From ThisWeek Olentangy, 9/7/06:

 

RPC rejects River Run development plan

Thursday, September 7, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer 

 

The proposed River Run development in Liberty Township was narrowly turned down Aug. 31 by the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission.  After an hour of public comment and discussion, members voted 12-9 to deny approval of the preliminary development plan and gave developers a list of concerns.

 

Developers Denis King, Bruce Miller, Paul Cugini and Jeff Boothman are proposing 26 homes, all on lots larger than one acre, on 39.3 acres northwest of Jewett and Olentangy River roads.  The project is expected to top $32 million.

 

After the meeting, a disappointed King said the developers will address the concerns and resubmit the plans.  "We have to," King said.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/090706/Powell/News/090706-News-219659.html

 

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From same:

 

Olentangy among state's fastest-growing districts

Thursday, September 7, 2006

By CANDACE PRESTON-COY

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Being first when it comes to state rankings is a good thing, according to Olentangy school officials.  But when the No. 1 title involves schools on the list of fastest-growing districts in Ohio, it only means more classrooms are needed to handle the burgeoning student population, said facilities director Andy Kerr.

 

Olentangy has four schools under construction, with two elementary schools and a middle school set to open next fall. Olentangy's third high school will open the following year. And the district will most likely be back on the ballot in May for more construction money.  According to Jim Payton, assistant director of school finance for the Ohio Department of Education, Olentangy Local Schools grew by 1,210 students in the 2005-06 school year, an increase of 11 percent.

 

The closest district in terms of student growth was Mason City Schools, north of Cincinnati, with 525 new students last year.  Third is Pickerington with 511 new students.  Other central Ohio districts in the top 10 were Licking Heights, fifth, with 309 students; Hilliard, seventh, with 304 students; Canal Winchester, eighth, with 268 students; and South-Western City Schools, 10th, with 247 students.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/090706/Powell/News/090706-News-219647.html

 

^ And I can remember back in the 1980s when Olentangy's elementary, middle, and High School was all in one building.

From ThisWeek Delaware, 9/17/06:

 

Diaper company, city to mediate fee dispute

New Delaware business seeking relief from $96,000 payment

Sunday, September 17, 2006

By NATE ELLIS

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A dispute over nearly $100,000 in impact fees being assessed to a diaper manufacturer relocating to the city will go to mediation.

 

Hoping to avoid a rift that could sour ongoing relations, Delaware officials and representatives of Associated Hygienic Products agreed to enter into negotiations over fees the city seeks to impose to help fund upgrades to existing municipal facilities, the construction of new city buildings and the purchase of equipment for those structures.

 

AHP, a Duluth, Ga.-based disposable diaper manufacturer, currently is constructing a $14-million manufacturing facility neighboring the Delaware Municipal Airport.  The project will enable the company to relocate manufacturing operations to Delaware from Marion, Ohio, and bring 200 new local jobs and an estimated $10-million annual payroll to the city.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=delaware&story=sites/thisweeknews/091706/Delaware/News/091706-News-225242.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 9/14/06:

 

 

District still expecting 24-26K students at build-out

Thursday, September 14, 2006

By CANDACE PRESTON-COY

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

When DeJong, planning consultants for Olentangy Local Schools, presented its build-out plan for the district in 2002, it showed the district could expect between 24,000 and 26,000 students in the following 12-20 years.

 

The district, according to that original report, would need 20 elementary schools, seven middle schools and five high schools to accommodate that many students, Tracy Healy, vice president of DeJong, told the Olentangy school board at its Tuesday night meeting.

 

DeJong spent the summer updating that 2002 build-out report, Healy told the board, using updated comprehensive plans from the townships within the district and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) maps from the county auditor's office.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/091406/Powell/News/091406-News-224008.html

 

From Olentangy Valley News, 9/20/06:

 

 

Center may score where McD's failed

By JENNIFER NOBLIT 

 

A proposal for McDonald's may have fizzled over the summer, but a new plan for a shopping center was given a positive reception by the Powell Zoning Commission last week. 

 

A sketch plan for a 10,000-square-foot retail center on about four acres at the southwest corner of Murphy Parkway and West Olentangy Street was presented to commission members last Wednesday.  The L-shaped building uses four-sided architecture, which means all sides of the building will be of the same quality architecture.

 

Despite concerns during the first phase of the zoning process, commission members were positive about the plan. During the sketch plan phase, the developer gets preliminary comments from the zoning commission and city administration to build a better preliminary development plan.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS9-20/9-20_ovMPcenter.html

 

Both from ThisWeek Olentangy, 9/21/06:

 

 

Liberty Twp. trustees explore need for more space

Thursday, September 21, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Liberty Township trustees agreed the township probably needs a new municipal building, after listening to township officials and employees complain during a meeting last week about a shortage of space.  Township fire, road and zoning department staff members were at the meeting and all echoed the same sentiment: as the township grows, so do their needs.  All departments said they need more physical space for storage, office and training and possibly more staff. 

 

Trustees were provided preliminary figures from consultants on what it would cost to build a new, larger township hall and administrative offices.  Both a new building, and an addition to the current hall at 7761 N. Liberty Road were considered, but trustees agreed a new building likely is the best option. 

 

Based on current needs, officials said, the township could build a new 10,000-plus-square-foot administrative building, including a larger meeting hall, lounge, clerk's office and additional office space, conference room, and larger work space and storage for the zoning staff.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/092106/Powell/News/092106-News-225943.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 9/21/06:

 

Orange zoning panel objects to Cobblestone signs

Thursday, September 21, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

In its latest appearance before the Orange Township Zoning Commission last week, Cobblestone Crossing came under scrutiny for its proposed signs and commercial property.  Cobblestone Crossing is a 452-acre mixed-use development planned by Planned Communities along the east side of U.S. Route 23 and Home Road.

