Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

I think these e-mail messages are worth repeating. Just a reminder, if you choose to voice your position to the Fairfield County Commissioners, it may help if you sign your name to your position.

----- Original Message -----
Folks,
It seems that the reaction to over 400 signatures asking the Commissioners to NOT APPROVE the annexations has reached an all time low. I request you read the below message and very strongly consider writing the Commissioners office (snail mail) to voice your positions. The address is : Fairfield County Commissioners Jon Myers Judy Shupe Allan Reid 210 East Main St. Room 301 Lancaster, OH 43130-3879 Thank you for your consideration.
Bob Harding

----- Original Message -----
From: Violet Township
To: Bob & Barbe Harding
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002 4:31 PM
Subject: Fw: ANNEXATION HEARING UPDATE
Bob - These types of messages are going to the commissioners. We think that messages supporting the Township should be sent to them as well. Please pass the word on.

----- Original Message -----
From: Tim Bearden
DEAR CHURCH FAMILY: PLEASE PRAY
I feel things went well for us with the county commissioners. However, we still have to wait on God to deliver His will. The commissioners get 90 days to decide and they usually take 30-45. So pray they will decide quickly. Once they decide, the process takes another 60 days in the city arena.

A POTENTIAL PROBLEM: THE VIOLET TOWNSHIP
It was apparent that the violet township trustees mainly backed and motivated by the Ricketts and the violet association is behind stopping or at least delaying the annexation for their own agenda. The legal representatives for the township threatened to sue again (and they are lead and funded by the Ricketts) in order to delay the land owners rights to annex following the positive ruling by the county commissioners. In our society, anyone can sue. Although the township stands only to gain from the annexation and though they have no legal standing or even a vested interest, they want to control development and the city's plans to do what is best for SCC and others. In other words, this is a political issue and therefore it can be used to divide SCC if we do not stay focused on God's plans.

Annexations E-Mail Part 2 To Continue

Annexations E-Mails PART 2

----- Original Message -----
From: Tim Bearden
E-Mail Message Continued from Part 1

GOD'S PLANS: GOD WANTS US IN PICKTOWN
God has called us to Picktown!! We need the expedient police protection, the traffic management and the larger value for our property in order to have money to do ministry and change lives. We have sold our land to a broker and what they do with it is not our business!! Some say we should try to control every little move...How can we? If God wants to send 300 families in homes to us around the corner, and if God wants people to benefit from a wonderful town and church, why do a few people, who are mainly only concerned with their property value and their agenda, get to control the wishes of those who want to reach people. WE ARE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS, NOT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS. GOD LEAD US TO SPRING LAKES WITH A PLAN TO PAY FOR OUR LAND AND GET DEBT FREE AND TO USE OUR RIGHTS TO SELL TO WHOMEVER HE BRINGS OUR WAY AND TO PROVIDE MINISTRY TO THEM AS THEY MOVE IN TO OUR REGION.

I need your help:
1. Please pray for the commisioners decision to be in God's timing and for His will
2. Please vocally or any way you can encourage any elected township personnel or trustee to stop delaying our rights by foolish lawsuits that cost taxpayers money and ulitmately do the will of a few who have money. ie' Ricketts

BY THE WAY ABOUT THE RICKETTS WHO OPPOSE ZONING FOR HOUSES IN TOWNSHIP AND DESIRE TO KEEP THE MINIMUM LAND PER HOME @ 2 ACRES. This is a fact: The Ricketts have a development in the city with a PR 6...meaning they have built a development in the city with 6 single family homes per acre...Now does this make sense that they do one thing and then try to keep others from doing a zoning that is not has impacting?
PLEASE REMEMBER: Each and every day the people delay the annexation process, it costs SCC $267 dollars in interest!! Each month it costs us $8000 in interest to the lender. In addition, many families (nearly 20) living in the township and city have put up their homes in forms of equity lines of credit to help our church get out of leasing and into building our first building so we can see lives change. Once the land sells, which is tied contractually to the annexation, SCC is debt free for the land and the phase two for our church begins so we can build the space to change lives. PLEASE PRAY...

