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Gatepost Online
A Bi-Monthly Publication of The
Sharon Woods Civic Association
Annual Membership Issue
May/June 2008
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President's Report John Kirkpatrick
I want to thank all the trustees, volunteers, and officers for organizing yet another outstanding Easter
Egg Hunt. For the first time, this year the Sharon Woods Civic Association, the Church of the Good Shepherd,
and the Beechcroft Lions Club sponsored a Pancake Breakfast. It was really good to see so many members of
the community show up for the breakfast and then have their children and grandchildren participate in the Easter
Egg Hunt. This is the kind of activity that pulls our community together and makes Sharon Woods a great place
to live. Thank you Beechcroft Lions Club for this wonderful idea and making it happen. We hope this becomes
an annual event. Lastly, I want to thank Mr. Hippity Hop himself for making his grand appearance.
The Sharon Woods Civic Association was invited to visit Mayor Michael Coleman's office and have lunch
with him on the 2nd of April. Five officers, trustees, and residents attended the lunch/ meeting. We were able to
share our concerns with the mayor and hear his perspective on his initiatives for the City of Columbus. Several
Department Heads from the City were present, which made discussions of issues even more responsive. We
asked questions about safety in our community, the number of police officers assigned to our area (Precinct #18),
continuity of the Police Liaison Officer in our area, and the problems and solutions for the crime and vandalism
in our area. We asked about development along 161 as businesses leave and new merchants move in. We also
asked about the condition of our streets and the need for their repair. We specifically asked that Karl Road, which
is supposed to be completely repaved and have new sidewalks and curbs in 2010, be kept on schedule so that
neighbors with drainage problems get some resolve. Mayor Coleman asked his directors to look into our issues
and then discussed the projects that were on his agenda such as curfew enforcement, bike paths and
enforcement starting on the 5th of June for anyone less than 18 years of age. Youngsters caught out after
midnight will face progressive disciplinary actions. The Mayor would also like to see more paths, streets and
parks dedicated to bikes to help deal with the health issues of obesity and diabetes in Columbus. The first Bike
Tour will probably be on the 23rd of August this year. We also discussed neighborhood farmers' markets, job-
growth in aerospace and aviation in our city, and lastly, the need for street cars in Columbus, since the city
continues to grow, gasoline prices are increasing, and downtown parking is becoming harder to find.
Though your spring continues to be busy, I hope you will be able to participate in our May community
garage sale, donate an item or two for the fund-raising garage sale, and decide to become a new member of the
association or to renew your current membership. Maybe this will be the year you save a little time to volunteer
for one of many scheduled events or attend one of our monthly Association Meetings. We are a vital community
and we want to thank you all for your support.
Special Events scheduled for 2008
(Dates are tentative. Watch the Gatepost and our website at www.neighboghoodlink.com for details,
locations, changes, additions and corrections.)
May 31, 2008 - Community Wide Garage Sale. (Details in this issue)
May 31, 2008 - Civic Association fund-raising Garage Sale. (Details in this issue)
June, July, August and September - Yard of the Month landscaping contest. (Details in this issue)
July 4, 2008 - Parade on Karl Road between Morse Road and Route 161 (Watch for more details)
August 5, 2008 - National Night Out - Watch for details.
December 4, 2008 - Annual Holiday Party and Election of Officers for 2009.
December 15, 16, and 17, 2008 - Santa Visits in Sharon Woods.
December 15-18, 2008 - Holiday Lighting Display and Judging.
Independence Day Parade
Cal McCall has volunteered to act as the organizer for the Independence Day Parade that will be held
this year on July 4th. The Sharon Woods Civic Association and Beechcroft Lion's Club will be participating again
this year and will be distributing small American Flags and/or candy if we can get enough volunteers to help with
the project. The parade starts at 11:00 a.m. and travels along Karl Road from Morse Road to Route 161. The
group from Sharon Woods will meet in the parking lot near Lifestyle Fitness at Karl Road and Route 161 at 9:30
a.m., where we will arrange car pools to the starting point of the parade since parking is very limited in the parade
formation area. Contact Cal McCall at 895-2572 if you can help with this project.
Easter Egg Hunt
We held the annual Sharon Woods Civic Association Children's Community Easter Egg Hunt
sponsored by the association on March 22, 2008, at the Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist.
Despite cold temperatures, we had approximately 100 children from ages 0 to 9 who participated in this year's
event. The weather was iffy, but all attending had a good time.
