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Benham’s Grove is a community gathering place located in the heart of Centerville, Ohio. Owned by the City, Benham’s Grove is a venue rooted in history, a fitting setting for a wide variety of functions from intimate meetings to large formal gatherings.

The Gerber House is located at the front of the property adjacent to the road. The ten-acre property exhibits a romantic and relaxed presence with rambling grounds, an abundance of landscaping and the gazebo overlooking the pond. The historic accessory buildings such as the barn and cottage enhance the feel of this country estate that was once a working farm.

Administrator Randal Bishop shares his perspective as Benham’s Grove celebrates 30 years.

Why do you think Benham’s Grove has such a special place in the hearts of local families?

Randal: So many families have used Benham’s Grove for birthdays, anniversaries, graduation parties and weddings. Over the 20 years I have been here, I have seen families here on multiple occasions to use Benham’s Grove as their children grew and as their families expanded. I have had so many wonderful comments on the property and grounds. It is

truly a Centerville gathering space.

Benham’s Grove was once a dilapidated, vacant property. How did the city save it? Randal: When the city purchased the property, it was in a state of disrepair. It had been unoccupied for several years. The buildings were falling apart, and the vegetation was out of control. The city devised a plan to makethe best use of the buildings and grounds. In April 1992, Benham’s Grove was dedicated and opened as the 1992 Dayton Showhouse. After Showhouse, Benham’s Grove opened for business.

What are the notable changes you’ve seen over
the past 30 years?
Randal: In 1995, the gazebo was added to the
property for wedding ceremonies. Many civic
groups in Centerville have used the space and raised money for improvements to the facility. The pergola was also added to the southwest corner of the property. In 2013, the brick plaza was added to offer cover for outdoor events and to help use tents to protect the grounds.

Please describe a few of the fun stories or highlights from events over the past decades.

Benham’s Grove has hosted thousands of guests over the years. We have had so many beautiful weddings, parties and city events it is difficult pick out just one or two. In 2008, we hosted two small weddings on thesame day as the leftover effects of Hurricane Ike blew through the Dayton area. We had no power, strong winds and the loss of several large trees that came crashing down. We pushed through the weather and both couples laughed and said they would talk about getting married in a hurricane in Ohio for the rest of their lives. Plus, the Americana Festival is always a good time as thousands of people gather to catch some shade and enjoy the entertainment or just relax on the grounds.

The family of past owners are still involved in the property, right?

I am still in touch with the granddaughter of the Gerber Family, and the family still comes to visit the property. The family continues to be involved and has donated projects to enhance it as well, the latest being the new fountain at the Gerber House.
What changes should we expect in the next five years at Benham’s Grove?

The future is bright at Benham’s Grove! We are working now to develop an improvement plan to secure the future of the venue for generations in the future. Expect a refresh of some of the buildings and changes that will make the space more accessible for all.

The Village of Gambier has invested in green energy and other infrastructure improvements with its American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

Gambier received $260,000 in ARPA money, half of it was received in 2021 and the other half arrived this summer.

Council has approved upgrading the water meter reading system for $80,000 to enable the Sensus meters to be read from the office, eliminating the need to drive around the village to obtain the readings. The system includes detection devices that attach to the fire hydrants in an effort to better identify leaks in the distribution system.

The village also spent $215,000 to install 94 solar panels at the wastewater treatment plant, using some
of its own utility funds to support the work that is scheduled to start in September. The village utilized a job contracting proposal through its membership in Sourcewell to undertake the project. McDaniels Construction is doing the build out in coordination with Third Sun Kokosing Solar.

When done, this will be the second solar powered system used in village facilities. A roof-mounted solar system was installed a few years ago on the Community Center and for the past two years it has generated more power in the summer months than what it takes to operate for former elementary school building that houses the village offices, a Head Start program and a library branch.

R.C. Wise, Village Administrator, said Council decided to do two large utility infrastructure improvements with the ARPA money in contrast to funding several initiatives in 2020 with the CARES Act allocation where they helped other private and public entities with the federal money allocated to it during the pandemic.

Gambier was awarded about $135,000 in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and it was spent on public health, preventive measures, telework capabilities and economic aid.

