January 22, 2008

In order to understand where we are, the current state of the City, it is important to review some history to see how we arrived here. I believe even more important to where we are today, is where do we want to be at the end of 2008, five years from now and beyond?

Who could have imagined what would become of this area when the first spade full of dirt was turned for construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal on July 4, 1825 at the site of the current Canal Park in Heath, Ohio? Five to 10,000 people witnessed Economic Development in its infancy in Heath. The Canal, a transportation corridor, is not unlike the four-lane St. Rt. 79 to I-70, the new Ridgley Tract connector road and the scheduled improvements to Thornwood Dr. in 2012. The canal’s purpose was to spur economic development much like what we try to accomplish today.

New technology, railroads and the Interurban, forced our forefathers to change with the times to stay viable in a new era. By the late 1800’s, canals lost favor and railways spurred economic growth. By the early 1900’s, Fletcher Heath and Beman Dawes envisioned a village that became known as Heath, Ohio. Our origins center on business – The Pure Oil Company, with Fletcher Heath as the Financial Director.

Kaiser Aluminum (1942) and Rockwell (1951) were instrumental in the development of Heath. Heath was recognized as a village on January 11, 1952 and has never looked back. We became a city on April 18, 1965 mainly due to continuing economic development and good planning. Companies such as Boeing continue to be on the leading edge of technology with their new “virtual manufacturing” project.

Accomplishments within the community in 2007 include the building of Nelson Hyundai, the completion of the Samuel ManuTech manufacturing facility on the Port Authority’s campus and many other smaller, but just as important, business starts in Heath.

The City of Heath’s internal accomplishments are many; I’ll begin with the safety forces. For the first time in several years, we have a full staff at the Fire Department with 15 firefighter/EMT’s. The Fire Department also received a new medic unit this past summer. The Police Department contracted for a new radio system to place an antiquated 15+ year old system. This capital expenditure of nearly $400,000 will bring 21st century digital communications to Heath. It may also allow us to apply for future Homeland Security funding. The Police and Fire Departments operate more efficiently with state of the art technology in their vehicles and in-house equipment. Both departments have many notable accomplishments to their credit. Calls for service continue to rise and our professional staff has serviced citizens at an extraordinary level. We have some of the best trained and equipped safety personnel in Licking County.

Heath is especially proud of our Streets Department. We have the reputation of having the best maintained streets in snowy weather. This is just one example of their accomplishments. In 2007 we paved 10 streets. This is a great accomplishment and deserves special recognition. Council approved additional funding to pave Claren Dr., a much needed and appreciated job. The connector road from St. Rt. 79 to Thornwood Dr. was opened in December 2007. Planning continues for St. Rt. 79 safety improvements which are schedule to begin construction in 2012. Improvements along Thornwood Dr. are also scheduled for 2012 construction. A section of James Pkwy was completed in 2007 with another section scheduled for connection to Irving Wick Dr. West in 2008.

The Tax Department continues to enhance their training and technology making it easier for companies to conduct business in Heath. Not only do they track over $5 million in income tax generated to Heath, but in 2007 they collected over $60,000 in delinquent tax balances. The Tax Department is our City’s unsung hero.

The Finance Department has continued its contributions to make the City of Heath run efficiently. The Auditor has prime responsibility for our EMS billing program. This program has helped keep our City financially solvent. Income from EMS billing was $298,000 in 2007. By using a “laddering” approach to investments, the Finance Department has helped stabilize fluctuations in interest income. Investment income was over $500,000 in 2007, an increase of over $150,000 from the previous year. Thanks to the efforts of our Auditor, Heath sold a medic unit and bulldozer on eBay last year. Establishing Heath as a passport processing facility and instituting acceptance of debit/credit cards are also attributable to the Auditor’s office. The Auditor, Keith Alexander, has been invaluable to me personally in the transition from Mayor Dupps to Mayor Waugh; thank you, Keith!

I won’t bore you with the many “facts” about the production in the Utilities Department at the water and wastewater plants. However, it is important to note that the water plant produced over 440,000,000 gallons of water and the wastewater plant treated over 600,000,000 gallons of wastewater. Just like the Fire and Police Departments, our Utilities Department is high-tech. Remote monitors track water levels, pump activities, and line pressures with automatic notification systems to alert the appropriate individuals of potential problems. This SCADA system was completely rebuilt in 2007. Utilities are probably the least glamorous of any department, but if you cannot get a drink of water, take a shower or flush a toilet, our Council members and administration will hear from the citizens – immediately. We believe that most of the water infiltration issues on Grandview Ave. have been mitigated. Necessary repairs have also been identified and fixed in other areas, including manhole repairs on James Pkwy.

