Southeast Messenger - October 28th, 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PAGE 4 - SOUTHEAST MESSENGER - October 28, 2018 southeast Messenger (Distribution: 19,206) Rick Palsgrove ...................................Southeast Editor southeast@ columbusmessenger.com Published every other Sunday by The Columbus Messenger Co. 3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43204-1887 (614) 272-5422 The Columbus Messenger Co. reserves the right to edit, reject or cancel any advertisement or editorial copy at any time. The company is not responsible for checking accuracy of items submitted for publication. Errors in advertising copy must be called to the attention of the company after first insertion and prior to a second insertion of the same advertising copy. BIRTHDAY • ENGAGEMENT • WEDDING • ANNIVERSARY • GRADUATION • RETIREMENT IN MEMORIUM • ARMED FORCES Say it with an announcement ad in the Messenger and spread the word. You can download the appropriate form from our Web site or stop by our office Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Columbus Messenger 3500 Sullivant Ave. 614-272-5422 www.columbusmessenger.com SUPPORT your Community Paper Through advertising, community newspapers like the Messenger have always been FREE papers. In these tough economic times we are asking you the reader to help offset the current decline in advertising revenue by participating in a voluntary payment program*. To those who have already participated - We Thank You. For those who would like to, below is a form you can mail with your payment. *This is not a subscription. .Name: Address: City/State/Zip columbus 3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, OH 43204 1 year ($9) 2 year ($18) Eastside Westside Southwest Southeast column www.columbusmessenger.com What was Groveport like in 1875? Sometimes, when we get swept up in our busy modern lives, it’s interesting to look back at what things looked like at a particular place and time, so I did a bit of time traveling to Groveport in 1875. Groveport in that year had a population of around 627 (compared to the more than 5,000 who live in town today). The railroad had just come to town seven years earlier. The electric interurban railway was still 29 years away. Boat traffic on the Ohio and Erie Canal that passed through town was beginning to fade from its mid-19th century heyday. Townscape, 1875 The town’s streets were dirt (or mud depending on the season). The town’s borders were the railroad tracks to the north, the Ohio and Erie Canal to the south and east, and West Street to the west. West Street originally got its name because it was the westernmost street in what was Wert’s Grove, a town that in 1847 merged with Rarey’s Port to become “Groveport.” Center Street is so named because it was in the center of Wert’s Grove and what is now College Street was known in the 19th century as East Street because it was the easternmost street in Wert’s Grove. East Street was renamed College Street once the new Groveport School was built on what is now Naomi Court in 1884 (it replaced a smaller school at Walnut and Elm streets). East Street wasn’t the only street to change names as North Alley became Buckeye Alley. There was a spaciousness to Groveport in 1875. There were many open property lots in town. For instance, only 12 houses stood on Elm Street from Front Street to College Street. There were lots of open lots between those dozen abodes. Other streets were similar. Northwest of Hickory Alley and West Street and west of West Street were farm fields and orchards. However, all this open space did not mean the town lacked activity. Many businesses existed in To advertise in the Messenger, call Doug Henry at 614-272-5422. town in those days. The variety of businesses shows the town was self-sufficient in filling the needs of the residents and the farmers in the surrounding township. A sampling of the businesses include the wagon shop at Hilly Alley and Main Street, the Campbell Hotel on the northwest corner of Main and College streets, a harness shop, general store, hardware, warehouses, cooper shop, stables, blacksmith, grainers, grocers, lumber dealers, taverns, canal boat dry dock, dry goods store, post office, druggist, shoemaker, carpenter, stone and brick masons, mills, and