By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
The headquarters for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office may be located in downtown Columbus, but recent developments will have some calling the village of Urbancrest their home away from home.
During the Oct. 6 council meeting, it was announced that the sheriff’s office has opened a substation at 3357 Central Avenue. Though the office began moving into the site months ago, Oct. 6 marks the first day it officially opened for business.
“This is an historic day in the village of Urbancrest,” said Mayor Joseph Barnes Sr.
The village and the sheriff’s office began discussing the establishment of a substation within the community years ago, but the office did not feel as if there was a good location for them to reside at that time. That feeling changed recently when the village constructed a new building for the street department, which in turn freed up space for the sheriff’s office to move into their former site.
Barnes, who said having a substation in the community has been a dream for many, feels blessed that those dreams have finally come to fruition.
According to a representative with the sheriff’s office, law enforcement officials will use that site to process reports, finish paperwork and occasionally process prisoners. Though they do not have a prisoner transport van currently in use at that site, there are plans to acquire one for future use.
Barnes added that all three shifts will use that site and that increased presence will be a deterrent to would-be-criminals that want to come into the community.
He said another benefit to having the substation in the village are the community programs that are available through the sheriff’s office.
“They have programs about burglar-proofing your home and women’s self-defense,” he said.
He also mentioned new programs and tips for the neighborhood block watch, which the village established years ago.
Barnes said that he is excited about the substation and feels that the increased law enforcement presence will help build a better relationship between the police and the community.
In other news, Brian Coghlan, the vice-president of engineering and surveying firm Bird and Bull, gave an update on the plans to build an enclosed shelter house in the village near Martin Luther King Park.
According to Coghlan, while mapping future vehicular pathways in the vicinity, they noticed that it encroached on the existing bike path. He said future discussions are needed to determine whether the bike path should be relocated to make way for two-way traffic or if something else should be done.
