pat Langley and Samantha Enslen, based on original reporting from Nancy Bowman, Jim Dabbelt, and Cailey Petsch, and the 2023 Gazette staff
January
The Tipp City Library celebrated 100 continuous years of operation and kicked off a year-long series of events, reading challenges, and festivities.
The Tipp City Board of Education voted to retain Simon Patry as board president and elected Amber Drum as vice president. They also began discussing plans for replacing Tipp’s failing elementary and middle school buildings, in cooperation with engineer/architects Garmann-Miller of Minster.
Longtime Tippecanoe boys’ basketball coach and teacher Frank Goldsberry returned to the Red Devil bench as a volunteer assistant coach, following a college coaching career that finished up at Oakland University.
Tipp City’s Steve Huffman sworn into Ohio Senate
Tipp citizen Steve Huffman was sworn into the Ohio Senate after being re-elected in November 2022. Huffman represents Ohio’s 5th Senate District, which includes Miami and Preble Counties, plus portions of Darke and Montgomery Counties. He was first elected as a state representative in 2015.
Tipp City Police Officer Todd Daley filed a not guilty plea in Miami Courts after being charged with three misdemeanor charges of assault and one misdemeanor charge of sexual imposition. Daley was put on paid administrative leave from the police department in November 2022, after Police Chief Greg Adkins was notified of the allegations made against Daley.
Kim Bulgin resigned as executive director of the Downtown Tipp City Partnership. Bulgin held the role for three years before moving on to a sales role at LexisNexis.
The Tipp City Council voted to re-up Swim-Safe Pool Management’s contract for operation and management of the Tippecanoe Family Aquatic Center. The contract allocated $307,750 for the 2023 season.
The City of Tipp City was awarded a $5,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Urban Canopy Restoration Grant. The grant helped to replace 25 ash trees in Tipp’s Westedge subdivision that had been killed by the emerald ash borer.
Monroe Twp trustee Martin English resigns
Longtime Monroe Township Trustee Martin English resigned his position after 19 years of service. His role was filled by Michael S. Flora, a partner in OGW Energy Resources of Tipp City.
The American Civil Liberties Union hopped into a debate in the Bethel Local Schools over its handling of restroom accommodations for transgender students. In January 2022, the Bethel Board of Education had changed its rules from providing restrooms shared only by persons of the same biological sex to allowing students to use the facilities of their preferred gender identity. In November 2022, Bethel parents and the America First Legal Organization filed a lawsuit seeking to negate this policy. The ACLU’s motion countered this lawsuit, arguing that the district’s new accommodations were appropriate and should not be disturbed by the court.
February
Aldi, the family-owned discount supermarket chain, announced plans to open a location in Troy. The store, located near the intersection of State Route 41 and I-75, opened on November 2.
Tipp City Council had a busy month.
• They joined other communities in the Dayton region in installing Flock Safety license plate cameras. The automated license plate readers provide a still image of a vehicle’s license plate number and send real-time alerts if the plate number belongs to a stolen vehicle or a vehicle being sought by law enforcement.
• Council also voted to approve a contract with American Municipal Power for an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project. AMIs provide the digital infrastructure needed for municipalities to become “smart cities.”
• Council voted to move forward with implementing a full-time Emergency Services Department for fire and emergency medical services.
• Finally, they voted to specifically prohibit off-street, overnight parking of semi-trucks or tractor-trailers at all service stations, parts sales stores, and automotive dual sales use properties.
The Tipp City Board of Education heard positive feedback from staff on the first months of the “one-hour early release on Wednesdays” for middle school and high school students. The early release allows more time for teacher collaboration.
With safety at the forefront of many school discussions throughout the state, the Tipp City schools were granted $550,000 from State K-12 School Safety Grant Program funds. The funds are intended to help schools with physical security expenses, such as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems, and exterior lighting.
The Tipp girls 200 Free relay team brought home the gold
The Tipp girls swim team won their 6th straight Miami Valley League title in an easy win at Trotwood Madison. Several swimmers advanced to the district meet and then qualified for the state swim meet. The boys swim team finished second in the league, falling short to defending champions Butler.
Tipp’s boys’ wrestling team placed second in the Miami Valley League wrestling championships, scoring 150 points against Butler’s winning 244 points.
The Tipp boys’ basketball team came in second place in the Miami Valley League, falling short of the title in a 51-50 overtime loss against Butler. The same night the Red Devils lost out to the Aviators, Troy defeated Piqua and secured the MVL title.
The Tipp girls’ basketball team advanced to the district finals after wins over Northridge and Oakwood. And the Bethel girls’ basketball team won their second straight Three Rivers Conference title and completed their season with a perfect 14-0 record.
Tipp City’s Victory Church put the finishing touches on a 15,000 sq. ft. addition to their campus, located at 4645 South County Road 25A.
The Miami County Shelter pled for help caring for neglected cats
The Miami County Animal Shelter seized 39 cats from a residence in Piqua after receiving a complaint about a large number of cats allegedly living in deplorable conditions. The cats’ owners were subsequently charged with three misdemeanor counts each of cruelty against a companion animal.
In the same month, the nonprofit group Miami County Partners for Animal Welfare presented a proposal to the Miami County Commissioners to raise money for a larger shelter. The preliminary estimate for a new shelter was between $4.5 million and $5 million, excluding any land costs.
