the 2011 spring newsletter

Blendon Township
Bulletin
Vol. 11 No. 1
Spring / Summer 2011
A Message from Your Trustees;
Jan Heichel, Stew Flaherty, & Jim Welch
The spring 2011 Blendon Township newsletter is here. As always,
it’s our pleasure to bring you news of recent accomplishments along with upcoming plans for our community. Our vision for Blendon Township is to maintain
public safety, beautify parks, public areas and neighborhoods and improve communications between township officials and residents.
After what felt like a long winter with all of the snow and ice, we are
beginning to see signs of spring and the construction season for Blendon Township has already begun.
Phase 2 of our Mausoleum
and Chapel expansion
See Mausoleum Expansion
story on page 2
This year our plans include:
• State Route 3 Safety Project (already underway).
• Complete the second section of the mausoleum, chapel
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and memorial gardens.
Continue to upgrade our parks.
Giving our 30-year-old Senior Center a much needed face lift along with
modifications to make it more energy efficient.
Pursuing a grant for sidewalk replacement.
Regrading and reseeding Section G in the cemetery.
Adding signage to define our Blendon bikeway shared routes.
Memorial Day Celebration
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died serving
our country. This is the time we as Americans set aside to honor our veterans,
loved ones and friends. We invite you to join us in a Memorial Day Remembrance Service to be held at Blendon Central Cemetery on Monday, May 30, at
11:00 am.
Memorial Day also marks the beginning of the busy summer season.
Immediately following the service please join us for a free “good oldfashion picnic” in the Blendon Senior Center. What a great way to begin
the summer, celebrating with family and friends.
MADD Award recipient
Officer Zack Smith (left),
Chief John Belford (right)
See MADD Awards
on page 3
Visit us on the Web,
Blendon Township Administrative Office 614-882-1270 www.blendontwp.org
State Route 3 Safety Project
Mausoleum Expansion
Many of you have asked us to improve our Route
3 corridors’ appearance. We are pleased to announce
that the State Route 3 project for beautification and
safety has now begun! The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) project includes State Route 3 from approximately State Route 161 to Huber Village Boulevard.
State Route 3 will be widened to include 5-foot wide,
signed, striped, bicycle lanes on both sides and improvement of one interchange and four intersections.
The community’s requests for sidewalks also
are on the list of improvements. The sidewalks are to
be installed following the road reconstruction. They will
be 5 feet wide, on both sides of the road from State
Route 161 to Dempsey Road. This 7 million dollar project is expected to be completed in 2012.
Scheduled for completion this May is our new
mausoleum and chapel expansion. The modern
design will be abundant with natural light and rich
materials of granite and offers many options for
families. In addition to sealed crypts, there are
glass-front story niches in which urns are visible,
along with memorabilia, mementos, photos, letters,
etc. There are many possibilities for personalization.
If you are interested in learning more about
Blendon Central Cemetery’s new mausoleum
and chapel, please contact the cemetery office at
(614)882-2215. The office is open Monday-Friday,
8am-4pm. Appointments are appreciated but not
required.
Interchange & Intersection
Improvements
State Route 3 and Dempsey Road
The intersection of Dempsey and Emrick Roads will be
realigned, reducing the “wait time” at the traffic signal
for east-west traffic.
State Route 3 at Paris Boulevard and
Brazzaville Road
Both intersections will be widened and resurfaced.
Additional information can be found on our website at
www.blendontwp.org.
During Construction
• One lane in each direction on State Route 3
will be maintained and access to businesses will be
maintained.
• Notification of closures or restrictions will be made
through Blendon Township’s e-mail alerts, ODOT District 6 website posts, Twitter, Facebook and the local
media.
• Dempsey Rd. will be closed for approximately 30
days and Paris Blvd. will be closed for approximately
14 days. Brazzaville Rd. will also close but the duration of the closure is not yet known. They will not all
be closed at the same time.
Go Green
If you wish to “go green” and view your Blendon
Township Newsletter via the web and no longer want a
copy sent to you through U.S. mail, please visit our
web page.
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Above is an artist rendition of the completed Blendon
Central Cemetery mausoleum and chapel.
Street Sweeping and Street Repairs
Blendon Township’s street sweeping usually
begins soon after winter ends. It is a continuous
process that does not end until all streets have
been swept, continuing through the seasons into
late fall. To see this year’s street resurfacing list
please visit our website (listed below). You also can
sign-up for free e-mail alerts for updated information.
Farmers Market
We had a successful first season, so planning
is well on its way for the Second Annual Farmers
Market at the Blendon Township Complex, 6350
Hempstead Rd. (in the back fields). Our Farmers
Market will feature Ohio grown fruits, vegetables,
breads, and other items from local farms and area
shops. The market will be open every Thursday, July
7 to October 27, from 3:00 to 6 pm. Please visit our
website for additional information regarding vendors,
products, and more.
Blendon Township Administrative Office 614-882-1270 www.blendontwp.org
E-mail Alerts from your Trustees
Sign Up for Email Alerts from Blendon Township. Periodic e-mail alerts about events and other
areas of interest are available to Blendon Township
residents, business owners, and clients. This is a
FREE service. The information that you provide will
not be sold, shared, viewed, or otherwise accessed
by any business, resident, or other entity. To sign up,
please visit www.blendontwp.org.
