Date: July 7, 2011

Minutes: GVS Parks and Public Spaces Committee

Members in attendance:

Sara McNealey, Chair

Jerry Glick, German Village Garten Club & Friends of Frank Fetch Park

Ann Lilly, Grace’s Garden

Carol Mullinax, Actors’ Theatre of Columbus

Connie Swain, Go Green Go Grun & The Farm

Katharine Moore, Friends of Schiller Park

Lindy Michael, Arboretum Fund

Mary Cusick, Huntington Gardens

Sarah Irvin Clark, GVS Board Liaison to the Committee

David Schooler, The Fun Committee

Terri Leist, Assistant Director, Columbus Recreation and Parks Division

Staff in attendance: Russ Arledge

Also present: Mike Tallis, Jeff McNealey, and Roy Bieber

Sara McNealey called the Parks and Public Spaces Committee meeting to order at 8:35 am, and asked for reports from the committee members.

Actors Theatre

Carol Mullinax reported that the second play of the summer season, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is currently being performed in Schiller Park and it has received very good reviews. She also reported that a large number of people had visited the Caretaker’s Cottage, which serves as the home of Actors’ Theatre, during the recent Haus Und Garten Tour.

Frank Fetch Park

Jerry Glick reported that Frank Fetch Park, which was also on the Haus und Garten Tour, was packed with visitors throughout Tour day. A number of visitors expressed amazement that the park is planted and maintained by a cadre of volunteers. He also reported that the bees are doing well and that the hive has been expanded to accommodate the growing bee population.

Jerry indicated that the first Third Sunday Concert was very well received, despite the light rain. The next concert is at 7 pm on July 17^th and will feature light classical music.

In terms of the recent improvements to the Beck Street border of the park, Jerry expressed thanks both to the companies and to the people who have volunteered their time and supplies to making the park more beautiful .

In conclusion, he indicated that the park’s first Movie Night of the summer is scheduled for, Saturday July 9^th, around 9 pm. The movie is the classic: Some Like it Hot.

German Village Garten Club

Jerry Glick reported that the following people had just been named officers of the German Village Garten Club: Mal Long, President; Bob Mullinax, Vice-President; Jim Plunkett, Treasurer; Linda Grove, Corresponding Secretary; Barb McAllister; Membership Secretary; and Paul Schrader, Sergeant at Arms.

The Garten Club is hosting a special “Bee Brunch” in Frank Fetch Park on July 30 from 10 am to 1 pm in celebration of the garden’s new beehives. A number of honey-related foods will be served.

In addition, the club is hosting a tour of German Village Gardens for volunteers of the Chadwick Arboretum on Saturday July 23.

Friends of Schiller Park

Katharine Moore submitted a written report and updated the group on Schiller Park activities. In follow-up to a previous report about pending improvements to the playground, Katharine reported that a Community Forum has been scheduled for July 11 at 6 pm at the Recreation Center.

She also recognized the team of volunteers who keep all of the corner gardens cleaned and trimmed. In terms of keeping the gardens watered, she indicated that Sara McNealey has asked the Recreation and Parks Department to explore the possibility of installing a water line at the Jaeger and Reinhardt garden so that the volunteers would be able to utilize a water hose.

The Public Art Commission of the City of Columbus is conducting a citywide maintenance review of all public art, including the Schiller statue and Umbrella Girl. Katharine will keep the committee apprised of this process.

Katharine also reported that she is working on the Schiller Park Bench Project. This includes drafting an informational flyer for potential donors, an order form for donors to complete, and an internal policy for processing orders, confirming placement, ordering benches and plaques, etc. The drafts are on hold pending the receipt of additional information regarding the cost of poring cement pads for the installation of new benches.

Schiller Park Arboretum Fund

Lindy Michael reported that watering bags have been place around the eight new trees recently planted in Schiller Park, but that keeping the bags full of water has proven to be a challenge.

Several solutions were discussed, including finding a way to use the faucet at the Rec Center and the Caretaker’s Cottage and seeking young volunteers from the Rec Center Youth Programs. Ann Lilly said she would check with Paul Soehnlen about taking care of the trees closest to the Third Street entrance garden.

Grace’s Garden

Ann Lilly reported that the Garden looks beautiful and is thriving.

Fun Committee

Dave Schooler reported that the Fun Committee has some plans in the works and he will report back to the committee as they develop.

The Farm

Connie Swain reported that the Farm is doing well. She also reported that she will serve as the representative of the Go Green, Go Grun committee on the Parks and Public Spaces Committee.

