Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Amen 2

One final thought:

I cannot help noting the irony of people elected to represent the interests of the voters taking last minute actions, such as the approval of these subdivision plats, to protect the profits of real estate developers from the voters. If we could understand why our elected officials have decided to represent the developers against the voters, we would understand everything. Is it time to call in higher authorities to try to get a handle on this one?

By Bruce Rigelman

The problem is Busey Road

There is a difference of living on one side of Busey Road versus the wrong side. On the south side Canal Winchester has developed a commercial/ industrial park. Most people consider this the CEDA area. Yet it remains in Violet Township but in the Canal school district. It creates no expenses for the school district (Canal Winchester) in the way of school children. I have heard plans to build a tree lined boulevard up Diley to connect this business park with U.S. 33.

Not only did Canal Winchester develop an industrial park but they put some thought into the residential side of their development plans for their village as well. The Village approved the Wilson?’s family request to rezone and develop a large residential development right behind the Canal Winchester High School. Considering that this village only had 453 homes in 1988 this new development would add over 1460 new homes. The project was approved. The green space was not swamp land but a golf course much of which is on the same elevation as the homes. They were required to build a club house for the golf course and have this developed before 50% of the homes were built. Fourteen years later they are still building the homes around this golf course community. In exchange for the rezoning the developers agreed to limit how many residential units they build each year. They also donated land for TWO elementary schools which the tax payers are building presently. The developers build the roads at THEIR expense. The developers widened Gender road at their expense. Ten years ago 70 acres along Waterloo Road was bought and the owners asked to have it rezoned and developed into homes. The village told them they would need to wait till they have the infrastructure in place to start their development. Apparently the village has made the move to ALLOW this developer (Dominion) to proceed with this residential development.

Canal Winchester has recently raised the minimum square footage for a residential lot with no threat of a suit from the local developers (many of the same developers that build in Pickerington). The new lots are going to be nearly 15,000 square foot building lots. Their density will surely be much lower than Pickerington?’s (8500). So how can Canal Winchester lower their village?’s zoning density for single family homes and still remain constitutional? Is the Ohio Constitution applied differently south of Busey versus North of Busey Road? Why do the Pickerington home developers not sue Canal Winchester? They are the same big time central Ohio home builders in both entities.

Maybe the reason is found in the leaders of Canal Winchester versus Pickerington. In the 70s and early 80s Canal Winchester had a Mayor Mike Miller that refused to annex more lands until the NEW HIGH SCHOOL WAS BUILT. In fact the Mayor didn?’t do anything that would create a problem for the schools without getting their approval first. His predecessor Mike Jones forced the Village to confront the commercial development issues head on. Mayor Jones laid the ground work for future commercial development in Canal.

From the school?’s side the Canal School?’s Superintendent Steve Donahue stayed with the village every stop of the way. He fought Columbus about their high density housing along Gender Road. Unfortunately the PLSD and their supporters have sat silent while the other governments have buried the school district in additional expenses.

YES!!!

LETS SEE ---THE MAYOR OF PICKERINGTON LIVES IN A HOUSE THAT IS OWNED BY ONE OF THE BUILDERS THAT HE CHANGES THE ZONING CODE FOR?? YES HIGHER AUTHORITIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN A LONG TIME AGO!!! AN INVESTIGATION IS WARRANTED.
THANK YOU
BRUCE ROOKSTOOL

Investigate!!!!!!


Here is a brief example of why there needs to be an investigation. Two furniture suppliers are submitting bids to supply the police station. Both a recongized leaders in this type of business. The one, who has a long track of selling costly furniture to the city, bids $115,000.00. The second bids around $51,000.00. The low bidder is asked to reevaluate its bids and lowers it even further to $49,000.00. What bid does the police department suggest the city take- the $115,000.00. That is $66,000.00 dollars over the lower bid. What sense does that make.

During a recent public records requests the city was asked to copy this document. After the request, they are now planning a ''special'' meeting before council to discuss these bids. Can anyone say ''caught with their hands in the cookie jar''. If this is the type of stuff that can be caught just from looking at memos, imagine what a real audit would reveal. Until that occurs, ask for records yourself or at least go down and ask the tough questions in person.

For example, people should start asking why councilmen Maxey and Postage are abstaining on some development votes.

Other people might begin to question why we spend so much money on attorneys who represent developers. These are the same attorneys who are now threatening to sue the taxpayers if they dare to try to stop the developers. Who does city hall represent, the people of Pickeringon or the developers? By the way, how much money and city employeees time has been spent on the ill-fated political campaign to repeal annexation reform? Why not ask Randy and Joyce outright, if just for the joy of watching them squirm as they try to avoid the real number.

The point is, don't just ask these questions on the web site. Make a public records request. Go to council and ask Joyce Bushman , Craig Maxey and Lou Postage if they have ever been involved in any real estate transactions in the city and, if so, which ones. Go and ask the mayor why he lives in a house owned by a developer and also allegedly owns expensive motorcycles with him. Make every council person answer whether they have ever profited directly or indirectly from real estate development in this town. Make these people answer in public.

Council mmetings are the first and third Tuesday. Tomorrow night is the next one when they plan on rushing through well over a thousand new homes into our already bursting school system.

By Wiley E. Coyote