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers/
MADD Awards of Excellence, 2011
The Senior Center is conveniently located
within the Blendon Township Complex at 6330
Hempstead Rd. It offers many programs and services designed for today’s seniors. The Center is
open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30
pm. Anyone 55 years of age or older is eligible to join.
Spouses of members also can participate in activities.
Annual membership fees are $10.00 for township
residents or $15.00 for non-township residents.
We welcome you to visit us at the Center for
a tour or view our monthly newsletter online. There
you will see health and wellness screenings, travel
opportunities, creative arts, support services, and
much more.
Twenty-four of the several thousand police
officers in Central Ohio were awarded “The Best of
the Best” by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
We are proud to announce that 3 of the 24 officers
awarded, have Blendon Township history.
Blendon Township Patrolman Zach Smith and
former Blendon police officers, Sgt. Michael Smith,
now of Columbus Police Department, and Officer Joe
Pickering, now of Reynoldsburg Police Department,
were among “The Best of The Best” to receive this
year’s “Award of Excellence” on February 17, by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. The Award of Excellence is
designed to honor the most outstanding law enforcement officers, judges and prosecutors in Central Ohio
for their dedication to the fight against drunk driving.
These individuals have truly made a positive impact
in the communities in which we live and work. The
officers were selected based on their significant drunk
driver enforcement efforts during the past year.
MADD Statistics estimate that this year 10,839
people will die in drunk-driving crashes. That’s one
every 50 minutes. When these officers arrest a drunk
driver, they could be saving a life!
Easter Egg Hunt
Cleveland Heights
Saturday, April 16
Ridgewood Park, 2 pm
Township children ages 1-10
Organized by the Senior Center
For more information, please visit
our website www.blendontwp.org
Free admission
It has been said by a Cleveland Heights resident “their neighborhood is like country in the city”.
This subdivision of Blendon Township has about 300
homes and a quiet wooded area with a true feeling of
being in the wilderness. However, home foreclosures
can be found here like any other area.
The home below was recently purchased by
Blendon Township. We currently have potential buyers that have expressed interest in rehabilitating the
property. If this doesn’t materialize, we plan to demolish the home and clean up the property to remove a
potentially hazardous situation and improve the overall
appearance of the neighborhood.
Blendon Township Senior Center
Community Garden
Another way to enjoy locally grown produce
is to participate in our Community Garden located at
Blendon Township Complex, 6350 Hempstead Rd. (in
the back fields). This community effort includes participation by both children and adults. We look forward to
taking a piece of land that wasn’t being used for anything and turning it into something not only productive
for growing food but also bringing neighbors together.
The garden consists of 20 annual plots (20’ x
30’). Cost is $20.00 per plot for residents and $30.00
for non-residents. If you are interested in participating,
please complete the on-line form. Spaces are limited
so don’t delay in reserving yours.
Blendon Township “A Great Place to Live”
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Blendon Township
6350 South Hemptstead Road
Westerville, OH 43081
www.blendontwp.org
Board of Trustees:
Jan Heichel, Chairman
JHeichel@blendontwp.org
(614) 890-0650
Jim Welch, Vice Chairman
Jim.Welch@blendontwp.org
(614) 306-8080
Stew Flaherty, Trustee
SFlaherty@blendontwp.org
(614) 882-1270
Fiscal Officer:
Wade Estep
wade.estep@blendontwp.org
(614) 882-1270
Township Offices:
Linda Harter, Administrative
Assistant/Cemetarian
LHarter@blendontwp.org
(614) 882-1270
(614) 882-2215 (cemetery office)
Police Department:
John Belford, Police Chief
JBelford@blendontwp.org
Emergency 9-1-1
Dispatcher (614) 889-9494
Records (614) 882-8500
Important Dates
Phone Numbers:
Board of Trustees Meetings at
the Senior Center at 6:30 pm
American Electric Power:
1-800-277-2177
March 30
April 13 and 27
May 11 and 25
June 8 and 22
July 6 and 20
Columbia Gas Company
1-800-344-4077 for customer
service/emergency and gas odor
emergency
Fire Department:
Bernie Ingles, Fire Chief
Emergency 9-1-1
or (614) 882-2213
Franklin County
Building Permits
614-525-3166
Road/Service Department:
John Giamarco, Service Director
JGiamarco@blendontwp.org
(614) 882-2673
Trustee Jan Heichel
Trustee Stew Flaherty
Board of Zoning
614-525-3094
Blendon Senior Center:
Donna Jordan, Director
DJordan@blendontwp.org
(614) 882-1260
Code Enforcement:
Bryan Rhoads, Dev. Director
Bryan.Rhoads@blendontwp.org
(614) 839-2013
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Franklin County Public Health
614-525-3160
Ohio American Water
1-800-673-5999 or 614-882-6586
Trustee Jim Welch
Fiscal Officer Wade Estep
Rumpke Waste Removal
1-888-786-7531
Blendon Township “A Great Place to Live”