Township Trustees Give Their Thoughts On The Owens Corning Development Project
The Granville Press asked the three Township Trustees, Fred Abraham, Bill Habig, and Wes Sargent about the proposed development of the Owens Corning site. See our questions and the Trustees’ answers.
The Granville Press sent each of the three trustees the folowing email:
“The Granville Press would like to publish your views on how the Owens Corning site should be developed.
“You might wish to address the following questions:
“Do you prefer residential development with a small commercial center, research/office park, light industry, or some other mix of uses?
“Would a portion of the property be an appropriate site for a new school?
“Should sewer service be supplied by the Village of Granville or the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District?
“Please feel free to mention any other concerns or thoughts you have about the future development of this site.”
Trustee Bill Habig was the first to answer with the following:
“On behalf of the township we prefer the site be used to provide the most positive type of tax base. This would typically be either research/office park or light manufacturing or some combination of both. The site is currently zoned M-1 (manufacturing).
“This property would probably not be an appropriate site for a new school due to its non-residential nature.
“The village of Granville has agreed by letter to provide water and sewer service. It already supplies water to the site. The sewer is at Kendall and could be extended.
“This is the best economic development site in the township. Our goal is to assist Owens Corning to develop it to its highest and best economic use.”
Trustee Fred Abraham wrote:
“At this point and time I only see commercial developement on the Owens Corning property (research and development, office space and light manufacturing).
“As for a school site it is not our postion to determine locations for schools, but as an individual the site does not agree with me. Why buy more property when the school already owns its own?
“Water is already at the site and the village will probably extend sewer since it is already at Kendall.”
Trustee Wes Sargent responded:
“I apologize for the late response to your request, but I overlooked your email. Here is my response:
“I feel the Owens site should be used for commercial development that blends well with what is there now. That would include research and development, office buildings, and light manufacturing. This area is presently zoned light manufacturing and should stay that way.
“This grant we are seeking is a great way for Owens Corning to develop their property for their own gain as well as helping the tax base for our schools. It’s also a great way for Owens, the township and the village to work together so that the village will provide water (as they do now) and extend sewer to this area. I have every confidence the relationship the village and township have achieved since I have been in office will get only better with this project.
“I see no reason to add residential housing to this project. It’s our best and last chance to have commercial development on a large tract of land. Also, one of the great aspects of this property is that much of it can be hidden from Route 16 and Route 161. I would also see no reason to have a school in that location. Schools and commercial don’t really mix.
“I hope the community and The Granville Press stays positive on this venture and helps us through the process. If anyone has any questions they are certainly free to call Bill Habig, Fred Abraham, Norm Kennedy, or myself.”
***
See previous stories about the Township - Owens Corning grant:
Delicious
Digg
Facebook
Google- Login or register to post comments
- 3439 reads
Post to Twitter
More info and opinions on the sewer and proposed OC development
Today, I talked to the person from OC who is leading this effort. I also talked to the village planner. I want to
• understand the situation so that I can discuss it intelligently
• provide information to others so that they can discuss it intelligently
• increase the probability the village will provide sewer to the OCPD
This is my understanding of the situation.
• The development may or may not happen.
• No decision has been made regarding who would provide sewer.
• The probability that the grant will be approved is unknown.
• The Ohio Department of Development announces the award on Nov 10.
• The village has not contacted the person leading the project for OC about providing sewer.
• OC has not contacted the village about providing sewer.
• The village and SWL sent letters to Poggemeyer indicating they are willing to provide sewer.
Some questions
• Does the village sewer facility have the capability to meet the needs of the project?
• If not, what would be required to make it capable?
• Has the village council discussed providing sewer to the project?
• Why hasn’t the village contacted OC?
My opinion
• The village manager should contact Owens Corning immediately and begin the dialogue and relationship building that is required for successful government / business collaboration.
• The village council should pass a resolution at their next meeting expressing the village’s desire (not just their willingness) to provide sewer to the project.
• Mr. Habig is trying to bring the type of development to the community that Granville has said it wants.
• Mr. Habig should begin working more closely with the village and help the village develop a proposal which would make the village the most attractive supplier of sewer service to the OCPD.
• The trustees, village officials, bloggers and OC all want to do the right thing for the community.
Closing comment
• Respectful candor is the key.
The trustees' brave new world
First, let’s try to answer your questions.
Does the village sewer facility have the capability to meet the needs of the project? Yes. In fact, the village used a 12-inch sewer pipe to Kendal deliberately to enable support of this magnitude of project.
If not, what would be required to make it capable? See the answer to the prior question.
Has the village council discussed providing sewer to the project? Better than merely sitting around discussing providing sewer, the village has sent a letter stating that, in fact, they would indeed be willing to provide sewer.
Why hasn’t the village contacted OC? Perhaps the village, the fools that they are, thought that Habig, as “project manager”, would convey the village’s willingness to provide sewer as stated in the letter from the village. Perhaps OC became confused when Habig proposed and applied for funding for Southwest Licking to provide the sewer.
Christopher, I would agree with you. Candor is indeed the key.
The problem has been the lack of candor coming from the trustees. They have said different things to different people at different times. That pattern continues.
They have tried to hide what they are doing. Then they tried to tell people they are doing something other than what they actually applied for a grant to do. Then they deny making such an application. Then they bad mouth the village, and The Granville Press by the way, in an effort to destroy any chance that village sewer will be considered.
There’s more… At least one trustee has told people that on this project the trustees were deliberately hiding what they wanted to do because the people might not understand. This neither engenders confidence in what the trustees say nor in their understanding of democracy.
The clear now well-established pattern of obfuscation, misdirection, and conflicting statements from the trustees leads me to have zero faith in what the trustees say. Their desire to withhold from the voters their true plans because they feel the voters will not understand leaves me with the conclusion that the trustees deeply believe there is no benefit to listening to anyone other than themselves. In this new trustee-created world, the concept of a candid conversation seems meaningless.
But let’s back up a moment from the specifics…
It strikes me different people can have different motivations and visions. What might motivate me, or you, may be different from what might motivate someone else. It can be risky to project one’s own motives and visions on others. This seems particularly dangerous when all objective indicators point to an alternative motivation or vision.
Great words may be uttered, but only through a man’s deeds is his heart known.
History of sewers
Rogerh says it well, so I will add a variation.
In fact, the decision HAS been made on who will supply sewer to the Owens site (and the rest of the area). It’s the Village of Granville. What’s causing the ruckus is that the Township Trustees have tried to change the decision - and do it in secret.
