Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of Recreation and Parks to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Public Works Commission for the 2020 Clean Ohio Conservation Fund Round 14, Stockbridge Urban Forest Project. This ordinance will also authorize the appropriation of the grant and matching funds. The grant amount is $636,000.00 and the local match amount is $425,000.00.
This ordinance will also authorize the City Attorney to spend the grant and matching funds to acquire and accept in good faith certain fee simple title and lesser real estate located 3350 South Champion Avenue (PID# 010-113466, Stockbridge Elementary School) in order for the Recreation and Parks Department to timely complete the Stockbridge Urban Forest Project.
In March of 2020, the Department applied for Clean Ohio Funds to acquire green spaces in the Far South community to acquire the former Stockbridge Elementary School property from the Columbus City Schools. (Ordinance 0432-2020). In July of 2020, the Department received notice that the grant was approved and this ordinance will allow the Director to enter into the grant agreement, accept the funding, and provide the matching funds.
The Stockbridge Urban Forest Project will commence once the acquisition of the former Stockbridge Elementary School property in the city’s Scioto Southland community is completed. The property is adjacent to Stockbridge Park and will provide an additional 11 acres to the parkland. Columbus City Schools offered the property for sale and this was a unique opportunity to provide more park space and natural area in a heavily built out neighborhood with a significant deficit in green space. The Urban Forest Project will be the city’s first pilot project to restore urban tree canopy on a large scale to one of the city’s most hard hit communities for trees. To accomplish this, the Department has prepared a plan to raze the school, eliminate the hardscape, remediate the soil, and ...
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