August 11, 2011
Olentangy panel looks at district’s future By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
How to avoid building a fourth high school is foremost among the topics an Olentangy school district advisory committee will examine as it studies longterm options. Martin Johnson, chairman of the district’s Project 2020 committee, is a dis-
trict resident and parent. Johnson said the panel will look at the possibility of meeting educational needs without constructing the building. Johnson stressed the process is in the early stage and would be studied in depth. The panel will hold public meetings to allow community input and will focus on continuing the “academic suc-
cess of students.” The 2020 committee includes Superintendent Wade Lucas, school board member Dave King, four other district employees and five citizens. The district’s development committee has said a fourth high school will be needed by 2015-16 to serve the current and projected student population. The district anticipates 5,289 high school
students that year. Its existing three high schools hold 1,600 students each. To study alternatives to a new building, Johnson said the committee will look at things such as online learning, leasing or sharing facilities, restructuring the school day or year, and sharing employees with area educational organizations such as Columbus State Community College and Delaware Area
Career Center. The committee has identified 16 groups of people referred to as support groups. The groups will provide expertise to help the district study the issue. For instance, Johnson said the district’s development committee will look See OLENTANGY, page A2
Liberty Twp. to help remove ash trees By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Tessa Bargainner/ThisWeek
The band Phillip Fox plays at the recently opened beer garden at Local Roots, 15 E. Olentangy St, on Aug. 5.
Local Roots spruces up patio By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Jessi Iams enjoys seeing her customers have a good time. The owner of Local Roots restaurant in Powell added a beer garden and live music to its patio on the corner at 15 E. Olentangy St. “We put the fence up, put tables and chairs, and built a bar around the gazebo,” Iams said. The live music is “jazz and blues on Wednesday and Thursday and popular ’80s and ’90s music on Friday and Saturday.” The fence and other improvements cost about $15,000. The Powell Planning and Zoning Commission approved the project and construction
“
Jessi’s (Iams,owner of Local Roots) got some great ideas. She’s brought the entertainment downtown that everyone can enjoy. It’s almost like a festival environment. I think Jessi’s a mastermind.
VINCE MARGELLO — owner of the commerical property that houses Local Roots
was finished in July, Iams said. Iams expects the expansion will add three or four part-time employees at the restaurant. The menu for the beer garden is finger food, but customers can also order from the restaurant’s menu, she said.
”
“I think the reception is good. Patrons are really enjoying it, as well as people walking down the street. They’ll stop and dance or sing along,” Iams said. “It gives me a smile every time I see them dancing and singing. It’s about making Powell come to life, and I think it’s working.”
Vince Margello, owner of the commercial property that houses the restaurant, is pleased to see the activity Iams has brought to the area. “Jessi’s got some great ideas,” Margello said. “She’s brought the entertainment downtown that everyone can enjoy. It’s almost like a festival environment. I think Jessi’s a mastermind.” Iams also put in a patio at the rear of the restaurant, Margello said, which includes a fireplace and is another “environment extending from the restaurant that people enjoy.” The continued success of Local Roots, which opened in 2009, has
Liberty Township trustees on Aug. 8 authorized the road department to cut down dead and infested ash trees in the Liberty Lakes subdivision. Township administrator Dave Anderson said the township would incrementally remove the street trees damaged by the emerald ash borer. The township won’t remove stumps or replace trees. April Oney, co-chair of the Liberty Lakes homeowners association, said the association will mark the trees it wants removed. Township road superintendent Randy Leib requested the markings, noting that in previous years, residents were upset after trees were pruned. One, on July 11, asked the township to help remove and replace about 140 trees in the right of way. The township technically owns the property, but regulations require homeowners to maintain it. Trustees at the time said the township tree policy doesn’t include cutting down and replacing street trees, but for safety reasons, the township should cut them down. Oney had said removing the trees was a hardship to the homeowners because of the economy. At the Aug. 8 meeting, Oney asked trustees if the township required residents to replace downed street trees, because some Liberty Lakes residents said they wouldn’t replace the trees unless told they have to. “That’s horrible,” Oney said. “It’s going to make the subdivision, Liberty Township, look awful.” Oney said the residents disagree on what the subdivision’s deed restrictions mean. They say property owners have to “maintain” the street tree area, but don’t address replacement. The township doesn’t have the power to force residents to plant trees, Anderson said. Leib said the road crew could cut down the trees with relative ease because they’re small, but it
See LOCAL ROOTS, page A6
See LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, page A2
Municipal building solar panel installation delayed By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The installation of solar panels on the roof of Powell’s municipal building, 47 Hall St., has been delayed, officials said Aug. 2. A structural engineer working on the project determined that the building’s rooftop cannot handle the weight of the panels without reinforcement, Eric Fischer, city planner and project manager, told city council. Fischer said the city will seek permission from the Ohio Department of Development to “ground-mount the panels” instead. The project is funded by an $821,861 federal energy-efficiency grant through the ODOD. Such mounting can serve a dual purpose, he said, noting that Powell will either use the mounting structure as two carports for the police department or as one carport and one park shelter. Those
A closer look A structural engineer working on the project determined that the municipal building’s rooftop cannot handle the weight of the panels without reinforcement, Eric Fischer, city planner and project manager, told city council.
structures would be on the Village Green, 47 Hall St. The city believes ground mounting to be less costly than reinforcing the building’s roof. The roof can take about two pounds per square foot above its current load, which is about what’s needed for snow accumulation. It would need to be reinforced to handle four to six pounds per square foot, which the panels require.
The building’s structure is more than 40 years old, though the outer shell was renovated in 2006, city spokesperson Jeff Robinson said. Fischer told city council such findings are common when attempting to install solar panels. The cost of ground-mounted structures would be within the financial confines of the grant, Robinson said. Council approved a $687,900 contract for the project on June 7. Fischer said, if approved by the ODOD, the remaining funds would be used for the ground mounting. The project is expected to save the city about $20,000 a year in energy costs, city planner Eric Fischer has said. In slightly more than 34 years, those savings would equal the $687,900 contract. The grant also will fund the inSee PANELS, page A6
Flag football fundraiser
By Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
Blonde’s Lizzy Pfeifer of Powell, center, tries to get past Brunette’s Jeni Carver and Amanda Brewer during the first quarter of the Blondes vs. Brunettes flag football benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association, Central Ohio Chapter, at D1 Sports Training. Donations totaled $20,362.