Jerone Wood
The three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for Columbus City Council District 3 in the May 2 primary have expressed different views on a proposed project to redevelop the riverfront between the Second and Third Street bridges downtown.
The project, which calls for overlooks of the East Fork White River, the removal of the low-head dam, connections with the People Trail system and an in-water recreation area, continues to go through discussions with state and federal environmental officials.
City officials have said they are “hopeful” that they can get final approval from environmental regulators this year, put out and award bids and potentially start construction this fall.
Current Columbus City Council District 1 incumbent Jerone Wood, 34, who is seeking a second term on the council in a different district, and challenger Michael Kinder, 32, a Cummins Inc. engineer, both say they are in favor of the project.
Local therapist Tony Hayden, 31, who also is running for the Democratic nomination, said he is “kind of in-between” on the project, saying he would prefer the future resources that would be allocated to the project be used instead to address homelessness and what he described as a “housing crisis.”
Though Wood said he supports the project, he has “reservations” about safety and would need assurances about safety protocols “in order to get a vote from me.”
Wood said potential safety protocols could include lifeguards, security cameras, park patrols and police and fire department patrols, among other measures.
“I do see the long-term benefits for Columbus,” Wood said. “…To me, it’s turning a negative situation into a positive situation when we look at the dam down there and how that’s something that needs to be fixed, how we’ve seen lives that have been lost down there. If we can somehow turn that into a positive for our community, I feel like that’s huge. But I also have reservations as far as safety.”
“There does need to be some safety measures taken to make sure we don’t lose any more lives down there,” Wood said.
Kinder said he supports the project because it will address the ongoing safety concerns surrounding the low-head dam and the erosion of the west riverbank, which could “unearth what would have been the old dump for the city, releasing toxins into the river and causing natural resource damage.”
At the same time, Kinder said he believes it would be cheaper for the city to put in the proposed recreational amenities, including the People Trail extension, while the issues in the river are being addressed.
“That is the base level why I support it,” Kinder said. “…The dam, as we all know, is in a deteriorated state. It’s unsafe, as well as the bank erosion. And while we’re in there, it would be the right time to make those improvements.”
“It would be much more expensive and costly to do that work separately outside of this work,” Kinder said.
Hayden said he “can see the need for the project” and supports addressing the erosion issues but believes that “there are still a lot more pressing issues going on in Columbus,” specifically pointing to the city’s ongoing issues with homelessness and affordable housing.
“We certainly have a homeless problem,” Hayden said. “We have a housing crisis. These are the things that we really need to focus on in the city. … I can see the need for the project but also maybe I still think there are a lot more pressing issues going on in Columbus. Erosion certainly is important, but I don’t know if that is as pressing as the homeless problem (or) the housing crisis.”
“I still think that money in the future should be used for more-needed problems, more urgent issues that we have in Columbus,” Hayden said.
