Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio

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Award-winning Abbey Theater brings exclusive, national and worldwide performances to Dublin May 02, 2024

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From exclusive, never-before-seen productions to Disney musicals to Green Day's 'American Idiot', the award-winning Abbey Theater truly has something for everyone this season. Check out the performance line-up because the 200-seat venue is sure to fill up night in, night out and matinees, too. Lindsay and Bruce walk you through the season with Dublin's Theater Supervisor, Joe Bishara, as this episode is absolutely jam-packed. The City, the Abbey, and our audiences are so fortunate to have earned a reputation where playwrights, directors and performers want to come to us to debut their work. There are performances now through the fall for families, kids and adults. Joe also discusses his holistic vision, how he plots out a full season and his longer-range goals to bring even more educational and immersive experiences to the Abbey. If you listen long enough, you just might hear him bust out some fantastic Josh Groban melodies, too!

City Council member talks vision, his dream amenity for Dublin and going with the grain as a master woodworker Apr 18, 2024

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Each Dublin City Council member brings their own perspective, strengths and goals to the job. We're fortunate and so are our residents to have member, Andy Keeler, watching many things including our tax dollars and local creativity! Andy is a certified financial planner and by nature a goal-setting planner. And yet, he's a master woodworker and furniture maker. His works are on display in his office, his home and at Council chambers. He shares equal passions with Lindsay and Bruce on being a careful steward of taxpayer dollars and explains how those dollars are effectively spent and leveraged for the greater good. Bridge Park is a great example of this! You'll also hear more about his passion for the arts and his quote 'mind-blowing 2.0 version of Metro Center!' Plus, in our rapid-fire segment, if a buttoned-up financial guy, like Andy, won the lottery, could he then make a silly financial purchase? Find out!

SWACO and Dublin celebrate Earth Month, recycling 101 and the coming 'Sustainable Saturday' Apr 03, 2024

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Be honest, have you thrown one of those plastic clamshell containers for strawberries or blackberries in your recycle bin? That's a recycling no-no, and that's why this episode is so timely. April is Earth Month, and as our residents know and practice themselves, Dublin is becoming greener and more sustainable every day. But it's always important to review and update the do's and don'ts of recycling because things evolve constantly, and that's a great thing! Our partners at SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) help us and all of Central Ohio do that in multiple ways: educational programs in schools, tours of the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, business partnerships and grants for which your organization can apply for possible financial assistance. As Lindsay and Bruce discovered, the landfill has a 'shelf life,’ and it's up to us to extend it. You'll find out how and more about one of our most popular events annually - Sustainable Saturday - where you can bring in everything from documents to hazardous waste to unused pills, and we'll make sure they're disposed of safely and properly.

'The state of our City is strong and our future is undeniably bright' Mar 21, 2024

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Those are the words of City Manager Megan O'Callaghan from the 2024 State of The City address . You can absolutely take her word for it, but you can also hear from many people who joined Megan that night to explain how and why: City Council members, City executives in public safety, economic development, transportation, sustainability, finance, and parks and recreation plus residents who also voiced their opinions. Local students and volunteers joined, too, and discussed why Dublin is so special to them. You'll also hear from our thriving business community and business partners who've called Dublin home for decades. To paraphrase Mayor Amorose Groomes, a city is a simple calculation of population and area, but an exceptional community is one of connected people. That's Dublin and that, too, is the state of our great City!

You can help 'Realize the Metro Center Revitalization Vision' Mar 07, 2024

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To be a global city of choice, Dublin constantly listens to residents, employs city staff with world-class expertise and coalesces outside leaders who also help us evolve and grow. All of these entities came together recently for one of Dublin City Council's goals to 'Realize the Metro Center Revitalization Vision'. Lindsay and Bruce lead the conversation with our panelists who shared insights on mixed-use development trends, walkable communities and shifting employment demographics. Our thanks to the Embassy Suites Dublin for hosting this event and allowing us to 'plug-in' to their audio system and create another on the road podcast episode. Metro Center was a ground-breaking development and with a dynamic refresh, it will once again be a 21st century destination to work, live, play, stay and enjoy!

