The Residences at Bethel Woods, behind the Kroger Marketplace on West Fifth Street, is one of several housing projects currently under construction in and around Marysville. Additionally, in 2021, local officials learned of or approved hundreds of new homes planned for Union County. (Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
Editor’s note: The Journal-Tribune newsroom staff recently voted on the top 10 local stories of 2021. Today’s installment outlines the stories occupying the 6-10 spots on the list. Friday’s Journal-Tribune will feature the top 5 local stories.
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When the Journal-Tribune newsroom staff voted on the top 10 local stories of 2021, the top five spots were pretty clear cut, but the news on the bottom end of the list was a quagmire.
Six additional stories were within a few votes of cracking the list of the year’s top stories.
The announcement of the Sheetz gas station/convenience store alone may not have been impactful enough to crack the top 10, but the move forced city officials to take a fresh look at a local traffic atrocity – the Five Points intersection. With five streets converging at one point within a commercial hub of the city, the additional volume anticipated by Sheetz had Marysville leaders looking for a fix.
The Sheetz/Five Points storyline edged Marysville housing growth and city/county revenue surges for the top spot among the bottom half of the list.
6. SHEETZ ANNOUNCES IT IS COMING TO FIVE POINTS
Sheetz is expanding rapidly in the Central Ohio region and in October, the Pennsylvania based gas and convenience store chain announced plans to come to Marysville.
At its November meeting, the city’s planning commission approved a plan for Sheetz to develop at 800 Delaware Ave., site of the former Rite Aid pharmacy.
Officials said they plan to demolish the existing building and develop a “neighborhood-scale Sheetz” with a 6,000-square-foot building and six gas pumps on the 2.23-acre parcel.
The proposed development will have one entrance on Delaware Avenue and one on Cherry Street. The left-turn only exit from the site onto Delaware Avenue will be closed.
City Manager Terry Emery told the council that administration tried to get Sheetz to select another location.
City Engineer Kyle Hoyng said Sheetz completed a traffic study and is working with the city.
City administration said this is not the first time they have looked at options for the intersection, which officials acknowledge is already difficult.
“During this whole time we have met with them, we made it very clear there is multiple options being tossed around – whether it is a new right turn lane, whether it is a roundabout, whether it is realignment of the intersection,” Hoyng told city council at a November meeting. “They are designing their site to accommodate all of those improvements.”
City officials said Sheetz has offered to donate land in an effort to facilitate the improvements.
Several council members, however, have said they would like to see the project stopped.
Council member Donald Boerger said he is “disappointed in the decision of the planning commission and city staff allowing another gas station on our main artery into town.” He said he spoke with planning commission members and proposed legislation asking the committee to reconsider, though that legislation was ultimately pulled.
Council member Mark Reams said city officials need to keep an eye on the area “because we are adding a problem to a problem.”
He said that since there were planning commission members absent from the meeting, the approval may not have gotten enough votes.
Officials said they are in the process of hiring a consultant to look at traffic solutions and present options.
Hoyng said Sheetz has indicated it wants to move forward as quickly as possible.
7. HOUSING GROWTH IN MARYSVILLE AND AROUND COUNTY
As the population of Marysville and Union County continues to grow, so does the need for housing. Developers, recognizing the market, came to city officials in 2021, asking for permission or showing plans to add homes by the hundreds. The coming homes prompted the Marysville Exempted Village School District to look at building options and ultimately to the plan to move the district administration into its former East Elementary School, the current home of the Hope Center.
In March, Marysville City Council got a first look at plans for a development at the former Kroger Plaza on West Fifth Street.
Vision Development, a Columbus-based developer, announced plans to demolish the existing structures and redevelop the site, “for the construction of market-rate apartments and for sale outlots, which will create a mixed-use community intended to revitalize West Fifth Street in Marysville.”
The company said it plans to construct 226 Class A apartment units and offer three retail outlots with the possibility of additional commercial space on the 15-acre site.
Council members said they have seen a variety of plans for the site.
In July, the Marysville Planning Commission approved a sketch plan for the Stillwater Farms Development, which would bring 686 homes on 200 acres on state Route 245, west of state Routes 4 and 36 near the U.S. 33 east exit.
The development plan calls for 150 active adult rental units, 168 townhomes, 236 single family homes and 132 patio homes.
Officials said that based on what it called “typical generation factors” the developers said they estimate the entire subdivision will generate about 308 children for the Marysville school district.
In September, Marysville City Council gave final approval to annex and rezone 103 acres on the southeast corner of the intersection at state Route 31 and Amrine Wood Road.
The vote allows Pulte Homes to move forward with a 300-home development that would be similar to Mill Valley North.
Officials have said the development will offer a wide range of house sizes and styles.
In October, the Marysville Planning Commission unanimously approved the sketch plan of a project currently listed as Grand Communities Albers. That plan calls for 288 single-family detached homes and 58 single-family attached homes on 119.87 acres on state Route 4, across from Bunsold Middle School.
