Pickerington Magazine February/March 2014

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News and Information from the City of Pickerington

News and Information from Violet Township

faces From Stage to Studio International dancers embark on teaching endeavor

in focus Not Just Fighting FiresViolet Township Fire Department supports cancer-stricken colleague

on the table Cheese the DayGourmet grilled cheese joint opens first central Ohio shop in Pickerington

bookmarks

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Spring is on its way!

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community calendar Mark your calendar for these community events

FEBRUARY 2014Feb. 1Pickerington Community The-atre presents Variety Show6 p.m. Pickerington Christian Church, 575 Diley Rd., www.pick eringtoncommunitytheatre.orgEnjoy an an evening of singing, danc-ing, comedy, monologues and more at the second annual variety show.

Feb. 8Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner5-10 p.m., Hickory Lakes, 12495 Ault Rd., www.pickerintonchamber.comThe Chamber’s annual dinner, this year with a Mardi Gras theme, features the presentation of the Busi-ness of the Year, New Business of the Year and Doug Barr awards.

Feb. 14Singing Valentines7:30 a.m.-7 p.m., throughout Pickerington, www.pickerington.k12.oh.usAnyone interested in sending a Valentine’s Day message to a special someone can hire the Pickerington High School North choir to sing a song and present a card, a balloon and candy for a donation to the school’s music boosters.

Feb. 15Let the Games Begin1:30-3:30 p.m., Pickerington Pub-lic Library, 201 Opportunity Way, www.pickeringtonlibrary.orgThe library celebrates the Winter Olympic Games with an afternoon of fun activities.

Feb. 15Comedy Night7 p.m., Pickerington High School North, 7800 Refugee Rd., www.pickerington.k12.oh.usThe sixth annual Comedy Night at North is an evening of comedian performances and is hosted by the school’s music boosters.

Feb. 18PPL Book Club7-8:30 p.m., Pickerington Public Library, 201 Opportunity Way, www.pickeringtonlibrary.orgThe book club discusses A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy.

Feb. 22Winter Bird Hike1-2:30 p.m., Pickerington Ponds Metro Park, 7680 Wright Rd., www.metroparks.netThe Fairfield Soil and Water Con-servation District presents the first conservation bird hike.

Feb. 25Not Your Mother’s Library Book Club7-8 p.m., Pickerington Public Li-brary, 201 Opportunity Way, www.pickeringtonlibrary.orgThe library’s special book club discusses The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Feb. 25Violet Township Women’s League: Volunteering7:15 p.m., American Legion Post 283, 7725 Refugee Rd., www.vtwl.orgRebecca Verhoff of HandsOn Central Ohio discusses volunteering op-portunities at the league’s monthly meeting. Refreshments precede the meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 27-March 2Arnold Sports FestivalThroughout Columbus, www.arnoldsportsfestival.comThe country’s biggest multi-sport fes-tival returns to Columbus. New events this year include tennis, swimming and pole fitness, as well as a new version of the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition for men who weigh 212 pounds or less.

March 1, 10Band concerts7 p.m., Pickerington High School North, 7800 Refugee Rd., www.pickerington.k12.oh.usPerformances include the North per-cussion ensemble March 1 and the North band OMEA preview concert March 10.

March 6Ohio University Information Session11 a.m.-1 p.m., Ohio Univer-sity Pickerington Center, 12933 Stonecreek Dr., www.ohio.edu/pickeringtonOU’s Pickerington campus holds a monthly open house featuring a campus tour, an introduction to OU Pickerington, an application session and a Q&A.

March 7-9Tri-County Home Builders Home & Garden Show

Fairfield County Fairgrounds, 157 E. Fair Ave., www.fairfieldcountyfair.orgTri-County Home Builders presents its 36th annual Home & Garden Show.

March 18PPL Book Club7-8:30 p.m., Pickerington Public Library, 201 Opportunity Way, www.pickeringtonlibrary.orgThe book club discusses The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin.

March 21-30Pickerington Community Theatre presents HarveyPickerington Christian Church, 575 Diley Rd., www.pickerington communitytheatre.orgThe story of Elwood P. Dowd and his friend the 6-foot-tall invisible rabbit comes to the stage courtesy of Pickerington Community Theatre.

March 22Model Radio Kontrol Airplane Show

8 a.m.-1 p.m., Fairfield County Fairgrounds, 157 E. Fair Ave., www.fairfieldcountyfair.orgThis remote-controlled model airplane show is an annual tradition at the fairgrounds.

