In his State of the City address, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman raised the idea of making a concerted effort to enforce the city’s curfew laws, which prompted Groveport Village Councilman Ed Rarey to wonder about the status and enforcement of Groveport’s own curfew law.
At Groveport Village Council’s March 24 meeting, Groveport Police Chief Gary York reported that he researched the village’s 2007 and 2008 records regarding curfew enforcement and found that, "During 2007 the police department filed 23 charges for (curfew violations). Thus far (in 2008) there have been four charges."
Groveport’s curfew ordinance (violation of which is a third degree misdemeanor) states that "no minor can loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play upon the public streets, other public places, places of amusement and entertainment, vacant lots, or other unsupervised places, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. of the following day, if the minor is not a member of the United States military or a registered, full time student at a business school or institution of higher learning."
These provisions do not apply if the minor is accompanied by a parent, guardian or other adult having care and custody of the minor. They also do not apply if the minor is on an emergency errand or on legitimate business directed by a parent, guardian, or an adult having care and custody of the minor.
Street projects
EMH&T engineer Steve Farst told council that a public hearing will be held on April 8 at 6 p.m. regarding the $795,000 reconstruction of Kessler Street planned for 2009. He said Kessler Street residents will receive notice from the village about the hearing.
Farst also stated reconstruction work on the $605,680 Madison Street project will resume in April with completion anticipated by July 1.
Madison and Kessler street improvements include curb and gutter, street reconstruction, sidewalks on one side of the road, street lighting and storm sewers. Water lines are not included because the lines were upgraded to eight inch lines a few years ago.
Other street projects pending in the village include:
•Greenpointe Drive extension in 2008 at $200,000.
•Rohr Road widening between Port Road and State Route 317 in 2008 at $1.03 million.
•Lesleh Street reconstruction in 2010 at an estimated cost of $805,000.
•Traffic signals at Groveport Road and Greenpointe Drive in 2009 at an estimated cost of $279,000; and at Port Road and Rohr Road in 2012 at an estimated cost of $307,000.
•street and alley resurfacing beginning in 2010 at $150,000 and increasing to $250,000 in 2011-12;
•sidewalks at $15,000 per year for five years;
•curb and gutter replacement at $60,000 a year for five years;
•a turn lane on Groveport Road at Groveport Park in 2010-11 at an estimated cost of $263,000;
•and Hamilton Road widening from Bixby Road to Lowry Court for $1.4 million in 2011 and from Lowry Court to the railroad in 2012 for $826,000.
Other Groveport news
•Farst stated engineers are conducting a count to gauge the amount of traffic on Main Street per day. Counts are being made at the east and west ends of Main Street as well as at Greenpointe Drive.
•The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is increasing the cost the village will pay per call the county dispatch’s from $5.41 to $6.26. According to York, in 2007 the village was billed $15,272 for 2,823 calls.
"Assuming (the village) has the same number of calls in 2008, the cost would increase to $17,671 (per year)," reported York.
The county indicated the increase is needed because of the continued growth in expenses to run its communications center. Since 2005 the cost has risen by about $1 million and the average annual calls received has increased by around 100,000.
