Far Northwest Coalition

MAY 2002 FNWC MINUTES

MAY 29, 2002 FNWC MINUTES

FAR NORTHWEST COALITION
P. O. BOX 340285 COLUMBUS, OH 43234-0285

May 29, 2002

The Far Northwest Coalition (FNWC) met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the Northwest Library. Members present of the FNWC
Board were John Best, Mark Seeger, Eric Goldsmith, Mark Gresham & Rich Herner.

John Best opened the meeting at 7:00 pm with introductions of the FNWC members present to the attending residents. He discussed a couple
of zoning code enforcement issues in the area, in particular graphics in the right of way. He also noted the city ordinance concerning grass
height of 12 inches, must be cut. He encouraged the residents to contact the city if they are aware of any of these violations.

Best then reported that he had information from City staff that traffic lights should be going up at the Sawmill/Billingsley Road and Sawmill / Summitview Road intersections sometime in 2003. There are also plans to extend the off ramp from I-270 West to Sawmill Road North up to and including Billingsley Road, probably sometime next spring.

Best advised the group that the Development Commission approved the requested zoning change for the property at 2690 W. Dublin-Granville
Road and the associated zoning request for 2704 W. Dublin-Granville Road had for the time being been withdrawn by the owner. He also
reported that the development at 7140 Linworth Road, commonly known as the Foster Woods project, had been put on hold pending some
questions that the property owner had with the group to handle the development.

Best then, briefly mentioned the Hickory Bluff Farms project on SR 315, just north of Worthington Hills. He also noted that the 17th precinct in Columbus, the far northwest area, had the lowest crime rate in the city.

Andy Zarins, a project engineer for the City of Columbus; Jim Knowlton, a right of way negotiator for the City; Phil Fry, a project manager
for the URS Corporation (a consulting engineering firm) and J.P. Blackwood of Paving The Way, made a short presentation to the FNWC
and the large group of residents present, concerning the Hard Road project.

Zarins said the construction should start roughly in March 2003 and last approximately two years. This is the "B" phase of the project from Smokey Row to Linworth Road. There will be five lanes (2 through lanes each way & a left turn lane where needed (5 lanes total).
The project will include sidewalks on both sides, the railroad underpass, bike lanes and a small boulevard to the sidewalk. The utility work
will be an on-going affair from now until construction begins. There was concern about the time involved to finish the design phase and it was commented that URS was waiting on demographic information from the Worthington Schools concerning students in the immediate area
that would be impacted by the project.

There was a lengthy discussion with the residents and the project officials about the possibility of a traffic signal at Saddle Run and Hard Road, as well as the rights of way and associated easements going thru the residents' properties. The residents stated their various concerns about the project, including the loss of fences and trees in the area to construction. The residents continued to discuss several points with the representatives present and considered contacting other City officials directly. FNWC will add some "talking points" to its web site to assist the residents in their communication preparation.

There being no further business to come before the FNWC the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Rich Herner
Secretary