Tim Bearden

Shame on you

Dear Mark:

You should be aware that the republication of libelous statements made by others is also libel. In this case you are involved in local politics enough to know that the claim made by Mr. Reardon that the Ricketts are financing litigation filed by the Township is completely untrue. Since champerty remains illegal, this also accuses the Ricketts of a crime.

It is equally untrue that the Ricketts are developers. This false statement was started by members of the City government. Mr. and Mrs. Rickets sold thier land. After the land was purchased the developer decided to utilize the land for residential rather than commercial purposes. The Ricketts are not developers. If he is referring to Willow Pond, this land was developed by Homewood Corporation.

Perhaps now you can see the reason some people wish to remain anonymous. The Ricketts, whether you disagree or agree with them, have excercised thier right to express thier political opinion. Having done so, they have been called and berated by local politicians and in some cases implicitly threatened. Some politicians also begin spreading falsehoods about the Rickets, such as the one that they are ''developers'', including our Mayor, Randy Hughes, who should have known that the statment was, at best, inaccurate when he made it. Now who have a minister who evidently missed the scriptures about spreading false witness against your neighbor, making such outlandish statements that the Ricketts are financing township litigation and are developers of R-6 developments.

Good job Mark. In your efforts to help ''control'' growth you have managed to help spread libelous material about a fine family who has done nothing but do what they believe is best for the interests of this community. Please don't help anymore.

By Atticus Finch

The flock is in hock

It seems to me that pastor Bearden has got the flock in hock over a deal with Darryl Berry...to buy their land next to the church and build apartments on it and because of such, they may be in big finacial trouble and appear pretty desperate. I believe if the leaders of the church would have done their homework investigating this situation before they committed to spending money they did not have,to buy this land, they would not have this problem.

Mr. Berry has utilized the taxpayers and city finances to help his developments on many deals around town. The contract he has with this church has put them in a position of finacial stress because it is bogged down in litigation and will be for the forseeable future. The litigation is legitimate in my view and a result of the city stepping on everyone in their intended path. The Church land is just a stepping stone for them to attempt to annex the new school property and take 1% income tax from our teachers after all , the school district is the biggest employer in town and the church is tax exempt. I think the church leaders made a mistake thinking this was going to be a quick easy deal. There always seems to be a catch lately with some of these recent deals.

I believe this land has commercial value without Mr. Berry's interests involved, and that the church leaders should investigate other developers who would work with the community to present a development that everyone can agree with. It is just easier for Mr. Berry to develop this land since he is guarenteed a PR-10 zoning for apartments on this land in the pre-anneaxtion agreement, before any public input on the project. This is the way things work in the city and the very reason the Township is involved in a lawsuit to stop it. From appearances, it rings of contract zoning.

The pastor's statement about wanting to be into the city for better traffic control made me laugh, he must not have read the map of the annexation... because as usual, the city annexes only to the right of way of the main road leaving the Township to maintain these roads. Refugee is still in Violet Township on the map and the Township and County will have the responsiblility for the traffic control on the road! City officals must have really done a song and dance to convince him that this annexation could be a traffic advantage. Additionally, Mr. Berry is prevented by Ohio Law from getting a TIF for apartments and Condos so I doubt any traffic control device will be provided to this development or church because he would have to pay for it himself.

The majority of the people living in NE Violet Township do not want the city and what it brings in their backyards, high density, poor politics, uncontrolled traffic and a determination to step on those who live next door, never seeking and disregarding their opinions in these pre-annexation agreements.

I welcome the church and believe they have the right to make money from their land, but they should not develop it or let Berry do it with any type of development against the will of the people of this community. Putting God into this ''business deal'' with Berry is a reach in my book. Spending money you do not have is not good business for a church, business or individual, placing the word of God on it to rationalize it is wrong in my belief. I feel bad that the church is facing difficulty because of the situation and I hope somebody will help them. But the fact that they possibly made a bad business decision here should NOT be grounds to encourage or allow the city to conduct business as usual and run right up into our backyards in NE Violet Township. STAY OUT Pickerington!