OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Columbus Redevelopment Commission Regular Meeting - July 20, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, July 20, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, July 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 28:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And welcome to today's regular CRC meeting.

0:04

I will begin with roll call.

0:07

Cindy Bull.

0:08

Shannon McDonald, Jim Linnap, Scott Ballard, Trina Carter.

0:13

I'm here.

0:14

Also with us today, we have Michaela Brown, Assistant Director of Redevelopment.

0:20

Heather is absent today due to the family situation.

0:24

Casey Buchanan, our redevelopment specialist is here back from oh, you know what she's back from.

0:33

Grace Kessler is not here.

0:35

Frank Miller here filling in for her, the city council member.

0:40

Thank you, Frank, for being here.

0:42

Jason Major, the liaison from the BCSC board, Mary Strode, CRC legal counsel, and we have Tom Dell in the audience, a city council member.

0:52

This is our regular monthly meeting of the redevelopment commission.

0:54

We have four action items on the agenda today.

0:58

The first action item is resolution 15, 2026 of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to approve funds from the airport allocation area to relocate the sewer main for the new Columbus Animal Care Services Facility.

1:12

Andrew Beckert, City Engineer is present to introduce the request on behalf of Brian Payne.

1:18

Andrew, it's all yours.

1:19

Good afternoon.

1:20

This is a request for 225,000 for a sewer project that benefits the airport and animal care services, the new animal shelter.

1:30

There's an existing sewer line running through that site that needs relocated to be able to build the building.

1:35

And this sewer also will help uh future expansion of the Columbus Airport's Airplex Commerce Center.

1:43

It follows the right of way for the future road extension.

1:46

So I'm here.

1:47

It's about almost 1700 feet of pipe that's going to go in the ground as a part of this.

1:52

So it's a pretty substantial project.

1:54

And I can answer any questions.

1:56

Okay.

1:56

Are there any questions from the commission?

2:01

Any questions from the audience?

2:03

Okay, it wasn't the load bid for this, like 275,000.

2:11

Yeah, so the 225 is the redevelopment share.

2:14

City Utilities has a piece to decommission the existing lift station.

2:18

It's about 50,000.

2:20

It is being paid for by Columbus City Utilities.

2:24

Are there any additional comments or questions?

2:28

Yeah.

2:29

Thank you, Andrew.

2:30

I would entertain a motion to act on resolution 15, 2026 of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to approve funds from the airport allocation area to re-cloak relocate the sewer main for the new Columbus Animal Care Services facility.

2:44

Wow.

2:45

In an amount not to exceed 225,000.

2:50

I'm not going to repeat all that on that motion.

2:54

Thank you.

2:54

We have a motion by Cindy.

2:57

Do we have a second?

3:01

We have a first and the second.

3:02

All those in favor of this motion, please say aye.

3:10

The next action item.

3:12

Oh, thank you very much, Andrew.

3:14

I forgot to say thank you.

3:15

Oh no.

3:16

The next action item is resolution 16, 2026 of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to approve a downtown improvement grant to the Office of Downtown Development.

3:27

I think the clue, executive director of ODD, is present to introduce the request.

3:42

Thanks for having me.

3:43

Thanks for getting me on the agenda.

3:45

This is our third request.

3:48

And typically what we had agreed on was 250,000 per year.

3:55

And due to the popularity of the program, that's why we're back here.

4:05

And so as we kind of scroll through this just a little bit, um, I just want to give an overview, quick overview of kind of where we're at in this.

4:14

So Casey, if you want to go.

4:16

Do I have a clicker?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Downtown Development█████████████████████████████████████████████67%
Redevelopment███████████████23%
Procedural████6%
Capital Projects███4%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbus Redevelopment Commission Regular Meeting - July 20, 2026

