Text to 911 Now Active in Pickerington
Residents of Pickerington are now able to text 911. Police Chief Tod Cheney said the new service is useful for those that are hard of hearing, deaf, or speech impaired, those unable to speak due to a medical emergency or those in situations where they want to remain quiet, like a home invasion or a domestic violence situation.
How to text 911 in an emergency:
· Enter the numbers 911 in the ‘to’ field
· The first text message to 911 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and type of help needed
· Push the send button
· Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 911 Dispatcher
· Text using simple words (do not use abbreviations or emoticons)
· Keep text messages brief and concise
A few things to remember about texting 911:
· Text to 911 location information is not as precise as voice calling 911, due to the enhanced 911 features available through voice call mapping technology.
· As with all text messages, 911 messages can take longer to receive, may get out of order, or may not be received at all.
· Text to 911 is not available if your cellular device is roaming.
· A text or data plan is required to place a Text to 911 message.
· If texting to 911 is not available in your area, or is temporarily unavailable, you will receive a message indicating that texting 911 is not available and to contact 911 by other means.
· At this time, photos and videos cannot be sent to 911
· Text to 911 cannot include more than one person. Do not send your emergency text message to anyone other than 911.
· Do not text and drive.
Annette Echikunwoke, a 2014 PHSN graduate, was recently recognized for her achievements in the sport of women’s hammer throw. Echikunwoke qualified to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and went to represent her parents’ home country of Nigeria. She is currently ranked #7 in the world in the sport. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments, Annette!
Ralph and Peggy Portier were the Grand Marshals of the 2021 Pickerington Lions Club Labor Day Parade. Mayor Lee Gray (right) declared it 'Ralph and Peggy Portier Day' in the City of Pickerington and presented the couple with Keys to the City for their many years of community service. Congratulations Ralph and Peggy! Well-deserved honor.
2021 Paving Project Completed
“Good streets and a quality transportation network are vital to the success of our city and the quality of life for our residents.”
With those words, Pickerington City Manager Greg Butcher summarized why City leaders have prioritized spending more than $1 million in street improvements each year for nearly a decade.
There were 27 streets and six alleys included in the 2021 project, and the locations were selected based on pavement condition assessments and observations.
“Based on those assessments, we determine the level of repairs needed and determine the costs to make those repairs,” says Butcher. “The final selection of streets to receive improvement is determined by these estimated costs and how much of the work we can accomplish based on the amount of money in the city budget.”
Diley Road at the Hill Road intersection and Tussing Road at the State Route 256 intersection both received full-depth pavement repairs. Other streets that saw improvement: Cedar Drive, Elmwood Street, Oak Tree Avenue, Poplar Street, Village Place, Brookside Drive, Elgin Circle, Elgin Court, McLeod Parc, Melrose Boulevard, Paisley Court, Paisley Place, Scott Court, Umbleby Place, Florence Drive, Losey Drive, Pearl Lane, Pruden Drive, England Street, DeLong Drive, Ellis Drive, Gray Drive, Creekside Lane, Town Square Drive, Tussing Road, West Columbus Street and Winderly Lane.
Additionally, alleys that received work included an east-west alley between East Borland and Church streets, an east-west alley between Columbus and Church streets, Park Alley, a north-south alley between Center and East streets, the Reynolds Avenue alley, and a north-south alley between East and Church streets.
The streets that were paved in the Colony Park subdivision had the majority of the curb work this year, and streets in the Melrose and Windmiller Ponds subdivisions had curb repair and replacement.
Pickerington Mayor Lee Gray says the annual street improvement will always be a top priority.
“It’s been a goal of mine and City Council for a number of years. Infrastructure has to be maintained,” Gray says. “If you’re trying to balance the budget, one of the easiest things to overlook is your streets. They’ll continue to perform, but if you go too long, they’ll cost a lot more to repair.”
Please join us in welcoming our newest full-time Pickerington Police Officer, Matthew Dalesio. Officer Dalesio is a 2018 graduate of Pickerington High School Central.
