January 27, 2011
School district will seek 14.78-mill levy By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Canal Winchester Board of Education agreed during a special meeting on Monday, Jan. 24, to seek a 14.78-mill, three-year emergency levy in May. If approved, it would generate $6,439,000 per year. Monday’s vote to establish the size of the request followed a unanimous vote on Jan. 13 to place a renewal levy on ballot. An emergency levy approved last year will expire in 2012. Board member Brian Niceswanger asked the board to consider request 13.78 mills instead of 14.78 mills. “I think it is critical to get this passed this May,” he said. Niceswanger said the slight reduction would demonstrate to the community the board is aware of tough economic times and that continuing to pay the higher level is a strain for
taxpayers. He said the lower millage request would also show the district is being as cost-effective and efficient as possible. “We will continue to look for ways to save money,” he said. “This would be a good demonstration on our part and help market the renewal and go further toward getting it passed.” Niceswanger said voters have told him they had to pay a portion of their tax bill with a credit card or postponed family vacations so they could pay their taxes. People in the community are still smarting from the emergency levy passed two years ago, he said. Board member Michael Yonnotti asked how asking for 1-mill less would affect the school district. A 1-mill reduction would cost the district $436,000 a year, Niceswanger said. School board member David Brobst said the loss of another $400,000 would be difficult for the district to absorb.
“It seems like a tough row to hoe,” he said. It costs the owner of a $100,000 home $35 for every 1 mill, school district officials said. Brobst said decreasing the millage request results in a significant impact to the school district. “I’m not just too sure you are going to sway a lot of people with $2.50 a month or $5 a month,” he said. Superintendent Kimberley MillerSmith said a 1-mill reduction would cost the school district an additional seven teachers. District officials are looking at other avenues to save costs but personnel will need to be cut to offset revenue losses from the state, she said. State lawmakers are dealing with a projected $8-billion shortfall in the By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek next two-year budget. Gov. John Kasich has pledged not to raise taxes to Canal Winchester Board of Education member David Brobst makes a point during discussion at the board’s meeting on Monday, Jan. 24, about putting a levy before
See SCHOOL, page A2 voters in May.
Growth draws Firestone to Canal Winchester
TWO TO TANGLE
By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Laurie Stevenson/ThisWeek
Dalton Tullius of Canal Winchester (left) tangles with Drew McDougle of Gahanna in a match at 130 pounds during the Gahanna Duals on Jan. 22. The Indians finished fourth in the six-team event as senior Brady Hutchins pinned all five of his opponents at 125 pounds. See Sports, page A5.
Firestone is open for business in Canal Winchester. The 7,609-square-foot Firestone Complete Auto Care Center opened on Jan. 14 at 6574 Winchester Blvd. A closer look Firestone district manager Pat Mattes said Canal Win- Site plans for the service chester was a good center were approved by location for the the Canal Winchester company because Planning Commission last of the growth in the February. Village zoning area and in the officer Andrew Dutton said Columbus market. Firestone passed its final The company building inspection Jan. 14 typically likes to open a new store when there are 50,000 roof tops with a $50,000 household income, he said. “Canal does not fit that parameter,” Mattes said. “Potentially, we see that happening.” He said company officials also liked the expansion in the area and growth at state Route 33 and Gender Road and along Route 33 from Canal Winchester to Lancaster. See FIRESTONE, page A2
Council denies Collier appeal Main Street Canal Winchester for carport and gravel path Group looks to continue successful programs By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI metal carports. ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Canal Winchester Village Council agreed last week to go along with a staff recommendation and deny Wendell Collier permission for a metal carport and gravel pathway for his home at 180 W. Waterloo St. Council held a public hearing Jan. 3 to hear comments on an appeal filed by Collier. His home is located in the village’s designated Preservation Area. The Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning Commission denied Collier’s request for variances to allow an accessory structure without a principal structure, a gravel driveway, accessory structures within sideyard setbacks and multiple accessory structures on a single property. He also requested permission to erect two
The planning commission heard the original application in October, at which time members denied the variances and the carports. Collier appealed the decision to council and prior to the public hearing, he removed the larger of the two carports from his property so the application was referred back to the planning commission. Collier said earlier this month he started keeping a trailer behind a fence on his property a year ago. He wanted the carport to protect the trailer because young people were dropping rocks on it from nearby railroad tracks and because the trailer was sustaining damage from a large tree on the property. Council members said at their Jan. 3 meeting they would be willing to give Collier a year to re-
DIRECTORY News: (740) 888-6100 editorial@thisweeknews.com Sports: (740) 888-6054 sports@thisweeknews.com Retail ads: (740) 888-6000 www.thisweeknews.com/advertise Classified: (740) 888-5003 classified@thisweeknews.com Customer Service: 1-888-837-4342
move the gravel driveway and the metal carport. He said his plan was to eventually add on to his garage to accommodate the trailer but he couldn’t afford to do so right now. The findings of fact report prepared by the village staff and approved by council said council denied the variance request and stipulated that Collier will remove all metal carport structures and the gravel driveway within one year. The report said council must consider several criteria when approving a variance, including special circumstances that might exist which are not applicable to other lands in the same zoning district; whether the interpretation of the zoning code would deprive the applicant of rights commonly en-
By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI ThisWeek Community Newspapers Main Street Canal Winchester hopes the very successful year the organization had in 2010 will continue into 2011. Main Street Canal Winchester representatives recently met with members of Canal Winchester Village Council to report on the group’s accomplishments. “We had an exceptional year any way you look at it,” Main Street Canal Winchester executive director Bruce Jarvis said. Going forward, he said Main Street Canal Winchester will focus on looking for ways to cut costs for 2011. “We are going to try to build in some efficiency in the way that we are doing things,” he said. “We are trying to be cost-conscious this year with where things are in the economy.”
Membership will also be a focus for 2011, Jarvis said, as Main Street representatives plan to spend more time with local businesses and try to increase support for the organization. He told council he was very pleased with last year’s Main Street programs, led by the first Canal Winchester Blues and Ribfest, which proved to be very popular. More than 20,000 people attended, many of whom were visiting Canal Winchester for the first time, he said. Organizers raised $26,000 in vendor fees and sponsors and earned $4,000 at a time when it’s rare to break even on a first-year event. In addition, Main Street Canal Winchester was able to pay the village an impact fee from a vendor sales tax and created a promotional video, which can be viewed at www.bluesandribfest.com. “We weren’t sure what to expect,” Jarvis said See GROUP, page A4
See COUNCIL, page A2
Weekly newspaper. Daily updates. Central Ohio’s choice for community news.
ThisWeekNEWS.com | ThisWeekSPORTS.com
Who has the
BEST BREAKFAST in Columbus? Find out online at ThisWeekNEWS.com/readerspoll Readers Poll of the best Columbus restaurants.