The Glen Civic Association has submitted an application to the City of Columbus to be eligible for the Columbus Neighborhood Pride Program.
This week-long event would include many interactive events for all Glen residents, including:
- nominating homes for the Neighborhood Pride Beautiful Homes Awards;
- a neighborhood clean-up event;
- the Neighborhood Safety Academy;
- a Neighborhood Pride Community Night where you can meet and talk with representatives from the City of Columbus and other agencies;
- daily free “Lunch and Learns” at a site selected by the city;
- a Bicycle Safety Festival held at Ridgewood Elementary;
- the Neighborhood Pride Talent Search for a city talent show by middle school students (Weaver MS);
- a Wellness Wednesday;
- a Friday Cookout; and
- the chance to meet Mayor Ginther.
This year, the City of Columbus will be choosing five (5) neighborhoods and hopes to have its decision made by the end of March. If chosen, we will be distributing a brochure from the city to all Glen residents detailing the schedule of events.
Checking for code violations
In addition to the above events, the city will also be checking our neighborhood for possible code violations to the exteriors of our properties. We learned some very interesting facts from a city representative Wednesday evening and were surprised, as you may be, about possible code violations.
We are all in this together, and even board members may need to do some sprucing up. We were told that the city code enforcement team has already began an initial drive-through of the neighborhood. Please be assured that the city does not come out and automatically hand out fines. They will “gently” let you know about repairs to be made, and give you time to get them done. They just want to see effort on your part.
Here are some things we learned:
- All houses should have the address in 4-inch (or larger) numbers clearly visible on the front of the house. Numbers painted on the curb or on the mailbox do not satisfy this requirement; curb numbers are not visible when covered with snow.
- All chipped paint on the house and gutters should be repaired.
- Firewood cannot be piled on the front porch or directly against the house. City code also states that "[stacks] of materials on the exterior of the premises shall be elevated twelve inches from the ground."
- The grass/weeds that grow in the street – between the curb and the black top – should be removed. Weed killer, even organic, will do the job nicely. Additionally, any debris such as leaves must also be removed. These items can clog up the storm drains.
- Repair of dangerous and uplifted sidewalks is the responsibility of the homeowner, with one exception: if the issue is due to tree roots in the tree lawn of a tree planted by the city, the city will make the repair at no cost to the homeowner. You may, however, lose the tree.
Where to learn more
Columbus Neighborhood Pride is a great opportunity for the residents of The Glen and our school district and has been going on for close to 20 years. Please check out the Columbus Neighborhood Pride website for more information.
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