Columbus City Council members on Tuesday finalized five different year-end appropriations to pay for mostly minor items like HVAC repairs and parts, but also three bicycle and pedestrian projects.
Council members unanimously approved on second reading five different ordinances to appropriate $1.55 million from two different funds, with $1.5 million of that going towards three bicycle pedestrian projects using leftover Federal Transit Administration (FTA) flex funds.
Just over $53,000 of the funding will come from the city’s general fund, with the $1.5 million coming from the thoroughfare fund.
The ordinances were all approved 8-0. Councilman Chris Bartels, R-District 1, was absent.
The appropriations include $25,000 for repair supplies and parts for public works; $11,150 for HVAC repairs for Columbus Animal Care Services; $15,420 to pay for salary and benefits for Mike Richardson, director of security and risk, due to a miscalculation error in the 2025 budget; as well as $2,020 for overtime in the maintenance department.
The $1.5 million in leftover FTA flex funds is money the Columbus Area Metropolitan Organization (CAMPO) had left over from previous years that was transferred from the Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) to be used for things including improvements to sidewalks and trails.
The funding requires just a 20% local match, meaning the city must put up the initial full amount, with the federal government later reimbursing the city for 80% of project costs. Last year the city used leftover FTA flex funds to buy buses and vans for the transit department.
The following are the three projects the FTA funds will go towards:
- 10th Street Shared-Use Path project: Includes the construction of a shared use path along the north side of 10th Street from Marr Road to the existing shared use path along the Lowe’s frontage. The new concrete path will be 8-foot wide with a grass buffer strip between the path and the roadway.
- Marr Road Sidewalk project: Includes the construction of a sidewalk along the west side of Marr Road between 25th Street and the existing People Trail north of 32nd Street. The new concrete sidewalk will be 6-foot wide in areas with curb and gutter and 5-foot wide with a grass buffer strip in areas without curb and gutter.
- 27th Street Shared-Use Path project: Includes the construction of a shared use path along the north side of 27th Street between Washington Street and Home Avenue. The new concrete path will be 10-foot wide with a grass buffer strip between the new path and the roadway.
Construction on the three projects will start in the spring, City Engineer Andrew Beckort said previously.