The plan includes a variety of lot and home sizes as well as patio homes and paired ranch and townhomes. Official expect the project will take seven to eight years to build out.
Jerome Township is also seeing housing growth. The township trustees recently approved a consent decree paving the way for multiple developments including the Homestead at Scotts Farm, which includes 248 single-family homes on 139.34 acres on the south side of Brock Road, Rolling Meadows, which would include 242 single-family homes on 121.16 acres of land on Industrial Parkway, the Farm at Indian Run, which would include 40 single-family homes on 24.73 acres of land on the south side of McKitrick Road and Jerome Village Neighborhood 10 (VN-10), which would include 149 single-family homes on 69.59 acres of land on the south side of Blaney Road.
8. COUNTY/CITY REVENUE UP DESPITE PANDEMIC
In a year that saw revenue down and financial uncertainty in many areas, Union County once again saw record revenue.
According to the Union County Auditor’s Office, Union County’s general fund received more than $28.1-million for 2020. In 2019, the county had then-record revenue of $25.26 million.
County Auditor Andrea Weaver had set the estimated revenue for 2020 at $26.84 million.
The 2020 revenue number did not include an additional more than $3.15 million in federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The record revenue allowed the county to begin 2021 with more than $24.57 million in carryover between the general fund and a variety of other specialty funds. Coming into 2020, the county had almost $17.43 million of unencumbered carryover.
Marysville also had a strong year in 2020.
For the year, the city had general fund revenue of nearly $26 million with expenses of $24.9 million. The general fund revenue did not include the more than $1.5-million the city received in federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The city’s general fund ended the year with $8.52 million in unencumbered carryover funds, $1.1 million higher than it started with.
Throughout this year, city officials repeated that 2021 revenue was ahead of last year and ahead of projections.
9. FAMILY-ON-FAMILY VIOLENCE
Sociology experts predicted it would happen and in 2021, family violence increased in Union County.
While no individual act garnered a spot among the top stories, the overall trend could not be ignored.
The most violent act occurred in July, resulting in Richard A. Smith Jr. being indicted on charges of attempted murder, domestic violence, aggravated assault, having weapons under disability, using weapons while intoxicated and two counts of felonious assault.
According to court documents, on July 11, Smith and a nephew were involved in a traffic crash in Delaware County and Smith was cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, driving under suspension and failure to control.
When they got home, Richard Smith and the nephew began to argue.
Richard Smith apparently became frustrated and left, returning with a rifle and a handgun.
The pair continued to argue and eventually the nephew left the home. Richard Smith allegedly followed him out the door. When the nephew pushed Smith to the ground, Smith allegedly pulled the pistol, a 9 mm, and shot the nephew in the abdomen. The victim was taken to the Leesburg Township Fire Station then taken by MedFlight to the Ohio State University Medical Center.
In February, Shavelle Denise Little, a former Buckeye basketball star and two-time All-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, was charged with aggravated burglary, assault and aggravated menacing after allegedly attacking a woman she was in a relationship with.
In March, Joshua Allen Artis, was charged with domestic violence for allegedly assaulting a senior family member multiple times over the course of a month. According to police reports, the woman, Artis’ mother, told police Artis had, “kicked her in her privates, well as held her down and choked her.”
Weeks earlier he had been convicted of threatening to kill her.
In June, Sierra Lynn Corbin and her brother, Phillip William Slane were each charged with involuntary manslaughter, trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and corrupting another with drugs after allegedly giving their cousin, Jared C. Madden, drugs, then letting him die of an overdose.
Edgar Misael Rivera Ramirez and Mohamed Nurein were each charged after separate shooting incidents at the Meadows Apartments. Ramirez allegedly went to the apartment of the mother of his child and attacked her. He was charged with putting a gun in the face of a man who tried to help the woman then firing the gun in the air several times.
Nurein was convicted of going to The Meadows apartment complex and trying to break into the home of the mother of his children. Nurein tried to shoot his way into the home.
Police found Nurein in his vehicle in the parking lot. They recovered a loaded, 9 mm handgun as well as several live rounds in the vehicle.
The prosecutor said Nurein is also under indictment in Franklin County on a number of drugs and weapons charges.
Also in June, former Marysville Municipal Court Clerk Nancy L. Baker was indicted for allegedly attacking her husband. Court documents alleged the woman pistol whipped her husband repeatedly then hit him with a variety of other objects at hand.
In the same grand jury, Joshua A. Honaker was charged with domestic violence after an argument with a juvenile living in his home allegedly turned into a physical altercation. Honaker has a series of domestic violence related convictions.
In July, Cassidy Ann Smith and Haley Rene Frazier were indicted after a bizarre encounter during which Smith allegedly stabbed the roommate of Frazer’s ex-boyfriend.
An August grand jury indicted Shannon Marie Burbank and Robert T. Brill after a lovers triangle allegedly turned violent and Michael William Lyons after he allegedly choked the15-year-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend “because there was no food prepared for dinner.”
