By KHALILA PERRIN

Hilliard school officials had something to shout about Tuesday evening.

After three failed attempts to fund a new high school, the voting majority finally relented.

Incomplete results showed voters approving the district's 3.95-mill combined bond issue and permanent-improvement tax levy by 8,229 votes to 7,165, or about 53 percent to 47 percent.

The totals don't include a Prairie Township precinct or the 891 requested absentee ballots.

The $75 million bond issue will pay for the construction of a new 600-student elementary school on Rings Road near Dublin's Ballantrae subdivision in addition to a new high school on Walker Road in Brown Township.

A total of $65 million will be used to build and equip the high school. The remaining $10 million will be used to build the elementary school.

Attached to the 1.95-mill bond issue was a 2-mill permanent-improvement levy that will allow the district to begin facility repairs districtwide.

The permanent-improvement levy will raise $4.7 million annually.

District officials said they will collect the combined issue at the rate of 2.75 mills beginning with the January 2007 tax bill.

It's estimated homeowners will pay an additional $84 annually per $100,000 of property valuation.

The district will pay back the $75 million bond issue over a period of 28 years. The permanent-improvement levy will not expire.

Tuesday's win marks the end of a losing streak for the district. Voters rejected, by a narrow margin, three previous bond issues that would have paid for building a third high school on a 121-acre site on Cosgray Road in the northern part of the district.

Officials changed directions in February, choosing a 114-acre site near the corner of Walker and Roberts roads in Brown Township. An exemption from Columbus' moratorium on development in the Big Darby watershed area made the site's purchase possible.

The new high school site, which cost the board $2.85 million, sits next to Brown Elementary School.

"I think that the location change was very important," Superintendent Dale McVey said Tuesday night.

"The opportunity to seek a site that had not been available was key to us being very successful."

Residents' support of a new elementary school and their understanding of the need to "protect their investment" with improvement funds were additional factors, said McVey.

"I think each of those elements played their own part in our success," he said.

The district plans to sell most of the Cosgray Road site, said school board President Denise Bobbitt.

"We want to save about 15 acres for the use of a future elementary sometime down the road," she said.

The land is being appraised now, and the district will eventually take bids on the site, said Bobbitt.

The new high school is slated to open in the fall of 2009. Students now in the fifth grade will be the first freshmen to attend the school.

District officials said they would like to break ground on the elementary school as soon as July for a fall 2007 opening.

Alert personnel avert tragedy

By KEVIN CORVO

Hilliard Darby High School classroom aide Jennifer Kelly has always considered her co-workers to be a kind of extended family, but she and her family forged a special bond with two particular employees during an emotional meeting Tuesday at the school district's transportation garage.

It marked the first time Mrs. Kelly's son, Cameron, 13, was formally introduced to the two employees who helped him escape a house fire early Thursday morning in the 2200 block of Clacton Court.

Mrs. Kelly and Cameron met with Nancy Cline, a school bus driver for the district, and Dennis Sowers, a school aide. Also present was Terry Timlin, the transportation coordinator for the district.

"Mr. Sowers and Mrs. Cline are angels," Mrs. Kelly said in a breaking voice Tuesday, "Angels who were watching over Cameron."

Cameron, a seventh-grader at Hilliard Memorial Middle School and the youngest of the three Kelly children, had stayed home Thursday due to the flu. Keeping him company were the two family pets, Banjo and Copper, a collie and Labrador, respectively.

Cline and Sowers were driving their customary pre-dawn bus route when Cline saw what appeared to be a light in the window of the Kelly residence.

"It looked kind of like reflected sunlight, but it wasn't light yet," said Cline, who upon a closer look saw it was a fire in progress.

Cline called the district's dispatcher, whose operator in turn called 911. Meanwhile, the 53-year-old Sowers ran from the bus to the Kelly residence, around the block from where the fire was sighted.

Sowers said at first he searched for a house number but then noticed there were cars in the driveway.

"I figured there must be someone home, so I began pounding on the door," said Sowers.

"I kicked it once and began yelling," he said.

