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Mason School District officials will discuss the district’s growth and future plans at a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 9.

The event, which will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Mason Intermediate, will address new school programming and schedules.

The district’s enrollment doubled between 1999 and 2009 and has since leveled off in recent years to around 11,000 students, according to school officials.

In March, the district announced it will move from three 12-week trimesters to two 18-week semesters in the 2014-2015 school year — a move expected to save the district $1.5 million annually, according to Tracey Carson, district spokesperson.

Among the meeting’s topics of discussion will be curriculum, facilities, financing, structure and staffing.

Mason Intermediate is at 6307 Mason-Montgomery Road. For more information, call the district at 513-398-6682.

Posted in: Events, School events |

Tags: Tags: mason intermediate, mason school district, mason schools, meeting, town hall

A proposed upgrade to the Fields Ertel/Mason-Montgomery interchange off Interstate 71 could reduce traffic there by as much as 55 percent, according to Warren County transportation officials.

More than two dozen residents crowded Deerfield Township’s trustees room Thursday to hear representatives of the Warren County Transportation District discuss upgrades to the traffic-clogged interchange near the border of southern Warren and northern Hamilton counties.

About 80,000 vehicles travel through the intersection each day, resulting in delays and backups that have long been a source of frustration for residents and commuters.

The area is a key economic engine for Warren County. Within miles of the interchange are, among others: Procter & Gamble’s Mason Business Center, Deerfield Towne Center shopping center, Kings Automall and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Mason campus.

“Statewide, this was the highest-ranked project in Ohio,” said Joseph Vogel, a planning and engineering administrator with the Ohio Department of Transportation’s District 08 in Lebanon.

Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison says the county is making phased improvements to the area.

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Posted in: Deerfield Twp., News, Traffic |

Tags: Tags: additional lane, commute, construction, deerfield township, exit, fields ertel, i-71, improvement, joseph vogel, loop ramp, mason, meeting, neil tunison, public, symmes township, traffic, warren county

Motorists will have the chance to find out about current and proposed improvements to the Fields Ertel exit off Interstate 71 on Thursday, Feb. 28.

The community is invited to stop in anytime between 5-7 p.m. at the Deerfield Township Trustees room at 4900 Parkway Drive, ste. 180, Deerfield Township.  A brief presentation and question-and-answer session will be held at 6:30 p.m.

The traffic-clogged interchange at Fields Ertel and Mason-Montgomery roads near the border of southern Warren and northern Hamilton counties has long been a source of frustration for residents and commuters.

Funding for current and scheduled improvements has been secured and motorists have already begun to see changes in the area, including the addition of a new northbound traffic lane and improvements in traffic signal timing, say officials.

Work has already begun in the area and will continue over the next several years

“We are making phased improvements that will gradually and successfully address traffic issues in the Fields Ertel area,” said Neil Tunison, Warren County engineer.

Upcoming improvements to be detailed at the meeting include:

• Loop Ramp construction that will allow northbound traffic on I-71 to by-pass the Fields Ertel/Mason-Montgomery intersection and exit I-71 further north of the existing interchange
• A lane expansion at the northbound I-71 exit that will expand the exit lane and create more separation between freeway and exiting traffic
• An additional right turn lane onto Mason-Montgomery Road from the southbound I-71 exit
• Access Management improvements at Fields Ertel and Gregory Road

The interchange was constructed in the 1960s when the area was rural. Today it’s jammed with commerce – and traffic.

By 2015, officials estimate 66,650 vehicles will travel through the intersection of Mason-Montgomery and Fields Ertel roads in one day. By 2035, that jumps by 40 percent to 93,620 vehicles a day.

The area is a key economic engine for Warren County. Within miles of the interchange is Procter & Gamble’s Mason Business Center, the Deerfield Towne Center shopping center, Kings Automall and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Mason campus, among others.

Staff reporter Paul McKibben contributed

Posted in: Events |

Tags: Tags: commute, deerfield township, fields ertel, i-71, improvement, mason, meeting, neil tunison, public, symmes township, traffic, warren county

Mason Early Childhood Center will hold an informational meeting for parents of preschoolers Tuesday, Jan. 29.

The one-hour meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. at the school, will focus on meeting the needs children during the preschool year, as well as helping to transition them into kindergarten.

MECC principal Melissa Bly and early childhood curriculum leader Robyn Thomas will speak in addition to providing district and building highlights.

Babysitting will be provided by members of Mason Middle School’s Builder’s Club and Mason High School’s National Honor Society.

The school is at 4631 Hickory Woods Drive and can be reached at 513-398-3741.

Posted in: Events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: mason early childhood center, meeting, melissa bly, parents, preschool, robyn thomas

Warren County Community Services is teaming up with the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) to hold a Medicare “Check-up Day” event this month.

The free event is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Warren County Community Service’s offices at 570 N. S.R. 741, Lebanon.

Seniors, family members and caregivers will learn about the different Medicare options, plan selections and determining coverage eligibility.

Medicare’s open enrollment begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7.

Appointments are suggested for individual counseling sessions and can be made by calling Karen Hill at 513-695-2288 or by email at karenh@wccsinc.org.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their social security number, photo ID, current Medicare coverage or other insurance cards, current medications taken and names of preferred pharmacies and doctors.

Information: 513-695-2288; www.wccsi.org.

Posted in: Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: caregivers, check up day, coverage, enrollment, informational, medicare, meeting, seniors, warren county community services

Mason City Schools will hold two informational meetings for parents next week on issues of school violence and sexual abuse prevention.

Both meetings will take place the evening of Thursday, Sept. 1 at Mason High School.

The district’s ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Information, Counter and Evacuation) approach trains educators and students in grades 7-12 on ways to handle school violence.

The nationally-recognized program has been adopted in 31 school districts, 89 police departments and dozens of colleges, universities and medical facilities across Ohio.

The ALICE informational meeting will be held from 5 – 6 p.m. in the Mason High School auditorium.

The Stewards of Children program, a national sexual abuse prevention program, serves to educate adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly when child sexual abuse is suspected. All Mason City School staff are receiving the training, provided by the Warren County Child Advocacy Center.

The district has also created and implemented a Safety Audit Checklist and procedures to enhance its ability to identify and respond to issues of child sexual abuse, said Tracy Carson, district spokesperson.

The Stewards of Children informational meeting will be held at 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mason High School Small Commons.

“We continually monitor our processes to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to keep students safe,” said Mason Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline.

Mason High School is at 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road. For more information, call 513-398-0474.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: alice, children, gail kist-kline, mason city schools, mason high school, meeting, parents, safety, school violence, sexual abuse, stewards of children, students, warren county child advocacy center

Mason City Council will meet at 7 p.m. this evening at the Mason Municipal Center, 6000 Mason-Montgomery Road.  Here’s what’s on the agenda:

1. Call to Order
2. Prayer: Chaplain Rick Huff
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Roll Call
5. Minutes: December 13, 2010 Council Meeting
6. Recognition of Joshua Vonderhaar, Honorary Mayor for a Day
7. Recognition of Visitors
8. Res. 2011-01 Requesting the County Auditor to make Tax Advances during the year 2011 pursuant to Section 321.34 of the Ohio Revised Code
9. Ord. 2011-01 Approval of the replat for Lots 25, 26, 29 and 30 of Carmelle Subdivision, Section One
10. Ord. 2011-02 Approval of the reissuance of Bond Anticipation Notes related to the purchase of the Golf Center at Kings Island
11. Ord. 2011-03 Authorizing payment in the not to exceed amount of $4,000 to the Warren County Humane Association, a private non-profit organization
12. Ord. 2011-04 Authorizing payment of $4,000 to the Mason Historical Society, a private non-profit organization
13. Ord. 2011-05 Authorizing payment of $4,000 to the Mason Area Arts Council, a private non-profit organization
14. Ord. 2011-06 Authorizing payment of $25,000 to Festivals of Mason, Inc. in support of the 2010 Heritage Festival and Christmas in Mason
15. Ord. 2011-07 Authorizing Agreement #23879 with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the purpose of constructing the U.S. 42 Improvement Project
16. Ord. 2011-08 Authorizing a contract with Southeastern Equipment Co., Inc. for the purchase of one (1) 2011 Case Loader in the amount of $138,519
17. City Manager’s Report
18. Committee Reports
19. Old and New Business
20. Recognition of Visitors
21. Executive Session: Personnel
22. Adjourn

All meetings are open to the public.  For more information, call the city at 513-229-8500.

Posted in: Board of Trustees, News |

Tags: Tags: mason, mason city council, meeting, ohio