"Codger" Tree Pieces Available Next Week | Emerson School Roadway Almost Complete | Westerville News Briefs - Food and Business
Westerville Offers More Pieces Of Fallen Heritage Oak
Residents can take home a piece of the centuries-old Otterbein Cemetery tree Aug. 20.
What remains of a white oak that stood in Westerville long before there was a Westerville will soon be divided among residents who want a tangible piece of the city’s history.
The city will offer more pieces of the fallen Otterbein Cemetery Heritage Tree on Thursday, Aug. 20, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Westerville Service Department, 350 Park Meadow Road. City workers will cut pieces from sections of the tree saved after it fell during a storm in June.
The wood will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of one piece per person. Distribution will continue until the available wood is gone.
It is the second chance for residents to collect part of a tree believed to have been Westerville’s oldest. The city offered pieces of the oak at Otterbein Cemetery shortly after the oak fell, and residents quickly collected the available wood.
A Heritage Tree plaque dating the white oak to about 1674 is now missing from the rock that sat at the base of the tree. If that estimate is correct, the tree was about 352 years old when it fell, though other estimates put it closer to 400 years old.
Either way, the oak was growing decades before Ohio became a state in 1803 and nearly two centuries before Westerville was incorporated. It also predated Otterbein Cemetery, which was established in 1856.
By then, the oak may already have been approaching 200 years old. It remained as the community grew around it, eventually becoming one of Westerville’s most recognizable natural landmarks and earning the nickname “Codger” among some residents.
The Westerville Heritage Tree Project named the oak a Grand Champion in 1992. A description from that year listed it at about 114 inches in circumference and 106 feet tall.
Its centuries-long run ended when the tree came down in June, damaging gravestones as it fell. Removal of the tree also revealed evidence of an earlier effort to preserve it.
Crews found concrete inside a hollow portion of the trunk, apparently placed there years ago as part of an old method of repairing damaged trees. Scratched into the concrete was a name and address: “Thomas Seymour, 158 East Goodale St., Columbus, Ohio.”
The oak is gone from its place at Otterbein Cemetery, but more pieces of it will soon find new homes across the city.
Vine Street Work Races Toward Finish Before School Starts
Construction crews are pushing to complete key portions of the Vine Street improvement project before students return to school next week.
Recent rainstorms have slowed work in several sections of Vine Street between College Avenue and Home Street, leaving contractors with a tight schedule to finish paving, sidewalks, and other improvements.
The most immediate priority is making the street usable near Emerson Elementary and along Park Street beside Hanby Elementary. City officials and the contractor need those areas ready to handle the increased traffic from school buses and parents dropping off and picking up students.
Crews were working this week on new sidewalks and curb ramps near Emerson while paving continued on other portions of Vine Street. Heavy equipment and construction vehicles remained active along the corridor as workers moved from one section to another.
Although additional work may continue after classes begin, the goal is to have the areas serving the two schools safe and accessible when students return next week.
Bombay House plans upscale Indian restaurant in former Winking Lizard space
An upscale Indian restaurant and cocktail bar is preparing to open at 496 Polaris Pkwy. Bombay House Restaurant & Bar, owned by the Kondhare family, is taking over the restaurant portion of the former Winking Lizard/Lizardville space. The restaurant will seat 130 guests indoors and another 60 on its patio and is being designed as a destination for date nights, families, and other gatherings.
Bombay House plans to serve regional Indian dishes alongside familiar favorites such as butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and dosas, as well as Indo-Chinese selections. The menu will also feature vada pav, a Mumbai-style spiced potato fritter sandwich; misal pav, made with sprouted lentils and spices; and pav bhaji, a buttery spiced vegetable mash served with toasted rolls. The restaurant said it will announce its official opening date on Instagram.
Beignets & Brew plans Westerville location near Kroger
Beignets & Brew, a Florida-based coffee and pastry chain, is preparing to open its first Ohio locations, including one in Westerville at 7381 State Route 3, near the Kroger store. A second Central Ohio shop is planned for 2495 Hilliard Rome Road in Hilliard. Founded in Destin, Florida, in 2023, the company has grown to 25 locations, with more than a dozen additional shops listed as coming soon.
The chain specializes in beignets, the deep-fried pastries often associated with New Orleans, along with coffee and other beverages. Its menu includes traditional powdered-sugar beignets as well as flavors such as strawberry cheesecake, Nutella and turtle, plus beignet sundaes, chicken and beignets and breakfast sandwiches. Drinks include coffee, tea, smoothies and energy beverages.
Vertiv Earnings
Vertiv Holdings Co. reported a 24% increase in second-quarter sales and raised its full-year outlook as demand for data-center infrastructure continued to grow.
The Westerville-based company said net sales rose to $3.27 billion, while operating profit increased 44% to $638 million. Adjusted operating profit rose 51% to $738 million, and adjusted earnings per share increased 60% to $1.52.
Chief Executive Officer Giordano Albertazzi said demand tied to artificial intelligence and general computing continues to intensify.
Vertiv now expects full-year 2026 sales of $13.8 billion to $14.2 billion, with organic sales growth of 30% to 32%. The company projected adjusted operating profit of $3.29 billion to $3.37 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $6.65 to $6.75.
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