We would also like to thank the following local merchants who donated prizes and the gift certificates
this year:
McDonald's - 2091 E Dublin Granville Road
Dairy Queen - 1519 Schrock Road
Northland Community Pool on Beechcroft
We ask that you please support these local merchants who provided the above gifts and made our
Easter Egg Hunt a success this year. When you visit the above food establishments, please tell them "Thank
You" for contributing to our community event.
The cost of the annual Sharon Woods Civic Association Easter Egg Hunt for the children in the Sharon
Woods Civic Association area comes from membership dues and gifts from the sponsors.
Community Garage Sale Saturday, May 31, 2008
Chairpersons for the annual garage sale have designated Saturday, May 31, 2008, as the date for this
year's annual garage sale event. The Sharon Woods Civic Association will provide advertising in the Northland
News and This Week papers and we will post signs near both ends of Sharon Woods Boulevard. Sales begin
at 9:00 A.M. and will last until residents close their garages.
This year, as a fund-raising activity for the Civic Association, volunteers will prepare a flyer to advertise
participating residents. On the reverse side of the flyer will be a map of our entire neighborhood, so that visiting
shoppers can easily find your home. We will provide copies of the flyer to sale locations. In addition, we will
provide a brightly colored balloon for you to display. Flyers will also be available for visitors at the Sharon
Woods Civic Association Community fund-raising Sale at 6363 Sharon Woods Boulevard. If you would like to
help your association and attract more shoppers to your sale, we are asking that you donate $5.00 to the
"Sharon Woods Civic Association" to defer the cost of flyers and advertising and provide much needed funds
to be used in other neighborhood projects. Send your $5.00 donation to: Sharon Woods Civic Association,
P.O. Box 297974, Columbus, Ohio 43229, The $5.00 donation should arrive at the PO box no later than
Friday, May 23rd so that we can complete and distribute maps before the sale. Please make checks payable
to the Sharon Woods Civic Association. If you have any questions, feel free to call our coordinator, John
Kirkpatrick, at 890-5417.
Fund-raising Garage Sale, Saturday, May 31st, 2008
In conjunction with the Community Garage Sale, the civic association will also be having a Garage
Sale. The fund-raising sale will be held at 6363 Sharon Woods Blvd, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. For this
sale, the association is asking residents to donate one item to be sold. All proceeds will go into the association
treasury and returned to the community through annually sponsored program and events.
Please drop off your donated item(s) at 6363 Sharon Woods Boulevard on either Thursday or Friday
evening, May 29 or 30th, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. We ask that your donation(s) be clean
and in good working order. Any items not sold on May 31st will be donated to local charities. We need
volunteers to help with the sale. If you are interested, please call John Kirkpatrick at 890-5417. It should be
another wonderful sale. Thank you for your giving spirit.
Sharon Woods Civic Association Meeting Dates
The meeting location for the Sharon Woods Civic Association is at the Church of the Good Shepherd
United Methodist, 6176 Sharon Woods Boulevard (corner of Beechcroft Road and Sharon Woods Boulevard).
Future meeting dates will be June 5, July 3, and September 4, 2008. There is no meeting in August due to
summer vacations. Meetings start at 7:00 p.m.
Beautification Contest Coming Up - Cal McCall
Spruce up your yards, Sharon Woods, we are getting ready for a fun contest. Starting in
June, "YARD OF THE MONTH" signs will be popping up to honor hard-working homeowners that
make our neighborhood beautiful. Each month starting in June and continuing July, August and
September, the contest sponsors, your Sharon Woods Trustees, will cruise throughout the area and
discover the yards that standout and make our area a wonderful place to live.
Get out your trowel and flower seeds and paint a picture with plants in your own front yard.
You can be a "YARD OF THE MONTH" winner!
Classified Ads
We publish the Gatepost at the beginning of January, March, May, July, September and November.
As a community service, the Sharon Woods Civic Association accepts ads from local businesses, in the
Sharon Woods and North Columbus area on first come-first served basis for publication in the Gatepost. Due
to increased costs associated with the publication of the Gatepost, classified ads for area businesses
are available at the following rates:
- Full Page - $125.00
- Half Page - $75.00
- 1/4 Page - $40.00
- Business Cards - $25.00
We feel that this is still a reasonable cost to reach the more than 1,800 residents in our community. Materials
should be submitted as business cards or camera-ready copy for larger ads. Black and white original
photographs should be submitted. Since we print the Gatepost in black and white, we cannot guarantee the
quality of a computerized or colored photograph. Deadline dates for ads with camera-ready artwork are:
Jul./Aug. Issue - Jun. 7, 2008
Sep./Oct. Issue - Aug. 9, 2008
Ad copy and remittance should be submitted to the Sharon Woods Civic Association no later than the
deadline dates for publication. We will not publish ads unless payment has been received by the deadline.
