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Tim Fulton 00:09
Welcome to the confluence cast presented by Columbus underground. We are a weekly Columbus centric podcast focusing on the civics, lifestyle, entertainment, and people of our city. I’m your host Tim Fulton. This week. access to transportation is not just about the journey, but the opportunities it creates. Columbus underground co founder Walker Evans sat down with the staff at the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission to discuss the plan for Link US Central Ohio Strategic Transportation initiative. In the three interviews you’ll hear today, Walker and his guests focused on investment and impacts of the plan their focus on equity and input and explore the infrastructure enhancements that are coming to a route near you. You can get more information on what we discussed today in the show notes for this episode at the confluence cast.com. The confluence cast is sponsored this week by the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission, or more pcy. featuring stories about local and regional partners that envision and embrace innovative directions in economic prosperity, transportation, sustainability, and an inclusive Central Ohio. More proceeds transformative programming, innovative services and public policy initiatives are designed to promote and support the vitality and growth in the region. For more information, please visit more pcy.org. Enjoy the interview.
Walker Evans 01:40
To start, you want to say your name and your title and all that. Hi,
Maria Schaper 01:43
I’m Maria shopper. I’m the Associate Director of Transportation planning with the middle Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Cool.
Walker Evans 01:53
So for the uninitiated person, can you give us sort of a an easy overview of what link us is?
Maria Schaper 02:00
Yes. So link us is about connecting people with opportunities. And we’re connecting people with opportunities via investments in transportation and mobility, as well as creating walkable, connected development to serve all people and bring the opportunities closer together. So they’re easy to access via all modes of transportation. Cool.
Walker Evans 02:25
I know a little bit about how this sort of dates back to the insight 2050 study. So I think that was published or began in 2014. Where that’s almost 10 years ago, at this point. And I know there’s a lot of work that goes into these sorts of things. Can you maybe walk us through a little bit of the timeline from that study when it was published? And how Linkous was sort of born out of that? Yes, absolutely.
Maria Schaper 02:47
So yeah, like you said, like, 10 years ago, you know, we’ve, we’ve known, we’ve been growing for 10 years as a region we’ve been expecting to grow out to 2050 for at least 10 years now. And so, back in 2014, timeframe, Morsi led the region and the insight 2050 study, which was a study to understand how we grow, and the different ways we grow as a region can impact things like land consumption, the environment, the cost of traveling and the cost of living, basically, it’s all interconnected. Right. Right. Right. So So, so that study gave us the information in order we needed in order to kind of create a strategy of I will, how can we accommodate this growth? We know what’s coming. We can’t stop it from coming. So how can we grow in a responsible way and accommodate this growth? And so that led to the corridor concepts, study in 2019, and that we took the information we knew from from intake 2015 about how these impacts? And basically we looked at, okay, how can we how can we accommodate this growth by focusing the growth into corridors and developing around these corridors where we can serve a higher number of people via transportation as well as decrease the costs to serve these people, as well as just making a living and making accessing different opportunities more affordable. Yeah.
Walker Evans 04:28
And a lot of those corridors are sort of existing areas of density and growth. So it’s not about creating new corridors, it’s about sort of building on where you already see success. Right? Exactly.
Maria Schaper 04:37
Yes. And also as part of that, in within that timeframe, you know, we were coda, developed, what they call their next gen plan where they had identified, I think, close to 20 corridors that could accommodate rapid transit. And so from that, you know, that led into the insight 2050 Corridor concept where it kind of narrowed down to five or so Next corridors that could best accommodate that growth and the transportation. And then we were able to as a region fold that into our metropolitan transportation plan, which kind of laid the groundwork for how how we might as a region might fund this type of transportation investment. And so here we are with link us and that link us is the implementation of these decades this decade long planning effort. Nice.
