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In this issue-
This is a jam-packed issue which I hope you find useful, informative, and entertaining. As always, send your cheers and jeers to me along with requests for any future things you'd like me to cover.
--Jim Zegar, Editor
jzegar@villageofwadsworth.org
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Christmas tree lighting-
Our annual tree lighting and visit from Santa Claus is this Saturday, December 2, on the village grounds, starting at 6:30pm.
After the switch is thrown to light our outside tree, Santa will be available to talk with children and hear their wishes. We'll provide free cookies, hot chocolate, and coffee.
Because the village hall is still under repairs due to flooding on the lower level, the festivities will take place in our adjacent garage.
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Newport Township news-
Your village has an excellent working relationship with Newport Township as evidenced by several intergovernmental agreements.
I recently spoke with Township Supervisor Randy Whitmore about the new location of the township assessor's offices. He said, "W
e just moved the office from the old site on Hunt Club Road to 19020 W. Grass Lake Road in Old Mill Creek.
"We did this to save money. Occupancy costs for the new location are $600 less per month.
"Last year we moved our Public Works facility from Old Skokie Road to our new site in downtown Russell. This saves another $1,000 per month. Living here ourselves we understand the property tax burden residents face and try diligently to provide the necessary services at the lowest cost.
"Finally, as part of an intergovernmental agreement, we plow a significant portion of the village's streets. In order to provide the best winter service possible, we recently added another snowplowing truck."
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Most of the Village of Wadsworth lies within the boundaries of Newport Township but a few sections are in Benton and Warren Townships, a product of a maddening political trick known as gerrymandering.
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No property tax increase-
We are happy to inform you that your village board recently approved the property tax levy estimate for next year which has NO increase from the prior year. This means we have held the line since levy year 2016.
For most of you, your property tax bill will have amounts due for 16 other taxing authorities and we can't speak for them, of course. We remain as vigilant as possible to spend your money wisely on projects, services, and investments that provide for the benefit of our community as a whole.
As you know from prior newsletters, the major part of our funding comes from sales tax dollars, and one of the unique things for Wadsworth is that a large portion of those sales tax dollars comes from non-residents who shop and dine at our various retailers.
Thanks go to all who shop here.
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Gracie's old grocery store-
Who remembers Gracie's old grocery store in downtown Wadsworth?
This has been a retail location for over 100 years and is now occupied by the Treasure Depot, owned and operated by Laurie Zupansic. She sells antiques and collectibles and her store might be a good place to commence your holiday shopping, especially if you are looking for something unique, interesting, or otherwise not available in traditional stores.
The Newport Township Historical Society, a next-door neighbor to the Treasure Depot, has an open house this Saturday from 9am to noon. It's a fascinating retrospection of all things township, one might say. Saturday morning might be a good chance to visit the Society and shop at the Depot.
Depot hours are:
Wednesday through Saturday (sometimes Sundays) 11am to 5pm. Laurie loves to make deals and is also offering a 15% discount to anyone who mentions this article.
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The Treasure Depot is located on property owned by The Newport Township Historical Society in downtown Wadsworth.
Formerly Shields Grocery Store, the farmhouse and property were purchased from The Lux family at the turn of the century. The store building was built by the Shields family, and opened as Shields Grocery Store in 1911 by Mary "Polly" Cashmore and her husband Isaac Shields. Isaac also owned and operated a meat market right across the street.
Grace Shields, daughter of Isaac and Mary, became the sole owner of the store in the 1950s when her mother passed away. Grace, a pillar of our community, ran the store until her passing in 2002, at which time her will bequeathed the property to the Historical Society.
Today, Laurie Zupansic owns and operates The Treasure Depot which sells antiques and collectibles. Bringing new inventory into the store just about every day, she has something for everyone including an eclectic antiques, collectibles, and just plain old "cool stuff" that's hard to find anymore.
She also sells pure local honey from The Belli Farm in Wadsworth, a multiple Best of Show winner. When you walk through the front door of the Depot, you enter a time warp with items from days gone by that cannot help but intrigue anyone with a sense of history and an appetite for yesteryear or yesterday.
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