Groveport Messenger - October 30th, 2022

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PAGE 2 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - October 30, 2022 www.columbusmessenger.com Fireworks issue launches itself back before council By Rick Palsgrove Groveport Editor Groveport City Council is once again considering expanding the use of personal fireworks within the city limits. On Oct. 24, council heard the first reading of legislation that would be consistent with state law to allow the use of personal fireworks on designated days during the year. Previous attempts by council earlier this year to pass similar legislation failed. The legislation would allow individuals to possess consumer grade fireworks and to discharge them on their own property or on another person’s property with permission on the following days: New Year’s Day; Chinese New Year; Cinco de Mayo; Memorial Day weekend; Juneteenth; July 3, 4, and 5 and the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays preceding and following; Labor Day weekend, Diwali; and New Year’s Eve. State law permits local governments to restrict the dates and times when individuals may discharge consumer grade fireworks or to impose a complete ban on the use of consumer grade fireworks. The issue will be discussed further at council’s committee of the whole meeting on Nov. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the municipal building, 655 Blacklick St. Groveport Police statistics September crime statistics, according to the Groveport Police: 12 arrests, 15 accidents, 5 assaults, 2 burglaries, 3 domestic disputes, 1 domestic violence, 2 OVI and alcohol, 12 thefts/robberies, 3 stolen/unauthorized use, 1 missing persons, 1 weapon related call, 2 narcotic related offenses, 14 parking, 3 threats, 1 vandalism, 2 juvenile complaints, 31 traffic citations, 1 sex related crime, 13 school related dispatched calls, 1 suicide/attempt. Other news •Council is considering donating the building at 595 Cherry St. to the Greater Groveport Food Pantry. The food pantry is currently operating out of the building. •Groveport Madison Schools is requesting a zoning variance for 4180 Bixby Road to allow the construction of a school bus garage facility. The planning and zoning commission will discuss the request at its Nov. 7 meeting at 6 p.m. at the municipal building, 655 Blacklick St. •Council is considering a zoning variance request for property at 0 Hendron Road (site of the former swimming pool and now a vacant lot) to allow for the construction of 4,067 square foot veterinary clinic. The planning and zoning commission will discuss the request at its Nov. 7 meeting at 6 p.m. at the municipal building, 655 Blacklick St. •The city of Groveport’s income tax revenue year-todate as of Sept. 30 was $15.9 million, which is 21 percent higher than the same time in 2021, according to Groveport Finance Director Jason Carr. Carr noted the general fund balance was $8.4 million as of Sept. 30 or $2.2 million higher than the same time last year. Income tax revenues year-to-date comprise 55 percent of all city revenues, the largest part of all the city’s revenues. Get the word out FAST Advertise your Craft Show or Bazaar in the classifieds. It’s easy to do. Just call or email Kathy at 614-272-5422 kathy@columbusmessenger.com for all of the details The Gilmore Group Office: 614-834-HOME (4663) Cell: 614-774-4416 www.GilmoreGroupHomes.com PROVIDING MORE SINCE ‘94 614-836-9119 Give us a call to schedule your appointment today. Service & Installation Residential & Commercial FRANKLINHEATING.COM OH LICENSE #20692 BUDGET Continued from page 1 “The second floors (of these buildings) were funded by tax revenue (i.e. income tax),” said King “That being the case, the spaces can’t be directly leased to for profit companies. The uses must be government (which is non-profit) or other non-profit organizations. The first floors were funded by non-tax revenue, so via the Community Investment Corporation, the spaces could be directly leased to for profit companies.” Construction is progressing on the 14,145 square foot Rarey’s Port (674 Main St.) and the 12,184 square foot Wert’s Grove (480 Main St.) buildings that are part of the city of Groveport’s 1847 Main Project. The potential opening dates of the buildings’ first floor businesses is expected at the end of 2022 or early 2023. Delaney’s Diner — a breakfast, lunch, brunch restaurant — will occupy space in the Rarey’s Port building. Little Italy Pizza, which has operated at 619 Main St. for 43 years, plans to move into the Wert’s Grove building. Little Italy will occupy the entire first floor of the Wert’s Grove building. Delaney’s Diner will occupy 4,958 square feet of the first floor of the Rarey’s Port building on the west end of the building, including the patio. City officials are seeking tenants for the remaining 2,059 square feet of the Rarey’s Port building’s first floor. Other capital improvement projects “The