Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Ask around-I'll back him up

My business interacts with the commercial development community regularly. And although I am a lowly township resident I can tell you that there have been several businesses wanting to locate here and the buck stopped in city hall. Attempts to get a proposal to the commission never made it past a certain desk in the northeast corner of 100 Lockville. Someone at that desk either didn't like what they were peddling or didn't think the product or building ''measured up'' to the high standards she wanted to set for commercial development in this fine sister city of Centreville. Speaking of the Big Bear building, staff at city hall absolutely have rejected propsals put up for that building. Granted the owner and realtor are difficult ones to deal with but prospective clients were willing to deal with them because of the lucrative Pickerington market share but were rejected at city hall. They seem to feel that the residents have grown used to the vacancy and would tolerate that better than what her opinion said was substandard.

I only wish she was a thoughtful in defending this city when it comes to dealing with the politicians in her midst as she is when she decides what is pretty enough at Refugee and Hill. Sell the city to the township but stop an employer from locating here and paying taxes.

Oh well, at least my tax dollars aren't paying her salary.

Call somebody

Come on now. If your or your friend's proposals were that good and they were turned you away, why didn't any of you call some of the elected officials who are very visible and have contact information listed on the City web site. I have heard your complaints before and I have also heard where members of council have intervened and the problem was corrected in most cases.

The City manager is simply carrying out the policies of Council and she works directly for the Mayor. Do any of you think Joyce did what she did on her own? I doubt the current mamager is any different.

Limit the retail

The Pickerington Community couldn't support two stores (Big Bear and Kroger) in the past. We are now back to two in the City and a third in the township. Why would we want a fourth?. Yes competition is good but having stores sit empty is a loser for everyone. I am afraid the Kroger store on Refugee will be empty one day. Brice Road has had stores come and go now most are gone. Retailers try to put each other out of business and in the process the local communities put up with the eyesores. I think communities like Pickerington need to limit the size and number of retail stores and they need to only have enough capacity to serve small portions of the out laying areas. Other wise you suffer the traffic mess like at Taylor Square.