Payment and ad copy can be mailed to the Sharon Woods Civic Association, P. O. Box 297974,
Columbus, Ohio, 43229, up to five days before to the deadline dates. Checks should be made payable to
the Sharon Woods Civic Association. For more details and/or alternate delivery methods, please contact Civic
Association representative, John Benedetti, at 891-6622.
We will also accept public service ads from civic groups, nonprofit and organized groups including
churches and schools, for publication on a first come-first served basis free of charge. Ads in this category are
limited to 100 words or less and will be published on a space available basis. The Gatepost Editor reserves
the right to edit these ads if space is limited in any issue.
Beechcroft Lion's Club Events
(For more details on these events Call Roger Heckel at 614-882-6245 or Tom Kalinoski at 740-548-4877).
SCOTCH DOUBLES - A fund-raiser for the Terry Theis Scholarship Fund will be held on May 2nd, at Capri
Lanes, 5860 Roche Drive starting at 7:30 p.m. (be there by 7:00 p.m.). Admission is $13.00 per person or
$25.00 per couple, which includes, snacks, pizza, shoes and bowling.
CAMP SPONSORSHIP - Our club wants to sponsor a "camper" for Camp Echoing Hills in during either the
June 29-July 4 OR July 13- July 18.
WHITE CANE SALE - Sale will be May 9-10 - please mark your calendars.
What Is a Trustee (Volunteer) with the Civic Association?
The Sharon Woods Civic Association is looking for at least six volunteers to act as trustees for the
group. Trustees are the people who act as representatives of your street or neighborhood and who serve
as contacts for the association. They were the people who drop off your candles so you can do your own
luminaria on Christmas Eve. They accompany Santa Claus to visit your house the week before Christmas,
help to organize the Easter Egg Hunt, march in the Independence Day Parade on Karl Road, come to your
door with Lighting Petitions, etc. They are the people you see cleaning up the trash and litter on the front
islands at 161 and Sharon Woods Blvd. Do these people get paid for all their work? Nope.
With the above job description outlining what trustees do, we are very much in need of some
volunteers. George Washington after about a year of fighting for the independence of the 13 colonies said
something like "We don't need sunshine soldiers and summer patriots, we need soldiers who will stay the
course." That is what we need also, someone to help us and become a "Patriot Volunteer" for our
community. We meet the first Thursday night of each month at the Church of the Good Shepherd United
Methodist, 6176 Sharon Woods Boulevard (corner of Beechcroft Road and Sharon Woods Boulevard), at
7:00 p.m. Be a patriot in your neighborhood and you'll have that inner peace and satisfaction of knowing
you helped make a difference. This is an excellent way to meet a caring group of people. Qualifications for
a trustee are outlined in our Constitution and we ask you to contact Civic Association President John
Kirkpatrick at 890-5417, if you are willing to help your association.
STRENGTHEN YOUR SHARON WOODS COMMUNITY!
JOIN YOUR SHARON WOODS CIVIC ASSOCIATION!
Please return your Membership Form and Dues to the:
Sharon Woods Civic Association
P. O. Box 297974
Columbus, Ohio 43229
We hope that all neighborhood residents will become members of the Sharon Woods Civic Association and participate in our events. We appreciate your continued support. Sharon Woods Civic Association
Membership Application, July 2008 June 2009
Dear Neighbor:
It's that time of year when we ask you to please consider becoming a member of the Sharon Woods
Civic Association. We have approximately 1800 homes in the Sharon Woods and have a very strong
association, a part of the Northland Community Council area. Regretfully, last year only 240 residents chose
to become members; yet, we were able to carry out most of our programs. Between memberships, extra
donations, tireless volunteers, a fund-raiser, and bake sale, programs continue. You can be a part of this
association. Some ways include: becoming a member, donating items to be sold at our fund-raising garage
sale, attending the sale and purchasing other people's old treasures, buying baked goods, giving of your time
by delivering membership drive materials, marching in the 4th of July Parade, helping clean up areas around
our Entrance Signs, and helping deliver candles for luminaries. We also need drivers for the fellow in the Red
Suit in December. Think it over. We need your help.
- Some programs and events we have provided in the past are:
- Easter Egg Hunt
Membership Drive in May and June
Community/fund-raising Garage Sale
4th of July Parade in Northland
Beautification projects in our area
Santa Visits and Christmas Lighting Contest
Publication of our Gatepost Newsletter, six times a year
Block Watch
National Night Out
We hope you will consider these programs and events worthwhile and become a member of the
association for 2008/2009. Because we are a strong association and viable presence in the community,
decorative street lighting petitions were successful and lights were installed on Sharon Woods Blvd. and
Beechcroft Road in 2006. There are plans in progress for additional petitions in 2009. Look for details in future
Gateposts.
