December 18, 2007 - Volume 16, No. 51

a Winkler Company publication

Also featuring photos from our monthly supplement...

The Painted Lady of St. Anne's Hill

‘Ice Leaves’

Frank Hollingsworth of 420 Ridgewood came across some unusual ‘ice leaves’ last Saturday when draining his nearly frozen fountain.

Among the oak, ash and maple leaves, were dozens of six-pointed ‘ice leaves,’ some up to 5 inches across. These had been growing for several weeks after he covered the fountain with plastic because it had frozen in the early freeze.

City manager reviews 2007, outlines 2008

By Lance Winkler

The Oakwood City Council met on Monday evening with all members counted as present. First on the agenda was the swearing in of three new safety officers to the department. Mayor Judy Cook gave the oath of office to the trio and invited the families of the officers to the podium as well. Mayor Cook noted that with the addition of the three officers, Oakwood’s Safety Department is back up to full force, which it hasn’t been for a long time. “I know we made the right choice. Welcome,” said Safety Director Alex Bebris.

Officer Tiffany Conley hails originally from Pittsburgh, Pa. She has had eight and a half years with the Dayton Police Department and attended the University of Dayton on a basketball scholarship. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in sociology. She has been with the Oakwood Safety Department since July.

Officer Alan Hill was born in Terre Haute, Ind., although he was raised in Kettering and attended Fairmont High School, graduating in 1993. He has 10 years experience with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office where he worked in patrol investigations and taught at the Sheriff’s Training Center. He is married and his wife, Lisa, is a registered nurse and supervisor at an area hospital. Hill has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia Southern University and an associates degree in Police Science from Sinclair Community College.

Officer Bruce Upchurch was born in the Phillipines and lived there until he was twelve years old. His parents were missionaries and he has lived all over the world at different times in his early life. He attended Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeney, Iowa and finished up at local Cedarville College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He worked at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for the past 16 and a half years: four and half years at the county jail, eight years as a canine handler, a member of the Greene County SWAT team for eight years including being Team Leader for two years and patrol sergeant for four years. He also was a sniper for two years as well. He is married to wife, Tina, and has four children.

Next came a resolution honoring William Kendall for his service as a member of the Oakwood Planning Commission and its chairman for 22 years. Oakwood City Manager Norbert Klopsch pointed out that the monetary compensation for the job is zero, and made particular note of Kendall’s long-term dedication. “Actually, it is closer to 30 years if you take into account the Bicentennial and Smith Gardens,” he said.

Oakwood City Manager Norbert Klopsch gave the city council an informative retrospective of the year past and an optimistic look at the upcoming year in which the Oakwood Centennial will be celebrated. Explaining estate tax usage, Klopsch pointed out that the city came out with a windfall of $8.75-million in unexpected revenue for the year from estate taxes alone. A total of $3,005,000 was spent on various projects and plans, among them $2.75 million for Sugar Camp development, $475,000 for the purchase of Centennial Park adjoining Houk Stream, a four-unit apartment at 19 Wonderly for $275,000, asphalt and street repair ($400,000), sidewalk, curb and apron repair ($5,000), the Oakwood Avenue Safety Project ($150,000) and updating of the Public Safety Dispatch Center ($200,000).

Looking to the future, Klopsch outlined a number of plans and programs for 2008, among them securing a labor contract with public workers, development of Sugar Camp, Orchard Drive parking and green space, a new audit team, updating the financial software, and installing emergency access “knox boxes” for businesses and larger estates in Oakwood. Also planned is development of an Athletic Recreation Master Plan, renovation of the Orchardly Park playground and last but not least, the 2008 Centennial Celebration.

The next formal meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 7, 2008.

Park purchase impacted by price history

By Dolores Wagner

In July, the City of Oakwood purchased 3.1 acres of land at Houk Streak for the purpose of establishing Centennial Park, a suggested action made at the request of Oakwood citizens serving on the Oakwood Centennial Committee. After consideration, City Council approved and made the purchase for $475,000. Some have questioned the price paid for the property.

Arriving at how much a piece of property is worth can be a touchy issue. Are guidelines available to help a buyer know that what is being purchased is worth the dollars being invested?

Elaine Johnson, Director of Real Estate for the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office, explained the procedure used by the Auditor’s office for determining real estate values. First of all, there are several types of appraisal methods, and the property value established varies according to which type is used. For example, if a home is being refinanced, the appraisal done by the lending bank or institution will be set as high a value as possible. On the other hand, a court appraisal conducted in estate settlement cases tends to seek the lowest appraisal possible, in order to keep estate taxes low.

Other kinds of appraisals are possible, including those conducted by the auditor’s office every six years. Called “mass appraisal,” it determines the value of a property at a specific “snapshot of time,” explained Elaine Johnson. “In these appraisals, the state mandates that we reappraise values on a property to be as close to the selling price as possible. The current reappraisals will be effective for January 1, 2008.”
The process is a lengthy one. “We’ve been working on this appraisal for two years,” she said. “Our appraisal firm collects data and makes site visits to all properties in the county – recording dimensions, number of rooms, updated improvements, etc. They also track what’s happening with the sales in a particular neighborhood, of which there are over 1,000 in the county. e.g., the east or west side of Far Hills in Oakwood where homes in each of those areas are of similar size, acreage and types. The property owner is taxed at 35% of these appraised values. This is the “assessed value.”

The price paid by the City for the Houk Stream parcel was impacted by its price history, not the county’s assessed value.

In 2002, the county appraised the property at $152,350; (the taxable value). In the 2005 triennial update, value was increased to $173,680. In 2006 it was lowered to $116,390 because one of the appraisers who walked the property said the property was not buildable. However, according to City Manager Norbert Klopsch, at the time the Ludolph van der Hoeven estate was sold, four lots were created, one of which was this particular lot. “It is absolutely buildable,” Klopsch said. “The Subdivision Code does not allow new lots to be created unless it meets zoning code requirements.”

Oakwood resident Michael Reutschle of Reutschle Architects, Inc. agrees that it is buildable. “It’s a gorgeous piece of property. I’ve walked it myself. You would have to do due diligence, but no matter what you find, there’s a structural solution to any problem,” he said. At any rate, the request of the Montgomery County Auditor’s office, the appraised value (for tax purposes) was restored to $173,680.

Due to what has actually been paid for the property over the years, the sales value of the property has risen much above that:

Nov. 1996 – the parcel was originally sold for $290,000
Sept. 2005 – the parcel was sold by Donald Laden to Tahir Naqvi for $395,000
July 2006 – Tahir Naqvi sold the property to Justin Long for $432,000
July 2007 – Justin Long sold the property to the City of Oakwood for $ 475,000

Obviously, appraised value is not the only indicator of value,” said Johnson. “We carry the value of $173,680 because our appraisers have determined that it has limited building capacity.”

But to recent buyers, to the Centennial Committee, and to the City of Oakwood as well, the actual value far exceeds the county-appraised value.

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