 

Currently, three commercial parcels are proposed north of Home Road, with the restriction that no building can exceed 40,000 square feet.  Commission member Tim Hetrick said the area north of Home Road could be too close to a proposed single-family residential area for commercial use.

 

Signs, including a proposed 28-foot monument sign at Home Road and U.S. 23, also were an issue.  The plan is "asking for more signs, higher signs, than anywhere else in the township.  I don't know why Cobblestone Crossing, the development, needs to have this," Hetrick said.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/092106/Powell/News/092106-News-225942.html

 

From Olentangy Valley News, 9/27/06:

 

Carriage Road to be 'test case' for township policy

Some township residents don't want traffic calming on the busy road.

By JENNIFER NOBLIT

 

Some Carriage Road residents have been vocal about traffic calming on the east-west road, but at last week's Liberty Township Board of Trustees meeting, some residents voiced a different view.

 

Carriage Road has drawn criticism and debate for years. With few east-west roads in that part of Liberty Township, and as the county's population has grown, traffic on Carriage Road has followed.  A recently completed traffic report from the county cited large amounts of cut-through traffic -- an average of 70 to 75 percent of the 2,115 vehicles per day that travel the road.

 

Also at last week's meeting, John Panovsky from Columbus State Community College requested an informal meeting with zoning officials on the planning process for a satellite building of the southwest corner of U.S. Route 23 and Winter Road. Columbus State currently is working on a development plan for the site.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS9-27/9-27_ovcarrrd.html

 

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From ThisWeek Olentangy, 9/28/06:

 

Retail eyed at failed McDonald's site

Thursday, September 28, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN, [email protected]

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A retail center more than twice the size of a proposed McDonald's restaurant might stand on the site where the fast-food giant's plans failed.

 

The Powell Planning and Zoning Commission has given a favorable response to a sketch plan review for a 10,000-square-foot shopping center at the southwest corner of Murphy Parkway and West Olentangy Street (state Route 750).  Since that meeting, some revisions have been made to the plan and the building is now proposed to be 12,000 square feet, Powell Development Director Dave Betz said.

 

A controversial application for a 4,300-square-foot McDonald's restaurant was denied over the summer after the commission determined the restaurant would constitute a highway business.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/092806/Powell/News/092806-News-230295.html

 

From ThisWeek Delaware, 10/1/06:

 

 

Local officials like economic outlook

Sunday, October 1, 2006

By NATE ELLIS

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Citing a balanced mix of current companies, a business-friendly environment and available land for future development, Ohio's Senate president and officials from the city of Delaware and Delaware County last week said the local economic outlook remains positive.

 

None of the speakers at a local workforce summit held last Tuesday morning at Bent Tree Golf Course in Sunbury appeared to be wearing rose-colored glasses.  But the words coming from Ohio Senate President Bill Harris and Gus Comstock and Tim Boland -- the economic development directors from Delaware and Delaware County, respectively -- exuded optimism about the state of commerce throughout Ohio and the local region.

 

The event was organized by the Job Network, a group of government agencies, including the Delaware County Department of Jobs & Family Services, and private-sector businesses. 

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=delaware&story=sites/thisweeknews/100106/Delaware/News/100106-News-234023.html

From Big Walnut News, 10/4/06:

 

 

Galena throws support behind YMCA facility

A YMCA would serve and be funded by those who live in the Big Walnut school district.

By ANGIE SCHMITT

 

The village of Galena issued its support Sept. 25 for the creation of a joint recreational district, beginning the legal process of building a YMCA in the Sunbury area.

 

Big Walnut School District boundaries will mark the political district affected by tax levies aimed at establishing a recreational center for the community, the decision confirmed.  Sunbury Village Council and the Big Walnut Local School District approved identical legislation in August.  The district required the approval of two local legislative bodies.

 

Dave Martin, a member of the Joint Recreational District Task Force, said all three boards approved the measure unanimously.  "So many people were aware of the need in the area that they put their support into it," Martin said.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS10-4/10-4_bwymca.html

 

Both from ThisWeek Olentangy, 10/5/06:

 

Regional planning panel OKs River Run development

Thursday, October 5, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Despite opposition from some neighbors, the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission last Thursday approved the single-family River Run development in Liberty Township.

 

The RPC denied the development's preliminary development plan Aug. 31 and approved a new plan that had changes, including one fewer lot, a different type of bridge spanning the Bartholomew Run watershed and an expanded conservation easement that will be granted to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

 

The RPC had multiple technical reviews of the plan and the building sites. River Run will include 25 homes on 39.15 acres. All the home sites are larger than one acre.  The land is zoned farm residential and developers need no rezoning or variance. The plan only needs approval from RPC and the commission must approve both the preliminary and final development plans because it has regulatory authority over subdivisions.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/100506/Powell/News/100506-News-236538.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 10/5/06:

 

Orange panel continues Cobblestone sign review

Thursday, October 5, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer 

 

The Cobblestone Crossing proposal was again before the Orange Township Zoning Commission last week and members again discussed signs proposed for the project.  Commission members last month took issue with several proposed monument and wall-mounted signs.  They asked Jack Brickner, Planned Communities director of development, to clarify and add more specifics to the sign proposal.

 

Plans for the 459-acre project's signs are now more clearly explained but commission members took issue with a possible loophole in the language that could allow users in the 66-acre "town center" portion to have nearly 10 different types of signs.

