Update from Campus Partners:  February 21, 2001

Contents:

NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE

Columbus Police Sgt. Terry Perrigo told the Campus Partners Safety Coordinating Committee on Feb. 14 that the abuse of the "blue light" emergency telephones in the neighborhoods had decreased substantially after a clear plastic cover was placed over each call button last November. There were only six false alarms on the phones during December. He expressed support for the phones remaining in service as long as the number of false alarms stays low. Sgt. Perrigo also said the Columbus Division of Police would like to plan another set of joint patrols against burglaries during the university's spring break in mid-March.

A five-member subcommittee of the Safety Coordinating Committee hopes to establish a Campus Crime Stoppers Program as early as spring quarter. The program would focus on crimes committed on the university campus and in the predominantly student neighborhoods, although crimes outside that area which affect the university community could be included. Subcommittee member Luke Whitworth met with the editorial board of the Lantern earlier this month to explain the program. The newspaper staff agreed participate in the program and will help publicize the crimes and rewards. The subcommittee will meet Feb. 22 to discuss how to recruit members of a board to oversee the program. The Community Crime Patrol has agreed to serve as fiscal agent to receive donations for the program and to disperse reward money.

The Student Safety Initiative held its first meeting of winter quarter on Jan. 19 in the Campus Partners office. SSI has tentatively scheduled its next meeting for Friday, Feb. 23, at 11:30 a.m. in the Campus Partners office. The BuckEyes Watch program on East 14th Avenue will hold a general meeting on March 6 at the Evans Scholars House, 52 E. 14th Ave.

The next meeting of the Safety Coordinating Committee will be Wednesday, March 14, at 3 p.m. in the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road.

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FOLLOW-UP TO DISTURBANCE AFTER OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN GAME

Following the disturbances after the Ohio State-Michigan football game, the university's student governments proposed a series of actions that could be taken to help students living off-campus to become more responsible hosts when they hold parties. One suggestion from the student governments is that a portion of the Coca-Cola money received by the university be used to hire off-duty police officers to work at student-sponsored parties. Bill Hall, interim vice president for student affairs, has asked John Kleberg and Eric Busch to co-chair a work group of students, staff and neighborhood representatives to examine the feasibility and implementation of the actions suggested by the student governments. This group held its first meeting on Feb. 13 and will meet through the end of winter quarter with the goal of possibly implementing some measures spring quarter.

At the request of President Kirwan, Willie Young, director of Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services, and Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners, have formed a Landlord Advisory Panel on Civility. This seven-person panel met Feb. 1 for the first time and will continue to meet every other week with the goal of offering recommendations by April 1. The panel will study and recommend initiatives that may be undertaken by property owners to prevent parties from getting out of control, fires being set and similar unacceptable behavior. Serving on the panel are Jack Beatley, Locations Limited; Wayne Garland, Buckeye Real Estate; Judy Hoffmann, FMA; Pat Kohr Steane, Kohr Royer Griffith, Inc., Realtors; Ed Pollack, C.E. Investments; Carol Talbott, Inn-Town Homes & Apartments; and Bob Yates.

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PLANNING FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The next meeting of the African American Heritage Festival Coordinating Committee will be Wednesday, March 14, at 1:30 p.m. at the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road. The latest information about the festival is available at the following Web site: www.osuheritagefestival.com

CAMPUS PARTNERS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMITTEE

The Public Service Committee will meet on street sweeping on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 3:30 p.m. in the Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St. The next meeting of the Public Service Committee on refuse collection will be Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. in the community meeting room of the Northwood-High Building.

SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

The executive committee which has been planning the University Uptown Improvement District met on Feb. 20 to review the first draft of the legal petition to create the special improvement district. Committee members must complete work on the legal definition of the precise area of the SID and the service plan which will be attached to the petition. The committee hopes to circulate the petition late this winter or early spring to create the SID for High Street from East Ninth Avenue to Northwood Avenue.

VISITORS FROM AKRON

Campus Partners hosted almost two dozen visitors from Akron on Feb. 20. The delegation, which included people from the city, The University of Akron and the university's neighbors, wanted to discuss the progress which has been made in Columbus and what lessons could be learned from the Campus Partners experience. Meeting with the delegation were Steve McClary, head of the Planning Office for the City of Columbus; George Arnold, immediate past director of the Department of Trade and Development; Pasquale Grado, executive director of the University Community Business Association; Wayne Garland, president of Buckeye Real Estate; and Campus Partners staff. The delegation was led by Bill Courson, who left Campus Partners last November to head The University of Akron's neighborhood initiative.

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