Walker Evans 05:27
You mentioned how a lot of these things are all interconnected from housing to jobs. Why Why the focus on transportation? Why is that sort of like the key piece of infrastructure with these types of plans? Well,
Maria Schaper 05:40
with transportation, the cost of transportation and getting around, everybody has to move around to access, work, education, just their daily needs. And so, right now, the way to get around primarily in central Ohio, is by owning a car. And we know that I think today it’s the the numbers 40% of weight. We took that number. Sure. Yeah, 40 Sorry, 40,000, Franklin County residents lack access to a personal vehicle. Gotcha. And so, you know, that creates barriers to opportunity. And, you know, so we, we know that transportation is a large component of just a household costs, the cost of living and so if you can not have to own a car or maintain a car, you know, you can you can hop on transit, and access your daily needs, that cuts down on the cost of living significantly. Yeah.
Walker Evans 06:41
And it’s probably worth pointing out to you that most trips are taken in a single occupant vehicle as well. So it’s a very underutilized mode of transportation as well. Right now. So you know, you mentioned mass transit, rapid transit. It sounds like the Linkous plan is to move forward with BRT. Can you tell us a little bit about what BRT means to someone that might not have heard that term before? And why we’re taking that route instead of a fixed rail system, like a light rail system or something like that?
Maria Schaper 07:13
Yes, that’s a great question. So BRT stands for bus rapid transit. And I think a lot of people get hung up can get hung up on the B part, which is the bus but I like to emphasize the rapid in transit, so bus rapid transit, and it is a high capacity premium transport, transit service with amenities many of the same amenities you will see in a light rail mode. And it you know, there’s multilevel boarding there’s offboard bear off board fare collection, they also will have a modern design modern station designs much more robust and place to catch the to get on the transit line you know more not just a you know, a sign in the ground in the middle of grass. And it also has dedicated lanes, so dedicated right of way that means a transit only lane would have a transit signal priority. So, as the train vehicle approaches an intersection, they can have that high technology communication, where it can talk to the signal and it can get the priority green while the other vehicles single occupant vehicles have to wait. So So yes, we are looking at bus rapid transit. And I think the the question of the bus rapid transit has been identified for the three corridors that are in development currently. So that would be West broad, East Main, and the northwest corridor, which is primarily Owens Boland, Tennessee River Road. Gotcha. And we I also should start with each of those corridors were studied separately, and looked at what mode makes sense for this corridor. Light rail was considered for each of those corridors and bus rapid transit was identified, I think, for a couple of different reasons. So first of all, its cost.
Walker Evans 09:15
I recall, Shannon Hart, and maybe in one of our recent interviews with him talking about how, you know, just being responsible with taxpayer dollars, you know, with a very large investment like that, you can either get one light rail line, or you get an entire BRT system. It’s like multiple degrees of cost between the two types of systems. Yes.
Maria Schaper 09:35
And I off the top of my head. Yeah. So BRT, the typical, like on a cost per mile basis. The typical BRT system is about 20% of the cost of a fixed rail system. So five
Walker Evans 09:48
acts. Exactly, yeah.
Maria Schaper 09:50
So that’s a big was a big component of of, you know, the decision to look at BRT. But I think more importantly, when We look at like the benefits that we get from bus rapid transit and light rail. They’re largely similar. And, you know, I will point to Cleveland, which has a bus rapid transit system. And you know, they their original Pro, their original BRT program costs about 50 million. And that investment has delivered 114 and a half million gained for every dollar spent on their BRT implementation. And so
Walker Evans 10:32
do you know how that measurement is gained? Is that like transit oriented development, or is that exactly economic impact? Yes,
Maria Schaper 10:38
so so it’s the value of office space, the, the value of office space within a quarter mile of their that BRT line is 18%, higher than comparable space outside of the within walking outside of the walking distance of the BRT. So, you know, just looking at new jobs generated. So, so yeah, so the, so the, the impacts and benefits that we gain from BRT are very similar. And as well, as you know, the I mentioned the dedicated right away with with BRT. And that’s, and I should say that, you know, we’re looking at BRT now. And, you know, we can expect all of the benefits. And that’s not to say that sometime in the future, we couldn’t explore options for light rail. You know, that’s it doesn’t preclude that from happening. And I will also mention the, we were partnering with the FTA, the Federal Transit Administration to fund the BRT. And that’s a large part, we’re depending on federal investment for a large portion of funding that funding the transit system. And so when working with the FDA, you know, they want to see a level of density to support ridership of the transit corridor. And so when looking at the different levels of density, it was determined that bus rapid transit was the most appropriate for based on some of their criteria for identifying which funding levels or they’re willing to invest. Nice, nice.