Huntington Gardens

Mary Cusick was welcomed to the committee and thanked the group for their good works. She said that the Huntington Campaign Committee was ready to propose a new name for the Huntington Gardens in keeping with the June 2011 Naming and Renaming Policy adopted by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Division. The group proposed “Schiller’s Garden on the Promenade.”

Terri Leist, Assistant Director of the Recreation and Parks Department for the City of Columbus, said that she first wanted to discuss the sign erected by the Huntington Garden Committee before the recent Haus und Garten tour identifying a dot com company as the sponsor. Terri indicated that the sign is on City property and that it had not been approved by Recreation and Parks. Terri confirmed that the Department is working on a new guideline for honoring donors of time and money for annual operational support of Columbus Park projects. The City must approve the size, placement, and wording on any sign erected in a park. Ann Lilly noted that signage also requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the German Village Commission.

Mary apologized for any missteps taken by the group, and asked that this issue be dealt with separately because the sign is not related to the renaming of the garden.

Jerry Glick said that when the PPSCE committee voted at its April meeting in favor of allowing the Huntington Garden to be renamed, it did so without adequate information and with a false sense of urgency. Jerry stated that he has come to believe the vote to allow the name to be changed was premature and that the issue should be reconsidered.

Sara McNealey then recognized Jeff McNealey, former president of the German Village Society Board, past member of the German Village Society’s Capital Campaign, and a current Recreation and Parks Board Commissioner. Jeff provided a brief history of the Living Legacy Campaign, which was formed in the late 1980s to raise funds for the Meeting Haus and Schiller Park enhancements. The campaign was very successful, with more than one million dollars raised, allowing the Society to renovate the Meeting Haus, build the Schiller Park Ampitheatre, and create the formal gardens called for in the Schiller Park Master Plan. Jeff believes that the German Village Society has a responsibility to the public and to its residents to abide by the commitments made at the time the garden was created.

The Huntington Bank made a $35,000 Capital Campaign contribution, provided more than a decade of small operating grants, and fulfilled a ten-year pledge to seed the Huntington Garden Endowment with $30,000. The Board of the German Village Society adopted a resolution that established a goal of $100,000 for the endowment and prevented interest from being drawn until the fund reached the benchmark. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Bert Stevens and the Huntington Garden Campaign Committee, The Huntington Garden Endowment has met this goal.

Both Jerry Glick and Jeff McNealey emphasized that changing names for capital projects threatens future fundraising efforts for capital dollars

Ann Lilly urged the Huntington Garden Committee to withdraw its proposal to change the name of the garden in light of all of the information that had not previously been made available to the Huntington Campaign Committee or the Parks and Public Spaces Committee.

Mary apologized for any miscommunication throughout the process to date, but asked that the question be kept open. She agreed to take the issue back to the Huntington Garden Committee with copies of the materials Mr. McNealey provided, as well as the opposition and concern by Capital Campaign steering committee members and donors detailed by Mr. Glick and Mr. McNealey.

In response to questions from Mike Tallis about how the naming policies would be applied to the Schiller Bench Project, Katharine Moore said the tribute program specifies that donors use language appropriate for a public space. She pointed out that the non-profit sector has learned a great deal, often the hard way, about sponsorship recognition and naming rights in recent years, and that the German Village Society Board needs to undertake a review and development of policies. Sara Irvin Clark indicated that the Board is developing a policy for all naming issues related to the organization.

Sara McNealey said the renaming issue would be put on hold until Mary had the opportunity to meet with the Huntington Committee and review the new information presented and the concerns expressed.

Miscellaneous Business

Roy Bieber asked about the status of two benches ordered some time ago. Russ Arledge reported that there are currently two benches in the warehouse, but that before they can be installed a determination must be made regarding the cement pads. Terri Leist offered to get an answer for the committee.

David Schooler asked if anyone knew who is responsible for the kiosk in front of Max and Erma’s. Katharine Moore said she understood the restaurant had purchased and installed the unit. She recalled unsuccessfully soliciting support for a replacement from Max & Erma’s and said that the Society had included the kiosk replacement in an unsuccessful grant application for heritage tourism signage several years ago. Terri Leist offered to check whether the kiosk, which is located in the City Right Of Way, is a City of Columbus responsibility.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:17 am. The next meeting of the committee is on Thursday, August 4^th.

Respectfully submitted,
Sara McNealey, Chair

Carol Mullinax, Recording Secretary