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Portage County township adding service-oriented businesses
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: October 31, 2013
Once known for its thriving coal mining operations, today the largely agricultural community of Atwater Township in Portage County is undergoing yet another change as more service-oriented businesses become a part of its economic base.
“Until the 1960s the area was almost all farming,” said trustee Lynn Whittlesey. “There are still some full-time farmers and many part-time farmers but we are becoming more of a bedroom community.”
Whittlesey, whose family first settled in Atwater in 1803, shortly after the township’s founding in 1799, said the railroad played a major role in the community’s development.
“In the old days cattle and building materials were brought in and agricultural products were shipped out on the railroad,” said Whittlesey, who owns and runs his own farm. “I still have an old bill of lading from the Pennsylvania Railroad which delivered bricks for my great grandfather’s new house.
“In its day, Atwater was a booming place because of the railroad. The first fire departments started in railroad towns because that is where the action was. That’s why Atwater and Ravenna were the first places to have a fire department in this area.”
While the township may not have continued on an industrial path, Whittlesey said a large portion of the houses are located around the railroad, which no longer stops in the township, but still runs through it.
Atwater is located in the southern part of the county and abuts Stark County, providing the township’s estimated 2,762 residents easy access to the malls and larger stores.
In 2009, a Dollar General opened on Waterloo Road, which together with a Circle K convenience store on Ohio State Route 183 lets residents do a lot of their grocery shopping in Atwater, Whittlesey said.
The largest employer is the Waterloo Local School District. Other Atwater businesses include K J’s Tire Inc., Gary’s Tire Center, White’s Farm Supply, Werab Excavating, Admoore Heating & Air Conditioning, Paul’s Equipment Co., which sells used school buses and bus parts, Scott Miller Contracting, and the dry cleaner, Little Az Laundry Basket.
The most recent addition to the township is Cana Valley Winery, located at 5665 Waterloo Rd. Trustee John Kovacich said the winery, which opened this month, should draw more visitors into the community once it is established.
Some of the township’s eateries and taverns are Dawg’s Draft House, the Spillway Saloon, Kinsey’s Corner restaurant and Magrell’s Pizza, a few of which attract people from outside the area, said Kovacich.
Another attraction is the 18-hole Oak Grove Golf Course on German Church Road.
“We would like to add businesses,” said Whittlesey. “The area around the railroad is zoned for industrial and commercial uses and would be a good place for businesses to set up.”
The downturn did pose a number of challenges for the township, which did not lay anyone off or cut services but still struggled to make ends meet.
“We had to be very creative with our money in order to get everything done,” said Kovacich.
“We have lost a lot of our Local Government Funds and we cannot collect income tax since we are a township so property taxes are our main source of revenue. We also apply for grants when we can.”
This November residents will be asked to renew the 2.9 mil fire levy to continue funding fire and emergency medical services. Police protection is provided by the Portage County Sheriff’s Office.
There were some foreclosures during the downturn and Kovacich said the township plans to use Moving Ohio Forward demolition money to tear down two buildings. “Once we take down these homes, we will likely apply for more money since there are other homes that we are looking at,” said Kovacich. “We paid for one demolition ourselves which we did before we got Moving Ohio Forward funds.”
The trustees are working to add playground equipment and a pavilion to Old School Park. “We acquired the land in 2005 after the Waterloo Local School District renovated the high school and added a middle and elementary school wing to the building at the Industry Road campus and donated the old school property to the township,” said Kovacich. “Right now all the park has is a few ball fields and a basketball court but we are working on getting a grant to upgrade it.”
Part of the southern edge of the township is in the Stark County Park District, which includes the Walborn Reservoir, where residents can do some boating and fishing. Although there is no recreation center, people can rent the township hall to hold private events.
Some in the community have leased their land for oil and gas drilling but so far there are no active wells. However, Kovacich said there are several injection wells in adjacent areas, which have raised concerns among many.
The Atwater Historical Society is located on State Route 183 and was established to keep track of and preserve the community’s rich history.
The township is said to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad and the Atwater Congregational Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church has had a continuous congregation that was founded in 1818. The building itself was completed in 1841 and stands over 100 feet tall. Over the years the structure has undergone several renovations and repairs and it continues to operate today as a non-denominational church.
There have also been a few tragic events over the years such as the Atwater Coal Company explosion in July 1872, which claimed the lives of nine men and a boy.
“It was the first coal mine to have miners die in Portage County,” said Kovacich. “There is a marker at Atwater Cemetery memorializing the calamity.”
Years later, businessman Paul Hamilton died in an accident in September 1912 at the Atwater Basket and Veneering Co., which produced banana and fruit crates and potato baskets. Both incidents are said to have had a profound impact on the community.
In the future, Kovacich said he would like to see a doctor or medical facility set up operations in Atwater. “We are quite a ways away from the nearest hospitals which are in Alliance and Ravenna. A medical clinic with a pharmacy is something that we need.
“There has been talk of building an assisted living facility near our township park but so far nothing has happened,” said Kovacich.
“I think a medical facility and assisted living would both go over quite well here,” said Whittlesey. “The township’s demographics suggest these types of businesses would be viable.”