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.
