From This Week Upper Arlington:
The event was organized by the current class of Leadership UA.
“As a resident of Arlington, I see Conversation Arlington as the way for our community to bring out ideas on topics that are sensitive to address, yet are important to the city,” said Steve Kiser, a Leadership UA class member.
Leadership UA is a nonprofit organization that trains citizens to be involved in the community through programs that strengthen leadership skills, broaden understanding of local issues and connect individuals with mutual interests.
City council members, city administrators, representatives of the Upper Arlington schools and library, students and residents from all areas of the community participated in Conversation UA. Small group discussions centered on topics such as improving traffic safety in the Northam Park area, the need for better drainage of the park’s athletic fields, the need for more space at the main library and the future of Tremont Pool.
Although the pool will open as scheduled for this summer’s swim season, it is in need of a major renovation, said Tim Moloney, the city’s parks and recreation director.
“Tremont is at the 50-year point,” Moloney said. “It is past its useful life.”
Suggestions raised during the group discussion about the pool included building an indoor, heated pool that could be used year-round.
“A four-seasons pool should at least be considered,” said Kent Road resident Ed Morris.
Suggestions for improving traffic safety in the Northam Park area included adding more clearly identified crosswalks along Tremont Road to protect Tremont Elementary and St. Agatha students. Another suggestion was reconfiguring Tremont Elementary’s parking lot, especially the student pickup and drop-off area, to improve traffic flow.
The school’s parking lot “was built in the 1950s when most kids were walking and riding bikes. Now it’s SUVs and minivans” that parents are driving to pick up and drop off students, said Paul Craft, executive director of business services for the Upper Arlington City Schools. “We want to change not just the quality of the parking lot, but also the structure.”
Suggestions for expanding the library included increasing the size and number of meeting rooms and creating a space for the Upper Arlington Historical Society to house and display its archives.
Library director Ann Moore noted that the main library is currently undergoing a space study to determine how the facility can be better utilized.
“The last time the library was remodeled and expanded was in the mid-1980s,” Moore said. “At that time, there were no computers in the library. We weren’t even thinking about the Internet. That has become a core resource.”
Leadership UA representatives say they plan to present more Conversation Arlington forums in the future. For more information about the organization, visit www.leadershipua.org.
*Update*
Here is the summary of the harvest taken at the April 24 Northam Park Area conversation.
Library Expansion
Does library need expansion/renovation?
• Improvement is a good thing – the library is a good resource.
• More meeting rooms are needed, more alternative settings.
• Teen room would be nice. Young adult section is too small
• More space needed for game playing groups.
• Reference room is large, but under-utilized, could be repurposed.
• Improve reading areas. More areas like Miller Park branch reading areas, or Caribou coffee.
• Library could be used to house archives/historical society.
• Need better bike/walk access.
Computer issues
• Are computers needed? Many people have laptops or home computers.
• Many people access email at the library.
• More access is needed to online computer services.
• More tutorials and support are needed for patrons to learn electronic tool.
Library as Community Center
• Could be center of socialization for young adults. Similar to teen room at the downtown library.
• Coffee shop at the library would be a nice place to gather.
• Booster/non-profit groups could staff the coffee house as a fundraiser.
Athletic Fields
• Drainage is a big problem for fields.
• Standing water causes inability to play safely.
• Multiple uses of fields causes safety concerns (i.e. ‘fly balls’)
Suggestions for improvement
• Synthetic fields
• Improve drainage systems.
• Change the conditions by changing the layout of the park.
• Move pool and tennis courts away from center of park.
• Pool enhancements should not encroach on the field space.
• Move baseball/softball fields to one area.
• Create barriers for Tremont playground.
Tremont Pool
• Rebuild, upgrade. The pool is old and outdated.
Suggestions for improvement
• Expand facilities and make more family friendly (locker rooms, sauna, whirlpool, etc.)
• Heated pool.
• Area designated for lessons for younger children. Improve area for kids.
• Improve walkways and bike space around the pool.
• Keep the grassy areas.
• Don’t change the location.
• Gazebo added for local bands/entertainment.
Public Safety of School and Parking Lots
• Concern for safety of kids and citizens of the community.
Suggestions for improvement
• Replace the walkways around the school
• Repair parking lots, particularly potholes and drainage systems.
• More traffic signs to increase safety of kids walking to school.
• Stop light cameras.
• Safety patrol needed not only on Tremont, but also on Northam.
• Officer needed to patrol speed on Ridgeview/Northam.
• Flashing lights at crosswalks.
• Better defined walking areas.
• Possibly move pool away from Tremont to a better location
Public Meeting Space/Location of Historical Society
• More space is needed within community for public meetings and housing of Historical Society.
• Space also needed for Cultural Arts and Exhibitions.
• History of UA is in boxes in the Tremont Firehouse.
• Understanding its past could enhance community pride.
Suggestions:
• House Historical Society within the library. Worthington and Westerville libraries both have rooms for their local historical societies.
• Improve meeting space in the library. Little Theater is not conducive to many groups. Lighting makes navigating the room difficult.
• Space needed for small, collaborative events to help “seed and feed” the ideas of the community.
Conversation|Arlington Harvest Summary
These are the harvest sheets taken at each of the 5 active breakout sessions during the April 24 Northam Park Area Discussion. These serve as both a history of the event and as a start point for the community stakeholders as they move forward with plans for redevelopment of the Northam Park Area. Click the link below if you would like to download the PDF of these pages. A summary of the harvest will be provided shortly which will also be sent to the community stakeholders. Thanks again for your participation!
Conversation|Arlington April 24 Harvest Sheets
