June 9, 2011
‘Revamp the Ramp’
Civic groups combining forces By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Three against one. It hardly seems fair. Nevertheless, volunteers and leaders from three different civic groups will be gathering on Saturday, June 25, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Interstate 71 ramps to Cooke Road to remove trash and debris. This would represent the opening
salvo in a “Revamp the Ramp” project originally proposed by Northland Community Council vice president Emmanuel V. Remy, but now encompassing the North Linden and Clintonville area commissions. “We’re hoping to get people from both sides of the ramp to come out and work to clean up the area,” Remy said last week. CAC chairman John DeFourny announced the cleanup project at last-
week’s monthly meeting, and said that he intended to be on hand that day. “Please come join me,” DeFourny said. “It’s an exciting project,” said James R. Blazer II of the Clintonville Area Commission. “I think it’s going to be a real enhancement to the community.” Blazer said that he, Remy and Tony Howard of the North Linden Area Commission have met with Ohio Department of Transportation officials regarding
the proposed landscaping improvement to not only the Cooke Road interchange but also possibly the ones at North Broadway and Weber Road. The ODOT representative indicated some state funding might be available for such an endeavor, Blazer said, adding that the civic group members involved in the project will also be seeking backing from corporations and individuals. While no “Adopt-a-Ramp” program exists that parallels ODOT’s Adopt-a-
Highway litter cleanup effort, Blazer said that such a concept is under consideration. “We still have a lot of work to do before we can get the physical construction part going,” Remy said. He said that a volunteer landscape architect is being sought to devise a scheme for plantings to spruce up the Cooke Road ramps, a necessary step in order See CIVIC GROUPS, page A2
Request for zero parking spaces gets CAC backing By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
(Above) Volunteer Emily Hunt weeds tomato beds in the “Garden of Eatin’” — the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center’s community garden at St. James Episcopal Church, 3400 Calumet St., on June 2. (Below) The Rev. Lynn Carter-Edmands, rector at St. James, left, talks with volunteer Jean Bryd as she waters plants.
Newest CRC community garden open for business By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Everything was just right for the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center, St. James Episcopal Church and Columbus Foundation to combine forces and create a new community garden. Now, if only the weather will cooperate, with enough sun and enough rain, everything will be just right to help feed the hungry of Clintonville. A groundbreaking service for what’s being called the Garden of Eatin’, the fourth and newest community garden for the CRC, took place May 21, followed by two hours of planting the next afternoon. Last week, CRC basic needs supervisor Beth Stewart-McGee, some of the volunteers helping to nurture the Garden of Eatin’ and the Rev. Lynn Carter-Edmands, rector at St. James Episcopal Church, gathered at the Calumet Street site to review progress. Jean Byrd, a volunteer who helped plan
Despite being cautioned that they might be setting a precedent, Clintonville Area Commission members voted 7-1 last week to support a new vegan restaurant that would have fewer than the required 23 parking spaces. As in none. “This one is difficult at best because we have never been asked to do zero,” zoning and variance committee chairwoman Sandy Simbro said in opening discussion on the proposed City Beet Café at 3003 N. High St. “The project … proposes to turn the existing office space into a one-of-a-kind eating establishment in Clintonville with a strong commitment to healthy living and nourishing food,” according to the statement of hardship from local architect Tim Lai on behalf of Jennie Scheinbach, owner of the nearby Pattycake Bakery. The proposal would eliminate a curb cut and five drivein spaces in front of the building, which was built in 1938 and has been a restaurant on several different occasions. Three new on-street spaces would be created along North High Street by placing a curb in front of the structure, and one more on-street space would be added on West See CAC BACKS REQUEST, page A2
Split vote by CAC seeks reduction of speed limit By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
A divided Clintonville Area Commission last week narrowly approved sending a letter to city officials requesting a reduction in the speed limit on a stretch of North High Street where a local woman lost her life in a March 15 crash. “Recently there was a horrible accident on North High Street involving a speeding driver and a local resident that resulted in death,” the letter, which came out of the planning and development committee, states. Molly Palsgrove Davis, who taught fifth grade at Cassingham Elementary School in Bexley, died from injuries sustained in the 4:48 p.m. accident at the intersection of East Torrence Road and North High Street.
See NEWEST CRC, page A2
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See SPLIT VOTE, page A5 Marley is a five-yearold mixed breed dog currently up for adoption at Citizens For Human Action. For information on adopting Marley, visit CHA’s website: chaanimalshelter.org. Watch a video of Marley at ThisWeek NEWS.com.
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