Pickerington, founded in 1815, is a city in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the central region of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 9,792 at the 2000 census. As land annexation and development in and around Columbus continues, the city of Pickerington (like many area suburbs) have generally followed suit: its population was estimated at 16,575 in 2006.[3]
The Ohio Secretary of State certified Pickerington as a city in 1991. At 11.1 square miles, Pickerington is the second largest city in Fairfield County. The City of Pickerington, located just east of Columbus, Ohio, offers a combination of city amenities and small town friendliness. The city features a historic downtown shopping area, while Violet Township is home to rolling hills, long horses, forests, and fields.
Law and government
Pickerington uses the weak-mayor version of the mayor-council government, which constitutes an elected executive mayor position, an elected city council, and an appointed city manager position.
Mayor
The current mayor, Mitch O'Brien, was elected in November 2007. O'Brien served as a city council member in 2004-2005. He ran against current city council member Heidi Riggs and won the popular vote, earning 56% of the total vote.[4]
City council
The Pickerington city council is a seven-member body that is elected by rolling. There are four standing committees in the council: the finance committee, rules committee, safety committee, and service committee.
Current council members with elected or re-elected year and position:
- Jeff Fix (2005), President Pro Tempore and Finance committee chair
- Cristie Hammond (2005)
- Michael Sabatino (2005), Safety committee chair
- Tricia Sanders (2007), Vice President Pro Tempore
- Brian Sauer (2007)
- Keith Smith (2005), Rules committee chair
- Brian Wisniewski (2007), Service committee chair
Administration
There are several positions appointed between the mayor and city council to aid in the day-to-day management of the city.
List of some appointed officials in alphabetical order:
- Director, Finance: Linda Fersch
- Director, Income Tax Office: Jan Eichner
- Director, Parks and Recreation: Steve Carr
- Interim City Manager: Tim Hansley
- Planning and Zoning: Lance Schultz
Geography
Pickerington is located at 39°53′32″N 82°45′50″W / 39.89222°N 82.76389°W / 39.89222; -82.76389 (39.892168, -82.763837).[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 9,792 people, 3,468 households, and 2,687 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,317.4 people per square mile (508.8/km²). There were 3,573 housing units at an average density of 480.7/sq mi (185.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.18% White, 3.72% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
There were 3,468 households out of which 48.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $63,664, and the median income for a family was $71,161. Males had a median income of $51,155 versus $31,850 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,839. About 2.6% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
Pickerington Local School District
Pickerington Local School District consists of 11 buildings: 2 High Schools, 2 Junior High Schools, 2 Middle Schools, and 5 Elementary Schools. There are two new Elementaries and one Middle School currently being built. One in the Sycamore area, and the others off of Toll Gate Road.
PLSD is made up of approximately 70.2% white, 20.9% african-american, 3% asian, 1.6% hispanic, .2% america indian, and 5% multi-racial students. 10.2% of students are on a free/reduced lunch program. 9.6% are students with disabilities. The school district also has an average of a 97% attendance rate.
History of PLSD
The legacy of the Pickerington Local School District begins in Violet Township with the Ordinance of 1785. This ordinance set aside land for school purposes. At one time Violet Township was home to 19 one to two room schools spread across the township. The bulk of these schools later became combined into the Pickerington Local School District.
The first documented school in the Pickerington area was in 1812. It is believed that the log cabin housing the school may have been a settler’s cabin used on Sundays for church and school during the week.
In 1815 Abraham Pickering, whom the City of Pickerington is named after, donated a plot of land to be used for educational purposes. The Pickerington School House was built on this land, and in 1883, a new two-story, two room school was built to replace the original building. According to census data, in 1895 The Pickerington School educated 105 students. This site today is home to the Pickerington and Violet Township Historical Society, 15 E. Columbus Street.
The Violet Township Board of Education was created in 1905 as the first step in unification of the area schools. After two years of hard work, a charter from the state was in hand and the process for financing a building program was in place. Construction of the new Violet Township High School began in February 1907. The building would have six rooms plus a basement at a cost of $15,000. The VTHS class of 1909 was the first to graduate from this new school with a graduating class of four. In 1939 Violet Township Schools became Pickerington Local Schools and VTHS became Pickerington High School a year later.
Schools in Pickerington
Pickerington High School Central
Pickerington High School North
Ridgeview Junior High School
Lakeview Junior High School
Diley Middle School
Harmon Middle School
Toll Gate Middle School (opening in 2010)
Fairfield Elementary
Heritage Elementary
Pickerington Elementary
Violet Elementary
Tussing Elementary
Sycamore Elementary (opening in 2010)
Toll Gate Elementary (opening in 2010)
Pickerington Learning Steps Pre-school
Recreation
The Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of events for the recreation of Pickerington residents and visitors. Various classes can be taken that cover a wide range of hobbies and activities, such as jewelry crafting, herbalism, and engineering. There are two sports programs, the Pickerington Youth Athletic Association and the Adult Sports League, with several sports offered, including capture the flag. There are two parks that belong to the department: Victory Park and Sycamore Creek Park. Both are located on Columbus Street, just south of Olde Town Pickerington.
On March 14, 2008, the department purchased the Swim Club, a local swimming pool, with non-tax revenue. There is no residency requirement to belong to the pool and there is no price increase for non-residents. The pool is the home of the tigersharks swim team.
Another park, Pickerington Ponds, exists near Pickerington but is not within city limits.
Notable natives
- Antony Hämäläinen, Finnish vocalist for the Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Nightrage attended some schooling in Pickerington.
- Lindsay Hollister, character actor who has appeared on Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, the film Get Smart and Big Love
- Earl Moore, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians who pitched the American League's first no-hitter in 1901.
- Jenny Morris, a member of the now-disbanded pop group innosense.
- A.J. Trapasso, a senior punter at the Ohio State University. Despite being undrafted in the NFL Draft in the 2009-2010 season, A.J. was signed as a free agent to the Tennessee Titans as a backup punter.
- Arthur Raymond Robinson, U.S. Senator from Indiana, presidential candidate in 1932, and rumored member of the Ku Klux Klan.
- Dan and Tom Ryan, professional Halo 2 players, and the 2005 Halo 2 world champion team "Team 3D"[6]. Both are currently members of Team Final Boss.
References
External links