A Troy woman accused of stealing from a Tipp City couple while working as their nanny was sentenced to five years of community control. She was indicted by a county grand jury of stealing money and property, including family heirlooms.
March
Tipp City Manager Eggleston’s State of the City Report
Tipp City is “sitting good as a community” City Manager Tim Eggleston said during his State of the City report. Eggleston cited the completion of the downtown streetscape project to the area of the Canal Lock, the renovation of the Benkin Building to house Tipp Pizza, and the city being the first in the county to have a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA.
A plan for beautifying Tipp’s highway interchange, where I-75 and State Route 571 intersect, was presented to Tipp City Council. The $1.4 million plan included plantings and pavers, along with a sign featuring the city logo. Plans for a $1.8 million expansion of the Tipp Government Center were also reviewed.
To continue uptown improvements, Tipp City Council agreed to work with the city’s Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) on the next steps for the Tipp Uptown area project. Council agreed to have the CIC involved in hiring a planning and development firm to conduct a market analysis and real estate analysis of the Tipp Plaza properties, and look at transportation and streetscape. From that work, a financial plan, concept plan, and schedule/timeline would be developed.
TCFD’s Maggie Armitage, Chief Cameron Haller, and Heidi Jones
Finally, Council voted to implement a full-time Emergency Services Department for fire and emergency medical services. The plan called, for by Emergency Services Chief Cameron Haller, included 16 full-time emergency personnel composed of four captains and 12 full-time dual-certified employees, all to be hired over the next five years “unless funding provides otherwise.”
Former Tipp City police Officer Todd Daley, who was terminated from his job in February, filed a grievance targeting the action. Daley had been let go following allegations of assault and sexual imposition.
The Tipp City Board of Education voted to not offer inter-district open enrollment nor accept students on a tuition basis in the 2023-24 school year. The board has not offered open enrollment for the past few years.
Moran named superintendent
The Board also voted unanimously to hire Aaron Moran of the Versailles Local Schools as Tipp City’s next superintendent. The board also voted to have the district’s human resources director work with Moran on a three-year contract beginning Aug. 1, for $165,000 a year. Moran had been superintendent of the Versailles Local School District since 2012.
A Sidney-based business filed a complaint against the Tipp Pride Association, a nonprofit formed to raise money for the Tipp City Stadium improvement project. The complaint alleged that TPA had ignored its agreement with the business, Advanced Foot and Ankle Centers of Ohio, to place a sign including the business name on the stadium scoreboard in exchange for a $25,000 donation to TPA.
Stanley Clyne recognized by OPSWA
Several Tipp and Bethel basketball players were named to the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association’s All-Southwest District team. The Red Devils saw Stanley Clyne, Evan Manes, Jackson Smith, Makenzie Chinn, and Alexa Mader named. The Bees saw Karley Moore, Kerigan Calhoun, and Rhyan Rettinger named. Moore was also named Southwest District Division Three Player of the Year.
Tipp swimmer Gracie Ganger broke the school record in the 100-meter breaststroke at the state swim meet in Canton.
Four members of the Tipp wrestling squad advanced to the district competition: Andrew Lyons, Blake Thompson, Collin Isaac, and Noah Schwieterman. And one member of the Tipp girls bowling team, Emily Von Krosigk, advanced to districts.
The former president of the Miami County Fair Board, Nicholas D. Shellenberger, was handed a felony indictment accusing him of having an unlawful interest in a public contract. The indictment cited false invoices that were submitted to the Board for payment of services (horse barn repairs) that had not been provided. Shellenberger pleaded not guilty, and the charges were dismissed later in June.
Tasha Weaver new DTCP director
The Downtown Tipp City Partnership named Tasha Weaver as their new executive director. Weaver brought experience managing retail businesses in both Tipp City and Bellefontaine.
Tipp City Concerned Citizens filed documents to dismiss their legal action seeking removal of Theresa Dunaway and Anne Zakkour from the Tipp City Board of Education, citing legal delays. Dunaway and Zakkour issued a joint statement on the dismissal, saying it showed the complaint against them was “meritless.” The removal action had previously been filed in Miami County Common Pleas Court against the board members in December 2021 citing abuse of power, among several other concerns. Dunaway and Zakkour denied any wrongdoing.
Tipp’s municipal services director announced that planning was underway for two pickleball courts in Kyle Park, likely to be built in 2024. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.
Emma Hanrahan, Tipp’s only female wrestler, placed fifth at the girls’ state meet in Columbus. Her win marked the best finish of any Tipp winter sports team or athlete.
The Miami County Sheriff’s Office became the latest area agency to sign up for the Flock automated license plate reader system. Tipp City and Troy both adopted the system earlier in 2023.
Rezoning to apartments requested for Saunders Seed building
The Tipp City Planning Board recommended to City Council that the Sauders Seed Co. building on Broadway be rezoned from Legacy District to R-3 multi-family residential, with three apartments intended for the second floor of the building and storage for the first floor. Saunders Seed had operated in the building for more than 100 years before closing its doors in 2022.
The Miami County Commissioners approved a $250,000 donation toward a new county animal shelter. The dollars came from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
Ohio’s 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld a Miami County judge’s ruling negating a demolition permit for the Tavern building in downtown Troy. The building, which has portions dating to the early 1800s, had been damaged in a January 2020 tornado. The Troy Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals had moved to demolish the building, but that decision was appealed by the Troy Historic Preservation Alliance and other parties.