More than two decades have seen a lot of change in Union County. Jeff Stauch, who will take over as the county's engineer after his predecessor Steve Stolte retires on Dec. 31, has been working in the engineer's office since the summer of 1986.

"Steve and I have seen this county grow, along with everybody that's worked with us, from some pretty humble beginnings in our office," Stauch said. The assistant engineer said it has been fun being part of the evolution.

Stauch, an agricultural engineer who got his start working for building contractors in high school and college and ended up in a position of designing and building bridges with the county engineer's office, said the variety in the job keeps him interested in it.

"Because we are a small organization, for the most part, we can't afford to be specialized in one or two things," he said. "So we get to play a role in so many different parts of what we do."

A lot of people, according to Stauch, never have that luxury or opportunity.

To be a county engineer the individual has to be a registered engineer and a registered surveyor.

Stolte said there are only about 1,100 to 1,200 in Ohio who have both registrations. In Union County, he said, there are only five people registered in both.

The engineer's office is three offices wrapped into one, Stauch said. "We are not just roads and bridges, we're a building department," he said.

Mary Sampsel is the chief building official for the office, and she will move into Stauch's current position as assistant engineer.

"At one time we handled water, sewer and utilities," said Stauch.

The county still has five small sewer treatment plants which it operates and maintains on a daily basis.

"You see things get built," he said. "We see things from the inception; we're planning, budgeting and looking 10 years out. We see that all come together and happen. A lot of our own design work is in-house, which has always been a point of pride for me. Not every agency has that capability or wants to take that responsibility, but it's important to do that. So you see it from the very, very beginning to when that road is opened. It's pretty rewarding. It is not always easy, but that makes it rewarding."

Construction and technology have altered significantly in the past 22 to 23 years.

"The county has changed right along with those years and is obviously going to continue to change," said Stauch.

For the most part, he said, he likes change.

"It adds challenges to what we do and it can change priorities or your focus on things, that's part of the job," he said. "Like anything, some change is good."

Stauch was reared in Dublin, before it become the city that it is today, when it was more rural in nature. "I graduated from high school there," he said.

He went on to get his degree from The Ohio State University.

His mother's family was from the southern part of Union County, so he decided to settle with his own family in Darby Township.

His wife Deanna works for the Scotts Company. His daughter Jennifer is a senior at Fairbanks High School while his son Zach is a freshman.

When Stauch is not working for the county, he is caught up in his interest in sports. He is a fan of the Blue Jackets and the Ohio State teams.

"I am a long-suffering Browns fan, too," he said.

His days are already starting earlier than when he only had to worry about being an assistant.

Nov. 22 ? 2:47 p.m., a youth was charged with theft in the 1700 block of Stringtown Road after a store's loss prevention officer accused him of attempting to steal $28.97 worth of men's clothing.

? 6:21 p.m., a man was charged with criminal trespass in the 3100 block of Broadway.

Nov. 23

? 2:20 a.m., a woman was charged with falsification in the 1600 block of Sterling Park Circle after initially, and repeatedly, providing a false name and Social Security number to police. She eventually gave police the correct information.

? 8:23 p.m., officers were called to the 3400 block of Demorest Road to take a complaint of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Nov. 24

? 11:50 p.m., a man was charged with drug paraphernalia, drug abuse and expired registration following a traffic stop at the intersection of U.S. Route 62 and Home Road.

Nov. 25

? 12:45 a.m., a man was charged with drug abuse and drug paraphernalia in the 1300 block of Palay Drive after officers responded to a report of "suspicious people sitting in a suspicious vehicle."

? 1:33 p.m., a resident of the 3000 block of Longridge Way reported paying a contractor $3,411.50 on July 31 to have a deck built at his home. The check was cashed but the work was never done, the report stated.

Nov. 27

? 6:50 p.m., a robbery was reported at a store in the 3900 block of Hoover Road. A man in the checkout line with a full cart and a TV and computer under his arm ran out with the items he was carrying, valued at about $800. He tossed them into the backseat of a waiting vehicle, got in and rode off.

Nov. 28

? 6 a.m., a man was charged with domestic violence and assault in the 3000 block of Southwest Boulevard.

? 10:06 p.m., a man was charged with open container in the 3600 block of Broadway.

Nov. 29

? 1 a.m., a man was charged with possession of drugs on Stringtown Road west of Gantz Road after he was stopped as part of an OVI checkpoint.

To the editor: Respect for each other. Human decency. Being civil. "I disagree with you, but I respect you for your opinion."

Are these archaic beliefs of a bygone era? Are these ideas we no longer teach our children?

Is this why some people find it acceptable to resort to name-calling in a letter to the editor?

I can only guess the message behind Mr. Fleming's recent letter, "Resident: Had enough yet?" (The Record, Dec. 4) could be he does not wish to pay higher taxes for schools. Or maybe it was that he did not like a comment made by a school board member.

I guess I lost what he might have been trying to say because instead of stating his points, he resorted to name-calling, which will not help us through the difficult times facing us as we struggle to fund our schools in a state where our funding system has been ruled unconstitutional four times. How can we expect to find a common ground when there are those who are not willing to even discuss the issues without treating each other with some degree of civility?

Gary L. Sigrist Jr.

Grove City

To the editor:

I had a supervisor who would??advise me to "read between the lines" whenever a matter I was trying to understand seemed illogical on the surface.??This advice seems applicable to the school levies in South-Western City Schools.

Every time a school levy is on the ballot,??the school board??tells me that the district needs the money while the citizens tell me that they are financially challenged to support this levy.??Same arguments each time from both opposing groups, yet there are other organizations that pass their levies??almost??every time regardless of economic times and chances of a lifetime.

It is the same group of citizens that pass these other levies who turn down the school levies, hence, my supervisor's advice to "read between the lines."

I believe the children of SWCS would be well served if both opposing groups locked themselves into a room, really listened to each other, then acted upon each other's comments to the point that both opposing groups could openly support the levy.

Until such time of joint resolution, I feel that I will continue to read??and hear the same arguments while the community remains divided and the children confused.

??

Jeffrey A. Killian