March 25Not Your Mother’s Library Book Club7-8 p.m., Pickerington Public Library, 201 Opportunity Way, www.pickeringtonlibrary.orgThe library’s special book club discusses The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent.

March 25Violet Township Women’s League: CPR and First Aid7:15 p.m., American Legion Post 283, 7725 Refugee Rd., www.vtwl.orgFirst aid is the topic at the league’s monthly meeting. Refreshments precede the meeting at 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 2014

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PICKERINGTON NEWS & INFORMAT ION FROM THE C ITY OF P ICKER INGTON


I N S I D E

Pickerington is investing in its infrastructure to keep pace with the increased demands of a growing community.

In 2014, approximately $4 million in water and wastewater improvements – a historic number of projects – will get underway to make sure the ser-vice that Pickerington residents expect continues without interruption for years to come.

One of the major upgrades planned is the raw water line reactivation, which will convert the 10-inch water line that was used to pump untreated water from the Hereford well fields to the Diley Road treatment plant, and then to a finished water distribution line.

Service Director Ed Drobina said the conver-sion of the line will increase the flow of water to fire hydrants in the RaMar and Pickerington Hills subdivisions and along Opportunity Way, and it will provide a better system to connect different sections of the water distribution system in the event of a main line break or needed water for fire protection.

To further increase the capacity of available wa-ter, the City is planning to drill a new water well in the Diley Road area, bolstering the water supply for new development.

Pickerington is also upgrading its reverse os-mosis (RO) discharge line to take waste from the RO system out of the treatment stream of the wastewater treatment plant.

“We operate the RO system at an approximate 80 percent recovery rate, which means that about 20 percent of the water pumped from the water wells goes to waste,” Drobina said. “Our goal with the project is to take the waste from the RO system around the treat-ment stream of the wastewater plant and discharge it directly into the effluent of the water plant, thus saving treatment capacity of the plant.”

To increase the capacity of one of the lift stations on Leasure Drive that was installed more than 10 years ago to serve a certain tributary area, the City is upgrading the lift station to handle more flow and provide better service for new develop-ment along the western section of Refugee Road.

The Sycamore Creek Relief Sewer project will also ease a bottleneck in the collection system.

Currently, a 30-inch sewer line flows from the eastern part of Pickerington and connects to a 15-inch line. This 15-inch clay sewer line will be replaced with a 30-inch line from Lockville Road to the wastewater plant.

In addition to upgrading lines and drilling a wa-ter well in 2014, the City is improving its emer-gency alert systems to make sure equipment op-erates more efficiently and measures are in place to quickly respond to challenges.

Improvements recently made to the Supervi-sory Control and Data Acquisition System at the wastewater plant allow an operator to receive a detailed message on a smart phone if an alarm goes off at the plant or any of the five lift stations.

Wastewater treatment operators are also now able to remotely access the plant from an iPad so they can immediately check on the plant and make adjustments, if needed, to the operating system, turn pumps on or off, and switch to back-up equipment.

Drobina said the City is making these advances in its water and sewer infrastructure because it is important now to invest in the future of Pickerington.

On Lines

Pickerington is one of the fastest growing communities in central Ohio, and City officials believe responsible growth management will be a beacon to attract more businesses and resi-dents to the Violet City.

Last year, Columbus Business First named Pickerington the second fastest-growing com-munity in central Ohio, said Development Ser-vices Director Joseph Henderson.

By the end of November 2013, the City had already issued 582 residential and commercial

building permits for an estimated $31 million in construction projects. Nearly 400 of the per-mits were for residential construction, and the remaining portion were commercial.

Those figures do not include the $46 million investment in Pickerington that OhioHealth has committed in Phase 1 of its medical complex building project, which is underway near the in-tersection of Refugee and Hill roads.

“Pickerington has so much to offer potential businesses and developers. We have a growing

market that is well positioned in central Ohio,” Henderson said. “We have a strong household income level and strong school district. When looking for a location to bring your business, you are looking for a place that is on the up-swing, and I believe it is clear that Pickerington is truly one of those communities. The quality of life for our residents is second to none.”

The investment businesses and develop-ers are making in Pickerington strengthens the City’s economy. New businesses help to

Here We Grow Again

- continued


News and information from the City of Pickerington

grow the City’s tax base, and new residents assist existing taxpayers by sharing the cost of services needed to keep the community run-ning efficiently.

One of the ways to measure business interest in a city is the occupancy rate of commercial real estate rentals.

Henderson said the shopping cen-ters in Pickerington are at 87 percent occupancy, which is a higher percent-age than most communities in Ohio have.

Even the new shopping center, located in Hunter’s Run, is expected to be fully leased by the time it opens.

“There are very few vacant building and tenant spaces. Restaurant spaces are extremely hard to come by and, for the most part, are filled within weeks of becoming vacant,” Henderson said.

Because Pickerington is a great place to work and live, Henderson expects the City to remain an even brighter beacon that continues to attract businesses and residents in 2014.

The gateway to Pickerington’s busiest commer-cial corridor will undergo a historic facelift, begin-ning in 2015, to ease congestion and provide safe and easy access to and from the Violet City.

Each day, more than 30,000 vehicles travel state Rt. 256.

The first major roadway improvement, which is primarily funded by a $6 million Ohio Depart-ment of Transportation safety grant, will focus on Rt. 256 from the I-70 interchange south to the Kroger/Giant Eagle traffic signal at Refugee Road.

As part of the safety project, a third southbound lane from the Hunter’s Run/Marcus Cinema inter-section to the Kroger/Giant Eagle signal will be created using a part of the existing gutters and by slightly narrowing the existing lanes.

Other significant roadway improvements in-clude a new southbound left turn lane at the Hunter’s Run/Marcus Cinema intersection; a dedi-cated southbound right turn lane at the intersec-tion of Refugee Road; a third northbound lane to the state Rt. 204/Tussing Road approach; and a

fourth northbound lane to the approach of the I-70 eastbound entrance ramp.

To accentuate the Rt. 256 roadway and help ease traffic flow, raised landscaped medians and curb ramps will be installed and eight traffic sig-nals, larger street name signage and pavement markings will be updated.

The second major roadway project, which is in the design phase, will transform Refugee Road into a more accessible corridor to ease traffic flow heading to Columbus and to the OhioHealth Medi-cal Campus that is currently under construction.

A total of $4 million in development revenues from the OhioHealth tax increment financing (TIF) district is expected to be the main source of funding for this project, which is slated to begin in 2016.

City Engineer Scott Tourville said that though the facelifts on Rt. 256 and Refugee cannot completely eliminate congestion challenges going toward I-70 and westward to Columbus, they will significantly improve the traffic flow within the City.

“While they won’t eliminate traffic problems al-together, they will help provide better access to residential properties and businesses alike,” Tour-ville said. “These changes should provide roadway capacity to handle the anticipated growth in the area for decades to come.”

A third roadway project that is in the planning stage would help to solve a very confusing inter-section geometry involving Center Road, Milnor Road and Meadows Boulevard.

Several different design configurations are being considered to improve the functionality of the roadways and provide the capacity needed to serve the expected growth over the next sev-eral decades.

In early 2014, these designs will be presented to residents to get input from the community. Half a million dollars in ODOT safety grant funding is allowing Pickerington to move forward with these overdue intersection improvements.

In 2013, Tourville, Pickerington’s new City En-gineer of seven months, was able to get an ad-ditional $200,000 in supplementary grant funds, which can be used in support of the City’s neces-sary matching funds.

Road Rejuvenation

“Grow” continued

citydirectoryPickerington City Hall, 100 Lockville Rd.(All numbers prefixed with the 614 area code)

Building Services ....................833-2221

City Clerk/Council ....................837-3974

City Manager ..........................837-3974

Development Services .............833-2204

Engineering Services ..............833-2221

Finance Services .....................837-3974

Human Resources ...................837-3974

Income Tax Division .................837-4116

Mayor’s Office (Lee A. Gray) ...........................837-3974

Mayor’s Court .........................837-3974

Parks and Recreation ..............833-2211

Police Services ........................575-6911

Service Department

Streets ...................................833-2292

Utility Billing ............................833-2289

Utility Maintenance ..................833-2292

Water Plant .............................833-2290

Waste Water Plant ...................837-6490

Water Reclamation.................. 837-6470


News and Information From

Violet Township


Attracting birds and other wildlife to your property

How can you make your property more attractive to birds and other urban wildlife?

Though manicured lawns may be pleasing to the human eye, they’ve been referred to as biological deserts, where few four-legged or winged crit-ters can survive.

The first decision to be made is what wildlife you want to attract. It may not be possible to attract a large forest-dwelling bird such as a wild turkey to a suburban lot, but you could have good luck with local birds such as cardinals, blue jays, juncos and towhees.

