I wanted to comment on a quote from a Pickerington School Board member in the Columbus Dispatch Metro section today. They quote Lori Sanders who is also pictured watching the returns come in for the failed issue 4 in The Pickerington Times-Sun.
Mrs. Sanders?’ quote today is in regard to the 16.5 acres that the school board thought they had, then the developer took back his offer. Mrs. Sanders said, ?“I felt this was being done because they understand the impact of 700 houses on our school district,?” she said of donating the land. ?“I felt this was their way of saying. We want to be a good neighbor to go back and renege tells me that their motive for donating the land wasn?’t what they said it was.?”
I want to point out that this was not a donation, but our Pickerington City Manager made statements that they went through ?“Tough?” negotiations to get them to donate this land just a few months back. Obviously our city manager walked away with only a PRESS RELEASE not property transferred to the school district. They have attorneys spending hundreds of thousands of our dollars to shoot down the citizen's petitions of this community and yet they walk away from this meeting with a hand shake and a wink and tell us, all including the SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, that they made this great deal when they didn?’t make a deal at all.
The Sycamore Creek rezoning and annexation into Pickerington has MISMANAGEMENT written all over it. When this was rezoned out in the township they should have demanded a property transfer to the school board for this property in exchange for this new zoning. Real estate transfers must be recorded at the county seat before they become legal. Our sharp attorneys should have demanded that in exchange for the new zoning. The rezoning is what now makes this property worth $1.5 Million according to the property owner of R-10 zoning.
We now know that the original tract of land these developers had planned to ?“GIVE?” to the schools was nothing more than swamp land and nothing could be built on the property. This is a total failure on the part of the School Board, the Pickerington City Government and the Township Trustees.
From now on we must understand that these developers are not good neighbors. Like ALL businesses they do what they do to make money and I have no problem with that. If they want their property rezoned then they should be willing to work with the community to lessen the impact to our community. If they want to build 700 homes then we must DEMAND that they only build a certain number of homes each year and at the very least they should provide land suitable to build on for the schools. Obviously 700 now homes will require a new school or two. Where were our leaders at during these negotiations? If the current ones are not capable then maybe we need some new ones.
I hope Mrs. Sanders has learned a lesson. I think Mrs. Oakes has showed us all her courage in these matters and the fact that she read the letter at the school board meeting puts these developers on notice. Great job Gail!
To Mrs. Bushman please check with Mrs. Fersch and find out where your manager's salary comes from. You have a duty to the provider of your salary.
Mrs. Sanders?’ quote today is in regard to the 16.5 acres that the school board thought they had, then the developer took back his offer. Mrs. Sanders said, ?“I felt this was being done because they understand the impact of 700 houses on our school district,?” she said of donating the land. ?“I felt this was their way of saying. We want to be a good neighbor to go back and renege tells me that their motive for donating the land wasn?’t what they said it was.?”
I want to point out that this was not a donation, but our Pickerington City Manager made statements that they went through ?“Tough?” negotiations to get them to donate this land just a few months back. Obviously our city manager walked away with only a PRESS RELEASE not property transferred to the school district. They have attorneys spending hundreds of thousands of our dollars to shoot down the citizen's petitions of this community and yet they walk away from this meeting with a hand shake and a wink and tell us, all including the SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, that they made this great deal when they didn?’t make a deal at all.
The Sycamore Creek rezoning and annexation into Pickerington has MISMANAGEMENT written all over it. When this was rezoned out in the township they should have demanded a property transfer to the school board for this property in exchange for this new zoning. Real estate transfers must be recorded at the county seat before they become legal. Our sharp attorneys should have demanded that in exchange for the new zoning. The rezoning is what now makes this property worth $1.5 Million according to the property owner of R-10 zoning.
We now know that the original tract of land these developers had planned to ?“GIVE?” to the schools was nothing more than swamp land and nothing could be built on the property. This is a total failure on the part of the School Board, the Pickerington City Government and the Township Trustees.
From now on we must understand that these developers are not good neighbors. Like ALL businesses they do what they do to make money and I have no problem with that. If they want their property rezoned then they should be willing to work with the community to lessen the impact to our community. If they want to build 700 homes then we must DEMAND that they only build a certain number of homes each year and at the very least they should provide land suitable to build on for the schools. Obviously 700 now homes will require a new school or two. Where were our leaders at during these negotiations? If the current ones are not capable then maybe we need some new ones.
I hope Mrs. Sanders has learned a lesson. I think Mrs. Oakes has showed us all her courage in these matters and the fact that she read the letter at the school board meeting puts these developers on notice. Great job Gail!
To Mrs. Bushman please check with Mrs. Fersch and find out where your manager's salary comes from. You have a duty to the provider of your salary.