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission held its regular monthly meeting on July 20, 2026, with all members present. The commission approved funding for a sewer relocation project and a downtown improvement grant, along with routine approvals of minutes and claims. Staff provided updates on major redevelopment projects.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of June 15, 2026 Minutes: Motion by Shannon McDonald, seconded by Cindy Bull. Unanimously approved.
  • Approval of Claims: Total claims docket of $1,340,479.58. Motion by [member], seconded by Shannon McDonald. Unanimously approved.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 15-2026 – Sewer Main Relocation for Animal Care Services Facility: Andrew Beckert, City Engineer, presented a request for $225,000 from the airport allocation area to relocate an existing sewer line for the new animal shelter. The project includes approximately 1,700 feet of pipe and also supports future expansion of the Columbus Airport’s Airplex Commerce Center. Total project cost is $275,000, with Columbus City Utilities contributing $50,000 for decommissioning the existing lift station. Motion by Cindy Bull, seconded, and unanimously approved.
  • Resolution 16-2026 – Downtown Improvement Grant to Office of Downtown Development (ODD): Ike, Executive Director of ODD, presented a request for $250,000 (the third such request). The grant program, launched in May 2024, has funded 22 projects year-to-date with a private investment leverage of $2.5 million (4:1 ratio). Projects include exterior facade and interior improvements, with two tiers (up to $15,000 for exteriors). Grant cycles are quarterly. A grant agreement requiring reporting on project updates was also authorized. Motion by [member], seconded by Jim Linnap, and approved unanimously (with one abstention noted – though the chair declared unanimous passage).

Staff Updates

  • Personnel: Welcome back to Casey Buchanan, redevelopment specialist, returning from leave. The department now has three staff members.
  • Downtown Entrance Plaza (Gateway Plaza): In a scoping period with a preferred contractor; value engineering and due diligence on funding sources ongoing. A future appropriation request to city council is expected.
  • Second Street Thoroughfare Project: Utility tie-ins and related work in progress. Challenges with a 100-year-old water main have been managed. Curb, gutter, bump outs, and pedestrian crossings will follow on the north side of the street. Brick pavers at the Washington Street intersection are visible.
  • Riverfront: Significant progress: amphitheater has been poured (except remaining seating), staircasing poured up to the upland connection, trail connection under Third Street bridge poured. Sheet piling (20–30 foot sections, two-thirds underground) is being installed for erosion control and trail stabilization.
  • Columbus Downtown 2030: An RFQ for a lead development partner and an RFI for development concepts on specific sites are both active. Proposals are due by the end of July. Final questions from interested parties have been addressed in a second addendum.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Resolution 15-2026 (sewer relocation funding) unanimously.
  • Approved Resolution 16-2026 (downtown improvement grant) unanimously (with one abstention).
  • Approved June 15, 2026 minutes and the June claims docket unanimously.
  • Meeting adjourned with no further business.

Meeting Transcript

And welcome to today's regular CRC meeting. I will begin with roll call. Cindy Bull. Shannon McDonald, Jim Linnap, Scott Ballard, Trina Carter. I'm here. Also with us today, we have Michaela Brown, Assistant Director of Redevelopment. Heather is absent today due to the family situation. Casey Buchanan, our redevelopment specialist is here back from oh, you know what she's back from. Grace Kessler is not here. Frank Miller here filling in for her, the city council member. Thank you, Frank, for being here. Jason Major, the liaison from the BCSC board, Mary Strode, CRC legal counsel, and we have Tom Dell in the audience, a city council member. This is our regular monthly meeting of the redevelopment commission. We have four action items on the agenda today. The first action item is resolution 15, 2026 of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to approve funds from the airport allocation area to relocate the sewer main for the new Columbus Animal Care Services Facility. Andrew Beckert, City Engineer is present to introduce the request on behalf of Brian Payne. Andrew, it's all yours. Good afternoon. This is a request for 225,000 for a sewer project that benefits the airport and animal care services, the new animal shelter. There's an existing sewer line running through that site that needs relocated to be able to build the building. And this sewer also will help uh future expansion of the Columbus Airport's Airplex Commerce Center. It follows the right of way for the future road extension. So I'm here. It's about almost 1700 feet of pipe that's going to go in the ground as a part of this. So it's a pretty substantial project. And I can answer any questions. Okay. Are there any questions from the commission? Any questions from the audience? Okay, it wasn't the load bid for this, like 275,000. Yeah, so the 225 is the redevelopment share. City Utilities has a piece to decommission the existing lift station. It's about 50,000. It is being paid for by Columbus City Utilities. Are there any additional comments or questions? Yeah. Thank you, Andrew. I would entertain a motion to act on resolution 15, 2026 of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission to approve funds from the airport allocation area to re-cloak relocate the sewer main for the new Columbus Animal Care Services facility. Wow. In an amount not to exceed 225,000. I'm not going to repeat all that on that motion. Thank you. We have a motion by Cindy. Do we have a second? We have a first and the second. All those in favor of this motion, please say aye. The next action item. Oh, thank you very much, Andrew. I forgot to say thank you. Oh no.

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