1/27 ThisWeek New Albany by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

January 27, 2011

Planning commission

Three Amigos patio request denied By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Three Amigos restaurant in the Shops at Walton Parkway will not have a patio any time soon. The New Albany Planning Commission on Jan. 19 denied the request for a patio after representatives of the applicant, Jeanne Cabral Architects, failed to provide information that was requested and did not attend the meeting.

Chair Neil Kirby, Brad Shockey and new member Joe King were present and voted to deny the request. Ray Silverstein and David Wallace were absent. The commission had been tabling the issue each month because if members took it off the table and voted against it for lack of information, the applicant would have had to reapply and pay the filing fee to have the issue brought before the commission again. Shockey said Jan. 19 that the com-

mission should not table the application indefinitely. “I personally don’t see a reason to table this thing and leave it open forever,” he said. “I suggest we vote on the application and either approve or deny it.” The village most recently attempted to contact Jeanne Cabral Architects with a certified letter for which someone had signed, said village planner Michelle Murphy. “I requested an appearance (by the

applicant) for the application to move forward,” Murphy said. She said she did not receive a response. Murphy said she spoke with representatives of Jeanne Cabral Architects several times throughout the last six months and determined there were issues between the architecture firm and the client, the Three Amigos restaurant, owned by Martin Garcia. Calls to Garcia were not returned by ThisWeek’s press time Jan. 25.

The initial staff report on the patio application, completed in June 2010, requested more information from the applicant. The information was never received, Murphy said. The concrete patio was supposed to be created through the addition of 700 square feet to the north and east sides of the building. It would allow for an additional 66 seats. See THREE AMIGOS, page A3

Commission TECH SUPPORT forwards wastewater ordinances to council

Trustees mull repair of vehicle used by fire department

By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Chief also reports that new fire engine should be in service by next month

New Albany is updating its wastewater management permit program to ensure all federal and state standards are met and include administrative changes within the village. Two ordinances presented to the New Albany Planning Commission on Jan. 19 included the updates, which engineering manager Bill Dorman said were “mainly for housekeeping.” The planning commission unanimously approved the recommendation of both ordinances, with members Brad Shockey, Neil Kirby and Joe King present and Ray Silverstein and David Wallace absent. Village planner Michelle Murphy said the village would like New Albany Village Council to approve the ordinances by March, when state reports are due. The ordinances update the village’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit program it receives through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The permits are issued to “regulate wastewater discharges by placing limitations on the quantity of pollutants that may be discharged and to establish monitoring requirements and other conditions,” according to the state government website. The changes in both ordinances are part of federal and state guidelines and protocol adopted by the village since the legislation was last updated, Dorman said. The first ordinance would amend the village’s stormwater-management and runoff-control laws. Dorman said the village’s current NPDES permit applies to only 5-acre or larger sites that were disturbed by digging, grading or some other sort of usage that could cause runoff into a local stream. However, standards have changed and the village has changed along with them, he said, requiring projects disturbing as little as 1 acre of ground to report the pollutant controls put in place to prevent runoff. “It affects more development, even residential home building,” Dorman said. Commission member Brad Shockey asked how the permit would apply in a residential situation and

By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Community Newspapers

By Tim Norman/ThisWeek

Ted DeDee, a Rotary Club of New Albany member and the executive director of the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, lifts a donated computer into a truck at the computer and electronics recycling day at the McCoy center Jan. 22. Computers and other electronics collected went to the Community Computer Alliance of Columbus, which refurbishes or recycles the machines. The organization then donates the refurbished computers and electronics to needy families, senior citizens, nonprofit groups and others unable to afford new machines.

Plain Township trustees are weighing $50,000 worth of repairs to a 2003 Chevrolet Impala owned by the fire department. “It’s a 2003 (model) with 123,000 miles on it that’s used as a backup for (assistant fire Chief) Jack (Rupp) and me,” said Plain Township Fire Chief John Hoovler. Hoovler told the trustees at their Jan. 19 meeting that the car is equipped with a radio, lights and sirens so it may be used to respond to emergency situations if he or Rupp does not have his primary vehicle. Since Hoovler and Rupp do not use the vehicle frequently, it also is driven by fire inspectors visiting various buildings in the department’s coverage area and by firefighters attending off-site training sessions. Many of the proposed repairs are to the front end and suspension system and cost is estimated at $50,000. “It could cost $1,500 to move stuff (radio, lights and sirens) to another vehicle,” Hoovler said. The trustees asked the chief report on the car’s actual value at a future meeting before they decide whether to repair it or purchase another vehicle. “I’d like to think about it for another couple weeks,” said trustee Dave Olmstead. See VEHICLE REPAIR, page A7

Trustees eye road upgrades Local businesses up for TechColumbus awards in cemetery See ORDINANCES, page A2

By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Four New Albany companies have been nominated for the 2010 TechColumbus Innovation Awards, which will be presented Feb. 3 in Battelle Hall at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St. in Columbus. The annual awards are presented to 13 companies and two high school students. Winners will be announced at the awards and more than 1,000 people from participating companies are expected to attend. “It’s a great way to build credibility in the market if you’re a young company, great recognition for the employees that have been part of that and

great community recognition,” said Tim Haynes, vice president of member services and marketing for TechColumbus. “People look highly upon that award.” Haynes said judging is done by volunteers from outside the organization. “Applications are reviewed by judges who are from the community, not from TechColumbus, so there is no ethics issue or conflict of interest,” he said. The local companies — and one businesswoman — have been nominated in four categories. Companies may nominate themselves or be nominated by someone from outside the company. Each company must meet certain criteria to be considered. Commercial Vehicle Group and AFS Web-Zoom

CMS were among 28 companies in the running for an Outstanding Product award for companies with fewer than 50 employees. Christina Blenk, president and CEO of AFS Web-Zoom CMS, is among 15 women nominated for the Outstanding Woman in Technology award. Janova has been nominated for the Outstanding Startup Business award along with 24 other companies, while Strategic Thinking Industries is among 25 companies nominated for the Outstanding Service award for a company with less than 50 employees. Commercial Vehicle Group, at 7800 Walton Parkway, provides “cab-related systems” for heavy-

See AWARDS, page A2

By LORI WINCE ThisWeek Community Newspapers Plain Township trustees plan to continue improving Maplewood Cemetery on Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road. In previous years, trustees planted flowers and trees and installed brick columns at the cemetery entrance. In 2010, they added wrought-iron fencing at the entrance at a cost of about $40,000. Trustees decided at their Jan. 19 meeting that their next priority is repairing the cemetery’s roads. See ROAD UPGRADES, page A3