Category Archives: Resources

Resources to maximize your community enjoyment and to assist your active citizenship.

Former Red Carpet Motel

Former Red Carpet motel seeks zoning change (updated version)

*** UPDATE TO PREVIOUS POST: The hearing of this case by the Northland Community Council Development Committee has been postponed from December to its January 25, 2023, meeting (at the earliest). ***

The owner of the former Red Carpet Inn at 1289 Dublin-Granville Rd. (between Satinwood Dr. and Popeye’s Restaurant in Forest Park West) has requested a zoning change.

The owner of the former Red Carpet Inn at 1289 Dublin-Granville Rd. (between Satinwood Dr. and Popeye’s Restaurant) has requested a zoning change that may allow the owner to rent/lease the property to the Community Shelter Board.

THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE CONTAINED INACCURACIES. WE WILL PROVIDE UPDATES AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE.

Columbus 311 at FPCA meeting

Manager of the city’s 311 service promotes new features at FPCA meeting

Carmen Duckens and Darian Price from the City of Columbus 311 Department (fourth and seventh from left) with FPCA officers and other residents at the November 2022 FPCA meeting.

One of the most important services that the Forest Park Civic Association provides is our close relationship with the City of Columbus and its officials.

With nealy 3,000 households in Forest Park and more than 100,000 households in the Northland Area, we are able to speak with a common voice that is larger than our voices as individuals.

As a result, we were happy to welcome representatives from the city’s 311 service at our November FPCA meeting. Carmen Duckens, 311 Service Manager, and Darian Price, a 311 Service Representative, provided a presentation the service’s new features.

The 311 service is your primary customer service connection to the City of Columbus. It is available online, by phone, via email, and with the 311 mobile app for your smartphone.

For 20 years, 311 has connected residents to the city’s services and resources. The improved website and the new CBUS 311 mobile app makes it easier to submit your service requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can look up your trash collection day, report code and animal violations, request information about social services, ask about licenses and permits, contact officials, and perform dozens of other similar tasks. Carmen noted that bulk trash pickup requests are the most popular requests from residents.

Notably, Columbus now will pick up old televisions. Previously, it did not accept older model tube TVs.

Carmen explained that her staff of 18 Customer Service Representatives handle nearly half a million 311 contacts a year. The representatives field the requests and route them to the appropriate city department. The 311 service is available live Monday through Friday and recently expanded its hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

After maintaining the same number of staff members since 2006, the 311 staff is expanding this year to handle a continual increase in contacts. They are actively hiring now to add staff. The staff expansion will allow the department to staff the center on Saturdays.

Carmen and Darian walked the attendees through the service and answered questions from Forest Park residents. She also distributed tote bags full of information about city services, magnets, and COVID-19 test kits.

The newly improved 311 version includes several convenient new features:

SMART GROUPING OF REQUESTS
Learn right away if an issue has already been reported. View the community map to see other requests in your area.

UNIQUE RESPONSE FIELDS
New information fields to speed the accurate routing of requests to the right areas.

PIN DROP ACCURACY
Describe your request with pinpoint accuracy by dropping a pin on the exact location where service is needed.

NEW INFORMATIONAL ARTICLES
Access the library of articles in the Knowledge base to learn about city processes and policies.

You can contact 311 online at www.columbus.gov/311, by phone at (614) 645-3111, and by email at 311@columbus.gov. You can also download the CBUS311 mobile app.

Columbus 311

Representative of Columbus 311 Service is the featured guest at the November FPCA Meeting

A representative from the City of Columbus 311 Call Center will be the featured speaker at the next Forest Park Civic Association meeting. The rep will give a presentation on how to use the city’s new online 311 reporting system and answer questions from attendees. As a resident of Columbus, the 311 service is our one stop “customer service” contact for all non-emergency city services.

https://www.columbus.gov/311/

All Forest Park residents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The church where we meet each month (thank you for donating your space, Epworth United!) will also host voting on that day. We meet in a separate room.

If you have not yet joined or renewed your membership for the year, you can join at the meeting, via your November Forester Newsletter, or online below.

November FPCA Meeting
7 – 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022
Epworth United Methodist Church
5100 Karl Rd.

