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March 3, 2011

McDonald’s to receive $450,000 facelift By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers By the end of the year, the McDonald’s restaurant at 6323 E. Main St. will have a new look, one that company officials said they hope will be more relevant and modern. Max Carmona, senior director of U.S. restaurant design for McDonald’s, said

the company plans to redesign about 800 stores across the nation this year, including the one in Reynoldsburg. “We’ve had a building design we’ve been known for which originated in the late ’60s,” he said. “This is a way to rejuvenate the look of the brand, modernize it, and really communicate that something is different at McDonald’s. “That’s the major part of this — mak-

Sowell loses GREEN appeal to appear on May ballot

ing it modernized and relevant and better for our customers,” he said. Reynoldsburg planning administrator Matt Hansen said according to the submitted building plans, the cost of the renovations is estimated at $450,000. The exterior of a McDonald’s restaurants has traditionally been yellow and red. Although the signage will feature those colors, Carmona said red will dis-

appear from the redesigned exterior. There will be some yellow, plus terra cotta, olive and sage green. Also, there will be less plastic and more brick and wood on the exterior and interior, with hanging lights producing a softer glow, he said. “What’s exciting about it is it’s still McDonalds but it’s the new and more modern McDonald’s,” Carmona said. “The interior will be more up to date,

more comfortable, and I think our customers will really enjoy them.” The remodeling will begin this month and could take up to 60 days to complete, according to Gust Mecera, regional construction manager for McDonald’s. He said the restaurant will continue to operate during that time. See FACELIFT, page A2

THUMB

By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Franklin County Board of Elections last week denied an appeal filed by Democrat Dauryce B. Sowell, whose nominating petitions to run for a Reynoldsburg City Council seat in the May primary did not contain enough valid signatures. Twenty-one of the signatures on Sowell’s petitions were deemed invalid because they were not from registered voters. That left him with only 23 valid signatures instead of the required 25. Board of elections spokesperson Ben Piscitelli said Sowell tried to convince the board to allow two names that were printed, not signed in cursive script, as required under Ohio law. The board voted during a special meeting Feb. 24 not to do so. “The law is pretty clear cut on that. We couldn‘t do that,” Piscitelli said. “It has to be an applesto-apples comparison. It’s pretty routine, and we told him he wouldn’t be making the ballot and we wished him the best and to try again in the future.” Preston N. Stearns, a second city council candidate whose nominating petitions were rejected, did not file an appeal with the board of elections. Piscitelli said Stearns only had 24 of the 25 valid signatures necessary for certification because of an apparent oversight: He forgot to sign his declaration of candidacy, a mistake that prevented the board from counting the 13 signatures on that part of the petition. “He also signed his own name as supporting his petition and it’s not permitted for a candidate to sign his own petition, they can’t endorse their own petition,” Piscitelli said. The only contested Reynoldsburg race on May 3 will be between Republicans Scott Barrett and incumbent Fred Deskins Jr. for the Ward 1 seat on city council. Because Sowell lost his appeal before the See SOWELL, page A2

By Eric George/ThisWeek

City of Reynoldsburg horticulturalist Delayne Williams pinches succulent plants in the parks and recreation greenhouse March 1.

Police officers, residents earn service awards By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Reynoldsburg Police Chief Dave Suciu presented awards Monday, Feb. 28, to two residents and several members of the department for their service in 2010. “We have many outstanding employees here at the Reynoldsburg Police Department and also some citizens that willingly assist us in our endeavors,” he said during Monday’s city council meeting. Suciu presented officer Joe Pickering, currently on active military duty in Afghanistan, with the

Officer of the Year award for his work ethic and professionalism and for making 250 drug arrests and 80 drunk driving arrests last year. The investigation into the 2009 murder of Omar Armando Casillas-Castenado earned awards for two police officers and a civilian. Casillas-Castenado’s body Joe Pickering was found in an abandoned car in Reynoldsburg in the summer of 2009. Police said at the time he was a native of Mexico who was in the United States illegally.

His murder was attributed to a power struggle in the local drug market. Distinguished Service awards went to officers Jeff Gammell and Brian Marvin for their investigation into the murder. Reynoldsburg resident Brenda Williams received a Civilian Service award for her assistance as a Spanish language interpreter during the investigation. “Your talents as an interpreter as well as your ability to develop an atmosphere of trust between suspects and investigators were integral to bringSee SERVICE AWARDS, page A2

Reynoldsburg officials to seek bids on new phone system By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Reynoldsburg City Council unanimously approved a motion Tuesday, Feb. 22, to advertise for bids on a new telephone system for all city buildings. The request was initially made by service director Jim Miller but approval was put on hold by city council on Feb. 14 for further discussion.

When the request was first introduced during a finance committee meeting on Feb. 7, Councilman Fred Deskins questioned why the city was paying a consultant $8,500 to assist in preparing a request for proposals (RFP) document instead of asking telephone companies to come in and do one on their own at no cost. Mayor Brad McCloud said the city did not have the in-house expertise available

to assess properly what the city’s telephone system needs are, thus hiring a consultant to do it ensures officials know exactly what is needed at the best price. The vote to approve the ordinance was 6-0, with Councilman Mel Clemens absent. Deskins said after discussing the issue with Miller and McCloud, he better understood why a consultant is needed. “My concern was the $8,500 stuck in

the middle of this,” he said. “After talking to them, I accept what they’ve done, pretty much.” The city’s current system, which includes 144 telephones, has been in service since 2003 and is maintained by Century Link. The company told the city last year the system needs to be upgraded. Miller said company representatives have also said Century Link cannot maintain the current system after March 16