Photo provided The Columbus Redevelopment Commission is assisting with a project to improve the Eighth Street entrance to Mill Race Park.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission will help fund efforts to improve the Eighth Street entrance to Mill Race Park.
The commission has approved a grant of up to $80,000 from the Central Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District for the project, which is being spearheaded by the Landmark Columbus Foundation.
According to Laura Garrett, director of partnerships for Landmark Columbus, the organization hopes to start construction this week and have the project completed in time for the opening of Exhibit Columbus in August.
“As part of Exhibit Columbus this cycle, we’re really encouraging ‘Public by Design’ and community input,” she said. “And part of that also entails not thinking about our community as different installations around the city, but thinking of it as a full exhibition of our full downtown in hopes of activating the spaces that are there and connecting them to pretty, safe and walkable ground. So as our curators are in town and were walking the route, we discovered the weakest link is the section of street we’re discussing.”
According to city officials, Landmark Columbus established the “Mill Race Park Gateway Project” to provide a better connection between downtown, residential areas, ColumBUS Transit, the People Trails, Mill Race Park and the Mill Race Center.
“This improved connection will be established by enhancing pedestrian street crossings, planting street trees, and installing a median to narrow drive lanes and the option to install public art along the section of Eighth Street located between Brown Street and Lindsey streets,” the approved resolution states.
Garrett said that the project is designed to be similar to the Fifth Street entrance to Mill Race Park, which includes a median with the sculpture “Eos” on display.
“Having lived downtown, (Eighth Street) was the way I accessed Mill Race Park, and it’s like a very depressing front door to the park,” she said.
Landmark Columbus originally sought a $75,000 AARP infrastructure grant to fund the work. The organization assembled a number of partners on the project, including various city departments, the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center and Mill Race Center. Cummins, Inc was also in support of the work, and Columbus Regional Health’s Healthy Communities initiative has provided some funding for the project.
“There’s buy-in across the community and support that this section of street not only is unsafe, but it is an opportunity as a community to celebrate Mill Race Park through a secondary entrance,” said Garrett.
However, they did not end up receiving the AARP grant, hence the request for TIF funds.
The Columbus Board of Works has awarded a contract to All-Star Paving, Inc on part of the project. City Engineer Andrew Beckort said this just for the Eighth Street median and some trees, rather than the full landscaping plan shown to the commission.
“There’s been some items removed from the quote, just due to budget constraints,” he told the board. “So we’ve removed the pavement markings and some of the landscaping, so this for $96,327.85.”
According to city documents, these reductions brought down the price by about $40,000.
Garrett said that while bids came back high, organizers believe they’ve found ways to keep costs down.
“Potentially, $80,000 can get us there,” she told the commission. “But in doing that, we’ll get all the hardscape installed, improved striping, make the intersection safer, add the trees, but the funding doesn’t allow us to probably put in the high-scale wayfinding component. That will be scaled down. And then the funding currently wouldn’t allow for planting in that median. However, just a couple of phone calls and about 24 hours’ notice, I’ve already secured $5,000 to help towards the planting, which would plant all of the trees in that median, from Landmark Farm Foundation.”
Beckort added that the Department of Public Works crews will help with the striping work to save costs.
