For the last few years, the parks committee has been focused heavily on getting Harrison Park up and running. In the meantime, a lack of volunteers has led to decline at Wheeler, Harrison West and, most dramatically, Side by Side Park. Now that Harrison Park is largely complete, we’re turning our attention back to the other green spaces that make our neighborhood a great place to live, work and play. We can’t do it alone, though. To get some help, we’re starting the Adopt a Bed program.

In its four parks, Harrison West has 13 flower beds with another one planned this year. Scattered around the neighborhood are three green spaces, and another three are scheduled for construction this year. That means that by the end of this year, we will have 20 areas in need of maintenance that the city is unable to provide on a regular basis. Some of the areas are large enough that they’ll need two people pulling weeds, trimming and deadheading plants and picking up litter.

Do you think you can spare an hour or two each month to help keep Harrison West looking spiffy? We’re looking for a couple dozen neighbors willing to adopt beds and maintain them through the spring, summer, and fall. Adopting a bed will mean visiting for an hour or two each month to do light weeding, to trim and deadhead when necessary and to clean up trash. If your bed has special needs or if some heavy-duty work needs to be done, the parks committee will arrange to help you. You won’t be expected to trim trees, climb up and down the river bank or do any other particularly strenuous or risky work. (Other people have signed on for those duties, but if that kind of work sounds like something you’d like to do, they can certainly use the help.)

The beds that are available for adoption are:

By Dara Schwartz

When the first harvest of sugar pumpkins hit market stands, I’ve been known to overload my tote to the point of dragging pumpkin luggage behind me, reacting as if there is some seasonal shortage of these rounded orange beauties. I soon realize that there is no possible way I can haul this load on bike and transport it to my home. I slowly (and sadly) restock the farmer’s table with each pumpkin that had a vision, “bye pumpkin flan, bye pumpkin cheesecake, goodbye pumpkin soup, . . .” allowing two pumpkins for myself with a destiny unknown.

While staring at the chosen pumpkin pondering its fate, it occurred to me that we as a society have imposed an identity on the pumpkin—an associated end result of sweetness. I won’t argue that when roasted, the flesh is in fact sweet, or that pumpkin desserts are indeed heavenly; nor am I suggesting that the pumpkin is going through some sort of identity crisis. But why must we so often force the pumpkin to be a dessert, or some form of a sweet bite? It’s time for the pumpkin to break out of its flesh and introduce its alter ego–the sassy pumpkin.

I kicked my old standby pumpkin recipes to the curb (for now) and decided to challenge my taste buds by experimenting with a sauce—which lends the perfect opportunity to build flavor through layers of sweet and savory notes. Building upon the respected sweet and pungent pumpkin spice, dessert-like aromas, I added freshly grated aged parmigiano reggiano, dry white wine and heavy cream to unlock rich nutty flavors.

The end result? A rich and tangy cream sauce with nostalgic aromatic overtones of combined sweet and spiced cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne heat and smoky deep flavors of clove—a subliminal accent to delight those senses. It was a pleasing balance of sweet and savory—not overpowering, yet subtly seductive. Could the combination of spices be acting as aphrodisiac agents? Who knows. What I do know is that my new challenge is trying to resist the lust for more sauciness.

Keep those taste buds dancing.

West Fifth Avenue will receive two islands, one at the intersection with Perry St. and another where the Olentangy Recreation Trail crosses the street. West Third Avenue will receive one island where it crosses the Trail and a bump out immediately to the east of the island. The bump out will, in essence, replace the white striping already in place to narrow the lane in an attempt to slow traffic.

Kim Shepherd and Bill Lewis from the Department of Public Service will attend the Harrison West Society meeting on February 15, 2012 to re-present the project, field questions from the neighborhood and ensure that the society still supports the plan. While the plan has not changed since it was approved, Randy and the HWS officers feel that it will be helpful to refresh our collective memory about what will be happening. You can view the plans for the West Third Avenue and West Fifth Avenue traffic-calming features before the meeting. (Caution: The linked PDFs each exceed 5M and may download slowly.)

Pastor Richard Morris and developer Mark Wagenbrenner spoke in favor of the variance. Adam Deutsch, Jacob Sukosd and Elizabeth Petraglia, accompanied by her daughter, Amelia, spoke in opposition.

Summaries are available at the Columbus Dispatch and 10TV Websites.

