CONTACT TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS: BILL MASON TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE BILLMASON@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG PAUL JENKS TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE PAULJENKS@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG MELANIE SCHOTT TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE MELANIESCHOTT@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG JERRY MILLER TOWNSHIP FISCAL OFFICER BUSINESS OFFICE@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG TRAVIS BINCKLEY ROADS SUPERINTENDENT, CEMETERY SUPERINTENDENT, ZONING INSPECTOR/ COMPLIANCE OFFICER ROADS@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG CEMETERIES@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG ZONING@GRANVILLETOWNSHIP.ORG Board of Granville Township Trustees’ meetings are held the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the Township Service Complex at 7:00 p.m. LICKING COUNTY, OHIO TOWNSHIP NEWSLETTER ~ FALL 2014 F.O. Miller came into office in April 2012, following Norman Kennedy who served as the Granville Township Clerk/Fiscal Officer for the prior 28 years. During the transition, Retiring Fiscal Officer Kennedy shared the importance of keeping a five year budget. Using the five year budget your elected Officials are able to understand and meet the Township’s financial needs. Looking at the 5 year budget several items stand out: 1. Open Space Funds: The Open Space fund balance was climbing towards $6,000,000 at the end of 2014, with another $1,000,000 voted to collect in 2015. This summer a major investment was made by the Trustees by preserving the Granville Golf Course. Additionally Federal Funds were obtained to help purchase a conservation easement on the Wolfe property. Being good stewards of your tax dollars, means asking for what’s needed. The Trustees have voted not to collect the last year of the 2.5 mill Open Space Levy leaving the 1.0 mill Open Space Levy. 2. Inheritance Tax: Inheritance Tax has been an important funding source to Granville Township. Over the past 5 years (2004-2013) the Township received an average of $300,000 annually in inheritance tax revenue. The Ohio Legislature discontinued the inheritance tax for any deaths occurring after 12/31/2012; thus removing a major funding source. Purchases made with these funds include supporting the general operation of Township Government. Additionally these funds have supported the following projects: • Raccoon Valley Park • Spring Valley Nature Park • Open Space Program Properties • Future Fire Station Funding • Rotary Bridge Project Roads, Cemeteries, Fire/EMS and Open Space are the utilities and services Granville Township provides. The Township is in a good financial condition in all of these areas. The general administration of the Township is being impacted by the loss of Inheritance Tax and needs additional funding. Using the five year plan will continue to help forecast the Township’s financial needs. GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP FINANCIAL CONDITION Page 1 Township Contacts Township Financial Condition Page 2 Old Colony Restoration Community Notification System NEWSLETTER CONTENTS Page 3 Land Management Township Road Page 4 Rotary Bridge Project Golf Course Preservation Page 5 Township Cemeteries Zoning Electrical Aggregation Page 6 Fire Department News
Board of Granville Township Trustees’ meetings are held the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the Township Service Complex at 7:00 p.m.
licking county, ohio
township newsletter ~ fall 2014
F.O. Miller came into office in April 2012, following Norman Kennedy who served as the Granville Township Clerk/Fiscal Officer for the prior 28 years. During the transition, Retiring Fiscal Officer Kennedy shared the importance of keeping a five year budget. Using the five year budget your elected Officials are able to understand and meet the Township’s financial needs.
Looking at the 5 year budget several items stand out:
1. Open Space Funds: The Open Space fund balance was climbing towards $6,000,000 at the end of 2014, with another $1,000,000 voted to collect in 2015. This summer a major investment was made by the Trustees by preserving the Granville Golf Course. Additionally Federal Funds were obtained to help purchase a conservation easement on the Wolfe property. Being good stewards of your tax dollars, means asking for what’s needed. The Trustees have voted not to collect the last year of the 2.5 mill Open Space Levy leaving the 1.0 mill Open Space Levy.
2. Inheritance Tax:Inheritance Tax has been an important funding source to Granville Township. Over the past 5 years (2004-2013) the Township received an average of $300,000 annually in inheritance tax revenue. The Ohio Legislature discontinued the inheritance tax for any deaths occurring after 12/31/2012; thus removing a major funding source.