How to supply sewer to Owens has been discussed between Owens/Village/Township for years. There have been newspaper articles about it, and Trustee and Village Council meeting minutes (available online) reflect various updates of those talks. Owens doesn’t have a development plan yet (and in this market may not for years), so we’re in the planning stage.
Some terms were codified in the contract to extend sewer to Kendal, located next to Owens. Kendal paid most of the cost for building the overzied line and the contract calls for them to be reimbursed $225,000 when Owens hooks in. Taxpayers paid the rest through a TIF, which diverted property taxes to the cost of the sewer line and was designed to offset the cost of oversizing for other users, namely Owens.
The 208 Plan shows who supplies sewer to Owens: the Village. The Comprehensive Plan (going back to 1964) shows who supplies sewer locally: the Village. The investment of millions into oversizing the Village utility system shows who supplies sewer: the Village.
The Village’s sewer capacity is twice what the community now uses and it is equal to the surplus capacity of SWL, despite SWL being a far larger operation. The Village’s big plant was built in 1986 and upgraded in 1996 and 2002. The debt is still be paid on these investments.
Village residents have spent millions of dollars on
water and sewer systems with the explicit purpose of vreating one of the few tools allowed under Ohio law to control growth and limit sprawl. When a Village resident pays a $40 monthly utility bill, it’s not unfair to attribute about $10 of that cost as a contribution to controlling growth. Village residents happily pay this “tax” (hidden in utility bills) to benefit the rural nature of the Township. It functions like a cost-effective open space levy because where there are no sewers, open space can still exist.
I’m not sure you fully understand the meaning of your statement that both SWL and the Village have offered to provide sewers. Of course, the Village is ready to provide sewers. It’s been ever thus.
But what’s SWL doing here? It’s like Russia offering a protection treaty to a NATO country. No, NATO provides defense to NATO countries, and Granville provides sewer to Granville properties. The Trustees overture to SWL is amazing because it’s a break in an alliance that dates back to at least 1964. It’s importance cannot be underestimated when it comes to controlling growth.
Remember, this is Trustee Habig’s second secret attempt to get SWL deep into the Township. Last year, he approached SWL (secretly, of course) about supplying sewer to the property at River Road and Main Street for a developer who wanted to put a fast food drive-thru at the Villagfe entrance. Habig said in an email to Wes Sargent that the Township needed its own sewer capacity because the Village wouldn’t do what developers needed. Trustee Sargent, a lifelong Granville resident, cautioned Habig in an email that Trustees needed to be sure this is what was best for Granville. Yet, for whatever reason, Wes let this thing spin out of control.
This issue is only partly about Owens. When the sewer line stretches 2 miles down Columbus Road, land on both sides of the road will be developed densely. That’s what exopensive sewer systems are for. Farmers don’t need sewer lines. Developers do. Drive further down Columbus Road and elsewhere in Pataskala, where SWL is in business, and see what sewers without strict zoning creates. SWL doesn’t do zoning. They’re a sewer district. The provision of utilities and zoning must be LINKED AT THE SOURCE if Granville hopes to survive as a distinct entity.
This has worked well for nearly 50 years. In the 1980s, a developer wanted to four-lane Newark-Granville Road and put up shopping centers and density housing — the sprawl you see everywhere. It didn’t happen because Granville controlled its sewers — and thus its destiny.
Granville has spent a fortune stopping Newark — really, Newark sewer and water — from intruding into our community because it robs us of control over our destiny. Now, developers are turning to SWL as the new Newark. It’s shocking that Trustees have let this door be opened. But Granville voters have not. We’re in a brief period where we have one or more Trustees in the pocket of developers. It won’t last. It never has.
SWL will never come down Columbus Road. But the division within the community — created by some out-of-town guy getting named Trustee and trying to break a half-century old policy — weakens our ability to negotiate quickly and effectively with Owens and others. When you hear talk of the Trustees being bumblers and lacking sophistication, this is the type of fool’s mission that gives them that reputation. But it’s the harm to the community that is the real tragedy.
I’d like to amend the 11 Commandments of Granville posted elsewhere on this site with the Granville Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment: Granville provides all utilities within the Granville school district. Non-negotiable.
just withdraw SWL request
The question for the Trustees might be this: Why not just withdraw the request that the state finance bringing Southwest Licking sewers to the site? That seems to be what’s controversial. Indeed, it seems to be what nobody wants. So why ask for it?
Hogwash
Personally, Christopher, I think the explanation is hogwash. Why?
1) Owens pays for the extension from Kendal. Period. Just like every developer. Owens wouldn’t object to that. The costs are small compared with the $1 million-cost of running a two-mile line from SWL because the sewer line is basically already there.
2) This is all about zoning and power. The Trustees have never met a development they didn’t think was the grandest thing. They make no distinction between “good” development and “bad” development. Heck, they’re all for filling in the flood plain on Weaver and and Cherry to help a Columbus developer put up some retail development to capture traffic on the new four-lane.
3) If this is the plan, why have the Trustees never said it publicly before? Why didn’t they say it in their unedited, written responses posted on this site? Why didn’t they say it to the Sentinel? Why don’t they say it in a post? Perhaps because it’s hogwash. Why did they deny — flat-out D-E-N-Y — that they applied for state funding to bring SWL to Granville—even after the application was posted this web site?
4) The Trustees have given other reasons to other people who have asked. They tell developers they can deliver the sewer lines, not matter what Granville thinks. Then they tell Granville…what us talk about SWL? Where on earth did you get that silly idea?
5) Trustee Bill Habig said explicitly what the Trustees were trying to do with SWL sewers in an email obtained in a public records request and noted recently by blogger loosechange. He wants to cut the Village out of Granville Township decisions and make way for growth. Believe what this Trustee said when he thought nobody was listening. Be skeptical of Spin #138 created after the Trustees are caught with their hands in the sewer line.
6) Bringing SWL in Granville is NON-NEGOTIABLE. People who care about this community need to do everything they can to prevent that from happening. (I hear they are doing so already.) The first priority is stopping the state grant that would bring SWL to Owens. If the Trustees won’t withdraw this part of the grant request — and they won’t (see reasons 1-5 why) — then Granville residents need to start sending cards and letters to the state saying they are opposed to the grant for reasons S, W and L.
The Trustees are in a minority — trying to help developers at the expense of what Granville residents want. If they were proud of what they were doing, they would have declared their plans upfront. In fact, the Trustees know what they are doing is divisive to the community and contrary to the wishes of its residents. I challenge them to go on the record, write a comment on this web site explaining what they are doing. I predict they will not do so. The Trustees don’t want to be on the record for a reason. The SWL deal stinks, and openness is the best disinfectant.