Walker Evans 12:16
On Columbus underground, we talked to a lot of people about a lot of the different plans going on, there was a rapid five update the other day, we’ve been talking to folks about the ongoing downtown development plans. There’s the zoning initiative to upgrade the city’s zoning code. How do all of those sort of tie in to link us? Are you working with those different community partners to make sure that everyone is sort of in sync with all these different plans? Yes,
Maria Schaper 12:39
absolutely. I’m glad you brought that up. Because I think, you know, we’re so much of Linkous that we were talking about is investment in transportation, investment in bus rapid transit investment and bike and pedestrian infrastructure to support that investment. But the the other the other piece of the puzzle is really the development side and making sure that we have a development that that transit serves the development, but that the development is supporting the transit as well. And so yeah, you mentioned zoning, the zoning team has prioritized the Linkous corridors, as they look at updating the zoning code as the city updates the zoning code. So looking at, you know, our the form and function of the development in those corridors, so are the buildings, you know, close to the street where you can, you don’t have to walk down the driveway half a mile just to get to your final destination. And then we’re also working with other jurisdictions along into the corridors. Working with Coda in applying for we’ve applied for grant some grant funding to develop a equitable transit oriented development policy and tool I should say. So it’s a tool to really help the local jurisdictions look at and update their land use policies as needed to support the investment. Yeah,
Walker Evans 14:00
yeah. Cuz the Linkous program touches more than just Columbus, right where the zone in is Columbus Pacific. Exactly, yeah. So what what happens next, what are we going to see when when are things going to start happening or being announced?
Maria Schaper 14:14
Sure. Well, we we’ve been working on on this for almost three years now. The partners, Kota Morsi, the City of Columbus, Franklin County, and as you mentioned, all all the jurisdictions and so we are going to keep working on developing the design of these corridors. We’re working with all the jurisdictions on identifying funding source for the transit, supportive infrastructure component, which I know I think you’re gonna hear more about from my colleague, excellent. And so I think what’s next is we’re really just doing things like this trying to talk to the community. You understand what how we how this initiative can benefit you. everybody and we really just share, share the information and keep moving forward.
Walker Evans 15:07
Maria, thanks so much. Okay,
Maria Schaper 15:09
thank you. Thanks for having me.
Walker Evans 15:14
Can you tell us your name and title?
Níel Jurist 15:15
Neil juris? I am the Communications and engagement senior director at MORP. See the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
Walker Evans 15:24
So for anyone who is unfamiliar with what Linkous is, can you give us kind of an overview?
Níel Jurist 15:29
Sure. It’s a transportation development initiative that was created in partnership with Kota MORP. See the City of Columbus, Franklin County that addresses the growing housing and transportation demands of the region. And so the Linkous mobility Initiative is a faster, more reliable public transportation network. It’s it’s create safer, more expanded bike and pedestrian paths, more walkable communities, it really connects the community together to more access to affordable housing, to have people go to it from work appointments. And Recreation is just a better mode of transportation to get people where they need to go. And most importantly, this mobility initiative is about equity. That’s something that’s a core value that’s important to all of us that are involved. But it’s really ensuring that everybody in the region has more access to affordable, faster, reliable transportation options. Cool.