Purchases made with these funds include supporting the general operation of Township Government. Additionally these funds have supported the following projects: • Raccoon Valley Park • Spring Valley Nature Park • Open Space Program Properties • Future Fire Station Funding • Rotary Bridge Project
Roads, Cemeteries, Fire/EMS and Open Space are the utilities and services Granville Township provides. The Township is in a good financial condition in all of these areas. The general administration of the Township is being impacted by the loss of Inheritance Tax and needs additional funding. Using the five year plan will continue to help forecast the Township’s financial needs.
restoration of historic stonesin the old colony burying ground
Granville Township’s financial support helped make it possible this past summer for the Union Cemetery Board to host a three-week visit from historic conservationists Jim and Minxie Fannin of Concord, Mass. The Fannins, aided by citizen volunteers, direct the ongoing restoration and preservation of irreplaceable headstones in Granville’s historic cemetery, the Old Colony Burying Ground.
The Fannins and their helpers treated fifteen deteriorating 19th-century headstones in June. A dramatic example is the 1846 marble stone of Daniel and Jerusha Baker (see photos). Daniel was a veteran of the American Revolution, and he and his wife were among Granville’s early settlers. Their beautifully carved marble stone, broken into five major pieces, was meticulously cleaned and reassembled using stone epoxy, fiberglass pins, infill, and a marble backer for stabilization. In the photo, Jim and Minxie Fannin have just marked the stone with a blue ribbon, signaling its “finished” status.
The 2014 work was funded jointly by the Granville Foundation, Granville Township, the Village of Granville, and the Granville Union Cemetery Board. Over 23 years, the restoration project has repaired or conserved hundreds of stones that memorialize the lives of Granville’s founders, early residents, and veterans. Once virtually a rubble heap, the Old Colony Burying Ground is once again a lovely historical park, and an asset to the Township and Village alike. You can see the summer’s completed stones by strolling the yard and looking for their blue ribbons, which will stay on the stones until late fall.
Although the most substantial restoration work is scheduled to wind down in 2016, maintenance will be an ongoing requirement, as for any historic site. Volunteers are critical to the project and need not have any special skills. Email Lyn Boone ([email protected]) to learn how you can help.
Granville Township Trustees are proud of the Township’s Open Space accomplishments that include protecting its borders, preserving scenic views, byways and valuable farmlands, and providing green space in the form of local public parks.
Trustees have maintained their commitment NOT to increase taxes and take pride that all Township funding accounts remain healthy through 2018 except the General Fund. The General Fund is supported by a mere 1/10th of a mill generating annually only approximately $30,000. In past years the General Fund was bolstered by as much as $460,000 from local inheritance taxes. However, the inheritance tax was eliminated by the State in 2012 creating a problem because the Township historically spends around $260,000 annually from it’s General Fund.
At the Township’s July 9th meeting Fiscal Officer Jerry Miller recommended Trustees consider placing a 1 mill levy on the November ballot for a five year period generating approximately $300,000 annually to replace the loss of the inheritance tax.
Trustees determined currently there was enough money in the open space account to continue its aggressive program (including acquisition of conservation easements on 22 additional preferential parcels) and took action not to renew the current 2½ mill levy.
Currently there are two open space levies, one for 2 1/2 mills and a second levy for 1mill. The one mil levy will continue to generate $300,000 annually solely for open space.
