July 14, 2011
City looking into Tech Center TIF Medical offices may be built on 12-acre parcel near Hamilton-270 By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Gahanna City Council is considering the establishment of a tax-increment-financing (TIF) district for a 12-acre parcel on the southeast portion of Tech Center Drive. The TIF district would open the door
to a 40,000-square-foot medical-office facility. It would be within phase 1 of the Buckles tract development plan, a 115acre piece of undeveloped property along Hamilton Road, just south of I-270. Development director Anthony Jones said the Tech Center Drive westward extension is being constructed through the property and that the extension would
transform it into three separate sites that would become available for economic development. “As part of the TIF, we’re installing infrastructure for four individual parcels ranging from 1.5 to 6 acres,” Jones said during a July 11 committee meeting. The medical offices would be on 3 acres.
“Once the road is in, there will be a lot more interest in this site,” Jones said. “We have a great project here that will provide significant return to the community in a short time.” Jones said negotiations are ongoing with the medical group and it would be premature to name it. If negotiations proceed, he said, a groundbreaking would
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be held in October, with the facility opening in July 2012. A TIF is an economic development mechanism available to local governments to finance public infrastructure improvements and, in certain circumstances, residential rehabilitation. A TIF works See DEVELOPMENT, page A4
Woods at Shagbark
City to explore options to address flooding, erosion Basin bid process to continue By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
Kim Wallace (left) and Janet Roach admire a pair of earrings at the booth of Jodi’s Jewels during Gahanna’s Second Saturdays event at Creekside Plaza on July 9.
Charter recommendation would stagger council terms By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
With one of four proposed recommendations, Gahanna’s Charter Review Commission hopes to prevent future November elections that could change the city’s entire leadership in one fell swoop. CRC chairman Paul L. Bittner presented to council July 5 the commission’s recommendation, which includes changing the city’s four ward council terms from the current twoyear terms to four-year terms. The current ward seats that up for election this year would remain two-year terms, with the terms changing to four years beginning in 2013. The council ward seats then would be staggered with the three at-large council seats
municipal election, as could occur in the Nov. 8 elections. A closer look The commission’s rationale is that the current system could cause a substantial loss of CRC chairman Paul L. Bittner presentinstitutional knowledge, thus the commission ed to council July 5 the commission’s recommends staggering terms so that the enrecommendation, which includes tire body of city council would not stand for changing the city’s four ward council election in the same year. terms from the current two-year terms During its six-month review of the charter, to four-year terms. the commission also invited city representatives from Grove City, New Albany and Westerville to discuss the pros and cons of counthat also are four-year terms. Bittner said the result of the proposal is that cil and city-manager forms of government. Bittner said the consensus of the commisthe city offices of mayor, city attorney, at-large council and ward council seats would not all sion was that proposing such a substantial change would not be appropriate based on the be subject to election in the same year. Under the existing charter, the entire elected city government could be replaced in one See TERMS, page A2
Gahanna service and engineering leaders will revisit options to help control erosion and flooding along the McKenna Creek watershed but move forward to accept bids to build a detention basin on city property near the Woods at Shagbark. Service director Dottie Franey told city council committee members and Shagbark residents July 11 that she would contact Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Columbus representatives to discuss more ways to alleviate erosion and flooding issues, looking at specific areas north of Morse Road. She said she estimates the $400,000 detention basin would be the most time-efficient and costeffective solution that would be on city-owned property. The project would be funded via the city’s stormwater utility fund. “We’ll propose questions to Columbus and see whether they will refine drainage studies,” Franey said. In addition, she wants to explore the possibility of Columbus offering storm-sewer credits to businesses that would upgrade stormwater management practices. She’ll also ask if Columbus requires a business to upgrade stormwater management after a facility changes ownership. Franey said Gahanna had met with Columbus two years ago. “While they understood our situation, they were not compelled to perform the necessary coordination to make the projects feasible,” she said. “It’s also worth noting that even if some modifications were made in Columbus, the basin would probably still be necessary due to the volume of water
that needs detained.” The original design of the basin would have delayed approximately 43 percent to 56 percent (depending on the intensity of the storm) of the flow through the downstream areas of the watershed, she said. “However, to achieve that, we would have to remove the majority of trees between Shagbark and Giant Eagle,” Franey said. “We recognized that that would have a significant aesthetic impact on the condominiums that face Giant Eagle; therefore, we redesigned to a smaller basin that will hold back between 33 percent and 49 percent of the flow but will leave a buffer of existing trees and vegetation and allow room for newly planted trees between the condominiums and the new basin.” Many residents from the Woods at Shagbark say they oppose the proposed basin because of the loss of mature trees that hide them from Giant Eagle, as well as the environmental effect on the existing habitat. George Mrus, president of the Shagbark condominium association, spoke in support of the basin July 5, saying it’s the most viable solution for the greater good. Sanctuary Place resident Louis Houser also supported the basin, or at least some method to prevent flooding. “Something needs to be done to mitigate the erosion,” he said. Franey said 2 acres would be disturbed for the construction of the basin that would have a maximum storage capacity of nearly 2 million gallons. About 50 trees would be removed, and a landscape plan has a total of 42 new tress to be planted. See SHAGBARK, page A2
Gahanna sisters share golden wedding anniversary By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Gahanna has been the backdrop of romance for sisters and their husbands, who simultaneously will celebrate 50 years of marriage on July 16. Ron and Shirley (Beem) Ishmael and Fred and Connie (Beem) Bowers all attended Gahanna Lincoln High School, where they met and fell in love in the 1950s. Shirley, Ron and Fred were members of the class of 1959, and Shirley’s sister, Connie, graduated in 1960. When the couples announced their engagements, Irene Beem told her daughters she wouldn’t plan two weddings in one year. At the time, Irene Beem owned Gahanna-based Beem’s Beauty Shop, and
her customers successfully lobbied for a double wedding. The two couples were married July 16, 1961, at Gahanna Community Church. The Rev. John Selvey officiated. Shirley Ishmael said commitment, communication and lots of prayer helped her marriage last. “Faith has always been important to us,” she said. “We’re all close to each other’s children and grandchildren. We’ll celebrate our anniversaries together. We’ve been very blessed.” The two couples worship together at Shepherd Church of the Nazarene in Gahanna. “It takes faith,” Connie Bowers said of a successful marriage. “I think that’s a foundation for the marriage. If you have a strong faith, that’s where respect and
love come from. You need to treat each other with respect. We were also taught commitment.” To Bowers, it seemed like all of Gahanna had attended her wedding 50 years ago, when her younger brother and sister served as ring bearers. “It was a big deal back then,” Ishmael said. “(The newspaper) wrote about a lot of social things.” The couples have deep roots in Gahanna. “Fred grew up in what’s now the historical society’s Clark House,” Ishmael said. “Connie and I moved here in ’47. We all grew up in Gahanna and have stayed here.” According to Ishmael, of the 87 students in the class of 1959, eight married See ANNIVERSARY, page A2 Fred and Connie (Beem) Bowers (left) and Ron and Shirley (Beem) Ishmael.