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…
Author: Kayleen Petrovia
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…
Jerome Township officials are focusing on a list of priorities for 2024 that they feel will keep them busy for much of the year. “We are sitting in a very good place,” said Township Administrator Brandon Standley. During the most recent trustees meeting, Standley detailed a number of goals the township staff will work toward achieving this year, ranging from new buildings to new technologies. Standley said officials are also hoping to see designs for two new buildings within Harry Wolfe Park. He said the township is also working with Pebble Construction to complete a design for a new Roads…
Plain City Police Department officials are hopeful that a new camera system will help ensure fewer crimes go unsolved. “The bottom line is these cameras are like force multipliers,” said PCPD Lt. Tom Jaskiewicz. The Plain City Police Department recently signed a contract with Flock Group, Inc. to purchase five Flock cameras to be installed in the village. A contract with Flock indicates the cameras cost $15,000 plus a “standard implementation fee” of $650 per camera, totaling $18,250. After the first year, there is an annual recurring cost of $15,000. The Flock camera system photographs and catalogs license plate information…
Plain City’s Design Review Board will no longer exist, as village officials solidify a path that they believe will be more straightforward for design changes to the Uptown. Council members voted 5-0 during their most recent meeting to eliminate the village ordinances that govern the Uptown Historic District and establish the DRB, instead creating an “Uptown Commercial Overlay District.” Council member Jim Eudaily was absent. In November, Village Planner Derek Hutchinson explained that the zoning overlay would aim to keep the historic look and feel of the area but would remove the historic design guidelines and DRB. Throughout 2023, council…
Plain City Police Chief Dale McKee, at right, took a moment during the most recent council meeting to honor Sergeant Tharon Prather, at left, for 20 years of service with the Plain City Police Department. McKee highlighted Prather’s dedication, ethics and morals, calling him “one of the most dedicated officers I have at the police department.” McKee said he knew very early on in Prather’s time with PCPD that he would be committed to serving the village for years to come, as one of the very first calls he responded to involved an infant who was killed by their parent.…
Plain City now has its own Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), an economic development tool that will help set the foundation for future growth. Council members unanimously approved the creation of the Plain City Development Corporation during their most recent meeting. Council member Jim Eudaily was absent. In May 2023, Development Manager Jason Stanford told council that he felt it was the right time for the village to create its own CIC, rather than relying solely on those of Union and Madison counties. However, he noted that the Plain City Area Development Corporation will not replace the neighboring counties’ CICs. Stanford…
Plain City residential and commercial development was booming in 2023, with Village Planner Derek Hutchinson calling it a “record-breaking” year in a number of ways. “We had an extremely busy year,” Hutchinson told council Monday night. In 2023, four larger-scale developments were approved, including housing developments like Darby Station Phases 3 and 4, Madison Meadows II and Maren Reserve. A preliminary plan for commercial development The Spot was also approved. Between five residential developments – Darby Station, Madison Meadows, Run at Hofbauer, Hamlet on Darby and Maren Reserve – 1,381 residential units are currently underway. A report from Hutchinson noted…
The local health department wants to ensure every Union County resident is cared for, whether on a typical day or in an emergency situation. Public Information Officer Jennifer Thrush shared with the Board of Health Wednesday more about the health department’s thought process when emergency planning. Thrush said UCHD officials pay special attention to those who have what public health employees call “access and functional needs.” “There is no time more important than during an emergency that we consider these individuals,” Thrush said. This includes populations like families with small children, older adults, people with disabilities and people whose first…
The map above depicts the land that would have been encompassed by the Innovation II Planned Development District, located between Industrial Parkway and U.S. 33, and reaching from U.S. 42 to the Jerome Township/Millcreek Township border. The trustees voted 2-1 to strike down the proposal. (Graphic submitted) — After months of public hearings, the Jerome Township Trustees voted down a second, proposed Innovation District. The roles were reversed Tuesday night as Trustee Chair Barry Adler, who initially expressed skepticism about the zoning overlay, advocated for a continued discussion. “I’d hate to just throw this out the window after all this…
Plain City officials are asking council to determine the process for Uptown building changes, whether or not they decide to keep the Design Review Board. “Staff is recommending that we move forward with legislation one way or another,” Village Administrator Haley Lupton told council at its most recent meeting. In November, council voted to table the first reading of a proposed ordinance that would delete Chapter 1327, which establishes and governs the Uptown Plain City Historic District, from the village’s codified ordinances. Instead, the “Uptown Commercial Overlay District” would be created. At the November meeting, Village Planner Derek Hutchinson explained…
Triad could be the next school to join a national program that allows students to participate in Bible-based lessons during school hours. During its first meeting of the year, the Triad Board of Education heard a presentation from Brady McCoy about LifeWise Academy. McCoy, the youth pastor at Riversong Worship Center in North Lewisburg, asked the board to authorize the program that would allow students to be transported off campus for Christian classes. If authorized by the board, Superintendent Vickie Maruniak said the district would begin offering the program to second graders next fall. He explained that, as of the…
Council chambers was filled with friends and family members as new and reelected Plain City officials took the oath of office during their work session Wednesday. New council members Tyler Harriman and Aaron Lewis were sworn in alongside returning council member James Sintz and Mayor Jody Carney. Pictured from left are Law Director Paul La Fayette, Harriman, Council member Jim Eudaily, Sintz, Carney, Council President Michael Terry, Council member Kerri Ferguson, Lewis and Village Administrator Haley Lupton. (Journal-Tribune photo by Kayleen Petrovia) — Plain City officials are one step closer to creating a Community Improvement Corporation for the village. “Does…
At the start of a new year and with a new member, the Jerome Township Trustees are deciding what their future meetings may look like, including whether they will be livestreamed. Joe Craft returned to the board Tuesday night, alongside trustees Barry Adler and Wezlynn Davis, for an organizational meeting and the first regular meeting of the year. During the meeting, Adler, who was elected chairperson for 2024, tasked Township Administrator Brandon Standley with researching options to return to livestreaming meetings. In February 2023, the Board of Trustees voted to suspend livestreaming “until a township administrator is on board and…
Jerome Township residents have an opportunity to provide their opinions to be incorporated into the comprehensive plan update. Those interested can visit www.jerometownshipcomprehensiveplan.com. The graphic above illustrates the township’s planning boundaries. (Graphic submitted) — Jerome Township residents are invited to share their opinions as officials work on an update of the area’s comprehensive plan. The Jerome Township Comprehensive Plan is a blueprint that guides growth in the future, but is not legally binding. It is separate from the township’s Zoning Code, although they “work hand-in-hand,” according to the comp plan update website. The existing comprehensive plan was adopted in 2008.…