Madison Messenger - February 23rd, 2020

PAGE 2 - MADISON MESSENGER - February 23, 2020
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Zoning variance approved for new warehouse
By Ris Twigg
Staff Writer
On Feb. 17, West Jefferson village council approved
two pieces of legislation—one to approve zoning variances
for a new warehouse, and the other to bring the village
into contract with the city of Mount Sterling.
Council approved a site plan and granted a variance
for landscape plans for a new building that will span
more than 1.1 million square feet once completed.
The new warehouse—located at 70 Enterprise Pkwy.
and dubbed “Project Christmas” to keep trade secrets
and cost information out of competitors’ hands–is set
to be a spec building built by American Structurepoint
Inc., according to council documents. The building will
house a variety of new companies and bring more jobs
to West Jefferson, Martin said.
“They’re part of the original CRA (Community Reinvestment
Area) out there,” said Mayor Ray Martin. “So,
RIDES
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try. He has been managing shows since he was 15 years
old. Last year, he and his wife, Emilee, founded Chicketti
Family Amusements. The Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival
and the South Vienna Corn Festival were among
the events for which they provided rides and games last
year. In addition to the Madison County Fair, events on
their 2020 schedule include the Crawford County Fair
and the Picktown Palooza in Pickerington.
Chicketti’s ride offerings include a variety of options
for all ages, from a 50-foot gondola-style Ferris wheel,
a giant Fun Slide and a swirling disc Casino ride that
seats up to 60 people to a separate Inflate Zone designed
just for young children.
Colton said Madison County fairgoers can expect a
clean, professional, and brightly colored midway expe-
PREGNANCY & FAMILY
CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Dwyer Chiropractic
Dr. Heather Dwyer & Dr. Penny Shepherd
139 S. Main St., London, OH ~ 740-852-1965
when you get that, you have to guarantee so many jobs.
Well, that’s already met out there. We wanted to start
doing it per building so we get more of a guarantee for
jobs.”
The second piece of legislation approved at the meeting
involves West Jefferson’s inspection services. Currently,
the village performs residential and
non-residential inspections services for several municipalities
in Madison County. Mount Sterling is now on
that list.
“These big warehouses go to the state (for inspections).
And one of those warehouses is bringing in about
$250,000 in permit fees. That was going elsewhere,”
Martin explained. “We get it all here now. We would get
20 percent of that, but now we get 100 percent.”
In other business, Martin talked about the town hall
meetings the village holds to give residents a casual
forum in which to ask questions about what’s happening
in their local government.
rience.
“We’re looking to knock it out of the park for you
guys,” he said.
This year’s Madison County Fair is Sunday, July 12
through Saturday, July 18. In addition to the ride company,
the fair board has booked most of the entertainment
for the week.
As for grandstand events, Broken Horn Rodeo is
back for its second year. The outfit out of Ripley, Ohio,
puts on a full rodeo featuring seven events—saddle bronc
riding, bareback horse riding, steer wrestling, tie-down
calf roping, barrel racing, team roping and bull riding.
The event proved to be a big attraction last year.
“We had a wonderful turnout,” said Amy Nichols,
fair board member.
As was the case last year, the rodeo includes stick
horse races for any child who wants to participate. Age
“Very friendly and professional group of doctors and staff. Thanks to Dr. Heather & Dr. Penny I can
now walk and stand without burning and pain down my leg and into my feet. Also was able to cancel
my sons tonsil surgery thanks to the care they have given him. He has never been healthier since
beginning routine care with them. Love, love, love them!” C.M.
The meetings typically take place the first and third Mondays
of the month at the West Jefferson Community Center, 230 Cemetery
Rd.
Martin said if residents want to know what’s going on in their
community, then these are the meetings to attend.
“It’s where you can voice opinions, ask for opinions, and not be
in a setting like (council),” he explained. “It’s more relaxed. It’s just
a good venue to know what’s going on.”
A special town hall meeting was set for Feb. 19. Topics were to
include a new parks and recreation development for which the village
is seeking capital grant funding. The goal is to install accessible
playground equipment at Garrette Park to provide recreation
opportunities for children of all abilities.
The meeting also was slated to cover ways the village is working
to protect the Big and Little Darby Creeks, an update on the village’s
contract with its current trash collection provider, and more
information on employment growth and housing developments.
“An informed citizen is a happy citizen,” Martin said.
categories are 5 years old and younger and 6-9 years old. Nichols
is looking for sponsors for two bicycles to give away as prizes. Anyone
interested in helping out can contact her at (740) 837-0134.
The rodeo will take place on Wednesday of fair week. Other tried
and true crowd pleasers are back in the lineup, as well: drag racing
on Sunday, motocross races on Thursday, tractor pulls on Friday,
and the demolition derby on Saturday.
Grandstand entertainment for Monday and Tuesday is still in
the works, Monnin said.
Dino-ROAR, an educational show that features dinosaur hand
puppets, body suits, and animatronics, returns for a second year to
the covered pavilion, located in the center of the fairgrounds (next
to the former rabbit and small animal barn).
Other acts planned at the pavilion include Mr. Puppet, who performed
at this year’s 4-H Rally Night, Mike Bishop, a hypnotist and
comedian who has performed at the fair in years past, and a magician.
CENSUS
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Spanish origin, phone number, whether the home is owned or
rented, how many people live in the home, including children, and
each person’s relationship to one central person in the household.
The census does not ask for Social Security numbers, bank or
credit card numbers, money or donations, or anything related to political
parties.
Answers are secure and protected by federal law. The information
a person provides can only be used to produce statistics, and it
cannot be used against a person by a government agency or court.
Wolford explained that the census information is used to draw
boundaries for legislative districts, determine the number of seats
a state gets in Congress, and inform how $675 billion of federal
funding for roads, schools, hospitals and other services is distributed
to states and communities each year.
The Census Bureau plans to hire 10 to 15 people to work as census
takers in Madison County for in-person follow-ups. Wolford encouraged
anyone interested in the jobs to apply soon in order to
receive training and complete a background check in time for a May
start. More information is available at 2020census.gov/jobs.
Mental illness support group
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Clark, Greene and
Madison Counties offers a Connection Recovery Support Group in
Plain City. This peer-led, free and confidential group is for people
living with a mental illness. Meetings are held from 10:30 a.m. to
noon on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the former
Plain City elementary school, 340 W. Main St., Plain City. (The
site now houses Vineyard Church and Daily Needs Assistance.) For
more details, email info@namicgm.org or call (937) 322-5600.