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FOREST PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETING August Meeting

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NCC Picnic

Date: 11 Aug 2026

Location: Warner Woods Pavilion, 4747 Central College Road, Columbus, OH 43081

There was no meeting or NCC updates.

Attendance was taken via roll call.

OFFICER REPORTS

President Quentin Monden – quentinmonden@fpcivic.org, Ashley Howard – ashleyhoward@fpcivic.org No Report

Guest Speaker: None

Vice President  Mark Bell – markbell@fpcivic.org ABSENT No Report

Secretary Lou Bernard – secretary@fpcivic.org

  1. Attendance:
  • Officers/Committee Chairs Present: AH, QM, LB, MSg, SL, LV, KG 
  • Officers/Committee Chairs Absent: MB, CL, RW, DVM, KVM, EV, MSt, DP
  • Area Reps in Attendance: 3
  • Area Reps Absent: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
  • Total meeting attendance: 11 (from Forest Park)
  1. Reviewed minutes from July, no changes or corrections needed, minutes have been approved and were entered into the official records.
  2. Attendance Sheet thru August: Online

Treasurer Cheryl Lutman – cheryllutman@fpcivic.org ABSENT

  1. We received two business memberships — one from AquaPure and one from the YMCA — bringing total paid business memberships to 5.
  2. Expenses were noted as self-explanatory.

Community Concerns/Announcements/Ideas 

Paul Ball from Blue Ash Place came to the picnic to discuss the new Columbus City grant called “Our Voice, Our Choice”. He is interested in obtaining street lights for Blue Ash Place. L. Bernard agreed to help him write the online proposal at https://common.oneproject.org/en/decisions/columbus/

Public Relations Officer Mary Sguerra – marysguerra@fpcivic.org

Reminder that the Fall Community Garage Sale is Saturday, Sept.12th  Please turn in your entry form by Wednesday, Sept 9th. She is looking for 2 volunteers to help pass out the fliers at the Karl Rd. & Sandalwood entrance. If you are interested in helping, please contact Mary.

Forester Editor Rita Woeste – forester@fpcivic.org ABSENT

  1. All articles, photos, ads, and other submissions for the newsletter are due by Tuesday, August 18th. It was noted that this issue will have fewer minutes than usual, leaving additional space to fill.
  2. Regarding newsletter delivery bags, supplies are running low, with only a few hundred remaining. Rita  is still researching the best bag option and price, factoring in shipping costs, and plans to purchase only enough to cover the next three newsletters (September, October, and November/December), with the decision to be revisited in early 2027.
  3. Concerns were raised about using Canva for the print version of the Forester newsletter. When an issue was uploaded to Canva, it broke the content into numerous separate text boxes — for example, one ad alone was split into approximately 50 text boxes — making the process impractical. Rita is continuing to investigate whether this can be resolved and would welcome any tutorials or insight from members familiar with Canva, noting that any new tool used should not add extra time to producing the newsletter.
  4. Finally, thanks were extended to Ashley and everyone who helped count, bag, and deliver the August issue of the Forester, which allowed Rita to enjoy her vacation.

Supplemental Security Officer Daryl Van Mercetta – darylvanmercetta@fpcivic.org, Katie Van Mercetta – kvanmercetta@fpcivic.org  ABSENT

See report in the Forester.

Past President Ed Vanasdale – edvanasdale@fpcivic.org  ABSENT  No Report 

Civic Action/311 Officer  Ed Vanasdale – edvanasdale@fpcivic.org  ABSENT No Report

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Business Representative Sheridan Landon – sheridanlandon@fpcivic.org   No Report

Welcome Committee Chair Latia VanDyke – latiavandyke@fpcivic.org  ABSENT No Report

Volunteer Coordinator VACANT

Membership Coordinator  Mike Stone – mikestone@fpcivic.org  ABSENT

An additional 82 household memberships processed in July, bringing total paid memberships through July 31st to 366, with 84 remaining. 11 more had been received so far in August, bringing the remaining total to 73.