 

The plan proposes a mix of sign types in the town center portion in the middle of the development, ranging from window signs to awning and sidewalk signs.  Currently there is no language prohibiting a business from using several different types of signs on one building, as long as they meet the townships requirements for maximum allowable size of those signs.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/100506/Powell/News/100506-News-236127.html

 

From ThisWeek Delaware, 10/8/06:

 

Access points to Sawmill Parkway may be modified

Sunday, October 8, 2006

By NATE ELLIS

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

As plans progress to extend Sawmill Parkway north from Home Road, access points for properties near five intersections may need to be modified or relocated.  The Delaware County commissioners last Monday authorized spending $32,000 to determine if an estimated eight to 10 properties at five intersections tied to the extension of Sawmill Parkway will need to be altered or moved.

 

Delaware County engineer Chris Bauserman deemed the latest development associated with the estimated $35-million extension as minor, saying it likely wouldn't add "significant" expense to the project.  He added that county officials remain hopeful work to extend Sawmill Parkway northward to U.S. Route 42 in the city of Delaware, can begin sometime in 2008.

 

Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=delaware&story=sites/thisweeknews/100806/Delaware/News/100806-News-238501.html

 

Both from ThisWeek Olentangy, 10/12/06:

 

Wal-Mart lawsuit will get its day in court

Thursday, October 12, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

After more than a year of legal wrangling, attorneys for Liberty Township and Wedgewood Limited Partnership will be back in court Nov. 14 to argue the legality of locating a Wal-Mart in the township.  Oral arguments before the Fifth District Court of Appeals are scheduled to begin Nov. 14, when the court's judges come to hear cases at the Delaware County Courthouse.

 

Wedgewood LP last year filed an administrative appeal in Delaware County Court of Common Pleas after the Liberty Township Board of Zoning Appeals upheld a zoning commission ruling and again denied a zoning permit for a 220,000-square-foot Wal-Mart store at Sawmill Parkway and North Hampton Road.

 

Common Pleas Judge Duncan Whitney sent the case back to the township's board of zoning appeals, saying there wasn't enough information to rule.  Both the township and Wedgewood LP appealed that decision in the appellate court.  Both sides argue there is enough documentation to support their claims and that the court should be able to rule.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?story=sites/thisweeknews/101206/Powell/News/101206-News-241107.html

 

Both from the 10/15/06 Dispatch:

 

 

SUNBURY CHARTER ISSUE

City status nears as village grows

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Dana Wilson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Sunbury could reach 5,000 residents by 2010, turning the village into a city.

 

While some council members in the eastern Delaware County community think the village should create a charter now to manage its impending growth, others argue it’s too soon.  Voters will ultimately decide on Nov. 7 if a commission should be formed to frame a charter for the village.  If the majority of residents approve the issue, they’ll also elect 15 candidates from a pool of 17 to serve on the commission.

 

A charter is similar to a local constitution, allowing government to be tailored to meet the individual needs of each village or city.  Councilman Robert Bishop sponsored an ordinance earlier this year to place the issue before voters.  The charter concept had been discussed in the past but no one acted on it, he said.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news/news.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/15/20061015-C2-02.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 10/19/06:

 

Retail center gets nod at failed McDonald's site

Thursday, October 19, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Powell planning and zoning commission last week unanimously approved a preliminary development plan for a 12,000-square-foot mixed-use retail center at the former McDonald's site.  If final plans are approved, the building at the southwest corner of Murphy Parkway and West Olentangy Street could become home to multiple commercial uses.

 

A controversial application for a 4,300-square-foot McDonald's restaurant was denied in July after the commission determined the restaurant would constitute a highway business.  Such a business is not permitted under the site's 2000 zoning that also outlawed other types of motorist-oriented uses, including gas stations, motels and car dealerships.

 

Some changes have been made to the plan after the commission last month gave a favorable response to a sketch plan review.  The site will be "four-sided" architecture with brick, stone and hardy plank siding.  Some of the building exterior will contain bay windows and stone detailing.  Commission chairman Kevin Futryk said the plans so far exceed the city's expectations.  "I think the building looks wonderful," Futryk said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/101906/Powell/News/101906-news-244993.html

 

From ThisWeek Westerville, 10/26/06

 

Genoa Twp. plans to renew 'visioning'

Thursday, October 26, 2006

By MACKENZIE WHITE

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Genoa Township trustees have given the go-ahead for Otterbein College professors to work as consultants on the township's "visioning process."  The idea for the process developed "indirectly" through comprehensive planning committee discussions, said Bill Bird, of the committee's education-outreach workgroup.  "It was primarily developed from looking back at what was done in the development of the current Genoa 1999 Comprehensive Plan and through research into the efforts of other communities," Bird wrote in an e-mail.

 

Bird called the visioning process "the most important part of any community's plan."  Bird said "unexpected needs" may come out of the process.  For instance, during the 1999 study, he said, residents said they weren't satisfied with the township's police and fire services -- which then consisted of a volunteer fire department and "skeleton, part-time police force."

 

The improvements in these areas "are probably the result of the previous visioning process," Bird said.  "The vision says, 'This is where we want to go,' and the plan sets down the blueprint necessary to move the community toward its goal," Bird said.  The plan will include a number of public forums in early 2008.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=westerville&story=sites/thisweeknews/102606/Westerville/News/102606-News-248597.html

 

 

Orange explores possibility of township recreation center

Thursday, October 26, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A recreation center could someday be counted among Orange Township's park facilities and the possibilities of funding and building such a center are now being explored.  The Orange Community Park Board earlier this month began a six-month process of exploring area recreation centers and learning from other communities' pitfalls and successes.

 

"We're looking to see if its a feasible thing to do," said Mark Robertson, trustee chairman and park board liaison. "It's an expensive proposition."  The board plans to visit several recreation centers including Worthington, Westerville and Liberty Township. At their Oct. 11 meeting, board members met at Dublin's center.

