ThisWeek CW 12/18/2014

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/12/15/groveport-year-in-review-2014-brought-significant-growth-in-several-areas.html

In January, Groveport city officials were looking at 2014 as a year of continued development in which several projects would be completed, in part because of a new process that cut project-approval timelines by 50 percent.

“It has been an extremely busy, but also very exciting and productive year for the city of Groveport with a large number of projects started or completed,” Finance Director Jeff Green said. “Working with the mayor and city council, who were kept busy with a full agenda of legislation, staff was able to move ahead on more projects and improvements than had ever been undertaken in one year.”

According to Green, the city saw significant growth in industrial development, employment and new housing.

The city’s “We’re Changing How We Do Business” program and campaign, introduced at the beginning of the year, removed duplicate processes and other inefficiencies, allowing a reduction in the amount of time needed to review development plans and issue permits, Green said.

Two major developments benefiting from the new processes were the addition of the Gwynnie Bee clothing distribution business and SK Foods.

These new businesses brought an additional 700 to 800 new jobs to the city.

With several other expansion projects started near Rickenbacker International Airport, Groveport also saw renewed investment in warehouse construction in 2014, including four new warehouses. Two are build-to-suit projects, while the other two are being built on spec with hopes of attracting more investment in the future.

The first phase of the Groveport Town Center project was completed in 2014, including a new, 91-space public parking lot and pedestrian upgrades to downtown, as well as the opening of a new Ace Hardware as the anchor tenant for the site.

A new police headquarters building was completed on time and on budget, moving the Groveport Police Department out of the municipal building to a secure location at 5690 Clyde Moore Drive. The move also allowed the city to remodel space at 655 Blacklick St. to make room for a growing building department.

Police Chief Ralph Portier said the police department space on Clyde Moore Drive includes an expanded officers’ locker room, holding facilities and detention cells, an evidence room and separate offices.

“We (were) in a 1,800-square-foot space … downstairs in the Municipal Building and the new space is 6,000 square feet, and it is closer to where most of our responses tend to be,” Portier said.

Although hotly contested by some residents and council members over two years of planning, construction of a new water treatment plant started in 2014. The project includes the upgrade of water meters throughout the city that will make it possible for officials to detect and alert customers about water leaks almost immediately.

“The city is really fortunate to have the capable, hard-working and dedicated staff that we do,” Mayor Lance Westcamp said. “It’s impressive how much we were able to accomplish this year and I know everyone on city council will agree that we’re excited about the coming year and the huge list of projects and activities we’ve got lined up for 2015.”

Other events in 2014 included:

* The 1,200 Groveport customers who get their water from the city saw their water rates increase by 20 percent in March. The higher rates were part of a phased-in increase approved in 2012 to pay for a new $3.17-million water treatment plant and to cover operating expenses.

* Portions of Groveport’s historic Town Hall were heavily damaged in February when an HVAC system failed, dumping more than 1,000 gallons of water into the building.

* City council awarded a $2.8-million contract in May to Kirk Brothers Construction Co. of Alvada, Ohio, to build the city’s new water plant.

* AEP Ohio’s first and only appliance recycling facility opened in July at 5700 Green Pointe Drive.

* The Franklin County Engineer’s Office and the city sought more than $5 million in Ohio Public Works Commission funding for three separate projects on Hendron Road, West Bixby Road and the intersection of Winchester Pike and Shannon-Ebright roads.