City to Update its Comprehensive Plan
The City of Pickerington is updating its comprehensive plan. Why? Well, think back to the year 2000. To some of us, that year seems like it wasn’t that long ago, but obviously that was two decades ago! If we had cell phones then, they were only for making voice calls. Popular television shows (that you had to actually watch at a specific time) were Survivor and ER. Twenty years later you can stream these shows at your convenience on your smart phones. We’ve come a long way in 20 years and so has the City.
That’s why leaders thought it was time for an update to the comprehensive plan.
Technology and TV aren’t the only things that have changed in 20 years. For example, the City of Pickerington’s population has approximately doubled in that timeframe. New annexations, infrastructure and subdivision growth have occurred. Our population, demographics, housing, retail economics and workforce factors are all significantly different than they were back then. There is a real need to update the City’s long range planning to keep us current and on a continued path for a successful and sustainable future.
What is a comprehensive plan? It serves as a flexible blueprint to guide decision-making by the City, businesses, community organizations, and private individuals and entities relative to development. Generally, land use is a big component of the plan, which naturally leads to analyzing items like housing, utilities and infrastructure, conservation, and economic development. The City is working on this right now with guidance from a steering committee and the expertise of a consultant.
One of the key inputs to a comprehensive plan is citizen participation, and the citizens of the City of Pickerington are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. This fall, there will be public forums where the City will be looking for your feedback and preferences for the long-term growth of Pickerington. Even amid a pandemic the show must go on in terms of preparing for our future and developing a cohesive vision for our community. Please check the news section of our website for details on public input.
Comprehensive Plan, Who Cares?
Tax Paying Citizens:
- Want to know the game plan for the City’s growth plans and what their taxes support.
- Expect a forward thinking community with a rising tax base and property values.
Existing and New Business Owners and Developers:
- Also want to know the game plan for the City’s growth plans.
- Plan helps them understand the cost to do business in Pickerington.
City Operations:
- Bond rating agencies recognize updated plans when making decisions.
- Administration and Elected Officials have a common plan to use as a guide.
L-R: Mayor Lee Gray, Councilman Nick Derksen and Councilwoman Crystal Hicks at the 2020 Pickerington Lions Club Labor Day Parade
Cherie and Bob Koch were recently recognized as Grand Marshals of the 2020 Pickerington Lions Club Labor Day Parade. Mayor Gray surprised them each with a Key to the City. A well-deserved recognition for these two longtime Pickerington servants.
New technology coming soon to 911 services
New life-saving technology is coming to Pickerington thanks to the combined efforts of a concerned citizen, City leadership and the Pickerington Police Department.
The Ohio Department of Commerce awarded Pickerington police a grant to upgrade 911 services to Next Generation 911. Next Generation 911 is an internet protocol-based system that enables the exchange of digital information, including 911 text messages and eventually photos and videos. People can text 911 and dispatchers will be able to identify their location (within several feet) and send help. This pinpoint technology supports more efficient management of emergencies and call overload by easing the transfer of 911calls between jurisdictions and it more precisely identifies the location of cellular 911 callers through GPS coordinates.
Pickerington area resident Danielle Cramer was suffering an asthma attack earlier this year and pulled her car over to call 911 for help. Since she couldn’t talk, Cramer tried to text 911. She received an immediate response informing her that the service wasn’t available in the area. She was eventually able to call but couldn’t answer the dispatcher’s questions so her 5-year-old son worked with the dispatcher to get help to her exact location.
Cramer, who had recently moved to the community, contacted Mayor Lee Gray with her concerns that this service wasn’t available in the city as it had been in her previous residence. Gray worked with City Manager Greg Butcher and Police Chief Tod Cheney to investigate what it would take to bring the life-saving 911 text and GPS technology to Pickerington.
The City applied for a grant and it was awarded in the amount of $128,000. Any remaining cost associated with the upgrade will be provided through the Fairfield County 911 wire-less account, resulting in no cost to the City.
“This grant to upgrade our 911system to Next Generation technology will allow our department to have the most up-to-date dispatching and 911 systems that are currently available. Seconds matter in emergency situations and this technology allows first responders to more quickly deliver their potential life-saving services to the citizens of Pickerington and Violet Township,” Cheney says.
“Mayor Lee Gray and Chief Dispatcher Carolyn Sharp were instrumental in helping us receive this grant and coordinating the additional funds through the Fairfield County 911 Wireless Fund,” he says.
The full conversion to Next Generation 911 is expected to be completed by late 2020 or early 2021.
“We’re very appreciative of this grant and the additional funding from the county, but we were going to get this technology in Pickerington one way or another. The City was prepared to find the funding. The safety of our residents remains a top priority and myself, as well as our council members, agreed that this absolutely needed to happen. The funding was a big help though, as we didn’t have to spend any taxpayer money,” Mayor Gray says.
LEAF PICKUP SCHEDULE
- October 19: Downtown area, Shadow Oaks, Simsbury, Shawnee Crossing, Root Addition, Center Street, East Street
October 26: Colony Park, Manor House, Willow Pond, Meadowbrook, Pickerington Hills, Ramar, Melrose, Windmiller Ponds
November 2: Carpenter Addition, Long Road, West Columbus Street, Pine Ridge, Downtown area, Fox Glen West & East
- November 9: Melrose, Inverness Glen, Pickerington Meadows, Milnor Place, Cherry Hill, Colony Park, Manor House, Willow Pond, East Street, Lakeview, Homestead Drive
- November 16: Stonebridge, Pickerington Run, Root Addition, Refugee Road, Hill Road North, Meadowbrook, Pickerington Hills, Shadow Oaks
- November 23: Fox Glen East & West, Preston Trails, Manchester, Sheffield, Longview Acres East & West, The Landings, Georges Creek, Villages of Sycamore Creek, Melrose, Reserve at Pickerington Ponds
- November 30: Lockville Road, Homestead Drive, East Street, Lakeview, Center Street, Hill Road South, Colony Park, Shadow Oaks, Downtown area, Manor House, Willow Pond, Simsbury
- December 7: Spring Creek, Windmiller Ponds, Carpenter, Root, Pickerington Run, Wellington Park, and Lake Forest.
Last week of leaf pickup season, remaining piles throughout the City will be removed.
Please rake all leaves to the front of the property by the beginning date of the pickup week for your area. To ensure catch basins or storm sewer inlets are not obstructed, leaves should be piled in the curb lawn, not in the street edge. Also, no leaves around mailboxes, trees and behind parked cars on the street. The City Service Department may arrive in the listed areas prior to the scheduled date due to the weather; however, the department will return to the areas per the Leaf Pickup Schedule.
