April 14, 2011
Parts of East Orange Road to be closed By BONNIE BUTCHER
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Construction will keep portions of East Orange Road closed through August. The road currently is closed from Old State Road to Cross Creek Court. In the second week of June, East Orange Road will close from Old State Road to the Olentangy Orange High School driveway, said Scott Overturf, project manager for the township. The improvements include “asphalt
road work, asphalt bike path work, storm line work, and a roundabout at Roespark. The drainage bridge work should be completed, then the final road work will be completed, which ties the bike path into the township park on the west side of Old State,” Overturf said. The project is on schedule and on budget, he said, “Unless it rains every day, we should be on schedule. We are still in budget as planned,” he said. The project, which extends from Old State Road to Bale Kenyon Drive, began
last year. The overall project includes the widening of about 1.1 miles of roadway with vertical grade corrections, complete pavement overlay, the installation of three roundabouts — at Bale Kenyon Road, Walker Woods Boulevard, Roespark Boulevard — a new bridge structure, and utility and drainage improvements, Overturf said. It is expected to wrap up in August. Improvements on the east side of the project, from Bale Kenyon Drive to near the high school driveway, were
completed in 2010. The cost of the total project is $5,636,447. Delaware County has funded $338,781 of the project. The township will provide $5,297,665, of which $245,000 is a grant for the new leisure path and the rest has come from general fund revenue the township has saved for five years. The Delaware County engineer’s office has said roundabouts have fewer traffic accidents than traditional interSee EAST ORANGE ROAD, page A2
A closer look The overall project includes the widening of about 1.1 miles of roadway with vertical grade corrections, complete pavement overlay, the installation of three roundabouts — at Bale Kenyon Road, Walker Woods Boulevard, Roespark Boulevard — a new bridge structure, and utility and drainage improvements.
Council OKs sidewalk inspections By BONNIE BUTCHER
secondary areas throughout the city. Those areas are determined by a citywide sidewalk inspection each fall. The inspections will identify sidewalk deficiencies, such as horizontal and vertical cracks or deteriorating concrete, and slate those areas for repair. Driveway skirts also are inspected. Following the inspections, city staffers will recommend repair sites to council. After council approves the sites, the city will notify property owners of the need to repair the sidewalks for which they are responsible. Property owners can repair the sidewalks themselves or through contractors, or they can ask to be part of the city program. If using the city program, property owners pay the city the cost of the work or are assessed the
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Adam Cairns/ThisWeek
Delaware County dispatcher Aaron Robbins fields calls in the 911 Communications Center April 11. The county is asking for a renewal of a 0.45-mill operating levy on the May 3 ballot.
County 911
Powell police chief cites need for levy By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Powell police chief Gary Vest said the county 911 center is the only dispatching center in the county, making the 911 levy on the May 3 ballot particularly important. The Delaware County 911- center serves all fire, EMS and law enforcement departments in the county. It is funded mainly by a five-year, 0.45-mill levy that officials are asking voters to renew. The current levy expires Dec. 31. If approved, the new levy would cost property-owners the same as the expiring levy. That levy generates about $2.6-million annually in property taxes, said Shari Baker of the Delaware County auditor’s office. The countywide 911 system has an an-
nual budget of $3.4-million, which includes all expenses, such as technology for the 911 call center and radio system, the code red emergency and weather alert warning systems, and salaries, benefits and training for employees. The department also receives money from the county’s general fund and cellular phone 911 surcharges that the state collects and distributes. “A lot of times we don’t realize how these systems are set up, how they’re funded and what impact it has on local government,” Vest told Powell City Council April 4. Vest said the Powell police department does not have a communication dispatch center. It uses the countywide service. “When we talk about government savings and efficiency of scale, the one thing
about the 911 (center) that is a good example of sharing is that this is done across the county to maintain the system,” Vest said. If Powell funded its own system, it would need at least one radio tower, which costs more than $1-million, Vest said. “These things are very expensive propositions. This 911 system covers police, fire and EMS dispatching services. It serves the backbone of the (Delaware County) sheriff’s office dispatching, as well,” Vest said. The system is state-of-the-art and has eliminated the problem of incompatible radio systems. “When I arrived here 15 years ago, if a Powell police officer, a Delaware County sheriff’s deputy and a highway patrolman See 911 LEVY, page A2
Genoa survey supports fire substation plan By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
A recent survey of Genoa Township’s registered voters suggests that if trustees decide to build a fire substation east of Hoover Reservoir, residents would support it. Township trustees heard the results of the survey conducted in March at their April 7 meeting. Saperstein Associates Inc. in-
terviewed 302 registered voters in the township by telephone. Trustees hired the firm to see if township residents “perceive a need for a fire substation located in the eastern portion of the township” and “if the township trustees decided to pursue this project would residents support the decision,” Marty Saperstein said. The survey cost $14,500. Saperstein said most residents are very satisfied with the fire serv-
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ice provided by the township. Of those surveyed, 58 percent gave the service a 3.5 on a 4-point scale; 64 percent said the fire service average response time is faster than the national average. Respondents’satisfaction with the services resulted in their having a “casual perception” that a substation was needed, Saperstein said. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said “no” when asked if an-
other fire station is needed; 14 percent said, “yes”; 31 percent said, “I don’t know.” When asked if they would “support or oppose a decision by township trustees to build a fire substation in the township east of Hoover Reservoir,” 54 percent said they would support it; 27 percent opposed it and 19 percent were not sure. See GENOA, page A2
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For its 2011 sidewalk repair program, the city of Powell will inspect sidewalks in the residential developments Powell Place and Liberty Ridge, and in sections of Olentangy Ridge that received road improvements last year. Powell City Council approved the “primary” inspection area for the program at its April 5 meeting. The city also performs “secondary” inspections throughout the city, looking for two-inch or larger gaps between the sidewalk slabs, city manager Steve Lutz said. In the past, sidewalk inspections and repairs occurred where street repairs were performed the preceding year, Lutz said. The city has referred to such areas as “primary” sidewalk inspection areas. In 2009, the city modified its sidewalk repair program to include
Church, volunteers step up to stage Easter egg hunt By BONNIE BUTCHER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
A popular Powell event that was cut from the city’s budget will occur, thanks to the generosity of the Powell United Methodist Church. The Powell Community Easter Eggstravaganza is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Powell Village Green, 47 Hall St. The event will occur rain or shine. The event will include an Easter egg hunt, inflatable bouncing houses, face painting, cotton candy and popcorn. Lana Turner, director of church children’s ministries, learned the city of Powell canceled the event and talked with the church members about staging it. “When I heard about it I thought, ‘Wow, this is something easy that we can put together and something that the members would just love to welcome the community,’” Turner said. “So we’re all going to be there with our Powell United Methodist T-shirts on, greeting and meeting people in the community, and what better people than families with kids?” Church members filled more than 10,000 plastic eggs, Turner said. See EASTER EGG HUNT, page A3
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