1. Our Civic meeting was held at Heritage Free Will Baptist Church, 575 Obetz Rd., at 6:00pm. Approximately 29 people were in attendance. After reminding members of the decorum policy, Curtis Brown called the meeting to order. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Pam Richards opened the meeting with prayer. Curtis recognized March birthdays and anniversaries. Ed Oberting will celebrate his 70^th birthday on March 21, and Vickie Dinsdale will celebrate her birthday on March 29. Congratulations!
2. The Secretary’s Report (Pam Richards) was distributed, read and approved:

1^st Motion – Judy Campbell.   2^nd Motion – Pat Moore

• The Treasurer’s Report (Marsha Kessler) was read discussed and approved:

           1^st Motion – Bill Palmer.           2^nd Motion – Bob Dinsdale

Our Treasury has a balance of $1865.38.

•  NEIGHBOR NEWS:
• The Heritage Free Will Baptist Church will hold a craft show on Saturday, March 13, 9am-2pm. Volunteers are needed to man an information table for our Civic Association. Let Curtis know if you’re able to help.
• The Scioto Southland Clean-Up will be held on Saturday, April 25, 9:00am-11:00am. Meet at Reba Damron’s home at 2975 Lee Ellen Dr. Volunteers will tackle Southgate Dr. Supplies such as grabbers, trash bags and reflective vests will be provided. Bring gloves if you have them. Refreshments will be served. RSVP online, email info@sciotosouthland.org or tell an officer if you’re available to assist. 
• Curtis spoke about the current housing shortage for seniors in Columbus. Seniors can spend up to 50% of their income on housing. Emergency housing for seniors is available through the Franklin County Office of Aging. The program works as a 90 day safety net while seniors work through housing transitions. There is no cost during this 90 day period. Eligibility requirements} Must be 60+ years old and a Franklin County resident, must provide verifiable source of income and have a referral from Adult Protective services. To get assistance, contact the Franklin County Adult Protective Services at 614-525-4348. After 90 days, participants are responsible to pay rent.
• Parsec is permanently closing operations at Rickenbacker with a loss of 115 local jobs. These job losses will probably take place in May 2026. Parsec was hired by Norfolk Southern (who own the actual track) to handle actual lifting and moving of shipping containers from trains to trucks. Parsec lost the contract to operate the terminal. Norfolk Southern plans are currently unknown. They may go with a different company, decide to do it themselves or decide to restructure and leave the facility.
• Curtis reminded members that to report trash or littering, they need to call 311. File a complaint and get the confirmation number. We need numerous complaints to get the City to act. We also need a paper trail. Be very specific about that needs to be taken care of. 
• Marie Gloyd commented about the extremely loud explosions we all heard a few weeks ago sometime after midnight. The Columbus Bomb Squad said they were detonating explosives, but several other explanations were also heard by members. It appears that no one knows exactly what happened that night.
• Vickie Dinsdale asked about the one-room schoolhouse at Rathmell and S. High St. (US 23). She heard that it was being moved. Pam Richards stated that she had read in the Messengerthat the historic building was going to be moved to the grounds of the Hamilton Elementary School.
• CPD Liaison Officer Ray Guman encouraged members to contact him with any questions. Phil McMaken asked about panhandling at the corner of Obetz Rd. and S. High St. 
• NATONAL NIGHT OUT   Tuesday, August 4, 2026.  6:00pm-8:00pm at the Scioto Southland Recreation Center grounds

Curtis asked if there were any suggestions for a theme for

 this year’s event. A theme is a nice way to package and sell the event. Curtis offered several ideas for a theme:

            Spruce Up, Speak Out

            Bright Lights, Bold Neighbors

            Clean Streets, Safe Streets

            Zero Litter, Zero Crime

            Clean, Fix, Protect

Members voted on their favorite theme: The winner, with 13 votes, was “Spruce Up, Speak Out”. The second place runner up, with 3 votes, was “Zero Litter, Zero Crime”.  Third place was “Clean, Fix, Protect” with 1 vote. “Bright Lights, Bold Neighbors” and “Clean Streets, Safe Streets” both received 0 votes.

