Tag Archives: Minutes

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

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  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