There are two approaches to attracting birds and other wildlife to your property. A short-term solution would be putting up feeders and suet cakes for birds and a small brush pile or non-mowed area for small wildlife such as rabbits.

Cracked corn and sunflower seeds are favored by cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves, tufted titmice and towhees. Suet

cakes will attract nuthatches, wrens and woodpecker species. Niger and thistle seed will draw in goldfinches and chickadees, but some of these birds are migrants that have likely flown south for the winter.

A longer-term solution for wildlife at-traction is planting or adding more things to your back yard that wildlife can feed on year-round. Brushpiles, to provide winter wildlife shelter, are easy to put together using fallen branches or wood scraps. Try to follow a crossed-log de-sign, almost like building a log cabin frame with an opening on one side for easy access. This makes an open pock-et in the middle and allows wildlife some shelter from snow and cold winds. If the branches collapse close to the ground, wildlife can’t easily get inside.

Plant shrubs such as crabapples, dogwood, hawthorn, spicebush and vi-burnum. All of them have edible berries

that attract birds. These plant species can be planted in a small windbreak pattern or at the corners of your home to add some spring or fall color.

For additional ideas, please call the Fairfield Soil and Water Conservation District at 740-653-8154.

Remember, if you build it, they will come!

By Perry Orndorff, Wildlife Specialist, Fairfield SWCD

The Fairfield Soil and Water Conserva-tion District is offering a winter backyard conservation bird hike for the first time in February 2014.

The event is set for Saturday, Feb. 22, from 1:00-2:30 p.m.

The bird hike will be held at Pickering-ton Ponds Metro Park. We will meet at Glacier Knoll picnic area accessed off Bowen Road.

Pickerington Ponds Metro Park is west of Olde Pickerington Village. Take Wright Road out of Downtown, past the park office, to the intersection with Bow-

en Road. Turn right onto Bowen and Glacier Knoll picnic area is just to the north on your left, maybe a quarter mile. There is ample parking, and restrooms are available.

The Arrowhead Trail that we will hike leaves from the parking lot and is an easy, level grass trail 1.7 miles in length. The entire event will be outdoors, so dress for the weather, including good hiking boots. The event will be cancelled if the temperature is 20 degrees or less.

There is a large observation deck that we will utilize to oversee the wetland site.

Please bring binoculars and a bird field guide if you have them. Golden Guides are small and inexpensive. Peterson field guides are more extensive and very common as well.

We will discuss wetlands, winter bird species that we typically see, winter bird feeding options in your own back yard and general backyard conservation concepts, and introduce you to the Na-tional Audubon Society’s Great Back-yard Bird Count.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is sponsored by both the Audubon Society

Pickerington Ponds Winter Bird Hike

- continued

8 www.pickeringtonmagazine.com8 www.pickeringtonmagazine.com

www.violet.oh.us

How many miles of roadway does Violet Township maintain?

Violet Township maintains 105 miles of roadway within the Township road system.

How much does Violet Township spend annually on repaving? How many miles are repaved per year?

Violet Township budgets approximately $500,000 per year for pavement mainte-nance. This allows for 5 to 6 miles of road-way to be paved each year using conven-tional hot mix asphalt. This means using today’s dollars and conventional hot mix asphalt, the average road will be repaved about every 20 years.

Are there alternative surface treat-ments to conventional hot mix asphalt? How expensive are these alternatives? What are the disadvan-tages of alternative treatments?

Alternative surface treatments such as chip sealing and micro-surfacing are about ¼ to 1/3 the cost of asphalt. The main dif-ference is the appearance and a rougher textured surface.

Where does road department fund-ing come from? Is there a road operating levy in Violet Township?

Funding for the Violet Township road department is derived from inside millage, gasoline tax and motor vehicle license taxes. Currently, there is no road operat-ing levy in Violet Township.

Can stop signs be installed for speed control in residential neigh-borhoods?

The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which provides guid-ance on traffic sign placement, states, “Stop signs should not be used for speed control.” Research has verified multi-way stops do not control speeds or reduce speeds on residential streets. Additionally, the research found stop compliance is poor at multi-way stop signs, and unwar-ranted multi-way stops increased speed some distance from intersections.

Does Violet Township remove dead animals?

Violet Township will remove animals that have been killed by passing vehicles and are in the Violet Township public right-of-way. Individuals with dead pets or vermin on private property should make other ar-rangements.

What is the speed limit on a road outside of a platted subdivision with no posted speed limit?

Normally, roads outside of platted subdi-visions without posted speed limits have a legal speed of 55 mph.

