By: Dan Tufts

Chester Jourdan, Exec Director of the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) toured the Village to gather first hand our concerns and needs of to expand & grow the village. MORPC coordinates and lays the groundwork for the future of the entire central Ohio area. By working with the various communities, MORPC is able to show them the “Big Picture” and to tie in each community’s needs and expansion so that it benefits the entire region.

It is vital that the village becomes aggressive with its expansion efforts,
and to do so quickly. There is a window of time that is fast drawing to a close, and if we want to direct our future, we must act now. As most of you know, we have for years now been negotiating with Columbus with regards to water and sewage service so that we could expand our village borders. Due to changes in the Adminis-trative staff of Columbus, we have not been able to come to terms regarding utility service areas. We hope that this is about to change.

Director Jourdan has agreed to act as a mediator, and try to facilitate meetings with Columbus so that we can work out our differences to every ones satisfaction.

Our desire is, and has been all along, to have a good working relationship with our neighbors so that every one prospers. The Lockbourne Economic and Development Association ( LEDA ) is working hard to see the village become a driving force in the economic future of the area. With our strategic location between the I-71 corridor on the west, I-270 on the north, and Rickenbacker and the Intermodal on the east, we see a bright future for the village of Lockborne. With Rickenbacker and the Intermodal ramping up to become two of the “Big Guns” in the central Ohio economy, Lockbourne is poised to follow them into the future of what we feel is going to be a great economic boom. We want to make Lockbourne a great place to visit and do business, and an even greater place to live.

* After the meeting, Chester Jourdan sent a thank you note. He expressed his enjoyment of the visit. He wrote, “We look forward to having an opportunity to work with the Village of Lockbourne on it strategic vision and future plans”. The Village also looks forward to working with Chester Jourdan & the MORPC staff to realize our vision and plans! ~Again, thank you Director Jourdan for your time.