Locations identified for Neighborhood Policing Center

COLUMBUS – A working group of City of Columbus and Ohio State officials are making a preliminary recommendation to President Karen A. Holbrook and Mayor Michael B. Coleman that a Neighborhood Policing Center be located on 11th Avenue between Summit and Fourth streets on a site currently owned by the Columbus Electric Division.

The committee, led by Kathy Dillow, special assistant to Ohio State’s senior vice president for business and finance, and Gary Holland, deputy director of the city’s Department of Public Safety, also identified two other sites as possibilities: A now-closed Zettler Hardware store on Chittenden between Summit and Fourth streets, and Summit United Methodist Church and an adjacent school, at 17th Avenue and Summit Street. The committee hired Horne & King Architects of Dublin to help make the siting recommendation.

“The architects have done a thorough job in evaluating site alternatives that meet our
objective to provide a visible police and safety presence in the University District,” Holland said. “Once we present our recommendation to the Mayor and the President, we will be able to start working on this important capital project and further enhance neighborhood safety.”

Dillow said the next step in the process will be a meeting between Holbrook and Coleman to make a final decision. Should they follow the recommendation for the 11th Avenue site, the committee would develop a program of requirements, engage a design firm and develop some preliminary cost estimates. The university and the city have agreed to share the costs equally, and the city will supervise the facility’s building. The entire process likely will take a little less than two years.

Estimated costs for the project are expected to be about $3.2 million, including a $200,000 Neighborhood Pride Center, excluding site acquisition costs which are still under review.

Holland said that the committee would continue meeting with community leaders and representatives of key neighborhood groups and, once a site is selected, work with the community on creating the space that would be most effective in meeting its needs.

He said the 11th Avenue site is the most cost-effective, because the city already owns the land and there is no building on it, meaning no demolition costs would be involved as would be in the other two locations.

Dillow said the committee took more time in the planning phase because the members felt that it would pay off in the long run.

“This will be a very unique facility,” she said. “We believe the additional time spent will be worth it in the end.”

Aftab Pureval, Undergraduate Student Government president, said USG fully supports the collaboration between the city and the university to create a neighborhood policing center. “This project is a clear indication that the university and the city of Columbus care deeply for the safety and well-being of Ohio State students. As undergraduates, it is our hope that this safety center goes a long way toward preventing crime and creating a stronger community,” he said.