We welcome spring as a sign of no more snow and increased outdoor activity.
We again wish to extend our sincere thanks to our residents for the successful passage of Issue 3, our road maintenance levy that was on the ballot in March. Beginning in 2017, revenue generated from the levy will allow us to have a much more robust paving program. Revenues from this levy will also assist in replacing aging equipment that will improve safety and efficiency.
Some residents may have received a request for a survey that asked many questions about community recreations and leisure activities. We are looking forward to these results to guide us in future planning efforts. We would also like to thank the City of Pickerington, Fairfield County Historic Parks and the Pickerington Public Library, which, along with Violet Township, funded the survey. We are looking forward to sharing the survey results soon.
Have a safe and happy spring!
Food for Thought
By Jim Paxton, Assistant Fire Chief
I realize the theme of this edition of Pickerington Magazine is dedicated to food. However, reflecting upon recent tragic events in central Ohio – the loss of Columbus Police Officer Steven Smith – and the unsettling events of our local community, this article is focused on nutrients of a different type.
I am not a philosopher, nor am I an expert of many things. I can be long-winded, somewhat opinionated and occasionally arrogant. In short, as I often say, “I am not everyone’s cup of tea.” I humbly accept these and many more flaws about myself.
I am blessed and lucky in many ways. I have a wonderful family. I enjoyed a great upbringing. I have had the opportunity to attend great schools (St. Pius X School, Pickerington High School, Bowling Green State University and The Ohio State University). I have had the privilege and honor of serving the community for the last 29 years as a member of the Violet Township Fire Department.
I have lived in this community my entire life. I know how fortunate I have been. Life is fragile; it is often too short and can change in an instant. I believe we should all try to live life to its fullest. Chasing this endeavor should not harm nor come at the expense of others. As part of a team or community, we should all strive for the benefit of the group as a whole. This is often harder than it sounds.
The following is a list of “Native American Commandments” often printed on posters, one of which hangs on my bulletin board.
- Treat the earth and all that dwell therein with respect
- Remain close to the Great Spirit (refer to your Great Spirit of choice)
- Show great respect for your fellow beings
- Work together for the benefit of all mankind
- Give assistance and kindness wherever needed
- Do what you know to be right
- Look after the well-being of mind and body
- Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good
- Be truthful and honest at all times
- Take full responsibility for your actions
As mentioned in the previous edition of Pickerington Magazine, the Violet Township Fire Department will soon be introducing a program to instruct the entire community on compressions-only CPR. This will be an enormous effort to increase the survivability rates of cardiac arrest in our community. I hope you will consider joining this effort once it is rolled out.
This is just food for thought.
Single Trash Hauler Concept
By John Eisel, Director of Operations
As permitted by the Ohio Revised Code, townships in Ohio may contract by competitive bidding for a single trash hauler.
In the coming months, Violet Township will be pursuing this option for many positive reasons. By implementing this type of program, the benefits can include:
- There will be one trash collection vehicle traveling our roadways, one time per week – instead of the current six times per week, providing for a cleaner environment and improved aesthetics of our community.
- This will allow the Township some authority and jurisdiction over the contractor as related to performance.
- This will allow for a defined start time – as some currently are collecting as early as 4:30 a.m. in residential subdivisions.
- This will reduce the wear on our roadways.
- This may provide for senior discounts, and provisions for handicapped residents.
- This may provide optional services such as rental of containers, curbside recycling, yard waste and appliance and other bulky waste removal.
- It should save our residents money by providing lower residential service rates.
We will most certainly keep our residents informed as this process continues. Please watch our website at www.violet.oh.us for details.
Aged to Perfection
Our community’s Carnegie Library building will be 100 years old in September
By Maggie Arendt, Publicity Director, Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society
The Violet Township Library opened its new home to area residents during the Labor Day Homecoming Celebration on Sept. 4, 1916.
The building was constructed and furnished with a $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie that was received after four years of persistence from the Violet Township Library Board, Violet Township Board of Education, Violet Township Trustees and Village of Pickerington.
The building, located at 15 E. Columbus St. in historic Olde Pickerington Village, is one of the few Carnegie Libraries built in central Ohio and the only one in Fairfield County.
When the library moved to its current, much larger building on Opportunity Way in 1993, the Carnegie Library became the keeper of our community’s history – overseen by the Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society.
The two-story historical museum houses hundreds of antiques, photographs and documents donated by Pickerington and Violet Township families, many with recognizable names such as Diley, Stemen, Richter, Taylor and Ricketts. The museum’s handicap-accessible lower level features Pickerington-Violet Township High School graduating class photos from 1909 to 1981.
Other highlights include an 1879 Taber Pump Organ donated by the Diley family. An Anchor Brand wooden clothes washer and wringer takes many visitors’ memories back to wash days before electricity came to Pickerington. The laundry ensemble, created by the Lovell Mfg. Co. of Erie, Pa., is inscribed: “patented May 8, 1900.”
Inasmuch as Pickerington-Violet Township began as a farming community, the museum contains a treasure trove of farm implements and tools, including a wooden hand corn planter and corn husker (the latter made by a local farmer in 1880), hog scraper, sausage grinder and sausage stuffer, along with a De Laval stainless steel cream separator.
By far, the oldest items on display in this museum are collections of prehistoric stone tools and weapons gathered by three families – Dovel, Messenger and Potter – during the past few hundred years on their Pickerington area farms. These items include knife blades, spear points, arrowheads, scrapers, axes and drills dating as far back as 7000 B.C.
The Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Museum is open Saturdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at 15 E. Columbus St. in Olde Pickerington Village. Admission is always free. To join the Historical Society and/or to become a museum volunteer, go to www.pickhistory.org or phone 614-382-5989. The Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
100-Year Carnegie Celebration: Sunday, Sept. 18, 2-4 p.m.
Do you have any photos of relatives and friends outside or inside the Carnegie Library in its early days? If so, we’d like to include them in Museum exhibits during our September celebration. We’ll scan the photos and return originals to you promptly. Contact Colleen Cassidy Bauman at the Pickerington Public Library: 614-837-8425 or cbauman@pickeringtonlibrary.org.
We’d also like to include your memories of visits to the Carnegie Library between 1916 and 2016 in our “Memory Book” to be displayed during our celebration. Send your written memories to the Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society, P.O. Box 732, Pickerington, OH 43147 or email them to pickhistsociety@hotmail.com.
