CENTERBURG — Most of the people who have vocally opposed the annexation and potential development of two subdivisions at zoning and council meetings reside in Hilliar Township.
On Monday, a Centerburg village resident and council members pushed back against allegations that they are not listening to residents outside the village.
Village resident Nathan Bishop said he has repeatedly been called a “townie” since he moved to Centerburg 15 years ago. He does not mind because he enjoys the amenities that living in the village provides.
However, he noted that the village has grown by about 600 people over the last 50 years. Hilliar Twnship has grown by about 2,000.
“That affects our schools, fire, etc. — all the things that are being brought up as concerns — far more than Centerburg growth has,” he said.
Bishop said he is not complaining or trying to cause conflicts. But he did ask for understanding from township residents.
“When the village is ignored until we consider doing something that’s good for the village that they don’t necessarily like, it’s frustrating. We’re immediately accused of not caring or being short-sighted or trying to grab money,” he said.
Bishop said that from his perspective, the village has tried to preserve the character and feel of Centerburg. It has done this through the bike path, rural landscapes, celebrations, and the promotion of community involvement.
“That is being ignored and replaced with remarks that insinuate and sometimes flat out claim the council is only interested in lining their own pockets,” he said.
“Those kinds of claims, especially when the council doesn’t even resemble the one that was in place at the start of these talks, hurt our ability to solve these tricky issues.”
‘The village is listening’
Bishop said the village is listening.
“I feel confident in saying we are not dead set on doing whatever the village wants without regard to township concerns,” he said. “We love our village and our extended community, and we want to find solutions that are good for everyone wherever we can.”
Councilwoman Saundra Dove said the council needs to hear what its residents want.
“They’re the ones that have elected us to serve their needs. We’ve only heard from a few of them,” she said. “That’s why when we’re out there on Facebook … we ask do you live in the village?”
Dove said the village basically has not changed over the past 50 years. She said that to buy a home in the 1970s, “you literally had to wait for someone to die.”
“That’s how we got our house on Clayton Street,” she said. “… And that’s the same as today.”
Dove said a search of Realtor.com showed 26 homes for sale in the 43011 zip code. Three are in Centerburg; the rest are in Hilliar Township.
She found only two rentals on ReMax.
“But there are 180 rentals within 20 miles of 43011, and that’s taking them to Newark, Mount Vernon, Delaware, and Johnstown,” she said.
“I personally don’t want the 300 homes. I don’t want the 200 homes, but we need to find out what is the right amount of homes that we do need. We can’t wait for people to die. We have people that want to stay in the village, stay around here, and live in a smaller compound.”
‘Stop looking at Facebook’
Hilliar Township resident Casey Burns thanked Bishop for articulating his feelings and School Supt. Ryan Gallwitz for sharing information about student capacity but said the community lacks adequate and appropriate information.
“If you as a council and the hired individuals by council could present more factual information to the likes of Mr. Gallwitz or Mr. Bishop, that would be more useful,” she said.
Councilman Don Wallace, who comes from a family of farmers and whose wife is from the area, said he is very invested in preserving the area’s history and heritage.
“It’s important to know what the village wants and what the township wants because you’re neighbors. Everyone goes to our schools, everyone comes into town, uses the restaurants, hits the grocery store, gets some gas,” he said.
“So with that being said, Facebook, if that company was to fold, thank God. It hasn’t yet, so stop looking at Facebook because really it’s just a matter of opinion.”
For information, Wallace told residents to ask Centerburg Village Administrator Rick Dzik or a council member.
No flippant decisions
Councilman Daniel Hardwick agreed that no council member makes decisions flippantly.
“We’ve been presented this stuff for almost six months. We’ve been thinking about it and talking to people, but I can guarantee that we’re going to make some of y’all mad all the time and all of y’all mad some of the time. That’s just how it goes,” he said.
“If change happens, we’re not [doing] anything flippantly or quickly. The job of government is to slow stuff down, and by golly, we do a good job. This is going to be slowed down.”
Council member Julie Pruett Bishop said council members represent the village when they sit in council seats, but they care about the community as a whole.
“I think it’s important to remember that this is not a Centerburg community council. This is a village council, but we are all part of this community. We are all impacted by every decision we make,” she said.
Hilliar Township resident Bob Guthrie previously raised concerns about housing type, density, and traffic.
On Monday, he asked the council to “please be considerate of the community, of all the students.”
Councilman Rusty Griffith noted that he and Council President Greg Myers have been on the council for many years and do not take the annexation and growth issue lightly.
“We’re doing what’s best for obviously the village because that’s who we work for. We’re all lifers here, been here a long time. We all want what’s best for the community as well,” he said.
“I assure you wholeheartedly this is not something that we are taking lightly, and we’re not being persuaded by Arbor Homes or anybody else that’s bringing this stuff here.”
