ThisWeek CW 09/17/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/14/three-year-agreement-contract-gives-sergeants-pay-hike-other-benefits.html

Groveport City Council approved a new contract with the police sergeants union, increasing pay in each of the three years of the new deal.

Council members voted unanimously Aug. 24 to approve the new contract with the four Groveport Police Department sergeants, who are members of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

According to City Administrator Marsha Hall, this negotiation could not be completed until after a new contract had been approved for the 15 police officers and three detectives in the department.

“We had to wait to finish the FOP contract before completing this because the pay is tied to that agreement, and this agreement does become retroactive to July 1,” Hall said.

The new contract continues to base sergeants’ pay on what the highest-paid police officer receives, plus an additional percentage. This means the sergeants’ pay will increase by 3 percent each year of the three-year contract, the same as the police officers’ pay that was negotiated with the FOP.

However, the sergeants will also receive an additional pay increase each year.

In year one, sergeants will receive a pay rate that is 13 percent above the top pay wage for the officers, which is the same as the previous contract. In year two of the contract, this percentage increases to 13.5 percent above the top pay wage for officers, and goes to 14 percent in the final year of the contract.

Besides pay increases, the contract includes the same changes to compensatory time and equipment allow-ances negotiated in the FOP contract.

The new sergeants’ contract increases the amount of compensatory time a sergeant can bank from 40 hours to 56 hours. They will also be given an additional personal day each calendar year, up from one day to two.

Shift differential pay for all shifts between 2 p.m. and 6 a.m. will increase an additional $1.05 per hour as well.

Sergeants also will receive a $100 increase in their annual uniform and equipment allowance, from $800 to $900 per year.

Chief Ralph Portier thanked council for supporting the new contract and thanked Hall for her work in negotiating the agreement.

ThisWeek CW 09/10/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/04/madison-township-seeks-title-to-land-bank-property.html

Madison Township officials are hoping to trade one kind of green for another by requesting the title to the first of about 10 properties where structures have been demolished as part of the Franklin County Land Bank program.

Township trustees voted unanimously Aug. 19 to approve legislation seeking the title. Township Administrator Susan Brobst said the process of getting a parcel from its status as blighted township property to tax delinquency to Land Bank demolition then to auction forfeiture by the state can take months but ultimately could result in some minor revenue for the township.

“The state of Ohio is ready to forfeit the property at 3317 Latonia Court over to Madison Township at no cost to us if you will approve it,” Brobst told township trustees at their Aug. 19 meeting. “This was the first demolished property as part of the Franklin County Land Bank program and since they have had no bids on it, we can ask the state to deed it over to us and then we can sell it.

“Once we have the deed, we can put sales signage on the property and we’ll put additional information on our website.”

Brobst said other than an apartment complex that once stood at 3232 Winchester Pike — a site now owned by the township — all the other properties are small lots that do not provide the township with other use options except to sell them.

“Similarly, with many of the other sites, unless someone else thinks of another township use for them, we’ll just resell them to developers,” she said.

The Latonia Court site “is just a single home lot and is very isolated, so I think selling it would be the best use for the township,” Brobst said.

“We’ve got to keep mowing these as long as they are in this process or owned by us, so getting rid of them will be a big help taking them off our mowing schedule,” she added. “And then, besides the sale price, we would be able to collect real estate taxes again.”

ThisWeek CW 09/10/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/04/residents-hope-to-see-playground-on-vacant-lot.html

Two residents of the Founder’s Bend neighborhood askedGroveport officials last month to consider establishing a playground on a vacant lot in the development.

“We have a vacant lot between 4329 and 4348 Landmark Road and we were wondering if it would be possible to have you put in a playground in there, because right now, our kids have to go all the way to Three Creeks for any playground equipment or a basketball court,” said James Chilton, Founder’s Bend Homeowners Association president.

According to Chilton, representatives from Rockford Homes — the developer of Founder’s Bend — had said the company would build a playground on the lot when the development was still being marketed, “but as you know, they’ve left us with a few things hanging.”

Chilton and other neighborhood residents approached the city in June to help negotiate an agreement with the Indiana & Ohio Railway to cap licensing fees associated with a sewer line easement.

The agreement, originally between Rockford Homes and the railroad, was signed over from Rockford Homes to the homeowners association under a contract clause, leaving the association on the hook for an annual 5-percent increase that was already nearing $4,000 for the next renewal period.

The city negotiated a capped, fixed agreement similar to its $1,400 annual agreement with the railroad for another utility easement.

City Administrator Marsha Hall said it appears that Rockford transferred the abandoned Landmark Road lot to the city.

“So it is ours, but we’ll need to go through our options based on how much room we have to work with,” Hall said.

According to the Franklin County Auditor’s Office GIS information, the lot has been combined with a 5-acre parcel the city owns adjacent to the neighborhood.

