COUNTY PLANNING STAFF ENHANCE NEWARK ROAD UPGRADE PLANNED FOR 2013

A team from the Licking County Planning Department, led by Director Jerry Newton, was successful is gaining a quarter of a million dollars in funding to add handicapped accessible sidewalks and new pavement of the 30th Street rail crossing in west Newark. This will be paid for by the Ohio Central Railroad and the State Rail Commission, and is in addition to a $1-million repaving and improvements of 30th Street from Newark to Heath planned for 2013.

STATE PROVIDES ORANGE BARREL UPDATE FOR LICKING COUNTY

The Ohio Department of Transportation has announced planned maintenance and improvement projects in Licking County for this year. It includes some $51-million for state highway resurfacing, $32-million for bridge work and $7.5-million for general maintenance such as striping and guardrail repair. Projects include… Completion of the $9.2-million Route 16 Cedar Street bridge project in east Newark The $489-thousand Route 62 project in Johnstown to make access to the Industrial Park much safer by adding turn lanes and signals. A $7-million widening and reconstruction of the bridge deck over I-70 at State Route 158. A $216-thousand replacement project of culverts on State Route 310 in Pataskala. Completion of the $4.2-million widening and center divider project on State Route 79 in Heath in the business district. A $985-thousand bridge replacement project on Hopewell Drive in Heath. In Newark a $4.3-million widening and resurfacing of Country Club Drive including an intersection upgrade. And a $1.4-million resurfacing of West Main Street and Granville Road in west Newark.

SENIOR LEVY SUMMER MOVIE BENEFIT

In conjunction with the Midland Theatre, the County through Senior Levy Funding is offering free admission for senior citizens to the summertime series of ‘ Friday Flicks’. On Friday, June 15 the show will be the Hitchcock Classic ‘Rear Window’ and the series continues for five consecutive Fridays through July 13th - this summer celebrating movies from the Fabulous Fifties. These movies will be ’12 Angry Men’, ‘Some Like It Hot’, ‘The Bridge On The River Kwai’, and ‘Streetcar Named Desire’. Show times on these Fridays are 2:00pm and 7:00pm, and courtesy of Senior Levy Funding, are FREE to seniors over 60-years of age and over.

LICKING COUNTY SENIORS RECOGNIZED

The County joined others in recognizing the contributions to our community by senior citizens. Inducted into the Licking County Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in May was William ‘Bill’ Simmons of Utica for his volunteer work in the Utica area, and E. J. and Barb Franks who live in rural Newark and perform music regularly to senior groups and others. Simmons was nominated by North Fork School Superintendent Scott Hartley, and the Franks’ by the Licking County Aging Program. In a related note E. J. and Barb Franks were honored as the Licking County residents inducted on May 16th into the Central Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in a regional ceremony at the Janis Center in Columbus. Also, a good friend to Licking County, John McDavid, was inducted into the COSCHOF at this same ceremony as a resident of Delaware County. John served for many years as the Secretary-Manager of the Hartford Fair in Croton which serves the three County region of Licking and parts of Knox and Delaware as an Independent Fair.

GUEST ARTICLE BY RICK PLATT OF OUR LOCAL PORT AUTHORITY

It’s Not Us vs. Them in Manufacturing By Rick Platt of the Newark, Heath Licking County Port Authority The news reports had an us vs. them feel to them. The Columbus Business First article about a Chase Bank session with Brookings started out that way saying, "If a U.S. manufacturing resurgence is dawning, it will be cities that lead the revival." Another article touted the idea that it was the 100 biggest cities that were going to bring manufacturing back in the U.S. These stories miss the point, and the facts. Suburbs and rural areas have, more often, in the past three decades been the places where manufacturing has gone to grow. Not the big inner cities. The statistics are clear. Anyone who has worked in economic development in the past thirty years knows that instinctively. Anyone. The recent resurgence that's occurring in manufacturing is, also, more happening in the 'burbs. The Brookings Institution folks know that. There's another purpose to their message and, on their website, the us vs. them takes a slightly different tone. Brookings is, actually, turning cities into manufacturing advocates. Brookings', being pure to the numbers but recognizing the political reality, is careful to use metropolitan areas to refer to their concept of manufacturing rebirth in the cities. Thus, the tent has grown to include the suburbs too. Licking County is suburban and exurban of Columbus yet it is in the Columbus "metropolitan area" so the millions of square feet of manufacturing space and thousands of manufacturing jobs add to the Columbus mix in the Brookings report. There's a method at work here. Clearly, Brookings' has noticed a "new focus on manufacturing" and is trying to help the large cities not be left off the bandwagon as the manufacturing issue is gaining resurgence with national policymakers. That's not so bad for us in the suburbs. It really doesn't have to be us versus them. That's what the story should be.

DATES FOR HEISEY WIND ENSEMBLE & BIG BAND

Please note these upcoming summer dates for the Heisey Wind Ensemble… The full Ensemble will be featured at the Newark Independence Day celebration on Tuesday evening July 3rd at the Newark Campus. The HWE’s 20-piece Big Band will be featured at the Granville "Concert on the Green" this Saturday evening June 3rd, and at the Newark Jazz and Ribs Festival on the Square downtown on Saturday, July 7th.

RUNWAY CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY AT COUNTY AIRPORT

Construction continues at our Licking County Regional Airport in Heath. Using a Grant from the Federal Aviation Administration the 45-hundred foot runway is being completely rebuilt and paved, with the addition of improved drainage as well. This runway rebuild is a $1-million project to be completed by the second week in June. The Regional Airport is basically closed during this construction period. This local general aviation airport, on Heath Road, is an economic development asset with some 70-aircraft based there, and some 10-thousand takeoffs and landings annually including use by dozens of local companies. Plans are underway to add hangar space in the next year, and continue reconstruction of the parallel taxiway.

SUMMER GREETING FROM COMMISSIONER TIM BUBB

Greetings – summer has arrived with the opening of the pools and the end of school. Here’s wishing each of you a safe and enjoyable summer season! Last weekend the weather was perfect for the many parades, Memorial Day Commemorations, and family events. I would add my special thanks to the Hebron American Legion Post for asking me to address their Monday, May 28th remembrance service at the Hebron Village Cemetery. The Lakewood High School Band did an excellent job as well, and several hundred residents attended the memorial.