Decades of City Service Recognized

A job where you put in long hours, give up your nights and never get paid is not a job that would appeal to many people. Thankfully Steve Malone and Doug Blake aren’t like ‘many people.’

Malone has served on the Pickerington Parks Board (formerly Tree Commission) for 31 years and Blake has served on the Planning & Zoning Commission for 20 years. They’ve never received a paycheck and until recently, little acknowledgement for their years of public service. At a June City Council meeting, Mayor Gray changed that; he presented both Malone and Blake with Keys to the City and gave them each an honorary day of recognition. It was a lot of fanfare for two men who’ve quietly served their community for decades.

Malone and his wife were looking for a home east of Columbus and found a wooded lot and affordable home price in Pickerington. They moved here in the spring of 1990. They’ve stayed because “despite its rapid growth and traffic challenges, Pickerington still retains a lot of its ‘small town’ appeal. People here generally seem friendly, family-oriented, and welcoming of others. Plus, we have a cool logo on our water towers,” said Malone.

In 1992, Malone’s wife spotted a notice in the local paper about the creation of a Pickerington Tree Commission to help plan and care for city trees along streets, in parks, etc. “With my forestry background and general interest in trees, it seemed like a good opportunity to serve the community, so I applied and was appointed as one of the original three members.” In 2011 the Tree Commission became the Parks Board and Malone stayed and continued to serve. The Board meets monthly and members also attend various Parks and Recreation events, including Arbor Day.

Malone has been instrumental in helping the City maintain its status as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation. In 2023, the City celebrated its 30th year as a Tree City USA.

The same small town charm that drew Malone to Pickerington is one of the reasons Doug Blake decided to call Pickerington home. “Our fourth child was born in 1999 and we were looking to get into a neighborhood, as we were living in a rural area. I drove through the Olde Village one (winter) evening and the holiday lights were lit; it was snowing and I felt like this was home.” A visit to Ridgeview Junior High School where they met Wayne Ferne (school guidance counselor) for a tour was the last piece of the puzzle. Pickerington was home.

“I love this City. I love the parades on the various holidays, the small town feel, we have anything and everything in the way of amenities a person could want, the wonderful schools, the diversity of our community.”

Blake got involved with the Planning and Zoning Commission after a personal experience. “There was a piece of property that adjoined our old house in another city that was up for rezoning from agriculture to industrial use. That was a terrible experience for myself and my neighbors. I vowed I would get involved in city government when we moved.”

Blake is the chairman of the Commission and says the biggest challenge they face is ‘the fears our residents have about the impact residential growth will have on our schools and traffic.’

“I am of the opinion that a property owner has the right to develop a parcel that they own or are in contract with based on our zoning requirements and meeting our codes and standards. I personally try to live by these two things every day: do what is best for the majority of our citizens and treat others as I would like to be treated. Explaining our decisions is a very hard conversation to have but it is our duty to explain our decision to our fellow residents.”

In 20 years of service Blake has seen a lot of changes in the community. “Giant Eagle was my first experience with the fears of adjoining residents of the unknown. The biggest impact to our community, in my opinion, has been OhioHealth coming into our city, and now building a full-blown hospital. I believe this will shape our commercial and supporting professional office base for years to come.”

Neither Blake nor Malone have any plans to retire from their appointments and both agree that public service is vitally important to Pickerington’s success. “Get involved. We are blessed to live in this wonderful city,” said Blake. “Find something you like and stick with it. Be flexible in your outlook and don’t give up if things don’t seem to work out at first,” added Malone.

Congratulations to Sgt. Bryan Bragg at the Pickerington Police Department for his recent graduation from The Ohio State University Public Safety Leadership Academy. PSLA is an 11-week course offered by the John Glenn College of Public Affairs in partnership with the Ohio Department of Public Safety. It is one of the premier law enforcement leadership courses in the State of Ohio and is tuition-free for Ohio law enforcement agencies. Sgt. Bragg is the eighth supervisor from the PPD to graduate from the program.

August

19 – Youth Adventure Challenge Kids (ages 3-12) will be challenged in a variety of age appropriate fitness obstacles on a 3/4 mile course. This is not a mud run. Pre-register by August 12th.

September

30 – Enchanted Princess Party

Spend a magical morning with your favorite princesses. Come in your fanciest gowns and complete a craft, take photos, enjoy royal treats, and other activities. Tickets are required.

For more information visit www.pickerington.net

Members of the Pickerington Community Theatre served as the 2023 Grand Marshals of the July 4th Parade. PCT is a volunteer-led organization that produces four stage productions a year and has been part of the community since 2006.