Walker Evans 16:32
I know it’s something of this magnitude in the region. I know a lot of what you work on involves a lot of community input public input processes. Can you tell us a little bit about what’s been done to gather community input for the first couple of years? Sure.
Níel Jurist 16:47
So we’ve been working on this probably for the last three going on four years. And so we’re probably maybe in the second phase of the community, the community engagement, the first one was more or less just trying to get the information out to different stakeholders. And so in doing so, we participated in a variety of events ranging from 614 day, the African American male wellness walk, and really, anything that Mopsy is participating in from a grassroots community initiative, there will always be some information at our table or booth on Linkous. And it’s really an opportunity for us to ask people, do you know what it is? And then we explain it to them. And I think once we explain how it’s a little bit different than what we currently have, and how it’ll connect in the future, I think then they become a little bit more excited about it. Yeah. So we’ve held a number of also, like we’ve done presentations at Commission’s, we’ve also held a community stakeholder meeting. And we attracted probably over 100 peoples over capacity, which is great, because that demonstrated that there was a genuine interest in wanting to learn and so for sure, for that particular stakeholder meeting was held. It was held here at Mopsy. And it was hosted by Councilwoman Lourdes poderoso. They Budhia and the Columbus Urban League President Stephanie Hightower, and so it was a really good opportunity to kind of for Councilman poderosa de Budhia, to share her story and also to really answer questions and just present kind of where we’re at right now.
Walker Evans 18:29
Yeah. You mentioned stakeholders a couple of times. I know Marcy herds, a lot of cats. There’s there’s a lot of a lot of different municipalities and groups and organizations. Who are some of the stakeholders involved in link us? Sure.
Níel Jurist 18:40
So in addition to MORP C’s city of Columbus, Kota and Franklin County, we also have the Franklin County engineers office, Central Ohio, greenways, Metro Parks, if we’re looking at service organizations and nonprofits, we have the Columbus Urban League, affordable housing trust rapid five, we also have the in the private sector is one Columbus partnership, the Columbus black CEO, collective in a variety of developers and then for alternative transportation, mobility, gay bikes, transit, Columbus and faith based communities are among some of the I would say key stakeholders if you will. Yeah.
Walker Evans 19:21
Nice. Sounds like the whole community basically. Right? Yeah.
Níel Jurist 19:24
We will never sit love it for it to be that way. Yeah. So
Walker Evans 19:29
I know a lot of the initial planning for this got started before the pandemic. I’m sure there’s been some pivoting along the way. Can you tell us a little bit about what maybe what’s changed, you know, has that affected our growth? You know, what, what, what’s changed with the plan since then,
Níel Jurist 19:42
I would say you know, of course during the pandemic, much like everyone else we we had to shift from in person to virtual meetings. During that time. I think we did a lot more listening and engagement through you know, digital engagement, just kind of looking at people’s comments on social mean. idea, getting feedback on different aspects of Linkous. We also kind of heard during this time that people want more transportation options, probably because during the pandemic, they had more time to think about what they wanted, they had less distractions. I mean, we still worked. But we were able to do it. Many of us won’t say all of us in the comfort of our home. So that gave us a lot of time to be a little bit introspective. So since we, you know, we’re kind of getting back to where we used to be before the pandemic, we’re back to grassroots, we’re back to engaging people trying to meet people where they’re at, because of the digital divide, we can’t do a whole campaign on social media or expect people to go to our website, we have to be out talking to people. And so we’re back to that. So what we’re trying to do is get people excited and re engaged in the process, so they can help us spread the word. It’s cool.
Walker Evans 20:55
I know we’re eventually heading into the colder months here in a little bit. But are there any upcoming opportunities for continued public input if people want to still be a part of the process?
