July 21, 2011
I-270/Rt. 23 project gets green light By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
When its construction is finished in about 2017, the new interchange at I-270 and North High Street will mean an end to the dangerous weaving traffic patterns that have caused accidents and headaches for motorists on Worthington’s north end. New partial-cloverleaf ramps will allow vehicles to seamlessly exit onto U.S. Route 23 north and south, and two trenched middle lanes will promote a smoother route north of the outerbelt. All of this will be done in keeping with Worthington’s desire for a new attractive
entryway into the city, with signs, light posts, and brick walls and piers all designed to reflect the aesthetics of the rest of the city. Worthington City Council on July 18 unanimously approved the next steps in the design and construction process. Council members said they were pleased with the plans as presented and acknowledged the work by city staff and officials from the Ohio Department of Transportation. “We’ve largely achieved our objectives, with some compromises along the way,” city manager Matt Greeson said. Nearly a decade ago, ODOT first pre-
sented its plans to fix the interchange where I-270, Route 23 and state Route 315 merge. The purpose was safety. From 2002 to 2004, a total of 1,600 crashes occurred in the section between routes 315 to 23 alone. The new design will allow motorists to exit from Route 315 and I-270 onto Route 23 without crossing lanes, either on the outerbelt or on Route 23 south or north. The two-lane trench on Route 23, north of the interchange, will allow northbound traffic to flow while outside lanes will allow northbound local traffic to turn into
Crosswoods or onto Flint Road. The trenches will be covered at those two intersections. Gary Harrington of ODOT said this would be the first such trench in Ohio. Also along the east side of Route 23, from Wilson Bridge Road to Crosswoods, will be a 12-foot-wide bicycle-pedestrian lane. It will be separated from traffic by a 4-foot-wide shoulder and will be about 8 inches higher than the roadway. Plans to build a pedestrian bridge over I-270 were too expensive and did not meet the needs of pedestrians or bicyclists, Harrington said. The new pedestrian-bicycle lane will
require crossing intersections, and the lane will not be separated with a barrier. Harrington said a barrier was not warranted because of the width of the shoulder and the path itself. “We do feel it’s a safe improvement,” he said. Total cost of the project is estimated at $293 million. The city will pay nearly $180,000 for the aesthetic features it had requested. The word, “Worthington,” will span I270 at the Route 23 bridge. It will be on a metal fence atop the bridge and will be See PROJECT, page A3
Annexation terms ready for voters By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Photos by Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
About 3,300 people attended A Taste of Worthington on July 15 in the OfficeScape parking lot off of Wilson Bridge Road. Food samples from 23 Worthington-area restaurants were offered for between $1 and $7 each.
Record crowd samples Taste of Worthington By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Worthington-area restaurants served their best dishes on a balmy summer night that still attracted a record crowd to A Taste of Worthington. An estimated 3,300 people attended the 20th annual fundraiser for the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce. The July 15 event was held in the parking lot of OfficeScape, 350 W. Wilson Bridge Road, and included music and games, as well as plenty of tasty food. For between $1 and $7, those attending could buy small portions of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Everyone was invited to fill out a ballot voting for his or her favorite dishes to win the “People’s Choice” awards. As it has for the past several years, J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood
won first place in the entree category with its filet mignon with white cheddar chipotle mashed potatoes. Newcomer Rivage Atlantique took second place for its crayfish etouffee. Butter cracker-crusted walleye with garlic mashed potatoes in chipotle shallot sauce from Cameron’s American Bistro took third. Willow Brooks Christian Home took top prize in the appetizer division for its caramelized chicken-lime skewers. Second place went to Rivage for mini lobster rolls. Tied for third were shrimp durango from J. Gilbert’s and crab rangoon from J. Liu. Cupcakes from Blue Frost Cupcake won the sweet spot in the dessert category, followed by Graeter’s ice cream and Chasing Buckley band members Scott the sticky toffee pudding cake from Bridge- Maruskin (left) and Tiffany Baumgardner water Banquet and Conference Center. perform during A Taste of Worthington.
