January 20, 2011
Trash service
Economy, fees blamed for sticker shock By CHRIS BOURNEA ThisWeek Community Newspapers Upper Arlington residents saw the cost of getting rid of their trash go up this year, with hikes in both the annual fee and the cost of stickers. The fee increased by $10 to $40 and a 50-cent increase went into effect for stickers, which now cost $2.90. The annual fee for premium, at-thedoor service remains at $150.
Several factors contributed to the increase, which went into effect Jan. 1, according to city officials. First of all, ironically, there’s the reCathe cession. Because peoArmstrong ple are cutting back and buying fewer items, “the actual output of solid waste has gone down,” said
Emma Speight, deputy city manager for community affairs. “We’re not getting the revenue in because people are using fewer stickers.” Another contributor was an increase in Franklin County landfill tipping fees, which went up by $3 per ton to $39.75 per ton at the start of 2011, said finance director Cathe Armstrong. “(The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) came to city council and said, ‘We need to raise our tipping fees,’”
Armstrong said. “The reason was trash (output) was down all over the county. They believe there’s a direct correlation with the economy.” The rising cost of recycling also contributed to the increase in the annual fee and the sticker price, Speight said. “Paper had been a source of revenue for us. That is no longer the case,” she said. “Recycling now costs us a sizable amount of money.” The city has budgeted $312,000 to
pay for solid waste services this year, Armstrong said. City council did not have to vote to approve the increase in the annual fee and the sticker price, she said. When the city privatized the solid waste program in 2007, code was rewritten to allow the city manager to recommend a price increase. The increase in the annual fee and sticker price is not intended to raise See TRASH, page A2
By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
William Snellgrove III, right, and office manager Chris Stahl in the Kiwanis License Agency on Jan. 13. The agency offers a variety of license services and proceeds benefit projects of the Northwest Kiwanis. The agency is located at 4740 Cemetery Road in Hilliard.
Photos by Adam Cairns/ThisWeek
Upper Arlington Parks and Recreation director Tim Moloney points out a maple branch incorporated into the wall of the Amelita Mirolo Barn during a tour on Jan. 13. Construction is well under way for the 3,700-square-foot activity space.
Mirolo Barn is on time, on budget — even with enhancements By ANDREW MILLER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
ThisWeek Community Newspapers Ohio district.
The path to the Amelita Mirolo Barn is still covered with snow and mud, but those involved from the start can already see the barn beginning to shine. Tim Moloney, city parks and recreation director, and Kate Erstein, executive director of the Upper Arlington Historical Society, recalled how grimy the original barn timbers were when they walked through it in 2008 before dismantling and moving it from its Lane Road location. An interior shot shows the location where the old Legg fami“I’m in awe,” Erstein said, “to think this started as the old barn. See MIROLO BARN, page A2 ly’s barn joins with the new portion.
Community Foundation torch passes from Readey to Ralph Whether you’re a student in the Upper Arlington schools, a Safety Town graduate, a resident or visitor enjoying the UA Bright Spot program or a senior citizen taking advantage Kind Call or Project Lifesaver, you have benefited from the Upper Arlington Community Foundation. As stated on its website, the UACF provides grants to local organizations as a way
of meeting the diverse needs of the community. Its volunteer board works with individual donors to make these grants possible. In 2007, the board felt that the next step for Sue Ralph UACF was to bring on an executive director to take the organization to the next level of community involvement. Linda Readey served as the first UACF
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club and governor-elect of the
By GARY BUDZAK
I’m just overwhelmed.” She was instrumental in rescuing the barn. “I only found the acorn, “she said. “Others made the tree grow. The community will be using it long after I am gone.” When the project is completed in February, visitors to the barn will be greeted by a garden, with plaques honoring the project donors leading them to the main doors. They are located in the same part of the original barn that original owner, Thomas Legg, would have remembered. “Walking into the original sec-
By ANDREW MILLER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
License agency operation helps NW Kiwanis aid its communities
executive director for the past three years. “I’m most proud of the Amelita Mirolo Barn, because it brought greater visibility to the foundation and what it’s capable of,” Readey said, reflecting on her tenure. Readey’s recent retirement on Dec. 31 left a need for someone capable to pick up where Readey left off. The incoming executive director, Sue Ralph, is excited to continue the work. See RALPH, page A3
State of City events are Jan. 24 >> The city of Upper Arlington will hold its annual State of the City event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, at the Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Road. City manager Virginia Barney will address the community, providing a review of the past 12 months and taking a look ahead to upcoming projects. The State of the City includes the city’s annual community awards program. For more information, visit www.uaoh.net.
If you do business at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles License Agency on Cemetery Road in Hilliard, you’re helping the Northwest Kiwanis club fund its programs in Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff. The Kiwanis License Agency offers driver’s license, plates, temporary tags, vehicle titles, out-of-state inspections, voter registration, state ID cards and notary service. “As best we can figure, we started as a deputy registrar in 1935 (the club was formed in 1928), and have pretty well continuously had an agency ever since at various locations over all those years,” said Bill Snellgrove, a 26-year veteran of the
The agency used to be run by Kiwanians and their spouses, Snellgrove said, but now it’s professionally staffed. “We have volunteers spend a lot of hours over there overseeing it,” said Jim Cowardin, secretary for Northwest Kiwanis. “We bring outside money into the community.” “We use the profits to fund our projects in the community,” said Snellgrove, a former two-time president of the club who chairs the license agency committee. Among those projects is a youth soccer program, which is the reason Snellgrove joined the service organization whose motto is “changing the world one child, and one community, at a time.” See AGENCY, page A7
UA saw ‘consistent’ development in 2010 despite slow economy By GARY BUDZAK
year high. The number of con-
ThisWeek Community Newspapers tractors registered to work in the
Last year was a consistent year for development in Upper Arlington, according to the city’s development director. Dean Sivinski said construction values were slightly under $50-million in 2010 (down slightly from 2009), which consisted of $23-million in residential activity, $22.2-million commercial, and $3-million miscellaneous. He said that 2,260 permits were issued in 2010, generating $688,800 in revenue — a five-
city increased 24 percent to a total of 889. Three demolition permits were issued, and six new singlefamily homes were constructed. Inspections were also up in 2010. “I’m in my 27th year here, and it is amazing that we continue to see reinvestment in the community grow,” Sivinski said. “In the current economic times, it’s just amazing to see that Arlington has been able to progress forward. I See DEVELOPMENT, page A4
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