Finance Director Jeff Green said he believes the city staff could come up with some ideas for the property. He said it might be possible to add some of the project cost to Groveport’s 2016 annual budget, if council approves.

“There are lots of grants available through the playground equipment companies as well,” Hall said. “We’ve done that before and we might be able to get some funding that way.”

ThisWeek CW 09/10/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/04/football-for-food-drive-supports-local-pantry.html

With the changing of the seasons, the Canal Winchester Community Food Pantry is making some changes and kicking off the annual Football for Food fall campaign.

Last year’s effort brought in more than 11,000 items that Canal Winchester Human Services Administrator Penny Miller said helped keep the pantry shelves stocked until the holiday contributions came in.

The Football for Food fall food drive will begin once again with a Pizza for Food competition starting Monday, Sept. 14. All students from kindergarten through high school are asked to consider bringing in donations of food and household items.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, a food parade will be set up for students attending Indian Trail and Winchester Trail elementary schools, followed by a final collection of food at the middle school and high school on Friday, Sept. 18. The classes that collect the most donations in each building will be rewarded with a pizza party.

The Football for Food campaign will culminate at the Sept. 18 CWHS football game vs. Westerville. Fans who bring a food or household item to donate at the game will be admitted free.

Attendees without food donations will be required to buy a ticket for the game, with a portion of the proceeds to be shared with the pantry. Anyone wishing to make a tax-deductible cash donation should make checks payable to Canal Winchester Human Services.

“The food pantry statistics confirm that hunger instability continues to be an issue in our community,” Miller said. “We currently have more than 1,300 clients and the Feeding our Future program served over 250 students during the last school year. Collectively, more than 109,000 meals were distributed to our hungry neighbors in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30.”

Distribution hours

Miller said Community Food Pantry distribution days changed permanently this month to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We believe this change will be of benefit not only for the clients but will also help the organization minimize operating expenses and be more efficient with staff hours,” she said. “As a nonprofit that relies on charitable contributions to survive, it is very important to pinch pennies and watch the bottom line, and that is what we do continuously.”

Food pantry distribution hours will continue to be from 1 to 3 p.m., with later hours from 4 to 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

In preparation for the busy fall and winter months, Miller said Kate Fox is now on board as a program coordinator to help oversee scheduling for the pantry and senior transportation programs.

“Kate had been one of our trustees and comes with a wonderful connection to the students and families of our school district where she recently retired,” Miller said. “She was also one of the Feeding our Future coordinators on the school side of the program, so working together was already a relationship we enjoyed.”

In addition to Canal Winchester, the food pantry also serves Lithopolis and underserved areas of Fairfield County in the Bloom Carroll school district.

The Canal Winchester Community Food Pantry is available by appointment only; to schedule call 614-834-4700.

Additional information about supporting any of the programs administered by Canal Winchester Human Services is available by emailing penny.cwhs@gmail.com, or by calling 614-834-4700.

ThisWeek CW 09/10/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/04/madison-township-sims-ditch-upgrades-alleviating-drainage-issues.html

Franklin County crews anticipate finishing upgrades to the Sims Ditch this fall that should help alleviate some drainage issues for Madison Township’s Harriet neighborhood.

Project representative Jim Ramsey from the Franklin County Engineer’s Office updated township trustees about the project in August.

Sims Ditch is a drainage culvert that extends from the southeast corner of the Harriet neighborhood south to Georges Creek, near where the Rager Road rail crossing meets the creek.

“We have divided this up into three sections, with section one running from Georges Creek up to about where it crosses Rager Road, then section two running from a little northwest of Rager Road up to Sims Road, and the third section being from Sims Road north to Harriet,” Ramsey said.

“Last year, we replaced section one with 30-inch pipe that empties into Georges Creek. This year, we replaced all of section three and now we’re going to go into section two and just do repairs and maintenance to the tiles as necessary there.”

The county is paying for the work, according to Ramsey and township Administrator Susan Brobst. The total cost is about $300,000, with approximately $180,000 spent in 2014 and $120,000 spent this year.

Ramsey said there had been total collapses in some sections which were replaced. Those collapses created mud blockages that resulted in backflow into residences and severe ponding in the Harriet neighborhood.

“These drainage tiles were originally sized for agricultural needs, which is why it was OK to have some ponding,” he said.

“I believe there will still be some drainage issues even with the improvements, because the 100-year floodplain shows that near Georges Creek, there is the potential for serious flooding that we haven’t ever experienced.”

However, he said, there are no funds available to tackle work necessary to completely alleviate the 100-year-flood risk.

“That much backflow could surface flow all the way to the Harriet neighborhood and that’s way more costly than we can handle as a project, so residents might consider adding a backflow preventer,” Ramsey said. “If they do that, they’ll need to know those require routine maintenance.”

Harriet resident Sharon Whitten said she and her neighbors were thankful for the work that has been done, which she said has already been an improvement.

“We do appreciate all the work you’ve done,” Whitten said.