Work is underway in Liberty Township to create the Liberty 2040 Community Plan — the community’s next comprehensive plan initiative — and the Community Committee has been selected to help guide its formation.
In December 2020, the township announced it would begin accepting applications from residents and local stakeholders who wish to work closely with the township and its consultant, Crossroads Community Planning, to offer ideas and provide feedback as part of an all-encompassing planning process. Three residents from each of the township’s four quadrants were selected, along with a host of representatives from local businesses, schools, and other key community organizations.
Applications were accepted through Jan. 5, and the township said it received “dozens” of submissions from community members with “various backgrounds and experiences” before an application review team used a blind review process to select the participants.
The residents selected to serve on the committee are Jennifer Gabriel, Mark Cameron, John Hartman, Kurt Paulus, Christopher Walker, Vince Finney, James Sisto, David King, Kevin Lee, Nico Franano, Terry Leach and Eric Ekstrand.
“By having residents from each quadrant, we are able to have even geographic representation, which is important due to Liberty Township’s suburban to rural range of character,” Township Planner Hunter Rayfield told The Gazette in December 2020.
Stakeholders taking part in the committee include Andy Dutcher of NAI Ohio Equities, Terry Burga and Larry Coolidge of the Powell-Liberty Historical Society, Todd Meyer of Olentangy Local Schools, Dan Dillon of Swan Lake Center, Dr. Tina Diggs of Columbus State – Delaware Campus & Regional Learning Centers, Tammy Snider of the Greater Powell Chamber of Commerce, Karen Schenk of the Columbus Zoo, and David Bridgman of the faith-based community.
In addition to the formation of the Community Committee, a series of neighborhood-level meetings will also be held in each quadrant of the township over the duration of the planning process. The township said in December 2020 that the meetings will “provide a more intimate setting to allow the consultant to garner additional community insights.”
Crossroads Community Planning will also provide monthly updates to the township trustees and Zoning Commission, and it will hold two communitywide open houses throughout the year. Preliminary preparations for the planning process included an online community survey and an open house meeting last August.
The Community Committee will begin its work this month, and the final plan is expected to be finished in December. For more information on the plan, visit www.libertytwp.org/442/Liberty-2040-Community-Plan.
