Category: Construction Update

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Updates: Roadway Construction, Egg Hunt, Street Lawn Trees

Good Evening Neighbors,

Several updates for this newsletter – please take some time to review.

Roadway Construction
As many folks have no doubt seen – the Thorncrest/Aldengate roadway is currently undergoing construction. We have not been given a firm timeline of when all work will be completed but the current signage is asking drivers to avoid parking on the intended work zones until at least 4/12.

The good news: This is the first project related to roadway resurfacing within our community. We have been told that that the first step in any street resurfacing is bringing crosswalks up to date with ADA standards. Which explains all the sidewalk/crosswalk work. This will be followed with the roadway paving itself.

At this time Thorncrest/Aldengate is the ONLY roadway that had its budget approved and is slated to be resurfaced. However, we have been told by our city contacts that this is a good sign that additional resurfacing in our community is likely to take place in the future. Please keep reporting the street conditions and any potholes to Columbus 311.

The bad news: For the next several weeks we should anticipate at least some chaos with walking and driving through the neighborhood. Please exercise caution when traveling through the neighborhood and keep an eye out for workers and machinery.

Easter Egg Hunt
Thanks to the generosity of our neighbors we are happy to announce we WILL be having our Easter Egg Hunt! This event is rain or shine – so please dress accordingly. The egg hunt is a “blink and you miss it” event so make sure to arrive early! All kiddos will need to “check-in” for the hunt to make sure we get a proper head count.

Event Details:
Saturday April 4th, 1PM at the Community Park. Due to the construction – please use caution when walking to the park!

Please bring your own basket to take home your goodies.

As a reminder this event is open to kids ages 10 and under. Don’t worry parents – the 5 and under crowd always gets a head start. After the hunt we ask parents to please empty the eggshells but please return them closed to the marked bins so they can be reused next year. The Easter bunny will be available for photos so make sure to bring your phones and cameras!

Street Lawn Tree Treatment
In the coming weeks the ash trees that are in street lawns throughout our community will be treated against Emerald Ash Borer. Please keep an eye out for workers and remove any vehicles from roadways as necessary.

With our recent storms we had several downed tree limbs or trees that sustained damage – regardless of tree species. Some trees may now be marked for removal. As a reminder – if you would like to have these trees replaced please reach out to Columbus 311 to request a replacement tree.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Spring!

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UPDATE – Utility Work Follow-Up

Hello Neighbors,

This summer many homes within our community were affected by the installation of fiber-optic lines by AT&T. Homeowners reported a variety of issues from landscape and turf damage to more serious concerns such has cut communication and utility lines, lingering open lines, and other unremedied items.

A homeowner within our community was able to work with the city of Columbus and get a contact name for AT&T. They were then asked by AT&T if they could assist in getting an initial list of affected homeowners. This homeowner created a Google Form that can be filled in to provide contact information as well as a description of your concern. This form will be available to fill in until the end of the weekend – at which time it will be “closed” and the information submitted to AT&T. See the form for more details and AT&T contact information.

Google Form: https://forms.gle/9SBXEzDXZMK4dTvz6

We are sharing this with our community to help get the word out for affected homeowners who many not have a contact to follow-up with about their property concerns. As previously indicated the HOA and Board have no affiliation with this project.

We hope homeowners find this information helpful.

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Roadways within VAT

Hello Neighbors,

As many homeowners are aware, there are several roadways within our community that are showing signs of deterioration. The Board has reached out to our Neighborhood Liaison, Rebecca Deeds, with the Department of Neighborhoods as well as the Department of Public Service about roadway maintenance and here is what was communicated:

Please find an image of the City’s pavement condition map for your area. As you can see from the second attachment, most of your neighborhood’s streets are in either “Fair” or “Poor” condition. With the City’s vast number of lane-miles to maintain and limited funds, it is not uncommon for streets to degrade to “very poor” condition before they are scheduled for resurfacing.

Below is a screenshot of an internal map that the city uses to track roadway conditions.

As you can see we have several streets in our community in the fair to poor condition with one isolated area marked as “very poor”. Complaints about roadway conditions are handled by Columbus 311. The Board STRONGLY ENCOURAGES all homeowners to contact Columbus 311 and report any adverse road conditions. When reporting online or via the Columbus311 app you will also have the opportunity to add photos to your report. Including these photos will also have an impact in how quickly our roadways are addressed.

As with previous years we expect the city to provide access to a “Capital Improvements Budget Recommendation” form that allows citizens to provide direct feedback on projects they feel should be addressed – however this form is not available at this time. As soon as the form is available it will be posted for homeowners to provide their feedback.

We hope this information provides a clearer picture of the status of our roadways and what steps are needed in order to make our roadways a priority for the city to resurface.

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Park Closed Until Monday 10/2

Just a reminder that the work at the community park will be starting later today.

Please refrain from using the park surface and grounds during this time to allow the surface time to cure and dry.

Once completed the park will be closed until Monday 10/2. All caution tape will be removed at that time.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.

