Council Offers Sewers To Owens: Habig Says Trustees Prefer Village
At its meeting Wednesday evening, Village Council held a public hearing on an ordinance that would provide sewers to the Owens Corning property. At the request of Owens and at the suggestion of Acting Law Director James Gory, the ordinance, that had been introduced at the July 16 council meeting, contained several changes. After a lengthy discussion and a few changes, Council voted to approve the ordinance.
Click here to view the resolution providing sewers to the Owens property.
In the proposed resolution, the following two paragraphs had been removed:
The first paragraph: “WHEREAS, the Village of Granville has an established policy of not providing utility services to any property located outside of the corporate boundaries of the Village, and it hereby restates that policy; and”
The fourth paragraph: “WHEREAS, the Council is committed to not providing utility services outside the Village limits to stimulate or encourage the development of single family housing that could bring additional school age children to the Granville Exempted Village School District, and the proposed improvements to the science and technology complex would be consistent with that commitment; and”
During the hearing, Jack Thornborough asked the Council why the two paragraphs had been removed. He stated that it was his understanding that the language had been crafted when utilities were extended to the schools and to Kendal, both of which are located within the Township and outside of the Village’s borders. The purpose of the language was to make it clear that the extension of utilities out of the Village was an unusual step taken under special circumstances and other property owners could not count on it occuring for their property.
Bill Wernet spoke in favor of extending sewer service to the Owens Corning property.
After some discussion, Council agreed to return the first paragraph to the resolution.
Councilmember Barsky then moved to amend the fourth paragraph of Ordinance No. 11-08 to read:
“Whereas, the Council is committed to not providing utility services outside the Village limits to stimulate or encourage development that would adversely impact the economic vitality and quality of life of the community, and the proposed improvements to the science and technology complex would be consistent with that commitment; and”
The motion for the new wording was passed unanimously.
Councilmember Mershon asked if the Township would amend the grant application to the state and substitute the Village of Granville for the Southwest Licking Community Water and Sewer District as the supplier of sewer services.
Granville Township Trustees Bill Habig and Fred Abraham were both in the audience.
Habig replied, “We would prefer to work with the Village on this.”
Councilmember Mershon suggested that the contract did not contain the obligation to annex into the Village should the property become contiguous with property within the Village limits. Village Manager Holycross explained that Owens was reluctant to commit to annexation.
Mershon pointed out that a condition requiring annexation when and/or if it becomes possible had always been a part of previous extensions of utilities out of the Village.
“My preference is to have them annex,” Mershon said.
After discussion, Council agreed that they will add the condition requiring annexation to the contract when the contract is negotiated.
Council also asked Manager Holycross for the estimated costs of providing sewer to Owens. He said he would get that to Council and that he had already provided it to Owens.
The ordinance passed unanimously.
***
See previous stories about the Township - Owens Corning grant:
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My bad.....
Oh, you guys are talking about SEWERS, not sewage….nevermind.
My bad.....
Oh, you guys are talking about SEWERS, not sewage….nevermind.
LOL
That reminds me that the presidential election is coming up…
Speaking of sewage....
I think Bill and Hillary are mad as hell and plan to try and sabotage Obama at the convention….
Bill, Hillary and Barack
I would agree.
Obama made a big mistake in agreeing to let Hillary and Bill speak on the first two days and then let her be nominated on the third day.
Hillary gets three days; then Obama gets one day.
I hope this is not indicative of his negotiation skills…
What's the big deal?
If Owens wants our sewage then let them have it…..
Owens acreage
Chris makes a good point about the size of the Owens parcel. Owens owns about 550 acres. In the newspaper, Owens and Habig have said the grant request is to redevelop about 80 acres of the property into an R&D park. However, I saw nothing in the grant that mentioned 80 acres.
If the property identified here by the yellow line is that 80 acres, this benefits everyone (including Owens) because it limits the scope of this agreement to a single issue — the R&D park. It defers discussion on the complicated issue: what about the rest of the property?
Deferring this discussion is best for everyone because:
* Owens doesn’t know what it wants to do yet.
* the community hasn’t been consulted.
* so many issues and stakeholders are involved that a whole separate process needs to be developed to work on the issue.
This thing got off track because Trustee Habig had other motives beyond an 80-acre R&D park and tried to sneak it through in secret because he believes (correctly) that Granville doesn’t want the type of development that he wants. What Owens wants has never been made clear because the company has never spoken publicly or attended a public hearing to discuss the project. Through third parties, the public has been told that Owens wants (1) an R&D park short-term and (2) a mixed use residential and retail development long-term.
