Dec. 23, 2010
Finances top mayor’s list for 2011 By JEFF DONAHUE ThisWeek Community Newspapers With three-fourths of his first term in office behind him, Bexley Mayor John Brennan says he is pleased with the city’s progress to date. However, Brennan says the time has come for the city to address stagnant revenues that annually fail to keep pace with expenditures. Brennan said the administration’s major accomplishment of 2010 was an extensive infrastructure improvement initiative. “We did 13 streets this year,’ Brennan said. “That was by far the most I can ever
remember us doing at one time. We did a piece of Bryden, a piece of Parkview and Fair Avenue. Pleasant Ridge, Francis and Montrose all got new water lines in the last John Brennan year.” City crews also completed improvements to 17 alleys. Brennan said doing that work in-house saved the city thousands. He said the city plans to do 1012 more alleys in 2011. “We’re going to cut down a little bit in 2011,” Brennan said. “We won’t do nearly as many streets. We’re only going to
have about $2-million of the $6-million we bonded left and we don’t want to go beyond that because of our concerns with finances right now.” Service Director Bill Harvey said the city spent approximately $3-million in 2010 on various infrastructure improvement projects and about $2-million in 2009. “We also had $2-million in grant money and $1-million in sidewalk work in 2010,” Harvey said. “That’s $6-million in infrastructure repairs and that’s pretty significant for a city our size. We did more than 70,000 square feet of new sidewalks last year.” The city of Bexley includes approxi-
mately 4,200 residences located in a 2.5square-mile area surrounded by the city of Columbus. Brennan said Bexley’s current population is 13,257. Brennan also praised Harvey and his staff for successfully opening the new $7-million Bexley Police Station in 2010. “It came in $600,000 under budget,” Brennan said. “That was a nice thing to be able to tell council.” Harvey said the police station has been a big hit. “The guys (police) love it,” Harvey said. “The neighbors love having it there. We have residents who bring food over to them.” Harvey said the city is still exploring
options for the possible redevelopment of the current city hall site on Main Street, Bexley’s key commercial district. With the city’s limited tax base, both city council members and administration officials have discussed the possibility of relocating city hall and returning the 2-acre site to commercial uses. “ We’re still looking at trying to do something with this property,” Harvey said. “ The building needs to be modernized, or sold and torn down and rebuilt.” Brennan also noted that the Bexley Tree Commission was responsible for See CITY, page A2
Charter commission looking to get feedback at public meeting By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
Al Mathis is retiring from the Bexley service department after 45 years.
Mathis retiring after 45 years with city By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI ThisWeek Community Newspapers Al Mathis has had a variety of jobs in his 45 years with the city of Bexley, including service superintendent, sanitation engineer and equipment operator. Mathis, who is retiring effective Dec. 31, said he learned about the sanitation engineer position from his brother-in-law. “I got married in 1965 and had a brotherin-law who worked for Bexley,” Mathis said. “He convinced me that I should come and work for Bexley.” His brother-in-law, Lowell Adams, worked for the city until 1969, when he left to accept a new position with a construction company, Mathis said. Mathis started in Bexley in 1965 as a
sanitation engineer, a position he held for four years. He then became an equipment operator. “I primarily ran the street sweeper for about seven years,” Mathis said. “I was only pulled off when I needed to do concrete work or pave the streets.” He has held his current position as service superintendent since 1985. He is in charge of sewer, street and water maintenance. The job requires him to work with contractors and conduct inspections, he said. Life in the service department has changed a lot over the last four decades, Mathis said. There is a lot more red tape then there was, he said. “There are a lot more safety rules and guidelines that you have to follow,” he said.