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/102606/Powell/News/102606-News-247465.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 11/9/06:

 

Liberty trustees discuss need for more room

Thursday, November 9, 2006

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Liberty Township's offices are crowded and trustees say they would like to consider adding on to the building or creating more room.  Though no decision has been made, trustees said during a work session last week that they would like more information on possible financing methods and designs for a new addition to the township hall, 7761 Liberty Road.  Trustees have not ruled out putting up a new building.

 

Estimates for a new 10,000-square-foot building run between $1.9-million and $2.2-million.  A 5,400-square-foot addition could run about $1.2-million, officials said.

 

Trustee Curt Sybert said he hopes the project -- whatever the township decides to do -- can be funded without turning to voters to pass a bond issue.  Sybert suggested the township work with a finance company specializing in leasing arrangements with government entities, rather than a ballot issue.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/110906/Powell/News/110906-News-258898.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 11/2/06:

 

Cobblestone Crossing returns to zoning panel

Thursday, November 2, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Planned industrial zoning was the topic at the latest in a continuing series of Orange Township Zoning Commission meetings on the Cobblestone Crossing project.  The commission again heard from developer Planned Communities last week about the 452-acre mixed-use development planned along the east side of U.S. Route 23 at Home Road.  Plans call for everything from single-family homes and condominiums to commercial, "big-box" retail and industrial areas.

 

Planned Communities seeks a rezoning of about 27 acres to planned industrial for the Industrial Park at Cobblestone, an area that could include roughly 30 lots used for industrial users.  The company proposes two entry signs for the industrial area, Planned Communities director of development Jack Brickner said.

 

The setbacks for industrial users were increased from 25 feet to 50 feet on Green Meadows and from 25 to 75 feet along the area near Home Road.  Commission members asked Brickner to consider building sidewalks through the industrial area.  A bicycle path is proposed for much of the project, including the industrial area.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/110206/Powell/News/110206-News-253200.html

 

ya know, after reading many of these suburban and exurban type threads, we need a barf face to put on here.  ya know?

ya know, after reading many of these suburban and exurban type threads, we need a barf face to put on here.  ya know?

 

I had one somewhere that I tried to load into the system software, but I couldn't get it to work.  Start a thread in Forum Issues if you'd like.

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Appeals court hears Wal-Mart arguments

Thursday, November 16, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer 

 

Liberty Township Zoning Inspector Holly Foust had 27 valid reasons to deny an application from Wedgewood Limited Partnership for a Wal-Mart Supercenter, not the least of which is a cap on commercial development, township attorney Bill Loveland told the state Fifth District Court of Appeals Tuesday.

 

One year after appeals were filed by both the township and Wedgewood LP, attorneys for both sides presented oral arguments before three appellate judges and a packed hearing room.  Judges William B. Hoffman, Julie A. Edwards and John F. Boggins presided.  There is no deadline for the court to rule on the case.

 

The township and Wedgewood are both asking the court to overturn a decision made last year by Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Duncan Whitney to remand the case back to Liberty's board of zoning appeals.  Attorney Bruce L. Ingram, representing Wedgewood, said remanding the case back to the BZA would give the township a "do-over" and "it was an error for the court to remand this to the BZA."

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/111606/Powell/News/111606-News-262182.html

 

From ThisWeek Westerville, 11/16/06:

 

 

Zoning data show growth slowing in Genoa Township

Thursday, November 16, 2006

By MACKENZIE WHITE

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Growth in Genoa Township continues to slow, with only one single-family home permit issued in October, according to information from the township zoning office.

 

Barring a major housing boom before the end of the year, fewer single-family residential permits will be issued this year than in 1993, before the township entered years of growth.

 

Zoning inspector Leslie Warthman told Genoa Township trustees at their meeting Nov. 8 that it is the first time in her zoning career the township has issued only one permit in a month.  "So we have slowed down quite a bit," she said. "That's a first."

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=westerville&story=sites/thisweeknews/111606/Westerville/News/111606-News-261937.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 11/23/06:

 

Condos are coming to Sawmill Road

Thursday, November 23, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Liberty Township Zoning Commission on Nov. 15 unanimously approved a new condominium development on Sawmill Road, rezoning the property from farm residential to planned residential.  Thirteen condos, built by Geld Properties, will sit on 2.74-acres at 9963 Sawmill Road.

 

The developers have made a "beautiful statement of architecture" with the condos, commission member Terry Doodan said.  Plans for the condos include stucco and stone materials, gas fireplaces with stone-faced chimneys and a minimum of 15 feet between buildings.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/112306/Powell/News/112306-News-265357.html

 

Condos are coming to Sawmill Road

...

The developers have made a "beautiful statement of architecture" with the condos, commission member Terry Doodan said.

 

Plans for the condos include stucco and stone materials, gas fireplaces with stone-faced chimneys and a minimum of 15 feet between buildings.

 

The condos also will have decks.

 

Since when has development such as this ever been described in terms of "beautiful," "statement," or "architecture"?

26,000-square-foot shopping center proposed off Sawmill Parkway

Dublin Villager, 3/2/06

 

Powell City Council last week approved a resolution outlining municipal services to be furnished to a 9.4-acre site that is pending annexation to the city.

 

From ThisWeek Delaware, 12/10/06:

 

Parkway to include six roundabouts

Construction for first section targeted for spring 2007

Sunday, December 10, 2006

By NATE ELLIS

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

After officials recently modified plans to include intersection roundabouts, an estimated $47-million project to extend Sawmill Parkway north of Home Road is inching forward.  For the past 18 months, officials from the Delaware County Engineer's Office and engineering and architectural firm Burgess & Niple have been planning the northward extension of Sawmill Parkway from its current terminus at the intersection of Home Road, to U.S. Route 42 in the city of Delaware.