If Yesman's comments are true....
we have a huge problem on our hands.
I’ll pursue this issue in a very public manner if someone can provide me with verifiable information that what Yesman says is true. I’m not willing to say anything not backed up with solid evidence.
Is someone willing to create a document for me that clearly and concisely describes the misdeeds and provides evidence to back up these claims? I realize some of this has already been done within the Granville Press, but I don’t have time to put this together.
If anyone doubts that I would vigorously pursue this, please remember that I’m the guy who called out the school board at a school board meeting on Kraner’s claim that a school board member asked him for a loan. My voice might shake, but I’m willing to speak the truth.
You hit the nail on the head YesMan
Well put.
Yes to YesMan
YesMan makes the key points forcefully. I can attest that the Trustees have given different versions of what they’re up to. They often deny that any such application was made at all and bad-mouth this web site. One person asked a Trustee why they failed to publicly disclose such an important decision. Why do they have to read about it on the web? He was told the plan would be misunderstood and the effort was best kept private until it was sure it would happen. This comment was revealing in ways I believe the Trustee did not understand.
We (me and 3 fellow ‘old-timers’) are preparing a letter of opposition to the Southwest Licking sewer funding. Suggestions on what to say are appreciated. Also, should we post the letter on this site or keep it private (Trustee-style)?
Suggestions welcome.
Post the letter
I say post the draft of your letter on this site and ask us all for comments. Then revise it and send it to the Trustees and the State agency.
Trustees you can't trust
“the plan would be misunderstood and the effort was best kept private until it was sure it would happen”
This comment by a trustee is scary. It matches the attitude displayed by Bill Habig in his email regarding Southwest Licking sewer service to Wes Sargent (which was only discovered through the efforts of The Granville Press).
The comment also causes one to wonder what else the trustees have in plan for us.
Those guys need to go. They have proven we cannot trust them and they are dangerous.
I talked to Connie Barsky and Wes Sargent today
Here is my understanding of the current situation.
The only way SWL is going to provide sewer to the project is if Owens Corning, the village and the township can’t agree on who will pay for the extension from Kendal to the project. I’m confident that it will get figured out and the village will supply sewage.
It would be helpful if an update on the situation is in an upcoming Granville Sentinel or Granville Press article.
On this one we will have to just agree to disagree
Chris,
Normally I agree completely with you.
But you apparently have a greater faith in The Granville Sentinel than I.
The Sentinel has been a cheerleader for carelessly planned and detrimental projects for a long time. Their ability to “miss” the key facts of the story is legendary.
I hope I'm right, but I might be naive
I agree their actions seem suspicious. Two things keep me from throwing them under the bus.
1) I believe most people are good and don’t have evidence that the trustees aren’t.
2)I don’t understand what their motivations would be for wanting SWL to provide sewer service rather than Granville? Do they stand to personally gain? Do they believe the citizens would be better served by having SWL provide sewer? Neither of these seem plausible.
HOWEVER…….
I do believe it is appropriate for the community to gain a complete understanding of the actions of the various parties. How do we make this happen?
SWL and trustees
Christopher,
I appreciate your forthrightness and generosity. What’s happening here is merely the eruption of what’s been going on in Granville for 20 years. The Trustees want to grow Granville into a suburb of Columbus. The Village Council (historically and today) want to keep the community a small town surrounding by rural development.
A search for motivation is natural. Each Trustee has different motivations. For some, it’s financial. For others, it’s political. Others like being ‘players.’ And the institutional motivation should not be overlooked. Townships have very little power under Ohio law and, in a real way, are designed to go out of business when a community grows. Authority gets turned over to an incorporated municipality. Members of all other local governments — Village Council, School Board, etc. — serve for free. But Township Trustees are paid about $17,000 a year plus full medical benefits. This makes it a lucrative second source of income for a board that is now two retirees and a business man. The Township is following a natural bureaucratic imperative to extend its existence and increase its power.
This is where sewers come in. Under Ohio law, townships cannot operate them. So the Trustees are trying to strike a deal with Southwest Licking, an independent government that does nothing but sewers, to get sewers throyugh a back door. This violates the 40-year-old strategy of a (formerly) united Granville to have Granville Village control sewers, so the community could control growth. Run sewer lines around the township and what you get is sprawl. Developers are happy. (See Pataskala.) But they don’t have to live here.
Owens is merely a vehicle for this plan. If Owens doesn’t want to pay the cost of extending a sewer line that comes to its border, it has no business being in the development business. In fact, Owens — and any developer — would happily pay the cost. To a developer, it’s great news to have a sewer line at the border. The real problem is who controls the sewer line: Granville Village. Those crazy people with their crazy smart growth ideas. Why look at what they’ve done to this community! It’s not nearly as nice as Pataskala.
Owens is merely a vehicle to bring sewer to the two Granville intersections on H. 161 where developers are now banging on the door to put in the same crappy development you see at every interchange in Ohio. Then, like branches on a tree, the sewer lines sprout along once rural roads to allow high-density residential (Park Trails II) and Big Boxes (Kroger’s) along Columbus Road. Ask any developer or urban planner what a sewer line means: Dense development.
How do you do something so unpopular Granville? Do you make your case publicly and honestly Christopher Hawkins-style? Of course not. You do it secretly and through intermediaries. You tell yourself that the great good justifies these tactics. Christopher, the fact that the Trustees have never publicly admitted what they are doing, much less made a case for it, reveals much. YesMan asks the Trustees to make their case. They do not. They are pleading the Fifth.
To me, Owens is the victim. Trustee Habig was too clever by half to use popular Owens as a vehicle to get a state grant to pay the cost of his plan (already reported on this site) to bring Southwest Licking to Granville to compete with the Village. In fact, Owens chance of getting the grant has been seriously harmed by this ploy. Why would the state give $1 million to run a sewer line that is already there? Owens should have worked with the Village on the grant. Instead, it got itself entangled in a Trustee powerplay.
Your post reveals what’s going on. Southwest Licking is part of a “negotiating” effort. Whose hand is strengthened if the state awards $1 million to bring Southwest Licking to Owens? Owens and all other developers, as well as the Trustees. Who’s hand is weakened? Granville Village.
The Trustees should be on the side of the Village. Instead, it’s on the side of developers.
You don’t have to question the motives of pro-war John McCain or anti-war Barack Obama to prefer one over the other. This is about policies that elected officials intend to implement, not whether they are of “good” or “bad” character. I stipulate sincerity on all sides.
