Making progress at the mall
Consultants and members of the FairOaks Community Development Corp. unveiled a vision for what the future could hold for the FairOaks Mall and Donner Center last week.
The project seeks to transform the mall into a community wellness, recreation and sports center, and look at new potential uses for the Donner Center and connectivity with the surrounding areas.
Back in 2018, the city partnered with Columbus Regional Health and the Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County to purchase the 35.36-acre mall property at 25th Street and Central Avenue.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Once the report is submitted, and if the report is approved, which is expected to happen within the next two months, the FairOaks Community Development Corp. would likely start the process of searching for an architect to draw up designs for the mall and Donner Center.
The presentation capped off nearly seven months of analysis and public input.
The decision-making process for the massive project hasn’t skipped any important steps.
Officials working in private and public sectors have worked together in what should be a beneficial project to the community should it move forward.
Don’t call it a comeback
Never underestimate the power of a community rallying for a cause.
Empty Bowls, the food pantry, soup-and-chili fundraiser that nearly died last fall, returned Feb. 1 and attracted 500 people — about 200 more than last year — while raising $17,000.
In October, the fundraiser was announced cancelled by the former group of volunteers that ran it.
Some of the new organizers that stepped up were somewhat concerned about having enough time to get the event sufficiently together, but the gathering at the Central Middle School cafeteria ended up with the support of about a dozen local churches while benefiting six local food pantries and shelters.
Through the years, Empty Bowls has raised more than $200,000 total. Local artist Robert Pulley launched the event, a spinoff of a national push to fight hunger, via the Columbus Peace Fellowship. Some years, such as in 2011, more than 1,000 people have attended.
Kudos to the volunteers and organizations that came together to make Empty Bowls a success.
Cummins, CRH donate to Wuhan
The coronavirus isn’t just China’s problem, it’s the world’s problem.
That’s the attitude two local organizations have towards the recent epidemic.
Columbus Regional Health recently donated 10,000 masks, and other personal protective equipment, to medical and care providers in Wuhan, China, to help fight the outbreak.
The donation, made in late January, was made possible through Cummins representatives.
Cummins has three plants in Wuhan, China, where the current international outbreak originated.
Good on Cummins and CRH for teaming up to help fight the spread of the deadly virus. It’s easy to turn a blind eye, and show indifference, than to step up and try to make an impact.
