North Linden Area Commission Meeting, June 2019
- Announcements
- Q&A sessions
- Committee items
- Neighborhood reports
- City council report
- For the good of the order
To be honest, I arrived an hour late, because no notice was posted on the Commission's Facebook page. The Google Drive was also not updated with the agenda for past meetings, or the minutes from any meeting since January.
For updates, you can follow the North Linden Area Commission on Facebook, or watch the commission's Google Drive public-access folder.
Announcements
Lathram read out the following:
- Ginsburg and Homeport will be June 24, 2 p.m. at 2959 Cleveland Avenue for a discussion of affordable housing.
- New American Community thing is trying to make the commnuity better. columbus.gov/nala.
- June 26 at New Salem Baptist Church, 4-7 p.m.: Minority- and women-owned business information session for bid opportunities and business opportunities for the new Crew SC stadium. Phone number to RSVP is 614-645-4764. The new owners of the Crew have committed to using 30% minority- and women-owned businesses during the construction process and after construction. The services contracts will be of high value to the local community because the owners have committed to stay in Columbus for the next 30 years at least, said commission members.
Q&A sessions
Police
The police-complaints section was full of reports of abandoned houses and dropped tires.
Oakland Park Bar and Grill
William Sperlazza is a senior attorney in the Columbus City Attorney's office.
Every liquor permit in Ohio applies for a renewal every year. The municipality can object to the renewal. The City of Columbus objected to the renewal. The administrative eharing in front of the division of liquoar control was 3-4 weeks ago; the Bar and Grill is permitted to continue operating during the "pendancy" of the appeal, before it is decided.
Sperlazza's opinion is that the case the City presented against the bar was strong.
The bar owners were present with their lawyer and some witnesses in their favor.
The liquor control division does not yet have a ruling, and Sperlazza expects that it will take some time because of how the division moves.
If the renewal objection is sustained, the bar must appeal to the Liquor Control Commission to get a stay, permission to continue to operate during the appeals process. Sperlazza says that his plans in event of an appeal are to fight the stay. During the appeal, the Ohio AG's office takes over the case. He has never seen a liquor division board appeal overturn an objection from a locality.
If the renewal is blocked, the bar will likely shut down, unless they have a non-liquor aspect to the business.
If the ruling at the division is that the liquor permit is sustained, they would not appeal unless there was additional information or procedural irregularities.
The board is operating under a new process which should result in faster decisions, and Sperlazza expects to have within 2 months of the hearing, but under the old process, some decisions took up to 6 months.
The liquor permit cannot be sold during the appeals process.
He raised the topic of the Nuisance Abatement Code 3767.01(c), but said that the methods available to the city in that process are very limited, and require going through the environmental court.
On car lots
Lathram asked Sperlazza if there was a statutory or regulatory remedy for carry-outs and drive-throughs that shut down and became parking lots for cars or used-car lots.
Sperlazza suggested 311 calls for disabled cars, but doesn't know of remedies that can be used for legally parked and tagged cars.
Lathram is opposed to used-car lots. He wonders if there would be a way to change the zoning out from under owners, or at the time of the next sale.
Weber/Cleveland Mobile Mart
Commissioner Rayna Morgan asked Sperlazza about why the Mobile Mart at the corner of Weber and Cleveland was not a focus of the city's enforcement of liquor license violations.
He said the city's enforcement decisions are driven by numbers: complaints, liquor license violations, police reports.
Scott's Point Gulf Station
Commissioner Valita Fields asked about the Gulf Station behind Scott's Point. She talked about broken pumps, homeless people hanging out there. The Area Commission is trying to get the house behind the station for the Sisters of Empowerment.
Lathram says that 311 complaints are key.
Sperlazza says that at some point, the liquor sellers need to take responsibility for who they're selling to and who they're letting hang out.
Committee items
July 18 meeting speakers
tktk: email for spelling
- Shaela Favor?
- Caterina Kerac: expanding the receivership program in the environmental court
No August meeting
The Area Commission and City Counsel do not meet in August.
Motions
- Area Commission voting date is July 18: approved
- Application deadline for 25 signatures to be July 7, a Sunday: approved
Finance
NLAC account is down to $300 as a result of the city lcosing out their finances for the year; they had to return $2500.
Health and Human Services
Commissioner Valita Fields reports:
Day camp at TKTK ministries, in conjunction with other churches in Columbus. Focused on ages 6-13, with STEM, food, sports, and TANF-eligible breakfast and lunch. Monday-Friday starting August 2. Social/emotional learning skills, yoga, field trips to other Ohio cities. Flyer is on back table.
Code enforcement
Commissioner Morgan Morgan reports 2 semi lots are still in progress. She mass-reported them using the area commission's account with 311 to forward a number of community complaints from SMS and Facebook.
No demolitions scheduled this month.
Beautification
The plates on the memorial at the Point are back up.
Smart Columbus
Smart Columbus is looking for auto security installers for the connected vehicle partnership. Looking for ASC mechanics who will gain training and certification on connected-vehicle tech.
There will be a ride-and-drive and demo option for electric cars at the Linden Community festival and expo this weekend.
Infrastructure improvement
Ongoing and upcoming public-works projects in Columbus: email John asking for list
Job Creation and Business Development
The committee met and discussed the community benefit agreement for the new Linden Community Center.
As part of that agreement, an community workforce and apprenticeship committee has formed, and is looking for committee members.
A food-processing co-op is hoping to form in the area. They need people with relevant experience (business, food processing) to serve in their advisory board.
Neighborhood reports
Maize Road
No report.
Kenmore Park
No report.
North Linden Community Watch
Lathram says that the membership of the watch is slowly declining; they're discussing disbanding. They've also noticed that social media has become the watchdog community for complaining about neighbors. He says it's sad to see social media replacing watch groups. They will meet in July to discuss disbanding.
An audience member said that Kenmore Park ended up taking a similar path.
Another mentioned that Maize Road's watch group lacks a chair or secretary.
City council report
Sandra Lopez said that the FY 2020 budget process is wrapping up, and that when they know what's being funded next year, she'll send that info to the commission. She mentioned the June 26 Crew stadium
For the good of the order
Meeting minutes and agendas
I asked about the missing meeting minutes and agendas; the commission were not aware and said that they'd update it.
Linden Community Festival and Expo
Interesting things:
- There's a foot race down Cleveland Avenue from New Salem at 7:30 a.m. to Maloney Park at 11:00, with water stations on Cleveland Avenue staffed by local businesses. There will be a rolling stop on southbound Cleveland Avenue during that time.
- Shuttles from Maloney to New Salem, for 5k packet pickup at New Salem.
- Crew SC soccer clinic
- Smart Columbus smart car show, with ride-and-drive opportunity registration https://smartcbus.com/linden
- 102 volunteers
- Linden Eagles alumni reunion and awards
- "Mommy Mile" fun walk
- "Tour de Linden" bike race
- Media presence.
National Night Out
National Night Out is August 6; there isn't anything formally organized by the Area Commission.