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Now that we?’ve all had a chance to read the 2001 year in review articles by the local media, please let me take the opportunity to start a 2001: The Year in Review discussion forum! We?’ve all read the nicely spun month by month review as presented in conjunction with the media and the Pickerington Public Affairs Office.
Let?’s take this opportunity to look back at all that was newsworthy here in our fair metropolis over the last 12 months. Perhaps by remembering the past, we won?’t be doomed to repeat it.
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Dejavu-Musical chairs-Shell Game
Year in review comments
In my experiences here in the Pickerington area I?’ve come to realize that to really get a truer picture of any one-year you have to look at a 13-?½ month window of time. That might sound a bit out of the ordinary, but please let me explain. Those of you closely watching area events will realize that a good deal of the decisions of ?“impact?” take place by the area governing bodies when they expect to encounter the least resistance. This timetable is usually while the vast majority of residents?’ are preparing for the holidays.
So in looking at 2001 ?– let?’s take the last month and a half of 2000. In those late months of 2000 the ?“Growth Summit?” meetings between Violet Township, the City of Pickerington, and the PLSD were abolished in the form of a letter from Mayor Randall Hughes. The City Council appropriated $125,000.00 to Mr. Richard Brahm ?– annexation specialist Attorney used by the City in processing annexations ?– toward killing annexation reform in the outgoing Ohio House of Representatives. The older version of annexation reform died in the sub-committee in early December. Many of you have now viewed in the papers how the City has spent an additional $149,500.00 in 2001as an effort toward a statewide referendum against annexation reform. Almost $275,000.00 to keep annexing lands ?– the vast majority of which are for R4 (PR4) Residential Construction.
Late 2000, Mayor Hughes?’s push to ?“merger?” all of Violet Township with the City of Pickerington ends in a resounding NO in survey card returns. No City Official reviews these survey cards, though they contain a good number of comments on the space provided.
Again, in late 2000 (December 5th) a City Ordinance prompted ?“all newly annexed land?” to be zoned R4.
2001 began with a citizen driven referendum to bring to the City of Pickerington voters the ability to repeal this ?“automatic?” zoning status. For review, R4 is a City of Pickerington zoning of 8,500 Square foot lots ?– Township zoning of all non-incorporated lands is either R1 ?– 20,000 square foot lots or R2 ?– 30,000 square foot lots. City of Officials blame ?“outsiders?” for this referendum. When in fact almost half of those gathering signatures are city residents. They then continue to confuse the deception by claiming R4 is ?“just like the Township zoning. It?’s not ?“new math?”, it?’s just double speak. 490 signatures are gathered in 12 hours, the referendum is verified so Council repeals the ?“R4 Ordinance and just keeps processing ?“Emergency?” after ?“Emergency?” annexations and re-zonings. Voters of the City of Pickerington are denied their opportunity to vote on these zoning issues. Diley Farm, Burtnett, Kohler-Painter Farms, Steiger-Wirthman-Biddle-Clark Farms via R4 (PR4). Council keeps on truckin. Citizens get to watch, without the recourse of the referendum, constitutionally provided in Ohio.
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Dejavu... page -2-
Violet Township looses another chunk of Commercial / Industrial ground to the City of Pickerington at R.G. Barry / AMA. We get (2) lights instead of one. Doval Development (signatory- one Daryl Berry) is the benefactor of the western light to nowhere. Later these get TIF?’d, so funds for this improvement are directed away from school tax status for years. The BGM Development - same owner of Doval Development (signatory- one Daryl Berry) gets a TIF?’d road (at a cost of $700,000.00) to nowhere by his Villa Condo?’s project later in the year. That used to be your East Street connector, so now it?’s called the Hill Road connector and currently connects only to the Condos.
Canal Winchester officials respond to the merger discussion by beginning talks with Violet Township following the last (Oct. 2000) ?“Growth Summit?” meetings. Violet Township ?– Canal Officials announce a CEDA (Cooperative Economic Development Agreement) in which 20% of the income tax funds within the CEDA area will be shared with Violet Township. Canal?’s income tax is 2%, Pickerington officials counter this by offering a Pickerington ?– Violet Township CEDA with a 25% of the 1% income tax Pickerington collects. More ?“new math?” as Council Member Craig Maxey attempts to state to me that this would be more money. As part of the CEDA area longtime resident Ruth Pifer requests her nearly 300-acre property (inside the CEDA boundaries) be annexed to Canal Winchester. Pickerington Officials object and attempt a hostile annexation of Mrs. Pifer?’s land with additional annexations totally less than 19 additional acres and a very expensive promissory deal for the 50-acre Weiser tract (in a shotgun pattern) around Mrs. Pifers parcels. Pickerington refuses to release requested documents of their pre-annexation agreements with the adjoining parcels to Canal Winchester officials. Canal files legal actions. Pickerington ultimately withdraws the Hostile Pifer annexations.
