July 14, 2011
Wilson Bridge corridor study approved By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Worthington City Council has approved a study that envisions Wilson Bridge Road as a vibrant mix of apartments, condominiums, offices and shops connected by a recreation path and a Matt pedestrian bridge over North High Street. Greeson The Wilson Bridge Road corridor
study is meant to guide the private and public development and redevelopment of Wilson Bridge Road over the next 20 years. Gahanna-based consultants Bird Houk Collaborative developed the study over
the past two years, based on public input, market research and assessment of existing conditions. The 1.4-mile stretch from the Olentangy River to the railroad tracks just east of McCord Park was targeted because it is an area where redevelopment is needed and could benefit the longterm financial health of the community, city manager Matt Greeson said. It
will be used as decisions are made regarding development, capital improvements and economic incentives. The 67-page document includes landuse maps and sketches of how the area could appear if its guidelines are followed. Offices, residential and mixed uses should be developed on most of the properties, according to the plan.
Residential and mixed-use developments and hotels could be six stories or higher in some areas, which would be new for Worthington, where a threestory limit is in effect throughout the city. At the far-west side, next to the Olentangy Parklands, land should be develSee STUDY, page A2
City to lose nearly $1 million a year from state cuts
‘Taste’ marks CREATIVE SPARK 20 years of appealing to palates, pocketbooks By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By CANDY BROOKS In 1991, the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce threw a small party behind the then-State Savings Bank in downtown Worthington. A few residents and downtown workers gathered one evening to sample the food of local restaurants. This was before the days when every suburban community had a “taste of” festival and was the modest beginning of what would become one of the community’s most popular summer events. When the 20th annual A Taste of Worthington is held Friday, July 15, it will be in the largest outdoor venue the chamber could find; 23 restaurants will offer everything from corndogs to ratatouille risotto; bands will rock; and children will find plenty of ways to entertain themselves while their parents eat and socialize. If the weather holds, some 3,000 people are expected to gather in the parking lot of OfficeScape Corporate Center, 350 W. Wilson Bridge Road, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The overwhelming popularity of the event is not difficult to understand, chamber director Kathryn Paugh said. Where else could one find such a wide variety of food at such a reasonable price, she asked. Admission is $2; children under age 6 are admitted free. Food prices range from $1 to $7 so that people could sample and compare several dishes. “The other part that appeals to people in this community is an interest in connecting in activities that brings out kids, strollers and neighbors,” Paugh said. “And they enjoy supporting their neighborhood restaurants.” This year’s A Taste of Worthington will feature the widest array of fare and family events in the event’s history, she said. More than 50 appetizers, entrees and desserts, ranging from upscale gourmet to simple picnic-style favorites, will be served by 23 area restaurants and food vendors, who will compete for the public’s “votes” as favorites in the friendly “People’s Choice” competition. Soft drinks, bottled water, draft beer and wine also will be sold. A mobile ATM from Delaware County Bank & Trust will be placed near the beverage stations for visitors’ convenience. Food vendors will include Blue Frost Cupcake, Bravo! Cucina Italiana, Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cameron’s American Bistro, Cantina Laredo, Cheryl’s Cookies, Cumin Indian Restaurant, Dairy Queen, Friendship Village of Columbus, G. Worthy’s Bar & Grill, Graeter’s, Greek Express & Acropolis, J. Gilbert’s Wood Fired Steaks & Seafood, J. Liu Restaurant & Bar, The Laurels of Norworth & Worthington, Mojo TaGo, Old Bag of Nails Pub, Pastimes Pub & Grill, Rivage Atlantique, Rusty Bucket Corner Tavern, Willow Brook Christian Home and The Worthington Inn. “A Taste of Worthington 2011 is clearly a taste of many cultures, regions, culinary styles and diverse talents, much like See TASTE, page A2
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
Gwen Hatcher, 6, (left) and Taylor Ball, 7, perform during the story of Abiyoyo as part of Camp Creativity at the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center on July 11. The camp is a one-week arts experience for children ages 6 to 12.
