Hello, Columbus!

Summertime means gathering with family and friends, engaging with your fellow neighbors and communities, and enjoying the many wonderful festivities our city has to offer. I am thankful to Columbus Police and Fire for keeping our major events safe, helping to manage traffic and roadway closures, connecting with our youth, promoting heat and fire safety, and so much more. Thanks to our city’s comprehensive approach to neighborhood safety – which includes prevention, intervention and enforcement strategies – we’ve had a safe and successful festival season. But summer is not over yet. We will continue to be diligent and proactive in keeping Columbus safe – today and every day.

Sincerely,

Mayor Andy Ginther

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visits Columbus

Earlier this month, I had the great honor of joining First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for the launch of the Columbus Workforce Hub alongside Congresswoman Beatty, Columbus City Council, local education leaders and our business partners.  

Columbus, if you haven’t already heard, is among five cities selected by the Biden-Harris Administration for the Investing in America Workforce initiative, which focuses on bringing together higher education, employers, unions, high schools and other stakeholders to build a diverse and skilled workforce. Our selection for the workforce hub is thanks, in part, to recent investments from Intel and Honda – solidifying our region’s standing at the forefront of semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, biotechnology, high-performance computing and transportation innovation.

Congratulations to our 141st police recruit class

I applaud the 34 newest recruits of the Columbus Division of Police for stepping forward at a time when leadership and integrity have never been more vital to the safety and security of our neighborhoods. So far, we have graduated 63 recruits this year and expect two additional recruit classes to graduate by the end of 2023. After graduation, these new officers will undergo 15 weeks of field training alongside experienced Field Training Officers. My goal is to have more police officers and firefighters on the streets of Columbus by the end of 2024 than ever before, and the addition of these recruits is an important step forward in those efforts.

Dive into the brand new Glenwood Pool

Swimming is a summertime staple, and Columbus pools are great places for children and families to keep cool, stay active and have fun. The City of Columbus now has eight incredible outdoor pools – two of which were fully remodeled this year. One of the new pools is Glenwood Pool, located at 1888 Fairmont Avenue. The pool offers swimmers dual water slides, a dedicated diving pool, an eight-lane lap pool, a kiddie pool, a pool house and sheltered and shaded recreation areas. You can learn more about pool locations, hours and classes here.

Check out the new Columbus.gov

The City of Columbus has launched a new, fresh and innovative design on our website, Columbus.gov. This new website features a modern look and feel, improved mobile compatibility and enhanced search functionality. The new Columbus.gov has been structured so that our residents can access the resources they need in a faster, more efficient way – dramatically reducing digital barriers and ensuring that everyone has a better experience when engaging with their local government.  

The transition from the old website to the new website will continue over the next several months. The 300 webpages that have been migrated to-date account for 80% of all traffic to the city website. Content on both the new and old websites will be maintained until all of the designated webpages have been migrated over to the new website. The old website will eventually be retired in early 2024 once content migration is complete.