March 10, 2011
Third Street upgrades
Officials: Locating funds will be tricky By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers German Village has a nearly $12-million wish list to improve the look and functionality of South Third Street. But, officials acknowledge, securing funding will be quite difficult over the next several years. Historic preservation consultant Yolita Rausche told a local audience last week that with the U.S. Congress look-
ing to cut federal spending, some traditional revenue streams could dry up and some relevant programs could be phased out completely. The German Village Society’s historic preservation committee, which called the meeting March 2 at the Meeting Haus, has been working on the streetscape project for several years. It provides a 20year blueprint for the community’s most visible commercial corridor. The committee completed the final
draft of the streetscape study in August and proposed a list of projects, with refurbishing the brick on Third Street as the top priority. That effort would involve removing the asphalt on Third and removing, cleaning and refurbishing the brick, estimated to cost between $3.8- and $4.2-million. A less intensive option would run $679,000, Rausche said. The most expensive undertaking would be to bury the utility lines, a $15.8-mil-
lion venture. Other items that made the list include new sidewalks, $3.8-million; signage and lampposts, $120,000 to $850,000; redevelopment of the gateway at Third Street and East Livingston Avenue, $650,000; decorative plantings, $350,000; and street furniture, $200,000. Other soft costs, such as engineering and planning, were not factored into the total. Although Rausche hasn’t officially been hired, she said she would seek money through the U.S. Department of
Transportation, which demands 20 percent in matching funds. That presents its own issues, because that application for funds must be made through the city of Columbus, which has its own budgetary limitations. The good news, the committee said, is that Mayor Michael B. Coleman was recently appointed to the national Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. See THIRD STREET, page A2
GVS asks Arshot for accord on proposed racetrack By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers The German Village Society’s board of trustees is looking to strike a good-neighbor agreement with Arshot Investment Corp. over the proposed redevelopment of Cooper Stadium. The board passed a resolution March 7, saying unless certain conditions were met by the developer, the society would publicly oppose Cooper Park, a complex that would include a racetrack in nearby Franklinton. The board passed the resolution at the request of resident Jay Smith, a commercial real-estate broker concerned with the potential for noise such a facility would likely generate. “Without some measure of protection, we have to establish we’re against it,” said Smith, who agreed to begin negotiations with Arshot on behalf of the GVS. Timing is of the essence, as Columbus City Council is poised to vote in the next couple of months on a rezoning that would allow the project to move forward, Smith said. Society members in the past had expressed concern over the racetrack but didn’t formally oppose the plan. Instead, they asked the developer to consider other redevelopment options. Arshot has agreed to put up sound walls to help mitigate the noise and contends, based on its own sound studies, that excessive noise will be well contained within the area of the park. Studies from opposition groups dispute that claim. A vast of majority of races would be held Saturday and Sunday. Mayor Michael B. Coleman has withheld support of the racetrack until Arshot does more to address the noise issue. But the Columbus Development Commission recently supported the developer’s plans. The next stop is city council. Construction of the park could begin in 2012. Meanwhile, Arshot and the Southwest Civic Association, a neighborhood group close to the planned racetrack, have entered a good-neighbor agreement that addresses sound and time of operation. The developer has agreed to pay fines for violations of the accord.
By Eric George/ThisWeek
(Above) German Village resident Kristy Yosick will sell her artisan chocolates in Ted Dyrdek’s Voda Emporium, an Olde Towne East market. (Below) Yosick makes a variety of chocolates, including (from left) sour chocolate, vanilla bean bon bons and chocolates filled with raspberry cream.
Local chocolatier back in the kitchen By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Kristy Yosick is reuniting Columbus with her special brand of handcrafted chocolates. She recently has partnered with the owners of Voda Emporium, an Olde Towne East market that is now the exclusive provider of her artisan treats. Ted Drydek, who owns Voda with Gary Wahlers, said he’s personally a fan of Yosick’s creations. “The truth is, it’s phenomenal,” he said. “We love it.” Yosick said Voda, a quirky market with a wide range of goods, is well suited to carry her merchandise. “I know these guys will respect my chocolates,” she said. It’s also close to her loyal base of German Village customers. On a related note, Yosick has passed along See CHOCOLATES, page A2
See RACETRACK, page A2
Central Ohio libraries again offering help for job seekers By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Once again, the seven library systems in Franklin County are banding together to provide workforce training to central Ohioans. Job Help Week, the fourth such program in three years, is scheduled March 14 through March 18. The theme is “Any Age, Any Stage,” meaning there will be specific programs for teens to senior cit-
izens. The help is free and will deal with everything from building résumés to interviewing skills to using social media websites. All 21 branches of the Columbus Metropolitan Library system will provide programming throughout the week. “Our goal for Job Help Week is to help make connections for our customers who use the library as part of their employment search,” said Steve Hipes, project manager for the li-
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brary’s job help centers. In 2010, the library system helped more than 43,000 people in its Job Help Week efforts, he said. “It’s impressive because it shows the library keeps responding to the customers’ needs,” Hipes said. The Columbus library system is working with some new partners for the event, such as the Office of Continuing Education at The Ohio State University and the Center for Workforce Development at Columbus State
Community College. The new partners join long-term supporters, such as Employment for Seniors and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. “The library’s all about connecting people with information,” Hipes said. “This is a great opportunity for us to do that.” The Upper Arlington, Westerville, Worthington, Grandview Heights,
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A closer look The seven library systems in Franklin County have scheduled Job Help Week, the fourth such program in three years, is scheduled March 14 through March 18. All 21 branches of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, as well as the Upper Arlington, Westerville, Worthington, Grandview Heights, Southwest and Bexley library systems are participating.
See LIBRARIES, page A2
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