 

The most recent designs now call for the installation of roundabouts, rather than traffic signals, at six intersections created by the extension. The major portion of the project, including right-of-way acquisitions affecting about 50 properties and the majority of construction, won't be launched before 2008.  As revealed to the public during an open house for the project last Wednesday at Liberty High School, the first phase of the six-mile extension is expected to begin once warm weather breaks next spring.

 

Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=delaware&story=sites/thisweeknews/121006/Delaware/News/121006-News-276220.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 12/14/06:

 

Parkway plans continue as residents protest

Thursday, December 14, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Delaware County Engineer's office last week released new details on the $47.5-million Sawmill Parkway extension, but at least one resident group remains opposed to the project.  During an open house Dec. 6, Delaware County Engineer Chris Bauserman said without the extension, the county's road network will become more crowded.  "This area north of Home Road is going to develop and if we don't build Sawmill Parkway ... We're putting traffic from future developments onto our existing road network that cannot handle it," Bauserman said. "Think about the impact on Home Road and on Liberty Road and Powell Road in downtown Powell at the 'four corners,' what that would be like (if the parkway weren't built). I think we'd all agree that that would be chaos."

 

Full story at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/121406/Powell/News/121406-News-279396.html

 

Sprawl marches on.

"This area north of Home Road is going to develop and if we don't build Sawmill Parkway ... We're putting traffic from future developments onto our existing road network that cannot handle it," Bauserman said.

 

Typical thought process for a highway engineer. We won't get any other solutions from this guy.

 

Maybe the answer is to limit development (gasp!). Does Delaware County really need it? Has anyone there thought about the huge price they will pay for unrestrained sprawl development? Probably not. Sprawl just "happens". That's the price of "progress".

 

Most of us know the real answer is to limit sprawl and develop in a sustainable manner, which allows the development of dense communites served by transit. As it is, there is no way transit could ever serve this area, dooming Delaware County to become the Blob That Ate Ohio.

From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 12/17/06:

 

Panel to look again at donated land

Sunday, December 17, 2006

By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

There is a plot of land in the Sunbury Mills development that hasn't received much attention since 2001, when a bond issue seeking to build a Big Walnut school there was defeated.

 

Sunbury Village Council member Bob Bishop plans to change that.  He has reconvened an operations committee charged with overseeing a joint venture agreement dealing with the land.  The property was set aside for a potential school site by developer Dominion Homes.

 

The land -- near state Route 37-U.S. Route 36 and state Route 3 -- includes nearly 22 acres.  As part of a developer's agreement with Dominion Homes, five acres was deeded to the school district.  The rest of the property went to the village.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=bigwalnut&story=sites/thisweeknews/121706/Sunbury/News/121706-News-280606.html

 

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From ThisWeek Olentangy, 12/21/06:

 

Retail center OK'd for Murphy Parkway/West Olentangy Street

Thursday, December 21, 2006

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Powell City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved plans for a 12,300-square-foot retail center at the southwest corner of Murphy Parkway and West Olentangy Street, the site of a controversial McDonald's application this summer.

 

The mixed-use retail center will be built on about 1.4-acres.  The retail center will stand where a 4,300-square-foot McDonald's was denied this summer after the zoning commission determined the restaurant would constitute a highway business

 

MORE:

http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/122106/Powell/News/122106-News-282577.html

 

From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 12/24/06:

 

 

Citizen input sought on Genoa's future

Sunday, December 24, 2006

By MACKENZIE WHITE, [email protected]

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

In the new year, Genoa Township residents will have the chance to envision the township's future.  The comprehensive planning committee, charged with updating Genoa's 1999 comprehensive plan, has scheduled 10 "voices meetings" at which residents will be asked to give their opinions about the township.

 

Residents will be encouraged to answer questions such as: reasons they chose to live where they do; what they would add to or improve about the township; their least favorite features; what they like most about Genoa; their "vision" of the township today; and how they would make it a better community.

 

"Before there can be any meaningful plan, the residents must agree on a mental picture of what they want the community to look like, feel like and be like," says a flier about the meetings.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=bigwalnut&story=sites/thisweeknews/122406/Sunbury/News/122406-News-283632.html

 

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From ThisWeek Olentangy, 1/18/07:

 

Ball fields, playground

Havener Park plans unveiled

Thursday, January 18, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer  

 

Liberty Township trustees and residents Tuesday night got their first look at the proposed master plan for Havener Park.  Development on the park is expected to start soon and could be open by 2008.

 

The township officially received the title to the land in December after trustees in June 2006 accepted the donation from Phyllis A. Havener and her family of 94 acres between state Route 315 and Liberty Road, about a half mile north of Bean Oller Road.

 

The family also donated another 97 acres to Preservation Parks, and both parcels will be developed as a joint project between Preservation Parks and Liberty Township.  Liberty's portion of Havener Park will be developed first because its primary use as "active recreation" is needed, Preservation Parks park planner Ted Miller said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=powell&story=sites/thisweeknews/011807/Powell/News/011807-News-292877.html

 

^ About time Kilbourne got in the news.  :-D :|

BTW, the reporter doesn't know her Geography.  Richard Fleming's property is WEST of Kilbourne, not SOUTH (actually SW).

And I'd say it's 2 miles from Kilbourne proper.

(and another farm bites the dust.  :cry:)

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 3/1/07:

 

Powell might share tax with Liberty

Thursday, March 1, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN , TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

An agreement that would allow an income tax to be collected in a small section of Liberty Township is nearing a vote, Liberty Township Trustee Chairman Curt Sybert

 

The area's first joint economic development district (JEDD) agreement is near completion and is expected to be voted on by trustees and Powell City Council soon, Sybert said. Trustees will hear a presentation on the JEDD plan at their March 5 meeting.

