FOREST PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETING

Date: 10 June 2025

Location: Epworth United Methodist Church

Meeting called to order @ 7:04 PM by Ed Vanasdale 

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Attendance was taken via roll call.

OFFICER REPORTS

President Ed Vanasdale – ed1vanasdale@gmail.com  

Welcomed everyone and let people know that since we have 2 guest speakers, the committee reports will be cut very short. 

Guest Speakers:

Rosalie Hendon, City of Columbus Forester, spoke at our meeting. She gave a very informative talk about the state of trees in the Northland area and how that compares to the overall general metro area. She explained the mission and policies, called the Columbus Urban Forestry Master Plan, that guide Columbus. Rosalie took time to answer questions from the members present. ~Thank you, M. Cote for arranging this.

Lily Schaefer from the Columbus Audubon Center spoke about this summer’s Ohio Young Birders Club, ages 12-18 years old, through Woodward Park Community Center!  It’s FREE! Join the central chapter of the Ohio Young Birders Club, sponsored by Grange Insurance Audubon Center, for three fun outdoor field trips this summer! Sign up at the Woodward Park Rec Center. ~Thank you E. Materu for arranging this.

Vice President  Mark Bell – MarkBellncc@insight.rr.com  No Report

Secretary Lou Bernard – loubernard3@gmail.com

1. Attendance:

• Officers/Committee Chairs Present: EV, MB, LB, CL, MSg, RW, SL, LH, EM, MSt, TS, KG, QM, DP, SB, AH
• Officers/Committee Chairs Absent: DVM, KVM
• Area Reps in Attendance: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13
• Area Reps Absent: 2, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14
• Total meeting attendance: 31

1. Reviewed minutes from May, no changes or corrections needed, minutes have been approved and were entered into the official records.
2. The Attendance Sheet thru June is online.

Treasurer Cheryl Lutman – cllutman17@gmail.com

1. 97 new household memberships, bringing the total to 262. As a reminder, our budget is based on having 450, so just slightly more than halfway there. There are several more to process in the coming days. 
2. We had advertising income, donations to all our additional function areas, and another $2,750 in mulch sales. There is one additional sale to process.
3. Expenses remain in line – PayPal fees (the vast majority of folks are including the fee – thank you!!), printing the Forester, ordering bags, paying for security and island maintenance. Finally, we paid $99 to renew a plugin that helps our website run, and we did pay $1.50 for going over 100 transactions in April.
4. REMEMBER: You do not need a PayPal account to use it for your membership. You can still pay with a credit card through PayPal with no account.

Public Relations Mary Sguerra –  marysguerra@howardhanna.com

1. Mary has ordered the candy that will be handed out in the 4th of July parade.
2. We are looking for volunteers to walk in the parade behind our FPCA banner. If you are interested, please contact Mary or Erin. We will meet in the old HomeBuys/Kroger parking lot at the corner of Morse and Karl Rd. at 9:30 AM. 
3. Fall Community Garage Sale will be Saturday, September 13th, it is an OSU bye weekend, so no conflict there!!
4. From Erin-The Association would like to acknowledge our founding resident and valued member, Bob Hinebaugh, who is currently in hospice care. In a small gesture of love and appreciation, we have placed a sign in Bob’s front yard to let him know that we miss him at the meetings and are thinking of him.

Forester Editor Rita Woeste – forester@fpcivic.org

1. Happy to see folks responding to note in June Forester, we have received over 45 responses in just a week.  
2. Everything is needed for the July Forester by Monday, June 16th
3. We are looking for people who are willing to deliver the Forester to the homes in FP. We lost another volunteer delivery person, that’s the 4th one in the last 2 months.  
   • Need delivery for the following streets:
     • North Tamarack Blvd (36 homes)
     • Denise Dr (32 homes)
     • Green Apple (29 homes)
     • Blackgum & Sweetgum Place (21 homes)
     • And 45 homes on FP East near Coghill

Supplemental Security Daryl Van Mercetta – dvanmercetta@gmail.com Absent, Katie Van Mercetta – kvanmercetta@gmail.com Absent, Dan Yandrich (CPD Liaison Officer) – dyandrich@columbuspolice.org 614.645.1418

See the report in the Forester.

