ThisWeek CW 10/15/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/12/madison-township-five-way-race-for-trustee-seat-includes-one-incumbent.html

This year’s highly contested Madison Township trustee election is for a seat currently held by incumbent Gary McDonald, who is hoping to fend off challenges from Kimberly J. Jordan, John Kershner, Kathleen Walsh andSharon Whitten in the Nov. 3 election.

Jordan did not respond to multiple requests from ThisWeekfor information about her campaign.

* Kershner, who previously served on the board of education and is president of the Canal Winchester-Groveport Area Rotary Club, said he sees the township’s safety services as a primary asset for the community but believes maintaining and improving those services are important issues to tackle, as is addressing property blight.

“Madison Township’s fire calls continue to decline due to rigorous building codes and excellent supervision of home improvements,” Kershner said. “However, calls for medical assistance and transport continue to rise. We must investigate and address these increases to ensure that we maintain excellent services within the confines of our budget.

“Our police have lost a valuable K-9 officer who was responsible for numerous arrests and prosecution of illegal drug activity,” he said. “They were also responsible for the continued growth of relationships with schools and students in our community. These services made them an excellent resource and community partner and they need to be restored without raising taxes.”

Kershner said Madison Township’s problem with “eyesore properties” is similar to those in other communities, but the township needs to do more to address the situation.

“We need to be more dedicated to stepping up code enforcement on these properties and increasing responsiveness, to help eradicate them,” he said.

In addition, he said, trustees “have repeatedly promised to improve communication between residents and the board, We need to use available services more efficiently to keep that promise.”

Kershner said he hopes voters see him as the right candidate for these budgetary times.

“I feel I am the right candidate at this time, because the processes I want to work with others to implement will create more efficiency, transparency and effectively address the specific problems in Madison Township,” Kershner said. “I am aware of those problems not only because I live here, but also because I have had the opportunity to work with various levels of government in Madison Township. I am passionate and invested in Madison Township because my roots are here you won’t find anyone who will work harder or more enthusiastically to fill this position.”

* McDonald said the effect of budget issues on township services would be at the forefront for him if he is re-elected. He noted the township’s partnerships with Canal Winchester, Groveport and the school district are its greatest asset.

“I’m worried about our loss of revenue from state tangible personal property taxes and alternative funding,” McDonald said. “At our July trustees’ meeting, an open discussion ensued regarding the township’s finances and potential cuts in state funding, as reported by our fiscal officer and fire chief. Currently, Madison Township receives about $1.2 million-plus in state money.

“At a glance, we face a loss of $40,000 on streets and administrative programs, $350,000 to the police department and an estimated $820,000 to the fire department,” he said. “I will continue to be a good steward of tax dollars and continue to listen to the citizens and their suggestions in how their money is being utilized. Our financial reports and budgets are available upon request and our budget meetings are open to the public.”

McDonald said he is proud to say he’s kept his word and hopes voters agree and keep him in office.

“When I first ran for trustee, I placed emphasis on the following principles: putting residents first, open government and transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open communications. I am proud that I have kept my word,” McDonald said. “I, along with my fellow board members, have instituted many changes to improve all services within Madison Township. I realize there is much more work to be done and will continue to strive to improve all services provided to the taxpayers of Madison Township and the cooperative relationship that has been established with our citizens and local entities.”

* Walsh said Madison Township’s best assets are “strong, hard-working families,” natural resources and parks, agricultural land and access to major transportation infrastructure including U.S. Route 33.

Walsh said Madison Township needs to embrace technological solutions to communications issues.

“With today’s technology, the sharing of information is different,” she said.

“We need to update our Madison Township website, highlighting community resources, and develop a financial transparency portal to give the Madison Township stakeholder a transparent view of how their funds are invested in the delivery of services. We should also embrace social media and use it to the township’s benefit.”

Walsh said she believes Madison Township needs its own defined vision, developed through better communication with residents.

“Without a publicly defined vision, there can be no direction,” she said. “I have personally experienced the frustration of the lack of communication within Madison Township. Columbus is closing in on Madison Township and the development they allow needs to be continuously monitored.

If elected, Walsh said, she will make sure the people of Madison Township know they are both her boss and her customers.