The society will host a policy debate on the policy in March. Watch this Website for the date. After the policy debate, a final version will be published here, and the society will vote at its April meeting to accept or reject the policy.

1. Conflict of Interest
• 5.1 The purpose of this policy is to establish a code of conduct and to promote the confidence of the Society’s members in their leaders.
• 5.1.1 An Official is an Officer of the Society (elected or appointed), or a person chairing a committee of the Society.
• 5.1.2 A Conflict of Interest is defined as an actual or perceived interest by an Official in an action that results in, or has the appearance of resulting in, personal, financial, or professional gain for the Official.
• 5.2 Each Official has a duty to place the interest of the Society foremost in any dealing on behalf of the Society. Officials shall not use their position, or the knowledge gained from that position, in such a manner that a conflict arises between the interests of the Society and the Official’s personal interests. Specifically, a conflict of interest may arise:
• 5.2.1 if an Official has an existing or potential direct or indirect financial or other interest that impairs, or might reasonably appear to impair, their independent judgment in the discharge if their responsibilities to the Society, or
• 5.2.2 if an Official has an ownership or investment in any person or entity with which the Society has an arrangement, has entered into a transaction, or has begun negotiating an arrangement or transaction,
• 5.2.3 if an Official serves as an officer, director, trustee, employee, or member in any entity with which the Society has an arrangement, has entered into a transaction, or has begun negotiating an arrangement or transaction, or
• 5.2.4 if a member of the Official’s household meets any of the above criteria.
• 5.3 Officials are required to disclose any conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest at the earliest practical time. Such Officials shall provide written disclosure of any interests, relationships, and holdings that result, or could potentially result in a conflict of interest.
• 5.4 Officials who are uncertain whether they have a conflict of interest shall request that the Executive Committee determine whether a conflict of interest exists. The Executive Committee shall make a determination by a majority vote (excluding the potentially conflicted Official) and report that decision to the membership.
• 5.5 No Official shall preside over, vote on, discuss, or formally or informally advocate or participate in any deliberation of any matter in which such person has a conflict of interest. Officials who have a conflict of interest shall remove themselves from the meeting room while such matter is under discussion and also not represent the Society when such matter is discussed outside of Society meetings.
• 5.6 If any member of the Society has reasonable cause to believe an Official has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, the member shall file a complaint with the Executive Committee.
• 5.6.1The Executive Committee shall inform the person of the basis for such belief and afford the person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose.
• 5.6.2 After hearing the Official’s response and after making such further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the Executive Committee shall report its determination to the Society at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
• 5.6.3 If the Executive Committee determines the Official has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest the Executive Committee shall recommend such disciplinary and corrective action as it deems appropriate. Such action may include, but not be limited to, the recommending of censure, suspension or removal.
• 5.6.4 The Society shall determine the final disciplinary and corrective action by majority vote, at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Society, and notice must be given with the notice of the meeting.
• 5.7 If an Official discloses an actual conflict or possible conflict of interest, the Executive Committee may still recommend such disciplinary and corrective action as it deems appropriate. Such action may include, but not be limited to, the recommending of censure, suspension or removal due to the nature and severity of the conflict.
• 5.8 Records.
• 5.8.1 The names of each person who disclosed (or were otherwise were found to have) an actual or possible conflict of interest and the nature of each conflict of interest shall be recorded in the Society minutes.
• 5.8.2 All other reports and all actions relating to actual or possible conflicts of interest and (including any votes on such actions) shall also be recorded in the Society minutes.

Proposed January 18, 2012.

The regular City Council meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 90 W. Broad St.; the zoning portion of the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. City Council allows three speakers favoring the request and three speakers opposing it to speak for three minutes each. Interested speakers must sign up in advance for one of the available slots, and slots are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on this process, go to the City Council’s Website.

For a summary of the issue, see Got an Opinion? Speak Up! on the Harrison West Website.

If you have an interest in this variance request, please plan to attend the meeting. City Council’s decision can be strongly influenced by a large display of public interest in the issue.

To nominate yourself or someone else for a society office, please send your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address to elections@harrisonwest.org. If you are nominating someone other than yourself, first confirm that your potential nominee is willing to serve, then send his or her contact information, along with your own, to the e-mail address above.

Please consider serving Harrison West by running for an office in the society, by serving on a committee or by volunteering for one or more of the many events and initiative that the society sponsors. Many talents are needed, and many volunteer opportunities exist at all levels in the society.