The CEDA process moves forward despite vocal protests from (2) senior PLSD School Board majority members. All of the CEDA lands are within the Canal Winchester School District.
Pickerington and Fairfield County are invited to also participate in the CEDA agreement and refuse.
Having been in attendance at both CEDA hearings and also the annexation hearing in Lancaster -- what sticks out in my memories best is who cooperated and who didn?’t. Who was factual, forthright, and looking well into the future for this region and who wasn?’t. PATA has on file videos of these meetings, should you want to be able to determine the facts for yourself.
A February 2001 well field pump test confirms a connection to the underground aquifer of the City of Pickerington?’s Diley well field and Pickerington Ponds. City officials had previously passed an ordinance (and then (March) a new Comprehensive Land Use Plan indicating a desire to pump 3.5 million gallons of water a day from this well field.) The February tests indicate amounts over 2.2 million gallons of water a day would be potentially harmful to Pickerington Ponds. The new Comprehensive Land Use Plan indicates only an Industrial Park, mostly outside of the PLSD boundary. Gone are 400+ acres of a previously indicated Commercial Park inside the PLSD boundary. In are the acres of R4 homes within the PLSD.
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Dejavu.... -page 3-
The Violet Township - Canal Winchester CEDA gets approved.
Within the PLSD (after being annexed into Pickerington) home construction begins at The Village of Sycamore Creek (717 homes plus about 185 apartments).
Violet Township approves the Virginia Homes Wellington Park subdivision. Developer states he will give 100K overall to schools s parcels develop and sell. (245 homes ?– approx. 175 condo/apartments) ($300/home - $150/apartment)
The Burtnett annexation gets approved (another 130 homes)
Donelly?’s Violet Township Meadowmore subdivision gets approved ?– density is less than Township zoning ?– 100K all up from community foundation fund to be formed. (approx. $500 per home.
The Diley annexation gets approved - Dominion (another 520 homes)
The Kohler-Painter annexation gets approved ?– Homewood - (another 340 homes) Now Homewood is being ?“revolutionary?” in it?’s generosity by donating $300 a house ($102,000) BUT only if the re-zoning is passed via ?“emergency?”.
The Steiger ?– Wirthman ?– Biddle ?– Clark annexations get approved ?– the Viola park 120 acres of this is another 300 homes, the balance is more R4)
In a moving shell game of questions over time and repetitive meetings ?– Council Member Maxey reveals that despite the 1997-98 Joint Economic Development Commission?’s (JEDC) sub committee?’s requests of common zoning.... The full JEDC was Co-chaired by one Daryl Berry. And despite multiple ?”Growth Summit?” agendas for common City / Township zoning NO SUCH MEETINGS have taken place.
Subdivisions also keep rolling along without annexations inside the City: Milnor Crossing, The Good Subdivision, Sheffield, Longview(s) East, West ?– Estates (from former Monebrake lands), Windmiller Place phase one fills up ?– so let?’s head for the next phase.
Businesses close or move to relocate ?– economic development is another shell game. Closed is the Countrywide hardware, the Tussing Road CVS, Duke?’s Gas/convenience, to name a few. Moving from one spot to another, dentists offices, gym facilities, Dairy Queen, chocolate shops. Musical chairs is ?“sold?” as growth. To get ready for the coming election we need to ?“sell the idea?” of vibrant commercial development. Approved is the 6th drug store in a one-mile radius, complete with a connecting road and another TIF to develop ?“flex?” space office/warehouses behind Kroger. And the luck beneficiary of this TIF is BGM Construction (one ?– Daryl Berry).
If you remember the 13-1/2 month equation in the beginning of this we should go full circle to the previous November on the next two points.
First are the 77.5 million-dollar Senior High & Junior High schools. Ground is broken on these facilities in 2001. Later in 2001 citizen volunteers on the boundaries committee (who, as we all were, told in the election cycle of 2000 in approving these buildings that they would carry us out to 2010 and beyond) learn that it?’s looking more like 2007ish.
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