Panel addresses annexation, growth and public safety at Johnstown Intel forum

For the first time since the Intel Corporation announced its forthcoming $20 billion computer chip facility, residents of Johnstown and the surrounding areas had the opportunity to ask officials how the development would impact their everyday lives.

A crowd of roughly a hundred people came to the Johnstown Middle School auditorium Thursday night as an expert panel spent more than two hours answering questions submitted by the public and from attendees about the computer chip facility. Officials included Johnstown Mayor Chip Dutcher, Johnstown City Council Acting President Marvin Block, former state representative and governor's liaison with local officials on the Intel project Scott Ryan, President and CEO of the Heath–Newark–Licking County Port Authority Rick Platt, Intel's Ohio Public Affairs Director Emily Smith, and Managing Director of Business Development for One Columbus Matt McQuade.

Since Intel announced in January it was coming to Licking County, Johnstown residents have voiced concerns about growth, additional traffic and the lack of information being shared about the development that will be just meetings from the city.

Dutcher said the event, organized by the city, was the chance to get accurate information to residents.

"We said when the Intel project was announced that as soon as we had facts that we would have gatherings like this and present those facts," he said. "That's what tonight is all about: facts. Not Facebook, facts."

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Protecting Johnstown

Throughout the event, numerous residents asked how Johnstown will protect itself as development pressure will continue. Dutcher said the city is undergoing a master planning process that will help dictate future growth.

When it comes to expanding roads within the city limits, Dutcher said he’s stated his intentions to the Ohio Department of Transportation. He said Johnstown has never taken property by eminent domain that he is aware of and that the city will not do it. If property is needed, owners will be compensated like they were for the recent expansion of U.S. 62.

"But I can tell you that I've made it very clear we're not tearing houses down in the city of Johnstown, and that we will find another path," he said to a round of applause.

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Later in the meeting, Dutcher was asked by Kristi Hoovler what is being done to prevent more annexation into New Albany.

"Johnstown is going to be stuck on an island if we don't get together with the other area townships," said Hoovler, a former long-time Johnstown resident who now lives just inside Knox County, citing that St. Albans Township and the Village of Alexandria are exploring a merger.

He said New Albany officials have indicated the city is not interested in annexing beyond Mink Street.

"The proof will be in the pudding. Are they lying to us? I don't know, but I'm willing to take their word for it for now," he said.

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Dutcher said while he is talking regularly and collaborating with trustees from Monroe, Liberty, Jersey and St. Albans Townships and he cares about the surrounding residents, his responsibility is to residents of Johnstown.

Block said the city doesn't have the money or the resources to fight New Albany.

"It's just like Intel, do we need to fight them or do we need to bring them on? We're going to be changing here, and that's what I'm trying to tell you. Everything's going to be changing," he said. "We're going try to protect everybody we can, but we've got to work with some people."

Block added, "They're not Mexico. We don't need to put a wall up."

Monroe Township Trustee Tory Hendren said Monroe Township Fire Department firefighters are currently in Oregon, where Intel has another semiconductor facility, learning the skills necessary to take care of the factories.

"We're going to have to build another fire department because Jersey Township is contracted to us just like Johnstown is," he said.

Number of employees

McQuade reiterated that Intel expects to hire 3,000 employees with a payroll of more than $405 million.

Besides the direct Intel jobs, the project is expected to create 7,000 construction jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with production scheduled to begin in 2025. It is possible this stage is just the first part of a $100 billion investment by the company.

McQuade said he understands people are anxious about the number of people that will be coming to area to work, but in comparison to the business park already to the south in New Albany has 19,000 employees currently.

"That is not an area that is difficult to get to," McQuade said. "You have supported much larger developments than this."

On a smaller scale, he said the personal care and beauty campus between Beech Road and Mink Street has 4,000 jobs.

"This region over time has been able support large projects," he said. "One of the reasons is we're growing to begin with, we have the population to support it, but we do really well with infrastructure development."

McQuade said he understands traffic is a major concern, but historically, infrastructure improvements have been a priority to ensure it doesn't impact the quality of life of the residents.

'Patriotic duty'

Rick Platt, president and CEO of the Heath–Newark–Licking County Port Authority, said Ohio is the third largest of the manufacturing states, only behind California and Texas. He said besides Intel, three other California companies are expanding their manufacturing operations to Licking County in the last year because there is not enough space in California to accommodate more growth.

"We are in a unique position in Ohio to be able to become the breadbasket of the world in terms of manufacturing," he said.

And as the world deals with a shortage of computer chips, Platt said it's "almost a patriotic duty."

"If we're one the states that leads in manufacturing, if there's a need for chips in our country and other countries and we've got the power to do it, we need to be the ones that step. Let's make it work," he said.

He said one of the factories on the port authority's campus makes baby formula for which there is a current national shortage.

"It's hard not feel patriotic about these things that we do in Licking County that really do supply the rest of the world," Platt said.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Johnstown residents ask questions, get answers on Intel's impact