1/9/2011 edition of ThisWeek Licking County. by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

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Primarily serving Pataskala and surrounding areas

January 9, 2011

Development proposed along Route 310 By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Etna Township zoning commission has begun to evaluate a “planned mixed-use development” on 86 acres along state Route 310. “It’s a pretty significant mixed-use development on one of our most significant thoroughfares,” said Chris Harkness, township zoning administrator. “It’s also sandwiched between two of our larger residential subdivisions, Cumberland Trail to the south and Cameron Chase to the northeast.” The proposal covers land both east and west of Route 310 and would require construction of access roads that eventually would require a traffic signal. A traffic estimate submitted with

the application states that current traffic on the roadway is more than 10,000 vehicle trips daily, and both right and left turn lanes would be required on any crossroad. Attorney Connie Klema, on behalf of JBW Properties LLC, submitted the application. The land is zoned for agricultural use. The proposal calls for retail development on the west of Route 310 and professional office development on the east of 310, with residential development to the rear of each. As submitted, the plans call for a connecting roadway to Cameron Chase that would allow for the residential developments to have access to each other but no connection to Cumberland Trail. Harkness said res-

idents of Cumberland Trail had expressed a preference not to connect to the new development, but that there were advantages and disadvantages to each choice. “They are thinking about connecting to Cameron Chase but not Cumberland Trail,” Harkness said. “From a planning perspective, a grid system with multiple connections has advantages over the collector road model that comes down to one street. If you want to go see someone else or go to the nursing home, or go to the retail, a connection means you don’t have to go to Route 310. I would view that connection as a positive, but a lot of people do not.” Harkness said the flexibility of planned-unit development is well suit-

ed for large parcels with varying uses. “Generally, PUD allows for development of larger sites, more often than not, and allows for non-uniform zoning regulations compared to standard zoning,” Harkness said. “In a PUD you can have different areas have different uses and be more site specific. It allows for a mixing of what might have been three or four different types of zoning, professional office, commercial use, multifamily and singlefamily residential and a nursing-care facility.” Most municipalities have PUD zoning, Harkness said, but townships are less common. Both developers and governments like the option because See RT. 310, page A2

By Erin Holl/ThisWeek

Cherry Valleystate Route 16

Summit Road

Consultant: TOUGH SHOT City should withhold payment for lousy job

Newark officials asked to weigh in on plans

Project failures estimated at $53K

By MICHAEL J. MAURER

ThisWeek Community Newspapers

The city of Pataskala’s consulting engineers have recommended that the city withhold $53,000 in payment for asphalt surfacing on Summit Road. “This project involved the ultimate goal of getting a drivable surface on Summit Road again,” city administrator Tim Boland said. “If you had driven that stretch of road after the spring, you knew that it was nearly impassable in some sections.” Soon after work was completed last year, however, the city’s review of the work done suggested that repairs would be necessary and payments for the work should be withheld, he said. “We’re very concerned about numerous deficiencies,” Boland said. “Quite honestly, we are extremely disappointed in the project to date. We want a road that meets the requirements and criteria set out in the contract and (contract specifications). I again reiterate that I have directed we make no payments of any kind associated with this project until we get things sorted out to our satisfaction and feel that we can report to council that this road is going to be corrected as soon as possible.” Adam Voris, consulting engineer from EMH&T, said the city had chosen a lowercost, in-place pulverization method of repairing the road, but that the final step in the process — repaving the surface — had failed. “We recommended a project that pulverized and stabilized the existing base in place, with a single piece of equipment,” Voris said. “That allowed a continuous op-

By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek

Licking Heights’ Madelyne Mynatt goes up for a shot as Chelsea McKnight of Harvest Prep defends during the first half of their game Jan. 6 . The visiting Hornets struggled in a 99-17 loss to the defending Division IV state champions. For more Sports, see page A7.

See SUMMIT, page A2

Newark City Council’s service committee will meet Dec. 10 to discuss submitting comments to the Ohio Department of Transportation about a proposed interchange project at state Route 16 and Cherry Valley Road. Following a public meeting in November, at which several alternatives for the intersection were discussed, ODOT officials said the preferred choice was the option designated alternative 5. The option calls for complete closure of the existing signalized interchange, which currently is the first traffic signal from I-270 in Columbus. Access would be provided via a new interchange about 2,000 feet to the east of Cherry Valley Road. ODOT specifically has requested that Newark comment on the proposed closure of the westbound exit ramp to Granville Road and whether the city would prefer a traffic signal or a roundabout at Cherry Valley Road and Raccoon Creek and at the Cherry Valley Lodge buildings, where the proposed interchange road would be constructed under the recommended alternative. The total project cost is estimated at $33- to $38-million. “From everybody I’ve talked to here, everyone agrees that alSee PROJECT, page A2

Teaching fellowship will send Pataskala first-graders to COSI By LISA AURAND ThisWeek Community Newspapers

A class of Pataskala Elementary School first-graders will get a trip to COSI later this month at no cost to the district. As part of teacher Janie Treinish’s Boeing teaching fellowship, 19 students will spend Jan. 27 at the hands-on COSI sci-

ence center. Treinish applied for the fellowship last spring. “Our principal had sent out an e-mail to the staff saying that COSI … had a fellowship available,” she said. Treinish, in her second year teaching after graduating from Ohio State University Newark, was awarded the fellowship,

which included teaching workshops over the summer at COSI on force and motion, as well as integrating science and literature. “I learned a ton from those workshops,” Treinish said. The science and literature workshop included suggestions of books with science-related themes. In the force and mo-

tion workshop, the teachers designed and flew paper airplanes. For Treinish, this was preparation for lessons she had cotaught with a COSI master educator in December. “The kids really loved it,” she said. The students made their own paper airplanes, flew them and then graphed their flight dis-