Passage of a 1 mill additional General Fund levy combined with the Trustee’s commitment not to renew the 2 ½ mill open space levy will result in a tax reduction of 1 ½ mills for all local taxpayers. Only in Granville Township during difficult financial times can property taxes be reduced!
property taxesto be reduced
land management
communitynotification system
The Township routinely communicates by email and text messages utilizing its Community Notification System. During emergencies residents are notified by phone as well. All residents are encouraged to register by using the “Community Notification” portion on the Township of Village websites.
www.granvilletownship.orgwww.granville.oh.us
http://granvilletownship.org 3
granville township newsletter
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September 15, 2014
Granville Township Open Space Properties
Legend
Granville Township
Cemeteries & Donations
Open Space Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Conservation Easements
Village of Granville
0 0.65 1.3 1.95 2.60.325
Miles
Disclaimer: This map was created by the Village of Granville from automated
files and other sources of information obtained from the Licking County
Engineer's Office and from various other sources. All data was gathered
for the sole use of the Village of Granville. No warranties express or implied
are made by the Village of Granville or its officers or employees for any of the
information contained on or set forth on this map, and those who use this map
do so at their own risk.
Open Space Parcel #'s, which correspond to the numbers on this map, can be
found on a separate spreadsheet attached to this document.
The Land Management Committee was formed in January 2007 to determine the appropriate uses of the land owned by Granville Township. The Committee is responsible for the annual inspections of the Conservation Easements purchased with Open Space Funds. The Committee was also involved in strengthening the language in the Farm Leases to better protect their land and in the development of the trail system at Spring Valley Nature Preserve. Currently the Committee consist of 8 members – Judy Preston (chair), Grace Gordon, Mickey Smith, Lynn Connelly, Craig Connelly, Greg Dixon, Dick Kinsley and Andy McCall. Our most recent project is a map of all the Township owned properties.
Granville Township - GIS data parcel map index
A) Conservation Easement - Open Space Funds (orange)B) Purchased by Township with Open Space Funds (blue)C) Purchased by Township with Unrestricted Funds (green)D) Township Cemetery or Donation (red)
Category ReferenceOpen Space
sign# Description AcresPurchase
YearA T1 11 Row Farms Inc 44.5 2009A T2 17 Robb & Smith property 52.096 2011A T3 15 Bruce Farms Ltd 166.3 2010A T4 7 ns James and Linda White property 5.32 2003A T4 7 ns James and Linda White property 33.68 2003A T5 8 Homestead Farm Inc 96.5 2003A T6 9 ns Joseph White property 44 2003A T7 5 Gutridge property (originally VanWinkle) 45 2001A T8 14 Dixon property 49.5 2010B T9 4 Twp owned 130.563 2001C T10 Twp owned - McPeek Lodge 11.332 2005C T11 Twp owned - Bi-Centennial Park 0.285 2003B T12 1 Twp owned 1998B T13 Twp owned 72.824 2005C T14 2 Twp owned 21.401 2005C T15 Twp owned - Spring Valley Nature Preserve 29.278 2007B T16 10 Twp owned - Spring Valley Nature Preserve 16.291 2007B T17 12 ns Twp owned - Spring Valley Nature Preserve 35.251 2009
D - donation T18 Twp owned - Spring Valley Nature Preserve 7.41C T19 Twp owned - Spring Valley Nature Preserve 53.63 1991A T20 13 Forni property (orginally Goss) 72.612 2009A T21 16 Smith property 45.204 2010C T22 Twp owned - James Rd Relocation project 6.41 2000
T22 Twp owned - James Rd Relocation project 6.059 2000D T23 Twp owned - Maple Grove Cemetery 28.88C T24 Twp owned - old Twp garage - rear parcel 7.57C T24a Twp owned - old Twp garageC T24b Twp owned 4C T25 Twp owned - Raccoon Valley Park - Phase 2 28.358 2003C T26 Twp owned - Raccoon Valley Park - Phase 1 40 1993
D - donation T27 Twp owned 7.37
B T28Bryn Du Mansion Twp owned - Part of Bryn Du Mansion Front Lawn 16.12 2003
D - donation T35 Twp ownedC T36 Twp owned - Fire Department Complex 2007C T37 Twp owned - Fire Department Complex 2008A T38 18 Granville Golf Course property 123 2014A T39 19 Wolfe property 94.18 2014
land management
township roads
Granville Township owns and maintains 73.94 lane miles of roads within the Township. This includes repairing, resurfacing, assuring proper drainage, plowing and salting the roads owned by the Township. There are numerous other roads within the Township that are owned and maintained by the Village, County and State of Ohio. The Township has a 10 year plan to resurface all its roads, and roads are evaluated each spring based on condition and age. In the winter of 2013-2014 the Township used 700 tons of salt verses an average winter, where 450 tons of salt are used.
