Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Recreation and Parks Department to enter into contract with Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. for the Three Creeks Wetland Restoration Project. The contract amount is $142,584.86, with a contingency of $14,258.49, for a total of $156,843.35 being authorized by this ordinance.
Three Creeks Park is a 1,097 acre park in the Far South Community and is jointly managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department and Franklin County Metro Parks. Three Creeks Park was historically farmed, but wetlands have been developing over the past decade as the land has naturally converted from agricultural use. It is important that the Recreation and Parks Department restores the wetlands at Three Creeks Park, as approximately 90 percent of all wetlands in Ohio have been lost. Wetlands improve water quality, provide flood control, serve as critical habitat for a variety of wildlife, and capture carbon dioxide.
The project will create a 12-acre wetland within a 20-acre restored area, north of Watkins Road and to the east of the Alum Creek Trail. Additionally, this project will plant additional trees to support the Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP) and increase the canopy in the Far South Community, which has low canopy cover. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department received grant funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) H2Ohio Program to fund a wetland restoration at Three Creeks Park. In addition to the H2Ohio Grant, the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department also acquired a donation from Google for tree plantings in the project area. Construction is anticipated to start in spring of 2025 and is expected to be complete by spring of 2026.
Vendor Bid/Proposal Submissions (Office of Diversity and Inclusion designation status): Bids were advertised through Vendor Services, in accordance with Columbus City Codes Chapter 329, on January 29, 2024 and received by the Recreatio...
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