The Trustees sincerely want to grow Granville into a big suburb that looks like every other place. They sincerely want to help developers. They sincerely want to put the screws to the Village. They sincerely want three Trustees to be the people with undisputed control of Granville’s future.
I don’t doubt their sincerity. I fear it.
Someone missed the memo
“This is where sewers come in. Under Ohio law, townships cannot operate them.”
I think someone forgot to tell Jefferson Township that when they initiated the Jefferson Township Water and Sewer Division in 1989. http://www.jwsd.org/about/About_History.php
If you mean that the Township Board can’t run the W&S district, you may be correct. But I failed to find the law that says that townships can’t have them as you imply. Perhaps I misunderstood your intentions with that statement.
6119.02 Procedure for organization.
(A) Proceedings for the organization of a regional water and sewer district shall be initiated only by a petition filed in the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas of one of the counties all or part of which lies within the proposed district. The petition shall be signed by one or more municipal corporations, one or more counties, or one or more townships, or by any combination of them, after having been authorized by the legislative authority of the political subdivision. The legislative authority of any municipal corporation, the board of county commissioners of any county, and the board of trustees of any township may act in behalf of any part of their respective political subdivisions.
As a former 18 year resident of Jefferson Township, I am amused by statements like “Townships have very little power under Ohio law and, in a real way, are designed to go out of business when a community grows”. That’s exactly the same argument Gahanna and Columbus (with the backing of the MORPC) used to try to strong arm the township residents into dividing it up and annexing. The result of that line of thought would have been catastrophic. JT gave the finger to both of them and decided to build their own W&S and remains today an oasis in the midst of suburban sprawl.
And by the way, blaming this on developers is a tactic used too often in these types of disputes. It’s the land owners, especially the large ones, that are most injured in cases like this when an outside party wants to limit the development of the land they’ve owned and sat on for 50 years. The village likes to brag about their cooperation with the township like they are doing them a big favor. When the village offers to bring water and sewer to ALL township residents without annexation, I won’t doubt their sincerity.
The village needs to lose the cowboy attitude and start living up to their end of this “cooperative” that they are so proud of. The fact of the matter is, if the village didn’t HAVE to cooperate with anyone, they wouldn’t.
What questions for the next trustee meeting?
I plan on attending and would like to ask questions that bring clarity to this issue. I will send the trustees copies of the question at least 48 hours ahead of time to give them a chance to prepare.
Tentative questions. Please provide suggestions for improvement.
What is the status of Owens Corning Jobs Ready Site Grant Application?
Who is their contact at Owens Corning?
Has Owens Corning contacted the village to request sewer?
Please help me understand why SWL was apparently given earlier or preferred consideration vs. the village.
What role did each trustee play in preparing the application?
What do the trustees believe are the pros and cons of getting sewer from the village? From SWL? Which do they believe would best serve the needs of the community?
The next meeting is Wednesday - July 9 7:00 pm
questions for trustees
I’ll suggest some questions. But, first, I think it’s important to remember that it’s not fair to focus on Owens Corning. They did nothing wrong, as far as I can tell. They went to their local officials and got bad advice. It might have been advice they wanted to here: Whatever you want, you get. But it was exceedingly poor advice because it was tone deaf to Granville politics and put Owens in an unwelcome position of being a vehicle for issues it has no involvement in. Owens has been a good corporate citizen. Even now, they have 500+ acres but plan to develop only half of that for topographical and environmental reasons. This could have been worked great if the Trustees had not taken the a detour to Pataskala. Does Owens Corning care if we have fast food with drive-thrus on River Road? It does not. Does Trustee Habig care? You bet he does. He’s got a developer who wants it and he plans to deliver. Owens is a vehicle for him to deliver to all developers and to bypass the Village, the Comprehensive Plan, openness, common sense, etc.
Some questions:
Trust: To Wes and Fred, Did you know that the Owens application requested more than $1 million from the state to bring Southwest Licking sewer down Columbus Road?
If so, why did you not announce that this was being requested? Surely with the history of development and utility issues in Granville, you realize this is a huge and controversial decision.
If not, why don’t you censure Trustee Habig for this secret effort and withdraw the request? Surely, the public is entitled to be heard on such a major policy change — if you haven’t heard enough already.
Did you tell Granville Village officials you were seeking to have Southwest Licking serve the site? If so, who? If not, why not?
Why has it taken you so long to acknowledge the request was made and explain your rationale?
POLICY: Does bringing Southwest Licking to the Owens site (and beyond) match the 208 Plan approved by the Trustees? The 208 plan is the region’s EPA-mandated sewer plan. The answer to the question is that it violates the 208 Plan — negating a two-year effort by the Village and Trustees to ensure Granville controlled sewers in Granville. (We hate to disappoint developers with well-thought out policies.)
Do you plan to revoke your approval of the 208 Plan before you bring in Southwest Licking? Or are you just going to blow it off as so much campaign rhetoric about how hard and cooperatively you work to preserve Granville’s uniqueness?
Will the Trustees reimburse Kendal the $225,000 the community will forgo if Southwest Licking serves Owens instead of the Village doing it?
Will you lower property taxes for Granville Village residents since those residents built an oversized sewer system at great expense (with the encouragement of Trustees from a previous generation) so the community could manage growth? Since this generation of Trustees has decided to screw the Village, Village residents will pay higher water and sewer bills because their big utility system won’t be amortized over more users.
What, specifically, has the Village done to make you hate it? This is the subtext of the whole thing, that the village makes crazy demands and only this Wise New Guy Habig knows what’s good for Granville.
What are you (the Trustees) doing to make sure the Village income tax base grows so that tax rates don’t have to be raised on existing residents? The Village has one of the lower municipal tax rates around (1.5%).
Do the Trustees understand that an expanded Village tax base spreads vital services over more people and businesses, so that tax rates can be kept low and services high? The Granville Police should serve River Road and Owens Corning and the Intermediate School. Everyone would benefit. Utilities are the carrot every municapality in the state uses to keep their tax base strong. Why are the Trustees undermining what is Urban Planning 101?
Final question: Whose side are you on?
The Granville Township Trustees and the Granville Village Council need to be united. When a developer comes to town, we should say, “Welcome. We’d love to have you in town. Here’s our Comprehensive Plan. Here are our zoning regulations. Here’s a survey of what Granville residents want. You can tell our town is a little different. We think it’s very special, and we’re united to keeping it that way.”
The Trustees have broken ranks and now explicitly consider their peer group to be developers who want to change the rules, rather than the residents who imposed them. The proper answer to those developers: “Sorry. We have our rules, and we stand together.”
