June 16, 2011
Vinyl still verboten in Historic District By ANDREW MILLER ThisWeek Community Newspapers The use of vinyl building materials once again topped the agenda for the Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting on June 13. Resident Kristina Bailey, who attended the meeting to represent herself and her neighbor, Jennifer Gillespie, said they hoped to receive a variance to replace their current fencing — a mixture of dilapidated wood, chicken wire and metal farm fencing, according to Bailey — with a new six-foot vinyl fence, color-matched to the house. Bailey and Gillespie’s properties back up to the greenspace adjacent to Stradley Place Park. According to planning commission member Dan Konold, Bailey’s home, built in 1873, is the oldest one in the Historic District. “The current wood fence is warped and leaning,” Bailey said. “We want a nice view of the park and a consistent look that is aesthetically pleasing and maintenance-free. The fence will look like wood.” Commissioner Jeff Graber asked about wood texturing on the vinyl. Bailey said there wasn’t any texture and provided samples of the material. “I just don’t think we should have a vinyl fence on the oldest home in Canal Winchester,” Konold said. Preservation Area representative Patrick Lynch agreed. “It would be a shame to have a vinyl fence; we fought the whole vinyl siding issue and I don’t think this vinyl fence would be appropriate, either,” Lynch said. See VINYL, page A3
City-township planning agreement gets initial OK By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Pickerington officials last week took an initial step toward ratifying an agreement to share information about proposed economic development and land use projects with Violet Township. Pickerington City Council voted 5-1 on June 7 to approve the first reading of a “joint planning agreement” with Violet Township. Though non-binding, the agreement would commit the two government entities to inform each other of all proposed development and land-use projects that come before them. According to pact supporters, it would foster a spirit of cooperation among the geographic neighbors who admittedly have had difficulties working together in the past. They also say it aims to produce less obtrusive and mutually beneficial developments and land uses.
A closer look According to pact supporters, the agreement would foster a spirit of cooperation among the geographic neighbors who admittedly have had difficulties working together in the past. They also say it aims to produce less obtrusive and mutually beneficial developments and land uses.
Pickerington city manager Bill Vance said he believes the “bigpicture purpose of the joint planning agreement between Violet Township and Pickerington is to communicate reassurance to existing businesses and future investors that the township and the city are creating new and more See CITY-TOWNSHIP, page A2
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Photos by Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
Troy Falter, left, walks the track with his grandmother, Rose Inman, during the Relay For Life event at Canal wincheter High School on June 10. The two were walking in honor of Falter’s mother, Linda Falter, a cancer survivor.
Relay For Life
Rain ends annual ceremony at 4 a.m. By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Contributor The sixth annual Canal Winchester Relay For Life had some unexpected excitement as storms rolled into central Ohio during the afternoon and night of June 10-11. “We had to shut down for weather in the middle of the night,” Canal Winchester Relay For Life organizer Malinda Sullivan said. “This is my sixth year and we’ve never had to shut down before.” Relay For Life is the major fundraising activity for the American Cancer Society, with events held throughout the nation in May and June. The Canal Winchester event began with a survivors’dinner at Canal Winchester High School Friday, June 10, with the Relay itself beginning at 6 p.m. on the track. Sullivan said participants managed about three hours of walking before weather drove them inside. “We watched the radar on and off and the first storm that moved in, it looked like a bad one, so we moved everybody into the high school,” Sullivan said. “We walked in the high school for about three hours. We
Chloe Bennett, 6, gets a hoist from Wendy Tonnous, right, so that she can throw a whipped cream pie at her father, Will Bennett, left, who takes the blow to raise money during the Relay For Life event.
had the luminaria service inside, and we looked good, so everyone moved back outhad a pizza concession stand, and we made side. do.” “The radar looked like it was clear and Shortly after midnight, temperatures inside were high and the weather outside See RAIN, page A3
Treasurer reinstitutes escrow payment plan Program to allow county residents to pay real estate taxes monthly By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Fairfield County treasurer Brian Kuhn announced last week he will reinstitute an escrow payment plan for county property owners. That means, starting in September, county residents will be permitted to pay real estate taxes in monthly installments, rather than twice a year. The program was scrapped in recent years due to budget constraints and related staffing cuts. Kuhn said the goal is to create more manageable payments
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Their taxes are still going to be what they are because that’s not changing. But allowing them to pay lower amounts on a monthly basis, we hope it softens the blow
BRIAN KUHN —Fairfield County treasurer
for residents, rather than requiring them to pay off their annual taxes in installments every six months. “One of the things that was apparent real quickly was people sometimes have problems coming up with $700, $800, Cheryl is one of many cats up for adoption at the Cat Welfare Association. On Tuesday, June 21, the association will hold its Summer Solstice Adoption Extravaganza, which will feature food and special adoption rates. For information on adopting Cheryl or any of the cats, visit catwelfareohio.com. Watch a video of Cheryl at ThisWeekNews.com.
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$1,200 or whatever their tax bill is all at one time every six months,” Kuhn said. “Their taxes are still going to be what they are because that’s not changing. But allowing them to pay lower amounts on a monthly basis, we hope it softens the blow.”
He said nearly all central Ohio counties currently offer a monthly payment option. In order to sign up for Fairfield County’s escrow payment plan, taxpayers must be current with all real estate taxes through July 14, 2011, which is the deadline to pay the second half of the tax bill. If a taxpayer is eligible, he or she can complete and sign a “Monthly Escrow Plan Agreement For Payment of Real Estate Taxes” form and return it to the treasurer’s office. Kuhn said information about See TREASURER, page A2
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