capital budget is one percent higher than last year,” said King. Some significant capital projects and purchases proposed for 2023 include: •$550,000 for street maintenance; “The streets to be included in the street maintenance program will be determined in early 2023,” said King. “Our process is to have our engineer and Public Works Department assess the conditions of roads and determine costs.” •$110,000 for street maintenance/stormwater: •$240,000 for police patrol vehicles and equipment; •$220,000 for the west Bixby Road pavement rehabilitation; •$80,000 for IT server upgrade; $50,000 for IT switch upgrade; and $30,000 for IT firewall upgrade; King said these information technology upgrades are important, “To keep us protected from current cyber threats that exist for all organizations today. Additionally, to make sure that our systems are compliant, secure, and seamlessly operational for day-today business.” •$80,000 for fitness equipment at the recreation center; •$55,000 for Marketing Place reconstruction; •$40,000 for Degenhart Park playground equipment; $35,000 for Blacklick Park playground equipment; and $20,000 for tennis court repairs; •$225,000 for the golf course entrance driveway; •$30,000 for sidewalk replacements; •$63,000 for an all terrain vehicle/snow equipment; •$62,000 for a utility truck; •$210,000 for a two and a half ton truck; •$155,000 for a roadside mowing tractor; •$107,000 for a rough mower for the golf course; •$84,000 for a triplex mower for the golf course; and •$317,384 for recreation and aquatic center maintenance, repairs, and upgrades. Budgets in previous years mentioned the proposed construction of a new additional water tower, but that project is not included in the 2023 budget. “The additional water tower, when listed with infrastructure priorities, was determined to be a lower need,” said King. “We understand the importance of redundancy for our water system, however, the system we currently have in place is sufficient to meet our needs.” Other proposed appropriations The proposed 2023 general fund appropriations are estimated at $21 million, which is up from $20.1 million in 2022. Some other proposed 2023 appropriations: •Revenue sharing with Groveport Madison Schools, $1.3 million; and •Funding for festivals including $59,450 for the Fourth of July; $25,000 for Christmas - A Heritage Holiday; $29,050 for Apple Butter Day; and $21,050 for the Farmers Market and First Thursdays. Council will consider the 2023 budget and vote on it at a future meeting.
www.columbusmessenger.com October 30, 2022 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - PAGE 3 Groveport Madison approves development agreement By Rick Palsgrove Groveport Editor The Groveport Madison Board of Education approved an agreement with a developer that will bring the district about $3 million in revenue over the next 15 years. “Tax abatements are key economic tools local governments use to add jobs and value to their communities,” said Groveport Madison Schools Treasurer Felicia Drummey. “When carefully constructed, they can yield significant value for the school district — without also increasing student enrollment.” As an additional part of the deal the developer, NorthPoint Development, will also make a one time donation of $25,000 to one of the district’s schools. “The district does not have a formal ‘Adoptive School Program’ for donations,” said Groveport Madison Communications Director Jeff Warner. “It’s not yet been determined which school will receive the monetary donation, nor what it might be used for.” About the development NorthPoint Development plans to develop about 70 acres located at Bixby Road adjacent to U.S. Route 33 in Canal Veterans Day in Groveport The city of Groveport will hold its annual Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in Veterans Park, located on Main Street at Hilly Alley. The guest speaker will be Groveport resident Mary Miller, chief human resource officer at the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. Miller also served as a sergeant/E5 in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War. The 2022 Veterans Brick honorees are: U.S. Army - Lowell Mathews. James McMahan, Robert Patrick; U.S. Marine Corp - Jason Huston; U.S. Navy - William Johnson, John Karlich, John Pellior; and U.S. Air Force - Donald Grant. Following the ceremony all are invited to a reception at Motts Military Museum, 5075 S. Hamilton Road, Groveport. Senior Services levy Voters will decide on the proposed Franklin County Senior Services levy renewal on Nov. 8. The proposed five year tax levy renewal is for 1.75 mills, $0.175 per $100 of valuation, commencing in 2022. Officials state it is not a tax increase. The levy provides funding for Franklin County Senior Options and its services designed to help seniors remain safely at home. These services include meals-onwheels, transportation to doctor appointments, and emergency response buttons. The existing