In 2020, Lyons was convicted of aggravated menacing after he loaded and pointed a shotgun at the girl’s mother during an argument. At that time, the woman said she believed her life was in imminent danger from Lyons.
Tyler Mathys was indicted on a fourth domestic violence charge in August after he allegedly hit a male family member.
Brandon Lynn Niles is facing a fifth domestic violence charge after he allegedly violently grabbed a woman and threatened to “mess her up,” according to court documents.
Shayne Eugene Scott was charged with domestic violence and unlawful restraint after allegedly choking and hitting his pregnant girlfriend.
The year also saw a number of high profile rape and sexual assault charges involving family or trusted adults.
Michael Andrew Egerton allegedly repeatedly raped a female family member. The alleged rapes began when the girl was 12 years old.
Charles Calvin York was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison for the rape of a 13-year-old family member.
Ronald Wayne Miller, a former youth wrestling coach, was arrested and indicted for allegedly raping underage boys.
In December, Michael Scott Chute was sentenced to life in prison, plus five years, without parole, for the rape of a female family member, between 6 and 8 years old.
10. HOT LOCAL ELECTION
The November election was a tale of two halves of Union County, as it brought major changes in the southern portion, including ousting current trustees, school board members and council members, while the north remained relatively stable.
Still, recent election campaigns often became contentious regardless of which seats the candidates were vying to win.
In Jerome Township, eight-year Trustee Joe Craft lost a race for two seats to Barry Adler and Wezlynn Davis, reflecting a recent wave of criticism from residents unhappy with zoning approvals for development in the area.
Plain City saw similar change.
Newcomer James Sintz won a two-year village council term up for grabs, ousting incumbent Sherry Heineman.
In the race for four-year terms, Michael Terry was the only incumbent to retain his seat, although he was appointed, not elected, earlier. Jim Eudaily and Kerri Ferguson were also elected over Tyler Harriman and incumbent Lauren DeCamp Giaimo.
The JA School Board saw turnover, as well. Erica Detweiler and Sonia T. Walker were elected over incumbents Shannon R. Foust and Mary Jo Boyd.
The Marysvile Board of Education, though, saw the flip side of the story as two incumbents and a longtime educator fended off the challenge of an aggressive group of three parents essentially running as one ticket.
Incumbents Dick Smith and Nan Savidge were reelected alongside Bill Keck, a recently retired 33-year agriculture teacher at Marysville High School.
The winners held off a charge by Josh Bockhor, Adrienne Woodring and Zach Yoder, who ran together as “Monarch Parents for School Board.”
The group ran a campaign based largely on divisive current issues, promising to ensure Critical Race Theory and mask mandates would have no place in Marysville schools.
Incumbents will also return to both the Fairbanks, North Union and Triad boards of education.
Brian Phelps, Derek Nicol and Angie Bouic all won reelection to their seats on the Fairbanks board.
Brian Davis and Matt Staley were also reelected to the North Union Board of Education. They will be joined by Matthew Hall, replacing Jean Wedding, who did not seek reelection.
In the Triad district, Mike Perry retained his seat and newcomer Jason Kyle Huffman, a former Triad administrator and teacher, won the seat of April Freville, who did not seek reelection.
Likewise, voters cast their ballots for the names they knew in the Marysville City Council race.
Sitting Council members Henk Berbee, J.R. Rausch and Mark Reams all won seats on city council, while challenger Scott Hunter fell short.
All three Richwood Village Council incumbents – Von Beal, Patrick Morse and George Showalter – were also reelected. They will be joined by newcomer Jackie Hamilton.
Levies and issues on the November ballot largely reflected the trends throughout the county.
Jerome voters handily struck down rezonings for two proposed residential developments, The Homestead at Scotts Farm and Jerome Village Neighborhood 10 (VN-10), in referendum votes.
Although a Jerome Township police protection levy was too close to call in the days following the election, it, too, ultimately failed.
On the other hand, a replacement levy for the Union County Health Department passed, with more than 60% of voters in favor.
OUTSIDE THE TOP 10
Other stories earning votes but not making the top 10 list include: the Richwood Opera House revitalization process; the changing of the guard in the local law community with Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden, Municipal Court Judge Mike Grigsby and Municipal Court Magistrate Dan Behrens all retiring; local ties to the Capitol insurrection, with a Woodstock militia taking part and a Marysville City Council member attending the rally; Plain City fails to reach city status after census; Uptown Marysville building changes; Expansion at the Union County Fairgrounds; Memorial Health growth; the Union County Fair’s memorable livestock sale which took in $660,000, including a whopping $40,000 for the Grand Champion Steer.
In November, Marysville’s Planning Commission approved the conditional use application to bring a Sheetz convenience store and gas station to 800 Delaware Ave., site of the former Rite Aid pharmacy. Officials said they have discussed a variety of options to deal with the existing traffic concerns at the Five Points intersection. (Photo submitted)