Among the items, the Village spent:

• $19,000 to install automatic door openers for both restrooms and the south exterior door of the Community Center.
• $18,300 was invested in touch-free plumbing fixtures and water fountains in all of the village buildings.  $13,800 was spent on the Council chambers for improved social distancing and the installation oftechnology to allow for virtual and hybrid public meetings.
• $41,319 was awarded to Area Development Foundation for them to hand out grants and/or loans toarea businesses that met certain qualifications.
• $5,600 was spent on a partnership with Kenyon College to test and ship COVID-19 samples from thewastewater treatment plant influent, a project that continues today.
• $5,100 was spent on improving interoffice communications and a community message board.
• $5,000 was for a local business loan and hundreds more spent on personal protective equipment and air quality monitors.

Under the time restraints of the CARES Act, the Village referred nearly $13,000 of its allocation back to the County Auditor to help out other local government partners.

Welcome to the 108th ICMA Annual Conference

On behalf of the Ohio City/County Management Association and our Conference Host Committee, thank you for joining us in Columbus/Franklin County for the 108th Annual ICMA Conference. We’re thrilled you’re here!

Columbus is the 14th largest city in the country and the fastest-growing city in the Midwest. You’ll love exploring the place that is known as one of the nation’s most creative, innovative and up-and-coming destinations. Celebrated for its incredible arts, entertainment, fashion and culinary offerings, exciting collegiate and professional sports teams and spectacular sprawling green space on the Scioto Mile downtown riverfront, Columbus/Franklin County has something for everyone.

Our Host Committee Members, 300+ volunteers and Certified Tourism Ambassadors will be present throughout the convention center, host hotel lobbies and Downtown Columbus. If you have a question, need directions or are looking for a suggestion … this energetic and committed team is ready to assist.

We invite you to join us throughout the conference in the Host Committee Lounge, located in the main hallway, as we showcase some of the best that Columbus/Franklin County has to offer…and yes, of course, we’ll have coffee, tea and snacks too! Photos with Brutus Buckeye, performances by the West African Dance Institute, live aerosol art with Lance Johnson, and a visit from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium’s animal ambassadors are among the attractions.

And at the Arnold Plaza, just outside the Convention Center’s main High Street doors, you’ll get a chance to leave a bit of yourself and take a piece of Columbus/Franklin County home with you. Be a part of the art, and help paint our signature “One with US” mural designed by local street artist Miss Birdy, customize a t-shirt with Franklinton Press or DIY a personalized leather keychain with Makers Social.

The Host Committee Lounge showcases, food, beverages and Arnold Plaza participatory activities are all compliments of our Ohio Host Committee Sponsors. We sincerely thank them and encourage you to acknowledge our sponsor signage in the Host Committee Lounge, the Arnold Plaza and on the back of this letter.

On behalf of Team Ohio…we are thankful the world made the choice to be one with US in 2022.

R. Thomas Homan, ICMA-CM Host Committee Co-chair
City of Delaware City Manager

Charlotte Colley
Host Committee Co-chair Miami County Administrator

Robert Fowler
OCMA President
City Manager, City of Norton

What’s a town to do when the calendar coincides with its assigned zip code? In Gambier, that was a sign to have a celebration to mark the once in a century occurrence which happened on 4-30-22.

Kenyon College and Gambier collaborated to host a 43022 Day party on Middle Path that Saturday morning which included a parade, a planting, a poem and a proclamation.

The college bookstore had offered special shirts and other swag for sale and handed out free vouchers for the food trucks. Gambier gave away unique coffee mugs to the first 250 attendees and printed up commemorative postcards pictures of the Post Office circa 1940.

Councilmember Kaitlin Sockman designed the mugs and planned with Kenyon staff and students for the special day that also kicked off a redesign of downtown green space. Council President Morgan Giles planted a white dogwood tree at the northeast corner of the Post Office – a start of the revamp of the pocket park that lies between the Village Market and Post Office.

Council members Rakia Faber and Alison Furlong took the opportunity to poll residents’ views on “Reimagining Gaskin Ave”, one of the two downtown streets, on how to best include non-motorized traffic along the main artery.

Resident poet Royal Rhodes read the poem he created for the event. And no observance in Gambier would be complete without a proclamation from Mayor Leeman Kessler.

And with that, the parade stepped off and concluded the day’s scheduled events but villagers stayed downtown for food and fellowship for what most celebrants will witness once-in-a-lifetime: The day my Zip code and calendar were the same.