ThisWeek CW 07/23/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/07/20/firm-hired-to-move-modulars-to-dunloe-elementary-school.html

Two modular structures now at Groveport Madison High School will be moved as a first step in clearing the way for construction of a new high school.

The school board voted unanimously July 8 to hire Taylor Classroom Sales Inc., a Toledo-based company, for slightly more than $100,000 to move the two-classroom units to Dunloe Elementary School.

District Treasurer John Walsh said the move will take place in two phases; the first is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2015-16 school year while the second phase is expected to be completed by October.

Superintendent Bruce Hoover said the decision to move the modulars to Dunloe was related to current capacity issues at the elementary school.

“This decision isn’t based on the current building size but on capacity, which is why we need these at Dunloe,” Hoover said.

Although the classrooms are considered mobile, they still require a permanent, structural pad and a complete building inspection that includes electrical and plumbing systems before they can be used.

Taylor Classroom Sales Inc. will be in charge of completing all these steps, along with the actual relocation of the modular units.

A third modular unit currently on the high school property is a 14-classroom building which the district leases. It will still be in use by the high school at the beginning of the school year while a replacement 14-classroom modular unit is installed in front of the current high school building.

Walsh said that to purchase a new modular unit of that size, particularly one that would only be used temporarily until the new high school is completed, is cost-prohibitive.

“New units that size run about $600,000 so we’re going to look at another lease agreement or possibly finding a used unit for much less,” Walsh said.

Hoover said that space restrictions mean the high school cannot be without the modular unit during the school year. By placing a new modular in front of the high school, which he anticipates will be done by October, the district will be able to move out of the old modular classrooms and into the new ones over a weekend, meaning no break in classroom time for students.

In other project news, Chris Dumford, the architect for the new high school project, said his team is still working to reconcile construction estimates with the construction manager. He anticipates having a schematic design and construction budget plan ready for board approval in August.

ThisWeek CW 07/23/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/07/20/eagle-scout-candidate-receives-approval-for-local-park-project.html

Eagle Scout candidate Kevin Diehl received the go-ahead from Canal Winchester City Council earlier this month to implement a beautification project at Guiler Park.

Diehl presented his Eagle Scout project proposal to city council at its July 6 meeting. He wants to install a brick paver patio with benches and a flagpole along the east side of the parking lot at the downtown park. Council members said they support the plan but did not need to take a formal vote on it.

“My project is to put a flagpole and seating area in Guiler Park near the pool,” Diehl said. “The only concern is the concrete pad already there with the picnic bench, so we’ll have to work around that.”

He said he’s pursuing sponsorships from local businesses to acquire the building materials he needs and, since the flagpole is considered “structural,” he will work with Public Works Director Matt Peoples on that component.

“We are covering the construction of the flagpole and benches and expect that to be around $1,750 installed,” Peoples said. “Kevin will be fundraising for the brickwork. We’ve worked with the Flag Lady on a similar project at the roundabout, so we’ll work with her on this, too.”

Council President Rick Deeds said he was excited to see this project come together, and wished Diehl the best of luck with it.

In order to earn an Eagle Scout ranking, a Boy Scout is required to progress through the “life” ranking and earn 21 merit badges covering more than a dozen topics. Candidates are also required to serve six months in a troop leadership position and take part in a Scoutmaster Conference.

The most public part of becoming an Eagle Scout, however, is the community project which requires the scout to plan, develop and take a leadership role toward completing it.

Diehl hopes to finish his project before the end of this year, after which he’ll have to complete an Eagle Scout board of review before earning the rank.

ThisWeek CW 07/23/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/07/20/groveport-food-pantry-supporters-hope-to-remodel-building-move-operations.html

Since 1997, the Groveport Food Pantry has operated out of a small room in the basement of the Madison Township Community Center, but if supporters can raise enough money to make repairs to a building at 525 Cherry St., the pantry may finally have its own home.

Director Becky Soles said the donation of the Cherry Street building from the city of Groveport earlier this year will allow the pantry to expand to serve a growing client base and to finally be accessible to senior citizens and those with mobility issues.

However, she said, the building requires about $10,000 in repairs before the pantry can move in.

“We have a general contractor from one of our churches who is donating his time, along with several other contractors, so we’re just needing to purchase materials,” Soles said. “We operate solely off of donations as we don’t have any other source of revenue.

“We started in this basement serving about 25 families a month and when the economy tanked in 2007, we really increased how many people we serve. We’re serving about 100 families a month now.”

Golf outing

To continue meeting the food needs of its clients while also collecting donations to renovate 525 Cherry St., the food pantry will host a Fore for Food golf outing at 9 a.m., Friday, Aug. 21, at the Links at Groveport, 1005 Richardson Road.

The fee of $65 per person will include greens fees, a cart, lunch and a gift bag. Prizes will be awarded for the longest drive, closest to the pin, and the longest putt.

There is also a $100 hole sponsorship option which can be used to advertise a business or honor an individual.

“We’ve got some sponsors already for the golf outing and are looking for more, and we’re definitely looking for as many golfers as we can get,” Sole said. “If anyone who doesn’t golf wants to donate directly, they can do that as well.”

Registration for the golf outing is due Aug. 14 and can be completed by calling Mary Miles at 614-830-0721.

“We’re hoping for good weather. As long as it’s not raining, I think this will be a great event,” Soles said.

