Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes an expenditure correction in the amount of $207,318.75 from the Recreation and Parks Permanent Grant Fund 2283 to the Recreation and Parks Voted Bond Fund 7702 to balance the Clean Ohio - Refugee Road, Mason Run Preservation grant and close it out prior to year end.
In February of 2021, the Recreation and Parks Department applied for Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) Clean Ohio Conservation Funds towards fee simple acquisition of three sites in Columbus as part of the Refugee Road, Mason Run Preservation Project. The grant was awarded in the amount of $1,008,000.00 with a local match amount of $432,000.00, for a total of $1,440,000.00. The grant was accepted and appropriated per Ordinance 2312-2021. Ordinance 2694-2021 later authorized the City Attorney to acquire and accept certain fee simple title and lesser real estate located at Refugee Road, Hamilton Road Rear, and Kimberly Parkway. The acquisitions were completed in 2022 and created a 78 acre conservation area and future community park in one of the last undeveloped woodlands in the Mid East Community.
The planning of the space included restored natural areas, creating a series of paths and trails through the woodlands. These paths and trails will provide both passive recreation within the park and improved community connectivity from Kimberly Parkway to Hamilton Road and the Eastland Mall Property. In an effort to provide more active park amenities per input from the community, additional active amenities were added to the plans for the space, including multipurpose sports fields, hard courts, play spaces, fitness spaces, and parking. These additional active amenities required 17.5 acres of space that, per the terms of the conservation grant, was no longer eligible for grant funding reimbursement. As a result, $207,318.75 of the costs of the acquisitions need to be expenditure corrected to come from the Recreation and Parks Voted Bond Fund in lieu of ...
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