Do I need a permit to work with the Violet Township public road right-of-way? What is the telephone number to reach the road department?

Yes, under most circumstances, a per-mit to work with the Violet Township right-of-way is required. The permit application can be found on the Township website, www.violet.oh.us. The road department can be contacted through the administra-tive office at 614-575-5556 or direct at 614-382-5973.

Questions Commonly Asked of the Road Department

By Greg Butcher, PE, Violet Township Engineer

and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Data collected is used to track bird health, numbers and locations. The event attracts both amateurs and professional bird enthusiasts from across the country.

The SWCD event is free, but we would appreciate a call to the Fairfield SWCD office at 740-653-8154 by Wednesday, Feb. 19 for a head count. We will limit group size to 40 to ensure it is manageable for the hike and limit disruptiveness.

Pickerington Ponds is home to one of Franklin County’s largest re-maining natural wetlands and con-tains wetlands, woods and fields. More than 400 acres are desig-nated as a state nature preserve. The park is also a designated Ohio Important Birding Area by the Audubon Society, an organization dedicated worldwide to bird con-servation and habitat preservation.

“Ponds” continued.


There is a potential for an injury to fire department staff with each run when lifting the patient onto the cot, getting the cot in and out of the medic, and when transferring the patient onto the hospital bed.

In 2012, the Violet Township Fire De-partment responded to 3,846 requests for emergency medical service, with the trend for 2013 expected – year-end numbers were not available at press time – to be at or exceeding this number.

The Violet Township Fire Department has spent a lot of time and resources to prevent these musculoskeletal in-juries from happening. Proper body mechanics and lifting techniques are in the forefront of personnel’s minds as a result of training that has been developed and implemented. The de-partment consults with a specialized physical therapist/transitional work developer to stress prevention, pro-vide back-to-work and preventative treatment, and develop training and instruction in the proper techniques.

As a result of a back injury suffered by a staff member in the summer of 2013, a special committee was cre-ated to consider any new equipment that may be available to provide lift as-sistance, thereby reducing musculo-skeletal strain on the neck, shoulder, back and knees. The committee visited several vendors for demonstrations and obtained equipment for trials. The entire department looked at the prac-ticality of each piece of equipment as well as ease of use. A clear consensus was reached on the equipment the de-partment wished to acquire.

Chief John Eisel and Physical Thera-pist/Transitional Work Developer Heath-er Wendell met with our local Ohio

Bureau of Workers’ Com-pensation safety consultant to explore additional re-sources and funding for this type of equipment. Ohio BWC offers a safety grant to state-funded employers to help offset the cost of purchasing equipment that may have been beneficial in preventing an industrial injury. The department sub-mitted an application for this grant, and we were notified late in December 2013 that we were awarded $40,000 toward the purchase of this equipment.

The grant will help outfit our med-ics with a new cot system, the Stryker Power-LOAD and Power Pro-XT©. The cot system significantly reduces muscu-loskeletal strain on the firefighter’s body as well as any cumulative trauma due to the repetitive nature of his or her job.

The system will also help decrease weight handled by the firefighter and the awkward positions that the fire-fighter uses when getting the patient onto the cot and when loading the cot in and out of the medic. Safety for the firefighter and for the patient is signifi-cantly improved. Having the new cot system in place will help reduce the likelihood of an injury occurring when getting the patient onto the cot or in and out of the medic.

The Fire Department will continue to evaluate any equipment that may help reduce and circumvent any potential injuries to our personnel. Proper lifting techniques and body mechanics will continue to be emphasized. Continued development and implementation of health, safety and personal fitness pro-

grams remains our primary weapon in the reduction of injuries while delivering core services to the residents and visi-tors of our community.


From the Violet Township Fire Department

$40,000 Ohio BWC Safety Grant Awarded to Violet Township Fire

Violet Township Administrative Offices

12970 Rustic Dr.Pickerington, OH 43147

614-575-5556 www.violet.oh.us

Violet Township Fire StationsPhone 614-837-4123Fire Chief: John Eisel

#592: 8700 Refugee Rd.#591: 21 Lockville Rd.

#593: 2365 Taylor Park Dr. (behind hhgregg)

Violet Township Service CenterPhone: 614-382-5979

490 Center St.Pickerington, OH 43147

How to Reach Us


M

From Stage to StudioInternational dancers embark on teaching endeavor

faces By Stephan Reed

Movements of dance have guided Joe and Yulia Moriarty around the world.

