GROVE CITY, Ohio — City staff on Thursday presented a summary of completed 2025 capital projects and a proposed 2026 capital improvement plan (CIP) totaling about $40.5 million, with substantial portions funded by grants and tax-increment financing (TIF).

Shannon, speaking for the administration, opened the CIP section and listed major 2025 completions and active 2026 projects. "We'll start off with the 2025 completed projects," Shannon said, and then reviewed street, trail, sanitary, stormwater, water and facility work completed this year.

Among the key 2026 projects described:

- North Meadows Drive realignment and utility work, a $10 million project with design complete and land acquisition ongoing; funding sources cited included about $2.6 million carried from 2025 CIP, $4 million from Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) and $3 million from TIF. Construction was anticipated to begin by year-end.

- The tentative overpass and related I‑71 corridor work, advanced as part of the city’s Southwest Regional Medical and Innovation Gateway planning; the city reported a $4 million award for preliminary engineering on the gateway’s bridge and roadway concepts.

- Town Center Park detailed design, with $1.5 million proposed for design in 2026; early cost estimates for the finished park ranged from about $8 million to $15 million, staff said.

- Pinnacle Quarry Park improvements and Pinnacle TIF–funded design money for a community center: staff said the administration has set aside $8 million from the Pinnacle TIF for community-center design work in 2026.

- Trails and shared-use paths advanced with TSI (Link Us) grant funding, including the Hoover Road SUP (shared-use path) over I‑71, which received $2.2 million in TSI funds and was slated for construction in 2026.

- Windsor Park turf replacement and field renovations, with a staff estimate of roughly $950,000 to replace end-of-life synthetic turf on multiple fields and refurbish dugouts and fencing.

- Big Splash pool mechanical and slide renovations to extend the facility’s useful life and improve safety.

- Facility work including a Friar Park maintenance building and a proposed Beulah Plaza parking expansion estimated at $900,000 to add roughly 40 spaces.

Staff emphasized that while the CIP headline figure is about $40.5 million for projects presented, approximately $15 million of that is expected to be reimbursed by grants and roughly $10 million is TIF‑funded, leaving about $11.5 million in new appropriations requested for 2026.

Developer request and previously approved pledge: staff recapped a prior council resolution pledging up to $6.5 million for infrastructure related to the former Sheddinger/Broadway Live site and said a developer had recently asked the city to bond an additional $3 million for Cleveland Avenue improvements and to delay debt service for that amount until the fourth year. The administration said it included $1.3 million in land-purchase funds for the Broadway Live project in the draft budget but has not budgeted debt service on any additional bonds.

Water and utilities notes: staff described a planned automatic flushing station on the Manheim 104 water line to improve water quality for Grove City Mount Carmel Hospital and surrounding customers; engineers estimated the work would cost roughly $60,000–$80,000 and start in early November, replacing a manual daily flushing process.

Funding and timing: Shannon told council that many projects have partial funding in place; some will require additional appropriations or carryover funds from 2025. Several projects are scheduled for bid and construction in 2026 or later depending on grant and right-of-way timing.

Public questions and next steps: Staff asked council to raise any remaining project requests for 2026 before the Nov. 17 meeting, when the administration will provide the formal appropriation ordinance and associated CIP details for council review. Resident Carter Dowell asked whether the presentation material would be posted online; staff said the cover letter and slideshow will be attached to the meeting minutes once the minutes are approved and will appear on the city website.

Ending: The committee took no formal votes on CIP projects during the special meeting; staff said they will return with final appropriation language for council consideration in mid-November.