Our Parks Department stands head and shoulders above most in the State of Ohio. The Heath Water Park has been a “star” for our City. It attracted over 125,000 guests in 2007. The pool expansion in 2002 was a great foresight by Council, Administration and the Parks Department. John C. Geller Park hosted the Star Spangled Celebration (SSC) and Kids First Fest (KFF) again in 2007. The SSC Committee enlists help and support from many Heath clubs and organizations and truly is THE community event of the year with an estimated 10,000 people that enjoy this event annually. Hoback Park played host to the Heath Sertoma Youth Athletic Association (HSYAA) again in 2007. Over 700 kids age 5 – 17 participated on 63 teams in t-ball, softball and baseball. HSYAA has helped develop good sportsmanship and athletic abilities for many Heath kids. Many current and future leaders have participated in sports at Hoback; Tim Kelley, Jeff Crabill, Bob and John Geller just to name a few. Another “star” in Heath’s flag is the Davis-Shai House. This facility has an important place in the City structure and history. As a society, we try to preserve history and historical items; this facility is worth the investment. The Heath Community Arts Council began work in 2007 to make the Davis-Shai House more self sufficient and I support these efforts. The Parks Department developed a comprehensive strategic planning document in the year 2000, called Vision 2000, and continues to use this document for many of its projects.

To round out the 2007 department accomplishments we look at our Zoning Department. Most people believe zoning entails permits and building design/layouts. Zoning for the City of Heath is much more involved. Our Zoning Department is responsible for obtaining many of the grants our city receives. In 2007, Zoning was responsible for securing the following grants: $325,000 for paving, $115,000 for sanitary sewer improvements, $315,000 for transportation enhancements for St. Rt. 79, and over $400,000 for a bike path extension from the pool to the Port Authority. In 2007, Zoning was also responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Ridgley Tract extension project, extension of James Pkwy., approval of the 2008 Land Use and Thoroughfare planning document and securing $80,000 for the Irving Wick East bike path tunnel. In addition, Zoning is instrumental in the planning stages of an extension of Central Pkwy., which includes bike path connections to the Newark/Licking County section and railroad crossing easements. The improvements to Thornwood Dr. (2012) and safety improvements for St. Rt. 79 (2012) are included in Zoning’s long term duties.

The Administration has also implemented some significant changes. Our website has undergone a dramatic change effective October 1, 2007 and is still a work in progress. Our website goals are to make Heath more attractive to developers and to be a great source of information for our citizens. We implemented an outreach program for retention and expansion of existing companies in Heath to facilitate open communication with our business partners. This link to local companies has received very positive feedback and we anticipate meeting with 100 companies in 2008. The budget was presented in November and passed the first Council meeting in December. This was my first $11 million budget! I’ve received direction from a Leadership committee that includes the Auditor and President of Council. The Mayor’s Task Force, a think tank of sorts with local leaders and City representatives, also supports the Administration in its efforts to guide the City, encouraging recycling and thinking “green”.

I think one word sums up the future of Heath, Ohio – Opportunity. The City is in great position to capitalize on the work that has been done by previous administrations. The completion of the four-lane connection to I-70 in 2005, along with completion of the Ridgley Tract connector road to Thornwood Dr. (2007) and the scheduled improvements to Thornwood Dr. in 2012 opens up tremendous opportunities for a commercial/industrial development corridor. To aid in this development, we have committed to fund a 500,000 gallon water storage tank on Seminary Rd. in 2008 with anticipated construction to begin in 2009. The water tower cost is expected to be $1 million.

Many cities dream of attracting business; Heath is actively seeking to embrace new technologies. The Mayor’s Task Force has scheduled a round table discussion in February to discuss technology opportunities. Discussion items include broadband, fiber optics and wireless city-wide possibilities. We hope to develop a plan that will keep Heath near the top of the technological field. Plans are underway to establish street signage and lighting standards. New signs recognizing State Championship teams of Heath High School sports are under review. Plans to revitalize Canal Park have been budgeted. Improvements to the appearance of City Hall are in the works for 2008.

Our logo boasts, “City of Progress, Citizens with Pride.” This Administration hopes to carry on our rich heritage and pay forward for those that follow. We have great opportunities in Heath and we plan to take advantage of these opportunities to serve, promote and set a positive course for many years to come. With the help of many people, we are committed to keeping Heath a city of progress and pride.

Respectfully,



Richard J. Waugh
Mayor