Developer William Kraner signed a contract with the Granville school board on January 23 promising to record deed restrictions placing limits on the development of part of his 600+ acres in the school district. In a July 1 letter to school board member Amy Deeds, he offered to rescind the contract.

Developer William Kraner dismissed his defamation suit against local resident Dennis Cauchon on June 19, abandoning his claim that Cauchon defamed him by criticizing the developer's relationships with former Granville Township Trustee Jim Havens and former Newark Mayor Bruce Bain.

Kraner dropped the lawsuit "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be filed again.

"I consider it total vindication of myself and the First Amendment," Cauchon said. "The suit was dropped. It was not settled."

By Sarah Thornborough

Though Granville is usually clean of graffiti, recently a handful of street signs have been vandalized with spray paint. The graffiti hardly marks the beginning of constant vandalism in town, for the juvenile content of the graffiti almost adds to the town's charm. While some may give a chuckle upon braking for peace at a "stop war" sign, others find the act immature and costly.

Commentary By YesMan

The dispute about supplying sewer and water utilities to the Owens Corning property is really about the terms of development, not over who will supply sewer service. Both Granville and SWL have the technical capability and the willingness. The terms of the deal are complex - use, density, tax rates, tax abatements, infrastructure improvements, etc. The deal cannot be worked out until Owens has a firm plan.

The Granville Press has repeatedly asked Poggemeyer Design Group to comment on charges of conflict of interest resulting from their developing both the Granville Comprehensive Plan and a grant application for Owens Corning. To date, Poggemeyer has not responded.

Granville Township is in the process of building a new Township Garage. The construction of the new garage currently is out for bid. The Trustees want the project to be completed by the end of the year since the temporary quarters on Cherry Valley Road have very little heat and are barely large enough. The project is under the direction of Trustee Fred Abraham who explained the project to The Granville Press.

First-time visitors to Granville often comment that the village looks like a place that time forgot. In fact, the opposite is true. Granville has the look and feel of an old-fashioned town because for two centuries - and especially since 1960 - its residents have dedicated time and effort, brains and money, heart and soul, to keeping it that way.

Whoops! We mean "What's Going On At The Ross Granville Market?" The siding has been removed from the front and a new foundation has been put in place. They are building an addition and you can see the plans below.

Have you seen a strange purple triangular thing hanging in a tree? Is it a stranded kite, a decoration, a CIA listening device, an alien from outer space? No, it's a "purple trap" for emerald ash borer beetles. It was placed in that ash tree as part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture project to determine the leading edge of known emerald ash borer infestations and to locate other outlying emerald ash borer populations. The survey, conducted in 48 States, will use approximately 60,000 detection tools or “traps” throughout the country.

1. Granville is special and it is something worth fighting for.
2. I live/moved here because it is unique; therefore I do not support anything that may make it common and/or plain. Doing so only destroys what I have come to love.
3. Granville is a destination; therefore, I do not encourage any business, venture, or zoning code that could rob me of that.

Editorial: The Karaffa's installed solar panels on the roof of their house on Pearl Street. That's a laudable endeavor, but unfortunately they did it without a zoning permit. They surely knew they needed one - they had obtained a permit a couple of years ago when they intalled the standing seam metal roof on their house.

Denison University has filed its brief with the Fifth District Court of Appeals arguing its appeal of Judge Jon Spahr's decision overturning the Village's approval of the modernist Cleveland Hall additions. Denison's attorney, James Cooper filed the brief on June 20, 2008. The Granville citizens who originally appealed the Planning Commission's decision to Village Council and then to Judge Spahr's Court of Common Pleas must reply to Denison's arguments before July 14, 2008.

By Sarah Thornborough

Early this summer, members of the Granville High School Class of 2008 walked across the stage in the Denison gymnasium and received their diplomas. It was a huge day for just over 150 students, all of whom will now embark on new futures and new lives. None of them are quite sure of what the next year will bring, and no one knows exactly how they will adjust. But during the flurry of exciting weeks as this year's seniors left GHS forever, Granville's class of 2007 was just returning home from their first year out on their own, I among them. We know what the year brought and how we adjusted.

At its meeting Wednesday, the Granville Village Council will hold an appeal hearing of the Planning Commission's decision on Denison University's plan for lighting Burke Hall. The appeal was brought by Jack Thornborough. Thornborough will be out of the country, but has submitted his appeal in written form and it is presented here.

At its meeting on June 9, the Planning Commission was unable to make a decision on the application by Robert and Tracee Karaffa for the installation of solar panels on the roof of their house within the historic distric. Jack Burris was not present for the meeting and the commission voted 2 to 2 resulting in "no action taken" on the application.