From Laura Young Mohr, DPU Communications Office, 645-2123, lymohr@columbus.gov:

Susan, some changes here at Columbus Department of Public Utilities I need to make you aware of: Rick Tilton is leaving for another department (Public Service), effective April 13, 2009. The DPU Communications Office staff person now assigned to Division of Sewerage and Drainage related issues/projects is George Zonders at GJZonders@columbus.gov, 645-2926. Anita Musser will remain on green issues/projects, almusser@columbus.gov, 645-5970. I will be taking over the niche of the Division of Power and Water’s water operations to including drinking water issues and waterline projects. City power and street lighting items will be Susan Oehler, who also manages our web site, smoehler@columbus.gov, 645-6196.

All city service needs should continue to be reported to 311 or 645-3111.

Craig to Hold public Hearing on Administration’s proposal to address yard waste collection

Who:
Public Service & Transportation Committee Chair Hearcel F Craig
Public Service Director Mark Kelsey

When:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
5:30 p.m.

Where:
Council Chambers
90 West Broad Street, 2nd floor

What:
Council member Hearcel F. Craig, public service & transportation committee chair, will convene a public hearing on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers to hear the Administration’s proposal to address yard waste collection. Those who wish to address Council are welcome to fill out a speaker slip at City Hall on the day of the meeting.

An Adena Brook neighbor writes:
The Glenmont school building has new landscapers – they were dumping the leaves in the woods so I called the DUMP number. A Deputy Thompson responded immediately – he came out and told them they have to haul them away properly. They said they would tarp and haul them away rather than dumping them from now on.

[Dumped leaves cause matting and the seed bank is unable to germinate.]

Deb Lanata writes:

Susan

Dad found Chester this AM. As I was hoping, the best possible case scenario panned out. He was stuck in a nwighbor’s garage. As I mentioned, Chester is quite vocal about being kept inside! Dad apparently heard Chester this AM and awoke the neighbor who opened the door. Chester ran straight home for dinner AND breakfast. He’s also not used to the idea of skipping meals. Or snacks. Or treats. Or any reason at all to get a bite.

Thanks! We are so happy to have him home!

Deb Lanata
On behalf of Ann, Tony and.Chester (aka Tank) Lanata @ 120 Overbrook

Susan,

My parents live at 120 Overbrook Ravine (Ann and Tony Lanata). Tonight they were unable to find their cat. Chester (aka Tank) usually comes in around 6 or 7pm nightly. They are aware of the coyote situation and make sure Chester comes in every night before dark. They would like for him to be an indoor cat, but it would be a vast understatement to say he is vocal about wanting out, so the compromise for now is he goes out during daylight hours and stays in at night. Until tonight, when we called and called and walked the neighborhood looking for him with no luck. He was last seen at 120 Overbrook around 3pm today (Saturday). We are extremely worried about him and want him home safe ASAP. Can you please post the info to the list so everyone can be on the lookout for him? We’d appreciate the help! I’ve also attached pictures of Chester if you can pass them along as well.

We’re hoping since Saturday was a nice day, maybe he wandered into someone’s garage or shed while they were working in their yard and he got locked in by accident. Please, please, please, ask people to look in their sheds or garages for Chester.

Here is his info:

Chester (aka Tank) is a large (approximately 15 pounds) male cat. He’s not so much fat as he is big. His paws are very large. He is smokey grey in color with a thick coat and sometimes his eyes can appear to be crosseyed. He is extremely friendly and playful and curious. He is approximately 3 to 4 years of age. He is neutered and has been declawed in the front (he does have rear claws). He should be wearing a red collar with a red metal heart shaped tag that has both his names (Chester and Tank) and my dad’s cell phone number on it. Anyone with info or who may find him can also call me on my cell anytime of the day or night (literally, I’m that concerned) at 614-323-7422. This cat means the world to all of us!!!

Thanks,
Deb Lanata

I inquired about the status of the sidewalk at Overbrook. Susan Delay told me yesterday that the city did examine the site and determined that the hill is shifting. It will need to be stabilized prior to any work on the sidewalk being done. The city is in the process of determining exactly what will need to be done to stabilize the hill. Once that is defined and the cost determined, we can better determine next steps.

D Searcy
Chair
Clintonville Area Commission

Come meet Walter at our monthly second Saturday clean ups–he volunteers!

# of Volunteers: 26
Hours worked: 2
Work: litter removal
Bags: 55 (some people put bags in their home bins, the rest of the bags were piled in two locations)

It was such fun seeing old friends and meeting new neighbors. These neighbors volunteered (I may have missed a few):

Georgia and Steve Blum-Herminghausen
Ellen Hoover
Jennifer Hauenstein and her daughters
Susan Meyer
Bill Platt – thank you for taking photos
Greg Schneider – offered to guide us on a plant walk this spring!
Diana Stacey
Diana Webster
Susan Michael Barrett

Plus:

Thank you Robert Seed, Keep Columbus Beautiful, for trash bag supplies for the season!