“I would like to implement monthly town hall gatherings,” she said. “These would be informal social gatherings for networking, sharing of ideas and voicing concerns. I would encourage the participation of the community, including student of all ages. With the information obtained from the gatherings, I’ll work with the other trustees to write a vision statement and set solid goals.”

Walsh said she wants to make Madison Township the best township in Ohio.

“I have the time, resolve and dedication to this task,” she said. “I’ve spent the past 20-plus years in the construction industry as a cost estimator, project manager and owner. I have worked on multimillion-dollar projects that were completed on time, on budget and to the satisfaction of the customer.

“I have experience with fundraising and managing volunteers with Easter Seals and the parochial schools,” Walsh said. “I have experience working with government agencies. I will work tirelessly as a team player, to ensure that they are satisfied with my work ethic, honesty and integrity.”

* Whitten said she has held several PTA offices over the years and has been active in athletics booster organizations. She said she believes the community’s residents and excellent public servants are its greatest asset.

She said focusing on budgeting, primarily related to the fire department, would be the township’s biggest issue in the near future.

“Spending our tax dollars wisely is our biggest issue,” Whitten said. “We need to make certain the promise made to build and adequately staff our new fire station per the fire levy that was passed happens.

“I definitely have the skills, knowledge and ability to tackle the tough issues that our township has with the budget.,” she said. “One possibility is finding ways to bring in more revenue and working together with our surrounding municipalities.”

Whitten said she would help the township in finding partnerships and will expand outreach to residents, if she is elected.

“I will add diversity with the elected trustees,” she said. “I have contacts in federal, state, county and local agencies that may prove useful to assist the township. I have negotiated contracts with companies. I will establish weekly meetings with residents in different parts of township to discuss concerns and suggestions, as well as working with veterans, seniors and youth to provide resources not currently being made available.”

ThisWeek CW 10/15/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/12/county-sheriffs-office-issues-warning-about-phone-scam.html

The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office has issued a fraud alert about a phone scam in which the caller claims to be a deputy.

“There are always phone scams going on and … this involves a caller identifying themselves as a sheriff’s deputy and saying that we have a warrant for your arrest for missing a jury duty summons,” Sgt. Marian Devault said at the Oct. 5 Canal Winchester City Council meeting.

“First of all, if we have a warrant for your arrest, we’ll just show up at your door, not call on the phone.”

Devault reported that one city resident lost $1,100 to this scam recently and she’s concerned others will be taken in as well.

She said she hopes to get the word out as widely as she can because once the scam is complete, it becomes very difficult to track down the perpetrator.

“One lady lost $1,100 because she was so convinced by them. They kept her on the phone all the way from her house to Kroger, where she bought two Kroger Recharge Cards and then gave them all the numbers over the phone,” Devault said. “Once she’d given the numbers, they had what the needed and they hung up on her.

“The problem is, they use these untraceable money services and the throw-away cellphones so it makes it very difficult to track them down once they’ve got the money.”

According to the sheriff’s report, two people, one identifying himself as “Deputy Mike Scott” and another as “Lt. Zach Miller” had pulled off the fraud by claiming the victim had been charged with “failure to report” and “contempt of court.”

“We had another man who fortunately didn’t fall for it but did call us and file a report,” Devault said. “That’s important for us because when we catch them, we need to have reports filed to prosecute.”

She said residents should notify the sheriff’s office if someone calls or comes to the door “demanding money for something that is a surprise to them or doesn’t seem right.”

“Please call us,” she said. “We’ll be more than happy to send someone out right away to verify if it’s a scam or not.”

The phone number for the sheriff’s office Canal Winchester substation is 614-837-7913. Any jury-related questions should be directed to the Fairfield County Common Pleas Court jury manager at 614-652-7433.

ThisWeek CW 10/8/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/05/new-transportation-program-is-off-to-great-start.html

The Groveport Rickenbacker Employee Access Transit system got up and running Sept. 28 with a handful of riders on its first day of service.

“It was a GREAT day today — sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Finance Director Jeff Green told Groveport City Council members at their meeting that night. “By the second loop, we had people on every bus and we had council members there by 5:19 a.m. for the first run.”