Curtis introduced the subject of National Night Out Sponsorships. Advertising opportunities are now available to offset the costs of the event. Sponsorships are crucial to the success of the event. Last year we determined the total cost was around $1800. In 2025 the Civic earmarked $300 for the event and the rest was covered by sponsors. This year we plan to handle the sponsorships differently. Sponsors will own a specific part of the process. They’ll know what their money is going towards, their perks, and hopefully they’ll be more likely to invest. Curtis encouraged members to take the flyers and distribute them to interested donors. There’s a link to the sponsor information on the front page of the website. 

The levels of sponsorship are as follows:

$600 – KONA Ice (advertising on site)

$500 – Bounce House  (advertising on site)

$400 – School Supplies

$300 – Swag for bookbags

$200 – Advertising

$100 – Food/Decorations

Anyone giving more than $100 will be included on the banner and eligible for the bonus perks.

The goal is to put on the exact same event as last year, just run it better.

                        BONUS PERKS for all sponsors:

• 10×10 area at the event to mingle with the community or sell items (NO food)
• Featured on the main banner
• Promo materials included in each of the book bags we distribute
• Name/Logo included on all advertising materials
• Website and social media Shout Outs
• Recognition on the day via PA system at start of events

RESOURCE OUTREACH} Curtis is not certain who reached out to who last year, but he has the start of the list. If you reached out please reach out again for this year since a connection has been made. He has contact 

Information for some organizations:

• South Side Thrive  > Sumina Regmi > Sharon Hoover
• Celebrate One > Sonja Tevis > Sharon Hoover
• Safe At Home > Anika Boudreaux  > Curtis Brown
• SAFER Station > Morgan Brown  > Curtis Brown
• Humana  > Dana Lewis  > possibly Cyndi Grotsky
• Sunrise Treatment  >  James Overheart  > Curtis Brown
• Child Development Council of Franklin County  > Kimberly Stewart  > Pam Richards
• Consumer Protection   > Danielle Murphy > Pam Richards
• Blueprint Columbus   >   Marsha Kessler
• Advance America  >   Marsha Kessler
• Legal aid   >  Marsha Kessler
• Columbus Library  > Curtis Brown
• Columbus Fire Department  >  Curtis Brown

Curtis has a list of all other organizations. Please see him to help with calls. We need to have a confirmed list by July. Also, if any member knows of any resources we can add, see any Board officer. 

            ENTERTAINMENT} The Bounce House and the KONA ice truck were the most expensive items last year. Members were in favor of having those same items at this year’s NNO. We need to reserve them soon. Curtis will reach out to those owners. We’ll also have a PA system like last year. We need to check with Heritage Church to see if we could use their facility as a rain date. 

• Our next Civic meeting will be Monday, April 13, 2026. Heritage Church gymnasium at 6:00pm.
• Door Prize tonight was won by Lamont Mosely. He received a bag of candy and a Little Caesar’s gift card. Congratulations, Lamont!
• A motion was made to adjourn:

1^st Motion – Matt Campbell       2^nd Motion – Bill Palmer

*** After the meeting, Nick Marcos volunteered to participate in our Spring Clean Up. He also volunteered to bring fudge and Buckeyes. Nick also generously volunteered to donate 4 dozen Buckeyes to the Heritage Church craft show this coming Saturday. THANK YOU, Nick!!

*** Diane Todd RSVP for our Spring Clean Up, as well as Karen Tussey on Facebook. Dawn Tiffany is interested in helping also. 

*** A meeting to audit the Civic’s books was held following the regular member meeting. Those participating included Diane Todd, Sharon Hoover, Marsha Kessler, Robert Campbell and Curtis Brown. The books were declared 100% balanced. 

                                    Respectfully Submitted,

                                    Pam Richards, Secretary