Marschhausen Resigns from DCS. Schwanke Steps Up.

Local News

Over the weekend, a group had gathered along the Scioto River in Delaware County for a summer outing — fishing, hanging out, the kind of thing a lot of us do on that same river. One person went in to swim and started struggling, likely caught in the river's current. Others jumped in to help. By Monday, five people were dead — two women pulled from the water Sunday night, three men recovered the next day.

Delaware County Sheriff Jeff Balzer said it's a pattern he's seen before: one person struggles, others go in without the skills to actually help, and a single accident turns into several. A child under 10 who was there ran to the road and flagged down a driver to call 911.

Water safety groups are using this as a reminder for anyone who spends time on rivers like the Scioto: a river current is nothing like a pool. What looks like calm water on the surface can still be pulling hard underneath, and even strong swimmers can get overwhelmed by it. Know your own swimming ability before you get in, wear a life jacket even if you think you don't need one, and if someone else is struggling, call 911 instead of jumping in yourself unless you're actually trained for a water rescue.

Our condolences to everyone affected. You’ll find the full story, with more from the water safety experts here.

Local News

There's a mobile home community most of Dublin has probably never noticed — just south of Ballantrae and the Dublin Community Pool South, off Avery Road. It's called Ponderosa Mobile Home Estates, a 55-and-over community of 108 homes, most of them owned outright by the people living in them, who rent the land underneath from the park's owner.

It's just been sold. Sunrise Capital Investors, a Florida-based firm that specializes in buying up mobile home parks around the country, picked it up from Casto, the Columbus developer that had owned it since 2022.

The sale is notable because of the seller. Casto is also the developer behind Avery Crossing, the bigger development planned for the land around Ponderosa, and its own plans have called for preserving the community as-is rather than redeveloping it. Sunrise now owns the mobile home park, while Casto continues leading the surrounding Avery Crossing development. So far, neither company has indicated the ownership change affects those plans.

What the sale means for the roughly 300 residents isn't clear yet. Sunrise hasn't announced any operational changes. The company describes its investment strategy as "light value-add," a term commonly used for modest operational improvements rather than major redevelopment. Whether that eventually includes higher lot rents or other changes at Ponderosa remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Avery Crossing itself remains in the earliest stage of Dublin's development review process, according to the city's own case records, with no rezoning approved yet.

Local News

Dublin City Schools Superintendent John Marschhausen is stepping down, effective July 31, after five years leading the district. He announced it Tuesday in a letter to district families, without giving a reason. "It is now time for a new leader to bring the school community together and focus on the future," he wrote.

Marschhausen came to Dublin in 2021 after eight years running Hilliard City Schools next door. During his time here, the district passed a bond issue and operating levy, opened Eversole Run Middle School and Bishop Elementary, and expanded both Jerome and Scioto high schools.

The board moved fast. At Tuesday's special meeting, members unanimously appointed Dr. Jennifer Schwanke as the new superintendent — not an interim role, despite some early reporting suggesting otherwise. Schwanke has spent roughly three decades with Dublin City Schools, the last five as deputy superintendent. Board members Chris Valentine and Tiffany deSilva both spoke in support, calling her the clear choice to lead the district forward.

Here's the part a lot of families will want to know: Schwanke made clear her appointment does not reopen the redistricting. The boundaries the board already approved are moving forward as planned.