CITY’S AGE-FRIENDLY Action Planning Underway The team behind Westerville’s Age-Friendly Initiative is creating a plan to establish strategies that ensure the City remains a place for residents of all ages to flourish. Work is currently underway to create the plan, which will be released in 2021. Westerville’s population of residents ages 55 and older is expected to grow to 32.4% by 2025 (up from 31.9% as of 2016). In fact, the City of Westerville’s rate of growth for this age group is higher than nationwide trends, according to the American Community Survey. “The Age-Friendly Initiative arose from a desire to understand how our City government could work together with the community to ensure the continued quality of life as the residential population ages,” said Chelsea Nichols, City Planner. Nichols helps lead the initiative to work with other City staff and community stakeholders. Work so far includes public forums and an Age-Friendly Livable Community Survey sent to 1,200 residents ages 55 and older.
“The feedback from the public forums was illuminating with the top three ideas being the establishment of accessible transportation, attainable housing options and intergenerational activities,” Nichols said. In September, a team of stakeholders met to discuss the survey results and additional pandemic-related factors. From there, work is underway to create an action plan reflecting feedback received at the public workshops, data from the report and stakeholder input. The goal is to have a draft plan by the end of the first quarter of 2021. Age-friendly communities promote healthy aging and improve the quality of life for older adults. They are officially designated through the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities. Access more about this community initiative at www.westerville.org/agefriendly.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION HONORS WESTERVILLE ELECTRIC DIVISION ELECTRIC DIV ISION
AMERICAN MUNICIPAL POWER PROVIDES SERIES OF AWARDS
American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) is recognizing the Westerville Electric Division (WED) for residential and commercial energy projects, programs and services, including its commercial solar rebate program, a street lighting project and holiday light recycling initiative. WED also was recognized for its safety record in 2020. The City has provided electric utilities since 1898 and now holds the distinction of being one of 135 public power (meaning publicly owned by a not-for-profit organization) providers in only nine states. “It’s an honor to be recognized by American Municipal Power,” said Chris Monacelli, Electric Utility Manager. “With more than 120 years of service under our belts, the City is continually on the lookout for innovative programs that can make a positive impact on the quality of life for residents, businesses and the environment.”
RECYCLE OLD HOLIDAY LIGHTS
THE WESTERVILLE ELECTRIC DIVISION RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING HONORS: AMP Electric System Sustainability Award for the Commercial Solar Rebate Program This program offers an incentive of $.10 per Watt (AC) up to $10,000 for qualifying commercial solar panel installation programs. www.westerville.org/solar AMP System Improvement Honorable Mention for the Hempstead Road Street Lighting Improvements The City’s project to install infrastructure and 48 new LED street lights along Hempstead Road, between Walnut Street and Spring Road. AMP Public Power Promotion Award for the Holiday Light Recycling Program This program serves the dual purpose of removing inefficient holiday lights from the City’s electricity demands and also diverts string lights (which can become stuck in equipment) from the landfill. AMP Safety Commendation The City received this recognition in the Transmission and Distribution category for achieving less than one percent time lost due to reportable accidents or injuries.
Stay up-to-date about the Westerville Electric Division at www.westerville.org/electric.
Old holiday lights can cause a strain on the City’s power usage and, when thrown away, can become tangled in recycling/ refuse machinery after Thanksgiving. WED is accepting strands of holiday lights to safely recycle in exchange for an LED light bulb. The program ends Thursday, Jan. 31.
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Participants must bring their lights to 139 E. Broadway Ave., Monday - Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. to receive new LED bulbs. Those not interested in an exchange can drop off strands in the marked bins in front of the facility anytime. More information can be found on page 30.
