Grove City Messenger - August 23rd, 2020

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PAGE 4 - GROVE CITY MESSENGER - August 23, 2020 There was no hurry, I could have waited. My birthday was still over a month away. I was early and in my younger days I would have put it off until the last second, then go through the fire drill routine or just end up being late. Procrastination was a way of life back then, be it finishing a book at the last second and throwing together a hurried, poorly written book report, writing a term paper the night before it was due, or panicking after goofing off and then having to pull all-nighters cramming for exams. But time has mellowed my approach to attacking things I now realize won’t go away by just ignoring them. Now I just take the plunge, remove all doubts, grit my teeth and do it. Such was the case with my trip to the BMV. My driver’s license was set to expire. Given the COVID-19 atmosphere, I figured I might as well go through the ordeal sooner than later in case things went downhill and they had to shut down again, even knowing they’d probably be lax on any enforcements or penalties for a period. Just get it done, my new later-in-life motto. The weather forecast called for stifling heat and humidity followed by sweltering heat and humidity as the week progressed. So, today was the day. First thing in the morning, off I went. Surely there wouldn’t be a line right after opening. Wrong, the line outside was about 100 feet. That unofficial military slogan, ‘hurry up and wait’ was about to become reality. But it was moving, albeit much as the horse I bet on last week who’s still approaching the final turn for the homestretch run. Almost all in the outside line were wearing a mask, just one individual wasn’t. He was carrying one in his hand, apparently thinking it was only necessary and mandatory upon entering the building. Recommended social distancing in the outside line was non-existent with many close together, chatting away to pass time. As the line moved along, I finally shuffled up to the door. That’s when I could see Please feed your pet inside With the ongoing construction in and around the Old Beulah Park area, many animals including deer, coyote, fox, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel and skunk have been reported and seen in the surrounding neighborhood. Skunks are the biggest nuisance. The Grove City Masonic Lodge, located at 3558 Park St., has contracted with Critter Control of Columbus for 14 days of trapping for skunks. Only skunks will be caught, taken away and released. All other animals caught in the traps will be released. Opinion Page chaos inside. There were people sitting in 20 seats, many people standing. There were only supposed to be a maximum of 20 inside. The problem was there were two blue circles on the floor, kind of like watching a ‘Wheel of Fortune’ quiz show where the winning contestant stands for the final puzzle. It was supposed to function, as one came out, one entered to the front circle, another out, another to the other circle. From there you go to the kiosk, enter your data and get assigned a number, after which you go sit down, except you couldn’t, the seats were filled. People kept coming in, progressed to the kiosk, finished and stood in a new forming line. It got crowed in there. They really needed a worker at the door to direct what should have been an easy procedure. One individual came in the door without a mask on, walked through the mass of people to a table, grabbed a mask from a container they provided and put it on. I was thinking, shouldn’t they have that table closer to the door so it could be donned before entering and passing by all those people? After some time, the manager (I assume) looked out from behind the window and saw the congestion. She barked out for no more entries and those currently entering to go back outside. It brought back memories of my basic training days. I’m sure she could have had the entire room snap to, fall in line and become a precision drill team in minutes. She was good, forceful, but polite, professional and explained why they couldn’t enter. And she took no guff. One individual tried to buck her authority and direction, but she had none of it. He left in a swearing huff, but all of us inside were about to applaud her handling of the situation. We heard him peel away out in the parking lot leaving us with a few snickers to lighten our wait. After some time, the line dwindled and I rotated to a welcomed seat. My assigned number was a D number (driver’s license). Residents can be very helpful by not feeding pets outside. Please feed pets inside since other animals are attracted by the smell of food, as well as the food itself. Bill McNicol Trustee, Grove City Masonic Lodge Keep the mask message consistant I hesitate reaching out since typically I keep my opinions to myself. However, the cover on the (July 12 Messenger) issue really concerns me. I only had 14 in front of me, or so I thought. There were also V numbers and O numbers (presumably vehicles and other). There were five windows and they were moving right along. As I sat there, I started questioning why I drank so much coffee. With each number called and mine getting closer, the excitement only enhanced my nature calling problem. I started to appreciate that saying, ‘I spent a week there one day’ more and more. I was thinking about diverting my attention, maybe lead the group in singing that 1965 Animals hit, “We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place” (if it’s the last thing we ever do). But then visions of the manager giving me latrine or KP duty snapped me back to reality. Finally, my number was called. I got so excited, I forgot where I was and almost jumped up and yelled “bingo”. I headed to my window feeling like Don Knotts in the Apple Dumpling Gang with my mask on. I was greeted by a very pleasant worker. The window had plexiglass separating us which made it hard to hear, but she was patient with me as she rattled off questions and gladly had to repeat some. I’d gone online at home and investigated the documentation I’d need for the new federal compliant license (versus standard) so I’d be able to pass future flight requirements if the need arose. So that went smoothly. They gave me a sterilizing packet to clean the eye test apparatus and despite the fog on my eyeglass lenses from the mask, I passed that. Then I moved over to get my mugshot picture (with the mask off). Point, game, set, match, me. I was done. “Your new license will arrive in the mail in a week or two.” The entire process, from car and back, took about 1.5 hours, not bad, although it seemed longer which I attribute to anxiety, but mostly nature calling and punishing me for too much coffee. While impressed with the hard working staff at the facility I went to, I was left with some thoughts, hopefully seen as constructive. My understanding is the BMV falls We are now mandated to wear face masks in Franklin County. However, our (Grove City) Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage is on the cover with his mask below his face honoring a 100-year-old man who is very vulnerable. The article just to the right outlines the new mandate since we are now level three. Please be consistent with the message to our community so we can control COVID- 19 as it continues to spike at in our wonderful community and country. We can do this together. Ruth Johnson Grove City www.columbusmessenger.com My trip to the BMV in the time of COVID-19 Letters to the editor Guest Column Dave Burton under control of Ohio’s Department of Public Safety. They in turn contract out 174 independently run Registrar offices spread across Ohio, such as the one I was in. If all the facilities are all designed as mine was, there’s a whole lot of room for improvement. The office was too small for the traditional high volume customer flow being serviced, even when not in pandemic days. It’s destined for congestion. The jam us in, cracker-barrel, dilapidated, pre-21st Century looking building approach is an embarrassment for what it represents. I felt like I was at a concession stand at a football game during halftime. With all the empty buildings we see these days, I’m sure a bigger one could easily be found at a competitive rate. At the least, it should have a separate in and out entrance to improve customer flow. A servicing window setup with much better flow logic could easily be accomplished with more room. There are firms that deal with assessing and recommending improvements for these types of issues. They could make recommendations to the Department of Public Safety, the offices the registrars report to. They, in turn, should then insist on improvements before renewing contracts to those registrars. Dave Burton is a guest columnist for the Columbus Messenger Newspapers. He lives in Grove City. Send letters to southwest@columbusmessenger.com southwest Messenger (Distribution: 21,697) Andrea Cordle................................... Editor southwest@ columbusmessenger.com Published every other Sunday by the The Columbus Messenger Co. 3500 Sullivant Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43204 (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.
www.columbusmessenger.com The City Beat Lawsuit allows for cell tower By Andrea Cordle Grove City Editor A settlement between the city of Grove City and Verizon Wireless and Capital Telecom Holdings will result in a new cell tower in the area. In early 2018, Verizon Wireless and Capital Telecom Holdings applied for use approval for a wireless telecommunications tower to be located near the corner of Stringtown and McDowell roads, on the American Legion property. Council denied the application. In June of 2018, Capital Telecom Holdings filed a complaint against the city. The case has been in litigation for more than a year. At the Aug. 17 meeting, with a 3-2 vote, council approved a settlement agreement with the telecommunications company. “I believe it’s an appropriate settlement,” said Law Director Stephen Smith. According to Smith, the settlement allows the city to get more concessions from the company than what was originally presented. He said through the litigation, the applicant has agreed to reduce the height of the tower (from 155 feet to 145 feet), paint the tower so it blends in with the area and screen the boxes and transformers that come with the tower. Smith said instead of the “bird’s nest” top of the tower design, the company has agreed to panels, with a sleek look. “We tried to get every concession we could,” said Smith. Council members Ted Berry and Roby Schottke voted against approval of the settlement agreement. Schottke said the property at Stringtown and McDowell Road is not zoned for a cell tower and there are other places more appropriate for a telecommunications tower. He said the city has worked diligently to get rid of poles along Stringtown Road, now the federal government is forcing the city to put one in. “I am very much against this,” said Schottke. “It’s awful that we have no local control.” Companies can use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Telecommunications Act of 1996 to work in its favor. According to the FCC, the goal of the law is to let any communication business compete in any market against any other. Verizon Wireless and Capital Telecom Holdings wanted the American Legion site because it provided better coverage. “It is very difficult to win these cases,” said Smith. The law director said the system can be unbalanced in favor of telecommunication companies. In response, Schottke said, “We are settling because the court was going to rule against us.” In other news, the city will contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation for a bridge inspection program. According to City Administrator Chuck Boso, 32 bridges in the city will be inspected by ODOT at no cost to the city. The city will receive a report on the bridges. If repairs are needed, the city would be responsible for funding. August 23, 2020 - GROVE CITY MESSENGER - PAGE 5 around town Food Truck Festival and Shop Hop The Heart of Grove City will host the Food Truck Festival and Shop Hop from 4 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 4. Participants can enjoy a summer evening strolling and shopping in the historic Grove City Town Center. For additional information, visit www.heartofgrovecity.org. Free brown bag lunch The First Presbyterian Church of Grove City will host a free community brown bag drive-thru lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Aug. 29 at 4227 Broadway. For more information, visit www.fpcgc.org. Blood drive The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 12 to 6 p.m. Sept. 11 in the Kingston Center, 3226 Kingston Ave. in Grove City. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-448-3543 or visit www.redcrossblood.org. Grove City Call Center The city of Grove City opened a call center in response to helping residents and business owners with coronavirus (COVID-19) questions and concerns. The call center is available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Members of the public can call the line at 614-277-3560 with questions or concerns. Call center workers are ready to provide resources or put residents in touch with the help they may need. The services and resources will be modified as the needs change. If you are interested in volunteering or helping those in need, please leave a message with your name, email and phone number at 614-277-3561. •Assorted Steaks •Frozen Lobster Tails •Walleye Fillets •King Crab Legs •Faroe Island Salmon •Swordfish Steaks LABOR DAY FEAST Trabue Road Now Open •Exotic Wild Meats •Halibut Fillets WE ACCEPT •Snow Crab Clusters All Major Credit Cards •Orange Roughy EBT Cards (SNAP) •Lake Perch Fillets •Live Lobsters via Special Order Only! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES
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Grove City Messenger - August 23rd, 2020

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