Níel Jurist 21:05
Yes, absolutely. So we do have plans to go to some of the commission meetings and council meetings, we’re meeting with businesses, and one of the things we’re going to do is reengage that stakeholder group I mentioned a short while ago. And we are also looking to engage with some businesses and continue with the meeting with developers. And so really, we love any of the partners, we’d love the opportunity to present information to, you know, anyone’s organization. So people are interested and really want to learn more, I mean, civic associations, we’d be happy to do that presentation, I think that’s kind of the next thing, we’ll continue to continue to do. As well as simplify our message. I know sometimes it’d be a little bit technical. But I think if we really explained the benefits, and how it really works, I think people will really find value in what we’re trying to do and get excited about it. And that’s really what we want. Cool.
Walker Evans 22:02
A lot of folks I know myself included are, you know, sort of self defined transit nerds, you know, geeking out about this stuff, whether it’s improving bike lanes, bus rapid transit. And they’re the kind of people that like, want to really get hands on and really get involved beyond just filling out a survey or, you know, that sort of thing, which is important. But are there other ways, you know, they can advocate or, you know, really help spread the word on this? Oh, I’m
Níel Jurist 22:26
so glad you asked that question. One of the things that we want to try to get people to be our link us ambassadors, so you know, getting the information and sharing it with their organizations, their businesses, their networks, and really just informing people about the importance of this new and much needed transformative transportation and housing initiative. And I say, housing and transportation, because they’re going, oh, there’s some integration between that and sort of can’t, like, overlook that connection. We also, there’s also a monthly newsletter on the Linkous columbus.com website. I believe it’s monthly, it’s a digital newsletter, and you can sign up and get all the updates, you know, social media following on social media. And really, I believe you can request again to have representatives or members of the partners or stakeholder groups come out and do presentations or answer any questions. And then as a transit enthusiast, I would encourage you to tap into your transportation networks, be vocal about, you know what this change could mean, how it can create a better, you know, region environment, and really improve the quality of life not only for you, but for everyone across the region in the community.
Walker Evans 23:47
Neil, thanks so much for joining us. Thank you. Can you tell us your name and title just to kick things off?
Elliott Lewis 23:55
Yes. I’m Ellie Lewis. I’m a senior planner here at Morsi.
Walker Evans 24:00
So for anyone tuning in, maybe for the first time and not knowing anything about Linkous tell us in your words. What is Lync is all about
Elliott Lewis 24:09
link us is about expanding mobility options for everyone everywhere, through multimodal so everyone hears link us link us and if they know a little bit about it, they hear about the high capacity of rapid transit, the bus rapid transit corridors, but it’s so much more than that. We’re expanding other bus service by like almost half like 40%, at least. But it’s not even that two, because you have more frequent buses, more bus lines, you have Kota plus, which is a demand response type of mode, but you also have all the things that get you to the transit. I mean, it’s great to have more buses, but if you can’t get to them, then they’re not that useful. So a portion of that, that I’m helping to manage is the transit supportive infrastructure portion. And that’s all the side walks the trails, the cross walks, everything that gets you from the bus to your destination and vice versa. That first mile last mile connection, that’s really critical when you look at the totality mobility. Cool.
Walker Evans 25:14
Yeah, that kind of leads directly into my next question, which was, you know, kind of beyond the experience on the bus or the bus rapid transit? What does this program mean for sidewalk improvements, crosswalk improvements, maybe, you know, safer crossings, especially in some of these really wide corridors, like Broad Street? Is that is that a part of the plan? Absolutely.
Elliott Lewis 25:33
Anywhere in everywhere. Just imagine, I mean, I’m sure you’ve ridden the bus or driven around or rode your bike around in some very dangerous places, or have gone along a roadway and seen like a worn path, or a sidewalk could be or you look into, oh, there’s a bus stop. But it’s just a sign on the side of the road, you know, police to set right, exactly. And so upgrading your transit stop amenities, you know, getting at least a bench or somewhere to where, you know, okay, you can get to this stop. Now, you can sit at this stop and a bit more comfortable. And thankfully, through this, you won’t have to wait as long because you’ll be more frequent buses, too. But yeah, so it’s getting all of that linked together.
