Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Lemonade...continued

Bring Columbus to the table in a public meeting and ask them how many high density developments they intend to continue to build in our district. Bring Liberty Twp to the table in a public meeting and demand their projected numbers. They have absolutely no growth restrictions in place. Make them accountable for their additions to the district. Don?’t let Canal off the hook. Many of our students are from there.

What I can?’t stand is the fact that this district cannot win back over 1,000 voters this election. They cannot forestall the operating levy renewals coming in the spring. They cannot pass a construction levy in the face of the operating levies. In other words, all the crap spewing forth from the board and the administration?’s mouths will just be repeated in March, May, August again and again and again. Their back is against the wall. Make lemonade.

Stop the threats, stop the rhetoric and find a completely new marketing strategy for digging through our wallets. What you are doing now doesn?’t work. The most important people you alienated were the original levy supporters. They have the most influence and contacts to keep you at bay.

When we ask you to present us all possible options to house students and demonstrate outside the box thinking and creative solutions you give us all the same crap over and over again. What part of WE WANT SOMETHING NEW do you not understand? Some guy in here a long time ago mentioned kindergarten village. Well, the Big Bear is still vacant with no promise of being used anytime soon. Certainly with public support you could move in on that deal and get that location over some fitness center joke. A greater community good approach? Someone else mentioned a configuration of reusing the current schools to house everyone. A long-term solution? No, but it might get you through for a while. Buy you some time while you try to whittle away at our wallets.

This is the way I feel. I am angry and disappointed with this board and administration. It has nothing to do with the Taj Mahal. It has to do with the way you insult my intelligence. It has to do with the way you stack and manipulate boundary committees and facilities review committees. It has to do with the way you treat me. It has nothing to do with palaces and gold toilet seats at north. It has to do with the fact that you don?’t respect me.

One last time ?– take your lemons and make some lemonade!



By Mad as Hell

Dear Mad as Hell

Mad as hell - if you want to be included on the FRC that can happen. It wasn't a closed committee if people expressed interest they were put on. Problem is many people just like to sit back and be mad - make a difference and roll up your sleeves - we would welcome help. The Board has even said if this goes forward they want people rotated on & off - so the opportunity is there.

The Kindergarten City at Big Bear has been looked at. Do you know what they want in rent? It's astronomical - are you going to be the one to supervise the kids playing in the parking lot? What's kid friendly about that? Sure it uses dead retail space for the city, but I don't think that's best for kindergarteners even if it was fiscally a good decision.

The district does not have money to renovated the space into classrooms and even if they did it only opens 15 classrooms rooms in the district. That's not even close to whats needed.

California Fitness has not signed any papers to take that space - but I've heard they are interested in Pickerington. Maybe it's too high for them as well.

By FRC member

Dear FRC

Dear FRC,

My wife and I WERE involved in the boundary committee fiasco. The sports booster Mark Uher took it over and got what they wanted. Elsewhere in this forum the musical chairs of the FRC was also discussed. They can get what they want by simply rotating people until they get who they need to portray what they want. They keep it appearing to be arbitrary by keeping ?“honest brokers?” like yourself on board. Thank you for your participation. By the way did the board ever get that report yet??

I don?’t know much about the rent at big bear. How much does it cost to purchase? But what I didn?’t see happening was the schools coordinating with the city and township to make this a miltiuse facility that parks and recreation could use during non-school hours for their programs, the city could use for public meetings rather than renting a church and so on. Can?’t this be approached from a community-wide perspective? Can some of the buses be parked there with at least 2 traffic lights and one planned according to the council minutes for access? No, because the school wants total control. Isn?’t there a way to share costs and benefits? Sort of a win-win situation? No one has asked have they? We all share the problem (school overcrowding) can?’t we share a potential solution? Would people vote for a levy for this?

Kids playing in the parking lot? Come on. The rear access is not required with school use. The road can be secured to allow conversion of most of the area to a playground. Matter of fact, isn?’t there a road planned going north from the back Kroger entrance that will eliminate the rear access to big bear anyways? Again, cooperation between the city and schools could result in benefits for all. Safety in the front? If it is no longer a retail business the flexibility to create safe access for kids changes doesn?’t it?



By Mad as Hell

Consider This

Hey Mad,

As FRC Member said we did look at the Big Bear. Past the rear alley loading area, the property belongs to someone else, so that doesn't work. The best we could do was some kind of massive security fence in the parking lot for the playground. Welcome to Stalag Pickerington!

We couldn't get a long term lease at all and it would take several million dollars to make it usable. If the lease ends in five years, as well it might, then you loose all your improvements. (how many toilets do you need for 300 kindergartners?)They belong to the owner. That's the law.

You can't buy it if the owner won't sell. Trying to take commercial property by eminent domain can take years and cost a bunch. Remember the City will be testifying against the District since you are trying to take tax paying property out of service.

You can't make lemonade out of tommyrot! Platitudes don't really help.

By Another FRC Member