Mark Your Calendar
October
- NEW! Halloween Movie Night – Oct. 26, 7:15 p.m., showing The Haunted Mansion, Sycamore Creek Park Amphitheater
- Haunted Village – Oct. 30, 6-8 p.m., Olde Pickerington Village
- Tots Trick or Treat – Oct. 31, 1:30-2:30 p.m., City Hall
- Community Trick or Treat – Oct. 31, 6-8 p.m.
November
- Breakfast with Santa ticket sales begin – Nov. 1
- Santa’s Mailbox – Nov. 27-Dec. 16, City Hall
City Hires New Manager
Pickerington’s new city manager believes the City’s best days are ahead, and he’s excited to work at making that happen.
Greg Butcher was hired Aug. 23 in a unanimous vote by the Pickerington City Council to replace Frank Wiseman, who wished to retire.
“I’ve known Greg for a long time and have a great deal of respect for him. He was the ideal candidate with his background, education and knowledge of the City. I feel confident he’s going to do a great job for us,” says Mayor Lee Gray.
Butcher knew this was the place he wanted to be as soon as the offer presented itself.
“My appeal for accepting the position was based on several factors,” Butcher says. “Issues important to Mayor Gray and City Council are well aligned with my strengths. Those include fiscal responsibility and issues related to quality of life for City residents. I strongly believe local government’s core mission is providing fundamental services to its customers, who are both residents and business owners, with professionalism and efficiency.”
Also, part of the job’s appeal for Butcher was what was already in place.
“The City’s financial condition is stable and the outlook is good. City staff is experienced and I have had the pleasure of working with many of them (at Violet Township). I've also been impressed with leadership displayed within the police department, service department, parks and recreation, and administration,” says Butcher.
Prior to accepting the job at the City, Butcher worked as Violet Township’s engineer for 18 years and most recently as interim director of operations. He has a bachelor’s of science in civil engineering from The Ohio State University and a master’s of public administration from Ohio University. He’s a registered professional engineer in Ohio and was once vice president for a regional civil engineering consulting firm.
Butcher recognizes that communication and collaboration will be key to achieving the City’s goals.
“I'm a big believer of collaboration and value professional relationships and their impact on success. There are numerous examples of the City of Pickerington and Violet Township effectively working side by side. Most times, those instances are not publicized or they are taken for granted,” he says. “However, cities and townships within the state of Ohio have different government structures. Those structures can inherently lead to challenges and sometimes conflict. We need to realize both the City of Pickerington and Violet Township serve the same community. I am hopeful I can use my city manager position to bring the two governments closer which will ultimately make our community a better place to live, work and visit.”
Butcher’s contract is for five years.
“The opportunity afforded by Mayor Gray and City Council is both humbling and exciting,” he says. “This community has high expectations for its local governments and schools. We must deliver on those expectations.”
Mobile Command Center Hits the Road
The Pickerington Police Department and the Violet Township Fire Department have a long history of working well together and the PPD’s new Mobile Command Center is a direct result of that relationship.
“We needed a Mobile Command vehicle during the flooding a couple years ago. The County EMA Mobile Command was tied up in Lancaster for the flooding, so we began speaking to the fire department about getting our own,” says Police Chief Tod Cheney.
The vehicle was previously a VTFD medic truck. Fire Chief Mike Little offered it to the police department at the purchase price of $1 and, of course, that offer was accepted.
“We very much appreciate the generosity of Chief Little, Violet Fire and Violet Township in providing this vehicle,” Cheney says.
Once the acquisition was complete, the Police Department went to work on redesigning the vehicle inside and out. The signature red was replaced with blue and the interior was equipped with modern communications equipment that will be utilized for mobile command and crime scene processing. It will also be used for transportation of crime scene equipment, gear and medical supplies – something that previously required multiple trips back and forth to the police station. Chief Cheney says this will help officers more effectively do their jobs, especially at big events where communications with other departments is needed, like July 4, Picktown Palooza and high school football games.
“The Mobile Command vehicle will also allow for the monitoring of social media within a certain distance. At large events this would help to identify threats that may occur,” Cheney says.
And just as the Township acted as a good neighbor in donating its medic truck, Chief Cheney wants the City to act as a good neighbor with the Mobile Command Center.
“The vehicle can also be used by other surrounding agencies (police, sheriff’s office, fire) that do not have a Mobile Command Center,” he says.
