Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

What is happening to our community? I tried to get into the senior center this evening and it was standing room only. Are we down to every zoning decision becomes an out pouring of the local citizenry?

Here again the trustees are in over their heads on a simple zoning decision. Terry Dunlap has stated he hopes that the residents can make the decision for the trustees. Folks we all better grab the bull by the horns here real soon or you all are going find a traffic pattern nightmare that will never get better without the efforts of a local government willing and able to control its own future and provide for itself. Township?’s have never been set up to do that in Ohio and why do we continue to kid ourselves into thinking they can?

What you are seeing is spot zoning and it is mostly granted to those in the community that have some pull. These same folks want to keep the status quo so they can continue to control the future of this community.

Is it time to talk about a true merger to address some of the current and future problems?

We are all being sold a bill of goods in that we are about to received MILLIONS in new tax dollars and it will cost us NOTHING. It simply is not going to happen that way. Those in the community promoting this are ill-informed and simply trying to get you to vote for them so they can continue to play big shot and accomplish nothing.

What will it take folks to realize where we are headed?

It is nice to see our citizens come out and to get involved but should we need to being doing this every time there is a re-zoning? I am finding it harder to get to work every morning do to the traffic and there is nothing from a community aspect that is being done to correct any of that.

Are we getting adequate police protection in the township when one lone gun-woman can rob the township Subway shop three time in one month? I doubt you will find any support among the city council to help the township after the trustees have repeatedly tried secure tax dollars from city tax payers thus driving the wedge deeper. How can we in the township build and improve our roads with a county budget that is struggling to find deputies to put on the street? All of this takes money and it will come from area residents to make these improvements or we will fall further behind.

It is time for someone to step forward and make some leadership calls that may not set well with most but it is going to need to happen and soon. Less we find ourselves in a crime ridden community with little or no law enforcement.

By Dan

Taking the heat!!!

Attorney takes heat

Residents don't want gas station, store in development

By NIKKI G. BANNISTER

The Eagle-Gazette Staff

nbannist@nncogannett.com

VIOLET TOWNSHIP - Thursday's meeting between the residents of Spring Creek subdivision and representatives of Ambassador Development wasn't just about a gas station.

It was about losing their rights to a 1996 covenant that had initial restrictions, including the gas station, 24-hour business and curb cuts on Milnor Road. Ambassador Development applied for a variance to amend the covenant and the residents are fighting it.

Donnell Gattis Jr., president of Ambassador Development, introduced himself and quickly allowed attorney Richard Ricketts to absorb much of the fire storm that residents lashed at him. But often more than not, Ricketts was left without finishing his sentences and replies to one simple question:

''Why does the covenant have to be changed?''
It's not that residents don't want a gas station - or anything similar - on an adjoining property that Gattis wants to develop, they just don't want a potential eyesore, possible crime or unwanted traffic. Ricketts presented the plan with the restrictions 11 years ago to Violet Township trustees, and now he wants the residents to back his application for a variance.

The meeting lasted more than two-and-a half hours, with residents eventually getting Gattis to agree not to include a gas station or 24-hour business on the property. However, the curb-cut issue still lingered. Curb cuts are small ramps built into the curb of a sidewalk to ease passage to the street.

''They said no gas station, but if he doesn't get to develop it, there'll be another developer coming in to do the same thing,'' said Spring Creek resident Tim Shaner. ''I would like to see the land turned into a park. But if you put that curb cut on Milnor Road, those 16-year old kids going to the high school are not going to pay attention to that.''

Gattis has two years to develop the 10-acre lot. He vowed to the residents that he would not include the gas station or the 24-hour business, such as a drug store.

Nothing is etched in stone. None of the Violet Township trustees were present at the meeting, but Ricketts said they wanted the trustees' blessings.
''There will have to be a traffic study initially,'' Ricketts said.
After the traffic study, the final approval would come from the Fairfield County Commissioners.

Ricketts offered to have further discussion with the residents, but most of them declined. Half of the 150 attendees left before the end of the meeting.

''If this is something that we cannot get accomplished then obviously as a developer, we don't want to cause an uproar,'' Gattis said. ''But obviously we are causing an uproar.''

No Shows

Isn't nice to pay these township trustees all that money and they don't bother to show up to a meeting where 100s of their constituency are present. They let the non paid volunteer commission members take the heat. I think we need some real leadership here.

Not a Meeting for the Trustees

Hey, anonymous, if you knew half as much as you think you knew, you would know that the Trustees were not supposed to be at that meeting. It was just a meeting of the residents and the developers.