Earlier this year, city officials announced plans to provide a public transportation option to Rickenbacker-area workers which would bridge the gap between existing Central Ohio Transit Authority stops and the numerous industrial warehouse buildings they have to get to, often a mile or more from the nearest COTA stop.

The program is jointly funded by Groveport and Obetz, with additional support from COTA; city officials also are seeking grant funding. To recoup costs associated with the program, area businesses agreed to purchase ride passes for employees and to pay an annual fee.

“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.”

Green said the city is thankful for all the outreach and marketing work COTA officials have done.

Councilman Ed Dildine said the riders he spoke with were very happy about being able to take advantage of the bus option instead of having to take a long walk from the COTA stop to the Stella & Dot and the Innotrac facilities.

Aside from the connections with COTA, Councilwoman Becky Hutson said some employees still found it convenient just to make it to the GREAT stops.

“I spoke with one woman whose husband dropped her off at the GREAT-COTA bus stop because that was more convenient for them — she was really thrilled,” Hutson said.

Green said the program already is having a positive impact beyond just getting people to their job sites.

“One more thing I want to say is that last Thursday, I was meeting with a company who is considering a move here, and if it happens, they’ll bring about 175 new, good-paying jobs.

“They said the difference between the two communities they’re considering is that I said we can guarantee we have advanced transportation options to bring workers to their doors,” Green said. “They were very intrigued by that.”

Council members agreed the system got off to a good start and they expect it to grow rapidly.

“I was on the afternoon runs and I thought it was very well-organized,” Councilwoman Donna Drury said. “I think within 30 days, you’ll be filling the seats.”

More information about the program is available online at cota.com/great.

ThisWeek CW 10/8/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/05/district-seeks-city-zoning-variances-fee-waivers.html

Groveport Madison Schools Superintendent Bruce Hoover asked Groveport City Council last week to grant zoning variances and waive an estimated $50,000 worth of fees connected with building a new Groveport Madison High School.

“We’ve got a couple of requests for council to consider related to our construction projects, one of which is regarding our facility consolidation as part of reconstructing the warehouse facility into an educational facility, combining five of our current buildings into one,” Hoover said at the Sept. 28 council meeting.

“We’d like you to consider passing that as an emergency at the next meeting because we’re going up against a contract deadline.

“The other item is that we have a number of costs associated with the high school project. Some are projected and some are hard costs, like application fees and fees for reviews. The more we can nail down hard costs and what we need up front, the more budget we will know we have for building a better facility.”

City Administrator Marsha Hall asked council to consider waiving any hard fees associated with the application and review process that are under the city’s control.

“I met with the building department and legal, and we’ve asked the district to bring in everything they believe might need a variance at once instead of waiting to bring them (requests) as needed throughout the process,” Hall said. “Because we won’t know what all of the internal fees are until they’ve submitted for variances and plans, this will help.

“There are some fees that have to be paid to the city of Columbus, for instance, and those we won’t be able to waive.”

Hall said other possible savings might come from the variances themselves.

“One example was that we have a requirement to have landscaping in the parking lot. The Groveport Madison marching band uses that as their practice space. If we keep that requirement in this case, the school will need more land to provide practice space for the band, and that’s a high cost which would be money lost from the construction budget,” Hall said.

Currently, according to Hoover, the district has about $5 million in a contingency fund for the construction project. By nailing down anticipated expenses, or eliminating them, more of that money can go into facility enhancements. He estimated fees associated with the project could account for as much as $50,000.

“We’re asking council to consider this so that we can build a bigger and better school for the community,” Hoover said.

Council members agreed to consider passing the zoning changes as an emergency at their Oct. 13 meeting. They also agreed to consider waiving fees associated with the project that are directly controlled by the city.

“We are committed to assist in everything we can to make sure the school is the best it can be for the students,” Hall said.

 

ThisWeek CW 10/8/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/05/canal-winchester-city-council-quality-of-life-future-growth-top-candidates-concerns.html

With three seats up for election and only one incumbent running again, Canal Winchester voters will see at least two new faces on city council after the Nov. 3 election.

In addition to incumbent Rick Deeds, candidates seeking election are: Bob Clark, Bruce Jarvis, Tim Waibel and Mike Walker.

