Police and fire protection were the matter of conversation at Monday night’s meeting of the Jerome Township Board of Trustees.
Public Safety Officer Deputy Curtis Myers informed board members of a series of break-ins at homes and businesses in Jerome Township.
“Don’t make yourself an easy target,” Myers said.
He explained that the area has easy access from a variety of areas. He said people will often come to the area looking for something to steal quickly to fuel a drug habit.
“Most of these are crimes of opportunity,” Myers said.
He explained that thieves will walk along a row of cars pulling on door handles or checking garage doors.
The deputy said security lighting is a good first step.
“Typically, people out thieving, if they see a well lighted area, they will avoid it,” Myers said.
He added that, “camera’s always help.” He said that even if the camera does not capture the theft, sometime it will record a vehicle or a license plate.
Myers encouraged anyone who sees something out of place to contact law enforcement.
The trustees also adopted the 2017 Ohio Fire Code for the township.
“Honestly and truly, the fire code is there for the protection and safety of all of us,” said Jerome Township Fire Chief Doug Stewart.
He said it creates a known standard for builders and developers, it ensures safe structures for residents, it limits exposure for the township and business owners and it protects the firefighters.
“Really, it is a safety net for all of us,” Stewart said.
The chief said township officials already conducted inspections. He said business owners are told about violations and given 30 days to remedy them.
He said the violations are fixed “99.9 percent of the time.”
Stewart said the fire code is available for review at the fire station or the township hall. Additionally, it can be purchased in hard copy or electronic format.
In other news:
– The trustees unanimously approved the rezoning of 157 acres from rural residential to planned unit development. The Planning and Zoning Commission also unanimously recommended the rezoning. The land will be part of the Jerome Village development. It lies on the west side of Hyland Croy Road, between Wells Road to the north and Ryan Parkway to the south.
The land will hold a pair of neighborhoods, one on the northwest side of the property with 161 single family home likely ranging between $450,000 and $650,000 and the other on the southeast side with 90 homes on smaller lots, likely ranging in the $330,000 to $390,000 range.
“It’s pretty typical of other areas that have been added into the Jerome Village,” Gary Smith, hired to evaluate the development for the township.
The development also offers 63.35 acres, more than 40 percent of the land, for green space.
Smith said the developer has worked to keep the best natural features of the land. The green space contains a large pond that Bart Barok, with Nationwide Realty, said is, “probably going to be the centerpiece of our park system because of the size of that pond.”
Several Jerome Village residents spoke about the development saying they do not want to see additional homes, noting the increased traffic and stress on the schools and emergency services. Residents also complained that they pay community authority fees already in addition to homeowners’ association fees and taxes. They fear that adding more homes will impact the community authority fees.
Barok said the fees are used to pay for infrastructure already in place and its maintenance. He said those fees are not going away with or without the new homes. He also said the development is donating land for additional schools and a fires station.
Trustee Ron Rhodes said the hearing was for a rezoning not a final development plan. He said the trustees are not allowed by law to consider school or traffic impacts in the decision.
Smith said the neighborhoods meet the township code and comprehensive plan, but there are some issues such as buffering that will need to be addressed in the final development plan.
– The trustees unanimously approved a plan for a Chase Bank retail center on an out lot in the Dublin Green development.
“Really, everything is pretty well in compliance with our zoning code,” said zoning inspector Mark Spagnuolo. “It’s pretty simple, pretty well done.”