May 27, 1998
The City Farms is neither; residential area is not part of Tiffin
By Jodi Billerman
Staff Writer
This article is the second in a four-part series. The third installment will appear in Thursday's edition of The A-T.
Tiffin's mayor and city administrator are convinced that waste treatment in the City Farms area is a pollution problem. So what is the city doing to correct the problem?
Not much, right now, according to Mayor Bernie Hohman, but not for lack of trying. A lack of interest in annexation and Tiffin's annexation-for-sewers ordinance have held back any city action there.
The area in question is south of the commercial properties on the south side of SR 18 (West Market Street) and includes portions of Bon Air, Caldwell, Morgan and Brace avenues.
Between May 30 and Sept. 5, 1997, Joe Granata contacted that area's property owners on behalf of the city. Granata was contracted by the administration to gather residents' views on the subjects of annexation and sewer service.
Granata said, ''My job was to find out where there was interest or no interest in annexation so that the mayor and the administration could make a determination where the map (of majority support for annexation) should be drawn.''
Of the 89 property owners, Granata spoke to all but one either in person or by telephone. He found that only 19 of those owners were willing to annex, most of whom were along West Market Street.
Granata said some residents did want to join, but were in areas where the necessary majority approval just wasn't there.
Granata especially wants to dispel any public perception that the city picked off the more desirable commercial properties and abandoned the residential areas to the south.
''I applaud the mayor for not just taking the commercial property and leaving the rest. I would want people to know that every single owner was properly notified and contacted, and I got their opinions. At no time could someone say, 'You picked and chose what you wanted.' That was not the case.''
Hohman said the city would be happy to run sewer lines out into the neighborhood, but can't unless residents are willing to sign an intent to annex.
''We want to run lines back there, knowing that it's the right thing to do, and the city won't make any money on it. I've said very publicly that it's the right thing to do,'' Hohman said.
The city would not force lines back into that area, but would go as far as possible within the newly annexed area. ''We will run lines back there as far as we can,'' Hohman said.
For those residents to get sewer service, he said, ''The only thing that has to come is you have to indicate a willingness to annex. You don't have to annex right away, but you have to be willing as a property owner to show that you will, in the future, sign a petition to annex.''
As to why the commercial properties chose to annex, Hohman said, ''The residents didn't feel that immediate need to get (the sewage treatment issue) solved, but the commercial properties did.''
Last week, county commissioners Janet Dell, Kenny Estep and Jeff Wagner indicated a willingness to use county funds to run sewer lines out to those residents. But that effort would be useless as things now stand, they said,because the city would still require annexation to allow the residents to tap into the city's lines.
Given that City Farms is outside the city limits and likely to remain so for some time, the city has no jurisdiction to force changes, either. That would be up to Hopewell Township, the county sewer district, the board of health or the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Asked if the city might waive the requirement if the county were to pay for the lines, Hohman said no. ''If you want our services,'' he said, ''you have to join us.''
Dell questioned the city's commitment to the public welfare in light of that stance. She asked, ''Aren't they supposed to be concerned about the public health?''
Hohman said he is, but will not compromise the city's interests in future expansion by creating an immovable border on the city limits. Giving no-strings-attached city services might leave surrounding areas no motivation to join.
As far as annexation, Hohman said, ''I say that it shouldn't matter to them. I get really tired of saying the same thing -- don't worry about the annexation. We're willing to do our part.''
The bottom line, Hohman said, is ''I believe that people who live in an urban area should be part of the urban community.''
The ball is, for the moment, in others' courts, he indicated. But he expects that eventually the area will evolve into either a secondary retail center or possible housing development.
''It's too valuable as a second-tier commercial area to remain all residential. There could be condos back in there. There's tremendous commercial potential there.''