Council members Joe Abbott and Marilyn Rush-Ekelberry decided not to seek re-election.

The candidates

Clark served as an assistant to three U.S. Congressmen over a 25-year career and spent more than two years as the economic-development director for Fairfield County.

“In terms of economic development, our location is our greatest strength, as you can reach 50 percent of the U.S. and Canadian population within a day’s drive,” Clark said. “Canal has the best of both worlds: We have a small-town flavor, vibrant downtown and good economic growth. And we are only 20-plus minutes to professional sports, great hospitals and major research institutions of higher learning.”

Deeds has served on city council for 16 years, including six as council president.

“Canal Winchester has many assets and strengths,” Deeds said. “We have our own water and wastewater plants — something that many towns in central Ohio can’t say. Having those allow us to control our destiny, how we expand, the rates we charge, etc.

“Our industrial parks provide a great commercial base to help offset residential taxes while creating local jobs,” he said. “Canal Winchester has a unique character and we’ve worked hard to retain the small-town feel as we grow by growing sensibly while investing in our downtown and providing support for entities such as Destination: Canal Winchester that help retain our character.”

Jarvis, who previously had served 14 years on city council, similarly pointed out community, control of utilities and strategic, developable land as assets.

“When it comes to utilities and developable land, Canal Winchester is poised for the future much better than many nearby communities,” Jarvis said. “Being close to the capital city but very far away in feel, we are extremely fortunate to have developed and maintained an irresistible small-town charm — especially in the historic districts of the city.

“There is a great sense of community pride here that engages people and draws tens of thousands of visitors every year but it takes deliberate planning and consistently appropriate actions to maintain that pride.”

Waibel sees community spirit as the city’s best asset.

“As an active, growing community, still maintaining that small-town atmosphere is what makes Canal Winchester unique,” Waibel said.

Walker expressed similar sentiments: “Our greatest asset is our heritage and sense of community.”

Concerns and plans

Walker said he is primarily concerned with improving water quality and better traffic flow off U.S. Route 33.

“I’d like to see a continuous improvement in the quality of our drinking water,” Walker said. “I would also like to see more convenient entrances and exits to our great city. The traffic coming in off 33 sure seems to get more backed up as time goes on. If I’m elected, I’ll stay strong and passionate about these concerns and hope to improve them.”

Waibel believes continuing the growth currently underway is important to the city’s future.

“I see BrewDog as promoting piggyback growth like we haven’t seen before, so continued communication will be important,” he said. “I’m willing to listen to the concerns of our citizens and evaluate each issue as necessary.”

Jarvis said Canal Winchester is a healthy community, but he hopes to create a stronger, strategic vision for the future.

“The city does well maintaining the current infrastructure, but from my perspective, there is not much evidence of real long-term, strategic planning for the future,” Jarvis said.

“We must also do a better job of planning and executing projects that add to the quality of life throughout the city,” he said. “Future public meeting spaces, parks and organized activities need to be in the queue now for them to be realities in the near future.”

Deeds said the most pressing issue over the coming term is related to external decisions.

“Entities outside of Canal Winchester can make decisions that directly impact us,” he said. “Some recent examples include: SWACO decides to have all solid waste sent to its landfill, costing Canal Winchester about $800,000 a year; the state of Ohio cut the local municipal funds, costing Canal Winchester thousands of annual budget dollars; the state is currently reviewing the calculation and collection of local income taxes, which may cost us thousands of dollars annually.”

Deeds agreed that long-range planning could mitigate some of these concerns.

“While we are in a good position financially at this point, it is important to have a long-range plan and work toward that plan,” he said. “While the economy has improved, the competition to attract and retain businesses is fierce. It will be important for us to compete … by being easier to work with and providing a better overall location where businesses want to come and stay.”

Growth also was a primary issue on Clark’s list. He said he wants to make sure income-tax revenue keeps up with future infrastructure needs and that the city takes advantage of grant money.

“I believe managing the proper amount of growth that makes sense for the city is a big issue,” Clark said. “We need to keep our focus on economic development that creates new wealth, bringing in new income taxes that pay for infrastructure needs of the future. I believe my past professional experiences in government and economic development has allowed me to build relationships in the political and business communities that I can put to use for the betterment of Canal Winchester.”