ThisWeek CW 10/29/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/26/madison-township-county-says-no-to-traffic-calming-requests.html

The Franklin County Engineer’s Office and the county prosecutor’s office have halted Madison Township’s efforts to install speed bumps and traffic-calming on a couple of township roads.

Township officials announced at the Oct. 21 trustees’ meeting that a traffic study along Winchester Pike completed by the Franklin County Engineer’s Office found no reason to install further traffic-calming devices.

Similarly, a request by trustee Gary McDonald for an opinion about placing speed bumps along Sims Road also was denied by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.

Public Works Superintendent Dave Weaver said the traffic study was completed along Winchester Pike between Courtright and Schwartz roads.

“The county came out and took all their measurements and data and they said that speed-reduction wasn’t warranted at this time,” Weaver said.

Earlier this year, the township requested similar traffic studies in the Blacklick Estates neighborhood — with the same result.

McDonald said he and the other trustees are unwilling to give up. He said he approached the prosecutor’s office for a legal opinion to allow the township to install temporary speed bumps. However, McDonald said, the response was that the township does not have the authority to do this.

“I’ve been trying to get speed bumps out there on some of our roads to help calm the traffic and so far, everything has been negative coming out of the Franklin County Engineer’s Office; so back in August, I reached out to the prosecutor regarding the speed bumps and they also said it is a no-go due to our liability,” McDonald said.

“I want residents to know though that this board will continue to work to find a solution to our speeding problems and to make our residents safer.”

ThisWeek CW 10/29/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/26/veterans-to-be-honored-with-ceremony-parade.html

The Canal Winchester Senior Citizens Club and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10523 are planning the city’s second Veterans March and Ceremony Nov. 7 and are inviting veterans of all eras and their families to join in.

Veterans and their families are invited to enjoy a free pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Nov. 7 at the Frances Steube Community Center, 22 S. Trine St. A short program specifically for veterans will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Following the breakfast, attendees will assemble for a parade march from the community center to Stradley Place Park. The Senior Transport bus will be available to help transport participants who have mobility issues.

Motts Military Museum also will provide military vehicles as part of the parade.

Breakfast will be prepared by the Bivens family with senior citizen club members and local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts helping to serve the meal and clear the tables.

Organizer Bobbie Mershon, a Canal Winchester City Council member and Vietnam veteran, said she hopes the public will attend the parade and post-parade ceremony, scheduled at 10:30 a.m., to show their support of the city’s veterans.

“As an in-country Vietnam vet, I know what it is like to go unappreciated for your service,” Mershon said. “Canal Winchester has sent many of its young men and women to serve their nation in war and peace. I want each of them to know how proud of them we are.

“These are our hometown heroes and Canal Winchester does not forget,” Mershon said. “I hope all veterans, young and old, attend the free breakfast with their families, especially the Iraq and Afghanistan vets. It is always good to make connections with those who can relate to your experiences.”

The Veterans Day ceremony will include a raising of the colors and the national anthem performed by Mike Walker. Guest speakers will be the Rev. John Romig from Gender Road Christian Church; Dr. Tracy Fowler from Heritage Baptist Church; Warren Motts from Motts Military Museum; Canal Winchester Mayor Mike Ebert; and Maj. Gen. John Harris Jr., Assistant Adjutant General-Ohio Army National Guard.

The ceremony will wrap up with a rifle salute and a performance of Taps by members of the VFW.

Mershon said she expects this year to surpass last year’s successful inaugural event.

“The Senior Citizens Club sponsors the event through a city grant they applied for earlier this year and many businesses generously donated items for this event, as well as many people who are giving of their time. All are appreciated,” Mershon said.

“Because last year was so successful, all we needed to do was tweak it to make it better. I’m sure more veterans will turn out. I hope all citizens come to the march and ceremony and look at the veterans’ pictures, which will be displayed in the storefront windows around town.”

Event organizers are requesting submissions of veterans’ photos, including name, service dates and branch of service. Photos submitted last year will once again be presented and do not need to be resubmitted.

Photos should be copies of an original photo, show veterans or active military personnel in uniform, and should be no larger than 5-inches by 7-inches. They can be dropped off at the Canal Winchester Municipal Building, 36 S. High St., or the community center.

Submissions may also be emailed to bmershon@canalwinchesterohio.gov.

For more information, visit canalwinchesterohio.gov or call 614-837-8276.

ThisWeek CW 10/29/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/26/city-eyes-online-payment-options-for-utility-bills.html

Canal Winchester residents will have new options for paying their utility bills under an accounting system being rolled out in the city.

Finance Director Amanda Jackson said at the Oct. 19 Canal Winchester City Council meeting the new system will allow the city to begin accepting online payments once a payment processor is selected and council approves any necessary policies associated with the payments.

One reason for moving to the online payment option is to reduce the number of delinquent bills.

Public Works Director Matt Peoples said delinquent water and sewage bills leading to shut-off notices reached 953 in 2014 and are at 633 through September this year; each one takes an average of 12.5 man-hours to deal with.

“These tags are becoming very onerous, so we’re looking at doing things a little bit different,” Peoples said.

He said many residents claim not to have received the notice tag, which is usually stuck to the front door of their houses, until after they’ve already had their water shut off.