Health Fair Events

Scheduled from noon until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the Harrison Park Condos Community Center, 575 W. First Ave. in Harrison West, the free event will include:

• lectures on:
  • chiropractic practices for holistic health
  • breast cancer awareness
  • HIV and primary care
• jazzercise
• a healthy cooking demonstration
• a running clinic
• a couples massage demonstration
• CPR classes
• HIV testing

Several different types of massage, chiropractic adjustment, body-composition testing, acupuncture and HIV testing will also be offered.

Schedule

12:30 p.m.: lecturer on chiropractic practices for holistic health
1:00 p.m.: lecture on breast cancer awareness
1:00 p.m.: CPR*
1:30 p.m: lecture on HIV and primary care
2:00 p.m.: jazzercise demonstration
2:00 p.m.: CPR*
2:30 p.m.: healthy cooking class
3:00 p.m.: running clinic
3:00 p.m.: CPR*
3:30 p.m.: spiritual direction—a faith journey companion
4:00 p.m.: couples massage class
4:30 p.m.: healing relationships
12:30 until 5:00 p.m.: massage, chiropractic adjustment, body-composition testing, acupuncture and HIV testing

*Sign up is required for CPR because space is limited.

Plan to take the first important steps toward your fitness goals by stopping in to the Fitness Resources/Stonewall Columbus health fair on Saturday, January 28, 2012 between noon and 5:00 p.m.

Maybe there’s something in the air in Harrison West that enhances the creativity of its residents. Jenny Beck began experimenting with photography 5 years ago—at about the same time that she became the first resident in the Flats at Harrison Park. Coincidence? I suggest not. What started as a diversion became a fallback occupation when the economy soured and employment options looked bleak. The part-time pursuit has grown into a business that has been flourishing for 3 years. For Jenny Beck, it is a lucrative and fun outlet for her innate creativity.

Jenny’s hobby was initiated by an acquaintance (her former high school youth leader) who started her own photography business. Seeing the beautiful work of her friend inspired Jenny to purchase a starter camera and take photos. Although she had taken a photography class in college (Jenny is an OSU graduate), it wasn’t her favorite mode of expression at the time. All of that changed when her interest was rekindled by the photos of her friend and she picked up the camera again. Jenny has an artistic background. She has taken art classes in the past, and she has always been interested in art. As soon as she resumed taking photographs, she learned techniques, and she was hooked. Photography is now Jenny’s passion. She upgraded the beginner camera to a Canon 5D that really took her business to the next level, and she would love to obtain even more advanced equipment as she progresses. In the meantime, Jenny takes as many classes and workshops as she can and interacts with other photographers to continue to hone her photography skills.

Jenny’s business model was developed while living in Harrison West. Her style has been influenced by her love for the neighborhood, and one of her favorite subjects is ordinary people in the scenery of everyday life. With its esoteric charms and unique building structures and its easy access to German Village and the rest of the Short North (her other favorite shooting locales), Harrison West has offered abundant imagery for her to photograph. Jenny specializes in portraits of couples, families, children and high school seniors—with the occasional wedding thrown in for good measure. Capturing the essence of her subjects in a fun, casual style is her goal during her shoots. “I like to photograph real people in their neighborhood living their lives. I steer away from making things too cheesy or posey-posey,” Jenny declares.

Maintaining a fulltime job with Abercrombie and Fitch at their corporate headquarters, Jenny is one busy woman. Her official title is corporate project specialist. With a degree in interior design from The Ohio State University, she was hired to coordinate the space planning for the offices. Her talent at that task led to additional duties including planning home office events as well as organizing and fulfilling all of the philanthropic requests that the company receives.

Jenny wants her neighbors to know that her focus in her photographic pursuits is to turn images of everyday life into art. She seeks to capture casual, natural, intimate moments that aren’t posed and that reflect the daily instances of our lives. Jenny firmly believes that the Short North and Harrison West populations are infused with artistic and creative individuals who would appreciate her work. When she is not working or photographing, you might run into Jenny at Harrison’s on Third or perhaps Zeno’s. “I remember the snowstorm a few years ago when it was impossible to go anywhere. So I trudged down to Zeno’s and ended up hanging out with a lot of folks that I recognized as neighbors who were also stranded,” she recalls. That’s one of the great things about Harrison West: friendly, everyday folks from all walks of life, and Jenny Beck does her best to capture those folks and their spirit with her camera.

You can see some of Jenny’s work at http://www.jennybeckphotography.com/.