senior services levy will expire at the end of 2022. The senior levy is the main funding source for Senior Options programs. Winchester. The land is split among the Canal Winchester, Groveport Madison, and Eastland-Fairfield school districts and is in a Community Reinvestment Area that allows for property tax abatements on buildings. The developer is seeking a 15 year property tax abatement. NorthPoint plans to build a 540,000 square foot industrial building and a 528,000 square foot industrial building on the site. “The buildings will be built on a speculative basis and then offered for lease,” City of Canal Winchester Development Director Lucas Haire told the Groveport Madison Board of Education. According to information provided by NorthPoint, the buildings will be marketed to distribution/warehouse and manufacturing users. The buildings are expected to generate 350 jobs and an estimated annual payroll of $13.5 million. Haire said the developer has three years to achieve full occupancy for the buildings. The numbers Because the land is divided among different school districts, the boundary lines actually split the two proposed buildings. “When you have parcel lines that split buildings it’s up to the county auditor to Journey ends short of goal According to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, in August, State Wildlife Officer Jeff Berry, assigned to Muskingum County, was patrolling the Muskingum River near Duncan Falls when he noticed two boats and a kayak on the side of the river. He stopped to talk to four individuals who were there with one of the boats. They were a family from Loudonville. They explained that they had started on the Mohican River in Loudonville and were travelling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1,500 miles away. They were 13 days into their trip and had traveled approximately 110 miles. Officer Berry assisted the family in shoving off from the shore as they departed. He recently checked in with the family on their adventure. They had traveled 850 miles in 36 days, but their journey ended when they had boat motor issues. The family shared that some of their highlights were fishing, watching ospreys catch softshell turtles, and hearing bald eagles chattering at night. GriefShare group The GriefShare group will host a free event on Nov. 19 from 1-3 p.m., at the Groveport United Methodist Church, 512 Main St., Groveport. The Surviving the Holidays video seminar is for people who are grieving a loved one’s death. The seminar is combined with support group discussion of the video. To register call the church office at 614-836-5968 or sign up at https://www.griefshare.org/leaderzone/my/ holiday_events/43294 determine the square footage in each district and then allocate the taxes accordingly,” said Haire. Drummey said the agreement is good for Groveport Madison Schools. “School districts have little control over abatements,” said Drummey. “In fact, had the developer pursued a 50 percent abatement rather than 100 percent abatement, we would have had no say in the approval process — and the $5,230 that we’re currently receiving in property taxes would have been cut in half to $2,615 annually. The current taxable value at current agricultural use value (CAUV) is just a fraction of the market value of the land once developed.” Drummey said the district currently receives approximately $5,230 in tax revenue from the property. “However, once it’s developed (with the new abatement in process), the district will receive $74,297 in annual property taxes alone,” said Drummey. “By participating as a partner in the negotiations process, we will also enjoy a share of the city of Canal Winchester’s municipal income tax revenue estimated at $22,335 annually over 15 years. School districts rarely receive income taxes and cities are not obligated to share their income tax with us.” Additionally, she said, Groveport Madison will receive an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) payment of $100,000 for 15 years. “This abatement agreement is a win-win partnership that will generate $196,632 for the school district each year of the abatement, compared to just $5,230 in current taxes on the undeveloped land,” said Drummey. Drummey said the agreement does not “negate the need for the renewal of our levy next year.” The district’s most recent operating levy was approved by voters in 2019 and it is set to expire in 2024. The latest the levy renewal could be approved to enable the district to start collecting money in 2025 would be on the November 2024 ballot. Website:Expert-hvac.com Phone:614-946-8461 Experthvacllc@gmail.com FREE ESTIMATES on system installs $100 Preventative Maintenance (tune up) Expert service - affordable prices - Locally owned from Groveport Mention this ad and get $20 off a $110 service call.
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Groveport Messenger - October 30th, 2022

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