Proceeds will go toward making the Cherry Street building compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, rehabilitating the bathrooms and repairing the heating and air conditioning systems.

“The rest of it is just a labor of love, elbow grease and lots of soap to clean it up and set it all up,” Soles said. “We hope to have access to the building by September and then be able to move in by the end of this year.”

ThisWeek CW 07/23/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/07/20/groveport-obetz-will-partner-in-transport-program.html

The cities of Groveport and Obetz will partner in the Groveport Rickenbacker Employee Access Transit project to provide transportation from the closest area Central Ohio Transit Authority stop and Groveport businesses located in the Rickenbacker industrial area.

Groveport City Council voted unanimously July 13 to approve the partnership agreement with Obetz, along with the creation of a special Transportation Services Fund. The ordinance was approved as an emergency so shuttle buses can be ordered and delivered prior to the busy holiday season.

The agreement calls for Obetz to construct two new bus stop pads and to contribute about $38,000 for services in 2015.

In 2016, Obetz will pay all the costs for the bus for its route and one-third of the cost of a spare bus, operating fees and the cost of a transportation supervisor.

“We are requesting that each business contribute $5,000 toward the start-up of the program,” Groveport City Manager Marsha Hall wrote in a summary to council. “If all of the 23 businesses contribute, this will total $115,000.

“In order to be conservative, we are counting on at least 12 businesses contributing this in 2015, which totals $60,000.”

Hall said council’s decision to partner with Obetz would make the difference between three routes or two, and purchasing three or four shuttle buses.

“We can’t really order the shuttle buses until we know how many riders we’ll service and we won’t know that until we know about this contract,” she said.

“With the agreement signed with Obetz, we’ll run three routes with three buses and then have one spare standby bus.

“Bus Services Inc. provided us with the best offer for these shuttle buses and said that they can promise a 90-day delivery turnaround, which is really pushing it to get up and running by Oct. 1,” she said.

Groveport Finance Director Jeff Green said the original quote from Bus Services Inc. indicated company officials believed they could get the vehicles delivered in 60 days, but guaranteed delivery in 90 days. Once the buses are delivered, there will still be some detail work to be completed, such as adding GREAT decals to the vehicles, Green said.

The 28-passenger shuttle buses will cost about $60,000 each. That is expected to be offset by a lease agreement and cost-sharing between the municipalities and participating companies.

“It has always been assumed that the businesses will pay for their riders,” Hall said. “A per-ride cost is the fairest way to distribute the costs to the businesses. To determine a per-ride cost, we took COTA’s current ride numbers for line 81, which is 530 per day, and added an additional 50-percent increase for a total estimate of 800 rides per day.

“We then divided that into per-day total program costs,” she added. “We determined the per-ride ticket cost to be $1.25. This is how we arrived at $60,950 in ticket costs for the period of Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.”

Businesses will be required to pay $1,000 to participate in the program annually.

Hall said she hopes the service will continue to grow, both because of popularity with riders and employers and continued commercial development in the Rickenbacker area.

ThisWeek CW 07/16/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/07/13/groveport-madison-schools-new-contract-gives-teachers-base-pay-raises.html

The Groveport Madison Board of Education signed what was called a “historic” agreement last week with the Groveport Madison Local Education Association, setting in place a new contract with the teachers union.

The deal is for three years, plus a one-year extension.

The contract includes base-pay increases of 2.5 percent in years one and two and a 2-percent increase in year three for teachers, counselors, school nurses and other certified employees.

The one-year extension will give those employees another base-pay increase of 2.5 percent.

Board members voted unanimously Wednesday, July 8, to approve the union-ratified agreement, which includes base salary increases and new language to allow the district to begin hiring additional teachers beginning in January.

Union President Joy Bock said GMLEA members voted unanimously to accept the tentative agreement at the Tuesday, July 7, general membership meeting.

“Since 2008, teachers have received no base increase in salary except a 1.25-percent increase in March of 2011,” she said. “Also, in two of those years, they did not receive step increases. Teachers agreed to these sacrifices in their pay in order to help the district regain solid financial ground.

“Although GMLEA members didn’t get their steps reinstated, we are pleased that the administration and board of education recognized our dedication, hard work and sacrifices by agreeing to base pay increases.”

This is the first time in 38 years that an agreement has been reached prior to the contract expiration, Bock said as she and union Vice President Zac Casperson joined school board President Nathan Slonaker to sign the agreement.

The old contract was due to expire July 31. The new contract starts Aug. 1.

“I want to thank both negotiating teams and Joy we look forward to working with you and your team going forward,” Slonaker said. “This was a historic agreement in both breadth and length.”

The GMLEA also agreed to modify insurance payments, replacing a dollar cap with a percentage amount.

According to a joint statement released by the district and the GMLEA, this change will help the district save on health-care costs and allow for any savings to be used for educational purposes.

“I want to commend both teams,” Superintendent Bruce Hoover said. “They did an outstanding job coming together on an agreement and I think it represents the work of the district over the past five years getting us here today.

“I think it is fiscally responsible to the taxpayers and to the overall goals of the district as a whole, helping us stay competitive over the next four to five years.”

Bock added that she hopes that the agreement helps the district attract the best teachers when hiring opens up in January.

“Our hope is that this change will allow the district to attract the cream of the crop,” she said. “The teachers are very excited to be starting the school year with a ratified contract.”