North Linden Area Commission Meeting, June 21
- Police update
- Code enforcement
- St. Vincent Family Center
- Elections
- Zoning variance BZA18-064
- Anti-human-trafficking initiative
- Farmer's market
- Project 89
- Resource Guide
- Small business forum
- Neighborhood reports
Police update
We're now in the second month of the safe cities program for the summer. Two cops came by to see if there were questions, comments, or concerns about the program. New abatments in North Linden including a court order for one year's vacancy for a house.
The officers present say that CPD has a good relationship with code enforcement, and that they're expanding the program where CPD walks the streets with code enforcement and health & safety, doing investigations.
Phone number for Linden Safe Streets is 614-645-2970
Code enforcement
Deborah Van Dyke, supervisor of code enforcement, has taken over from Maria. Cliff Turner is the officer for code enforcement for Linden.
Deborah says she has a 45-minute packaged presentation that would be on code enforcement process and details. The commissioners express interest at seeing that presentation at a later time.
The audience is reminded that code complaints should be reported to the Columbus' 311 service, the phone number for which is (614) 645-3111.
A commissioner raises the question about tall, unmowed lawns in the back yards. Deborah says that code enforcement has to be able to see the grass height without trespassing. The commissioner was specifically worried about 2829 Oaklawn.
St. Vincent Family Center
Melra
Behavioral health center for youth, includign residential treatment. Ohio has 12,000 to 15,000 homeless in Ohio; St. Vincent's does foster parent training and trauma-informed care. They need foster parents. There are 15k foster kids in ohio, 400k kids in need of safe homes in the United states.
Also in need of luggage donations for kids, socks, toiletries, and t-shirts.
Commissioner Adair chimes in to say that she has been a single-mom foster mother; it is doable.
Elections
The meeting begins with Walter Reiner and Richard Korn making remarks about the end of their terms as Commissioners; they're retiring from the Commission.
Election candidates
Candidate statements, from the North Linden Area Commission Public Access Folder:
- Paula Burleson
- Current commissioner.
- Valita Fields
- First time running for any office. Active with Habitat for Humanity; owns a Habitat for Humanity home. Wants to make the neighborhood better for single mothers.
- Aaron D. Woosley
- First time running as well. 3-year resident of Linden, bought house last year. Goal is cleaning up alleys, replacing 300-gallon bins with wheelie trash bins and recycling bins. Member of the block watch. Has lived in area as long as conmmissioner Greg Wheeler, by Greg's admission.
- Rayna Morgan
- Running for the business seats; been on commission for at least 5 years; been in neigborhood for ~18 years. Origin story is that she and her husband joined the block watch after a rash of break-ins, and eventually her husbant took over the block watch while she started doing commission work. Likes the feeling of being-in-the-know that being on the area commission needs. Is a real estate agent.
Commissioner Greg Wheeler raises a question about the write-in field; since there's a requirement for a number of signatures before running, how do the write-in candidates work? Jennifer Adair answers that there's no signature for write-ins, but for business seats there is a requirement that the person be the owner of a business registered with the Scy of state.
Greg Wheeler resignation
Just before the vote tallying, Greg Wheeler offers his resignation from the commission; commision chair Jennifer Adair accepts. Adair explains that Wheeler is moving out of the North Linden boundaries, and is therefore no longer eligible to serve as a commissioner. His unexpired term is open for an appointment.
Vote tallying
Voting closed at 7:38, before the 7:45 deadline, as Adair asked if everyone in the room had voted and no one said not.
Susie's Sandwich Sub Shop got a write-in vote, but was not present to accept the nomination.
Adair tallies the votes:
Residential votes go to Paula and Aaron
Rayna has been reelected ot the business seat, with the other one going to Susie.
Lathram moves to have Alita fill the unexpired term of Greg; seconded and approved. So all candidates made the board.
Zoning variance BZA18-064
Requesting a larger-than-code detached garage, but the person didn't show up at this meeting. Greg thinks the filer is the builder, not the owner; but Jennifer Adair says that that's common. Holly Borchese asks if it's in the same area that a previous garager request was in
Motion to table unti lJuly.
1803937
Accessory garage on Medina; owner has applied for demonstration. Richard recommends it be removed; says he sees it every day. Approved.
The cota ride place
Paula Burleson says it is still fenced off, but consturction is complete.
Anti-human-trafficking initiative
Lathram: sting last week with 4 women and 8 men arrested. Brochure will be created for how businesses can deter human trafficking.
If there're any hotspots in the area, email Lathram or call 31. Alley between Myrtle and Webber near Cleveland Avenue, lots of Johns coming through that area. He says that the initiative is getting new members in the initiative, and they're considering moving it into a nonprofit organization.
Farmer's market
see facebook page; if wants to be a vendor or participant, there's an application. https://www.lindenfarmersmarket.com/ https://www.facebook.com/NorthLindenAreaCommission/posts/10156245086571063 and https://www.facebook.com/NorthLindenAreaCommission/posts/10156244778361063 are about the application https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfxjwT87GrX91q8O8pJQWz4tci64twounceI4a3YSV7bQGk7g/viewform
Project 89
Greg Wheeler got new numbers from Jillian Ascale about the #project89 Linden-McKinley senior class graduation goasl. Of those 89 students, 2 transferred immediately. 82 graduated of the 87, the biggest graduating class in a long time, and it's a 92% grduating rate which is respectable. 1 is taking another year, 2 are in trade school, 2 are graduating after summer classes. "The main thing that the student says they really needed from community was support and care and involvement, and the feeling that the community took interesti in the project."
Adair says that "the band" got invited to go to a place, raising money via facbook/gofundme for deposit for trip to a thing. Look up on Faccebook.
Resource Guide
This guide was put together by Lathram and others, will be distributed to other sites in area. Available as handout and PDF online. Hoping to translate it to Spanish and Somalian.
Small business forum
Lathram hoping to start a forum, has a dozen ppl interested in starting small businesses along Cleveland Avenue. If you have a passion about developing small businesses, talk t ohim about it.
Neighborhood reports
Block Watch
Lathram says it's doing amazingly. Momentum is building again; bike officers are now back in area.
The meeting ended early, before time