In the end, dance brought them back to Joe’s hometown and thou-sands of miles away from Yulia’s birth-place of Russia.

The married couple have spent years on international tours, but they decided to settle down this past September with the opening of their own dance studio, the ML Dance Academy.

“At this point, we’ve been teaching on and off, and you can only tour for so long,” Joe says. “It’s physically demand-ing and mentally taxing. It’s just not real life. It delays the inevitable of having to come back to reality.”

Yulia received her choreography de-gree in Russia and, between the two of them, they have almost half a century worth of experience.

“We’ve danced for so long; why do anything else?” Joe says.

The two met while on tour with re-nowned Irish step dance show River-dance. Joe was an Irish dance prodigy and, in 1997, he joined up with the act at age 16.

Due to his age, he wasn’t even supposed to audition for the show, but he and his dance shoes found a way to Chicago when a few of the older danc-ers went for auditions.

“I received a letter two weeks later in the mail with the wonderful Riverdance letterhead and it said that when a position opened up, I would be offered the spot,” he says. “My parents were excit-ed to have me go on tour – it can be compared to going to the NFL, but for dance. I was young, but I wasn’t very wild, and my main goal and dream was to dance the lead.”

Joe managed to achieve that dream quickly, earning the lead role in Octo-ber 1998.

Yulia’s road to Riverdance was a bit different. Her career path was chosen at

a younger age because she was the perfect build for the part.

“In the Soviet Union, ballet teachers would travel around and find the kids who have natural talent,” she says. “There’s a lot of work involved, sure, but they look at your natural ability because you could be hurt very badly. They look at your parents, too, to make sure you’ll grow into your body well.”

One section of Riverdance features Russian folk dance, which was one of Yulia’s strengths.

“Usually, there’s a six-person dance group that comes from Russia,” she says. “There was a huge audition and it involved really physical and intense dancing. I got the callback to come audition for Riverdance and it felt like a dream. It felt impossible.”

Both dancers have incredible acco-lades, including a performance in front of the empress of Japan and many weeks featured on Broadway, but the most fruitful has been their opportunity to work together.

The two met on tour in 2007, but don’t remember each other too much. It wasn’t until 2008, in Japan, that they put their relationship into motion.

“Language was a barrier,” Yulia says. “I like to be direct and say what I want to say. When you’re not confident, you don’t want to talk. I eventually went to English school in Ireland and that was really fun.”

“She tried to break up with me in Ja-pan because she didn’t speak English


From Stage to Studio

well, but we spoke the universal lan-guage of love,” Joe says with a laugh.

The twirling twosome overcame this struggle and married Sept. 3, 2010.

They left Riverdance in 2011 and now put their experiences into action while teaching serious students at their studio.

“It’s easier for me to teach kids in person because I’ve been through so much,” Yulia says. “It’s hard to explain the difficulty of dance. Yes, you can dance for fun, but the serious kids learn that there’s a long way ahead.”

Joe and Yulia have already seen their students reach national success and are planning shows for the spring, in-cluding a local St. Patrick’s Day event and Lancaster’s local version of Danc-ing with the Stars.

Settling in Pickerington seemed to make perfect sense for Joe, who was born here.

“Growing up here … I would always come back here after tours,” Joe says.

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“Pickerington is a great place. People think we’re just farmers, but there’s so much more.”

And relocating proved to be the right decision for Yulia.

“I like new chapters and difficulty,” she says. “I get bored really easily. I always seek a new challenge.”

ML Dance Academy, 7885 Refugee Rd., offers classes in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, modern contemporary, acro, ballroom and Irish step dance, as well as pointe, clogging, ballet fitness, Zumba and more. More information can be found at www.themldanceacademy.com.

Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscene mediagroup.com.


V

in focus

Violet Township firefighters are dedi-cated to the well-being of more than just township residents.

They also place a high priority on tak-ing care of their own – and when Dave Woodward, a firefighter and medic with 24 years of history in the Violet Township Fire Department, learned he had bladder cancer, the rest of the firehouse came together to support him.

Woodward, a resident of Duncan Falls – in Muskingum County, near Zanesville – was diagnosed Aug. 6.

He has been on light duty since then, allowing him to work whatever hours he can work comfortably. Firefighters on light duty can go out to scenes, but can-not do heavy work there.

“It’s a lot of office work,” Woodward says.To support their colleague, the town-

ship firefighters made and sold T-shirts with the “Woody Strong” logo on them, “Woody” being Woodward’s nickname. They also put the logo on their trucks as part of an effort to educate the public.

