FairOaks Community Development Corp. Design Committee members met for the first time with the firm selected to help the city and Columbus Regional Health define the future of the FairOaks Mall, Donner Center and surrounding areas.
Representatives from the firm, MKSK, and one of its subconsultants, Perkins+Will, met with the design committee on Thursday at the former J. Nicole Store space at the FairOaks Mall. Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and Mary Ferdon, the city’s executive director of administration and community development, also participated in the meeting.
“We’re going to be working over the next seven months to develop a vision for the mall, the area around the mall and how it connects to the city in general and over to the Donner Center,” said Eric Lucas, principal at MKSK. “… (The project) is more about coming up with big planning goals and planning objectives and giving the city and the hospital a roadmap for how to get it done.”
Essentially, MKSK and its subconsultants are tasked with working with members of the design committee, community and several other stakeholders to come up with a plan for what kinds of facilities should be considered for development on the mall site and Donner Center and how they can connect with the surrounding areas. This process is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
On May 28, the FairOaks Community Development Corp. Board, an eight-member board that includes Lienhoop and Columbus Regional Health CEO Jim Bickel, unanimously approved a $212,200 contract with MKSK to lead the process of re-purposing the FairOaks Mall into a community wellness, recreation and sports center, as well as exploring new potential uses for the Donner Center and connectivity with the surrounding areas.
During Thursday’s two-hour meeting, officials from MKSK and Perkins+Will discussed how they envisioned the project would progress and a timetable for deliverables. Company officials said they expect to hold two public engagement sessions by the end of the summer and two additional public engagement sessions later in the year. The first public engagement session is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. July 11 at the FairOaks Mall, though the location in the mall has yet to be determined.
Additionally, company officials said they expected to engage with Bartholomew County School Corp. students, as well as students at the Indiana University J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program, in early fall, potentially in September and October, about the project.
However, the details of the sessions, like location, time and content, are still being hashed out. The public engagement strategy also includes a project website, online surveys and a project storefront at the FairOaks Mall. The website and materials for the storefront are expected to be ready by the end of July, according to a tentative schedule presented during the meeting.
According to the terms of the contract, the city will pay 75 percent of the fees associated with the FairOaks Mall site, or $137,498, while CRH will put up the remaining 25 percent, or $45,833.
The city also will pay $28,869 for project fees associated with the Donner Center. CRH will not be contributing funds for fees related to Donner Center.
On June 3, the Columbus Parks Board allocated $183,000 — $166,367 in project fees, plus a contingency of $16,633 — from its cash reserve for the project. The contingency would only be used for unforeseen costs that may arise over the course of the project, said Tom Brosey, a former Cummins Inc. executive the city hired as a consultant on the project.
Though the Columbus Parks Board has approved the allocation of funds for the project, the Columbus City Council still needs sign off on it. The city council is expected to take up the topic during its meeting on Tuesday.
“MKSK knows that their contract is contingent upon (the appropriation) passing June 18, but they agreed to come in and get started because from a timing perspective we were ready to get started,” Ferdon said. “We’re hopeful and confident that the city council will approve this.”
If the city council approves the Parks Board’s allocation of funds, the money would be transferred to the FairOaks Community Development Corp.’s coffers, Ferdon said. The FairOaks Community Development Corp. is a nonprofit that the city formed to oversee the project.
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- June 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.: The Columbus City Council is expected to consider an appropriation for the project that was approved by the Columbus Parks Board on June 3.
- July 11 from 1 to 3 p.m.: The FairOaks Community Development Corp. Design Committee will meet with MKSK at the old J. Nicole Store space at the FairOaks Mall.
- July 11 from 6 to 8 p.m.: MKSK and its subconsultants will hold the first public engagement session at the FairOaks Mall. The specific location at the mall has yet to be determined.
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