 

The district would contain a 22-office condominium development planned in an undeveloped area near the Wedgewood commerce area along Sawmill Parkway, Sybert said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/030107/Powell/News/030107-News-312419.html

 

From ThisWeek Big walnut, 3/11/07:

 

Galena's first major subdivision winds down

Sunday, March 11, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The subdivision credited with jump-starting development in Galena is expected to complete its last home before the end of the summer.  Maronda Homes recently requested building permits for the last of 51 lots in its Heathermere subdivision on Walnut Street.

 

According to Galena Mayor Tom Hopper, Heathermere was the first significant subdivision in Galena, beginning a round of development including Maronda Homes' Walnut Creek subdivision on Joe Walker Road and Trinity Homes' Estates at Blackhawk.

 

"That's a huge change in the number of houses," Hopper said. "That will effectively double the population of Galena.  The population was 305 in the 2000 census. When those subdivisions are finished, we'll be up to 600."  According to Dave LaValle, recent estimates produced by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission put Galena's population at 456.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/031107/Sunbury/News/031107-News-318535.html

 

From the 3/22/07 Dispatch:

 

GRAPHIC: Settling down

 

Delaware County

Blistering growth rate beginning to cool off

Thursday,  March 22, 2007 3:49 AM

By Matt Tullis and Dana Wilson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

At 25, Cheri Theisen was ready to buy her first home. As a single woman with one income, price was a major factor. She looked in Westerville, where she had lived in an apartment for six years. She looked in Worthington, Dublin and Clintonville.

 

In the end, a home in the Carson Farms subdivision just inside Delaware city limits was perfect, and she bought it in June 2006. "They had good home prices and affordable taxes," Theisen said of Delaware County, "and for a first-time home buyer, it really fit my budget."

 

Such has been the lure of Delaware County for thousands -- 46, 708 to be exact -- who have moved there since 2000, making it the 13th fastest-growing county in the country, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau numbers. But the boom is slowing. In 2001, Delaware County's population grew 6.7 percent. That dropped to 5.3 percent in 2005 and 4 percent in 2006.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/03/22/DELGROW.ART_ART_03-22-07_A1_JV65D9O.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 3/2/07:

 

New retail may be coming to Liberty

Thursday, March 29, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Liberty Township Zoning Commission again heard from developers seeking approval of a retail and office development at the southeast corner of Sawmill Parkway and Powell Road (state Route 750).  The 26.8-acre site at 3930 Attucks Drive would be home to a Walgreens drug store, nine office condominiums and mixed-use retail.

 

Elford Development is seeking approval for about 120,211 square feet of retail space and about 39,312 square feet of office space at the site, said Jack Reynolds, attorney for the developers.  The development would be in the Big Bear Farms and would collectively be known as the Shoppes at Liberty Crossing.

 

The zoning commission voted unanimously to table the application so the applicant can continue work on the site's interior road network and signs.  Reynolds said he expects the application to be back before the commission within the next few months.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/032907/Powell/News/032907-News-326648.html

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From ThisWeek Olentangy, 4/5/07:

 

Liberty retirement home plan tabled

Thursday, April 5, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A retirement home one day might be among the houses along state Route 315, but developers again had to table their application last week at a Liberty Township's Zoning Commission meeting.  The Loch Lomond Farm Co. first proposed the development nearly two years ago and hadn't made a new presentation to the zoning commission since January 2006.

 

Developers were forced to table the application March 28 because it lacked both a preliminary and final development plan -- something required if a rezoning to planned elderly and residential retirement community is proposed for lots less than 40 acres.

 

The company proposes to rezone about eight acres at 10410 state Route 315 from planned residential to PERRC for The Loch Lomond Residence Village, an assisted living and nursing home facility.  "Realistically, we cannot go forward. ... We'll vote it down," commission chairman Walter Threlfall told Tedd Hardesty, an Edge Group representative who was going to present project plans.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/040507/Powell/News/040507-News-332103.html

 

Both from ThisWeek Olentangy, 4/5/07:

 

* View concept drawings of the proposed hotel (.png format)

 

Orange Township

Trustees review plans for 121-unit hotel

Thursday, April 5, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer 

 

Orange Township trustees on Monday got their first official look at designs for a 121-room extended-stay motel planned for the intersection of U.S. Route 23 and Halfway Avenue.

 

Gary Fischer, manager of development services for Value Place Hotels, said the franchisee-owned location will be one of six to eight such facilities his company hopes to put up in central Ohio.  Fischer told trustees Value Place caters primarily to business travelers who plan to stay longer than a few nights, as well as families who find themselves between homes.

 

The four-story, 44,000-square-foot building will sit on a triangular lot of roughly 2.8 acres.  Plans call for about 125 parking spaces, which complies with the township zoning requirement of one space per room and one space for each employee on shift at any given time.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/040507/Powell/News/040507-News-332453.html

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New Powell department building full of upgrades

Thursday, April 5, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

After months - some might say years - of waiting, the Powell Police Department has a building to call its own.  The department has finished moving into the new headquarters at 47 Hall St. after nearly a year of construction.  The $2.75-million project that included the new offices also gave the entire municipal building a new facade and added outdoor restrooms for people using the park and amphitheater.

 

"This building was designed for the future so it's something we can grow into," Lt. Steve Hrytzik said.

