Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Brian,

Echoing Bobalu's sentiments below, but finding that string too full, please tell us what the results are of your meeting with Mayor Hughes and Councilman Parker.

Having begun what is probably one of the most informative strings in months on this forum, I have no doubt what you share with us on the outcome of your meeting will top it by a mile.

By Maverick

Follow up.

Sorry I didn't post this info earlier but I've been swamped the past few days but I owe to you to post what I discussed. Please forgive the typos and poor grammar as this was done in a hurry.

The mtg went well but it didn't get very deep and I didn't get the majority of the issues addressed I wanted to due to lack of time. It was very biased towards the positives of the city as much as PATA is towards the negatives. I feel like I'm playing ping-pong at times, he said... she said...

Some of the questions or concerns I had started lengthy discussions and we only met for a little over an hour. I gave Doug a copy of the postings and told him I wanted to address each of the issues in greater detail and we plan on meeting in the near future to go over them. Hopefully I will be able to get into more depth when I meet with him and be able to post something more interesting.

I asked about why landowners want to annex into the city. - Response - because of the services. Water, not well, sewer, not septic systems, city police, etc.

Zoning - when annexed into city the city tries to zone as close to what the township had it zoned as previously.

His response regarding relationship with developers. Response - he wants developers who are good and trustworthy and he develops some of those relationships to get good developers into the area. I didn't realize it was the former mayor someone was talking about going to work for Homewood until after the meeting. He thought it was funny people thought he was going to work for them, that was my error in not reading the question through. Greg Lashtuka(sp?) went to work as a Sr. VP for Nationwide insurance after his stint as Cols. Mayor and after the arena was started. So... yes those things happen but that appears to be business. Whether or not you agree with it is your own opinion.

According to Mayor Hughes developers paid for the majority of the work to fix the flooding problems around the Diley road area, donated 25 acres in question around the Pickerington Ponds to the city, and have worked with the city on other various issues. They are also held to a higher standard than in the township in regards to stormwater mgmt, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and street lights. Lengthy, mostly boring discussion regarding stormwater mgmt.

Pickerington Ponds. The B&N study was done in the 80's, cities study was recent and the city got the two engineer firms together about how to determine what was an acceptable level of water to get from the well. Lengthy discussion regarding the Ponds, annexation of the Ponds area, history of the Ponds, etc.

Asked why Diley farms wasn't built up as commercial instead of residential. Diley's tried to sell to commercial for 7 years and couldn't find anyone interested. Mother died and inheritors got stuck with $1+ million tab from federal govt for inheritance taxes. Didn't have much choice but to sell it since they couldn't pay the taxes on it and that turned out to be residential.

Talked about some of the TIF's, Marcus and etc. Didn't get into enough detail to really post much though. Said Holiday Inn was not TIF'ed, Marcus TIF will be paid off way in advance and the long-term benefits in regards to TIF's and commercial development.

Also discussed about some of the high density developments, annexations into Cols, CEDA, etc but nothing of great detail.

They seemed to be open to people coming in and discussing issues. I still have lots and lots to discuss but it was a start.

If you have other questions or want more detail please post them and I'll try and respond on Monday. Thanks again for all the information from my last posting. Next meeting I definitley need to be more prepared and run it the way I want to and stop tangents when they start.

CITY BULL!!

Brian,

I have been very busy myself and I have been working on an answer to the couple of questions you asked me. However after reading your latest posting I felt I must respond now.

There are a number of statements in your posting about your meeting with Mayor Hughes and Doug Parker that are just plain untrue. If they told you that the Burgess and Nipple report was done in the 80s then they are full of it. I know people that work at Burgess and Nipple and it was done last year. What good would it have done to run a test in the 80s when the Pickerington Diley road well field wasn?’t drilled until 1995? What was the Southeast Messenger reporting on last year?

As far as working for a contractor that does business with the city and the former Mayor. The Ohio Ethics commission requires that former politicians NOT take jobs from companies that do business with the city for one FULL YEAR after leaving office. There are legal penalties if you do.

