Blendon Woods Civic Association

The Blendon Bulletin -- June Issue

Jun 11, 2009

Our first BWCA meeting of the year was at the Caribou Coffee House on Hamilton Road across from Max & Erma?’s. We had several Area Reps, and Board Members in attendance. We talked about the upcoming Community Garage Sale, which was May 16 & 17. We talked about the new businesses to be built by Casto in New Albany called Albany Park located at State Route 161 / Dublin-Granville Road and Hamilton Road . Go to www.castoinfo.com/retail/ and click on In Development.


We greeted our new Welcoming Committee person, Janet Fletcher. Area Reps should contact Janet when a new resident moves into their area. Just let her know the address of the new resident and she will do the rest! All new residents may contact Janet directly, if they have not met the Area Rep for their street. Contact Janet at 893-5565 or email: janetfletcher2002@yahoo.com .


Tracy Stocker will be heading up the Membership Drive around the start of school this fall. If you would like to help with this committee, please give her a call. Our membership drive helps to pay for our Community Garage Sale, Pumpkin Drop, snow removal, and our newsletter and telephone directory. The costs for plowing can change drastically so please support our membership drive by paying your dues of $20.00. If you would like to help please give Tracy a call at 337-6162.


Coming up: Our Annual 4th of July Parade will be coordinated by two great volunteers. If anyone has any decorations or treats they would like to donate, please contact Maria Varney at 472-0020 or e-mail mvarney@mchs.com and Beth Dellasanta at emd@insight.rr.com. This event is fun for families and kids in the community. Bikes, wagons, and strollers can be decorated and judged for prizes. Refreshments and visits from Columbus Fire and Police Departments are being scheduled. The small parade will be on a side street off of Boulder Dam. Signs will be posted with information before July 4th. Parade will start on Saturday, July 4th at 8:30 am.

There will be a bike, scooter, wagon, stroller decorating contest with winners for 4 categories:
3 and under
4 to 6
7 to 10
11 and up



Special points of interest:

4th of July Parade-Help Needed-Decorations and Treats Needed!

NCC Meetings: June 24th-Development mtg. & July 7th-general meeting

Safety Tips: Keep garage doors closed and watch over the neighborhood during vacation time.

School?’s out...OBEY SPEED LIMITS & WATCH FOR KIDS!

Our Website: Calendar is updated with summer events, meetings, and more.

Volunteering: Wanted-committee volunteers, and New people to serve on the Board!

Membership Drive: Starts in early August - Dues are ONLY $20.00.

Welcoming Committee: Contact Janet Fletcher when new residents move in.

Swine Flu: Updates on Ohio website.

Crime: Sign-up to receive crime reports via e-mail.

Thank you Lori and Steve Thompson for organizing the Community Garage Sale in May.



SIGN UP FOR ON-LINE CRIME REPORTS FROM THE COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Why we created CrimeReports.com :

CrimeReports.com was created to help law enforcement agencies put crime data in the hands of those who care about it most?—citizens. CrimeReports.com standardizes the way law enforcement agencies communicate crime data to the public, down to the specific neighborhood or block they live on.


How does CrimeReports.com work?


Participating law enforcement agencies publish local crime incident data in near real-time to CrimeReports.com, converting raw crime data into easily accessible, actionable information for community members.


How can users access crime information for their areas of interest?


CrimeReports.com is a community-facing Web application, and as such, emphasizes the user experience. A CrimeReports.com user simply enters an address of interest (home, office, school, etc.) and clicks on "Get Report" to see criminal activity in a given area on an easy-to-use map interface.


How many police departments have signed up?


There are law enforcement agencies of all sizes from across the country actively providing crime data on CrimeReports.com. These departments serve local populations ranging from 5,000 to more than 1 million residents, including Washington, D.C.; San Jose, California; Columbus, Ohio, and Reno, Nevada.


What information is available?


CrimeReports.com enables participating law enforcement agencies to manage and control their own data and determine what information they deem appropriate to share with the public. However, we categorize crime incidents into 15 general crime type categories and 21 subcategories of crime and calls for service activity, including:

Assault: Assault, Assault w/ Deadly Weapon

Breaking & Entering

Homicide

Proactive Policing: Community Policing, Pedestrian Stop, Vehicle Stop

Property Crime: Property Crime, Property Crime Commercial, Property Crime Residential

Quality of Life: Disorder, Liquor, Drugs
Registered Sex Offenders
Robbery (Violent)

Sex Offense: Sexual Assault, Other Sexual Offense

Theft
Traffic
Theft from Vehicle
Vehicle Recovery
Theft of Vehicle

Other: Alarm, Arson, Death, Family Offense, Kidnapping, Missing Person, Weapons Offense, Other

Each of these terms is searchable on its own, allowing the user to determine what type of criminal activity they would like to be informed of, as long as the law enforcement agency is providing that information to community members.


How do you keep victim information private?


Law enforcement agencies remove victim identification as part of the data publishing process. In addition, we help protect victim identities by converting the exact street addresses to the "block level". For example, the address "1486 Lincoln Avenue" would be mapped and displayed as "1400 block of Lincoln Avenue."


Does the system help reduce crime?


CrimeReports helps community members understand their surroundings and make informed decisions to protect themselves. While it is too early to determine whether CrimeReports.com actually reduces crime, it helps raise awareness and create stronger community policing programs that improve the connection between law enforcement and the public.


Why should community members use CrimeReports.com?


Community members can access neighborhood crime data in near-real time, empowering them to make informed decisions to avoid becoming victims and to prevent and reduce crime.


ASSAULT
27? May? 2009
4000 BLOCK LEATHER STOCKING TRL
Distance: 0.31 miles
1:00:00 PM
SIMP ASSLT

BREAKING & ENTERING
24? May? 2009
4900 BLOCK CHERRYBLUFF CT
Distance: 0.48 miles
6:00:00 PM-7:00:00 PM
BURG


SWINE FLU INFO AND WEBSITE

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/landing/phs_emergency/swineflu.aspx


The Ohio H1N1 (swine flu) Information line is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please call 1-866-800-1404 for answers to your questions about swine flu.?  As of 8 a.m. 6/10/09, the info line has received more than 1,760 calls. Ohio?’s influenza A (H1N1) (swine flu) cases - as of? 12 p.m. 6/10/09 - Franklin County ?–? 16 CASES.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STAY HEALTHY:
Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.


Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.

Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.

Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.



NCC NEWS: The Northland Community Council

You are cordially invited to the Next Northland Community Council meeting July 7 2009 at 7 pm.
NOTICE: The NCC meetings are held at Friendship Village.?  The meeting is normally held on the FIRST TUESDAY of each month, at 7:00 P.M.? ?  It is located at 5800 Forest Hills Blvd., Columbus, OH?  43231 - (614) 890-8285.? 
The main entrance is at 5800 Forest Hills Boulevard. We usually meet in the multi purpose room OR the conference room.?  You will be directed there by their staff.

The next meeting of the NCC Development Committee meeting will be on ? June 24, 2009, at 7:00 pm.?  The scheduled Development meeting day is usually the last Wednesday of the month, barring any other meeting interferences or a holiday.?  This important meeting takes place at the Minerva Park Police Station and community Center on 2820 Minerva Lake Road, off of Cleveland Ave.
? 
You are invited to the Northland Community Fourth of July Parade, start time is Saturday July 4TH at 11:00 a.m. Parade will start near the intersection of Morse and Karl Roads at 11:00 am on Saturday, July 4, and travel 1.7 miles north on Karl Road to its intersection with East Dublin Granville Road (SR-161).