Tuttle Recreation Center Opens Under New Management

Thankfully, Campfire USA and the City of Columbus have agreed for Campfire to take over management of the Tuttle Rec Center starting this weekend! A special celebration is scheduled for this Saturday. Read Columbus Dispatch report. 

Get to Gardening!

A friend (and neighbor) of mine and I  constantly talk about neighborhood improvements. Inevitability, she always comes around to quoting another neighbor who says the best way to improve a neighborhood is to take care of your property. I think it's her gentle way of pointing out that there's still room for improvement at our place (and she's absolutely right)!

So her words and the beautiful weather launched me into action a good portion of Sunday morning by cleaning out flower beds and rearranging our back porch. Now it's time to hit the front yard! 

But there are some people in the neighborhood that might not, or can't (do to renting) dig in the dirt as much as they'd like to. That said, I found some great resources on the University Area Enrichment Association website. From litter pick up to food production gardening to mending fences that all are in need of helping hands. If you happen to have sometime to spare, please check them out under the Community Garden Listings

Deciphering University District Resources

One reason we decided to start this blog was due to the fact that there is a variety of organizatons aimed at improving the University District. But what they do and how they're different, we're not quite sure. We still don't have the answers, but here's the start of a list of organizations, what they do, or what their website provides:

University District - A site that is the collaborative effort of the University District Organization, Campus Partners, and University Community Business Association. This site is up-to-date, providing helpful information on current events and links to resources.

University Community Association - To promote and preserve the community. The site is out of date.

University Area Commission - The Commission recommends ideas, improvements, and concerns regarding the university area to Columbus City Council. This site has a good list of city resources. But it's hard to take this group seriously when the code enforcement committee member owns an abandoned house in the neighborhood.

University Area Enrichment Association - Is a civic organization that assists community members to improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods surroundings. This site is up-to-date. Be sure to check out the clean-up scheduled for March 14!

Great Neighbors

I'm so happy spring is almost here. It's a chance to meet new neighbors and reconnect with old ones. With the beautiful weather, we took two walks today and along the way met new neighbors and were greeted by others.

Probably the biggest misconception about this neighborhood is that it's not a place to raise a family. But there are young families all over this neighborhood...and they love it here! Today we met a family with two children under the age of 5 and later in the day we talked to another neighbor with kids. Both families live on Maynard, a street full of families. Turns out Maynard has it going on; block parties and Simply Living to name a few. Don't get me wrong, Blake has it's own amount of neighborhood socializing too. And with warm weather around the corner, we're looking forward to more get-togethers.

As we've walked the streets of north campus over the years Oakland, Maynard, and Blake, in particular, have something special; people that love their houses, people that have an appreciation of diversity and a tolerance of shenanigans, and people that enjoy the conveniences of being centrally located.

Car Thefts and Graffiti

In looking at the police reports for 3/5/09, nine of the 18 reports are related to police theft. This report only reflects Zone 4, King/7th on the S, Arcadia on the N, between N High and the railroad tracks. If you want to see the police reports, go here.

The Lantern recently reported about car thefts and runs a crime briefs section of the paper. I was unaware of the thefts; mostly due to the fact that it seems like OSU students are the target. However, I did notice the new graffiti that popped up last weekend. This time, the taggers went big....really big, all over our neighbors' garages. The city has a website to help residents; but I haven't had a chance to check it out.

I also noticed that Tuttle Rec Center was officially boarded up. But a neighbor said that it's going to re-open under new management...maybe campfire usa? LMK if anyone can offer more info.