1/6/2011 edition of ThisWeek Reynoldsburg by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

January 6, 2011

Burd tapped for county elections job Councilman will become deputy director of board of elections; still plans to retain local office By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Reynoldsburg City Council member Nathan Burd will become deputy director of the Franklin County Board of Elections on Friday, Jan. 7, succeeding fellow Republican Matthew Damschroder. Damschroder has served as deputy director since March 2008. He resigned to become deputy assistant in the office of incoming Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

The Franklin County Board of Elections consists of two Democrats and two Republicans appointed by the secretary of state to staggered four-year terms. The board oversees all facets of election laws in Franklin County. Burd, 33, was elected to Reynoldsburg City Council in November 2009. He currently serves as executive director of the Franklin County Republican Party, which will have to appoint someone to replace him in that position. He will be working with board of elec-

tions director William Anthony Jr. to oversee one of the 25 largest elections jurisdictions in the country. The Franklin County Board of Elections serves about Nathan Burd 819,000 voters. Burd, who was chosen from among 25 candidates, will be paid $111,592 a year as deputy director, the same salary as Anthony.

He said he fully intends to fulfill his term on Reynoldsburg’s City Council, which won’t end until 2013. “If I am in this position three years, then I will not be able to run for re-election because the Ohio Revised Code says someone in this position can’t run for public office,” Burd said of his appointment. Because he already holds a public office, he can continue to do so, he said. “I just won’t be able to be on the ballot again,” he said. “My term doesn’t end

until 2013 and if I am still in this job by that time, I will not be able to seek reelection to city council.” Burd said he will remain in the deputy director’s post “as long as it makes sense,” especially after being reassured he could serve out the rest of his city council term. “Franklin County is one of the largest voting jurisdictions in the country … and for someone like me, elections are important,” he said when asked why he See BURD, page A3

City engineer has much to look forward to in 2011 By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers

By Adam Cairns/ThisWeek

Reynoldsburg development director Lucas Haire said increased local development signals an improving economy.

Haire: Development increased in 2010 By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Based on 2010 development activity in Reynoldsburg, city development director Lucas Haire said he thinks the economy is turning a corner. Haire said 38 new businesses opened in Reynoldsburg last year, compared to 24 in 2009.

He said the 38 businesses opening occupy 150,000 square feet of space and brought $4.8million to Reynoldsburg from either new construction or remodeling. Haire said those figures are important because if business owners are interested in investing that kind of money, they plan to stay awhile. “They’re planning on being here awhile and planning on recouping the costs that are in-

volved and also it’s putting people to work,” Haire said. “There’s more confidence in the economy, consumers are feeling a little more positive, people are out there spending a little more money and banks are lending more money to private businesses,” he said. Haire said of the 38 businesses, the only See DEVELOPMENT, page A2

Reynoldsburg director of engineering Jim Miller said accomplishments n 2010 set the stage for what he called “a full plate” in 2011. “I know I’ve got a full plate this year … I’ve got a full plate for two people,” Miller said. Completing the design plans last year to rebuild Summit Road means the actual construction can begin this spring and be finished by the end of the year, he said. The project will complement two new schools the Reynoldsburg school district is currently building along Summit Road, he said. The total cost of the Summit Road project is $3.5-million, Miller said, with 75 percent of it eligible for reimbursement through an Ohio Public Works Commission grant. Miller said the 75 percent amounts to $2,626,500 of the total cost, with the remaining 25 percent, or $875,000, to be paid by the city and the school district. The city’s portion is $645,000 and the school district’s share is $230,000. In preparation for work this year, city council approved contracts in December for the 2011 storm water projects. Miller said he will be identifying the streets involved sometime this month. He said 2010 saw the completion of the final phase of the Rosehill Road reconstruction project, which extended from the city’s corporation limit near East Broad Street south to Rosedale Road. Miller said the city’s 2010 street program, completed last fall, included milling, paving and sealing cracks on 12 streets throughout Reynoldsburg. He said fewer streets will be included in this year’s project. “I’ve got a list of about 25 streets and I need to go out and measure them up and get cost figures. When I know my budget for them, I can figure out See CITY ENGINEER, page A2

eSTEM students prepare for Jan. 28 roller-coaster challenge By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers While most Reynoldsburg High School students were off during winter break, a group of eSTEM students dedicated their time to designing roller coasters. Three scale models built by the 30 eSTEM students will be entered in a statewide contest Jan. 28 at COSI. STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) school administrator Leslie Kelly said the collaborative design project is funded by the Ohio STEM Learning Network and brings the RHS students together with those in nine other STEM schools in Ohio to promote STEM initiatives, enhance

A closer look A group of eSTEM students at Reynoldsburg High School dedicated their winter break to designing roller coasters for a Jan. 28 statewide contest at COSI.

teaching and learning and create a network-based infrastructure. The task for the 30 eSTEM students who volunteered for the project is to construct three scale roller coaster models, each on a 4-foot by 5-foot plywood platform, using specific materials such as plastic PVC pipes for the frame and special tubing for the tracks, Kelly said.

The coasters will also include features such as vertical loops, horizontal loops and a bunny hop hill. Kelly said the finished coasters will be three feet high. A small nylon ball, about the size of a large marble, is dropped onto each track and travels the length of the coaster to its drop-off point. She said once the coasters are completed, the kids will mathematically determine the G-force and velocity of the ball as it travels along each of the tracks. That data will be used during the Jan. 28 competition, in which COSI judges will place electronic sensors on the coasters that will calculate the actual velocity of the ball See CHALLENGE, page A4

By Mike Munden/ThisWeek

Reynoldsburg High School freshmen (from left) Zach Kahl, Neil Feldman and Isaac Khan work on their scale model roller coaster Dec. 29. The roller coaster will be entered into a statewide contest Jan. 28 at COSI.