Social Activities VACANT No Report

NCC Representatives Mark Bell – markbell@fpcivic.org  ABSENT,  Latia VanDyke – latiavandyke@fpcivic.org  ABSENT  Ken Gilbert – kengilbert@fpcivic.org  No Report

NCC Development Representative Ed Vanasdale – edvanasdale@fpcivic.org ABSENT

See report on our website.

Grant Writing Committee Chair  Quentin Monden – quentinmonden@fpcivic.org  No Report

Outreach Committee Chair  Michael Cote – michaelcote@fpcivic.org ABSENT 

See report in the Forester

Website Administrators Dave Paul – dwpaul@fpcivic.org (Website) ABSENT

Ashley Howard – ashleyhoward@fpcivic.org  (Instagram/Facebook)  

Our website/Facebook page is always – always being updated with new and upcoming info! Please check it out!! Please subscribe/follow us.

OLD BUSINESS

Open Positions:

  • Delivery Positions (multiple routes)
  • Area Reps: FPW: 5; FPE: 6, 8, 14
  • Committee Chairs: Volunteer Coordinator, Social Activities Chair, Social Media (Facebook, Website)

NEW BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/IDEAS   NONE

  • Our next FPCA meeting will be
    • September 8, 2026
    • 7-8 pm
    • Epworth United Methodist Church, 5100 Karl Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
    • Eugene Rutigliano from the Columbus Metropolitan Library will be our guest speaker to explain and give us a walk through of the new Forest Park Civic Association digital collection on the library’s website.

Picnic adjourned around 7:30 PM

Meeting minutes submitted by Lou Bernard, Secretary, FPCA

March 2026 Outreach Report

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Submitted by Michael Cote

Northland High School will host its first Northland Market in the heart of our Forest Park neighborhood! Please see the attached flyer.The Northland Market is an initiative of the Community Campus School model that is being implemented at Northland High School (NHS). The event will feature games, craft sales, musical performances, and food vendors. Renee Grice, teacher and organizer of the event, reports that over 50 vendors and community partners have already signed up to attend. I have taken the initiative to sign up the Forest Park Civic Association (FPCA) for a booth. A table and chairs will be provided by NHS. I will provide a canopy tent, a welcome flag, and bunting to showcase our FPCA banner at the table. The Northland Market event date of May 9, 2026 gives us time to prepare materials and promote our 2026 Summer Membership Campaign to lots of people that live in Forest Park. We’ll need an ample supply of “Brag Sheets” that highlight what makes our neighborhood special to distribute to attendees as well as membership forms to sign up any interested future members. Volunteers will be needed to staff the FPCA table at the Northland Market. Please contact me if you are interested. Northland Market organizers are also looking for volunteers to help with the event. I’ve attached a flyer for the Northland Market with QRCs to apply as a volunteer and/or apply as a vendor, There are still spots available.

Northland High School held its third Community Conversation,”Creating Community in a Digital Age” on February 26, 2026. Over twenty students, faculty and members of the community participated in a lively 90 minute conversation about the future of digital communication in schools and within local communities.

In honor of Black History Month the Woodward Park Community Center hosted a “Celebration of Black Excellence” event for the community on Feb. 26, 2026. Nearly 250 people attended! The event featured 10 amazing performances by dancers, drummers, poets, a violinist, a pianist, a belly dancer, and a 10 year old  essay award winner! There were dozens of vendors selling their art and crafts as well as many nonprofit agencies giving way resource materials. A delicious complimentary Soul Food meal was also served!

The North YMCA will host a Columbus Community Jobs and Career Resource Fair on Friday,Mar 27, 2026 12-3. This is a free community event designed to connect job seekers with employers. The event is hosted in partnership with Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS), the Ohio State University Global Leadership Initiative, and the North YMCA. 

Woodward Park Rec Center to host Easter Egg Hunt on April 4th, Saturday, at 10:00 AM. Information Flyer Here

The Forest Park Civic Association and the Karmel Woodward Park Civic Association are planning to develop a joint working group to help maintain and enhance the natural beauty of Woodward Park and Natural Preserve that are bordered and shared by both of our communities. The goals of the Friends of Woodward Park Group is to enhance the natural beauty of our shared environment by planting native wildflowers, removing invasive species, planting trees, etc. In the process of working together to develop this group we will strive to improve collaboration between our sister civic associations, the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, Franklin County Soil & Water, and the environmental groups working in our watershed such as Green Columbus that can provide us with planting material and technical assistance. If you are interested in helping form the Friends of Woodward Park Group, please contact michaelcote@fpcivic.org 

We hope to have something to do together by Earth Day, April 22, 2026!