Granville Township residents are keeping an eye on the progress being made on Granville Rotary Bridge being constructed across the Raccoon Creek this fall. Recently, the south bank pier and park ramp abutment have been constructed providing evidence of the location and scope of the bridge, which has been sponsored by Granville Township.
In 2007, the Rotary Club of Granville committed $150,000 to promote the construction of a pedestrian bridge linking the TJ Evans Trail and Raccoon Valley Sports Complex. The initial investment made by the Club paid for a preliminary engineering study to suggest the best location for the bridge and approximate cost, but it was not until Spring of 2010 that Rotary Club enlisted the support of Granville Township, Village of Granville, and Granville Recreational District (GRD) to apply for an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) grant to fund the project. This Transportation Enhancement (TE) Grant would cover 80% of the construction cost of the bridge, which was initially estimated to cost $1.2 million, provided the community could raise the other 20%. The Rotary Club spearheaded a fundraising campaign which ultimately raised over $300,000 for the community match from the Village, Township, GRD, Denison University, the Granville Foundation, the TJ Evans Foundation, the Cecil Mauger Trust, the Licking Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Newark Rotary Club, the Newark-Heath Rotary Club, and several private donations by area citizens. The grant application required the sponsorship of an entity of local government which Granville Township agreed to fulfill.
The Granville Rotary Bridge Project was approved by ODOT in late 2010 and over the past four years, a myriad of environmental, archeological and engineering studies were performed to assure the proper location and construction of the bridge facilitated through a working group consisting of representatives from ODOT, the Township, Village of Granville, GRD and Rotary. Funding for these preliminary studies were required to be funded by the community. As a result, an additional $150,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant was applied for and awarded in 2013 through the efforts of Village Planner, Alison Terry.
The long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the bridge took place on August 4, 2014. Construction has continued through a wet August and a dry September. Work will begin on the north bank pier and providing erosion protection of the vulnerable north bank of the Raccoon Creek during the next several weeks and into November. The estimated completion date of the Granville Rotary Bridge is May 31, 2015. Further details of the progress of the project will be available on the Granville Township website: www.granvilletownship.org
(Photo: The Advocate Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate)
With the Township and Village placing conservation easements on the Granville Golf Course, the land is permanently protected from development and will remain green forever. Because the six owners desired to divest themselves of their investment and listed the property for sale, Township and Village officials collectively thwarted sale to developers and forever protected a local gem and significant part of Granville’s landscape. After the fact was the owners’ gifting of the parcel and buildings to Denison University which further assured two additional local perks – it kept the Course on the tax duplicate and maintains its status as a public golf course.
granville golf course preserved forever
http://granvilletownship.org 5
granville township newsletter
zoning
The Zoning Commission regularly scheduled meetings are the first and third Monday of the month. The Commission meets at the Township Service Complex at 7:00 P.M.
On June 11, 2014, after their public hearing, the Board of Granville Township Trustees unanimously approved a modified version of the Zoning Commissions recommended changes to the Granville Township Zoning Resolution concerning “existing un-platted Lots of Record.” The Trustees only modification was adding item 5 to clarify the Zoning Inspector’s authority concerning setbacks.
The specific language is available on the Township website: www.granvilletownship.org
It is the intention of this resolution to allow the development of property that meets the definition of “lot of record” as of the adoption date of this amendment (the 11 day of June, 2014; Township Resolution Number 2014-06-11).
1. Such proposed use and structure is in accordance with the general plan of the neighborhood, including all setbacks and minimum structure size.
2. Such property is in a zoning district in which such conforming use and/ or conforming structure is permitted.
3. The proposed structure and improvements have received the approval of the County Health Department (or such other agency as may in the future be charged with the reviewing and approval of such) as to septic and water systems.
4. The applicant for the zoning permit shall have supplied to the zoning inspector copies of the tax map showing the proposed lot and adjacent lots, a site plan for the proposed structure, evidence of approval for the septic and water systems, and any other information which is deemed necessary and appropriate by the zoning inspector in order to allow him/her to make the determination that the conditions have been met.
5. In the case of requests for homes to be built on vacant lots covered under this section of the Zoning Code, all setbacks will be determined by the Zoning Inspector and generally consistent with other setbacks in the neighborhood.
If the proposed improvements to the lot of record do not meet the criteria above, the property owner/lessee shall seek the appropriate variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals.
In 2014, Travis Binckley was appointed as Zoning Inspector/Compliance Officer. Contact Travis at 740.587.0229 for zoning questions and zoning permits.
townshipcemeteries
The Township owns or maintains three cemeteries within the Township: Old Colony, Phillips and Maple Grove. Phillips is a closed historic cemetery on Phillips Rd. in the northern part of the Township that is only mowed and maintained at this time. Old Colony Burying Grounds is maintained in partnership with the Village. The Township mows and provides weed control for this historic property. Additionally, the Township in recent years has matched the Village by contributing $5,000 per year for the restoration of headstones.
Maple Grove Cemetery the only active publicly owned cemetery within the Township is exclusively operated and maintained by the Township. Maple Grove Cemetery encompasses 28 acres with 16550 total grave sites, 8786 of which are sold. This leaves 7764 graves yet to be sold. On average over the past 5 years, 31 graves per year have been sold, and there have been an average of 45 burials per year. In recent years use of the cemetery has declined as cremations have become more popular. All monies from the sale of graves are set in reserve for purchase of future cemetery property when needed.
electrical aggregation?Granville Township and the Village of Granville residents voted in favor of an Opt-out Electric Aggregation Program last November. Governmental Aggregation programs automatically enroll all eligible residents to be part of a group soliciting the lowest price for their electricity needs. In February 2014, Granville Township and the Village of Granville become certified Aggregators through the Ohio Public Utilities Commission. Next, elected supply companies were authorized to obtain customer eligibility list from AEP and to submit their best bids. The Aggregation Committee was disappointed to find out rates were very close to what residents were already paying and not in line with what was originally quoted and, therefore, we chose not to enroll in a government aggregation at that time. However, your Aggregation Committee continues to monitor electrical rates and is hopeful a future opportunity will arise where we can use aggregation to save on electric bills.
TECHNOLOGY PROJECTSIn the past year, the Fire Department implemented several major technology projects that continue to improve emergency services in our community. In February, the FD installed mobile computer systems that allow data communication between each truck and the Licking County 911 Center. These systems provide live, detailed information about an emergency call such as mapping, past incident history to a specific location, status of other responding units and detailed caller information as it is obtained by the 911 Dispatcher. In recent weeks, the fire station was outfitted with an automated alerting system called Locution. Locution automatically detects the receipt of an emergency call for the GTFD at the 911 Center and alerts on duty staffing instantaneously by computerized voice over the station public address system. These two systems were mostly paid for by federal grant programs and help ensure the quickest possible response time to your emergency!
fire department news
EMS TRANSPORTATIONSSince 2007, the GTFD has offered patients the option to be transported to their hospital of choice when it is medically appropriate. Residents are transported to Columbus area hospitals approximately 30% of the time.
DRIVEWAY MAINTENANCEMany rural driveways in Granville Township provide access challenges for emergency crews. Please be certain to keep trees trimmed back to accommodate fire and EMS vehicles. In winter months, icy, steep driveways may prevent responders from reaching your home during a fire or medical incident. Please help firefighters to serve you by maintaining year-round accessibility to your home.
FIRE DEPARTMENT STAFFING The Fire Department utilizes an unconventional staffing model that adds two part-time employees during daytime, high demand hours. During peak time hours, firefighter/paramedic staffing increases from four to six employees on duty. This program has been paid for through a federal grant and has been extremely successful in meeting the growing demands for emergency services in the Granville community.