Put Southwest Licking on the ballot
Here’s a potential question: Since the proposal to bring in Southwest Licking sewers is so controversial and such a change from past policies, why not put it on the ballot and let voters decide if they want to go in this direction?
Surely, the Township Trustees have no problem letting Granville voters decide the community’s future.
Very insightful loosechange
Pretty insightful questions there loosechange…
Thank you!
Great questions.
Now our challenge is to figure out how to bring these questions to the trustees in a way that will allow/help/cause them to respond appropriately.
I know each of the trustees a little bit, but none of them well. For what it is worth, find below a summary of my interactions with them.
Wes:
I’ve had the most interaction with Wes. He & I participated on the school enrollment committee. I’m pretty sure he will tell you that he really disliked me at the beginning, but that he came to value my ability to ask thoughtful questions.
Fred:
I’ve spoken with Fred a lot of times over the years and he’s repaired my vehicles, but we not discussed policy matters or anything contentious.
Bill:
Bill is married to my long time friend Linda Patterson. Linda and I have been neighbors for 17 years. I don’t know Bill very well. I was concerned about his role in the Kraner deal. I bumped into he and Linda at the River Road Coffee house in the middle of issue. We had a pretty intense conversation about his actions in the Kraner deal and its impact on Granville. To his credit, he graciously answered my very pointed questions. I’m still not convinced his numbers were accurate, but he shared with me a spreadsheet he used to calculate his numbers. You’ve got to give him credit for that. The conversation was so intense that after it was over, I asked Linda if we were still friends. Without hesitation, she responded yes. I’m glad because I value her friendship greatly.
——————-
Probably the best approach is to speak with them indivdually prior to the meeting and then ask them the same questions during the township trustees meeting. We need to maintain communication with those having different perspectives. If we don’t, resolving issues is very difficult. In situations like this, my Quaker background helps me maintain some semblance of order.
Trustee Habig negotiating on developers' behalf
Your comment explains why Trustee Habig’s behavior has been inappropriate from Day 1.
The first thing Habig did after being named Trustee (over four better-qualified locals)was to try to help Kraner put a high-density development in the Granville school district. Merits of the development aside, did you ever think you would see the day when a Township Trustee negotiated AGAINST the Granville school district and FOR a developer?
Now, he’s representing developers negotiating AGAINST the Village of Granville. His effort to bring in Southwest Licking sewers — or threaten to bring in SWL as a negotiating ploy — is inappropriate in the extreme.
It’s not that Habig’s a bad guy. It’s that he’s an idealogue. He believes that growth is good. Period. Because he lived here only a few months before being named Trustee, he has little psychological connection to to the community, its schools, its traditions, its culture. Since he’s never had a kid in the schools, never coached a soccer team of six-year-olds, never done any of the things that residents have done, he views the schools as little more than a spreadsheet to be deployed on behalf of developers. He’s dedicated his career to “economic growth” and building roads and creating sprawl. Now, in retirement, he has a real estate development consulting firm. His peers are developers, not Granville residents. To him, we are naive people who don’t understand the Big Truth.
The problem was he never should have been appointed as a Trustee. Whatever his supposed attributes were on paper, elected officials (and un-elected ones, in Habig’s case) need to know their community. As good a guy as he may be, his short tenure has been a disaster for Granville. He’s pushing ideas that have close to zero support in the community and, as a result, he’s created divisions where none really exist. Although his proposals have essentially no chance of being adopted, he will continue to push them because he is an idealogue. “Developers said it. I believe it. That settles it.”
Habig cannot adjust his ways any more than you, as a Quaker, can suddenly become pro-war. Belief systems are in earnest. A Quaker might serve better as a medic than as an infantry commander. Likewise, Habig would be a valuable addition to the community in a private capacity as a developer’s consultant. But as a Trustee, his work for developers and against the interests of Granville schools, Granville Village, etc., has been a big (but temporary) setback for Granville.
power
Hey, YesMan, that’s the way the world works. Politicians doing tricks for the Master. Not that that’s a good thing. But its reality. I want to meet this guy that is becoming so famous. I don’t even remember voting for him, but I probably did!
You didn't vote for Bill Habig
TroutFishing: You didn’t vote for Bill Habig, he was appointed to replace Jim Havens. Habig, a newcomer to Granville with little understanding of our community, was appointed over several long-time, qualified residents.
I wonder how that could have happened?
Well, that poses another question
I hope this isn’t the case, but it sounds like a potential “holdup job” to me.
I.e., Owens says: we know that Kendal paid to have extension to Kendal, but unless the township and village make it free for us by paying to extend from Kendal to Owens, we will go with Southwest Licking and destroy your community.
I doubt this will happen
I work for Owens Corning and I don’t think they would screw the community. However, I have no inside knowledge and am not involved in the decision making process.
My understanding is that he sewage line only needs to be extended about 1000 ft. This isn’t a lot of money. Would $500k cover it? Maybe. Couldn’t the proposed grant cover this?
Yea, Owens Corning is in the business to make money, but I doubt they are this selfish.
Good to hear
That is good to hear Christopher.
It is just so confusing what with the trustees asking the state for money specifically to extend the Southwest Licking Sewer line to Owens.
That is not the way I remember it
Buckeye, you mention a number of cases “that come to mind on the Village’s obstructive ways.”
Let’s take a look at those cases and see what actually happened:
Fackler - The applicant had his application approved and then his business partners pulled out of the deal.
Paramount - The applicant had his application approved and even wrote a letter to Village Council thanking the village for the prompt approval of his plan. He then decided to build elsewhere.
Kendal - The applicant has received both water and sewer from the village without annexation.
Keny Annexation (Park Trails) - Both the village and the township opposed this development with every tool legally available to them. Given the amount the development now costs the school system each year, the actions of the village and the township in delaying the project clearly cost less in legal fees than they prevented in costs to the schools. Given a similar development today, I suspect the village would try again to prevent damage to our school district.
Granville Intermediate School - Due to significant opposition to the location of the proposed intermediate school the village tried to convince the school board that another location would be better. Unfortunately the then quite arrogant school board would not listen to reason and they, and our kids, paid for it later with levy failure after levy failure.
Speedway - The village did oppose the Speedway. It costs more in road infrastructure requirements than the paltry amount of revenue the school system receives from it. This should be contrasted with the recent medical building built on Galway. The village went out of its way to give a significant variance to the developer. Why would they do this? Why would the village favor a medical building over a gas station? Because the medical building costs relatively little in terms of road and other infrastructure and the relatively larger value of the building gives off much more significant revenue to the school district.
