Groveport Messenger - December 25th, 2022

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PAGE 2 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - December 25, 2022 America’ ica’s s Fa Fa av av vorite Treasure ure e Hunts! 2022 EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER! 20 % + % OFF OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE * FINANCING THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET! 1 1 Subject to credit approval. Call for details. Promo Code: 285 10 SENIORS & MILITARY! FREE GUTTER ALIGNMENT + FREE GUTTER CLEANING* Dec. 17 & 18 Holiday Hours... Christmas Eve - Christmas Day - Closed New Years Eve - Closed @ 6pm for New Years Eve Party! Jan. 9-15 Closed for Sanity Break :- 1005 Richardson Road, Groveport, OH 43125 614-610-9688 www.thepaddockpub.com The Gilmore Group Office: 614-834-HOME (4663) Cell: 614-774-4416 www.GilmoreGroupHomes.com YEAR-ROUND CLOG-FREE GUARANTEE A FREE ESTIMATE 1-855-595-2102 Antiques, Collectibles, Jewelry, Vintage, Home Decor, Militaria and more! 2023 Jan. 28 & 29 Feb. 25 & 26 Mar. 25 & 26 BUDGET Continued from page 1 demolition of KidSpace, 630 Wirt Road, and replacing it with additional public parking at a cost of $500,000. King said several downtown area businesses have expressed a need for more public parking and the city is looking at its options. He said city officials will not make a decision on demolishing KidSpace until, “We have a firm home for the kids’ programs housed there. No KidSpace programs will be sacrificed.” He said a possible home for the KidSpace programs could be Groveport Town Hall at 648 Main St. Currently the public parking lots south of Main Street are often full. “We’re looking at how to fulfill our need for more parking downtown,” said King. King said the timing of when the proposed demolition of KidSpace would take place and when the parking spaces would be added is to be determined. “Assuming the budget is approved, we would proceed with getting design quotes for the project,” said King. “I anticipate this would occur in mid-summer 2023.” King said the number of new parking spaces that would be created is to be determined after all requirements are put into the plan. “The plan would be designed once an engineering firm is hired for the project,” said King. King said the $500,000 cost is for the entire project, including demolition of KidSpace and parking lot construction. The building was built in 1955 and was originally the Groveport Municipal Building for many years and later was home to the senior center. KidSpace moved into the building in the early 2000s after the senior center moved to the Groveport Recreation Center. According to King, there are other cost factors to consider regarding the KidSpace building as the 67- year-old structure has leaks, needs a new roof at an estimated cost of $70,000, and the HVAC system needs to be replaced. The KidSpace building also includes two public art works - a mural on an interior wall depicting Groveport during the Ohio and Erie Canal era and a Groveport Elementary student art project on an exterior wall. When asked if these art works would be saved, King said, “This is all based on the condition of the murals and the design of the project. This will be determined during design of the project.” Wert’s Grove/Rarey’s Port buildings The budget includes $1.1 million for the interior construction build out of the second floors of the new Wert’s Grove and Rarey’s Port buildings ($550,000 for each). “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. www.columbusmessenger.com “We want to improve and update what we have. It’s a strong budget.” -B.J. King City administrator 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 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.