W. Mason’s brickyard. Seemingly everything one would need or want all in one town! In 1875 Groveport Town Hall, now a well known landmark, had not yet been built, but a vote to build it was held in 1875 and the building opened in 1876. Prior to that, the building used as the Madison Township Hall stood at Main and Center streets. Churches in town included the Methodist, Presbyterian (original building still in use), Catholic, and Baptist congregations. Government actions, 1875 What was Groveport City Council up to in 1875? Council enacted a ban on bathing or swimming in the canal, but one wonders if this ban was ever enforced. Plus, canal water was probably not the most pleasant to substance to immerse oneself in anyway. City Council in 1875 was also concerned about the condition of the Groveport Cemetery. Council meeting minutes from the time describe the cemetery as the “graveyard” and that it was “in a very bad condition.” Council moved to put the cemetery “in good repair” and enacted “a special tax of one mill for the cemetery on the taxable property of the corporation.” The minutes do not elaborate on what specifically was in poor condition at the cemetery, but one thing might have been the old fence that originally surrounded it. Council approved replacing the cemetery’s wooden fence. The description of the new wooden fence approved by council in 1875 is “60 panels more or less 5 ft. fence 12 in. baseboard panels 12 ft long white or burr oak railing 2 x 4 in well spiked 101 locust posts 3 ft. in ground, good pine pickets 1 x 6 in. plain points with four 8 penny nails in each picket. Two good 10 ft. gates on north side one 4 ft gate on west side. As much of the old lumber to be used on east and west sides as fit for use. L. T. Sims proposal for building new fence at $245 per panel, and old fence for $165 was accepted.” Editor’s Notebook Today the cemetery is surrounded by a beautiful, gated wrought iron fence. Council spent a lot of time in 1875 on dealing with the ditch at Brook Alley. There are many references in the meeting minutes to cleaning the ditch and its banks. Council approved a contract for $43.40 to W. R. Kauffman for work and material to build Rick Palsgrove bridge across Brook Alley ditch on Main Street. The “ditch” is still there today, but the water it carries is in a tile that runs under Brook Alley. Speaking of bridges, being a canal town Groveport needed bridges to span the canal and it was important to keep them and the roads near them in good repair. Apparently, council in 1875 was annoyed with the “tardiness” of a contractor who was working on the road approaches to the canal bridges on Main Street and College Street and notified “the county commissioners to take such action as will secure its speedy completion.” When one thinks about the money spent in the 21st century on heating and cooling, it’s interesting to see that in 1875 council spent $65.80 for the purchase of three stoves from the Bigelow Hardware, once located on Main Street. Groveport in 1875 may have been a small farming community, but it also seems like it was a bustling place. People of that time probably felt, just like we do today, that life can be hectic. An icon passes away, July 1875 One last thing from 1875 in Groveport. The famed horse Cruiser, who is the mascot for Groveport Madison Schools, passed away at age 23 on a rainy day in July 1875 in his barn behind the Rarey mansion on Main Street. In her book, “John Rarey: Horse Tamer,” author Nancy Bowker described Cruiser’s passing this way: “As the raindrops drummed on the barn roof, the celebrated stallion lay down for the last time.” Rick Palsgrove is editor of the Southeast Messenger. Letters policy The Southeast Messenger welcomes letters to the editor. Letters can be of any topic as long as they are not libelous. Letters that do not have a signature, address, and telephone number, or are signed with a pseudonym, will be rejected. PLEASE BE BRIEF AND TO THE POINT. The Messenger reserves the right to edit or refuse publication of any letter for any reason. Opinions expressed in the letters are not necessarily the views of the Messenger. Mail your letters to: Southeast Messenger, 3500 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus, OH 43204; or by email to southeast@columbusmessenger.com.