Email and TEXT spam schemes

In the past day or so, someone has sent TEXTs to some of you from a number purporting to be from your president. In the past there have been episodes where people have received emails from someone masquerading as an officer or representative of the Forest Park Civic Association. (You may also receive these by people claiming association with other religious, charitable, or community organizations.)

BEWARE!!!

Usually they will ask you to buy gift cards, and send code numbers somewhere, perhaps via reply. Or they may try to get you to go to a web site and enter the code numbers and/or personal information.

Forest Park Civic Association will NEVER send you such a solicitation.

Should you receive something like this purporting to be from person at FPCA, feel free to contact the named person at the email address or phone number listed on our web site Contact page, so they can confirm that fact. You may also like to inform Columbus Police.

Please always be alert to any email if the topic is questionable, the “from” address is unusual, or other clues in the header look strange. The header in the email will likely NOT match the posted address for our representative. Or the TEXT may come from an odd phone number. BE SKEPTICAL. CHECK BEFORE SENDING ANY CARD NUMBERS OR PERSONAL INFORMATION in response to this kind of communication.

(If you have an suspicious email, clues such as those found in the header — and the entire message — will be of interest to legal authorities should you file a report.)

More information:

Recycling Matters Even During a Pandemic

Ty Marsh, Director of SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio), sent out a letter recently that is worth sharing. Some of the links in the letter seem broken, so I have attempted to supply corrected ones in the quoted text below.

Recycling Matters Even During a Pandemic

“Flattening the curve” has been the driving force behind nearly every policy decision the past few weeks. And rightfully so. In order to protect the health and safety of American citizens, we need to stop the spread of coronavirus as quickly as possible.

In working to achieve this critical goal, we’ve seen a temporary reduction in pollution, energy consumption and waste production. Recently, The New York Times reported “huge declines in pollution over major metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.”

Locally, Franklin County has seen reductions too. The closure of schools, universities, businesses and other commercial facilities has resulted in a reduction in the amount of recyclable and waste material that’s being created. In fact, the amount of material coming to the sanitary landfill is down 8%, or approximately 2,000 tons a week, from just a few short weeks ago.

While this is good news in the near-term, these environmental improvements aren’t permanent.

That’s why I encourage you to continue the sustainability practices you’ve always engaged in and, if you’re inspired, to adopt a few more. There are so many things you can be doing, and just a little bit of effort can make a very big difference.

Take recycling, for example. With coronavirus forcing many of us to work from and spend more time at home, we’re consuming more products packaged in glass, plastic and cardboard. These materials are all recyclable, and Franklin County’s curbside pick-up and drop-off recycling programs (* see Columbus curbside recycling) make recycling as easy and safe as possible.

Recycling right has never been more important. The reduction in the amount of available material has also created an increase in the demand for recyclables like paper and cardboard.

Recycled newspapers, magazines, envelopes and school papers are needed to create products like paper towels and the toilet paper that’s been so hard to find. And recycled cardboard is used to make new boxes so we can avoid shopping in person and instead have goods shipped to our homes.

If we all prioritize recycling now and into the future, we’ll not only help our environment, but we’ll also help our economy. Nearly 400 companies make up central Ohio’s recycling industry, providing jobs and much-needed paychecks to about 5,000 people.

April is Earth Month, so let’s come together – virtually – and commit to helping without leaving our homes. Whether you recycle, compost or just turn off lights, your actions matter.

Before I close, I’d like to express my gratitude to the first responders, healthcare workers and others on the front-line of this battle. This includes SWACO’s very own employees who are working hard every day to keep the landfill open for the health and safety of our community as well as all of the sanitation workers who, day in and day out, are putting their health at risk to ensure our waste and recyclables are collected and disposed of. Thank you to all of them!

Sincerely,

Ty Marsh
Executive Director

See the entire letter here! (You can even sign up for more.) Or visit SWACO.

Absentee Ballot Request – if you haven’t voted

It’s not to late to get in your Absentee Ballot Request at the Franklin County Board of Elections!

OR from the or the Secretary of State at: www.ohiosos.gov or by calling 1-877-767-6446.

Ballots must be postmarked by April 27, 2020; or dropped off at the Franklin County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. April 28, 2020. Further information on deadlines, etc. may be found at the Secretary of State’s H.B. 197 FAQ.

The Columbus Dispatch April 7 edition has a copy of the Ohio Absentee Ballot Request on page B-4, along with other information.

Area Kroger stores have Absentee Ballot Requests available.

