Letter from the President – Kristen Easterday

Kristen Easterday

Dear Harrison West Neighbors,

As you may know, last month was host to our annual Society elections and we have a great team of volunteers ready to protect and maintain the character and vision of our neighborhood!  We are always looking for new friends and volunteers to join our efforts, whether you are able to donate one hour to attend our monthly meeting (3^rd Wednesday of each month at 7pm), help maintain our parks during the “Cocktails and Clean-up” (see our calendar), or to participate in one of our numerous committees.  Please consider getting involved by reaching out to me or a committee chair directly.

If you are anything like me (I try to plan my work and then work my plan), you may be anxious to learn what our agenda is for the 2013-2014 year.  While we have some initial ideas that I will be sharing with you below, I’d also encourage you to email me directly with any ideas you may have accompanied by your commitment to help move the issue/project along.  We are a TEAM and only when we work together can we accomplish great success.

2013-2014 Goals:

1.)   Grow Membership– We want more neighbors involved with the Harrison West Society! By becoming a dues-paying member, you will be more engaged with what’s happening in your neighborhood and community. You will have influence on neighborhood projects, have the ability to vote and weigh in on our issues, and be helping us to pursue neighborhood development projects like our park improvements and street repairs. We hope to launch a membership postcard campaign and new membership dues in the near future.  Please reach out to Dean Curry, Membership Chair if you’d like to work with the Membership Committee.

2.)   Build Neighborhood Pride and Comradery– We have a new and energetic Social Chair, Stephanie Dougherty who will be leading our social efforts.  She hopes to schedule at least two annual events- one in late summer/early fall as well as our annual holiday potluck.  Stay tuned for further details or reach out to her to join the Social Committee.

3.)   Develop a Community Garden– If you are interested in joining with other interested neighbors in exploring the potential of creating a community garden or any other “green” project please reach out to Bob Mangia, our Parks and Green Space Chair.

4.)   Restore Historic Lighting throughout Harrison West– A lighting committee was established last year to explore funding opportunities to accomplish this goal which was ranked per a community survey as the number one issue of our neighbors.  The group will continue to search for available funding through our TIF, City of Columbus, and other resources.  Contact me, Kristen Easterday if you are interested in joining this committee.

5.)   Extending the Bike Path- Through the great efforts of our previous Society board members, Harrison West is on its way to extending the Bike Path through Harrison Park and along the river.  If you are interested in helping to monitor this project or work on any other planning or development related project, connect with the Development Committee chair, Jacob Sukosd.

6.)   Engage and Build Awareness- Harrison West is lucky to have one of the best neighborhood websites in the nation, educating and sharing with our neighbor’s important information from street closures due to upcoming races to highlighting our neighbors each month in the “Resident Profiles.”  If you like writing or want to help your neighbors stay up-to-date on the goings-on, I know that our Communications Chair, Mark Subel would enjoy having you join his team.

So as you can tell, we are an ambitious bunch and we need your involvement in order to achieve success.  Please reach out to me and our Society chairs to get involved at any level.

I look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood soon!

All the Best,

Kristen

Print Friendly