Eric and Ina Medici, owners of the former Farmers National Bank building pictured at right, used the rendering from the Plain City Uptown Master Plan to illustrate their vision for Bicentennial Park. The village is currently applying for grant funding to extend the flatiron and close Gay Street to vehicle traffic – a project that the Medicis are calling the perfect opportunity for a public-private partnership, since they own about half of the area. (Graphic submitted) — Plain City officials are hoping to work alongside a local business owner to revitalize the Bicentennial Park area. “When you talk about public-private…
Author: Kayleen Petrovia
Editor’s note: These stories represent the second installment in a three-part series detailing issues and candidates appearing on the March 19 ballot in Union County. Saturday’s Journal-Tribune will profile candidates for sheriff. — Wezlynn Davis believes her personal experiences combined with her commitment to conservative ideals make her the right person to serve as State Representative for District 86. “In today’s political climate, a conservative Republican must stand firm on key issues that align with the values and beliefs of our residents and uphold our Republican agenda,” Davis said. “After all, it is a constitutional republic if we can keep…
Editor’s note: These stories represent the second installment in a three-part series detailing issues and candidates appearing on the March 19 ballot in Union County. Saturday’s Journal-Tribune will profile candidates for sheriff. — Tracy Richardson said her service as state representative comes down to three words: faith, family and freedom. Richardson, 59, who is a U.S. Army Reservist along with the current representative for District 86, said she believes she is the right person to continue in this role because her servant leadership is rooted in a commitment to the community. She noted that she and her family moved to…
Jerome Township officials plan to consider all of their options before they decide how to regulate marijuana operations in the area. During the trustees meeting Tuesday, the board directed Zoning Inspector Eric Snowden to research how facilities that grow, process or sell marijuana would be permitted by the township’s zoning code. Snowden noted that new considerations might be necessary despite the township approving a legislation in 2017 to prohibit medical marijuana facilities in the township. Following the passage of what Snowden called “adult use” marijuana, he said officials need to consider how the zoning code will dictate where commercial marijuana…
Triad students will soon have new facilities and new class offerings thanks to a $2.2-million grant the district was awarded by the state. Triad Local Schools was awarded $2,189,266 through the Ohio Career Technical Education Equipment Grant, a state grant intended to expand the number of career and technical programs at districts throughout Ohio. The grant will be used at Triad to expand academic pathways in Allied Health, Precision Agriculture and Design and Development, as well as to create an Information Technology pathway. When district officials submitted their application in December, Superintendent Vickie Maruniak said the pathways revolve around lucrative…
Most of us are pretty familiar with the cost of our go-to meal before we even pull into a drive-thru. Some recent announcements from Wendy’s threw that certainty into question. Leaders at the fast food chain recently announced a plan to roll out “dynamic pricing.” A number of national media outlets initially compared the plan to the “surge pricing” that ride-share apps like Uber depend on, which increase the cost of services at times of higher demand. Dynamic pricing was initially described as a model that would allow the restaurant to adjust the cost of its offerings depending on factors…
As Jerome Township officials plan to add two new buildings near the existing Township Hall, they are adjusting rental rates for the current facility. While the township previously offered discounted rates for residents, all renters will now pay the same flat rate for use of the Township Hall, depending on the day. Trustees approved a rate of $200 to rent the hall on Mondays-Thursdays and $350 on Fridays-Sundays or holidays. Prior to the changes, residents and township businesses paid $75 for weekday rentals while non-residents and businesses outside of Jerome paid $150. Residents paid $150 for weekend and holiday rentals…
As Plain City continues to grow, officials are focused on ensuring that local parks and events remain a priority in the village. “So many of these programs are what we consider to be the foundation of our community,” Council member Aaron Lewis said. Parks and Recreation Director Linda Granger and Parks and Recreation Assistant Denton Kitts shared a recap of the department’s work throughout 2023. The pair highlighted a number of park improvements, high turnout at events and steady bookings for both the campground and aquatic center. Granger said some of the most noticeable improvements were seen at Pastime Park,…
The graphic above breaks down the average patient experience at the Union County Health Department nursing clinic. Director of Nursing Krista Finch said the goal time for each patient is 60 minutes, while the health department currently comes close at about 65 minutes. However, she noted that the interaction with a clinician, listed in the chart as 25 minutes, can vary widely as some patients spend closer to 45 minutes directly interacting with them. (Graphic submitted) — The Union County Health Department is pursuing a special status that will help the agency fill in the gaps for community members who…
Jerome Township officials on Tuesday night approved a rezoning that will allow for the development of Coughlin Kia on the southwest corner of Hyland-Croy Road and Weldon Road. The dealership, illustrated in the rendering above, will have frontage on U.S. 33. (Graphic submitted) — The land at the corner of Hyland-Croy Road and Weldon Road, commonly known as Hall’s Corner, will soon have a car dealership. The Jerome Township Trustees approved the rezoning of nearly 22 acres on the western portion of the site with frontage along U.S. 33, illustrated at left, that will pave…
Plain City Council is again delving into the details of the village’s noise ordinance. Council was set to hear the first reading of an amendment that would add decibel levels to the village noise ordinance, but paused to consider exactly how the decibels will be measured. The proposed amendment listed permissible decibel (dB) levels, as measured from the receiving land use. For instance, if a resident complained of loud noises heard at home, a Plain City Police Department officer would base the permitted dB level on the residential district even if the sound was coming from a location within the…
Village officials are hopeful that a pay raise will help the Plain City Police Department draw candidates for new positions. Council unanimously approved an increase to the PCPD wage scale during its most recent meeting. “I think this is going to be a gamechanger,” PCPD Chief Dale McKee said. During council’s work session on Feb. 7, McKee said the department has not lost any officers in the past several years. However, as the village grows, officials are preparing to add more open officer positions. Village Administrator Haley Lupton noted that Plain City has had a patrol officer position posted since…
Plain City officials are working to create a new community park, called the Public Square, with a repurposed, historic train depot as a centerpiece. The conceptual rendering shown above illustrates the depot, which will be at the northeast corner of the site behind the former municipal buildings on South Chillicothe Street, along with an indoor marketplace created from a restored garage. Outdoor space will include children’s play area, seating space and a splash pad. (Graphic submitted) — The conceptual rendering above illustrates plans for the Public Square, a new community park planned for the corner…
Graduate students in Ohio State’s City and Regional Planning program are working to complete a Multimodal Connectivity Plan for Plain City. The students recently shared a presentation with council regarding their initial findings, including the graphs above. The graph on the left indicates that the vast majority of village residents drive to work. The chart on the right shows that most residents have a commute of 15-30 minutes. (Graphic submitted) — With the help of Ohio State graduate students, Plain City officials are working to make transportation throughout the village a bit easier. A group of second year master’s students…
Plain City officials are hoping a new approach will draw police officer candidates that meet the quality of their current force. At Wednesday’s council work session, officials discussed options to create a “cadet program” through which the village would pay for a candidate’s training at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA). While PCPD has had no issue with retention – the department has not lost any officers in the past several years, Chief Dale McKee said – it has struggled to fill a new, vacant position. McKee said he feels difficulty recruiting stems from a variety of factors, including…