The Newark Advocate from Newark, Ohio • 7

Sunday, Nov. 6. 2011 The Advocate NEWS 7A 77 Gorge access advocates steadfast i I. 1 Several Rotary members interested in the reopening the prominent section of Black Hand Gorge took a brief tour, led by Ohio Department of Natural Resources, In October. JASON LENHARTTHE ADVOCATE Records Continued from Page 6A The engineer's office searched through commissioner meeting records from the 1930s and onward looking for evidence that it had been made a public road.

They found two motions: One that quitclaimed their rights to the road in 1935, and another that vacated the road in 1956. "That should imply that it was actually dedicated as a public road," Lozier said. "Who did it get vacated back to?" A chain of title search by a professional might be the only way to determine who now owns the 2.75-acre path through the private property. Partnership The road toward making the Rock Haven portion of Blackhand Gorge more accessible to visitors likely involves partnership among the residents, the answers," Piatt wrote in a email to The Advocate. "Let's also not lose sight of the fact that all anyone has pondered doing is leading guided tours to see the assets in, on and around the tunnel." Bill Weaver, a longtime Blackhand Gorge advocate, continues to pursue a solution that would allow more access to what he calls, "the jewels of the gorge." When he was principal of Toboso Elementary School, Weaver implemented tours along both sides of the river in the preserve, lead by sixth-grade students with cooperation from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the residents of Rock Haven Park and the Thomas J.

Evans Foundation. Weaver estimates more than 10,000 students from around central Ohio traveled through the tunnel, up to Council Rock and back to the waterfall during the 25-year history of the tours. Weaver is not advocating drastic change, he said. He just wants access to the north side as it once was. "There are over a thousand acres in Blackhand Gorge State (Nature) Preserve, and the end goal should be to continue to make it accessible (through the tunnel) for educational purposes and enjoyment," Weaver said.

"We have no intent to develop there. There is no intent to do anything different than what was done before (the mid-1990s)." "I continue to hope that public tours could be arranged on the north side in the not-too-distant future," Piatt wrote. "That can be a win-win-win for ODNR, the subdivision and the community." L.B. Whyde can be reached at (740) 328-8513 or lwhydenewaradvocate.com. "There's ways around it, and it's (to) cooperate," he said.

Another resident, Virgil Clark, who owns a large number of lots and has lived in the area for at least 25 years, said he has no problem with visitors to the park. "I thought that was supposed to have been done 20 years ago," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't bother me at all that they would open it up." By L.B. Whyde Advocate Reporter TOBOSO Proponents of opening the north side of Blackhand Gorge remain committed to gaining access to the tunnel that originally was used for the in-terurban electric train, as well as access to Council Rock, which is the highest point in the preserve. Despite recently gathering more information from the Licking County Engineer's Office, questions remain regarding ownership and access rights, said Rick Piatt, president and CEO of the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority.

Piatt brought fresh attention to the question of access rights after posting a blog about his hiking experiences in the preserve on NewarkAdvocate.com. "Talk to five people and you may get five different 2010 8.6 9.4 10.5 2009 9.5 9.9 9.6 2010 17.4m 2009 LICKING COUNTY ECONOMIC REPORT The following is the latest Licking County economic report through the first three quarters of the year and the third Foreclosures Jan. to Sept. Third quarter 2011 747 268 Unemployment End 3rd End 2nd End 2011 7.8 8.8 8.4 Source: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Bankruptcy filings 2011 2010 2009 Jan. to Sept.

615 754 711 Third quarter 177 281 267 Source: U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Ohio Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other interested people. Burkholder said he is willing to donate his time to lead guided tours through the area occasionally, as long as the state will enforce the property lines. Piatt said he thinks discussion is important, and that guided tours whether by ODNR, Burkholder or other volunteers could be one solution. 2010 903 266 2009 886 285 good signs at his weekend job.

"The crowds have picked up, so folks out there with disposable income are starting to spend money a little bit," Smith said. "From midsummer to now, prices have been pretty strong." The lagging indicators continue to be the housing and building industries, but there are positive signs even in those areas. Source: Licking County Clerk of Courts, Legal Department Home sales 2011 2010 2009 Jan. to Sept 1,105 1,124 1,185 Third quarter 426 348 467 Source: Columbus Board of Realtors for all of Licking County Home sale prices 2011 2010 2009 Jan. to Sept.

$138,007 $147,116 $134,534 Third quarter $139,312 $149,824 $143,025 Source: Columbus Board of Realtors for allot Licking County New car sales 2011 2010 2009 Jan. to Sept. 4,082 3,494 3,495 Third quarter 1,354 1,333 1,402 Source: Licking County Clerk of Courts. Auto Title Source: Licking County Commissioners quarter alone. Heath income tax Jan.

to Sept. Third quarter 2011 $4. 1m Granville income tax 2011 Jan. to Sept. Third quarter Commercial building 2011 Jan.

to Sept. Third quarter Source: Licking Residential building 2011 Jan. to Sept. Third quarter Source: Licking those homeowners sell their homes instead of losing it, helping everyone and boosting the economy. The building industry continues to struggle because homes are not being built like they once were, but commercial building might pick up next year, Bubb said.

"Jack Pryor, in building code, says the number of permits is up, but the valuation is down," Bubb 2010 2009 Source: City of Newark government's decision to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to refinance mortgages for those in danger of losing their homes should help ease the housing woes. "People who still have jobs and are in their home, making monthly payments, but upside down on their mortgage, have an opportunity to refinance and get a better rate," Bubb said. That could help some of County sales tax Jan. to Sept. Third quarter 2011 18.4m Newark income tax 2011 Jan.

to Sept. Third quarter Home sales in the county increased 22 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2010, but home sales for the year remain down slightly from 2010. The prices of homes sold in the county are down almost $10,000, on average from 2010, a drop from $147,116 to $138,007. County Commissioner Tim Bubb said the federal IN: Economy Continued from Page 1A "It's been a big hill we're trying to climb economically, and when you see little factors like sales tax numbers increasing, that's got to be a positive take on what's happening," county Commissioner Doug Smith said. Smith, who also works as an auctioneer, said he's seen lit GREAT AYifJG JOBS AVAILABL mi TRAINING T7v 2010 2009 Source: City of Heath 2010 2009 Source: Village of Granville 2010 2009 County Building Code Department 2010 2009 County Building Code Department! said.

"It's small versus big projects. He's seen a lot of activity, but most of what we're seeing is small permits, not new housing." School construction in Newark helped boost the 2010 construction numbers to $121 million, but commercial building is almost to 2009 totals for the year, at almost $38 million. Kent Mallett can be reached at (740) 328-8545 or kmallett newarkadvocate.com. thanks the 1 2 years! FT feu il I mr. I WIS tf i' i -V if 'iff ll CNC Machining Maintenance Technician Certified Welder HVAC Technician Call C-TEC Adult Education Programs 740-364-2333 www.c-tec.edu Hsien J.

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