Now that the state budget has been approved, the bad news is settling in: Worthington stands to lose nearly $1 million a year. The amount figured by city officials is about $958,079 less a year, beginning in 2013. That is 4.4 percent of the 2010 city operating budget of $21.8 million. “It’s going to be very difficult for us to figure out how to handle the loss of a million dollars a year,” Worthington City Council member Bonnie Michael said. Reductions begin immediately, but the first year of the full impact will be in 2013. The total loss over the next three years is expected to be $1,757,866. The loss will result from cuts to the Local Government Fund, the elimination of the estate tax and cuts to the tangible-personal-property-tax and public-utility-deregulation reimbursements. The total amount Worthington received from those three funds in 2010 was $1,374,743. Local government funds amounted to $868,987 in 2010, or 3.99 percent of the city’s general revenues. In 2011, that is projected to be cut to $825,538, followed by $569,621 in 2012 and $427,215 in 2013. The cumulative three-year loss will be $784,584. The five-year average from the estate tax is $604,303, though the 2010 revenue was $383,545. The estate tax will continue as is until 2013, when it will be discontinued. Reimbursements from the loss of personal property tax and public utility deregulation totaled $143,991 in 2010. That sum is expected to decrease to $37,267 in 2011; $14,496 in 2012; and $11,228 in 2013. Michael said no specific local reductions have been planned, but the budget will have to be rearranged to reflect the loss. See CUTS, page A4
10 new bike racks on path to approval By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Riding a bike for work or pleasure will become a bit easier if the city follows through with a proposal to install 10 modern, efficient bike racks around town. The inverted-U racks are inexpensive, sturdy and extremely functional, according to Fred Yaeger. Yaeger and Lisa Staggenborg, lead-
ers of Sustainable Worthington, have been lobbying the city to improve bike parking for two years and are pleased to see their efforts paying off. Yaeger also created a website that shows all 33 bike racks in Worthington. Press one of the bike icons on the site and a photo and description of the rack pops up. Many of the aging racks are unsightly, do not hold bikes upright and sometimes don’t allow for baskets. Yaeger
called them “highly ineffective.” The simple inverted-U racks are approximately 3-foot-tall pipes attached to sidewalks or parking lots. “They allow great density, and a myriad of designs of bikes can park at them,” he said. Inverted-U racks already are used at the community center. Slated to receive the new racks are the downtown municipal parking lots on both sides of High Street; in front
of the new parking lot near House Wines, at East New England Avenue and High Street; in front of the Worthington post office; the south ends of the southwest and southeast quadrants of the Village Green; the south end of the Griswold Center; and in front of the Kilbourne Memorial building, the Municipal Building and the engineering/service complex. See RACKS, page A4
Middlebury Drive garage plans withdrawn By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Middlebury Drive homeowners Alec and Kristin Carpenter withdrew their application to build a new garage when 16 of their neighbors turned out in opposition at the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) meeting July 7. “I didn’t know there was so much opposition,” Alec Carpenter told the BZA. The Carpenters had proposed to build a twobay, 1,176-square-foot detached garaged behind
their 830 Middlebury Drive North home. A variance was needed because the garage would have brought the total area of all accessory structures on the property to 1,702 square feet, 852 square feet more than the allowed 850 square feet. The home already has an attached garage and a shed. In a written statement, the couple said they needed more utility, garage and storage space. The new garage would have provided additional storage on a second story.
They stated that their basement is less than 400 square feet in area and that they have three vehicles and probably would add another when their daughter begins to drive in a couple of years. They also plan to add a second story to their house in a couple of years, they said. “We have become fond of our neighbors and neighborhood over that last 16 years and would hate to relocate over a space issue,” they stated. The BZA also approved variances for the folSee BZA, page A2