Sowers' efforts roused a slumbering Cameron, who had not awakened to the sound of the smoke detector in the house.

"All I heard was the pounding on the door," Cameron said.

Banjo bolted out when the door opened, Sowers said, and Cameron began asking about the Labrador, Copper, who escaped unharmed moments later.

"I kind of took Cameron by the arm and away from the house," said Sowers, who delivered him to a neighbor before returning to the bus.

Sowers and Cline waited until firefighters arrived before continuing their route.

It was the neighbor who alerted Mrs. Kelly about the fire.

"She told me 'Cameron's safe, but there was a fire.' I was kind of in shock. It was surreal when I first got the news," she said.

Columbus firefighters were dispatched to the Clacton Court residence at 8:07 a.m. Thursday. The fire caused $6,000 damage and was contained to the kitchen, said Kelly McGuire, a spokeswoman for the Columbus Division of Fire.

It took Mrs. Kelly and her husband, Bradley, some calling around to learn the identity of Cameron's rescuers.

"There are no words to express how we feel," Mrs. Kelly said of herself and her husband. "And how grateful and thankful we are."

Sowers said it was all part of a day's work and credited co-workers who offered to complete his route.

"I'm quite thankful and proud of their actions," Timlin said.

Thursday, January 5, 2006

By PHIL BORGER
ThisWeek Staff Writer

Brett Sciotto, Hilliard City Council's newest member, says he likes where the city is heading, but he believes he can bring a fresh perspective to Hilliard government.

Sciotto was scheduled to attend his first council meeting as a member last evening.

The 33-year-old Canton native returned to Ohio in 2000 after school, a stint in the military and some time working for city government in Tennessee.

Sciotto attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, majoring in political science and minoring in systems engineering. Upon graduation, he was an intelligence officer in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, based out of Fort Campbell, Ky. After nearly five years, he retired from active duty with the rank of Captain, and spent another six years in the Army Reserve.

Immediately after entering civilian life, Sciotto was asked to manage a mayoral campaign in Clarksville, Tenn., which is near Fort Campbell. Sciotto's candidate won the election, defeating a 12-year incumbent in the city with a population over 100,000. After the election he worked as the city's chief of staff and was elected chairman of the county's Republican Party.

"I've always had an interest in governance and policy," Sciotto said.

He said this interest was fostered after interning in the White House while in college.

"I really grew to appreciate streamlining government and reducing bureaucracy," he said.

Sciotto moved to Hilliard and took a job as an aide to city council.

"I always wanted to move back to Ohio," Sciotto said. "I wanted to be in the Columbus area, and I really liked the Hilliard community and its family atmosphere."

In 2001, Sciotto formed American Strategies, a national political strategy, public policy, government affairs and public relations firm.

"Our primary mission is to keep America strong by helping leaders of character successfully navigate dynamic political and business environments while assisting them in making positive change," the company's Web site states.

The firm is geared towards Republican candidates, Sciotto said, and works for clients at all levels of government all over the country.

In May, Sciotto was one of the top four vote-getters in the Republican primary election for Hilliard City Council. Since there were no Democratic or independent challengers in November, Sciotto was able to know early on that he would be joining council in 2006.

Sciotto said he is happy with how Mayor Don Schonhardt and the city council has been running Hilliard.

"Under Schonhardt's leadership, we are definitely heading in the right direction," Sciotto said. "He had a big mess to clean up and he worked hard to stabilize the situation."

Sciotto said, however, that he believes there is a lot more the city can do.

"What I bring is some fresh ideas and a fresh perspective," he said.

Sciotto said he would like to see more public-private partnerships in the community between the city, the schools, businesses, and civic associations.

"Public-private partnerships can really accomplish great things for a community," he said.

Sciotto is on board with the administration's work towards furthering economic development.

"It is important we make our community attractive to corporations and make sure we're doing everything we can to keep current businesses here," he said.

The city has been heading in the right direction recently, Sciotto believes. In his eyes, the future is bright.

"We have lagged in the past behind Dublin and some of the other suburbs, but I think we're in a very good position," he said. "The next few years will be very exciting for Hilliard."