Peoples said that upon receipt of the tag, residents have three days to respond.

“We don’t shut people off when they’re working through an investigation of their bill or working with us like that,” Peoples said. “So we’re working with Law Director Gene Hollins to look at our policies and see if we can instead accomplish this through the billing statements with the new system. That will save us a lot of time and money sending guys around to tag.”

Jackson said many of the shut-off tags go to residents who repeatedly wind up on the list and don’t pay until they see the tag.

“We definitely have some households that will wait until they’re tagged and we know they won’t pay until we say we’re going to disconnect,” she said. “Another benefit of the new system is we can send bills to multiple locations, such as to the landlord as well as the resident so they know what’s going on, too.

“So going along with doing this through the billing, we want to start accepting electronic payments — which is one of the biggest complaints we have heard from residents.”

The city will continue to accept payments made by mail, in person or drop-box as it currently does; but once the online option is available, residents will be able to make payments using either a credit card or an electronic transfer from a checking account.

“There will be a convenience fee associated with this since the banks charge a fee,” Jackson said. “It won’t ever come to us, though. The fee goes straight to the processor.

“Right now, I’m shopping around for the best rates and some of it will depend on how many residents jump on board with using the online payment function.”

Jackson said she hopes to have the online payment option available by the beginning of 2016.

ThisWeek CW 10/22/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/19/city-oks-rezoning-fee-waivers-for-school-projects.html

The Groveport Madison Local School District has received city approval to move forward with combining five district buildings into one facility adjacent to the high school.

At Groveport City Council’s Oct. 13 meeting, members voted unanimously to approve two pieces of emergency legislation aimed at further improving on the school district’s current high school construction project.

Superintendent Bruce Hoover had asked council Sept. 28 to consider rezoning an industrial warehouse the district purchased at 4400 Marketing Place so the building could be remodeled for use as a multipurpose educational and administrative building, including bus garage facilities, storage and new Cruiser Academy space.

Hoover also asked that council consider waiving any city fees associated with the review of plans and other applications for the projects. He estimated that by doing this, the district would be able to free up about $50,000 that could then be put back into additional project improvements.

City Administrator Marsha Hall said the legislation council approved doesn’t anticipate or set a dollar amount associated with the fees, but does waive whatever fees possible.

“We will not have totals for fees being waived until all plans, plan revisions and HVAC inspections are completed. That is why we wrote the ordinance the way we did — type, not amounts,” Hall said.

Some of the fees associated with inspections and plan reviews are not charged by Groveport and thus cannot be waived, particularly those associated with the city of Columbus.

Because construction on the new high school has already started, and because the district wants to start work on its new Marketing Place facility as soon as possible, council approved both pieces of legislation as emergencies, waiving the usual three public readings.

ThisWeek CW 10/22/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/19/guiler-park-improvements-part-of-eagle-scout-project.html

After receiving the support of Canal Winchester City Council in July, Kevin Diehl has earned his Eagle Scout rank with the completion of his project at Guiler Park.

Diehl asked for approval to install a brick paver patio, benches and a new flagpole in the park.

“When I was trying to come up with a project, I knew that I wanted to do something that would last,” Diehl said. “I realized that there was no flagpole at Guiler Park and decided I wanted to put a pole and resting area with it. I chose Guiler Park because I’ve grown up in Canal Winchester and when I was in preschool, we used to go to that park and play, so I wanted to give back to it.”

On Oct. 4, Diehl joined his family, fellow Scouts from Troop 103 and city officials to raise the flag and complete the dedication. Mayor Michael Ebert issued a proclamation at the Oct. 5 Canal Winchester City Council meeting thanking Diehl for the project and recognizing his outstanding citizenship.

“The dedication of the flag on Sunday was a very nice ceremony that I was glad to be a part of,” Ebert said.

Public Works Director Matt Peoples, who helped sponsor the project, agreed.

“It was a really nice ceremony and the flagpole and benches and paver stones there look really nice and should keep looking good for a long, long time,” Peoples said.

According to Diehl, he was able to obtain several donations to make the project happen.

“The city of Canal Winchester donated the flagpole and benches. Mr. Tom Obert from our troop donated most of the other materials I needed,” he said. “I communicated with Mark Clotts from the Hamilton Parker Co., too, and he donated all of the pavers that were used.

“Tools and labor were donated by different members of the troop and I also received monetary donations from friends and family.”

Working with the city and finding donations taught Diehl about how much work is needed to bring a project like this to fruition.

“This project taught me a lot about what goes into all of the behind-the-scenes parts of anything,” he said. “I learned how to organize contacts, resources and people to complete my project.

“Throughout my time in Boy Scouts, I’ve gained leadership skills and I truly put all of these skills into effect.”

Diehl said he hopes his project will promote patriotism and will provide a place for him to reflect on a mentor who has died.

“I chose to dedicate my project to all who have served in the United States Armed Forces because the idea of this project was to promote patriotism in our city,” he said. “I also dedicated it to Tim ‘Fluffy’ Sperling. He was someone who really influenced me, not just in Scouts, but in life. Tim always knew how to make something out of nothing and he could make anything fun. I was lucky enough to be close with Tim before he passed away on Sept. 7, 2011. Tim was a huge inspiration to me and so many others. His memory will forever live on.”