(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring 2008 in review, appeared in Bexley News on December 31, 2008)  1/19/09

New faces, old issues play role in city's centennial year

By LAURA ENGLEHART

Bexley celebrated its 100th birthday this year, but despite its age, the city managed to stay fresh with a new administration, gratuitous celebration and a slew of budding developments.

Here’s a look back at some of the events that impacted the city in 2008.

New to the job

This year brought turnover in the Bexley administration as a new mayor set up his office in City Hall and several key appointments were made.

Mayor John Brennan, a Bexley resident for more than 30 years, took office in January, succeeding David Madison, who had held the position for 32 years.

Brennan previously said he planned to focus on getting the city’s budget balanced, as well as working on upgrades at Jeffrey Mansion and proposed plans for a new police station this year, issues which came to head in 2008.

Before being elected as mayor, Brennan served as the city of Hilliard's parks and recreation department director, a job he held from 2000-07.

In one of his first executive moves, Brennan appointed Lou Chodosh as the city’s attorney. Chodosh replaced Jim Gross, who had filled the position for 20 years before retiring.

Chodosh brought with him 30 years of experience in personal injury work and criminal defense, along with employment law, gained from his private practice, Chodosh and Chodosh Attorneys at Law.

To complete the administration, Brennan appointed Bill Harvey, an opponent in the 2007 mayoral election, as city service director in late January after Dorothy Pritchard retired from the post. Harvey previously worked as a private consultant for smaller companies and owned the Bexley Candy Shop from1985-95.

Mansion makeover

The Jeffrey Mansion Commission made recommendations for renovations to the mansion in March, estimating improvements would cost between $8.75 million and $10 million.

The commission created a master plan for repairs, calling for an established Bexley Community Foundation and a fund of $12 million, gained through donations and a $5 million to $6 million loan to carry out the group’s mission.

City Council adopted the master plan in mid-May to use for future consideration, and commanded the efforts of the commission; however, council members were wary to agree to any financial obligations without further deliberation.
The mansion underwent separate city sponsored renovations that began in the fall of 2007 and were completed in early summer, according to recreation supervisor Barb Greiner.

The repairs addressed latent problems that resulted from water leakage.

Site at the center of a debate

The site of the city’s former tree nursery lot entered the spotlight several times this year, but discussions did not yield a firm plan for progress.

The city received a purchase contract in May for the 2.8-acre land plot near Parkview and Caroline avenues for $380,000 from L. Rider Brice Architect and Builders, but council members denied taking action on the property until negotiations concerning the land were hammered out.

In 2003, the city put out a bid for the tree nursery property. Bexley received a plan from
Brice to build 36 condominiums, while Bexley resident Jay Schottenstein submitted a plan to turn the property into a nature preserve. Neither proposal was accepted by the city.

The city leaned toward a private, negotiated sale in 2007, ending the bid process with Brice, who continued to make alterations to his plan.

The city learned that the parties had decided to become partners early this year to build
single-family residences.

As it stands, the city is still reviewing an offer from Brice and Shottenstein, though nothing official is set, Mayor John Brennan said Dec. 24.

Taking steps to fix sidewalks

City Council returned financial responsibility for sidewalk repairs back to residents in
July promising to take on the defective squares one last time.

Service Department employees assessed the area north of Broad Street, known as north
Bexley, to find 420 sidewalk squares and 10 driveway squares in need of repair for a total of $88,200 at the city’s expense.

Sidewalks that the city deemed residents’ responsibility included 430 sidewalk squares and 30 driveway squares, amounting $86,300 total.

The area between Main and Broad streets, central Bexley, had between 1,200 and 1,300 sidewalk squares that required work, and the area south of Main Street, south Bexley, has nearly 2,000 squares in need of repair.

Bexley’s big birthday

The city marked its centennial with ‘100 days’ of celebration in 2008.

The Bexley Centennial Commission partnered with local organizations to plan an array of events that lasted from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The celebration’s kick-off saw the dedication of the city’s pool as the David H. Madison
Bexley Community Pool on Memorial Day and several family activities, including an underwater egg hunt, a splash contest, a cookout and a cake.

In June, the Bexley Women’s Club hosted a home and gardens tour of 10 residences on
Parkview Avenue, Drexel Avenue, Columbia Avenue, Meadow Park and Sessions Drive. Proceeds from the event went toward a scholarship hind for high school students.

To close out the "l00 days" of celebration, the Bexley Centennial Commission and the parks and recreation department held a block party at the Jeffrey Mansion on Labor Day. Special events included games, nature walks, catered food and karaoke.

