Groveport’s new village administrator is now on the job.
J. Steven Morris took over his duties as the new village administrator on Nov. 3 at an annual salary of $81,315. He replaces Jon Crusey, who resigned in June to take a job as the city manager of Tipp City, Ohio.
"I’ve met the staff, toured the village and its facilities and I’m trying to absorb it all," Morris told Groveport Village Council at its Nov. 10 meeting regarding his first week on the job.
Morris has a master’s degree in management from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in business from Franklin University. He is a central Ohio native and a graduate of Mifflin High School.
He worked as the assistant city manager in Westerville from 1977-82. From there he advanced to become the city manager of Eaton, Ohio from 1982-86. He left that job for the private sector and has worked for Woolpert, Inc. for the past 22 years as a program manager and client liaison, group manager, and as vice-president of the company.
Police news
•Police Chief Gary York reported that the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Bulletproof Vest Partnership program awarded the village a grant for $3,770 that can be used for reimbursement of the purchase of bulletproof vests.
•Police Detective Mike Sturgill was recently recognized as a master evidence technician by the Ohio Peace Officer Academy for his completion of a select group of courses in forensics and evidence.
Trail closure
The Groveport nature trail, which extends east from Blacklick Park to Rager Road, has been closed since Sept. 14 because high winds from Hurricane Ike damaged more than 100 trees along the trail. As of Nov. 10, work was set to begin to clear the trail by pruning damaged branches and removing downed trees at a cost of $7,000.
Other Groveport news
•Flag poles are being installed in Blacklick Park and Degenhart Park. Flags will not be flown on the poles though until lighting is put in place to illuminate the poles.
•Councilwoman Donna Drury said the Trees, Street, and Decorations committee is working with village officials to formulate a management plan to deal with the emerald ash borer, which is an insect that has infected ash trees in half of Ohio’s 88 counties, including Franklin and Fairfield counties. Drury said Groveport has about 497 ash trees lining its streets which will eventually have to be replaced.