Columbus Police and City Apps

Columbus Police App

Columbus Police recently introduced their new App. Among the most interesting features are the ability to submit Tips, including uploading photos. (This is a complement to the Columbus App’s ability to submit 311 reports for code issues – see below.)

There is also a feature for Recruiting. If you or someone you know is interested in what it would be like and what it would take to join our police division, check it out!
Other features include Alerts, and News, Victim’s rights information, social media links, maps of substation locations, and contact information to various bureaus and precincts.

The Columbus Police mobile app is free and available on the iOS App Store: Columbus Police on iOS App Store, and the Google Play Marketplace: Columbus Police on Google Play Marketplace, or by searching for “Columbus Police” on the respective App Store.

A letter and news release introducing the App.

Columbus City App – “MyColumbus”

The City of Columbus has also had an App available for quite a while now. A most useful feature is the ability to Submit a Service Request. This includes 311 reports such as code violations, or need for Bulk Pickup. (311 is also available on the web site: 311 WEBSITE.)

The Columbus City mobile is app free and available on the iOS App Store: My Columbus on iOS App Store and the Google Play Marketplace: My Columbus on Google Play Marketplace. (or search My Columbus on the respective App Store)

More info on the My Columbus mobile App.

So please make use of these Apps and web sites to “report, report, report” when issues of concern arise. Between the two you have easy ways to report code violations (“The car is parked on the lawn”), or law violations (“The car is blocking the sidewalk”). Of course there are man other resources on the Apps and web sites of our Columbus and Division of Police.

Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District Spring Tree and Plant Sale

Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District is having their Spring Tree and Plant Sale. Here are some resources to beautify our community!

Each year, our conservation team puts together our Spring Tree and Plant Sale. We offer different species of native plants (bare-root woody plants and trees); plug and container perennials (prairie grasses and flowering plants); seed mix (pollinator and native Ohio prairie mixes); and rotate in edible (berries, apples, mushroom kits) and live stakes (fast growing riparian species for streambank stabilization). We serve about 400 central Ohio residents and several non-profits every year by selling or donating plants. Our annual Spring Tree & Plant Sale is a fundraiser that benefits our Conservation Fund.

The 2019 Spring Tree and Plant Sale is now open! Visit the Online Shop now and place your order! Details and a mail-in order form can also be found in the 2019 Spring Frankly Speaking Newsletter.

View our new 2019 Spring Tree and Plant Sale Catalog (coming soon!) with plant descriptions and details.

Source: Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District Spring Tree and Plant Sale

To Get Help or Give Help with 2-1-1

I came across this recently. It reminded me what a valuable resource we have for those in our community seeking to help or give help. -ed

To Get Help or Give Help
The Right People, with the Right Resources, at the Right Time and Place

24 hours a day, every day, 2-1-1 is the critical FirstLink between Greater Columbus’ efforts to reduce poverty and ensuring opportunity for every Central Ohioan. HandsOn’s 2-1-1 is the largest, AIRSTM accredited information and referral service in Ohio, and among the largest in the United States. Our professional team of certified resource specialists coordinate service delivery, strengthen food security, centralize homeless shelter access, and make volunteer service connections for nearly 500,000 people each year. We combine best practices, experience, and social innovation to provide one of the nation’s leading 2-1-1 services, in Central Ohio.

Call 2-1-1 or visit http://www.211centralohio.org to reach thousands of social service, government and community resources in Franklin County to address any problem you might be facing or to be connected to volunteer opportunities.

from: Hands On Central Ohio

Columbus Metro Bike Map (MORPC)

Have a bike, but don’t know where to go? The Columbus Metro Bike Map gives you a color-coded view of the user-friendliness of on-road bike facilities in the core of Central Ohio. The printed map also features safety tips, a one-sided view of the regional map, and a larger inset of the downtown/Ohio State University area.

How to Receive a Bike Map
The fifth edition of the Columbus Metro Bike Map is available online as a pdf and as an interactive map, at local bike shops, and public libraries. Fill out the form below to request a printed copy. A MORPC team member will respond as soon as possible. You can also email bikemaps@morpc.org, or call 614-228-2663.

Limit one per person. Organizations and special event requests for more than one map will be reviewed.

Bike Map Request Form, PDF, or Interactive Map, may be found here:
Columbus Metro Bike Map