July 21, 2011
German Village Connections study
Home safety often an issue for seniors By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers A home-assessment project in German Village found that properties in the neighborhood could present some physical challenges for residents who want to stay in their homes as they age. Students in the occupational therapy program at Ohio State University visited seven houses in the neighborhood to determine steps homeowners could take to safeguard their properties.
The study was discussed July 14 at a meeting of the German Village Society’s long-range planning committee at the Meeting Haus. The committee has been researching the development of an aging-in-place program for the neighborhood. The students, who are in a master’s degree program, found that common scenarios or items, such as unsecured area rugs, can pose risks for seniors. The good news is some of the corrective steps are inexpensive and easy
to accomplish, said Meg Teaford, the professor in charge of the program and a German Village resident. They don’t have to be made all at once, she said. “The idea is to be mindful of them,” Teaford said. For example, flooring should be clean and without glare. Rugs need to be secured to the floor, something that can be accomplished with double-sided tape. Students found that many first-floor bathrooms were small and didn’t have
a shower or tub. Others had high, clawfoot tubs, which are difficult for the elderly to negotiate. Most bathrooms lacked grab bars and rubber mats, which could prevent falls. Lighting also is an important component of safe living, because seniors need four times as much light as younger adults, Teaford said. Appropriate lighting levels are needed near entrances from the outside, inside on stairs and in food preparation areas of the kitchen, the study said.
The study emphasized the need for improvements to home entrances, which sometimes are not easily accessible because of steep steps, small front yards and narrow sidewalks. “If you can’t safely get in and out of your house, you shouldn’t be there,” Teaford said. The students recommended that residents work with the German Village Commission, the local architectural reSee HOME STUDY, page A2
Stewart school expansion
Commission concerned about closing Pearl Street By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers Columbus City Schools’ plan to redevelop Stewart Alternative Elementary School recently met some resistance from the German Village Commission. Members of the architectural review commission, who were given an informal presentation July 12 on the district’s plan, expressed concern over the closing of a portion of South Pearl Street. District officials want to close the street so they can proceed with expansion plans at the school. Such a move would require moving gas and sewer lines and overhead utilities. “It’s one of those things we look at like demolition — once you do it, it’s done,” said commission chairman Jay Panzer. Panzer said in an email July 15 that closing a street represents “an alteration to the urban fabric of the community, the consequences of which can be unpredictable and long-lasting.” The closure would affect residents and businesses whose properties are adjacent to the school building, he said, as well as residents of German Village and the Brewery District who use Pearl Street.
By Eric George/ThisWeek
Artist Jim Glover, a former illustrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, paints at the Dublin Art Fair on July 16. Glover is among 30 artists who will display their work at the German Village Art Crawl on Saturday, July 23, on Macon Alley.
30 artists to participate in Art Crawl By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Community Newspapers As a former staff illustrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Jim Glover was responsible for drawing animals and landscapes in painstaking detail. These days, he’s borrowing some techniques of impressionists while keeping true to his realism roots. “Just a few brushstrokes can apply the detail that’s not there,” said Glover, who, in recent years, has explored the medium of “en plein air,” a French phrase meaning art created in the open air. Glover, who lives on the Northwest Side, is among 30 artists participating in this year’s German Village Art Crawl, to be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 23, on Macon Alley. The original art will include oil paintings, jewelry, sculptures, watercolors and collages. Macon Alley will be closed from Frankfort to Whittier streets for the duration of the show.
See PEARL STREET, page A2
German Village resident named to Pickerington development post By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspaper German Village resident Joe Henderson last week was promoted to lead Pickerington’s economic development efforts after serving as the city’s lead development planner since 2005. Henderson’s advancement means that for the first time in nearly four months, Pickerington has a fulltime department director for the city’s business retention, expansion and recruitment efforts. Henderson, 31, was promoted by city manager Bill Vance to fill a position that had been vacant since Susan Crotty was placed on administrative leave on March 22 and terminated April 4. Crotty was paid a $75,000 annual salary at the time of her dismissal; Henderson will receive a $67,500 annual salary. “I’m excited,” Henderson said. “I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m ready for it.” See VILLAGE RESIDENT, page A2
If you go The German Village Art Crawl, presented by the German Village Business Community, will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 23, on Macon Alley. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate.
Tickets for the Art Crawl, presented by the German Village Business Community, are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Information and tickets are available at the Meeting Haus, 588 S. Third St., or at germanvillage.com and www.gvbusinesscommunity.com. Several area restaurants will participate. The event also will offer demonstrations by artists and live music. Sherry Mullett, who co-chairs the event with Betty Garrett, said the lineup of artists is impressive.
“I think it’s competitive this year, and I think we have the best of what is out there,” Mullett said. “We have some very unique artists and some mediums we’ve never had before. More than half of the artists are new this year.” Glover will participate in the Art Crawl for the first time, something he relishes because of the community’s reputation for art appreciation. “German Village as a community has an art awareness you don’t find in other areas,” he said. Glover, 62, retired nine years ago after 33 years at the ODNR. He created images of plants and animals for park maps, brochures, posters and promotional displays. After some time, he moved into computer layout and page design, a less-fulfilling aspect to the job, he said. Art wasn’t always a passion for Glover. Although his father was a commercial illusSee ART CRAWL page A3
Barnhart: Actors’ Theatre not leaving Schiller By GARY SEMAN JR. “Actors’ Theatre never had any ThisWeek Community Newspapers intention of moving to the Commons,” Barnhart said. “It was never Frank Barnhart wanted to put an a discussion we had.” end to the gossip succinctly and The organization had discussed permanently: Actors’ Theatre of the possibility of scheduling sevColumbus is not moving out of Ger- eral performances of “A Midsumman Village. mer Night’s Dream” after the final Barnhart, executive director of show at Schiller Park, slated for the local theater troupe, said peo- July 31. But because of financial ple across the community seemed issues, the troupe decided against to have misinterpreted the group’s it. consideration of performing at However, some folks around the Columbus Commons, the new neighborhood believed it was a sign downtown park, as a sign of per- of an impending move and began manent relocation. expressing their disappointment at He chalks it up as a misunder- every opportunity, he said. standing. “That’s not even in the realm of
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possibility at this point,” Barnhart said. “We like being in German Village. As an organization, especially as an arts organization, we’re in a rare situation. We are a central Ohio arts organization, but we have a connection to a community. A lot of arts organizations don’t have that.” As a way to discourage any more gossip, the troupe issued a public statement to the German Village Society, which was circulated by the Neighbors4Neighbors newsletter. Carol Mullinax, a member of the troupe’s board of directors and also an actor, said she could not imagine moving from German Village.
“It is part of the fabric of Schiller Park,” she said. “When you’re standing there on stage and looking out on the audience, it is such a nice, welcoming feeling that makes you feel even more part of the community.” What could have fueled the rumor mill is the plan to change the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s Picnic with the Pops venue from Chemical Abstracts Services to Columbus Commons in 2012, Barnhart said. Actors’ Theatre got its start 30 years ago in Schiller Park and currently leases the caretaker’s cottage See ACTORS’ THEATRE, page A2
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