Walker Evans 26:14
Cool. So talking a little bit, you know, when a lot of times we’re looking at these kinds of plans, it’s from the 40,000 foot view, can you tell us a little bit more about what it feels like from the user point of view? We spoke a little bit previously with Maria and Neil about, you know, the the off board, ticketing process and waiting areas and platform, you know, levels? Can you tell us a little more about those positive experiences for users?
Elliott Lewis 26:42
Yeah, so when we’re talking about upgrading, buses, upgrading stations, were doing it to upgrade the convenience and upgrade the dignity of the traveler. So you are having spaces that are more sheltered from the elements that are heated that have more information, helpful information. So you know, okay, well, if I need to get on another bus, it’s a lot easier to know where you’re going to go, and how long it’s going to get there, too. And so all of that is tied together in those stops. But again, with the transit supportive infrastructure portion. Now you actually have a sidewalk tour, you don’t have to trudge through the mud and the snow as much to get to that nice new shiny stop, or bike path you can very easily get from you go, you can roll your bike right on the bus, you know, take it somewhere and get right on the greenways somewhere and have instead of
Walker Evans 27:39
mounting on the front of the bus, which is a time consuming process. Exactly. Right on. That’s cool. Nice. What about technology for this, like apps, things like that, you know, Will Will this tap into existing systems potentially for like ridership cards? You know, when I get on the bus, I scan the QR code on my phone? Or will there be new apps for that everything
Elliott Lewis 28:00
will still be integrated in the apps, they are now like the transit app, that code is partnered with, everything will be rolled into that just to make it more seamless for people who are already used to using Kota.
Walker Evans 28:15
One of the questions Brent, our urban development writer and transit writer wanted me to ask was about you know, the focus being on these corridors? What sort of advantages will users who don’t live directly on those corridors? See through the Linkous program?
Elliott Lewis 28:33
Yes, that’s a that’s a big key. And that’s something that you know, I mean, what’s in it for me? What’s what’s in it for you? But I mean, what’s in it for people who are several blocks away several miles away from these corridors so mentioned earlier, that there are so many increased frequencies of existing routes, and new routes being proposed. And so you might live maybe a mile away from a bus route now. Yeah, here, but pretty soon, you’ll be living maybe a quarter mile away from one that comes every 15 minutes, which would be fantastic. But even if you’re further away than that, now, the program that I’m over to, we are we want to use it to increase access to transit, but also build non motorized active transportation use all throughout the coda service area, and we want to see all the connections to our greenways we want to foster that culture that okay, I don’t need to hop onto or into my car to go from A to B today. And that with that, okay, well now, this is an option that I can use for other trips. And so being letting that be an option everywhere, and then having that sort of just lift the culture of active transportation and multimodal ism, you know, helps to improve that everywhere.
Walker Evans 29:55
Yeah. Would you say that part of the benefit or or initiative is to reduce barriers to entry. I feel like you know, if you want to walk, you know whether there’s a sidewalk or not, you can walk, but it reduces the ability for a lot of people to do it if they’re, you know, disabled or elderly or just don’t feel safe doing that sort of thing. And so the same sort of thing with a bus like, sure I can ride the bus. But if it’s inconvenient, you know, the shelter isn’t really the nicest, it’s raining outside that sort of stuff. Do you? Do you think that these kinds of improvements will just help increase ridership because it, it removes barriers to entry?
Elliott Lewis 30:30
Absolutely. I mean, who wants to go out and wait on a corner for an hour? Because you just missed the bus? And oh, no, it starts raining? And oh, no, you don’t have somewhere to sit? Yeah. Yeah. You know, unfortunately, people do have to do that. So we’re not, you know, proposing to do this just to attract new riders, but also to make the existing experiences more, you know, just that much better for people. Yeah. But yes, that’s, that’s something that we want to do is just to make this less of a burden on people. And where possible, more interesting, and more fun and more comfortable.
