Good Works Columbus: September 16, 2024
Transit Columbus Happy Hour, LinkUS Town Hall, Council Community Meeting
Intro
Hi everyone, happy Monday! It’s been one year since I launched the first newsletter. Thank you for reading, sharing, and doing your part to improve Columbus. If it’s your first time here, welcome to Good Works Columbus, a newsletter designed to give you small actions to take to make Columbus a better place.
If you have an upcoming event or a link you’d like to share for the newsletter, feel free to send suggestions. And if you know someone who might enjoy Good Works Columbus, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.
Things you can do in person
Transit Panel (Sept. 17 5:30-7:00pm Taft’s Brewpourium, 440 W Broad St)
Join Transit Columbus and hear from city and COTA leadership on the future of transit in central Ohio. You can register and submit questions to the panel here.
(While we’re on the subject of transit, you can check out my recent blog post on the state of public transportation funding from the state of Ohio. Hint, it’s not good.)Southside Council Community Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 18 6-7:30pm
Community meetings allow residents to discuss topics that affect their daily lives in an informal, one-on-one setting with Councilmembers, staff, and department leadership. We are eager to understand the issues important to residents and discuss opportunities to build strong, safe and healthy neighborhoods.LinkUS Town Hall 🚍
Monday, Sept. 23 5:30-7 p.m.Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Northern Lights Branch
4093 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43224
Join us for a town hall meeting to learn how COTA’s investment in the region will benefit you, your community and all of Central Ohio. We’ll share more about LinkUS and how COTA will modernize and expand our transit system, answer questions and collect feedback about the project.
Ohio Commute Challenge
Exciting news - our 2nd Annual Ohio Commuter Challenge begins TODAY! From September 9-22, 2024, log your sustainable commutes on gohiocommute.com to be automatically entered into our biggest challenge of the year. We have $500 to raffle off to Ohioians who log their sustainable commutes with us!If you carpool, vanpool, take transit, bike, walk, or ride an e-scooter to work - you are eligible to enter! Drive alone to work? Try taking a sustainable mode during the challenge period so you're able to enter. Create a free account at gohiocommute.com to explore your personalized commute options & log trips!
Things you can do online
(~5 minutes) Affordable Housing Survey 🏠
Too many Ohioans are struggling to keep up with rising prices, especially when finding an affordable place to live. The difficulty of buying a home or staying ahead of housing costs can be overwhelming. Ensuring our voices are heard is more important than ever.That’s why the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio is conducting our first-ever survey to get your input!
Your feedback is more than just data—it’s a step towards ensuring that Central Ohio remains a place where families and individuals can thrive. By participating, you contribute to a stronger, more resilient community where everyone has a fair opportunity to find safe and affordable housing.(~10-15 minutes) Columbus Park Plan 🌳
Columbus Recreation and Parks Department is initiating the process of developing its next 10-year Vision Plan. This update will provide a vision and roadmap for the future of recreation programming and services, parks, facilities, trails, waterways and open space planning that scales the city’s recreation and parks system equitably to match Columbus’ place as the 14th largest city in the U.S. This plan will also serve as a guidebook for the department’s programming, development and policies to drive quality-of-life improvements for all Columbus residents.
Take the survey to shape the future of play, parks and open space!
Save the Date
Columbus Impact Screening - Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness
(Tuesday, Sep 24, 2024 6:00 PM - Lincoln Theatre)Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (editor’s note: my employer) along with other partners invites you to a free documentary screening of “Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness”.
MORPC Big Table
Join us on Wednesday, September 25 at 5pm for conversations centered around our latest Leaders Listen community survey. This year, our Big Table theme is Leaders Listen: Actionable Insights on Housing & Transportation. Space is limited, secure your spot today.
Learn more about the Big Table and other conversations taking place on the 25th.
In Case You Missed It
LinkUS Engagement Survey (2 minutes)
Mark up the Vision Zero Columbus map. Have a close call walking, biking, or getting around town? Do you know a dangerous intersection that can be improved? Help identify these spots on the Vision Zero map.
Have a great day everyone!