 

The building can accommodate about 30 officers, a far cry from the cramped quarters police shared with the road department at 260 Village Park Drive.  Until 1999, all city offices were housed in that building, something Hrytzik, an employee since 1991, said he missed when the city administration moved to the Hall Street building.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/040507/Powell/News/040507-News-332060.html

 

From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 4/8/07:

 

Council reviews community center plan

Sunday, April 8, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Sunbury Village Council got its first look Wednesday at a joint venture agreement designed to give the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District the land it needs to build a community center.

 

The agreement would give the JRD 10 of the 50 acres that make up Freedom Park on state Route 61.  The village would hold on to the remainder, which includes the Anthony Kinslow Memorial disc golf course, according to the agreement.  The shelter house now located on the property would remain unless village council approves its removal.

 

Under the agreement, Sunbury would be responsible for maintaining the disc golf course and for mowing up to two proposed youth football fields.  All funds necessary to operate, maintain and equip the community center must be provided by the JRD or the facility's tenant, according to the agreement.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/040807/Sunbury/News/040807-News-333162.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 4/12/07:

 

Orange hotel may boost tax revenue

Thursday, April 12, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

When the proposed Value Place Hotel opens next year, Orange Township's population of hotels will have increased by 100 percent.  The 121-room extended stay hotel, planned for about 2.8 acres at the intersection of Halfway Avenue and U.S. Route 23 just north of Orange Point Drive, also should give a boost to the township's bed-tax receipts.

 

The bed tax, passed in February 2003, has brought in almost $70,000 since its inception, said Donna Batten, the township's fiscal officer.  The 120-room Conference Center at Northpointe, 9423 U.S. Route 23, has been the only hotel within Orange Township since the 3-percent bed tax was approved.  The center generated $24,830 for the township last year, Batten said.

 

Developers for the Value Place project have said the units will cost $199 a week and will include the features of a small apartment.  Value Place representatives have said they hope to resolve sign and other issues with the township soon and have a county building permit in hand by the end of the summer.  If all goes well, the facility should be open for business by early 2008, they have said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/041207/Powell/News/041207-News-334939.html

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From Big Walnut News, 4/11/07:

 

Sunbury considers land for rec center

Land on state Route 61 could house the facility if voters OK a May bond issue.

By JENNIFER NOBLIT

 

Sunbury Village Council last week heard the first reading of an ordinance that will give the Eastern Delaware County Recreation Center a home.

 

Members of the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District asked council earlier this year for land along state Route 61, north of state Route 3 near the Sunbury Church of the Nazarene, that would house a 50,000-square-foot recreation center for residents of the Big Walnut Local School District.

 

Last Wednesday, council members heard the first reading of an ordinance that would turn over the land to the group if a 27-year, 1.2-mill bond issue is approved by voters May 8.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS4-11/4-11_bwJRDland.html

 

From Big Walnut News, 4/18/07:

 

Campaign reports 'ecstatic' response

Fund raising for an outdoor pool at the proposed Sunbury- area recreation center has gotten a jump-start.

By JENNIFER NOBLIT 

 

Some Sunbury-area residents have questioned the feasibility study that led to a 1.2-mill bond issue on the May ballot, but members of the campaign to build a local recreation center said response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

 

Voters will be asked to approve a 27-year, 1.2-mill bond issue at the polls May 8 that will finance the construction of a 50,000-square-foot community center.

 

While current plans are to have the YMCA furnish, run and maintain the facilities, some residents of the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District -- which shares its borders with the Big Walnut Local School District -- have questioned the number of people surveyed in the YMCA-conducted feasibility study that led to the plans.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS4-18/4-18_bwJRDlevy.html

 

Both from ThisWeek Olentangy, 4/19/07:

 

 

Wal-Mart case facing possible delay

Thursday, April 19, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

A federal lawsuit between Liberty Township and Wedgewood Limited Partnership filed over a proposed Wal-Mart likely will be delayed again.

 

The battle over a proposed 220,500-square-foot Wal-Mart at the corner of Sawmill Parkway and North Hampton Road has been ongoing since summer 2003. The federal lawsuit -- one of two involving the township and Wedgewood -- probably will be held up by recent motions filed by attorneys for both sides, said Bill Loveland, attorney for Liberty Township. The federal court set a discovery deadline of April 30, meaning all documents must be turned over to opposing sides and witnesses must be deposed. That deadline soon will pass and depositions haven't started yet.

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/041907/Powell/News/041907-News-340827.html

From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 4/29/07:

 

Plan could bring 300-400 homes to Galena

Sunday, April 29, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Galena Village Council last week agreed to provide municipal services to a 197-acre proposed Trinity Homes development that could, when complete, increase the village's population by 50 percent.  The property, known as the Miller Farm, could accommodate 300 to 400 homes, said Galena's public service director Dave LaValle.

 

Under the municipal services agreement, the village will provide services such as police, road maintenance, zoning and sewer if the property is annexed.  The agreement was forwarded to the Delaware County commissioners as part of an annexation petition for the property, at the southeast corner of Sunbury and Vans Valley roads in Berkshire Township.

 

LaValle said the annexation could be a boon for Galena, not a burden.  "It would certainly add additional residents, but at the same time, I think it will help the village with additional revenue," he said.  The 2000 census listed Galena's population at 305.  Officials now estimate village population at about 560, LaValle said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/042907/Sunbury/News/042907-News-345778.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 5/3/07:

 

Value Place drops plans for extended-stay hotel

Thursday, May 3, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

After hearing from neighbors of a proposed 121-room extended-stay facility, the project's developers have decided to pull out.  A Value Place Hotel had been planned for about 2.8 acres at the intersection of Halfway Avenue and U.S. Route 23, just north of Orange Point Drive.

 

Developers had said the units would cost $199 a week and include the features of a small apartment.  The hotel would have catered to the lodging needs of business travelers, relocating families and others, developers said.