I have one last comment. Why not decide to illuminate the street in front of your home on Christmas
Eve. Some neighbors use plastic jugs for luminaries, others use white paper bags. The more of you that place
candles out, the more beautiful the drive is around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve. You may order your
candles on your membership application and we will deliver them in time for Christmas Eve. We are a proud
neighborhood. Let's show it.
Thank you,
John Kirkpatrick, President, Sharon Woods Civic Association
Sharon Woods Community Block Watch and City News
NEIGHBOR HELPING NEIGHBOR - Sharon Woods Pride
Pat Wood, Sharon Woods BW Coordinator, 890-0930 or 406-4829 cell
UPDATED BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS LISTING
We are looking for several people who are willing to form a pride group(s) to help our neighbors who
might not always be able to help themselves. Examples of assistance would be cleaning of yards or cleaning
the street in order for water to flow to the drains. Maybe someone had surgery and needs someone to mow
a couple of times. We will print names for members of pride groups in the Gatepost. If you have questions,
would like to help establish guidelines, or would like to volunteer, please call Pat Wood @ 890-0930. We want
to thank M. Evaline and J. Meyer for this idea and to several association members who have been driving
around and picking up trash on Sharon Woods & Skywae. I would also like to extend a warm welcome Marie
& Scott Wallick, new block watch captains for Laylon Drive.
We have a new Police Liaison, Officer John Mancini. I have met with him to discuss processes and
our concerns. We will plan a community meeting just as soon as possible or this may be incorporated with
Light the Night program on August 5th. Watch for more details.
On April 2 a few of us had lunch with Mayor Coleman and 12 of his department heads. I presented
our concern with vandalism, robberies, and the need for additional officers. The mayor indicated by the end
of 2008 additional officers would be added, however, this alone is not the answer. Mayor Coleman said the
deployment of officers and other tools to help officers to deter crime is a key, however, a block watch program
is the major key in crime fighting. He said that if they just add more officers then we will be paying more in
taxes and he did not want to do that. Mayor Coleman said that it takes approximately $160,000 to train a police
officer and put them on the street for the first year? This covers salary and equipment such as cars, guns,
uniform, etc. Each year after that it costs approximately $100,000. He said that 71% of the general budget
goes to police and fire protection. It was a good meeting and I feel they listened to our concerns and will do
what the budget allows for our community. It is my feeling that we as a community must not sit and wait on
others, we need to participate in our own future. So join the civic association and call me if you would like to
be a block watch captain on your street.
Block Watch Blog
I have created an internet Blog site where we can communicate concerns. This will allow anyone with a
computer to access and communicate issues/concerns on a daily basis. I had never participated in a Blog but
think this will really make it easier for most of us. All you have to do to access this Blog is go to
www.sharonwoodsblockwatch.com. Everyone with a PC can enter info if you don't have a computer contact
your block watch captain and they can keep you informed. You can also give me a call. If you go to
www.sharonwoodsblockwatch.com.com you can enter info and read info from other neighbors. We want to know
what is going on your street.
CITIZEN ALERT
Columbus Police Launches On-line Crime Mapping Service with CrimeReports.com
Citizens empowered with near real-time neighborhood crime information available 24/7/365.
The Columbus Division of Police has announced a new on-line crime alerting and mapping service
that provides easy to read incident crime maps and automated alerts to the citizens of Columbus. This service,
which can be found online at www.crimereports.com, or from a link on the Columbus Division of Police Web
site at www.columbuspolice.org, provides neighborhood crime data in near real-time and is available now.
The Crime Reports service is free to the public and allows citizens to receive automatic daily, weekly
or monthly email alerts if/when crimes occur near their home, office, local school, etc. Citizens can also view
reported crime activity on an easy-to-use map for any location within the City of Columbus boundaries. Crime
incident data is updated frequently and includes: Incident type, Date, Location, Distance from citizens address,
Event identification/case number, and a brief crime incident description.
Crime alerting and mapping are just another step the Division is taking to empower citizens with critical
neighborhood crime information. Crimereports.com should not be confused with the recent launch of Citizen
Observer. Citizen Observer is a Web-based alert notification system that allows the Division to quickly enter
information about a crime pattern or recent incident and within seconds, distribute that information to citizens,
businesses, BlockWatch groups, and others who have registered to receive alerts.
