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Mile-long legacy
Columbus never fully embraced the Scioto until "two guys named Mike from Toledo" pushed forward with a plan that has transformed the riverbank
Sunday, July 3, 2011 03:18 AM
BY DOUG CARUSO
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Columbus will boast an unbroken string of parkland along its Downtown riverfront when the Scioto Mile emerges from behind its chain-link construction fences on Thursday.
Colonnade-shaded swings will line Civic Center Drive. Lights will play across water dancing from hundreds of fountain nozzles in Bicentennial Park. Diners in a new restaurant with sweeping views will sip beer crafted in Columbus.
"Every inch of that place was thought through," said Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who began talking about a riverfront-spanning park as early as 2002. "This is a place you'll go to at 7 in the morning and you won't want to leave until 11 at night."
Though some have questioned Coleman's priorities, he'll go down in city history as the mayor whose riverfront plan - among what must be dozens gathering dust on shelves at City Hall - actually was built. The Scioto Mile's $44 million cost will be paid with $10 million from the city, with the rest coming from private donors and other government entities. Coleman says the key moment was a meeting in early 2007 with Michael G. Morris, AEP's chairman. They were in Morris' office overlooking the riverfront.
READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/07/03/mile-long-legacy.html?sid=101
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