Looking back over 2024, it was truly chock-a-block full of new projects and programs at the City. For this special riff on our “4 Things” weekly column, read on for our “Top 4” of ‘24!
1. Four New Park Features
Reinvestment into Bexley’s public spaces that started in ‘23 as part of the “Year of the Parks”. (thanks in a huge part to the Bexley Community Foundation, the State of Ohio Capital Fund, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant funding) continued in ‘24 with the completion of the arboretum walk and restrooms at Commonwealth Park, the Robert Frost inspired Birch Walk at Schneider Park, and a refresh to the Bexley Historical Society cottage and museum. Bonus feature: the North Community Gardens got a great refresh in ‘24, with new beds added and an upgrade to the garden paths!
The momentum on park projects isn’t slowing yet–look forward to a new nature-inspired playground at Jeffrey Park, bike/pedestrian bridge over Alum Creek, a skate spot in Schneider Park, and park wayfinding signs in ‘25!
2. Four New Murals and Mural Fest
Mural Fest launched in ‘24, inspired by Brightwalls and other similar public art initiatives throughout the country. Funded with support from the Bexley Community Foundation and Volta Global, Main Street is now home to four energetic new public art installations. Teaser alert – we’re just getting started and can’t wait for the next iteration of Mural Fest and other public art installations in ‘25.
3. Four New Businesses
2024 brought the opening of Katalina’s Bexley into the former Boston Market space; the addition of the Goodwill drop-off store on North Cassady; and The Lion cocktail bar on Main Street–adding new food, services, and liveliness to our business landscape. Making the list, but not quite open to the public in ‘24, is the much-anticipated Bexley CoHatch. I got a sneak peak of the space before the holidays and was blown away with how the building had been transformed. We can’t wait for the new opportunities it will bring to Bexley entrepreneurs and community members alike in the year to come.
4. Four New Public EV Charging Locations
Fully funded by grants from our electrical aggregation provider, the City installed Level II public EV chargers at Jeffrey Park, Schneider Park, and at Drexel/Main and Cassady/Main. One emphasis of the program was to place charging infrastructure near apartment residential areas where tenants would not otherwise have access to charging infrastructure, and to set up a reasonable overnight rate accommodation.
BONUS THING!
Four Million Dollars Saved through Aggregation
Okay, so $4 million is a bit of a stretch (I got carried away with all of the “fours” on this list), but participating Bexley households did save an average of over $350 since the program launched in October 2023. That’s a combined $1.2 million across the community. So while we’re not at $4 million in savings yet, we’re well on our way while also offsetting carbon emissions. More to come on aggregation in ‘25 as the City evaluates proposals for the next program.
This is by no means a complete or exhaustive list – so many other great things happened in 2024, from the Veteran’s Day and Black History Month banners, to a rocking season of community events, and so much more! And as we wrap up 2024, we’re already hard at work planning next years’ infrastructure projects and new community amenities, and we can’t wait to keep on working with you on them!
Cheers and a Happy New Year from all of us at the City of Bexley!