They keep trying to tell us that if they build in the Township they will have septic tanks. I challenge anyone to go to the township and buy a lot and try to get a health permit to build on that lot with a septic tank. That is why Fairfield utilities exist. The point is that you can?’t get a permit to install a septic tank to your home in the township. Call the Fairfield County Board of Health if you don?’t believe me.


Now the Diley Farm: Brian, Bob Harding and I sit through the planning and zoning meetings and the service meetings. We protested at all of them, along with about 30 area residents. Yet the only two people to speak in favor of rezoning the Diley farm to R-4 was the developer?’s attorney and non other than Douglas Parker. He claims they tried to sell the property for 7 years to you. He stated at the public hearing that Mr. Diley begged his mother to sell the property and she wouldn?’t. He also mentioned their lack of estate planning. I think the truth is that Mr. Diley?’s mother was the reason that the property wasn?’t sold before her death. The tax bill was around $980,000 so they were pretty close there. Now the IRS gives you one year to pay the taxes or they foreclose and sell the property for the amount of the TAXES. Parker unloaded on me because I stated that the Diley farm was sold under duress. Brian, you make your own decision about the duress question.

CITY BULL CONTINUED!!!


In 1993 our city paid $50,000 for a new Comprehensive Land Use Plan. In that plan it called for the land on the Diley farm that was west of Diley Road to be a business park. There is about 85 acres west of Diley Road. Yes it was zoned residential in the township. It was a very dumb idea by the Violet Township Trustees a few years ago. However who was one of those trustees? Non other than our Mr. Lyle Diley, he was a trustee for almost 30 years. If those folks that we paid to develop this plan in 1993 felt it was a good stop for commercial development then what made it change? Less than a mile from there is the Canal Point development from Canal Winchester. They are working on a freeway interchange at US 33 just a little over a mile from this property right now.

If Pickerington knew that Mr. Diley was trying to sell his mother?’s farm for seven years why didn?’t they jump on the issue and rescue him? They could have bought the development rights to the property and preserved the commercial value until the property became commercially valuable. Mr. Diley could have paid his debt to the IRS and continued to farm until he was ready to retire or until he sold the property.


Now what I really have a problem with is the city?’s inept ability to have any vision into the future and make plan accordingly. When Dominion came to the City to annex and re-zone was the city government looking out for the Pickerington Taxpayers? Where they trying to preserve a strong zoning code? Brian I don?’t know if you are aware of this but they allowed this developer to build R-3 homes on R-4 lots. They in effect granted 520 zoning variances last June to Dominion Homes. They have lots as small as 8500 square feet with 1800 square feet homes on them. In fact the majority of the lots are 8500 square feet. They also granted them (the new home owners) with about 60 acres of swamp land to maintain because they couldn?’t build homes on the property because they were marsh lands.


When I spoke at the Pickerington Service Committee about the Diley Farm Mr. Parker complained that I didn?’t go after those in the Township. He asked me if I knew how many people lived between the Diley Farm and Busey Road. I guess he was worried about these folks because they probably didn?’t want commercial across the street from them. The two closest homes to the Diley farm development have sold in the last year. Did these people want commercial or did the want residential. Apparently they weren?’t too happy with the residential.

Brian, my criticism of the city government is that they are trying to develop this city in a passion mode. The Diley farm is a great example. If you compare a similar situation with the Smith Farm in Canal Winchester you will find a whole different attitude in doing the public?’s business. When Stan Smith and his wife were breaking up, she wanted half of everything. In a very short time frame Canal had muster the money together to purchase the property and start the Canal Point commercial development.

On the other hand Pickerington stands back and waits for the property developers to come to them. These developers are in this for the money. The quickest way to turn your investment is with a residential development. The fact is if we are ever to get out of these development problems here in Pickerington we must become pro-active and control the development and we must do it very soon. Already on the books this fall is two new elementary schools along with an operating levy. I hope you will be happy paying more real estate taxes next year because we can only develop residential properties. Brian this community can't continue this pace!!!!!!!!!!!

The Storm sewer standards were great! You should ask Craig Maxey why his back yard flooded two weeks ago and he just moved into a NEW HOME