 

Residents of the nearby North Orange development said the project might bring an undesirable element into the community and threaten the safety of residents and those who use Orange Township's aquatic center and nearby parks.  "Our foremost issue was safety of the community and of the people who use the pool and the park area," said Stephanie Prosnik, a resident of Coachmen Lane in the North Orange development.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/050307/Powell/News/050307-News-346288.html

 

From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 5/6/07:

 

Community center site deal OK'd

Sunday, May 6, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Sunbury Village Council voted Wednesday to give 10 acres to the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreational District so it can build a community center -- but only if voters Tuesday approve a $12-million issue to build it.  The decision was greeted with applause from the roughly 20 levy supporters who turned out to witness the vote.

 

Dave Martin, chair of the JRD's board, said council's approval of the agreement will help motivate levy supporters as they campaign before the May 8 vote.  "You can say you know something's going to happen, but when it finally does, it gives you a real sense of excitement," said Martin.

 

"This is the start of something ... that's going to be a benefit to the community," said an enthusiastic Mitch Potterf, Sunbury's representative on the JRD board.  Council members agreed and said they looked forward to a victory at the polls.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/050607/Sunbury/News/050607-News-349690.html

 

From ThisWeek newspapers, 5/8/07:

 

Voters soundly reject community center levy

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

By an overwhelming majority, voters in the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District rejected a levy to build a YMCA-run community center during Tuesday's election.  According to final unofficial results from the Delaware County Board of Elections, the issue lost by 2,159 votes to 1,327, or about 62 percent to 38 percent.

 

Dave Martin, chair of the JRD board, said he was "befuddled" by the lopsided defeat.  "That's not the feedback we got from the community.  We had positive feedback all the way around," he said as he left board of elections offices Tuesday evening.  "The margin itself is much greater than I anticipated."

 

The 27-year, $12-million levy would have funded the construction of a 50,000-square-foot recreation center planned to sit on 10 of the 50 acres that make up Freedom Park on state Route 61 in Sunbury. The park is owned by the village of Sunbury.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/twn/content/pool/exclusives/050807-News-sby-ymca.html

 

From Big Walnut News, 5/16/07:

 

YMCA backers consider November

The bond issue to fund a Sunbury rec center lost badly last week at the polls.

By JULIA KREUZ

 

It's back to the drawing board for the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District.

 

The district's 27-year, 1.2-mill bond issue to fund a 50,000-square-foot YMCA-run community center for the Big Walnut area was voted down by 62 percent of voters at the polls May 8, according to final, unofficial results from the Delaware County Board of Elections. Results showed 2,159 votes against the issue and 1,327 votes in favor of it.

 

For Dave Martin, chairman of the recreation district board, a simple equation offers encouragement.  "If you do the math, 62 percent voted against the levy, but only 27 percent of the people voted.  So if you do take 62 of 27, that means only 15 percent of registered voters decided against it," he said.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS5-16/5-16_bwYMCA.html

 

From ThisWeek Olentangy, 2/22/07:

 

 

Cobblestone Crossing

Housing slowdown kills project

Thursday, February 22, 2007

By KELLEY YOUMAN TRUXALL

ThisWeek Staff Writer 

 

A housing-market slowdown has led a developer to scrap plans for what would have been one of Orange Township's most ambitious developments.  Jack Brickner, director of development for Planned Communities, withdrew the company's Cobblestone Crossing application Feb. 15, marking an end to more than a year of work by both Planned Communities and Orange zoning officials.

 

A commercial area and hundreds of single-family homes and condominiums were part of the Cobblestone plans.  Zoning hearings on the 452-acre mixed-use development on the east side of U.S. Route 23 near Home Road had been tabled since late last year, but until then the zoning commission had held up to two meetings a month on the project.

 

Brickner said there are no plans to resubmit the Cobblestone application anytime soon. Planned Communities has scrapped the Cobblestone proposal largely because of a slowing housing market, he said.  "Right now, we've pulled away from the entire project and property," Brickner said Tuesday.  "It's a sign of the housing market's economic times. Had we started it earlier, we would be done with it by now. But there's a much slower economy."

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/022207/Powell/News/022207-News-310560.html

 

From Olentangy Valley News, 6/20/07:

 

Three new schools add to summer workload

By MATT GERISH

 

School may be out for the summer, but the work continues inside Olentangy's schools.  The district is hard at work putting the finishing touches on three new schools for the 2007-08 school year.

 

Olentangy Hyatts Middle School and and Liberty Tree Elementary School in Liberty Township, along with Johnnycake Corners Elementary School in Berkshire Township, are expected to welcome more than 1,400 students in August.  All three buildings are coming together ahead of schedule and under budget, said district Facilities Director Andy Kerr.

 

Liberty Tree is the closest to completion, and Principal Pam Bachman was expected to be in the building this week supervising as books and televisions begin making their way into the school, Kerr said.  Furniture is being installed at Hyatts and should be completed by July 4.  Johnnycake Corners will be the last to be completed.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS6-20/6-20_ovconstruction.html

 

From ThisWeek Westerville, 6/28/07:

 

Townships want to get out of JRD

Thursday, June 28, 2007

By MARK MAJOR

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Still suffering from a decisive defeat at the polls last month, the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreational District now finds itself facing a mutiny. 

 

Trustees of Harlem, Trenton and Berkshire townships this month unanimously passed resolutions asking the Big Walnut Board of Education to remove itself from the JRD; Genoa Township trustees have called a special meeting to discuss the matter.  Also in the JRD are Porter and Kingston townships.

 

The hope is that the move would release the JRD's six member townships from the agreement, trustees and JRD opponents said.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/062807/Westerville/News/062807-News-379022.html