Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Does anyone know where they plan to move this building?



Packaging company to expand into Pickerington

Thursday, April 5, 2007

By SEAN CASEY
ThisWeek Staff Writer

America's largest supplier of rigid containers is making Pickerington its operational hub as it expands into the central Ohio market.

Chicago-based Berlin Packaging opened a satellite office in the area in March with intentions of building a distribution facility in the greater Columbus area in the future.

''Pickerington is a centrally located area,'' said Carole Yassen, the company's vice president of marketing services and administration. ''We forecast a lot of growth (in central Ohio), and it's close to our customers and niche markets.

''We thought it would be a good time to get in ahead of the competition,'' Yassen added.

Founded in 1898, Berlin is the nation's leading distributor of glass, plastic and metal containers and closures.

The inventory is used widely in the packaging of products within the food production, pharmaceutical, auto and personal care industries.

The company already operates 24 sales and shipping sites throughout the country, including a division in Toledo.

According to Brian Althoff, a Pickerington resident who Berlin hired to lead the expansion of its central Ohio footprint, the company already has customers in the Columbus market.

As the client base for the division grows under his direction, Althoff said Berlin will move forward with plans to construct a warehouse and shipping center in the greater Columbus area.

Although the location of the warehouse and shipping center has yet to be determined, Althoff said the management operations for the central Ohio division would likely remain in Pickerington.

While entering the market, Yassen said the company anticipates the creation of five positions initially, with future additions to coincide with expansion of the division's sales operations.

Berlin, which also has design and production, capital-financing and global divisions, has doubled its growth in the last five years.

More to the tale

Here?’s an interesting tidbit I heard, well, overheard at a sporting event last weekend. Apparently a plan is in the works to once again solve a regional problem or at least appear to take a regional approach to a situation.

Remember the ?“Big Box?” up by North? Turns out it isn?’t a dead issue just yet. Apparently the collusion between Fix and his buddies in the township are more far-reaching than we think they are now. Let me set the stage with a little history.

This guy who ran for council last time but was unsuccessful, Tory Kramer, suddenly up and quit the planning and zoning commission a while back. No reason but personal was given and we all know the immense reasons that can be categorized as personal. Also remember that Shaver kicked off a former councilman on the commission and replaced him with a Fix lapdog. Kramer?’s position was never filled and the mayor?’s appointment person misses more meetings than he attends. That being said, the commission is weakened at this time and is on the precipice of turning back to the way things were in the past on that commission if the majority shifts in Fix?’s favor. Despite the pleadings of the P&Z chairman, no effort is under way to fill the vacancy or assure that the mayor?’s appointment actually attends more meetings than he misses. Despite qualified applications in hand by the city the position is not being filled because the applicants, while willing to serve with no pay, are not lapdogs of Fix.

Now, getting back to the big box and regional cooperation, the conversation I overheard centered on the township working behind the scenes (naturally) with Fix to discuss annexation of the parcel that the big box would sit on. Much like the weird deal on Wright Road with the township offering annexation without the landowner?’s knowledge, the township is again talking annexation and profit sharing on the big box parcel. The sticking point at this juncture seems to be annexation of North at the same time. You see, a great deal of income tax would enter into the city coffers if the city annexed from its current limits across the school property and then pick up the big box parcel. A secondary sticking point is impact fees.

The developer and their trustee representatives want the impact fees waived, 50% of the income tax of the new development. The question is, how do they sell this to the city residents? There is the potential for more balloon and string annexations and possibly get to the big box site without gathering up North at the same time but balloon and string annexations are almost a popular as giving the township income tax for nothing.

Bottom line is that the township proved they can?’t handle a big box development up by North. Their P&Z folks were not skilled or professional enough to handle it. The trustees certainly don?’t want 300 of their voters sitting in public meetings again with all those facts and figures. The township wants to dump this on the city. They want to offer the annexation, provide no services and collect a disproportionate share of income. What a deal! All they have to do is come up with a sales pitch, get Lisa Reade on board (remember Weltlich nearly fully funded her campaign so it?’s time for payback). Reade can convince this new superintendent that she has everything well in hand and we move on.

The township gets the big box development they wanted, they please their financial supporters who own the land, collect income taxes, pay no costs or provide no support, send the 300 or so angry residents to city hall to complain and they sit back and tell us ?“What a Deal!?”

What a Fairy Tale

Someone's imagination is running overtime on this one. Just another way to spread false information.

Careful

I'm not sure what you're implying with this...

''This guy who ran for council last time but was unsuccessful, Tory Kramer, suddenly up and quit the planning and zoning commission a while back. No reason but personal was given and we all know the immense reasons that can be categorized as personal.''

But you need to be careful. Kramer's character has never been called into question here or anywhere else. Besides, have you met this guy? I have... he's not someone that I would want to make angry.

By Bill