Background: The Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD) and the Ohio School for the Blind (OSB) are moving ahead with their initiative to construct a new campus that combines both schools. The properties are adjacent to one another at the NE corner of Morse Rd. and High St. in Columbus. The legislature has allocated $4 million through the 2007 – 2008 Ohio Capital Budget for the initial planning and design stages of the project.

Both campuses are in need of significant capital improvements (new classrooms, laboratories, and general infrastructure such as plumbing, lighting, and flooring). By merging the campuses the state hopes to address these needs and realize efficiencies that can be gained by sharing services such as assessment and outreach teams as well as food and maintenance. Decisions regarding this issue are happening at the state level (not through the City of Columbus). The Ohio School Facilities Commission is the state body facilitating the process (the Commission is comprised of three voting members and four non-voting members from the state legislature). In April, the commission announced that it had awarded contracts for construction management to Bovis Lend Lease (New York) and professional design services to Steed Hammond Paul, Inc. (Ohio).

According to Rick Savors, Director of Communications of the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission, the legislation earmarking the funds to study the proposed merger called for the joint campus to be housed on the 130-acre property of the OSD. But according to Eric Algoe, the Chief Operating Office of the OSD, the current project status does not guarantee this outcome due to two issues that were not considered when the legislation was originally drafted. First, several tests (e.g., soil borings, sewer tests, traffic and infrastructure studies, etc.) need to be completed to determine if the OSD campus is suitable for new construction. These studies will take a few more months to return conclusive results and could possibly (although not very likely) negate the OSD site. Second, there seems to be some uncertainty about the legal division of the land. It was assumed that the deaf school owned all the land south of the Bill Moose Run ravine but in fact some of the Deaf school is on land technically deeded to the Blind school. This lack of clarity regarding the land-ownership legalities is another factor that has led to postponing the decision to select the site.

The press and Internet blog posts report resistance to the merger expressed by alumni from both schools. The alumni are concerned about preserving the unique culture of each school and express concern that not only would the merger destroy the unique deaf and blind school cultures but would also lead to conflicts between the two populations. However, despite these protests, the merger appears to be an eventuality. If the parties involved successfully iron out the details, initial construction on the four-year project may possibly begin as early as the summer of 2008.

A good source of information about the merger is available at the “New Campus Information” website. It does contain four proposed “design ideas,” all of which have the joint campus located on the current Deaf School property.

Environmental Issues: The Sierra Club’s Central Ohio Group and other community organizations are concerned about the impact the proposed merger will have on the neighboring environment. The concern focuses on two main issues or questions: What will happen to the school that is not selected to house the combined campus and how will the development and construction of the new facility impact the adjacent community?

Additionally, many neighbors are anxious that the key decision-makers are not concerned with the impact the planned merger has on the community at large. In truth, we actually are not certain what the schools and the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission really think about the community. Therefore we are aware that we cannot wait for the project’s initiators and facilitators to involve the community; we must be proactive and take our concerns to them.

Regardless of which property houses the combined campus, the environmental issues remain the same. First, there is the concern that the campus not selected to house the schools will become a prime target for commercial and residential development. If indeed the School for the Blind campus is not selected, there is an opportunity for the community to lobby for setting all or some of the land aside as a green space. The Sharon Heights area currently does not have any significant park space and therefore it would be a shame for the property to be zoned for commercial or residential development. Of particular concern is the impact any development in the area would have on Bill Moose Run, the ravine that drains the area and flows to the Olentangy River. Even though Bill Moose Run is protected by a Conservation Easement, allowing construction right to the edge of the ravine would have a negative impact on both land and water. Furthermore, the population growth in Franklin County over the last three decades has placed significant pressure on the natural ecosystem. The proposed merger of the Deaf and Blind schools presents the community at large with an opportunity to maintain undeveloped, open space that serves people in a way that transcends a developer’s return on investment analysis.

Second, the construction of the new campus is a long-term project that will impact the surrounding neighborhoods. The Sierra Club is concerned that the state take into account not only the obvious nuisances (such as noise) resulting from dense construction on what is currently a very open campus but the impact the new campus will have on traffic, energy consumption, and run-off (a quick glance at the design ideas on the website referenced above calls for turning a significant portion of the current green space into parking lots). Adding another dimension to the issue is the idea floated by Bishop Watterson that the state construct a large (10,000-seat capacity) football stadium that could serve as the school’s home field as well as a site for state championship games. If this idea comes to fruition it will place additional environmental stress on the area (think of the parking lot needed to handle a stadium of that size).

The Call to Action: The Sierra Club invites individuals and groups who are interested in preserving green space and protecting the valuable ecosystem of Bill Moose Run to work with those of us following this issue. Since this is a state issue, pressure points are our local state representatives—Representative Jim Hughes and Senator Steve Stivers. Rep. Hughes has already been contacted and has been verbally sympathetic to the concerns regarding maintaining as much open, green space in the area as possible. Please with your comments or ideas for how to use this planned merger as an opportunity to protect and improve the environment in Columbus.