For the last few years, the department has dedicated the month of October to a fundraising campaign, including wear-ing pink T-shirts to support breast cancer awareness efforts. “Woody Strong” was

a perfect choice for this year’s campaign, says Fire Chief John Eisel.

Woodward got the benefit of the dol-lars raised by T-shirt sales, as well as the benefit of a collection taken up by the Reynoldsburg Police Department. Some of the fire department’s jurisdiction is also under the jurisdiction of Reynoldsburg police, and one of the department’s fire stations is in Reynoldsburg.

He’s also been accompanied to each of his doctor’s appointments by either Eisel or one of the department’s assis-tant chiefs. That’s a big help because having an extra pair of ears at appoint-ments makes it easier to retain informa-tion, Woodward says, especially when that pair of ears has medical training as assistant chief Mike Little, a registered nurse, does.

Phone calls, text messages and other expressions of support have added to Woodward’s motivation.

“Everybody in this department has been so outstanding,” he says. “I don’t think you could ask for anything more.”

The department also reached out to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network to learn more and obtain educational materials. Firefighters’ cancer rates are

higher than those of the average person, Eisel says, and the network is working hard to determine the causes, be they smoke, toxic chemicals or other factors.

The network also makes recommen-dations to cut down on risks, such as leaving breathing masks on longer and carrying disinfecting wipes on fire trucks. The department just had posters made to remind firefighters of those safety steps.

“If we can learn from it and make it bet-ter for us or better for other departments, then this is a golden opportunity,” says Woodward.

The department is a family, Eisel says, with many firefighters spending as much time with their colleagues as at home. The firefighters treat one another accord-ingly, he says, and as such, they are committed to helping Woodward and his loved ones.

“There’s not a better group that comes together and excels in times of need,” says Eisel.

The crew has built decks, repaired homes, helped people move and more as part of its team spirit, Eisel says.

Woodward has been working for fire departments since 1976, when he joined the fire department in Muskingum

Violet Township Fire Department supports cancer-stricken colleague

Not Just Fighting Fires

Story and photo by Garth Bishop


County’s Harrison Township as a volun-teer. He also worked as a medic for the Malta & McConnelsville Fire Department in Morgan County.

“I love the fire service,” says Wood-ward. “It’s just one of those things that you love it or you don’t.”

For 23 of his 24 years in Violet Town-ship, Woodward has also been an in-structor at the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg, specializing in pump op-erations and hydraulics.

Woodward has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy, and an opera-tion to remove his bladder was expect-ed to take place in mid-January. Scans have not shown any issues outside the bladder, he says, so prospects may be good if the surgery goes well.

Woodward is married with five grown children.

Garth Bishop is editor of Pickering-ton Magazine. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

Dave Woodward, left, and John Eisel stand in front of one of the fire department’s trucks. The “Woody Strong” logo is visible on the window above them.

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A

on the table

A grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup on a cold winter day is an experience that will evoke memories of childhood.

On the other hand, a sandwich served on a doughnut and made with mozzarella and mascarpone as well as banana and peanut butter, accom-panied by a chunky tomato basil soup with garlic, is likely to create an entirely new memory.

The latter offerings are among the specialties of Tom+Chee, a fast-casual tomato-soup-and-grilled-cheese fran-chise expected to open its first central Ohio store in Pickerington in late March. It will be located in front of the Marcus Pickerington Cinema near the intersec-tion of state routes 204 and 256.

The original Tom+Chee and several additional restaurants are located in the Cincinnati area, with other stores open in Kentucky, Michigan and New Jersey.

The menu features more than 25 dif-ferent grilled cheese sandwiches, from the Hippy+Chee (hummus, cucumber, mixed greens, tomato and cheddar on wheat) to the Flying Pig (roasted turkey,

bacon, pickles and Gouda on sour-dough). Among local franchise owner Ron Freeman’s favorites is the Arma-goetta – goetta (sausage mixed with steel-cut oats, a Cincinnati-area favorite), cherry peppers, fried onions, sweet hot mustard and pepperjack on sourdough and rye.

“It is an unbelievable, knock-your-socks-off (sandwich),” Freeman says.

