ThisWeek CW 12/27/2014

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/12/26/looking-ahead-finding-land-workers-are-groveports-top-issues.html

Groveport officials are looking to find solutions in 2015 to issues many communities only dream of encountering.

Finance Director Jeff Green said 2014 was such a good year for the city in regard to development that the two primary challenges of 2015 will be finding additional land to continue growing the community’s business investments and finding workers to staff the available jobs.

“One of the biggest challenges we will face — and we’re already starting to feel it — is the lack of available land for development,” Green said.

“With the new projects currently under construction, virtually all of the available vacant land for development was built out in 2014.

“Clearly, our challenge is going to be exploring new frontiers beyond our present boundaries, and we’re currently talking to several potential development partners to accomplish this.”

Rick Foreman, developer of Groveport’s Town Center, finished phase one of the project in 2014 and is planning to begin construction in spring 2015 on a second building that will provide additional space for new restaurants, offices and retail businesses.

Green said the city also will focus on providing services to employers who are struggling to find enough workers, “both for regular and peak season demands.”

“With unemployment in the region currently around 3 percent, it’s harder for companies to find employees who don’t have issues with finding reliable transportation and childcare,” he said. “Staff is currently looking at ways the city can provide assistance to address these challenges.”

This large employment base put Groveport in a position to better weather cuts in state funding, Green said.

“The city is fortunate in some respects because we shouldn’t be as affected by most of the cuts as other communities will be,” he said.

“The largest percentage of the city’s revenue is derived from income tax withholding, so unless the state makes further changes, we shouldn’t have to make any adjustments to our budget.”

Further infrastructure investments are also in the plan for 2015, including the reconstruction of a portion of West Bixby Road and the total reconstruction of Hendron Road from Main Street to the Orchard subdivision, depending on the availability of funds from the Ohio Public Works Commission.

Groveport’s 2015 appropriations budget also set aside money for additional street repairs and maintenance.

Construction of a new water treatment plant should be wrapped up in 2015, Green said, at which point the city will move ahead with improvements to the large water tank and the removal of the smaller “tin man” water tank near Front Street.

“Groveport has positioned itself through its economic development program to attract businesses which offer revenue that enable the mayor and city council to provide excellent services to our residents,” City Administrator Marsha Hall said. “We are excited as we plan for the future.”

She said one of the administration’s goals for the year is to continue to improve on “keeping the mayor, city council and residents informed of issues, developments and accomplishments.”

Green said the residents remain the city’s focus.

“It is important for residents to know that they are our No. 1 focus and we plan to improve on that in 2015,” he said. “We want to hear from residents about how we’re doing or how we can better serve them.”