“That meant a lot of changes.” Mathis said one of the aspects of the job he will miss most is working with his coworkers and dealing with the public. “I’m a people person,” he said. “I just like to get acquainted with and talk to people in the community.” Service director Bill Harvey said Mathis will be missed. “Obviously he knows the city more than any other employee,” Harvey said. “He was a great asset to us.” Mathis was born in Knoxville, Tenn. When he was 12, his family moved to Columbus. After marrying, he moved to Lancaster. He currently resides in Amanda. He is divorced with four adult children, two who live locally. tstubbs@thisweeknews.com
The city’s Charter Review Commission is looking for feedback from residents. The charter says council has the option to review the document every 10 years. The last review happened in 1998. The committee began meeting in November 2009 and is near the end of the review process . “We are taking a break until January 10th,” said commission chairman John Offenberg. A special meeting will be held Jan. 24 at Cassingham complex at 7 p.m., to give residents an opportunity to weigh in on proposed changes. The charter review commission has been meeting weekly for the past couple of months, said commission member Stephen Keyes. “We originally envisioned twice per month during 2010 but for the past few months we have been meeting weekly because there are issues to deal with,” he said. “That has been a great experience.” Keyes said commission members have been focused on taking a long-term view of the charter to benefit Bexley residents and implement changes that will serve the city for the next decade. One issue the commission has
A closer look A special meeting will be held Jan. 17 at the Bexley Public Library, 7 to 9 p.m., to give residents an opportunity to weigh in on proposed changes.
looked at is changing a provision in the charter prohibiting drive-through windows at Bexley businesses. Offenberg said members of the city’s Strategic Land Use Committee and Planning Commission have requested these windows be permitted on Livingston Avenue. Businesses across the street in Columbus on Livingston have such windows, making it difficult for Bexley businesses to be competitive, he said. The commission also has been looking at the city auditor and finance director positions, a matter that is yet to be resolved. “We have found that most cities we have looked at, with a few exceptions, no longer have elected auditors,” Offenberg said. “Even if they do, most have a finance director that reports directly to the mayor and to city council.” Keyes said commission members compared Bexley’s charter See COMMISSION, page A6
Schottenstein honored by building industry ‘American Mayor’ to premiere Dec. 27 By TARA STUBBS-FIGURSKI ThisWeek Community Newspapers
A premiere for “American Mayor,” a documentary about the 2007 Bexley Mayoral race produced by the Columbusbased production company Overbites Pictures, LLC, will be held Dec. 27 at 8 p.m., 83 Gallery, 1038 N. High St. Admission is free and attendees may bring their own beverages. Donations are welcome and will be used to bring more motion picture productions to the central Ohio area.
The film’s director Travis Irvine, who recently ran for U.S. Congress in Ohio’s 12th District, will also attend the screening. “American Mayor” is also available for video on demand download through Independent Media Entertainment. The documentary was an official selection at the 2010 Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival and at DocuFest in Atlanta.
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Howard Schottenstein, Bexley resident and president of Markpoint Development, has been honored with the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio’s Irving E. Schottenstein Builder of the Year award. “We have been in business for over 30 years,” Schottenstein said of Markpoint Development. “ We have built condominiums both on the north and east side of town.” Development projects include the Ravines of McNaughten on McNaughten Road and Stoney Bluff condominiums in Lithopolis. Schottenstein founded Markpoint Development in 1980. The company works on
projects that include home remodeling and additions, commercial building remodeling and construction and custom home building and condominium construction. Schottenstein said he was surprised to receive the award. He graduated from Bexley City Schools and lived in Pickerington briefly after he was married. But he soon returned to Bexley, where he has lived the past 22 years. Schottenstein considered being a lawyer but soon followed in the footsteps of his family in the building industry. “I was in law school for one day, literally one day, it wasn’t for me,” he said. “I went into the family business with my uncles, dad
See AWARD, page A6 Howard Schottenstein
Sally, left, is one of the homeless pets still waiting to be adopted from the Second Chance Humane Society. Her shelter mate, Daisy, was featured in the October video at www.ThisWeekNews.com and is also waiting to be adopted. For more information on adopting one of the dogs, visit www.secondchancehs.com or call (740) 967-3700.