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Upcoming Park Closure

Please note that the VAT community park will be closed for a minimum of 48 hours later this week due to the sealing of the park playground surface. The exact date and timing is still to be determined as it is weather dependent. Caution tape and signage will be up to indicate the closure and residents should stay away from the grounds and treated surface while the sealing coat cures and dries.

Residents may resume using the park and grounds once all signage and caution tape has been removed.

Thank you for keeping our community and its park beautiful.

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Renner Rd – Periodic Road Closures Starting 10/31

Per the Far West Side Area Commission Facebook Page

Renner Road will experience periodic road closures starting Monday, Oct. 31. Per the Franklin County Engineer’s Office:

“Currently, we are planning to start resurfacing parts of Renner Road on this date. We will use a one-way flagging operation for the maintenance of traffic. Motorists are being notified using message boards.”

 

Please consider adding additional time to your commute as necessary.

 

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Far West Side Area Commission Meeting 9/27 – Feder Rd Update

Per the Far West Side Area Commission Facebook Page: 

***Hilliard-Rome/Feder/Fisher Update***

— at Far West Side Area Commission’s Monthly Meeting, Tues., Sept. 27

Meeting information:
Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 at 7pm
Location – Hilliard Horizon Elem., 6000 Renner Rd

We meet in the cafeteria in the rear of the building; park in the front lot and enter through the front doors.

Guest Speakers: Charles Newman, Public Relations Specialist, and Heather Webber, from the city’s design team, will speak about the project and be available for questions from residents.

Per the city’s website: “The city of Columbus, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission are collaborating to improve the intersection of Hilliard-Rome Road at Feder Road and Fisher Road. The project will reduce traffic congestion, improve safety and provide pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations. Improvements to the Hilliard-Rome Road & I-70 interchange are also planned.”

To learn more about this project, please see:

https://www.columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=80028

And

https://ellisproj.dot.state.oh.us/ScheduleData.aspx…

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School’s Back, Park Reminders & More

Hello Neighbors,

We hope everyone is doing well and that neighborhood families are getting back into the swing of the school year schedule. It seems that Summer was just getting underway and now school is starting again. Several reminders as the school year resumes and activities increase this coming Fall:

School is getting underway!

 

  • Busy Bus Stops
    Please keep an eye out for the kids during the morning and afternoon school bus hours.

 

  • Street Side Parked Cars
    If you park street side please be sure to leave the busses plenty of room to turn.  Stay close to curbs and away from intersections when possible.

Park Reminders

 

  • Anyone under the age of 14 should have a parent or guardian with them at all times while at the park.
    This is to ensure all park rules are being followed and property treated appropriately and safely.

 

  • The park is private property and should be treated with respect.
    Climbing on the equipment should be limited to its intended use and climbing on the top of the shelter or park equipment is strictly prohibited. All park rules should be followed at all times.

 

  • There is no lost and found box at the neighborhood park.
    Keep an eye on your belongings and ensure all personal items are taken when leaving.

 

  • Please “bring it in, bring it out”.
    The trash can at the park should capture the odd need while folks enjoy the park. This trash can is emptied by your neighbors (in their personal trash cans) so please be courteous when throwing away items. Empty beverage cups and please take pet waste bags to your own container.

Additional Updates

 

  • More blog posts are coming– In an effort to provide more communication to homeowners we will start publishing additional blog posts related to commonly asked questions as well as to provide some additional information that directly affects homeowners – namely – construction updates. We hope our fellow homeowners will find these posts useful and will try to be as timely as possible in providing the updates. As many already know, the construction crews may run into problems necessitating unscheduled closures but our hope is to help make your daily commuting easier when possible.
  • Feder Rd Closed Sunday 8/21, 7PM to 5AM
    You may want to add a few minutes to your Monday morning commute just in case this project runs into issues. Per the Far West Side Area Commission Facebook Page:
    ROAD CLOSURE (edited to add additional details and location): Feder Road, from Hilliard-Rome to the BP station entrance, will be closed Sunday, August 21, from 7 pm to 5 am. Traffic heading west from the BP will still be able to travel west, but traffic coming from Alton Darby Creek will only be able to travel east as far as the BP. This closure is to install a 42” storm sewer across Feder Road, per Tom Murphy, Construction Project Manager.
  • Cypress construction project – There is currently a rezoning proposal before the city planning department related to land owned by Cypress. The developer is proposing an apartment complex in this area. The Board is monitoring updates on this project as they become available.
  • National Night Out – Thank you to everyone who participated and attended the National Night Out event at the park. We were delighted with the turnout and are so grateful to live in such a vibrant community. A special thank you to our neighbor Dan for preforming, Kona Ice for coming out with their truck, the Social Committee volunteers who helped execute our event and of course Columbus Fire, and Columbus Police for letting us explore their vehicles and for all they do to keep us safe. Our thank you signs were gratefully received and we hope folks look forward to having another event next year!

Sorry for the long message, but we hope everyone finds this information useful. Blog posts are the main method of communication – we strongly urge homeowners do NOT unsubscribe from this mailing list to ensure you receive all blog updates.

Happy (soon to be!) Fall everyone!

2022 VAT Board

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