FOREST PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION DECEMBER MEETINGS

  1. OPEN FORUM Meeting Minutes – 9 Dec 2025
  2. FPCA General Meeting Minutes – 17 Dec 2025

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  1. OPEN FORUM Meeting Minutes

Date: 9 Dec 2025

Location: YMCA North, Karl Rd.

Meeting called to order @ 7:00 PM by Ashley Howard and Quentin Monden 

Attendance: 51 people

The Forest Park Civic Association held this special meeting to address urgent concerns about the future of the organization and its ability to serve the neighborhood. Residents were invited to participate in an open forum to share their expectations, discuss what is working, and identify what needs to change as FPCA faces a critical shortage of volunteers. The discussion focused on the importance of community involvement in maintaining neighborhood representation, communication, and services.

  1. The meeting began with Neil Johnson from the Northland Alumni Association explaining their role in the community and their interest in expanding future events to include the FPCA.
  2. Lou Bernard, Secretary of the FPCA, provided a brief history of the association.
  3. Ashley Howard and Quentin Monden introduced themselves as the meeting moderators and future co-presidents of the FPCA. Ashley also gave an overview of the meeting and shared data from the recent survey sent to area residents.
  4. By an overwhelming majority, those present voted to continue the FPCA.
  5. Many ideas and concerns were brought forward by attendees and are listed below in no particular order:
    • Identifying funding to establish a food drive or use the FPCA as a collection point. INPREM Food Pantry has proxy forms available for neighbors.
    • Live-streaming the monthly meetings.
    • Recognizing and welcoming new attendees at meetings.
    • Determining the percentage of neighbors who are immigrants and identifying countries of origin.
    • Addressing questions about code enforcement. Some attendees were unaware of the 311/Block Watch meetings that have been held for the past two years. Ed Vanasdale explained that he will serve as the 311/Civic Action Officer in 2026 and can be contacted directly.
    • Determining the percentage of owner-occupied versus rental properties and their addresses
    •  Increasing marketing and advertising for the FPCA beyond The Forester. It was noted that the FPCA has both a Facebook page and an Instagram account; no additional marketing ideas were presented.
    • Establishing FPCA suggestion boxes at key locations such as the library and YMCA.
    • Encouraging apartment complexes to donate or become business members.
    • Rotating monthly meeting locations among venues such as the YMCA, area churches, mosques, and other community spaces.
    • Encouraging food trucks and more local businesses to become FPCA members.
    • Identifying local community groups, including youth groups, to assist with The Forester delivery and other volunteer opportunities.
    • Printing The Forester or other FPCA informational materials in multiple languages.
  6. After the meeting, many attendees approached Board members to share their contact information and express interest in future volunteer opportunities.
  7. The Board will review and process the information gathered, with future actions to be discussed at upcoming meetings.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM

Meeting minutes submitted by Lou Bernard, Secretary, FPCA

II. Forest Park Civic Association Meeting

Date: 17 Dec 2025

Location: Fiesta Jalisco

Meeting called to order @ 6:45 PM by Ed Vanasdale 

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Attendance was taken via roll call. 23 people were present

OFFICER REPORTS

President Ed Vanasdale – edvanasdale@fpcivic.org

  1. Thanked everyone present for their support and service throughout the 2025 year.
  2. January Meeting is the swearing in ceremony for all officers, committee chairs, and area reps. We are still trying to secure a city official for the swearing in ceremony.
  3. Guest Speaker: A lawyer representing the organization that purchased the former Red Lobster building on Route 161 will attend the meeting to discuss their proposed plans and the variances required to move forward.
  4. The attendance record for 2025 will be available online.

Meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM                         

Meeting minutes recorded by Catherine Gilbert and submitted by Lou Bernard, Secretary, FPCA