The bottom line is that I am quite happy with the village going out of their way to support businesses that give good amounts of tax revenue to the school district and that don’t cost the local taxpayers a bunch of money for roads and other infrastructure. I am also quite happy with both the village and the township opposing developments like the MI Homes/Park Trails development that suck the money out of the community and contribute a bunch of students to our schools.
Buckeye, I just don’t understand your comments. Do you want the village to support businesses that will cost the taxpayers more than the businesses will return to the community?
Fair Enough
and as blunt as possible trying not to offend.
You have missed my point yet again. Look beyond the trustees on this one. Stop blaming, and start finding answers and working on solutions at a higher level. Public Water & Sewer (utilities) is becoming the rule of law in Licking County. Well & Septic for commericial capacity is on its way out. It only makes sense for a developer / development to seek out the best deal he or she can get to provide utilities. If Granville wants to play in the big leagues, it needs to get off it’s obstructive ass, and create legislation that puts realistic restrictions on how to extend with or without annexation. They don’t do this and it’s OVER. Someone else will do it and not the village, nor the township can stop it, and worse the village may be FORCED to extend services (a la Kendal, and the Intermediate School). You think I’m pro-growth, etc. Guess what? I’m not. I just know how the politics of this mess work (think State of Ohio, EPA, Licking County).
Our trustees are doing exactly what they are supposed to do: enforce zoning, protect land owner rights and work to the benefit of Granville given the hand they are dealt. They can only control what is within their jurisdiction. The village has very, very limited authority (if any) out in the township. They always have had little or no authority beyond the corp. limits. There are times when greater forces are at work, and they (the township) must react to land owner requests and other governmental decisions that are in play.
You seem to have taken this site as your source for the truth. I would ask that you look beyond this site for the answers to the questions you raise. They’re out there and they are public information. It’s all public information. Start with the Village, and ask questions. It’s much larger than this site lets on. Pinning the trustees down is a tactic the GranvillePress has used since day one. It’s unfair. A few of us on here won’t let it happen when the truth is not being portrayed accurately.
As far as things I like in Granville. Easy: I like it all. I like Owens Corning, Dow and Paramount for the jobs they have brought to Granville and the way they laid out their respective office developments. I like Lake Hudson; I like Cambria Mill Rd. and it’s ‘nothingness’; I like the Granville Golf Course; I like downtown (I liked it more when a business could survive down there); I like Newark-Granville Rd (moreso when the speed limit was 50 mph) I like having a “dead man’s curve” (every small town has one); I like Bill Kraner (who is a wonderful man, but thought of as a villian)… I don’t like staggered parking; I don’t like speed bumps; I don’t care so much for Bryn Du Drive; I don’t like that the Village spent millions for The B/D Mansion; and I don’t like protestors on the street corner - (who protest Iraq under Bush, but sat on their hands when Clinton dropped bombs on the M.E.) - but I will defend their right to do so.
Pretty simple, huh?
Again, just to clarify
The village was not forced to extend water and sewer to Kendal and the Granville Intermediate School. The village willingly agreed to do so.
Granville's future
Buckeye is correct that I don’t quite understand his argument. We seem to agree that we want Granville to be a vibrant community of a distinct type. He says I oppose everything (not true, of course). But he fails to list anything that he does oppose. So let me be simple: fast food and big boxes lining the highway, I oppose. Among the many mostly newish things I like are Bryn Du, Kendal, Whit’s, library expansion, Homestead Farms, new Quad at Denison, new fields at Raccon Valley, expanded Granville Child Care Center, Old Farm Road, Goose Lane, Potters Lane, Granville Lumber, Wildwood, Cambria Mill, Granville Inn, etc.
But in response to a specific: Yes, local government controls where sewer lines go. That’s what we’ve been dealing with, successfully, for the last 40 years. Until the Trustees went off the reservation without telling us. If the Trustees believe in their plan to sewer line the southern township with SWL, why don’t they say so, Buckeye? You’re comfortable saying so. I submit they don’t say so because the view is a tiny minority in the community (and you are a respectable member of that minority.)
We both appear to have been here a long time. You seem to think that Granville’s planning efforts have been a failure. I look around and see success. There’s no place like us around here. Become part of a Pataskala-Granville corridor? I’m not so sure we don’t understand each other. I think we just disagree.
"the Pataska-Granville corridor"
Buckeye’s comments need to be taken seriously because he says frankly what a small segement of Granville ruling elite believes: that Granville should give up its hope of remaining a distinctive community and get with the program — become part of the “Pataskala-Granville corridor.”
The trouble with the argument is
1) Contrary to Buckeye’s claim, Granville has largely succeeded in its goal against the odds and fatalists like Buckeye.
2) Granville does hold it within its power to control its future. It has the money and wisdom to continue its past success.
3) Granville’s supposed anti-business climate has created the wealthiest community in the region and businesses run by local entrepreneurs not chains.
But it’s pointless to argue about this. Granville residents overwhelmingly support this vision. The number of people who want to become (or think it’s inevitable to become) part of the Pataskala-Granville corridor — rather than unique, lovely place called Granville — is small. Unfortunately, some of them appear to be trustees — judging from their actions (words vary).
What really undermines Granville is our public officials not working together. The trustees have gone off track. The next election may put them back on track. Until then, it’s crucial that the $1 million grant to bring SWL sewer to Owens be prevented. I’m preparing a letter to send in opposition. I hope others will consider doing the same. Granville working together can shape a community that is Granville, not part of some bland Pataskala-Granville corridor.
I feel like I've written a Manifesto. Enjoy.
Somehow you’ve managed to twist what I said so that it fits into your ‘conspiracy theory’. Please don’t do that. I cheapens your argument.
The premise of my post was to ask (in a big picture kind of way) if Granville can stop a private land owner from (essentially) buying utilities from an outside source. I think we have lost battle after battle thinking we are right when in actuality we’re wrong.
Cases that come to mind on the Village’s obstructive ways:
Speedway
Fackler
Paramount
Kendal
Granville Intermediate School
Keny Annexation (Park Trails)
Would I mind if Granville avoided every one of these developments and stayed the way we were in the 50s, 60s and 70s?
I wouldn’t mind it at all.
But let’s be realistic. Granville’s charm - it’s personality - was brought on by various transients, and I mean that in a good way. Sure, Denison (our largest employer) infused the town with the base population, but Owens Corning and Dow probably had the most impact on population - as people came and went on their way up the corporate ladder. We got an infusion of capital from the employees of both of these corporate behemoths and BECAUSE of them, entrepreneurs found new and inventive ways to cater to the needs of a growing Granville population.