The first one is easy, the second one is hard. The two have bled into each other through, in my opinion, Habig’s secret wheelin’ and dealin’ to sewerize the township and been compounded by Owens public silence.
Ultimately, none of this backstory matters. What matters is the text of the contracts. This is a business deal. It’s smart business to settle the easy issues first, such as an 80-acre research park.
Bottom line: How much property are we talking about in this sewer deal? The yellow bordered property looks like more than 80 acres to me but less than 550 acres. But, as with everything involving this deal, the public has to pull teeth to get a straight answer to every basic question.
The next thing that needs to happen is for our government to start giving it to us straight, all the facts, even the ones that we may not like. This talking in code — the Trustees “prefer” the village supply sewer service but secretly asked the state for $1 million so Southwest Licking could do it — has damaged our community for no good reason.
Come on guys....
Fred and Wes: DO SOMETHING OR SAY SOMETHING!!!!!! What does it take to get you guys to respond to all of the questions, pro and con, that people have???? Habig has lost all cred in this and your silence is speaking loud and clear!
OC owns substantially more than the
area contained within the yellow line above. They own all the way to Route 37. A road east of the old 539A connects Route 37 to the back of the OC property.
Owens seeks sewers for 305 acres
I matched the tax map to the Owens grant request.
The company is seeking sewer service to 305 acres of its property. It is not requesting sewers for another 205 acres it owns.
The 305 acres consists of:
* about 75 acres for the proposed R&D development.
* about 130 acres designated as open space.
* about 100 acres surrounding Owens’ buildings.
The 75 acres for the proposed R&D park are along the Columbus Road frontage, the prime space for retail development. The open space acreage is mostly wooded. It’s not stated if the open space designation is short term or permanent. The acreage around the Owens building contains two hazardous waste landfills.
The 205 acres for which sewer has not been sought borders H. 16/37. It is mostly wooded and contains several large ponds that were once quarries.
Several things come to mind.
The community cannot be expected to provide sewer service to 305 acres — larger than Park Trails — without very tight restrictions or a detailed land use plan. A land use discussion would require broad community involvement from the schools, residents, environmental consultants, traffic engineers, etc. This discussion is best deferred.
However, if Owens forces the issue of sewer without meaningful land use restrictions, then the company must be denied sewer at all costs. Owens has left the issue ambiguous, leading to suspicion. Why ask for sewer service for 305 acres if your R&D park is a fraction of that? Why say sewer is needed for only the R&D park but remain reluctant to put that in writing? The company must understand that Granville does not provide sewer without knowing how it will be used. It’s nothing personal. The future of our community is at stake.
The bumbling Granville Township Trustees have put everyone in a terrible position. They refuse to tell developers — not just Owens — that sewer can’t be extended without a land use plan that protects the school system and complies with Granville’s Comprehensive Plan. Developers naturally are reluctant to give up the hope of sewers without land use controls when elected officials don’t expect them to.
The problem here is not Owens. It’s three knucklehead Trustees who lack basic business skills — the ability to write an agreement that comes with the extension of sewer service to 305 acres. Let’s hope Owens is smarter than the Trustees and voluntarily restricts the use of sewers. Otherwise, they will lose the $5 million grant altogether and have nobody but themselves and the Trustees to blame.
Correlation does not imply causality, but...
SWL appeared to have the sewer deal locked up until the GP broke the story and some individuals started talkling directly with the trustees and village officials.
If SWL wasn’t preferred, why did certain individuals get really bent out of shape when the story became public and the Village got the upper hand?
LOL, buknut
buknut, you are so far off on the facts on this one it is startling. You are apparently living in a world where red is green, light is dark, up is down. Absolutely amazing.
I know this post is not as nuanced as the trustees are. Sorry about that. LOL
Now you can go back to your land of I-wish-it-was-so.
Yours knowing it is far better to do good than to be a complete, although entertaining, rube,
Pat
So Buknut, tell us the behind the scenes work of the trustees
Since things are basically settled, please give us information to validate your claim that the trustees did behind the scenes work to make Granville the preferred supplier of sewer. Let me guess, the trustees behind the scenes work must remain secret as to not compromise methods and sources.
Give a choice between the public record and mythology, I’ll stand with the public record ever time.
Face it Buknut, you and your buddies just got smoked by the GP and a few activists unwilling to let people of your kind hurt Granville in order to line the pockets of a few individuals.
buknut, buknut, buknut
Very strange creative post there buknut.
Good point
Good point Christopher.
It also seems strange that SWL was asked to provide sewer services for River Road (even farther into the township than Owens).
I don't get it
Wasn’t Habig the executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission?
