Explanation
Background: This ordinance will authorize the Director of Recreation and Parks to establish a purchase order with the Columbus Museum of Art in the amount of $1,500,000 for the administration of the construction of improvements to the Museum. Section III of the existing grant agreement, established in 2013 per Ordinance No. 2116-2013, addresses future grant funds as being automatically a part of the original grant agreement upon passage of an ordinance authorizing the new funds.
2015 funding from the City of Columbus will be used for site work on Washington Plaza and the Sculpture Garden, as part of the third and final phase of the Museum’s multi-year expansion and renovation project. The Washington Plaza is the new public entryway on the north and east side of the Museum’s new wing. The Plaza is bordered by Washington and Gay Streets and links the public parking lot and the new entrance to the Museum. The Sculpture Garden, located on the north side of the site, is 17,000 square feet of green space, free to all and open during Museum hours. It is accessible from the Washington Plaza entry or from inside the Museum. The Garden will have areas for sitting, dining, relaxing and special events. It is adjacent to a new café that will be operated by Cameron Mitchell.
The project is on time and on budget with the public opening scheduled for Sunday, October 25. The development of the Museum facility and public grounds is part of a larger initiative in the Discovery District, including expansions by CCAD, Columbus State and private developers. Most importantly, this project will ensure that the Columbus Museum of Art, the oldest Museum in the state, remains a sustainable, competitive and relevant community asset for future generations. The final stage of the project will be the reconfiguration and updating of the Broad Street lawn in 2016. Emergency action is requested to allow the Columbus Museum of Art to begin work as soon as possible, keeping construction on schedule and the impact to facility operations to a minimum.
Principal Parties:
Columbus Museum of Art
480 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Federal Identification Number: 31-4379447
Non-Profit Organization
Emergency Justification: Emergency action is requested to allow the Columbus Museum of Art to begin work as soon as possible, keeping construction on schedule and the impact to facility operations to a minimum.
Fiscal impact:
The expenditure of $1,500,000.00 is budgeted in the Recreation and Parks Voted Recreation and Parks Bond Fund to meet the financial obligations of this agreement.
Title
To authorize the Director of Recreation and Parks to make payment to the Columbus Museum of Art as part of existing grant agreement; to authorize the expenditure of $1,500,000.00 from the Recreation and Parks Voted Bond Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($1,500,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, it is necessary to make payment to the Columbus Museum of Art for the construction of improvements to the Project Area as part of the existing grant agreement; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Recreation and Parks Department in that it is immediately necessary to make payment to the Columbus Museum of Art for the preservation of public health, peace, property and safety; NOW, THEREFORE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Recreation and Parks be and he is hereby authorized and directed to make payment to the Columbus Museum of Art per the existing grant agreement for the construction of improvements to the Project Area.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $1,500,00.00 or so much thereof as may be necessary to pay the cost thereof, be and is hereby authorized from the Voted Recreation and Parks Bond Fund 702, as follows:
Project OCA Code Object Level 3 Amount
510717-100007 (Columbus Art Museum) 727177 6621 $1,500,000.00
SECTION 3. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 4. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer the unencumbered balance in a project account to the unallocated balance account within the same fund upon receipt of certification by the Director of the Department administering said project that the project has been completed and the monies are no longer required for said project.
SECTION 6. That the monies in the foregoing Section 2 shall be paid upon order of the Director of Recreation and Parks, and that no order shall be drawn or monies paid except by voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
SECTION 7. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or 10 days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.