Now all of suddden, we want to FREEZE life in Granville as we knew it. Everyone who has moved here in the last 15 years has an opinion on how Granville should look and feel. They got in, so now build a bigger moat to keep everyone else out.
Look around the Village of Granville and please point out the successful enterprises. For each one you name I can name two in the township, so please stop with the ‘ruling elitist’ commentary. The ruling elite are sitting on Village Council and not a one of them (5 come to mind) have an entrepreneur bone in their body.
The village used to have some entrepreneurial spirit in the likes of Buck Sargent (Wes’s Dad), Harold Attebury (Abe’s stepfather), Louie (and Greg) Ream (now CVS that we all visit regularly) and Bernie Williams (Elms Pizza). Each of these places succeeded in their own way for their entire existence, and the majority still thrive today because they embrace change, and realize the opportunity that stands in front of them.
The point being that no one cried foul when the IGA came to town and opened up a “big box.” They were embraced, and everyone got along.
The spirit, personality and charm of a town evolves and makes everyone richer in character when the evolution is embraced.
We can still have control of development and density, but we need to get out in front of it and not fight it as it occurs. We’ll continue to lose in court if we fight in arrears.
Our elected officials MUST take proactive measures to get out in front of this issue. The trustees have done just that. Village Council has not. Business is fleeing the village (or worse, failing in the village) for greener pastures and this trend will continue until we recognize what attracts the entrepreneur to a town like ours.
Not all businesses are good for the community
Buckeye,
I agree with you that Granville should not be frozen in time.
However, as loosechange points out, we should not lose sight of the fact that not all businesses are equal in benefit to the community. Ross’ Granville Market is good for Granville while the typical “big box” store would be harmful. Ross’ Market is locally owned. The money made in that market stays in the community, just as Buck Sargent kept his money in the local community. The economics for the community are radically different when a national or regional chain opens a medium or big box. Do you think Starbucks would put their money in the same local bank as the independent, locally-owned, River Road Coffee House? Do you think Chipotle would put their money in the same local bank as the locally-owned Brews? Do you think that Bob Evans puts their money in the same local bank as the locally-owned Aladdin? Do you think that Bob Evans contributes to the community and helps others in the ways or to the degree the owner of the Aladdin does? [and does quietly with no desire to receive public credit for his good deeds?]
Most people I know do not want to freeze Granville in its current state. But they do want LOCAL entrepreneurs to succeed.
So why don’t certain businesses succeed in Granville? The main reason businesses have failed in downtown has nothing to do with the village government or with someone’s desire to “freeze” Granville as it is. Absent the negative effects of a big box, the businesses fail, or succeed, due to the focus and management of those businesses. Let’s look at an example or two.
Everest Gear is succeeding despite being located downtown and on a side street. Why? Because the owner is very capable and he has developed ways to increase his sales beyond those to walk-in customers. Haven’t you ever wondered why a climbing store succeeds in Granville? While you say ‘the village used to have some entrepreneurial spirit,’ I believe the owner of Everest Gear is a fine example of current Granville entrepreneurial spirit.
Whit’s is succeeding despite being located downtown. Why? Because the owner is very capable and he understands that one way to make money is to sell a lot of relatively inexpensive, high-quality desserts. Chuck Whitman is another example of the great entrepreneurial spirit in Granville.
In contrast, note that a number of folks have tried to run antique stores downtown and in the township on Rt 16. Those have left the scene. Why? Two factors: a general trend toward more modern furniture, and the competition from “big box” stores like Target where one can outfit an apartment or first home with lots of pretty nice looking items at a bargain basement price. Neither being in the township nor the village saved those antique stores.
It might also be useful to look at the number of consulting businesses currently in the village. Let’s take one example: JCC Consulting. They provide high level software consulting all over the world but are based in Granville. There are many of these relatively locally unknown service-oriented businesses that could locate anywhere close to an airport, but choose to be based in Granville. The economy has changed. We can no longer just look for the traditional retail businesses when we are evaluating our local government’s treatment of business. These service-oriented businesses with relatively high salaries choose to locate in Granville due to the quality of life in Granville. You want to lose them? Then make Granville just another suburb with chain restaurants and stores. Clog the streets with too many cars from too many high traffic-oriented businesses. Destroy the schools with too many children from too many developments like the Keny development you mention.
Finally, I must add a point of clarification. You have said: ‘The point being that no one cried foul when the IGA came to town and opened up a “big box.” They were embraced, and everyone got along.’
You are just plain incorrect. Buck Sargent was livid, as were the other two grocers in town at the time.
Here's the thing...
and maybe I’m off base, but if a private land owner (Owens Corning) requests utilities from an outside source (Southwest Licking), what authority do we have if the precedent (Paramount / Dow site) has already been established?
The one thing that this site has failed to mention (in part due to their ongoing effort to discredit our township trustees) is the fact that the Licking County Commissioners are driving the bus regarding utility extension, not the trustees. It has become more evident around the county that the use of well & septic is a failed system that will eventually be a thing of the past.
There is no way Licking County can prevent growth and development, nor should they. So they have taken proactive measures to extend utilities to the most logical sites in the county. The Owens Corning site and the Granville - Pataskala corridor are ripe for development, so the county is out in front of the development to make sure utilities are available.
The interesting part of all of this is where SWL will go - and how much of Granville Twp will get utilities before the Village figures out they are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars by denying the extension of utilities to various (obvious) sites that will get developed. Stalling can only work for so long. Eventually a decision to extend services needs to be made with or without annexation. It is a simple matter of tax and utility revenue - and who will receive it.
The politicos leading the county don’t have the same view of Granville that a few on Granville Village Council have. They see development for what it is and what it can do for the local economy.
It’s obvious (to me) that over legislating commerce in Granville hasn’t worked - nor will it - and until commercial development in Granville is encouraged, incentivised and welcomed we will continue to die a slow death and eventually be a bedroom community - commuters who don’t socialize with each other.
That will be a sad day. And it’s not that far away.
But it’s not too late.
A couple of thoughts....
1) Hopefully the Trustees will push this to the point that we will have it on a ballot. Then when it’s defeated they can act shocked in public but really be pissed off and condescending in private about how dim and ungrateful we all are. Of course, we’re all grateful for their service, not this bullshit.
2) Can these guys get better/new pictures? Bill looks like a mad scientist…Freds looks like he’s an RA in a dorm at OSU…..Wes is using his High School photo!
Has anyone had a one-on-one conversation with the trustees?