With public officials’ work complete, the fate of the Riverlea annexation rests with the voters. If final technicalities are ironed out during one last meeting of the Riverlea Annexation Commission today (Thursday, July 21), and if the councils of both Riverlea and Worthington act in a timely manner, the question will be put to the voters Nov. 8. Only if a majority of the voters of both subdivisions agree would the village of Riverlea become part of the city of Worthington. Riverlea is a village of about 550 people within Worthington’s southwest quadrant. It is an independent village, run by a village council and contracting with Worthington for police and fire protection. It is part of the Worthington school district. Last fall, a group of Riverlea residents decided to pursue annexation to Worthington. They collected the required number of signatures on a petition to force both Riverlea and Worthington councils to form a commission to decide on the conditions of annexation. The councils of both must agree to the conditions and send them on to the Franklin County Board of Elections to meet an Aug. 10 deadline to place the issue on the fall ballot. In Worthington, council must set at least one special meeting prior to that deadline. Council customarily recesses in August. Because of time limitations,
A closer look Riverlea is a village of about 550 people within Worthington’s southwest quadrant. It is an independent village, run by a village council and contracting with Worthington for police and fire protection. It is part of the Worthington school district.
the conditions must be passed as an emergency. Emergency legislation requires a positive vote of six members of council, and residents are not able to recall the ordinance. A report of the commission will be made available to the public and probably will be sent to all residents prior to the election. The report is the work of six commissioners who have met each Thursday since early May. Worthington’s commissioners told fellow city council members recently that their intent was to make the annexation as cost-neutral as possible. City manager Matt Greeson reported weeks ago that the cost of operating Riverlea would be about the same as revenue expected to be collected from residents of the village. The challenge to commissioners was to figure out who pays for infrastructure work that needs to be done in Riverlea. They came up with a formula that requires Riverlea residents to pay for some of the road and sewer work over the next severSee ANNEXATION, page A2
Toy store coming to City council refuses downtown Worthington to pass cell-phone ban By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Toyville is coming to town. A couple from Arizona has leased the southern third of the old Kilbourne building, 679 High St., where they plan to open a toy store in September. The shop will be called Toyville and will be modeled after four stores Diane and Gary Naumann owned in the Newport Beach, Calif., area until they sold them four years ago. Good quality toys ranging in
price from 50-cents to $150 will fill the 1,200 square feet of storefront formerly occupied by Curio Cabinet. HER is in the process of moving into the northern two-thirds of the Kilbourne commercial building, which was built in 1808 and is said to be the oldest building in Worthington. Diane Naumann said she was ready to get back into the toy business and was visiting her sister in Westerville when she came across the building, which was for lease. “We like the neighborhood feel,”
she said. “The building is beautiful.” Katie Wood, who is Naumann’s niece, will manage the store. When she was in college at Ohio State University, Wood worked holidays in the family’s California toy stores, which were called Toy Boat, Toy Boat, Toy Boat. The shops always focused in customer service, from making special orders to providing free gift wrapping. That tradition will continue in Worthington, Naumann said.“We’re really excited about it,” she said.
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By CANDY BROOKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
After an impassioned discussion, Worthington City Council on July 18 voted against prohibiting cell-phone use while driving. The vote was 4-2, with council president Lou Goorey and ordinance sponsor Dave Norstrom supporting the ban on using hand-held mobile communication devices while driving in Worthington. Norstrom, who tried unsuccessfully to have the same ordinance approved a year ago, is a consultant in the transportation field. He presented research showing that talking on a phone
while driving distracts drivers and leads to accidents. His plea was repeated by three central Ohio residents, including a woman whose husband was killed by a driver who was talking on a cell phone 11 years ago in Licking County. Sharon Montgomery of Gahanna said the only penalty the driver faced was a $75 fine. She countered the argument that the state should pass the ban, as opposed to communities, saying state legislators will act only if several communities begin passing their own cell-phone bans. See BAN, page A2
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