I wouldn’t be touting his experience too much given the relatively poorly planned development and transportation systems in central Ohio.
However, I would agree that the Granville schools are over-rated. Their success in terms of test scores and the like are more due to the genetic input into the schools and the commitment of the parents than anything the schools are doing. All the same, the last thing we need is a bunch more students. That would make the schools even less effective.
Habig's hair
I also think it’s time for the caterwalling do-gooders to give Mr. Habig credit for the fine weather we’ve had lately, not to mention his successful effort, at a developer’s request, to simplify the spelling of the word caterwaul.
Kudos to ‘nut! Thanks for speaking the hard truths and defending this misunderstood hero.
Does this mean village will only provide sewar if OC is annexed?
If so, this is very likely a deal killer.
Council will provide sewer services to Owens without annexation
Council was very clear they are not requiring annexation for sewer services to be extended to Owens.
The question raised by Mr. Mershon was whether or not Owens would agree to annex should Owens’ land become, at some future point in time, contiguous with the Village. His comments, and those of other Council members and Village staff, related solely to that limited situation.
I am confident Village Council is committed to working with Owens and the Township to make this project a success. My impression from the meeting is that Council views this project as a key way in which the Township and Village can work together to benefit the entire community.
Semantics
I disagree Bill. Council can say all they want, but the black and white says that it will be a requirement at some point.
Perhaps now is a good time for certain members of the GP “advisory board” to come forward and state to the public what they intend to do with their property (very large tracts of open land recently acquired), which happens to be contiguous to the Owens land. Maybe they will put their money where their mouth is and donate it to the township preservation lands. What say you?
Semantics indeed
Council is not requiring Owens annex to get sewer services. They would like for Owens to agree to annex if and when the village borders Owens.
Seems pretty simple to me.
“Very large tracts of open land recently acquired” by “certain” members of the GP “advisory board?” Tell us more.
Epic silence
I wanted to give the GP advisory board member in question ample time to respond. It was as I expected, the response was silence. The property records are public information Paul. The land in question is directly east of the Owens property and is almost one and a half times larger than the Kendall development. In fact you can just see the edge of it in the aerial photo above.
It’s really not my style to poke my nose in other people’s business. This was a country founded on freedom, and their is no greater freedom than that of owning a piece of the earth and doing what you please with it. It seems to be par for the course here to speculate about what a person could and should do with their god given right to own property.
I believe that turnabout is fair play, so I only ask of this GP member what they ask of other property owners. What do you intend to do with YOUR acreage once the entire area is flowing with water and sewer (wherever it comes from)? I won’t make wild speculations of the “evil” you may or may not intend, tempting as it is. I only ask the truth. With all the talk about conflicts of interest, this one appears to be glaring. I ask again, what say you?
Cyclenut, please take another and now more careful look
Cyclenut, you may want to check again the records regarding ownership of the two tracts of land to which I believe you are referring. You may find the tracts in question have a different ownership than you might be thinking.
When you review the records I would recommend not responding immediately, but rather taking a bit of time to consider what they are actually telling you and what might have happened.
All this in order to help you avoid looking like a fool, or even worse, a heel.
Your're just a bit behind
Oh Pat, I do thank you for your vigilance in protecting my image on this here interweb thingy, your attention is most flattering. Do come to my rescue should you feel the need arrises again. However, I am one step ahead of you, please try to keep up.
Still waiting…
Being a bit behind
No problem on trying to protect your image. I try to help whenever I see a need.
You are confused both as to the ownership of the tracts as well as on the spelling of the words you’re and arises.
Sometimes being a bit behind merely means fewer mistakes have been made. Please join us back on the correct path.
*sigh*
Still waiting for a comment, but not from you dear Pat.
*EDIT If correcting my spelling is all you can reply to, it’s telling that you don’t have much (important) to say. And there is also no confusion about the ownership of this land, unless someone changed Ohio law in the last few weeks.
Just quit the suspense and tell us
So, who is it? Some of us do not want to waste time looking at property records when apparently someone else has already done so.
By the way, the village is limiting the sewer to Owens land only so whoever it is would not get sewer. And, the water extension by the village has been out to Owens for years and years and whoever this is has apparently not received water for massive development so far.
Whoever it is, the bottom line is if they think they will get water and sewer for major residential development from Granville, they have another think coming. The village council actions make this quite clear.
But, you make a good point, there would be risk if SWL water and sewer are brought to the area. This would be yet another reason to avoid having SWL water and sewer move deep into the township.
So, again, who is it?
Another reason to not allow SWL water and sewer in
Don,
You are correct. Another tract of land that we don’t want SWL water and sewer anywhere near.