www.columbusmessenger.com October 28, 2018 - SOUTHEAST MESSENGER - PAGE 5 Groveport looks to re-brand and market itself By Rick Palsgrove Southeast Editor Groveport residents have indicated what they would like to see in the city’s downtown and city officials are making plans to make it happen. “One thing we hear all the time from residents is that we need more restaurants and more businesses,” said Groveport Finance Director and Assistant Administrator Jeff Green at a public forum about business development held on Oct. 23 at The Links at Groveport. “We listened to you and now we want to put the information we gathered into tools we can use to develop branding and market strategies for the city.” Branding and marketing strategies Jay Schlinsog, of Downtown Professionals Network, presented proposals to redesign the city’s logos, update the city seal, and use two shades of green, blue, and gray as the colors in the city’s marketing and promotional materials. He said Groveport’s historic qualities, its abundance of trees, and the city’s small town feel are quality of life pluses for attracting businesses. “There’s no other Groveport,” said Schlinsog. “It’s a classic traditional community.” Green said the city could begin using the updated branding tools to market the city by January, if they are approved by Groveport City Council sometime in the next two months. Some items that could be used to market the city are new decorative street banners, promotional products that feature the city’s logos, ads, target marketing and the use of business and shopping guides as well as Photo courtesy of the Circleville Pumpkin Show, Inc. Pumpkin queen Elise Pickett of Groveport, who attends Teays Valley High School, was named 2018 Miss Circleville Pumpkin Show at The Circleville Pumpkin Show held earlier in October. First Attendant is Allyson Withers of Circleville High School and Second Attendant is Sydney Reeser of Logan Elm High School. pamphlets. Part of the marketing strategy, according to the proposed “Historic Groveport: Market Study & Strategy” includes targeting business prospects who: have prior experience within the region; have a connection to Groveport; have concepts or business models that are consistent with what residents want according to the city’s recent online survey; and who are attracted to Groveport’s one-of-a-kind quality of life and amenities. Survey results An online survey about the future of the city’s Main Street and historic business core was conducted from July 30 to Aug. 13. The online survey was part of the Groveport Community Improvement Corporation efforts to conduct a local market analysis, plus research the development of marketing and business recruitment strategies and branding for the city’s downtown. The CIC is working with Downtown Professionals Network. According to city officials, this local retail market analysis, which the survey was part of, cost $11,200. The city’s last market study was done in 2003, with an update in 2011. The 2003 study cost the city $3,620 and the 2011 update cost $8,200. Of the 578 survey participants, 36 percent want to see a restaurant/diner in the downtown and 19 percent said they’d like to see a full service restaurant. In regards to potential retail establishments in the downtown, 38 percent of survey respondents want a bakery, 22 percent a vintage store, 10 percent desire an arts/crafts/hobby store, 8 percent an outdoor and recreational sports store, 8 percent for a consignment boutique, and 5 percent for a pet store. When asked to rate on a scale of 0 (definitely would not) to 100 (definitely would) what businesses survey respondents would most likely patronize, 85 percent said restaurant/diner; 84 percent said full service restaurant; 78 percent said bakery; and 70 percent said sandwich shop. Groveport residents made up 73.7 percent of survey respondents while 20.9 percent of respondents live within 10 miles of Groveport and 5.4 percent live over 10 miles away. When asked to describe how downtown Groveport is currently trending, 52.8 percent of the survey respondents said it is “steady or holding its own,” 26.9 percent said it is “improving or making progress,” THE GROVE CHURCH 322 Center Street, Groveport, Ohio Pastor Joel Moyar facebook.com/thegrove3cu Trunk or Treat October 31 Sunday School 9:30am Worship Service 10:30am Small Group 6:00pm Wednesday You Are Welcome A Church of Christ in Christian Union (CCCUHQ.org) Suppporter of Ohio Christian University (www.ohiochristian.edu) “God is blessing you, don’t miss the blessings.” Be a Part of Our Local Worship Guide southeast and 20.3 percent said it is “declining or losing ground.” Regarding respondents who are potential business prospects for downtown Groveport, 36 said they would be interested in opening a new business downtown and 8 said they would be interested in moving a business to downtown Groveport. Ben Muldrow, of Arnett Muldrow & Associates, said of the business prospects, “Some of the best opportunities are working with businesses that are already here to seize on the untapped potential.” Green said city officials have already been contacting business prospects. “Groveport is an amazing community and there are lots of opportunities here,” said Green. KINGDOM ALIVE WORD CHURCH 7840 Richardson Road Groveport, Ohio 43125 (614) 836-8177 (Your GO TO CHURCH in Groveport) Sunday Empowerment Hour 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Our upcoming Worship Guide is geared toward celebrating faith and helping readers connect with religious resources in our community. Make sure these readers know how you can help with a presence in this very special section distributed to more than 19,000 households in the Southeast area. Contact us today to secure your spot in our Worship Guide. 614.272.5422 • kathy@columbusmessenger.com
Page 1 and 2: southeast October 28 - November 3,
Page 3: www.columbusmessenger.com Red & Bla
Page 7 and 8: www.columbusmessenger.com October 2
Page 9 and 10: www.columbusmessenger.com October 2
Page 11 and 12: www.columbusmessenger.com xEmployme

Southeast Messenger - October 28th, 2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?