This would seem to be a good next step. I see no need to speculate about motives and intentions when Wes has clearly indicated the willingness of the trustees to discuss this. It does concern me that the trustees didn’t answer the “Should sewer service be supplied by the Village of Granville or the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District?” question.
Trustees saying one thing in public and another in private
I think part of the problem is that, as loosechange points out below, at least some of the trustees are saying one thing in public and something else privately.
That makes reliance on conversations with the trustees somewhat problematic.
Don
Position with trustees
First, Loosechange, I tend to disagree with your assertion that I am pro-trustees. Nowhere in my post did it say that. I said linking the 514 acres was a wise move. I said Wes put Habig in. I said Habig has knowledge that can be beneficial. For people to be naive and think that Wes is part of some old guard is absurd.
I disagree with decisions that have been made. Spending over $20k on a design for the new trustee building seems excessive. Was this bid out? Just don’t remember reading any public notices on bids for this project. Spending township money on a flood monitoring system that primarily benefits Denison also seems to be a waste. Using zoning ordinances to enforce personal vendetta for someone’s field also seems to be an abuse. Yep, I’m pro-trustee all the way!
I’m just pro township. The problem with a lot of people is that they always want to be in disagreement. My comment was that the public needs to get more involved and become more informed. Basing your entire thoughts on what is posted here is not enough. No offense to the person behind this sight, but the stories do tend to start off biased, despite being factually correct in minutes and emails, the posting are oblviously skewed toward one position.
sammy
Sammy, You make a good point. Your views aren’t easily pigeonholed.
— loosechange
What trustees say when public not around
The Trustees’ supporters (nospin, sammy, etc.) and the Trustees’ critics (leftright, me, etc.) actually agree on what’s happening. The Trustees are trying to bring Pataskala sewer into Granville Township — and strip Granville Village of its traditional growth controlling role — so the rural Township can be developed. The difference between the two sides is whether this is good or bad.
The other difference is that the Trustees’ reponses are full of platitudes that avoid the bottom line. They ask for $1 million to bring in Pataskala sewers to the rural township and pretend no such request was made. I reread your old story on the Trustees first secret effort to bring Pataskala sewers to River Road and found an e-mail from our new house guest Bill Habig, the architect of the plan to Pataskalize Granville. This e-mail — the Trustees talking among themselves, when they think no one is listening — explicitly says what their plan is.
“Our township needs to get ready for economic development by creating its own water and sewer capacity in whatever way makes sense. The village will not help us,” said Habig in a September 19, 2007 email to trustee Wes Sargent.
Thanks God for the Village! (said the township resident.) The Township used to be on board with this vision. The real reason the Trustees won’t admit what they’re doing is they know Granville doesn’t want it. Actions speak louder than words. The Trustees’ need to withdraw the request for $1 million to bring in Pataskala sewer to Granville. If they won’t, we know which side they’re on. November 2009 can’t come soon enough. Mea culpa to me for supporting these guys.
I don't trust these guys as far as I can throw them
“Our township needs to get ready for economic development by creating its own water and sewer capacity in whatever way makes sense. The village will not help us,” said Habig in a September 19, 2007 email to trustee Wes Sargent.
Wow…nice catch there loosechange.
I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t trust these guys as far as I can throw them.
sewer stinks
a friend told me about this site and our local governments plan to bring in sewer from pataskala. told him he was crazy. turned out he was right. government is crazy. who woulda thunk it!!!???
love the Granville Press though. crazy stuff going on in Granville!
Petition???
It is amazing how many people will invoke talk of signing a petition for what they deem “secretive” actions by the trustees. How many people posting here have actually gone to a meeting to see if any this was discussed? I bet hardly anyone. People would rather sit back and complain than actually spend a few hours twice a month to know what goes on around here. Also, some of the attacks on Habig are unjustified. Who do you think put this “out of towner” on the board? Wes. Some people on here need to get a clue. Not saying if what they are doing is right or wrong for the township (depends on what your views are)but Habig has tremendous knowledge and contacts. I know some people didn’t care for Havens, but when you look back 10 years from now you’ll be able to see how much his knowledge helped. Just look at how the township land was annexed to the Village. Do you think it was just a coincidence that property was purchased in a way to form a link, which ended up being a requirement to annex?
This forum is good to bring topics to the public’s attention but the public also needs to be better informed by getting involved. Problem is most people, save a few, don’t get involved until it is too late. Doesn’t matter your point of view, just get involved.
Probably Granville. More Likely Pataskala
Fred has the most important comment — the village will “probably” extend sewer. This is the Trustees playing backroom politics. The bottom line is the trustees want POWER like all politicians. POWER here is water and sewer. They tried to bring in the sewer lines secretly and will make the development decisions secretly — all while smiling and saying golly gee. They want Southwest Licking sewer because they know SWL would extend sewer lines to a dead deer. That makes the trustees the Top Dog. I know Wes and Fred a little bit. It’s amazing how fast people go from regular guys to backroom politicians playing games when power and money is involved. Sign me up for the petition. Granville ain’t no Pataskala.
sewers in rural granville
I concur with leftright. The Trustees dodge the question that matters. Why did you apply for money to run Southwest Licking sewer pipes through rural Granville? Granville Press makes it sound like a devious plan. I think it may be bumbling. Wes and Fred don’t even seem to understand what it means to run sewer lines through a rural area. Either way Granville needs to oppose any effort to run sewer lines through the township, especially when the lines come in from outside the community and from a sewer district that is all about growth and sprawl. If we get state money, those sewer lines are on the way. This grant is fatally flawed no matter what its good points. A petition and letter campaign sounds like it may be needed. Sign me up.
Slick Willie
The Trustees responses are amazing for what they do NOT say. They don’t say why they have sought a $1 million plus state grant to bring Southwest Licking Water Sewer District to the Owens Corning site. In fact, they never mention Southwest Licking at all, as if the documents weren’t posted online for all to see. It’s bizarre. I expect that slippery talk from Slick Willie Habig. But Wes’ earnest faux answer is the most disappointing. We all want what is best for the community. If we disagree, let’s talk about in honestly and openly.
The Trustees need to withdraw the request to bring in Southwest Licking sewers. Otherwise, I think we should start a petition to send to the state opposing this grant. At a minimum I’m going to send a letter in opposition and encourage others to do so. I would love to see OC develop R and D out there. But to use this valid goal as a front to sneak Southwest Licking sewer into the township is very cynical.
The Trustees should stop slip sliding around the issue. We don’t want Southwest Licking in here. They need to withdraw that part of the request. Otherwise, they force the community to take action and they have nobody but themselves to blame.