Also on the list are Fancy Grilled Cheese Donuts, each served with a doughnut as the bun and including such offerings as the Mint Summer’s Night (chocolate mint candy, chocolate mas-carpone, fresh strawberries and moz-zarella), and the new Grilled Cheese + Potato Chips sandwiches, including the Spicy Beef (jalapeno chips, roast beef, hot peppers, and pepperjack and ched-dar cheeses on sourdough). Freeman is a big fan of the Blueberry Blue doughnut – blueberry compote, bleu cheese and lemon mascarpone.

the DayGourmet grilled cheese joint opens first central Ohio shop in Pickerington

By Garth Bishop

Blue Cheese Chili


“I thought these guys were off their rocker, but when I got served the Blue-berry Blue … I thought it was one of the best things that I’ve ever eaten,” he says.

Tom+Chee prides itself on roasting all its own meats and making all its own dressings sauces and spreads, Free-man says, as well as preparing all its own soups daily. The soup line-up always fea-tures Classic Tomato, Chunky Tomato Basil and Creamy Tomato Basil alongside seasonal specials such as Blue Cheese Chili and Tomato Gazpacho.

Opening alongside the Pickerington Tom+Chee restaurant, most likely in Feb-ruary, will be the third Gigi’s Cupcakes location in central Ohio. Freeman is also the franchise owner for Gigi’s.

Freeman plans to open a second local Tom+Chee in Hilliard shortly after the first.

Garth Bishop is editor of Pickerington Magazine. Feedback welcome at [email protected].

The 21-Day Sugar Detox: Bust Sugar & Carb Cravings Naturally By Diane Sanfilippo

The holidays are over, and it’s time to reset your body and change your habits for good. Use the easy-to-follow meal plans and more than 90 simple recipes in this book to bust a lifetime of sugar and carb cravings in just three weeks. Three levels of the program make it approachable for anyone. This detox program supports your body in naturally cleansing itself of substances that create negative health effects by focusing on good food choices, habits and even how your palate reacts to sweets.

Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat: The Paleo Chic Diet for Rapid Results By Esther Blum

Our cave-dwelling days are far behind us, but we still share metabolic tendencies with our less-evolved ancestors. Protein-rich, hormone-balancing, de toxifying and satisfying foods can help the modern woman shed extra pounds, build lean muscle mass and feel beau-tiful. It’s all about understanding the relation-ship carbs have with your body and getting the results you’re looking for.

What Are You Hungry For?: The Chopra Solution to Permanent Weight Loss, Well-Being, and Light-ness of Soul By Deepak Chopra

In this manual for “higher health,” based on the lat-est findings, Chopra uses a deeper awareness of why people overeat to craft a vi-sion of weight loss. Chopra feels everyone can be mo-tivated by the desire to be fulfilled, and paying attention to this basic motivation boils down the choices to a single question: “What am I hungry for?” The book helps the reader answer that question and move in the right direction from there.

Toss the Gloss: Beauty Tips, Tricks & Truths for Women 50+ By Andrea Q. Robinson

Forget about makeup reclaiming youth, says Robinson. Good makeup reclaims you. Readers

will learn how cosmetics companies entice people into buying the wrong products, how to enhance your features without cos-metic surgery and how to apply the right cosmetics. Readers of all ages can use the tips in this book to feel healthier, prettier and more confident at any age. Isn’t that what we want anyway?

Food Allergies: A Complete Guide for Eating When Your Life Depends on it By Scott H. Sicherer, M.D.

For many people, allergens strike at home, at school, in restaurants and elsewhere. This book will explain how to prevent exposure at these places and what to do if ex-posure occurs. Allergy expert Sicherer also addresses the full spectrum of food al-lergies, along with food reactions that are not allergic, such as lactose intolerance. Most im-portantly, he discusses how to manage a food allergy while living a normal and healthy lifestyle with adequate nutrition.

Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine & Home RemediesBy Mayo Clinic Physicians

As the cost of health care rises, natural or ho-listic preventative mea-sures and self-care are promoted more and more often. This book was writ-ten in recognition that there is a need for reliable and easy-to-understand information about alternative medicine. Included are non-traditional therapies on health and well-ness and ways you might put these practices to work for you. What is considered alternative to-day may become conventional tomorrow.

New library hours as of January 2014: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday & Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.Sunday 1-5 p.m.

bookmarksBy Colleen C. Bauman, Pickerington Public Library Community Services Coordinator

The Armagoetta


YOU ARE THE REASON

FOR EVERYTHING WE DO.

At Mount Carmel, you are the most important patient we could possibly have. Your health

and well-being are at the center of everything we do. You are the reason we assemble the

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decision, we work closely with you and your family to deliver the care that’s best for your

unique situation. So you can get better. So you can heal. So you can live, work, play, love.

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Pickerington Magazine February/March 2014