July 14, 2011
Pay-to-participate
BOE lowers fees, raises specter of levy vote By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Pickerington Board of Education agreed July 11 to reduce pay-to-participate fees for students who participate in extracurricular activities in the coming school year. After setting pay-to-participate fees last March that would have more than doubled costs for junior high and high school students who participate in extracurricular activities in the 2011-12
school year, the board voted unanimously on Monday to lower them. As of now, high school athletes will pay $375 per sport, per student. A $195 per-student, per-sport fee will be charged to junior high athletes. While still higher than the $210 persport and $135 per-sport fees charged in the 2010-11 school year to high school and junior high athletes, respectively, the new fees have been reduced from the $500 and $325 per-sport fees set in March. Likewise, fees for participating in band
were reduced to $200, and students who perform in chorale and theater will be charged $150. In March, the board voted 3-2 to set fees for band, chorale and theater participation at $275. According to board members, the higher fees were set in March to ensure the district could fund extracurricular activities in 2011-12 and allow parents to plan for the fees. Since then, they said, the district identified $116,000 in cost savings by reorganizing and reducing school-
sponsored transportation for extracurricular activities, and an additional $318,664 in savings through the finalization of a new, two-year contract with the Pickerington Education Association, which represents PLSD teachers. “There’s an extra (approximately) $435,000 in savings that will go directly back to parents,” board member Lori Sanders said. “It was well worth the labor.” The new fees tentatively are in place for the beginning of the school year and the fall extracurricular season.
However, they could be affected by an 5.5-mill levy on the Aug. 2 ballot. If passed, district officials have said it will generate approximately $5.95 million per year, beginning in January 2012. “If the levy were to fail, we would be addressing this again,” board member Lee Gray said. He added that the costs savings realized through reorganizing extracurricular transportation and through the new See SCHOOL BOARD, page A5
City to seek Route 256 grant in August
JAMMIN’ IN THE PARK
By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
(From left) Owen Rice, 4, Myah Rice, 8, Emma Morton, 5, and Mikaela Hickman, 3, accompany Chris Logsdon on percussion during the musician’s performance at the Giant Eagle Summer Concert Series at the Sycamore Park amphitheater July 10. Logsdon is from Pickerington and his concert in the annual series — which, this year, is every Sunday evening from June 5 to Aug. 14 — usually draws a crowd.
Township eyes $500,000 in street paving By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspaper
A closer look
Violet Township is set to start work on $500,000 worth of street paving next month as part of its annual roadway maintenance program. On July 6, Violet Township trustees unanimously approved contracting with The Shelly Co. of Thornville, Ohio, for the township’s 2011 street paving program. While township officials continue to identify which roads will be addressed, they tentatively are planning to resurface Stemen and Allen roads, as well as streets in the Woodsfield subdivision. “We are in the process of evaluating (The Shelly Co.’s) bid and identifying which roads will receive treatment, utilizing a philosophy of treating the most lane miles using the unit prices received in our bid, in combination with the $500,000 budget,” Violet Township engineer Greg Butch-
While Violet Township officials continue to identify which roads will be addressed, they tentatively are planning to resurface Stemen and Allen roads, as well as streets in the Woodsfield subdivision.
er said. “We anticipate the work being performed in August. “Generally, the work is completed in about three weeks,” he said. The township has had an annual paving program since the 1980s. The work is funded by the township’s share of state gasoline taxes and motor vehicle license tax receipts, as well as its portion of the Fairfield County road and bridge fund. From 2006 to 2010, Violet Township spent an
average of $450,000 on its annual pavement maintenance contract, Butcher said. However, the rising price of materials has limited the scope of the program, he said. “In the past 10 years, asphalt prices have risen from $35 per ton to nearly $70 per ton,” Bucher said. “However, our paving budget has remained consistent or flat at about $450,000. Therefore, in 2011, we are resurfacing one-half the lane miles we were able to treat 10 years ago. “To put that in perspective, roads paved in 2010 may not get resurfaced until 2030,” he said. “In 2001, Violet Township’s philosophy was to resurface streets approximately every seven to 10 years. Today, the frequency between paving cycles is about 20 years,” Butcher added. “Violet Township, like many local governments, is facing a critical period of time, where unless alterSee STREET PAVING, page A2
Dunlap bemoans Waterloo bridge project delays By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers A Violet Township official recently expressed frustration over a lack of action on a pending bridge project, despite the availability of state funding. Last February, the Ohio Public Works Commission announced that Violet Township had been awarded a $108,000 grant to enhance the Waterloo Road bridge to allow for twoway traffic.
As a result, the township and the Fairfield County Engineer’s Office agreed to share the remaining cost of replacing the bridge, which at the time township officials estimated would be approximately $86,000. Further, a portion of the local share would be temporarily offset by a $36,000 OPWC loan for the project, which could be paid off at no interest over 30 years. This was all welcome news to the township, which for the better part of eight years has sought to widen
the bridge to improve traffic safety and make it easier for emergency response vehicles to pass. However, a growing sense of aggravation has set in, as trustees wait for the county engineer’s office to present design plans for the work. “We finally said we’ll split half of the local share,” Violet Township trustee Terry Dunlap said. “We submitted it and got the public grant, and (the engineer’s office) still doesn’t have the plans ready. “That’s the frustrating part.”
The bridge is located on the southeast side of Waterloo Road, between Hill and Winchester roads. It crosses a Walnut Creek tributary. According to Violet Township engineer Greg Butcher, recent traffic counts show 2,500 to 3,000 vehicles travel over the bridge each day. That’s up from approximately 1,000 vehicles per day in the late 1990s, he said last February. Increased traffic brought on by
In August, the city of Pickerington will apply for an Ohio Department of Transportation grant which, if awarded, could provide up to 90 percent of the funding for an estimated $3-million to $5-million upgrade to state Route 256. ODOT’s 2011 safety grant recipients likely won’t be known before December, but city engineer Greg Bachman is hopeful Pickerington will be among them. “Certainly, everyone in the area knows how notorious 256 is,” he said. “It looks good for the chances from ODOT.” According to information provided by the city last November, an average of 134 crashes per year occurred on Route 256 between state Route 204 and Refugee Road from 2003 to 2007. At that time, Bachman said the majority of the crashes were due to congestion on the city’s most heavily traveled thoroughfare. For years, the Route 256 corridor in Pickerington also has been on ODOT’s “Hot Spot” list of the 100 worst corridors in the state for traffic accidents. Pickerington’s total operating budget for 2011 is approximately $7.7 million so financing a road project costing upwards of $5 million by itself is out of the question for city’s the foreseeable future. However, Pickerington City Council in recent years has approved recommendations by Bachman and city manager Bill Vance to set aside $800,000 to supplement any Route 256 grant the city might receive. See ROUTE 256 GRANT, page A2
Planning agreement
After township vote, pact hinges on city council action By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Violet Township trustees last week endorsed an agreement with the city of Pickerington that could lead to the two governments sharing information about proposed development projects and land uses. The trustees unanimously approved a joint planning agreement July 6 with Pickerington. The agreement, which was proposed by Pickerington city manager Bill Vance and Violet Township director of operations Bill Yaple, seeks to commit the two governments to inform each other of all potential development and land-use projects within five days of receiving official proposals. See PLANNING PACT, page A2
See BRIDGE PROJECT, page A2
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