The Columbus Division of Police is committed to service and safety by making location specific crime
information available to the citizens of Columbus in a timely manner. CrimeReports.com and Citizen Observer
will prove particularly valuable to those in the community who want to stay informed about what is going on in
their neighborhoods and empower citizens to work with the Division of Police to address neighborhood crime
issues. At this time, users should be aware that not all reported crimes are mapped and they should not
assume that the absence of a mapped offense means that no crimes have occurred. The Division continues
to work with the vendor to improve access to all reports.
NORTHLAND VILLAGE STARTING PHASE I DEVELOPMENT:
Redevelopment of the former Northland Mall has been a commitment of Mayor Michael B. Coleman
since the mall closed its doors in 2002. The Mayor and City Council have agreed to move forward a land
transfer to allow Phase I of the development of Northland Village to progress. The City and its development
partner Columbus Urban Growth Corporation are working together to redevelop the approximately 84-acre site.
Last year, Columbus Urban Growth Corporation and The Stonehenge Company announced a partnership to
redevelop the remaining 57 acres at Northland as an $80 million project dubbed "Northland Village." Menards,
a home improvement store, was the first anchor to commit to build on the site's eastern district. The final
build-out will result will include more than 550,000 square-feet of new development and generate more than
800 jobs onsite, in addition to the 1,000+ jobs already at the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Work on Phase 2 of the Morse Road Project, including the 1.5 miles from Karl Road to Cleveland
Avenue, will build a landscaped median, new curbs and gutters, street trees, sidewalks, improved streetlights
and traffic signals and pedestrian crossing upgrades at intersections will start in 2008 and will be complete in
2009.
COLUMBUS FIRE BEGINS HYDRANT FLUSHING
Beginning June 15, 2008, Columbus Fire will begin their annual program to flush the city's 24,000 fire hydrants.
In the Sharon Woods area, work will be completed by the end of July. Water could become cloudy or rusty
during the flushing process, particularly in older neighborhoods. This condition is not a health hazard, and
should clear up within 24 hours. However, residents in flushing areas should check their water before doing
laundry because discolored water could stain laundered clothing. Residents can call the Fire Division's Hydrant
Hot Line at 645-4055 to obtain daily updates listing specific Columbus neighborhoods to be flushed. The Hot
Line will be updated at 9:00 a.m. each day throughout the hydrant maintenance program.
E-TICKET EXPANDS:
Due to the overwhelming success of the E-Ticket pilot project, Columbus City Council and the
Columbus Division of Police are ready to expand the program. E-Ticket allows officers to electronically write
a citation in less than 60 seconds, allowing the officer to increase their efficiency during a traffic stop. The
information collected during the stop is automatically sent to the Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk's
computer systems, enabling the immediate transfer of data between the Franklin County Municipal Court, the
Franklin County Municipal Clerk's office, the Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation and the Bureau
of Motor Vehicles. Ordinance 0551-2008 sponsored by Safety Committee Chair Andrew J. Ginther will
authorize the expenditure of $65,000 to purchase software for 109 new police cruisers that will go into service
this year. Legislation to purchase the hardware needed for the program will come before City Council in the
coming weeks.
- SHARON WOODS CIVIC ASSOCIATION CONTACTS FOR 2008:
-
John Kirkpatrick (President) - 6363 Sharon Woods Boulevard - (614) 890-5417
John Osmond (Vice President/Gatepost Editor) - 6083 Darby Lane - (614) 901-9174
Karen Benedetti (Secretary/Trustee) - 6337 Birkewood Street - (614) 891-6622
Rhonda Welker (Treasurer) - 6334 Birkewood Street - (614) 865-0430
John Benedetti (Trustee) - 6337 Birkewood Street - (614) 891-6622
Cal McCall (Trustee) - 6680 Walbridge (895-2572)
John and Nancy Meyer (Trustees) - 1770 Old Shay Court - (614) 882-1703
Barb Shepard (Trustee) - 6380 Birkewood Street - (614) 890-4627
Ann Marie Shibler - 1719 Peardale Road N - (614) 794-9390
Randy Sprouse (Trustee) - 6169 Harrington Court - (614) 523-1871
Tom Wetterer (Trustee) - 6090 Sandgate Road - (614) 882-1714
Virginia Wilson (Welcome Committee) - 6090 Sandgate Road - (614) 882-1714
Pat Wood (Block Watch) - 1706 Parkgate Road - (614) 890-0930
Doris Cooper (Webmaster) 1868 Meander Drive - (614) 890-4197
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UPDATED BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS LISTING
Ask not what your community can do for you . ask what you can do for your community!
Help strengthen your Sharon Woods Community. Join your SW Civic Association today!
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