Later in the evening, the Bexley Meadow Music concert series sponsored the 50-piece concert band American and Friends to play marches and show tunes.

The main event of the centennial celebration during its 100 days, however, was the city’s Fourth of July celebration.

Change in venue

The Bexley Celebrations Association chose Capital University over Jeffrey Mansion as the site for the 2008 Fourth of July celebration in the spirit of the centennial.

The celebration began at 8 a.m. July 4 with the annual John Barr 5K Run, an event that attracted around 400 registered runners.

Later, affiliates of nearly 130 entries braved some unfavorable weather to follow the 2.8-mile parade route, the theme for which was “Celebrating 100 Years”

Following the parade, Bexley resident Ben Heckman read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of his residence on Euclaire Avenue to some 125 to 200 guests standing outside.

The celebration continued in the evening with live music, food vendors and fireworks at Capital University.

Ike pays a visit

Bexley took a hard hit from the high winds that came with the remnant of Hurricane Ike in September.

Residents and businesses remained without power for days after 75 mile per hour winds tore through the city, leaving a trail of debris.

Of the 8,000 city trees, roughly 1,500 needed immediate work. More than 50 of those trees needed to be removed. The storm fortunately spared the 2,000 younger trees that have been planted in the last 10 years.

Initially, the city put out 20 to 25 employees for clean-up efforts Sept. 14, then eased back to around 12 employees for the remainder of the days necessary.

The Bexley Police Department never lost power, thanks to a back-up generator that was installed this year.

Showcasing art and community

Bexley held its first Art Walk in September, pulling from four local art galleries near Drexel Avenue and East Main Street.

The event came together alter several years of fruitless discussion among affiliates of the galleries until Bexley galleries were contacted and the event unfolded, according to Capital University Gallery Director Cassandra Tellier.

The event’s reception led to subsequent art walk events in October and November and they will pick back up at the end of January, followed by one in March.

The participating galleries include Bryan H. Roberts Gallery, 539 S. Drexel Ave.; Art Access Gallery, 540 S. Drexel Ave.; Hammond Harkins Galleries, 2264 E. Main St.; and Schumacher Gallery at Capital University, 1 College and Main.

Several food and retail shops have stayed open late for the event’s guests in the past.

New place for the police

Nearly 10 years after the concept of a new police station in Bexley was proposed, construction workers broke ground on the Delmar Drive site in mid November.

The 20,100-square-foot station will cost the city $5.4 million to construct and bears a completion date of Dec. 22, 2009.

Brainstorming began in late 1999 with a variety of options that included combining the police and service department space, housing the police department alone and others.

Ultimately, City Council decided to focus solely on a police station in 2003, and looked at the Delmar Drive site as a potential lot, even though council members wrestled with whether to keep the headquarters in downtown Bexley or build elsewhere.

Issues halted action for about a year and a half before a new administration brought the police station back to center stage.

In late April, City Council authorized the purchase of a 1.64-acre tract of land at 2771 Delmar Drive for $320,000, securing a site on which to build the station and allowing architects to finish drawings.

Progress snagged again when construction bids came in 10 percent higher than expected in early September and council members decided to cut costs, such as those for epoxy floors in holding cells, and architects made changes to the heating and cooling system, but kept the building efficient.

The city bid out a second time for construction, reeling in a contract for $5.4 million in
October and giving it the go-ahead with a $850,000 appropriation of funds.

Council members still need to decide the future of funding for the project in years to come.

Time to trim

The city was forced to make tough decisions to produce cost savings throughout the year to accommodate the national economic downturn and a loss in revenue.

City administrators whittled down expenditures in November and December to get to a final $l 1.6 million budget for 2009, but made cuts in personnel and contractors earlier in the year to realize savings.

More than half of the savings, or a projected $594,676, came from taking a closer look at the various engineering, attorney and human resource services used by the city.

Curbing $2l7,427 in engineering service expenses, the administration now relies on the city’s service department employees to evaluate many Bexley projects and do the work themselves.

Brennan also put a $100 cap on attorney services, reduced overtime and decreased the service director’s salary. Seasonal employee positions were eliminated as were the positions of both the director of building services and the director of technology.

Later in the year, the city’s salt supply was targeted for reduction, due to price increases and supply shortages. City Council approved the purchase of a brine tank to aid in pretreating streets before snow storms, and a mixture of sand and salt is expected to preserve salt reserves this winter.

Despite creative cost-saving solutions, the city still resolved to cut back on the extent of streets that it salts, sticking to major roadways.

Mayor John Brennan also suggested cutting employee salary increases by 2 percent to save an estimated $136,000 next year. City Council will revisit personnel salaries in 2009.
 

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