all photos courtesy of City of New Albany
In addition to being named one of Ohio's "Best Hometowns," New Albany also received high desirability ratings in 2018.
From being recognized as one of Ohio’s “Best Hometowns” to breaking ground on our new central park to new development in our core Village Center and business park, 2018 was a fantastic year in various ways for New Albany. That said, I will always first remember 2018 as the year Dr. Glyde Marsh passed away.
Robb Shirey
Dr. Glyde Marsh
An American hero who served his country and community for more than eight decades before he died on September 11 just two days shy of his 100th birthday, Dr. Marsh moved to New Albany in 1946 after serving as a military police officer in World War II. He was in Paris when Germany surrendered, witnessed the concentration camps in Germany and was en route to Japan when that country surrendered to end World War II. He went on to become one of the most respected poultry veterinarians in our region, served on our local school board for a decade, and was a City Council member for 25 years. He worked and served until the day he died and, as Dr. Marsh always said, he went out with his boots on. He was a tremendous example for us all, not just for how he served, but for his desire to continually learn from, engage with and listen to people of all ages. He will be greatly missed but always remembered.
Engagement is a good word to describe many of our efforts in 2018. City Council and staff participated in neighborhood meetings while also conducting a full-scale resident survey. Residents praised New Albany as safe, beautiful, convenient and well maintained, with a small-town feel, strong sense of community and quality schools. Other results of note:
- 99% feel safe living in New Albany
- 96% view New Albany as vibrant and attractive
- 96% are satisfied with police services
- 91% view New Albany as desirable
- 90-95% are satisfied with trash and recycling, snow removal and architectural standards.
These results, along with programming at our Heit and McCoy centers and the continued build-out in our Village Center were all reasons why Ohio Magazine selected New Albany as one of Ohio’s “Best Hometowns.” Our Market & Main area has grown in a planned manner with new restaurants and shops, and more on the way including Fox in the Snow Café. Plus, tenants in the new luxury apartments will help support our restaurants and shops that so many residents desired while attracting millennials and empty nesters who won’t negatively impact our schools with new students. These apartments are also providing more than $600,000 in annual taxes to our schools.
Rose Run Park opens to the public in late 2019 and will connect the community with civic amenities and nature.
Council continued to support events, programs, services and projects that improve your quality of life; and sometimes, as is the case with Rumpke solid waste and recycling services, reduce your monthly bill while doing so. We added new traffic signals, continued to expand our trails, and we worked with neighboring communities to adopt uniform standards as part of the Western Licking County Accord, which will help guide uniform development in and around New Albany’s eastern quadrant.
Kasey Kist
I started this column remembering Dr. Marsh, and it is only fitting that I end it by referencing Kasey Kist, our newest Council member appointed to the vacancy created by Dr. Marsh’s passing. Kasey and his wife Rebecca have been residents here since 2004 and they own Freshii in New Albany’s Village Center. Prior to being appointed to City Council, Kasey served on the Rocky Fork Blacklick Accord, Parks and Trails Steering Committee, Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission. He also serves as the race director for the Thanks For Giving 4-Miler, is active with Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity. There were many quality applicants to fill this seat, but Kasey’s background, experience and hard work stood out.
On behalf of City Council and our outstanding staff, we wish you a Happy New Year. We promise to continue our hard work and dedication to maintaining and improving your quality of life in 2019 and the years to come.
Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
