Brookside Woods Civic Association

August 2004 Woods' Lore

Sep 02, 2004

Brookside WoodsCivic Association
P.O. Box 340052
Columbus, Ohio
43234-0052

Board Members:

Arthur Pellegrini - President 761-8547

Scott Fair - Vice President / Far Northwest Coalition 761-3175

Mark Gresham - Treasurer 889-2891

Barb Boyd - Secretary 766-5459

Sue Downey - Parks 766-5421

Open Position - Blockwatch

NEXT BOARD MEETING
Sept.13, 2004 7:30 pm Northwest Library
All neighbors welcome!


PRESIDENTS REPORT:


BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED:

The Board of the Civic Association is in need of new Board members. Mark Gresham, presently the Treasurer, after years of service and many valuable contributions to our community, is rotating off our Board. John and Patty Hannah have volunteered to become Treasurers for the Civic Association this coming year. The time commitment is six Board meetings a year, sending out dues notices, collecting and recording dues, making a simple budget with the assistance of the Board and paying a few bills, some of which are auto-paid. Mark will help get them started. Our deepest thanks to the Hannah?’s.

Scott Fair, after valuable years of service, is rotating off the Board. He is Vice-President (no obligation to become President). He is the Civic Association representative to the Far Northwest Coalition. He reports to the Board relevant issues that were discussed at the Far Northwest Coalition meetings. The time commitment is six Board meetings a year and ten Far Northwest Coalition meetings per year.

Sue Downey, in charge of Parks, is rotating off the Board and has made many contributions to the beauty of our community. The commitment is six Board meetings and attention to the entryways and Parks. There are busy periods and periods that require very little attention to the requirements of the job. Other community members aid this position. Sue will be available to assist her replacement.

We still need a Block Watch Captain. I hold this job by default. This job would require six Board meetings and monitoring the small amount of criminal activity we have in our community. I probably devoted no more than two hours of my time to the Block Watch over the past year.

Barb Boyd, our Secretary, has agreed to serve for one more year. I will serve one more year as President. Barb is very patient, however, I am afraid that she will soon tire of meeting with few Board

members.www.brooksidewoods.com


If others in the community do not step forward to assist in filling positions, the Board could disappear. So what? Who cares? Well, the entryways and parks will soon diminish in quality of appearance to the state they once resembled before the hard work of Sue Downey and Mark Gresham. Nobody will call the landscapers to mow the park lawns or maintain their appearance. Nobody will oversee snow removal. Nobody will be available for minor but important community issues. The garage sale event during April will disappear. The quality of our community will deteriorate. WE NEED MORE BOARD MEMBERS.

The time commitment is not taxing but is vital to the appearance and order of the community. Interested volunteers should call any Board member or email Barb Boyd at bboyd1@columbus.rr.com.

Elections will be held at the September 13th meeting held at the Northwest Library on Hard Road.

DEED RESTRICTIONS:

Issues regarding deed restrictions have come to my attention. My review of these restrictions show that some deed restrictions are subject to conflicting interpretations. The fundamental nature of the deed restrictions are to ensure some degree of community uniformity and maintain community beauty. Deed restrictions also embody the concept of respect for one's neighbors. The Civic Association Board has neither the interests not the resources to pursue legal action regarding deed restrictions. We would do so only in extreme conditions. The community would not benefit from any such action. Again, the concept of respect for neighbors should resolve issues of deed restrictions.

BLOCK WATCH REPORT:

No one has notified me about any community crime. I saw a dead mailbox on my neighborhood watch.

Arthur Pellegrini, President BWCA


COMMUNITY CALENDAR:

September 13, 2004 Annual Neighborhood Board Meeting & Elections, 7:30 pm
Northwest Library (2280 Hard Road)


NEWS:

Neighborhood Playgroup
When: Tuesdays from 9:30-11:30 am
Who: Infants - 5 year olds and a parent
Please call or email Tara Rozen at
792-1151 or trozen@msn.com for more information.


PARKS REPORT:

As summer winds down, take a look at your gardens and share your favorite perennials with the Maplebrook Civic Park. I am accepting donations at my house (6745 Oakfair Avenue?—next to the park) on September 10th and 11th for planting on September 11th and 12th. Just dig up those overgrown perennials (see below for suggested varieties) and put part of them in a bag, box or flowerpot, add dirt and water, label them, and drop them off in the shade next to my garage. I will care for them until planted. Then we will use whatever we can to create new flowerbeds in the park.

If anyone can help with the planting in September or with continued maintenance, please let me know (Sue Downey at 766-5421) or show up at 9 am on the 12th. Watch for signs at the entrances in case of bad weather. We will also be setting a date for fall cleanup in the park and at our neighborhood entrances. This involves leaf removal and cutting back perennials for the winter.

Finally, if anyone is interested in becoming the Parks Chairperson, please let me know. I will not be able to continue as Chairperson next year, but will be able to help anyone who volunteers.

Suggested Plants for Sharing:

Anemone ?– Windflower
Leucanthemum ?– Shasta Daisy
Aster
Monarda ?– Beebalm
Astilbe
Phlox
Campanula ?– Bellflower
Physostegia ?– Obedient Plant
Coreopsis
Platycodon ?– Balloon Flower
Dianthus ?– Pinks
Rudbeckia ?– Black-Eyed Susan
Echinacea ?– Cone Flower
Salvia
Hardy Geranium ?– Cranesbill
Scabiosa ?– Pincushion Flower
Heuchera ?– Coralbells
Sedum ?– Stonecrop
Hosta (limited number)
Tradescantia ?– Spiderwort
Hydrangea
Veronica ?– Speedwell
Lamium ?– Dead Nettle

Shrubs such as butterfly bush are also welcome but may need to be dug and planted the same day as they do not ?“keep?” as well.


CURB TREES - MAINTENANCE REQUEST:

The trees growing on the City rights-of-ways (curb lawns) fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Columbus. It is their responsibility to maintain them, but there are a lot of trees in Columbus. They encourage homeowners to prune lower branches for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The guidelines for clearances are ?“eight feet over sidewalks and thirteen and one half feet over the street.?” Please measure your trees lowest branches to see if they ?“pass the test.?” Many of our trees have grown this year and have branches hanging down low, creating a hazard to pedestrians.

If your tree does not pass the clearance test, please do one of these three things: 1) Prune the lower branches yourself. 2) Call the City Forestry Office at 645-6640 and request pruning service. 3) Request help from a neighbor or your Civic Association.



TREASURER'S REPORT:

To date, 217 families out of 299 have paid their dues and officially joined the BWCA for fiscal year 2003/2004. Over 31% of these families also contributed to our Capital Fund. Thank you! Our current bank balance is $4,052.21.

In May, we mailed out a notice to the remainder of our neighbors asking for their financial support so the maintenance and capital improvement activities will be funded through the end of our fiscal year in October. If you are wondering if you have paid your BWCA dues, please feel free to call me and I will check to see if they have been received.

If you have any questions about your Civic Association, please feel free to contact me at 889-2891, or any of the BWCA Board members (names and phone numbers available on the front of this newsletter).

Another source of information about your
Civic Association is our web site: www.brooksidewoods.com.
Mark Gresham, Treasurer BWCA


BROOKSIDE WOODS WOMEN?’S CLUB NEWS

Ladies, just about every committee has a Chair or Co-Chairs. We need Officers in order to continue operating! Please let Barb Johnson 781-8225 or Denise Badgley 761-7566 know if you or anyone you know is available to continue our fine tradition of growing friendships through shared experiences.

President: still open
Treasurer: Denise Badgley
Vice President: still open
Secretary: still open

Reservations and Calling Committee: Donna Schrodt and Barb Boyd

Community Service: Linda Tenwalde (donations) & Amy Gresham (bows)

Programming and Activities: Linda Switzer and Barb Johnson

Hospitality: Karen Sugawara

A tentative 2004-2005 schedule has been suggested that includes more social time because that way we stay in touch!

September ?– Girls night out with brief organizational meeting (no speaker)

October ?– dinner and speaker

November ?– Girls night out no meeting

December ?– co-ed dinner with speaker or special
location/tour

January ?– Girls night out no meeting

February ?– dinner and speaker

March ?– Girl?’s night out no meeting

April ?– dinner and speaker

May - co-ed dinner with speaker or special
location/tour

A ?“girls night out?” would be like we did for the Old Bag of Nails Pub, meeting at a prearranged dinner spot and ordering off the menu. This would greatly ease the work of our programs, hospitality, and reservations committees, and give us time to just converse with neighbors too. Please fill out the survey included in this newsletter and send it in!!!!





BROOKSIDE WOODS WOMEN?’S CLUB
INTEREST SURVEY

We are looking for input from our current members, past members and people that are not members to see what direction the club should be heading.


Name___________________
Street_________________
Phone#_________________

Member status: Current Member______ Past Member_______ Not a member ______

Do you prefer that we go to the same restaurant or a different restaurant each month?
Different one each month?______________ Same one each month?_____________
Please mark your restaurant preference or (preferences if you would like to go to more than one): LaScala______ Houlihan?’s______ DaVinci?’s_____ Brookside Country Club________ Hoggy?’s___ Rusty Bucket ____ Old Bag of Nails_____ Martini?’s____ The White House____
Other ?– please list name or names________________________________________
What price range are you willing to pay for dinner including tax and gratuity? Include a normal monthly price versus a price for a special outing such as a higher end Christmas dinner. Keep in mind that you need to add 6.75% tax and 15% to 18% for gratuity. ___________________
Should the following be included in the meal price or optional?
Coffee or tea________________ Salad________________ Dessert____________

Which of the following do you prefer?: Speaker after dinner_______ Lady?’s night informal dinner without a speaker_______ Other ?– please specify_______________________________________
If you prefer a speaker, give us an idea of speakers or programs that you would like to see offered.
Women?’s Health and Beauty______ Fashion/Cosmetics/Jewelry_____ Arts______ History_____
Travel____ Education_____ Toys____ Pets____ Animal Agencies _____ Government____ Home and Garden_____ Food/Herbs______ Sports_____ Children______
Other ?– Please specify as many as you want___________________________________________


Are you interested in being a Board Member?_______ Would you like someone to call you about the club?_________

Comments about the club__________________________________________

You can give this to any Board member, email it to Denise Badgley at dbadgley@columbus.rr.com or mail or drop off to Denise at 2053 Thistlewood Drive. Thank you for your input.