Walker Evans 31:05
Yeah, almost a point of pride as well. I mean, if these are nicer stations, it sort of adds a bit more dignity. I think maybe, yeah,
Elliott Lewis 31:12
I mean, we look at some of our peer cities across the nation who have done these things. And you know, that becomes, like you said, a point of pride in their communities that said, Oh, man, we’ve got this really cool thing that you don’t know. And we don’t want to be the you don’t anymore. Yeah,
Walker Evans 31:28
so good bragging rights. So what comes next in the process, you know, for what you’re working on are ways that people can can be involved in this.
Elliott Lewis 31:36
Yes. So we are with the transport of infrastructure, the TSI portion of it, we are working with each of our local jurisdictions, over 40 different jurisdictions and different different working groups in different committees to identify sort of the first fruits of what projects that we could deliver with, through this initiative. And so we have been sitting down literally at this table and other tables, multiple jurisdictions coming together and like actually collaborating and not competing to figure out what connections can we make within our communities, but also between, you know, how do we get from Grandview heights to Columbus, how do we go, you know, from Reynoldsburg, out, all of these things have been a big process. I’ll say that, a lot of coordination, but a lot of productivity to do that. So what we’re doing right now is we are identifying those priority projects within our communities within the code of service area, to identify and to prioritize, and to develop, as we go into next year and beyond to show that, oh, this is what is going to be built in your neighborhood on your street. Cool. That’s really awesome.
Walker Evans 32:51
So we end every episode of the confluence cast with a question, a set of questions. What do you think Columbus is doing? Well, and what do you think Columbus is doing? Not so well?
Elliott Lewis 33:03
Well, I’m going to start with the well, yeah, I think Columbus is, in my opinion, doing well about being honest about what it’s not doing. Well. I know, it’s a roundabout way of saying it. But I like seeing, because I’ve moved here just about two years ago, from Chicago, and I’m originally from West Virginia too. So kind of, you know, on ends of the spectrum of rural versus urban. And I really like the the idiosyncratic kind of neurosis here in Columbus, because everyone’s like, Columbus should be this. Columbus should be that but don’t never really describe what Columbus is, right? And in a way, I kind of like that. Because it is sort of a blank slate, if you will, or at least something that is a different Canvas to different people. Yeah. And you can set off and do something that not you might necessarily be able to do in a larger or smaller place and be pigeon holed somehow.
Walker Evans 34:04
Gotcha. So we’re open to ideas and change. And that’s exactly yeah. So what is Columbus doing? Not so
Elliott Lewis 34:09
well? Well. It’s something that unfortunately, you can’t change, but I just got back from Denver, from West Virginia. I love the mountains, born and raised mountain near. Yeah. And boy if I don’t miss those hills, but we have some really great ravines some very topography that I love running through the quarry. Metro Park has already measured power, but it’s up there. Yes. So it’s not all you know, flat farmland. Yeah.
Walker Evans 34:37
Yeah. Well, the usual host of this podcast, Tim Fulton is back on a big kick about Columbus building a mountain. There was an initiative probably 1015 years ago on this topic. And so maybe that will be a future episode. Maybe. Yeah. Cool. Thanks. Thanks again for joining us. Thank you.
Tim Fulton 35:04
Thanks for listening to the confluence cast presented by Columbus underground. Again, you can get more information on what we discussed today in the show notes for this episode at the confluence cast.com Please rate subscribe, share this episode of The confluence cast with your friends, family, contacts, enemies, your favorite commuter. If you’re interested in sponsoring the confluence cast get in touch with us. We can be reached by email at info at the confluence cast.com Our theme music was composed by Benji Robinson, our producers Philip Cogley, I’m your host, Tim Fulton. Have a great week.
