Canal Winchester Messenger - January 24th, 2021

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PAGE 8 - MESSENGER - January 24, 2021 www.columbusmessenger.com Keeping people and pets together By Christine Bryant Staff Writer The Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail, Inc., and its partner communities recently announced the development of the new Ohio and Erie Canal Southern Descent Heritage Trail from Buckeye Lake to Portsmouth. The 114 mile driving trail begins at the southern edge of Buckeye Lake in Fairfield County. It includes Bibler lock 8 in Baltimore; locks 11, 12, and 13 in Lockville; lock 22 in Groveport; locks 26, 27, 29, and 30 in and near Lockbourne; and remnants of the Columbus Feeder just west of Lockbourne in Franklin County. In Pickaway County the trail passes lock 31 in Millport and includes Canal Park in Circleville. In Scioto County the trail continues south through Rushtown at lock 48 and lock 50 in West Portsmouth A pet can make even the darkest days brighter. Just ask Brian, who affectionately calls his three cats, Silver, Amber and Little Stinker. “My pets cheer me up, give my life more purpose, and give me something to live for,” he says. Like many, however, the Columbus resident is on a strict budget that can be maxed out each month with the addition of pet food and veterinary expenses. LifeCare Alliance is working to ensure clients like Brian don’t have to worry about losing their pets due to a lack of funds or access to resources, especially considering the number of benefits owning a pet provides. “Our clients are generally isolated and the pets are their families,” said Chuck Gehring, CEO of LifeCare Alliance, which provides services like Meals-on- Wheels. “The pet becomes the counselor, social worker and security system, and when you’re home all day, especially now with COVID, the pet is your social network.” However, purchasing a cost-efficient 50-pound bag of pet food is nearly impossible for most clients, and veterinary bills to maintain a pet’s health can be too costly. “With many seniors and medically-challenged people, when they are living on Social Security and can’t get out as much, they give up their pets because of the fact that they can’t take care of them,” Gehring said. Those who don’t want to give up their pets may resort to sharing their food from their Meals on Wheels deliveries. “When we give food to the people, we need them to eat all of their food,” he says. “That might be the only big meal they get that day.” In response to this common issue among its clients, LifeCare Alliance created the Senior PetCare program, which provides eligible clients with assistance in taking care of their pets so that clients can remain in their own home. The program is available to clients who live in counties serviced by the Meals-on-Wheels program: Franklin, Madison, Champaign, Logan and Marion. Volunteers deliver pet food to clients’ homes, as well as assist with transportation for veterinary care. “This has allowed clients to retain their pets and best friends, and they say it makes all the difference in the world and in their mental state,” Gehring said. “We’ve had clients tell us that their friends are dying because of aging, and this time of year because it’s gray outside, they go into depression.” In fact, Gehring says 70 percent of the organization’s clients say they see no other adult on a weekly basis other than the volunteers delivering meals to them. Michelle Jones, communications director for LifeCare Alliance, says the PetCare program provided pet food to more than 800 clients and their 1,100 pets in 2019. The program relies entirely on donations of funds, pet products and volunteer time. In 2019, volunteers contributed more than 2,100 hours to sort, package and deliver pet food, and several retail vendors and manufacturing facilities throughout central Ohio donate pet food, litter and supplies. Gehring says Walmart’s distribution center in Grove City has been one of the largest donors, offering broken bags of dog food that workers have taped up but cannot sell to consumers. While dog food donations are among the most common, the organization often uses donated funds to purchase cat food and pay for veterinary care. “We also need other things like toys, beds, scratching posts, anything like that,” Gehring said. There are several volunteer opportunities available for those who want to help. On-site opportunities at the organization’s storage facility, located at 670 Harmon Ave., Columbus, include repackaging the food or performing the delivery routes. Donations can be dropped off at the Harmon Avenue facility as well. “When donors are buying their own pet food, they can buy a little extra and give it to us,” Gehring said. Monetary donations can be made online at lifecarealliance.org or sent via check to LifeCare Alliance, Attn: Development, 1699 W. Mound St., Columbus, Ohio 43223. In both cases, individuals can specify that they want their donations to go to the PetCare program. Gehring says donors can also designate funds to help a specific recipient if they have a neighbor, for example, who utilizes the program. Donations also can be earmarked for a specific county. For Brian, the PetCare program provides reassurance that his pets’ needs will be met each month so they can stay together as a family. “The gifts of pet food help me to pay for my other living expenses and groceries,” he said. “This program is very helpful for those who have difficulty getting around. I appreciate the program and I like that my pets are happy, too.” Editor’s note: Brian’s last name is withheld due to HIPPA policies at LifeCare Alliance. Historic canal trail to be created and ends at lock 55, west of downtown Portsmouth at the Ohio River. All of these canal locks, with the exception of lock 55, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Work to list lock 55 is underway. Once the trail has been established, residents and visitors will be able to learn the story of this important transportation route as they follow the driving trail. Creation of the trail, which will be launched next fall, is being funded by the Canal Society of Ohio and Ohio Humanities. For information about the Ohio and Erie Canal Southern Descent Heritage Trail, contact project director Cathy Nelson at cathyd.nelson@gmail.com.
