Highlights

 

 

 

COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS   For Immediate Release: September 30, 2013   For More Information: John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798 Web – Facebook – Twitter

POTHOLE PATROL:  Every year in the City of Columbus, crews patch tens of thousands of potholes to improve area roadways and protect residents from injury.   Ordinance 2017-2013, sponsored by Public Service and Transportation Committee chair Eileen Y. Paley, will allow the Department of Public Service to purchase two new pothole patching trucks from FYDA Freightliner.   The company provided the lowest competitive bid of $290,242.

 

REBUILDING LIVES:  The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) provides permanent supportive housing for women at its 65 South Front Street facility.   Councilmember Priscilla R. Tyson, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, is sponsoring ordinance 2229-2013 to provide $650,000 in bond funds to the YWCA to make necessary repairs to the building.   The City of Columbus has pledged $6,000,000 in funding over a five-year period to support the YWCA and the women it serves.

 

EDUCATING SAFETY FORCES:  In mid-August, the City of Columbus and Columbus State Community College announced a partnership that puts all incoming firefighters and police officers on a direct path toward an associate degree.   The academic program is designed with three blocks of courses involving a combination of state certification courses and academic courses.  Councilmember Michelle M. Mills, chair of the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, is sponsoring ordinances 2245 and 2013 to put in place  memorandums of understanding that will allow the City of Columbus to pay tuition for firefighters and police. In addition, firefighters and police officers already working for the city would have the option to take the courses, which would allow them to earn an associate degree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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JOHN IVANIC

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

_____________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

90 W. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Direct: 614-645-6798

Cell:     614-701-1411

www.columbus.gov

    

 

    

 

September 23, 2013 Highlights

 

 

 

COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS   For Immediate Release: September 23, 2013   For More Information: John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798 Web – Facebook – Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

HEALTHY MOMS AND HEALTHY BABIES:  The Child and Family Health Services Perinatal Program is designed to eliminate health disparities, improve birth outcomes and improve the health of women, infants and children in Ohio.  Ordinance 2135-2013, sponsored by Health and Human Services Committee chair Priscilla R. Tyson, will allow the City to enter into a $50,000 contract with Neighborhood Health Center, Inc., to use grant funds from the state to support a variety of medical services for women and children. 

 

CAR2GO:  Councilmember Eileen Y. Paley, chair of the Public Service and Transportation Committee, is sponsoring ordinance 2105-2013, to allow Car2Go, a car sharing service, to park their vehicles in residential permit parking areas and at certain parking meters.   The legislation suspends two sections of the City Code and puts in place a 12-month pilot program to study the effects of a car sharing program on mobility options and Columbus neighborhoods and businesses.  

 

KICKSTART WIDGETPITCH:  Councilmember A. Troy Miller, chair of the Small & Minority Business Development and Technology Committees, is partnering with the Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI) to sponsor KickStart WIDGETPITCH.  WIDGETPITCH is an innovative competition that will allow startup and existing businesses or individuals to compete for investments with the goal of helping to get products to market.   Five finalists will make their pitches to a panel of community judges at 7pm on September 26, during Mayor Coleman’s Small Business Conference at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.

 

PROTECTING THE PUBLIC:  The Columbus City Council is proud to invest in equipment to help our safety forces protect the public and improve the quality of life in Columbus.   Councilmember Michelle M. Mills, chair of the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, is sponsoring ordinance 1969-2013 to spend $1,900,582.16 to purchase eight new custom build medium duty medics for the Division of Fire from Horton Emergency Vehicles. The vehicle body is locally manufactured and Horton has provided excellent service to the Division of Fire and the Fleet Management Division.  The new medics will replace medics that are beyond their useful lives and have high maintenance costs.

