Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of Recreation and Parks to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) for the 2021 Clean Ohio Conservation Fund (Round 15) - Refugee Road, Mason Run Preservation Project. This ordinance will also authorize the appropriation of grant and matching funds. The grant amount is $1,008,000.00 and the local match amount is $432,000.00. There is a total of $1,440,000.00 being authorized by this ordinance.
In February of 2021, the Department applied for Clean Ohio Conservation Funds towards fee simple acquisition of three sites in Columbus, including one along Big Walnut Creek in the Northeast area of the city and two along Mason Run, in the city’s Mideast Community. In May of 2021, the Department received notice that the grant was approved. This particular grant involves the site along Mason Run.
Mason Run is a primary tributary stream of Big Walnut Creek. It goes from John Glenn Regional Airport to Winchester Pike at Three Creeks Park. This project would protect a substantial tract of 78.6 acres of land on the city’s southeast side, between Refugee Road and Kimberly Parkway. The site contains approximately 56 acres of woodlands and nearly 21 acres of open meadow and floodplain. Five existing access points surround the perimeter of the property. The span of the site, from Kimberly Parkway to Refugee Road, is over a half of a mile long, placing almost 5,000 residents within a 10 minute walk. In 2007, the Department acquired an adjacent 21 acre conservation property along Mason Run, and, in 2009, acquired a 24 acre natural area at the confluence of Mason Run and Big Walnut Creek. This all brings the total impact of connected stream corridor protection to nearly 1.25 miles.
Principal Parties:
Ohio Public Works Commission
Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, District 3
65 East State Street, Suite 312
Columbus, OH 43215
Emergency Justification: Emergency action is requested as the...
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