(Columbus) The Golf Village at Central Park, a public golf facility including a nine-hole par 3 golf course, range, and putting course will open Summer 2010 – all eventually surrounded by a campus-style business park - on the site of an old abandoned landfill. This redevelopment project has been made possible thanks to the public-private collaboration of Franklin County, the city of Gahanna, the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and Value Recovery Partners.

During the Commissioners' Briefing this morning, the Board expressed their intent to move two resolutions forward to authorize a non-recourse loan agreement to facilitate the purchase of up to $2.6 million in Ohio Air Quality Development Authority taxable revenue bonds that were approved to be issued last week by the Authority. These proceeds from the purchase of these bonds will be used to fund the final capping of the landfill, shaping of the golf facility, and the installation of a methane-capture system on the site.

"I'm proud to continue our four-year public-private regional partnership slated to create up to 4000 good new jobs, as our sustainability policy directs. The redevelopment of this site is an important step in both protection of the environment and our community's economic health," said Commissioner Paula Brooks. "This action will improve our air quality while at the same time enhancing the commercial marketability of the land surrounding the site which is available for development."

"I applaud the work of both the public and private sector partners to breathe new and cleaner life into this site," said Commissioner Marilyn Brown. "This collaboration will spur additional commercial development bringing good jobs and creating revenue for our communities."

"The development of The Golf Village at Central Park atop this former landfill has the potential to create hundreds of jobs while turning this once unsightly brownfield site into an attractive, vibrant, family-friendly venue," said Commissioner John O'Grady.

The old Bedford landfill site, located in Gahanna, was transferred by the County to the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation in June of 2005 for the purpose of remediation and redevelopment.

"This project is an example of the tremendous environmental and economic impact that can be made through the collaboration of the private sector and government at all levels," said Franklin County Treasurer Ed Leonard.

"The CIC will own the site going forward and will be responsible for the capture and sale of the methane. This project will help avoid a significant amount of methane emissions, which is great for the environment in Central Ohio. Also, we believe the golf course will help facilitate the redevelopment of the properties that surround it," said Mark R. Shanahan, OAQDA executive director and the Governor's energy advisor.

"Value Recovery Partners has been a proud participant in this unique public/private partnership. This site has presented both challenges and opportunities for decades that only a true collaborative effort between all levels of government and the private sector has been able to solve and unleash. We expect great things to happen at Central Park in the coming years to the benefit of our greater community" said James Sisto, a Principal of Value Recovery Partners.

View the Site Plan [3 MB].