 

BIKEWAY ADDITIONS:  Columbus is committed to becoming the most bike-friendly community possible, and the creation of trails and recreational spaces is an important component of that plan.   Recreation and Parks Committee chair Zach M. Klein is sponsoring ordinance 2114-2013 to fund the Goodale Street Bikeway Project.  The $5,570,703.00 project will build a dedicated trail facility along Goodale Street, providing access for downtown workers and residents of Harrison West and Grandview Heights to the Olentangy Trail and the Arena District.  The project increases safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.  The work for which proposals were invited consists of the following: Construction of trail improvements along Goodale Street, from Olentangy River Road to Michigan Avenue, including a connector ramp to the Olentangy Trail.  Work items for the project include bridge construction, concrete, lighting, asphalt pavement, signage, and maintenance of traffic

 

FREEDOM AWARD:  Councilmember Hearcel F. Craig, chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, will visit Washington, D.C., to accept the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award on behalf of the City of Columbus.   The Freedom Award is the Department of Defense’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees.  More details on the award will be released later this week.   

 

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JOHN IVANIC

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

_____________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

90 W. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Direct: 614-645-6798

Cell:     614-701-1411

www.columbus.gov

    

 

    

 

{SPAM} Columbus City Council Highlights

 

 

 

COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS   For Immediate Release: September 16, 2013   For More Information: John Ivanic, (614) 645-6798 Web – Facebook – Twitter

 

 

 

SERVING VETERANS:  Councilmember Hearcel F. Craig, the chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, is sponsoring ordinance 2147-2013 to allow the Development Department to modify a contract with Community Development for All People relating to the Better Municipal Care for Veterans-Home Fund.  The program, which began as a pilot on the South Side and has now be expanded City wide, provides targeted financial assistance to eligible homeowners who have served in the military.   The ordinance will allow the social service agency to complete home repairs for the rest of this year.

 

WIC SERVICES:  The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program provides nutrition programming for women (pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding), infants, and children under the age of 5 years, and provides invaluable assistance for families during their children's period of growth and development.  Ordinance 2086-2013, sponsored by Priscilla R. Tyson, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, will allow the City of Columbus to lease space at 4550 Indianola Avenue for clinic space.   The City will receive a grant from the State of Ohio that will cover the cost of the lease.

 

BIKE PLAN:  Ordinance 2007-2013, sponsored by Public Service & Transportation Committee chair Eileen Y. Paley, will allow The Department of Public Service to enter into a $400,000 contract with Alta Planning + Design  for the purpose of updating the 2008 Bicentennial Bikeways Plan with a focus limited to education, encouragement, evaluation, and engineering standards.   This project will also include research into pedestrian education and encouragement and data collection on bicycling and walking levels.  This effort and its results will be coordinated with and incorporated into an upcoming and likely concurrent effort by the City to develop a Complete Streets Thoroughfare Plan for the City of Columbus.  An education and encouragement communication plan and one year of bicycle/pedestrian counts will be implemented with this project.

 

BROWNFIELD CLEANUP:  The economic development along South High Street continues with ordinance 2076-2013, sponsored by Development Committee Chair Zach M. Klein, that allows

the Director of the Department of Development to enter into an Agreement of Understanding and Access with The Annex at River South II, Ltd. and to file an application with the State of Ohio to participate in the Clean Ohio Brownfield Fund.  The application would support the environmental cleanup and demolition of The Trautman at 203-213 and The HUB Buildings and 221 South High Street, respectively.  The current development design is for an eight-story, mid-rise mixed-use structure that will cover the entire 0.538 acre site, LC RiverSouth Phase II.  The project will consist of 106 top quality apartments, street level retail space, and a partially subterranean parking garage. The building is configured in a “U” shape around a center courtyard which will open to Rich Street and feature more than five thousand square feet of outdoor urban green space. The Annex at River South II, Ltd. will invest approximately $20,900,000 in the project for property acquisition, site preparation and construction.

 

 

PREVENTING DRUG ABUSE:  Local and state law enforcement and health care professionals recognize prescription drug abuse is a serious problem affecting all segments of the community.   Safety Committee chair Michelle M. Mills is sponsoring ordinance 2029-2013 to allow the City to appropriate $5,000 for the 2013 Law Enforcements Grants-National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, Inc. (NADDI) to provide funds to support increased enforcement and education in the prevention of prescription drug abuse.  The money will be used for specialized training resources for the Columbus Division of Police Narcotics Bureau to access valuable prescription drug diversion information and educational seminars which address current and emerging criminal trends.

 

 

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JOHN IVANIC

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

_____________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

90 W. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215

Direct: 614-645-6798

Cell:     614-701-1411

www.columbus.gov