Scheduled activities begin with a parade from Kercher Park at 11:30 a.m. to Veterans Memorial Park.  If you are interested in participating in the parade please contact Annie Sizemore at 776-5852 or 877-7255 or Ben DeGroat at 604-1364.

Park activities, beginning at Noon, include:

• Lunch Stand – sandwiches and soft drinks by the Germantown Fire Association
• Free swimming, games and prizes at the Germantown Aquatic Center

Several organizations throughout the Dayton Region have come together to respond to Google’s Request for Information. As part of the response, a website and Facebook fan pagehave been set up to allow residents to show their support of the initiative. The goal is to let Google know that Dayton is an average American city that does awesome things.

If you compare the regional statistics for things like age, income, education level and more, you’ll see that the Dayton Region’s numbers fall right in line with the national percentages. This makes us a great test market.

But Dayton also has a history of innovative contributions to the world. It started with the Wright Brothers and continues today with research and development in emerging technologies such as RFID, fuel cell development, advanced immersive reality, micro air machines and more. Imagine what we could do with an ultra high-speed internet network!

The Natural Gas Aggregation program that brought together consumers from Germantown with six other south Dayton suburbs to save thousands of dollars on their natural gas bills since fall 2009 will end as of March 31, 2010, when significant savings will no longer be available.

Instead, customers will revert to Vectren, which, from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011, will be able to offer a rate approximately 20 percent below the aggregation program price. This is due to the competitive pricing resulting from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s annual natural gas auction held on January 12.

Coordinated by the Miami Valley Communications Council, the Natural Gas Aggregation program has allowed residential natural gas customers and many small business users to save 4.6 cents per ccf off the standard price charged by Vectren. Total savings for the 2009-2010 heating season have been estimated at $350,000-$400,000.

As of April 1, 2010, the pricing provided through the current natural gas supplier, IGS, will generate savings of only about $3 per year per customer over Vectren’s standard service offer. Program officials felt this was not substantial enough to warrant the program’s continuation.

For more information, please call the Miami Valley Communications Council at (937) 438-8887.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is natural gas aggregation?

Simply put, it’s a large buying group assembled for the purpose of using their combined purchasing power to negotiate the lowest possible price for natural gas.

Why was the program instituted in the first place?

The Natural Gas Aggregation program allows a customer group to use their combined purchasing power to negotiate lower natural gas rates. Since September 2009, the Village of Germantown has been a member of a seven-city natural gas aggregation group brought together through the Miami Valley Communications Council (MVCC), a council of governments certified by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio as a Governmental Aggregator. As a group representing 26,000 natural gas customers, the seven cities were able to negotiate a natural gas rate 4.6 cents per ccf (100 cubic feet) less than the standard price charged by Vectren.

Why were the city governments involved in this program?

The Ohio legislature passed a law in 2001 giving local governments the opportunity to aggregate customers for group purchasing of natural gas. The state law mandates voter approval of municipal aggregation programs, so it has been approved by voters in each of the seven participating cities. The choice of joining together under the umbrella of the MVCC was a natural extension of the existing relationship.

What has been its impact?

The program has been successful in saving residents on the cost of their natural gas during the 2009-10 winter heating season. Through December, the program saved residents $188,850, and it is estimated that the savings may reach $350,000 to $400,000 by the end of March, when the program will end.

Why was the program suspended?

The MVCC decided to end the program based on the very limited savings that would be achieved with the new energy price from IGS (the supplier under the aggregation program) that will be in effect from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. The new pricing would guarantee residents a savings of only three-tenths of one cent per ccf from Vectren’s standard service offer. This equates to approximately $3.00 per year for the average customer. The new rate is the result of the annual PUCO auction, held on January 12, which generated record low prices on natural gas. The new standard pricing that will be charged to Vectren customers is about 20 percent less than the current aggregation program price. Thus, continuing the program is no longer warranted.

Is there anything I need to do as a resident to ensure that I continue receiving natural gas?

Residents will not need to take any action but will automatically revert to Vectren effective April 1. Vectren will send a letter to aggregation customers to inform them that they will be reverting back to Vectren for gas supply.

You will need to leave the address of the property in question and a report of the violation present. You are not required to leave your name.

The hotline is checked twice a day and every violation report is investigated.

Your waste and recycling collection are both scheduled on the same day.

During this time you may experience discolored water. Should this happen, allow your faucet to run for a few minutes until it clears.

If you need to contact the Water Dept. call the Municipal Office at (937) 855-7260 or leave a recorded message with your name and number at (937) 855-4243.