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Old North Columbus on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_North#The_neighborhood

University Area on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Area%2C_Columbus%2C_Ohio
with cool photos

I would like to see those questions formalized, and would support an addition of the request for a permit to be to the UAC in time to be added to the agenda with the above items addressed in the motion on the agenda.

Catherine Girves

I have another issue with the advertising guideline. This guideline could take us to court. We can not limit a person’s right to “free speech”, and this might be considered as such. I would not like the Commission to be held liable for something so minor.

On the letters, I suggest that the people who motioned (both 1st and 2nd) be responsible for a draft of the letter as well as determining who should receive it. This could be coordinated with the Corresponding Secretary after the vote to send the letters has been determine.

I support the efforts of the University Area Commission in making this plan. I agree there is much opportunity and need for Columbus to move forward in green actions. The OSU area is a big driver for our city’s future, well positioned to help lead the way. We need these actions in order to have a sustainable way of life here in Central Ohio.

Of the priority programs identified in the plan, I am most strongly in favor of #4,6 and 9 in that order. Columbus needs to get away from its backwards approach to solid waste management where garbage is free (waste as much as you want!) and recycling is charged for. Everyone knows the value of recycling and public policies need to reflect this priority that is opposite to the way we have it here, which dates to some political deals made in the 1950s, I’ve heard. It’s time to get with it and institute a pay as you throw program citywide, starting with this plan. Multifamily housing needs to be part of any successful solid waste recycling effort, I know it is treated differently but that is political and needs to change for the good of the people and the city. There is real cash to be made from recycling at multifamily housing and if done right it should go with and support the single family residential recycling. PAYT works in many other cities including Seattle and Upper Arlington, even Cincinnati. It’s time to release ourselves from the baggage of the past with regard to solid waste management, before we drown in it. The mayor needs to recognize his mistaken promise and come up with a suitable compromise solution. How about an average quota or credit system for the Pay As you Throw where the average (being cost free) is slowly decreased as recycling increases.

Every day I pick up 10 or more pieces of litter and recycle as much of it as I can. I’ve done this near OSU and walked far to great a distance along Lane Avenue and High Street before coming to a suitable receptacle. We need trash cans and recycling bins on every street and at every bus stop. Bike racks with locking ability need to be provided as well near all public business entrances.

Additional information about native plantings, and seedlings for purchase in April each year, is available locally through the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District www.franklinswcd.org/.

One thing Seattle had that may help the Green Building effort here would be a tool lending library. Theirs was sponsored by the Phinney Neighborhood Association http://www.phinneycenter.org/. Energy conservation, rain garden and green building expertise and classes related to sustainable building practices could be offered from this source as well in partnership between OSU Extension, School of Architecture (LEED advice?), and the City of Columbus.

Seattle has a program called P-Patch for community gardens that has been going for over 20 years and is very successful, as another potential model. I would expect that OSU may have some land in the center of the planning area which could be used for this type of horticultural learning and practice. International students especially would enjoy this opportunity to mix culture and food near the Buckeye Village apartments. What if OSU began an intensive composting program for its food waste in conjunction with green gardening efforts in the area?

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) www.oeffa.org/ is another group that has a local chapter and should be mentioned and consulted as a reference in planning local food sustainably grown for the community as mentioned in this plan. Farmers markets and other efforts are consistent with their mission.

In addtition to the BTA is a group called NOWbike, which sponsors bike education efforts. Consider Biking merged with COBAC and may sponsor other bike education locally soon.

Do not water down the recommendations of this plan simply because Columbus is bigger and controls the purse strings. This plan should form the basis for advocacy for a sustainable Columbus from the grassroots up. It is better to think big with vision than fail at creating sustainability, which is necessary if we are to attract and retain our young creative populace that passes through the city via time at OSU. Feasibility analyses need to think creatively, outside the box and not focus on defeatist arguments on why it won’t work here. Those of us who have lived elsewhere and know the possibilities, know those arguments are false and part of the reason Columbus ranked 50 out of 50 on the Sustain Lane cities list. We can and must do better. Enlightened leadership and information such as this plan can provide, are the keys to making progress.

Thanks for your efforts on this plan. Do not let it be buried on a shelf later! Some lobbying at City Hall will probably be needed to make some of it happen, but do not let that be an obstacle. The goals are too important to let it fail! I hope the plan will be widely publicized and available when it is finalized.