Clintonville Area Commission

The Zoning & Variance Committee has received no new applications; therefore, the meeting scheduled for November 29 has been canceled.  The next meeting of Zoning & Variance, assuming the receipt of applications, is scheduled for Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 7:30 pm at Clinton Heights Lutheran Church.

Construction set to begin on West 3rd Avenue between Edgehill Road and fire station

The city of Columbus is continuing its initiative to improve the public infrastructure on West 3^rd Avenue between Olentangy River Road and Edgehill Road. The project will facilitate traffic flow, improve safety and provide pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations. Construction on the final phase will begin Nov. 28, 2016, and end in autumn 2017, subject to weather conditions.

Work starting Nov. 28:

·         Contractor will lay conduit on 3^rd Avenue, which is expected to take two weeks, subject to weather conditions.

·         No lane closures or detours will be needed. Traffic will be maintained by flaggers. PLEASE SLOW DOWN AND FOLLOW FLAGGERS’ DIRECTIONS.

·         Work will stop once the conduit is finished then resume Jan. 2, 2017.

·         Work in 2017 will require lane closures and/or detours, details of which are still being finalized. More details will follow in the coming weeks.

Improvements include:

 3^rd Avenue, approximately 375 feet west and 400 feet east of the CSX railroad bridge

·         Widen and reconstruct roadway

·         Construct a new two-span railroad bridge

·         Build curbs, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps (ADA), sidewalks and shared-use path

·         Upgrade street lights, signs and underground cables for traffic signals

·         Plant street trees and landscaping

Rail Street between 3^rd Avenue and 300 feet south of 3^rd Avenue

·         Construct new roadway

·         Build curbs, ADA curb ramps and sidewalks

·         Upgrade street lights and signs

 Edgehill Road & 3^rd Avenue intersection

·         Install new traffic signal

·         Build sidewalk, ADA curb ramps and bike path connections to Bobcat Avenue

 Edgehill Road & 5^th Avenue intersection

·         Install new traffic signal

·         Build curbs, ADA curb ramps and sidewalks

2016-2017 City of Columbus Winter Preparedness Update

The city of Columbus continues to monitor the weather for snow & ice for the upcoming weekend.

The city of Columbus Snow Warriors are monitoring bridges, overpasses, as well as identified anti-ice routes citywide in preparation for the possibility of colder temperatures mixed with precipitation over the weekend. Due to the possibility of rain preceding any snowfall they will anti-ice as the weather permits, and service as necessary throughout.

• Anti-icing is the proactive applying of products to roadways before a snow & ice  event. Anti-icing helps prevent snow and ice from bonding to pavement, allowing workers to clear the roads more easily. Anti-icing can create safer winter conditions and is a more cost-effective alternative to de-icing. Managers cannot rely on one method for de-icing and anti-icing because each chemical and storm is different.
• De-icing is the application of ice-control products to driving surfaces to melt existing snow and ice. City staff members perform de-icing during and after an event to melt remaining snow and ice.

Once the snow falls, be sure to go to warriorwatch.columbus.gov to see what city streets have been serviced in the past 72 hours and to check the priority level of your street.

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther to Release 2017 Budget Proposal

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther will release his 2017 General Operating Fund Budget proposal on Thursday, November 10, 2:30 pm at the Hilltop YMCA. The budget is based on the revenue projected for the year.

The budget will be available online at approximately 3 p.m. Thursday.

Where:

Hilltop YMCA, in the gymnasium

2879 Valleyview Drive

Columbus, OH 43204

The city has set update meetings to learn about initial recommendations for the Connect Columbus project.  The first meeting is November 16 at Whetstone Shelter House from 5-8 p.m.

columbus-november-flyer

A public hearing on pending legislation regarding extended stay  hotels has been scheduled for November 17 at 4:30 pm in Columbus City Council chambers at City Hall.  Should you wish to speak, speaker slips will be available starting at 8:30 am that morning.

Clintonville Area Commission will meet this Thursday, November 3, 7 pm, at the Whetstone branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.  There will be no Zoning & Variance meeting this week.

The Columbus Division of Power is working to improve neighborhoods by providing high quality, energy efficient street lights.  That is why the division is beginning a pilot project that will lead to new streetlight design standards for the entire city.

Streetlights along Northridge Road between Indianola Avenue and Granden Road have been replaced with a new generation of LED correlated color temperature (CCT) lights.  CCT uses the Kelvin temperature measurement scale to describe the relative color appearance of a light source indicating whether it appears more yellow/gold (3,000 Kelvin) or more white (4,000 Kelvin).

In an effort to finalize the LED streetlight design standards for Columbus, the city has installed both 3,000 Kelvin and 4,000 Kelvin LED streetlights for public review.  Lights are labeled “3K” and “4K” towards the top of the pole, right under the fixture. The lights are on from sundown to sunrise.

Comments regarding color temperature preference from all interested stakeholders, even those who do not live in the immediate area, including residents, area commissioners, developers, architects, electrical contractors and other providers will be accepted until 4 PM, Monday, November 23, 2016.  Please submit written comments via email to streetlights@columbus.gov or mail-in comments to Danny Jones, Streetlight Engineering Manager, Division of Power, 3500 Indianola Ave., Columbus, OH 43214.

For more information contact John Ivanic, Assistant Director, Public Utilities Department, 614-645-6798 or jpivanic@columbus.gov

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon Coming to Alum Creek Drive

The City of Columbus is rolling out a pedestrian-activated warning device on Alum Creek Drive at Hanford Village Park between Main Street and Livingston Avenue on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016.

Pedestrian hybrid beacons are flashing, red lights located on mast arms over mid-block pedestrian crossings. Pedestrians push a button to activate the beacons. Drivers must then stop to allow pedestrians to cross. The project is intended to make crossing heavily driven, arterial streets safer and easier for pedestrians. The new equipment will be in flashing mode for seven days starting Oct. 25 then placed in permanent, operational mode Tuesday, Nov. 1.

What benefits are provided by a pedestrian hybrid beacon?

• Mid-block locations account for more than 70 percent of pedestrian fatalities, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Pedestrians can more safely and easily cross the street at marked crosswalks by alerting and controlling drivers with a beacon warning system.
• The beacon includes a flashing, red stop light to motorists approaching the crosswalk.

Additional pedestrian hybrid beacons are expected to be installed at different locations in the future.

A short video produced by the Ohio Department of Transportation shows a pedestrian hybrid beacon in action:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXgJcyCfMmY