Projects Columbus wants Ohio to fund with its capital budget

On Apr 21, 2022

Ronald McDonald House in Columbus is planning to expand in the near future.

Eighty more rooms for families with sick children, a STEM center for young girls, expanded trails and coworking space for female entrepreneurs are all on Central Ohio’s $28.4-million wish list for this year’s state capital budget.

The two-year state budget funds one-time expenses for projects across Ohio. Most of the money goes for projects already in the works, but about $187 million will get allocated for new community projects.

The Columbus region, which includes 11 counties around central Ohio, has a wish list of 53 projects totaling $28.4 million. That’s about half of its original $54.47 million wish list.

“We’re not picking winners and losers here,” Columbus Partnership Vice President Jeff Polesovsky said. “We’re trying to create momentum.”

His organization compiled all the potential projects from around the Columbus region and put together the submission package for state lawmakers.

The “winning” projects all had local support, other funding sources and were well developed.

For example, their proposal requested $2.5 million to add 80 rooms and additional community spaces to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio.

The nonprofit provides rooms and meals to families with children in long-term care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

“That partnership is incredible,” Polesovsky said. “They are accommodating families from all over the world.”

The project list also included $1.85 million for a building dedicated to STEM learning and creating for the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland and $700,000 to build a permanent space for Zora’s House, a business incubator and coworking space for entrepreneurial women of color.

There’s also a $1.75 million request to expand the Heritage Trail in Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks.