I am in northern KY, just south of Cincinnati. I have been swimming without a heater all of May, and will continue until early to mid September. Though the first and last few weeks are a bit chilly. Of course my pool sits in the sun the entire day, so it heats up pretty fast.
Due to the heavy snow potential in your area, I would get a mesh safety cover.
Due to the heavy rain potential, I would try to get an overflow drain, that way you don't have to worry about needing to drain it. This is also nice for the winter so you don't have to worry about draining the snow melt. Also, pay attention to the drainage of your yard, and work with your builder. You may need to make sure thatyou route downspouts away from teh pool, install a french drain, etc. It will be very easy for a non-reputable PB to say it will be fine, but make sure you are happy with how the drainage will work and not just take their word on it.
I just have a sand filter, and have had no issues with it at all.
As far as a heater goes, I pre-wired the pad at the pump and left space for a heater, but have not yet put one it. I am debating on if I need it or not. If I get a heater, I am going to go with a Heat Pump versus gas because it is cheaper to operate, and for my family, we are not likely to swim when the air temp is cold (Therefore, I do not have to worry about the limitation of a heat pump heating water when the air temp is cold. I think a heat pump can only heat the water maybe 30-40 degrees above air temp).
The downside of no heater is that without a solar cover or heater, a couple of days without sun and lots of rain like in the past few days, my pool can drop from about 84 to 76 in a few days. But since my pool is in full sun, once the air temp heats up, my pool will get back up to 84 in a few days as well. If your pool will not be in full sun, then I would consider a heater. For the month of June, I saw my pool get up to 86, drop as low as 74, and bounce between 80 and 75 several times
But in my mind, the pool season in Ohio does not create any true special needs.
If you end up with a vinyl pool and fiberglass steps, you can drain your pool more in the winter if you really want to, and possibly get away with using tabs, but you are better off not using tabs in the long run.
Does this help, or are you looking for any other information