Denise Brenner – 1 bag
“Thanks for the incentive to get me out to pick up litter on my portion of Cooke Rd! I’ve been meaning to do so for a few weeks. I worked for about 40 minutes and threw a very full bag of litter in my bin.”

Ken Burkhard and Bob Shingledecker – 4 bags
“Bob and I picked up trash along Overbrook between Cooke and High Street. We tried to do this at least once a month this winter. We have had an inordinate amount of trash along our property bordering Cooke and Overbrooke and we think possibly it comes from the garbage trucks as they empty trash east of us on Cooke Road. I don’t know if some folks do not use garbage bags in their cans or not, but if they don’t that would explain all the excess garbage blowing down the hill. We have noticed the overload appears around pickup day or the day after.

Kenn Cahill- 5 bags
Kenn worked on Cooke Road. In one place he found a lot of lottery tickets and wished he had dollars instead of tickets. Then he found $2 which he donated to Adena Brook with a wish for a great season!

Mark and Carina Carter – 10 bags
Mark and Carina Carter committed to another year of maintenance work at the corner of Indianola and Overbrook Drive. They mow, edge, and pick up litter beginning now and work regularly through fall. Mark and Carina, can you hear us giving you a grateful ovation? Many, many thanks.

Derek Hansford and Ann Florentine – 4 bags
“Ann and I picked up trash from 9-11 this morning on Overbrook around Yaronia (from a little past the new bridge to the old bridge near the housing development). We got 4 full bags of trash.”

Walter Reins – Walter Reins Tree and Landscape Services, LLC
Thank you Walter for volunteering this month to pick up litter! He will volunteer next month also. Walter has stickers ready for purchase to place on your lawn debris bags for weekly pick up. Call him at 614-778-4949.

Will Reiss – Thank you Will, Bishop Watterson educator and his students, Martin McCarthy, Kaela Becker, and Rob Bolone, who continue to volunteer every month! Barbara Sauter, administrator at Bishop Watterson, asked students to pick up litter around the school this week.

Judy and Bob Robinson – 4 bags
“Bob and I worked with Carina at the Indianola/Overbrook intersection. We also cleaned up the Chiropractor’s property up against the fence and around the dumpsters where there is a lot of honeysuckle. I picked up litter near Keith’s Sunoco and the Professional Building.”

Karen Snyder – I picked up a thousand butts along Indianola, trash, etc. 1 bag of butts — small, but many stoop overs.

Barbara and Tim Lloyd knocked on my door last week about sunset to come see the opossum sitting on neighbor Rick Davis’ front porch. Patty Hoyer was walking Zoe, Grace, and Emma and they stopped to watch, too. I think it might have been Oliver. Oliver is the name we’ve given the opossum that lives under our front porch deck. Barbara and Tim wondered if possibly the opossum was sick since it was out and about and seemed oblivious to our stares, albeit from across the street. I googled and read that opossum rarely get rabies. I think I read that there are only 4 known cases in the USA.

If you want to learn more about opossum and other ravine wildlife, come to the Adena Brook Community potluck on May 15, 6 – 8 PM when Craig Seidel, Ohio Wildlife Center educator will bring a few OWC residents to show us. I know we’ll see a great grey owl, opossum, and kestrel.

Another neighbor business to add to Lawn Services:

Green Man Services
George Davis, Clintonville resident
614-634-8713
gbcnu@columbus.rr.com

Yard restoration
Leaf Removal
Mini Landscaping
Light Hauling
Rototilling
Harzardous Household Waste Removal

All,

Please find attached the “Save the Date” flier for Mayor Coleman’s BikeColumbus event Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.. This event will be the finale for all local National Bike Month activities in May, which will include Bike To Work Week, Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV) and the Ride of Silence.

BikeColumbus’ start and finish location on May 30 will be COSI, and there will be three rides: a 7 mile ride with an emphasis on families; a 20 mile ride; and a 50 mile ride. All three rides will be ride-at-your-own-pace; these are not races. The goal is to get cyclists of all kinds—young, old, novice, experienced. This is open to anyone who likes to bike, the general public and city employees. More details will be coming in future weeks. Barb Seckler/The Institute for Active Living in Public Health is the lead on this event.

Please pass the word to any cyclists on staff, those you know in other departments or friends outside of work who are cyclists.

Thanks.

Rick

Thanks.
Rick Tilton
Assistant Director for Policy and Communications
Department of Public Utilities
City of Columbus
910 Dublin Road
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 645-6622
Fax: (614) 645-8019