www.columbusmessenger.com A fight in GMHS classroom By Rick Palsgrove Groveport Editor Another fight broke out at Groveport Madison High School. According to Groveport Police Lt. Josh Short, on Dec. 5, three to four male students allegedly assaulted another male student in a classroom. “We are being told that this fight was in retaliation for a fight that occurred off school property during or after the varsity basketball game on Dec. 2,” said Short, who added the case remains under investigation. He said there were no guns or weapons involved and no injuries were reported at the time of the incident. According to Short, three male students were charged with disorderly conduct for the initial fight. Another male student was charged with disorderly conduct for attempting to fight with the three males students. A female was arrested for obstructing official business and resisting arrest when she attempted to stop the school resource officer from arresting one of the male students. “The school resource officer and school staff are still investigating the incident and additional charges are expected,” said Short. “I cannot speak to what discipline the school will levy. Strict process dictates discipline “From my observations there is an issue in the high school when it comes to basic every day respect, decorum, and discipline,” said Short. “A simple walk through will give you the distinct impression that the students are running the building. I would never have behaved in such a manner when I navigated the halls of Groveport Madison High School back in the 1990s.” However, Short added that what concerned district parents need to take a look at is the laws and regulations that the Ohio state legislature and state board of education have put in place that dictates specifically how school district administrators can discipline. “Parents are mistaken if they believe that a district can simply just suspend or expel a student whenever and for whatever they want,” said Short. “There is a very strict process that districts must follow and, as with most bureaucracy, it is not timely. This becomes even more problematic with a student that has an individual education plan making ‘regular’ forms of discipline even more difficult to attain. There is certainly a significant divide between what parents think should happen and what actually can happen. We feel the same frustration on the law enforcement side when we criminally charge a student in one of these significant violent incidents and the juvenile court metes our virtually no consequence.” Safety committee established In light of several recent incidents of discipline problems, fights, and the possession of guns by students at the high school, district officials are taking steps to improve security and safety. One thing among the many safety improvements being pursued is the creation of a safety committee. According to district officials, approximately 25 parents, staff members, students, and other officials joined Deputy Superintendent Paul Smathers at the new safety committee’s first meeting recently. The group will meet monthly to discuss various safety-related issues throughout the school district. Information from the meetings will be posted online at www.gocruisers.org/SafetySecurity.aspx Safety hotline Students and adults can anonymously share information with school officials and law enforcement about threats to student safety by calling or texting to 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764). Calls are answered by the Ohio Homeland Security’s Threat Assessment and Prevention Unit. When action is needed, the TAP Unit immediately notifies school officials, law enforcement agencies and others, if necessary. Messenger holiday schedule The Messenger will alter its print publication schedule for the upcoming holiday season. The Messenger print publication and delivery date for the remainder of 2022 will be Dec. 25. After that, print publication will resume following the holidays on Jan. 15 and then every other week after that. Thanks for reading the Messenger! December 25, 2022 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - PAGE 3 Groveport history films Two documentary films on the history of Groveport, produced by the Groveport Heritage Society and Midnet Media, are now available for viewing online on YouTube. The films are: “Groveport: A Town and Its People” and “The Story of John S. Rarey and Cruiser.” The LARGEST SELECTION of IN-STOCK Kitchen Cabinets Home Outlet is your sourc e for quality in-stock kitchen cabinets for your home. Whether you need project ideas and inspiration or you’ re ready to roll up your sleeves and get started, our experienced store represen ntatives are ready to help with completely FREE Kit chen Planning services . Or, start your project online at homeoutlet.com. POLICE Continued from page 1 He said district officials understand and have “become more proactive” in their responses. He said school officials are working with security consultants and other schools to “find better ways to resolve incidents before they get out of control.” The high school uses two school resource officers, one from the Groveport Police and one from the Madison Township Police. He said Madison Township’s SRO officer will spend more time at the high school and less time at schools in the northern portion of the district. Adams said officers make every attempt to identify and criminally charge those who have committed the crime of violence. “We understand that the police cannot arrest our way of this problem within our schools, but our response will send a clear message that actions have consequences and we will not tolerate criminal behavior in our schools that place our students in danger.” He added that the Groveport Madison Schools superintendent’s office has informed him that the district is taking a “stronger stance” when it comes to administrative code violations and “holding students accountable for their actions.” Police and district officials meet regularly to discuss safety and security measures in the schools. “Myself and Lt. (Josh) Short have had several meetings with the school administration,” said Adams. North Columbus 2433 East Dublin Granville Road 614-794-9330 Two Convenient n Loc ations to Serve You West Columbus 4117 West Broad Street 614-274-9842
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Groveport Messenger - December 25th, 2022

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