ThisWeek CW 08/20/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/08/17/bond-sale-will-fund-building-purchase-renovation.html

The Groveport Madison Board of Education agreed unanimously last week to approve the sale of $9.5 million worth of bonds to fund the purchase and renovation of a 109,000-square-foot building at 4400 Marketing Place.

The building, located behind the Eastland Career Center, will allow the district to consolidate its administrative offices, Innovation Center, Cruiser Academy and bus garage into one space.

Superintendent Bruce Hoover told the school board at its Aug. 12 meeting the consolidation will reduce the district’s leasing and energy costs and will mean the transportation center will be near the current high school while a new high school is under construction.

“I had (transportation contractors) Petermann come in and discuss the cost of moving all the busing during construction versus a new bus garage adjacent to the high school property and this makes better financial sense,” Hoover said. “Currently, we’re spending almost a $1 million a year for our leased properties and transportation.”

Hoover said the district will purchase the building for about $2.8 million, which will leave more than $6 million from the bond sale for renovations.

“We’ve been getting complaints about our leased properties in both their condition as well as energy costs,” Hoover said. “For example, we lease the administrative building for about $11,000 a month and spend $16,000 on utilities, and that just doesn’t make sense.

“This deal will put everything under one roof, bringing many of our students and staff and administrators closer together; and our architects believe that we can complete the renovations for under $6.3 million.”

Hoover said he believes that if planning remains on track, the district could begin moving into 4400 Marketing Place at the end of the 2015-16 school year.

“This is going to allow us to control our costs over the long term and continue our goal of saving the district and residents money,” he said. “We’re working with the city now to get a zoning variance for the building and if all goes as planned, hope to move in next June.”

ThisWeek CW 08/13/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/08/10/contractor-eyes-expansion-if-rezoning-is-approved.html

Rezoning property at 410 W. Waterloo St. could result in additional commercial development and increased operations for M.G. Abbott Electrical Contractors.

A public hearing was held Aug. 3 prior to the first reading of legislation which would, if approved, authorize changing the zoning designation on the nearly 2.5-acre property from neighborhood commercial to limited manufacturing.

The change is required because the company is hoping to expand.

Before M.G. Abbott bought the current building and an adjacent vacant lot earlier this year, a metal fabrication business had operated there for nearly 30 years, according to Canal Winchester Development Director Lucas Haire.

“Until earlier this year, the property was operated by Vlack Enterprises as a metal fabrication shop, so it’s really been used as manufacturing for about the last 30 years, even though it was zoned neighborhood commercial,” he said.

“Prior to Vlack, this was operated as a dog kennel and since M.G. Abbott acquired the building, they’ve been operating as a nonconforming use,” Haire said.

According to Haire, as long as M.G. Abbott Electrical Contractors uses the current structure and only maintains it with limited updates, the firm may continue to operate as a nonconforming use; however, if Abbott chooses to construct a new facility, the land must be rezoned to conform to the desired use.

“The only concerns we’ve heard were from two residents across the street in Cherry Landing and one owner just north of the property, which was asking what the use would be and how it would impact traffic,” Haire said.

“Since the business is electrical contracting, the traffic impact would mostly be in the morning when the contractors are picking up materials and job assignments.

“Very little work actually takes place on-site,” he said. “When the neighbors heard this, they said they didn’t have any more concerns.”

Councilman Joe Abbott is vice president of M.G. Abbott Electrical Contractors and must abstain from any votes involving the project. If the rezoning is approved, the company will be required to submit construction plans to the Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning Commission for approval before any work can begin.

Council is expected to hear three full readings of the zoning change request prior to voting at the Sept. 7 meeting.

ThisWeek CW 08/13/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/08/10/city-negotiates-lower-price-for-new-building.html

Canal Winchester officials found more than $100,000 in cost savings during final contract negotiations for the city’s new Public Works facility.

Canal Winchester City Council voted unanimously Aug. 3 to approve contract changes removing more than $100,000 in work initially proposed by the Ferguson Construction Co., the project contractor, that city officials considered “redundant,” according to Public Works Director Matt Peoples.

He said the initial contract included several services the city had already completed prior to the bid process.

Additionally, negotiations altered the payment schedule to allow the city to make a significantly smaller up-front investment, retaining interest-bearing funds longer before transferring them to the builder.

“We’re going to be saving about $120,000 total as part of this deal,” Peoples said.

Contract documents show that the overall contract price has been lowered and the guaranteed maximum price for the preliminary services agreement has decreased from $345,000 to $330,000.

Originally the guaranteed maximum price in the preliminary services agreement was due at the beginning of the contract, but the negotiated change means the city will only be responsible for $15,000 up front with the potential remaining maximum funds of $315,000 due at the end of the preliminary services completion.

“Ferguson was in the middle of the three proposals we received in terms of price, but they were the most responsive to our needs so this change puts them that much better overall,” Peoples said.

“When they put in their final bid, there was a lot we thought was redundant so we kept talking to them about it,” he added. “So now, instead of paying $345,000 up front we’re only paying $15,000 up front, so we’ll get to keep our money a little longer as well as saving money.”

Council agreed to approve the contract change as an emergency measure, thus waiving the usual three readings of the ordinance so construction could start immediately. Peoples said the building should be ready to move into this fall.

ThisWeek CW 08/13/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/08/10/saltzgaber-and-groveport-roads-rezoning-needed-for-proposed-new-warehouse.html

Groveport officials continue to see growth in warehousing business with another new project proposed for the corner ofSaltzgaber and Groveport roads.

Becknell Industrial’s plan for a new warehouse at 5770 Saltzgaber Road was presented to Groveport City Council July 27. The project will require a zoning change for the 21.4-acre site from agricultural to a planned industrial park.

Currently, the property is owned by DMH Farms LLC.

In a letter to the city, Assistant Vice President Terry Levin said his company would like to build a 300,000-square-foot warehouse on the property.

“Becknell Industrial is a national industrial warehouse developer, and we are interested in bringing a new development to your community,” Levin wrote. “Groveport has a proven history of successful industrial development that benefits from the local transportation capabilities.”

Levin wrote that the company believes utilities are already appropriately sized for the development, but a traffic study would be required in regard to Saltzgaber Road.

“The market is really active right now,” city Finance Director Jeff Green said. “We have four buildings under construction and two of those are already filled, with deals being worked on the other two.”

Green said he doesn’t see the trend slowing any time soon.

“It’s been a good couple of years. Even though we lost Kmart, for example, we replaced it with two more businesses and that momentum is still going,” he said.

Becknell Industrial is based in Lyons, Ill. Its proposed plan is expected to receive a public hearing and two more readings before council makes a decision on the zoning change, potentially at the Aug. 24 meeting.