POWELL — The city is about to ramp up its communication efforts regarding the future of Village Green.
Powell City Council authorized City Manager Andy White on Tuesday to move forward with a contract with Columbus-based public relations firm Geben Communication.
The firm is being hired to develop messaging around the future of Village Green.
“We believe that additional communications will help ensure residents have clear, consistent and timely information on the Village Green plan as we move forward,” Powell Community Engagement Director Anna Subler told council.
Geben will begin working with the city in September or October and provide communication services until December 2027.
The city received three responses to the request for proposals but Geben won the contract.
“Geben’s proposal included developing a comprehensive communications and public engagement plan, a messaging guide, audience personas and a crisis communications playbook,” Subler said.
“They also will provide support for public meetings and open houses, website, social media content, media relations, council presentations and ongoing reporting.”
Council split on necessity of public relations
Councilman David Lester pushed back on the agenda item, asking why city communications staff can’t do the work in-house.
White said the city does not have the resources.
“Why don’t we get the resources,” Lester retorted. “This is a Band-Aid.”
Vice Mayor Tom Counts disagreed.
“How do you do this extraordinary project? You do that by engaging a special consultant to do this,” Counts said. “And once that project is over, then you don’t have the overhead of having employed additional people that you no longer need.”
Mayor Heather Karr said the city needed to establish a communications strategy before one became necessary, calling it a “lesson learned.”
Planning Director Logan Stang echoed Karr’s point, saying residents clearly felt uninformed about the entire process.
“One of the biggest things that we heard from residents that attended the third and fourth open houses earlier this year, was that they felt like they were unaware of what the Village Green Master Plan was, and that they were unaware of what was going to be presented,” Stang said.
Councilman Leif Carlson cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing the city should wait to hire Geben until council reviews phase three of the Village Green Master Plan. That phase includes financial analysis and further refinement of the Village Green plans.
Where does Village Green development stand now?
The city is in phase two of the master plan now, which involves exploring potential development options and eventually identifying a preferred development concept.
Council previously extended phase two of the planning process to give Pizzuti Solutions time to address 381 comments submitted by residents.
The design firm collected feedback through email and four public open houses, where residents reviewed two conceptual designs for Village Green.
During the Aug. 4 meeting, Pizzuti Solutions Representative Sophia Lanza told council she expects to host another community presentation in the fall, and bring a revised concept to council in December.
The city has not yet announced the date for that open house.
Pizzuti Solutions presented two concepts earlier this year, both incorporating a mix of retail and residential development. Potential features included a market hall, grocery store and a multilevel parking garage replacing the existing lot at 47 Hall St.
Both concepts would also substantially rearrange the 12-acre Village Green property, which currently includes council chambers, the Powell Police Department, amphitheater, splash pad and green space.