www.columbusmessenger.com Groveport Road apartments rejected By Rick Palsgrove Managing Editor Groveport City Council rejected plans for a proposed apartment complex along west Groveport Road. On Dec. 21, council unanimously voted against a request to rezone 8.3 acres of land on the north side of Groveport Road from rural to planned high density residential. The property is bounded by the Groveport Church of Christ on the west, storage units across the road to the south, and a single family lot to the north and east. A developer had proposed the construction of a multi-family unit residential complex on the site. Groveport City Administrator B.J. King said the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission did not recommend the proposal for approval citing that the city’s overall plans for the area call for commercial and industrial development; the possible impact of more students to the Groveport Madison school district the development could bring; and potential traffic issues on busy west Groveport Road. When asked how the proposed project fit in with the city of Groveport’s Groveport Road Gateway Corridor Plan, Groveport Development Director Jeff Green said, “The Gateway Corridor Plan envisions more commercial/retail development to complement and buffer the existing industrial development. It was up to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Groveport City Council to decide if the development fit.” “I don’t disagree there is a need for affordable housing in the area,” said Groveport City Councilman Ed Dildine on why he voted against the plan. “But I don’t like the style of this development and it is not a fit for the area.” Dildine noted the existing traffic congestion problems along that stretch of west Groveport Road and added there is “very little communication” between Groveport and a neighboring municipality about development in that area. He said the neighboring town could be planning another apartment complex nearby along Groveport Road, as well as improvements to the intersection of Bixby and Groveport roads, which is within its jurisdiction. “That will cause an impact here and there with nothing being done for the infrastructure in between,” said Dildine. According to paperwork included with the rejected rezoning legislation, the developer proposed to build five, three story multi-family buildings totaling 144 units with detached garages, clubhouse, and a pool. Plastics recycling The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and its partners at Rumpke Waste and Recycling announced they are expanding their plastics recycling program to include polypropylene tubs and yogurt containers. In recent years, central Ohio’s residential plastics recycling program has only allowed for the recycling of plastic bottles and jugs which feature a neck smaller than their base. This recent announcement expands the existing recycling program to include a wide variety of plastic tubs such as butter, cottage cheese, and sour cream tubs, fruit, pudding, and applesauce cups and all yogurt containers. These items need to be empty and clean before being they’re put in the recycling cart. Lids and labels can be left on but the foil tops that sometimes come on yogurt containers should be removed and not recycled. Like most businesses, recycling is commodities-based. Taking care to recycle correctly is an important act we can each make to support the businesses which make it possible for us to recycle our unwanted materials. In order to expand the plastics recycling program, Rumpke has secured several long-term buyers and users of recycled plastics. In addition to securing end users, Rumpke is also investing in new equipment and the necessary workforce to separate and sort these materials at its Material Recovery Facilities (MRF). Once separated at the MRF, these materials are baled and shipped to businesses, many of which are in Ohio, to become new products — like water bottles and plastic lumber. What’s not accepted It’s important to know which items are still not accepted for recycling in Franklin County’s curbside and drop-off recycling programs. Items on the ‘no-no’ list include disposable plastic cups such as party cups, and plastic take out and clamshell containers like those used for strawberries and blueberries. If you aren’t able to avoid using these items, the only current options for disposing them are to either reuse them or put them in the trash where they’ll be safely disposed at the landfill. For information visit RecycleRight.org. Village of Obetz offices closed until Jan. 31 According to the village of Obetz’ website, the village offices and non-essential operations will be closed until Jan. 31 due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. Essential services like police, snow removal, and limited senior services will continue. All the buildings will be closed and any non-police related emergencies should be directed to the director on duty listed on the village website. The units were a mix of one, two, and three bedroom options. The plan also called for 255 outdoor parking spots and 36 garage parking slots. The rezoning application noted that 7 to 14 school age children could be expected in the project and that “traffic counts for multi-family are considerably less than other forms of housing due to the reduced children and trips needed.” Speaking at the Dec. 21 council meeting, Metro Development’s Joe Thomas said the development could offer work force housing for area employers needing nearby workers. Regarding potential traffic issues, Thomas said a traffic study indicated the complex could add 50 vehicles to west Groveport Road during morning peak hours from 7-9 a.m. and 63 vehicles during afternoon peak hours from 4-6 p.m. Thomas said a proposed sewer extension to the project would have helped open an additional 57 acres nearby for future development for the city as well as another 62 acres west of Saltzgaber Road and south of Groveport Road. He said the developer was willing to invest $400,000 for the 1,000 foot sewer extension. In the end though, council rejected the proposal. “There may be a better way for something there in the future,” said Dildine. “I know we need something there.” January 24, 2021 - MESSENGER - PAGE 9 Property valuations complaint process Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano announced initiatives to make the Franklin County Board of Revision complaint process easier for homeowners challenging the value of their homes as determined by the auditor’s office. The office added an e-filing option for homeowners to file BOR complaints about their homes’ values electronically. E-filing allows homeowners a way to file a complaint via the BOR website at www.franklincountyauditor.com/real-estate/board-of-revision. The capability applies to filing the DTE-1 form, which is used to challenge the value of a home. Complaints can also be filed by email, mail or fax. Additionally, Stinziano announced the launch of the new Franklin County BOR Pro Bono Assistance Program, which is designed to help low-to-moderate income homeowners file complaints about the value of their homes. The program consists of a clinic, where volunteer attorneys and real estate professionals provide guidance about whether to file a complaint, and help completing the complaint form. Homeowners with qualifying incomes may also be able to get legal representation at the BOR hearing. BOR complaints can be filed now through March 31. Once a complaint has been filed, a hearing will be scheduled before the board where evidence about a home’s value can be presented. Hearings are being held via Zoom. Messenger South
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