FOREST PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETING
Date: 14 Oct 2025
Location: Epworth United Methodist Church
Meeting called to order @ 7:03 PM by Ed Vanasdale
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Attendance was taken via roll call.
OFFICER REPORTS
President Ed Vanasdale – edvanasdale@fpcivic.org
Officer, committee chairs, and area representative elections are fast approaching. If you are interested in holding or running for a position, please contact Erin (Volunteer Coordinator) or Lou Bernard (Secretary) and they will get your name on the slate of candidates. Elections will take place in January.
Guest Speaker: None
Vice President Mark Bell – markbell@fpcivic.org No Report
Secretary Lou Bernard – secretary@fpcivic.org
- Attendance:
- Officers/Committee Chairs Present: EV, MB, LB, MSg, RW, DVM, KVM, LV, EM, MSt, TS, KG, SB
- Officers/Committee Chairs Absent: CL, SL, QM, DP, AH
- Area Reps in Attendance: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14
- Area Reps Absent: 6, 8, 10
- Total meeting attendance: 30
- Reviewed minutes from September, no changes or corrections needed, minutes have been approved and were entered into the official records.
- Attendance Sheet thru October
Treasurer Cheryl Lutman – cheryllutman@fpcivic.org
- 30 new household memberships! We are now only 27 away from meeting our goal.
- We also received a $500 grant/donation Laura Hayes got from her previous employer.
Public Relations Mary Sguerra – marysguerra@fpcivic.org No Report
Forester Editor Rita Woeste – forester@fpcivic.org
- NOV/DEC is a combined issue. The deadline for articles/photos/ads/etc. is October 31. The plan is to get it to the printer early in November and back to the stuffers and delivery folks by 2nd week of November so folks have leisure to deliver up until December 1st.
- We still need a delivery person for Rockwood Ave in FP West and 2 other areas in FP East. Thanks to those folks who have stepped up and are covering things to lighten Rita’s load a bit.
- January and February will both be online issues.
- We have enough clear bags to get us thru this year, will have to purchase more bags for delivery in March
Supplemental Security Daryl Van Mercetta – darylvanmercetta@fpcivic.org, Katie Van Mercetta – kvanmercetta@fpcivic.org, Dan Yandrich (CPD Liaison Officer) – dyandrich@columbuspolice.org 614.645.1418
- IMPORTANT: Many people have requested to meet with our security patrol people. So we have arranged for a representative from the supplemental security company, US Protection Services, at the November Block Watch meeting – Nov. 11, 6:00 PM.
- See report in the Forester.
Business Representative Sheridan Landon – sheridanlandon@fpcivic.org No Report
Civic Action Officer Vacant
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Welcome Committee Chair Latia VanDyke – latiavandyke@fpcivic.org
- Area 6 Rep Cindy F. said she is no longer able to deliver welcome folders. She does not know anyone that can fill her space. Area 8 Rep Frances L. never responded to Latia when contacted about giving her the new residents welcome folders. Latia has started delivering the folders for both areas, but we will need to find new reps for these areas.
- We need some of the Forester bags so if residents are not home we can hang the folders on their door.
- Thoughts on a small postcard asking for volunteers from the areas needed for Forester and welcome folders deliveries? This will be discussed in the next meeting.
Volunteer Coordinator Erin Materu – erinmateru@fpcivic.org
Positions that need to be filled in the new year:
- President: Ed Vanasdale is stepping down after a 3 year, 2nd term.
- Civic Action/311 Officer: Vacant
- Business Members Representative: Vacant (We need 2 reps)
- NCC Representative: Ken Gilbert is stepping down.
- Area 6: Cindy Fenstemaker is stepping down from her position.
- Area 8: Frances Link is being removed from her position for lack of attendance per our bylaws.
- Area 14: Vacant
- We are also in need of volunteers for weeding and decorating the corner located at Sandalwood at Yellowwood.
Membership Coordinator Mike Stone – mikestone@fpcivic.org
Thank you to everyone who assisted with this year’s membership drive. Results were mixed—some encouraging, some less so—but teamwork during the April drive made the process smoother than ever. Initial returns were lower than in previous years, possibly due to changes in how the mulch sale form was distributed. A key improvement this year was the timeliness of updates, which allowed quicker thank-you notes, more accurate reports to area representatives, and more frequent neighborhood updates. Looking ahead, greater direct contact with households—particularly those without email—and earlier, ongoing involvement from area representatives will be important for growth. Encouragingly, many new or returning members joined who had not participated last cycle, though some non-renewals were due to residents moving away or concerns about association effectiveness. Overall, we made progress operationally and identified clear steps to strengthen membership efforts in the year ahead.
Social Activities Tiffany Smith – tiffanysmith@fpcivic.org
October 29, 2025 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. is the “Trunk or Treat” event at the North YMCA. Participants are required to register their cars if you are handing out candy. We have flyers that can be distributed to the community.
NCC Representatives Ken Gilbert – kengilbert@fpcivic.org, Mark Bell – markbell@fpcivic.org
See Report in the Forester
NCC Development Representative Ed Vanasdale – edvanasdale@fpcivic.org
See Report on the website: https://www.fpcivic.org/development-reports/
Grant Writing Committee Chair Quentin Monden – quentinmonden@fpcivic.org, Laura Hayes – laurahayes@fpcivic.org
The tree grant update – we know that 21 of the 22 total trees we distributed are planted. Thanks everyone for your help. Don’t forget to water your tree!
Outreach Committee Chair Michael Cote – michaelcote@fpcivic.org
In our ongoing efforts to maintain and develop relations with other organizations in our community, several conversations have been initiated with the following: North YMCA, Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio, Elevate Northland, Karl Road Library, Woodward Park Community Center, Northland High School, and INPREM Food Pantry. We have agreed to meet regularly to exchange information, share news of interest and of concern to residents of Forest Park, and mutually support our organizations through cooperation and publicity of community events.
Website Administrators Scott Biggs – scottbiggs@fpcivic.org (Website/Facebook) Dave Paul – dwpaul@fpcivic.org (Website) Ashley Howard – ashleyhoward@fpcivic.org (Instagram/Facebook)
In October, we have been featuring our advertisers and business members on social media to thank them for their support and invite new businesses to partner with us. We invite everyone to follow the official FPCA social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram for neighborhood information from FPCA, The City of Columbus, Franklin County, and Northland area organizations.
OLD BUSINESS
In September, Google Workspace for Nonprofits training was conducted by Laura Hayes and Lou Bernard for members of the Board and Committee Chairs. All members have a new email address where they can be contacted using the @fpcivic.org domain. All Board members and chairs will use the organizational domain for enhanced security, more professional presence, and centralized administration.
NEW BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/IDEAS
- We’re excited to share that the Forest Park Civic Association will be partnering with the Columbus Metropolitan Library to preserve our 63 years of history. Lou reached out to Eugene Rutigliano at CML, and together they are establishing a special FPCA collection to archive all of our historical materials. CML will digitize, catalog, and securely store everything, creating an online, publicly accessible, and fully searchable collection for future generations to explore. At the November meeting, there will be a display for attendees to browse through old Foresters and photographs before they are transferred downtown. After the meeting, Lou and Rita will deliver the materials to the library. (This partnership was approved by the membership at the September meeting.)
- Rita wanted to have a Forester drawing for Kroger gift cards like we did earlier in the year. One of our past winners became a volunteer for us! The motion was passed.
Meeting adjourned at 8:04 PM
Meeting minutes submitted by Lou Bernard, Secretary, FPCA