Columbus City Council last night approved spending 104 thousand dollars to support a community festival in the Wedgewood neighborhood and hire two so-called 'violence intervention specialists' for the city’s Applications for Purpose, Pride and Success program.
The money was announced last week as part of 500 thousand the city plans to spend to address neighborhood violence. Council member Elizabeth Brown sponsored the legislation.
The two specialists will join eight contract workers in the program. Council also approved an 8.5 million dollar contract with a construction firm to renovate the Indian Mound Community Center on Parsons Avenue. Columbus Recreation and Parks director Tony Collins says the city worked with the community to include what residents wanted for the center.
Collins says construction is expected to begin this summer and wrap up in the summer or early fall of 2019.