'At Your Service'. Dublin's Taxation Office is here to educate, answer questions and help you file Feb 21, 2024

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Do you know how Dublin funds our pristine parks, the Recreation Center, our miles upon miles of paved paths and so many more world class amenities? Yes, it's by collecting taxes but there's way more to this story than you may know. Thankfully, we have the City's Direction of Taxation, Tammy Lehnert, to walk us through the details. For example, the difference between income taxes and property taxes, what's the most common question people have about their taxes and maybe most importantly, what's the most common mistake people make when filing them? Plus, did you know we fund and provide our tremendous services with an income tax rate that's lower than many of our neighboring cities? You'll also find Tammy to be not just an authoritative voice but a most welcoming one; she and her team want your calls, emails and in-person inquiries at City Hall if you have questions. Plus, she drops knowledge bombs on the history of taxation in America and gives a shout-out to a local high school math teacher who likely helped pave the way to her great career with the City of Dublin!

Family legacy, a passion for neighbors and what the pandemic taught Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes Feb 08, 2024

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When newly sworn in Mayor (for a second time) Chris Amorose Groomes was 8 years old, she'd ride her bike down Sawmill Road to Tuller Fruit Farm for a delicious apple fritter on Saturday mornings. She'd see maybe 10 or 12 cars on the long ride as Sawmill, then, was just a two-lane road. Today, we know how busy Sawmill is and Home Depot now stands on the fruit farm property. It's that kind of history and institutional knowledge she brings to the job along with her years on City Council. But the Mayor's family also has a steadfast dedication to City service, and it's instilled in her: her mother founded the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, helped write the original charter for the City and her father served as Dublin's Vice Mayor. Mayor Amorose Groomes talks about that plus her vision to keep Dublin on the path for global leadership in sustainability, fiber to the home, quality of life and transportation. (hint: we're in the running for a possible major upgrade to Amtrak train service)

City ordinance helps control wild animals, protect your property and educate residents Jan 24, 2024

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Did you know Dublin has a wildlife expert who can answer your questions on everything from plants that deer love and hate to how a skunk smell gets in your house or car? She's Dublin's Nature Education Coordinator, Barbara Ray, and her work comes from a natural and passionate place. Barbara first started 'rescuing' tarantulas as a kid and grew up loving the outdoors and all animals. She later led a horse breeding program in the Cleveland area, then came to work at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and fortunately, for us, that led to her coming to the City of Dublin. Barbara does so much from hosting classes and school groups to speaking to residents about all things nature and animals. Speaking of which, Barbara, Lindsay and Bruce explain a new city ordinance amendment regarding wild animals, what you need to know about the current deer mating season, plus some myth-busting on what really works if your pet gets sprayed by a skunk. (hint: toothpaste)

We're ready to brine, salt and plow our roads and paths now that winter weather is here Jan 09, 2024

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Call it planning mixed with some luck as we drop this episode on the very week when we see a wintry mix of precipitation, school delays and our Dublin city crews on the job making sure our roads, bridges and walking paths stay clear and safe. The person leading that charge is Dublin's Public Service Director, Jay Anderson, who joins Lindsay and Bruce to talk about plans for winter 2024. Jay has been with the City nearly 30 years and discusses a wide range of services under his purview: curb-to-curb snow removal, park maintenance and leaf collection just to name a few. Jay answers the question that pops up every fall - should you mulch, collect or leave your autumn leaves on the ground? Plus, now that winter is here, listen for his number one tip for residents to help city crews clear the streets of snow. And if that's not enough, yes, artificial intelligence has come to snow predictions! We also want to give a shout-out to all of our listeners as this episode kicks off Season 3 of Link Ahead. We couldn't do this podcast without YOU!

A World Series champ, 'live' from Dublin, Ireland and July 4th entertainment goes viral! Dec 19, 2023

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2023 encompassed Season 2 of Link Ahead and when we look back at the year of two dozen episodes and guests, it was as varied as you can get: from World Series champ Kent Mercker and 10TV's Dom Tiberi, (both Dublin residents) to leaders from just about every sector of government talking about our tremendous city services and amenities. Plus, who could forget Lindsay's co-hosting duties streetside from Dublin, *Ireland* at the St. Patrick's Day parade there! We'd also be remiss if we didn't mention the reigning podcast queen, Alison LeRoy, our Director of Events. In June of 2022 and 2023, Alison has come on the show to officially announce our July 4th entertainment at Coffman Stadium. Those episodes get more downloads than any others, thousands in fact! We're so proud of all these episodes as they highlight the people, places, leaders, and vision that make Dublin so special. So, whether you're at home in front of the Christmas tree or in the car heading to see family and friends, take a listen to the greatest podcast hits of 2023 from Season 2 of Link Ahead!