Business Representative Sheridan Landon – slandon52@gmail.com  

We have a new business member: Sister Sister Childcare: First Steps 1300 Yellowwood Dr.

Civic Action Officer  Vacant

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Welcome Committee Chair Laura Hayes – hayeslaura2@gmail.com

Laura is working with some new neighbors who may take the position of Welcome Committee Chair  – look for an update next month! If you’d like to be involved, please contact me. 

Volunteer Coordinator Erin Materu – mmateru@hotmail.com

1. We have a new Forester deliver volunteer couple – Welcome, Lydia and Jake from Area 1! 
2. New Area 13 Reps Linda and Harold Bozeman! 
3. The Forest Park Civic Association is thrilled to announce its upcoming New American Multicultural Party, Saturday, June 28th, from 1-3 p.m. at the Woodward Park Rec Center. We are excited to celebrate the many cultures that make our neighborhood so unique and beautiful. This joyful gathering is open to everyone in the community and promises to be a feast for the senses. It is free and open to all residents of Forest Park. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Erin at (614) 254-0712.

Membership Coordinator  Mike Stone – msto0103@yahoo.com

1. Data collection is underway. Electronic submissions received through PayPal have been recorded, and thank-you messages have been sent to all contributors. Mike is especially grateful to Cheryl for providing that data—there were some encouraging surprises in the mix.
2. Although this is just an early sample, it’s worth noting that 41% of our May PayPal memberships are from new members or individuals not recorded in the previous cycle. Mike plans to compile a more complete picture by the end of the week, incorporating the mailed responses as well.
3. That said, if we’re able to retain the vast majority of last year’s members, he is cautiously optimistic that we’re on track to meet—or possibly exceed—our goals for this year.

Social Activities Tiffany Smith – tsmith1599@yahoo.com

1. Will be signing up for the 4th of July parade after the meeting.
2. We are receiving bikes for a donation for awards for Bikes-n-Trikes, along with other gifts for winners and participants.
3. A parade meeting is planned for after the FPCA meeting to finalize plans.

NCC Representatives Ken Gilbert – kgilbert78@att.net, Mark Bell – MarkBellncc@insight.rr.com

See the complete report in Forester.

NCC Development Representative Ed Vanasdale – ed1vanasdale@gmail.com

Four cases were heard at the May 28th meeting. None were in the immediate FP area. To view the report, visit the website under the “Development Reports” tab on the homepage.

Grant Writing Committee Chair  Quentin Monden – q.monden@gmail.com  

1. We met on June 1 & June 4 as a committee to continue our work. Primary focus New Americans Grant – Festival planned for June 28th. 
2. We applied for, but did not receive the National Night Out Grant. 
3. Tree grant update – Thanks to all our neighbors who took time to speak with our arborist Julie on June 6th. We are finalizing tree types and will place our order soon! Remember, we won’t get our trees until the fall. Enjoy your summer! 

Website Administrators Scott Biggs sbiggsmail@yahoo.com (Website/Facebook)   Dave Paul dwpaul@fpcivic.org (Website) Ashley Howard ahoward@ashleynicolecounseling.com (Instagram/Facebook)  

Our website/Facebook page is always – always being updated with new and upcoming info! Please check it out!! Please subscribe/follow us. Also, please tag and reshare any posted info on your FB page or Instagram account.

OLD BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/IDEAS

1. There is a team that is finishing up the work of bringing Google Workspace for nonprofits to the FPCA. Officers and committee chairs can expect to receive more information within the next month about policies and procedures, and training opportunities.
2. The next FPCA meeting will be July 8, 2025.
3. There will be NO AUGUST meeting for the FPCA. The annual Northland Community Council Picnic will be on August 12th at the Dogwood Pavilion at Blendon Woods Park. It is a potluck, and all residents of Northland are invited, especially civic association members. Time: Dinner is at 6:30 pm, though you can come earlier.

Meeting adjourned at 8:18 PM

Meeting minutes submitted by Lou Bernard, Secretary, FPCA