Columbus Board of Works Meeting – August 4, 2026
Columbus Board of Works Meeting – August 4, 2026
The Board of Works met on August 4, 2026, with members John Pickett, Brenda Sullivan, and Eric Fry present, constituting a quorum. The meeting included approvals of routine items, a banner request, bid opening for elevator repairs, a grant agreement for animal shelter construction, code enforcement actions, and various right-of-way permits.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of July 28, 2026, Meeting Minutes – Approved unanimously.
- Banner Request for Fiesta Latina – Approved a revised design for banners advertising the September 11, 2026, event (11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fourth Street and Washington Street). The theme is "baile inolvidable" (unforgettable dance).
- Bid Opening for United Way Elevator Repairs – One bid received from Executive Elevator Company for elevator repairs funded by Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The bid was taken under advisement and referred to United Way.
- Grant Agreement for Animal Care Shelter Funding – Approved a $1,753,750 grant agreement from Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) funds for construction of a new animal shelter. The grant requires reporting, with internal tracking overseen by ClearPower Grant Administrator.
- DORA Permit for Columbus Area Arts Council – Approved a temporary Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) permit for the Arts Council’s event on September 3, 2026, in Arts Alley. The council will handle its own bartending with permitted bartenders.
- Notice to Bidders for Second Overlay Project – Approved advertisement for bids on the city’s second overlay project.
- Expanded Right-of-Way Use for Hospice Concert – Approved an addition to the previously approved event application, allowing closure of Lafayette Street between 5th and 4th Streets for food trucks and drinks, while keeping 5th Street in front of the library for the concert area.
- Weekly Special Use Right-of-Way Summary – Approved routine utility work and a tree removal by Frank’s Tree Care requiring a lane restriction on Goeller Boulevard.
- Approval of Five Dockets of Claims – Approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Code Enforcement: 641 North Cherry Street – Code Enforcement Officer Robin Travis requested authority to vacate, condemn, demolish, and pursue legal action for the property, which is currently occupied by squatters. The owner is unavailable. The board approved the action. Member Pickett noted that action on another property (1921 California) had not been taken due to pending guardianship issues and a potential sale. Staff confirmed they are monitoring the situation.
Key Outcomes
- All votes were unanimous with no opposition recorded.
- The Board approved the expanded right-of-way use for the Our Hospice concert, which will move to the library area on Fifth Street and now also use Lafayette Street.
- Upcoming events announced: Reading Road Trip concert at the library (Friday), triathlon at Tipton Lakes (Saturday), farmers market (Saturday 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.), and India Day celebration on Fourth Street (Saturday 4–9 p.m.).
Meeting Transcript
26th Board of Works uh to order. Uh we'll start with roll call. John Pickett. I am here. Um Brenda Sullivan here. Eric Fry is present, and we do have a quorum. And you guys are gonna have to do a lot of work this morning. We can do. I know you will. First up is approval of the uh July 28th uh meeting minutes. I I'll move to approve. I'll second. All right, we have a motion and a second to approve the meeting minutes. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed. All right. Next up is a banner request. Paul. Eric, morning board. Good morning. I report Ashley here. She's gonna come up and speak a little bit about the Fiesta Latina banner banners that we're requesting to be put up. Um they should be put up anytime soon. Um for the festivals starting soon. So I'll let her mind a little brief on the time when we do this. Good morning, friends. Good morning. Good morning. Um so our request today is a um revision of the banners that we currently have. Um so when we bought them a couple years ago, we put Mill Race Park on them. Um it was an investment to, since it was a uh a change of location for Fiesta Latina. We wanted to really invest in making sure people understood that it was a a new location. Um and since then we've kept using those banners for the last couple of years, even though they say Mill Race Park on them. Um so our request is to change them, just we're just putting a piece of white duct tape on them because that is the cheapest option we can think of. Um and so our request is just a revision of the design. So we understood that we had to request uh uh a new design for that. So um, and in terms of Fiesta Latina, it is on Friday, September 11th, um, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Uh if anyone's familiar with Bad Bunny, and if you're not that is that is very okay. Um the theme is baile inolvidable, which is unforgettable dance. It's one of his hit songs from the last couple years. Um, and we're really excited to to have um a lot of really great uh food vendors, uh really great sponsors, some great entertainment happening this year. Um, and we're really hopeful that you'll join us. And you're doing it where uh downtown. So we're not even putting the location, it'll be right downtown on fourth street. Yes, and then Washington in the afternoon as well. We'll open. So yeah. Well, I will move to um approve your um revised banner request.
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