Westside Messenger - June 28th, 2020

PAGE 2 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - June 28, 2020
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Sports may be making a comeback in Prairie Township
By Amanda Ensinger
Staff Writer
The Prairie Township Trustees discussed
starting baseball and soccer and the
Galloway Road Sports Complex.
“The park is open and the baseball fields
are nearly complete,” said Rob Peters,
administrator for Prairie Township. “We
just need to level off the ballfields and they
are ready to go. Soccer will start in the
fall.”
The township has an agreement with
Galloway Baseball Club and the Hilliard
Ohio Soccer Association to use the fields
this summer and fall.
Township officials hope baseball will
start soon, but said a lot of the May rain
LEAVING
Continued from page 1
essary to form a non-profit, let alone how to write a funding
request for it, she decided to just “go for it” and see
what happened.
“I had very low expectations for this little grassroots
organization,” she said with a laugh. “I just crossed my fingers
and hoped for the best.”
With the help of area businesses, friends and volunteers,
the first annual music and arts festival was held in
2014.
“I think we had about 800 people show up, and that was
if you crossed your eyes and saw double,” she joked.
But with persistence and the sharing of her vision, more
businesses started to invest in the organization and more
public interest started to sprout up.
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delayed the fields for the start of baseball.
Contact sports like basketball, football
and soccer are still in question, but organizers
hope to get the green light to start
those sports soon. However, the trail that
loops the complex is currently open and has
been frequently used by visitors.
In other news, the township gave an
update on ModCon Living, formerly called
Rebuilding Together Central Ohio. The
program is dedicated to helping low income
families and seniors in need by providing
significant repairs to their homes.
Since 2018, the group has focused on
improving one neighborhood in Prairie
Township each year. In previous years they
have worked on homes in the Little Farms
and Lincoln Village North. This year, the
In the seven years since its establishment, SJW has
commissioned four major art murals (the latest, ‘Color
Your World Green,’ was publicly unveiled on June 25), two
major art sculptures and five art panels. The attendance at
the festival has grown too: Last year, more than 6,000
guests came through the park to experience the music and
arts festival. This year was expected to draw an even larger
crowd, but it was cancelled due to public health concerns.
Von Niessen said it feels bittersweet to say goodbye to
the organization she founded and the community she
adores, but is confident those left in charge will continue to
expand upon her vision of adding public and permanent
art to the Hilltop.
“Most of the people on the (SJW) board have been here
since the beginning,” she said. “I know they are just
as committed to fulfilling the organization’s mission.”
Westside resident Danny Peterson was recently
named the president of SWJ. He has been with the
organization for five years and said he has learned
much under Von Niessen’s tutelage.
FIRE LEVY
Continued from page 1
work will take place on Inah Avenue,
Gladys Road, Postle Boulevard and Oxley
Road in Lincoln Village South. The repairs
were supposed to take place in early May,
but have been delayed until September
because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Work will include electrical and plumbing
updates, furnaces and hot water tank
replacements, fire safety and fall prevention
improvements,” said Peters.
To be eligible for the program, one must
meet federal poverty guidelines. For example,
a family of four would have to make
less than $43,050 a year to be eligible for
the program.
“Last year, the average income in the
neighborhood was $21,000 a year,” said
Julie Smith, executive director. “When you
to pass, we are going to have to make some tough decisions.”
Welch said that they have already seen firefighters
leaving or planning to leave due to the failure of the
recent levy.
“Due to our history of having financial issues, the
younger guys are looking for new jobs with other
departments,” Welch said.
According to Welch, the department will be down
approximately $600,000 by the end of the year.
Franklin Township recently asked voters to approve
a 19.5-mil permanent levy in the spring. This measure
failed with 56 percent of the voters against the levy
and 44 percent in favor of the levy.
The levy the township was asking for would have
combined all the township levies into one levy, as well
as replaced the timed levy that will expire in early
2021. The levy would have collected property taxes
from the entire township, including properties that
were annexed with a type II annexation.
Many residents voiced concerns over the levy at
are only making $21,000 a year, you can’t
afford to fix a bathroom or address
drainage issues.”
With a focus on senior citizens, ModCon
Living’s goal is to sustain homes and neighborhoods
by providing reliable, affordable
home repair and modification services,
while serving vulnerable homeowners,
according to its website.
During each project, around 70 homes
are repaired and will be selected on a first
come, first serve basis based on meeting
the criteria and repairs that need to be
done.
ModCon Living is always looking for volunteers
for their rebuilding projects.
For additional information, visit
www.modconliving.org.
“She is very dedicated,” he said. “She has and has had
such a vision and it’s been inspiring to see someone so
focused on getting results for the betterment of a community.”
Without Von Niessen, Peterson said the board will have
to split more duties in order to be able to pull off the festival
and related major artwork each year.
“She put in hundreds of thousands of hours to get everything
organized and ready for the community,” he said.
“You really can’t replace someone like her.”
However, Peterson said he and the board are up for the
challenge.
“We will continue to build upon the legacy that Patti
has left,” he said.
He added that though the festival was cancelled this
year, the 2021 festival will be all the more special.
“We were saddened and dismayed to have to cancel the
festival this year because we wanted it to be a nice sendoff
for Patti,” Peterson said. “But that has given us a lot of
motivation so that we can put on a stronger festival in
2021.”
public meetings before the coronavirus pandemic, saying
they had concerns about how much this would
increase their property taxes. However, the trustees
said the increases would be minimal.
The trustees attributed the failure of the levy to a
group that ran a campaign against the levy.
“I think the biggest reason the levy failed was
because a group ran a campaign aimed at defeating the
levy,” said Aryeh Alex, township trustee. “The group
sent out mailers, had a website, ran digital ads and
had paid canvassers that went door-to-door across the
township.”
Alex said township leaders have no idea who funded
the group.
According to Welch, the department is running out
of operating funds and will be in a tough situation if
another levy is not passed.
The trustees agreed to move forward with adding
another levy to the November ballot, but have not
determined the amount the levy will be for. They plan
on making that decision in the coming weeks.