2009 Merion Village Garden Tour

The Merion Village Association proudly presents the   10th Annual Merion Village Garden Tour, Sunday July 12th. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A delightful collection of 10 of the finest residential gardens will be featured, ranging from larger, more expansive gardens to smaller more intimate settings.

Whether you come to get ideas for your own garden space, to explore the historic streets of Merion Village, or just to enjoy the weekend outdoors, you are sure to enjoy this unique, not for profit event.

The Merion Village Garden Tour, this year celebrating it’s 10th Anniversary, is FREE to the public. Gardens may be visited in any order. Explore at your own pace. Refreshments and food will be available at selected tour sites. Plants and garden gifts will also be available at select sites. The event is held rain or shine.

The Merion Village Information Center at 1330 South Fourth Street will be open the day of the tour from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for tour maps, refreshments and rest room facilities. Tour maps will also be available for download at our website www.merionvillage.org. Tour programs and maps will also be available at all tour locations. You can also follow tour preparations on Twitter and Facebook.

As always, the Merion Village Garden Tour remains free, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and supporting partners. These partnerships have been essential in the development of Merion Village as one of the most diverse and fastest growing neighborhoods in the City of Columbus. All proceeds from the event benefit the Merion Village Association. Please join us for this annual tradition.

Contact the Merion Village Association at 614.444.3144 or  gardentour@merionvillage.org with any questions.

Transit Friendly Neighborhood

Merion Village is mentioned several times in the April issue of Columbus CEO magazine.

The article entitled Alternative Commuting talks with two Merion Village residents, Jeff Johnson (that’s me) and Joe Vargo, who have have chosen this pedestrian and public transit oriented neighborhood to call home.

The April issue of Columbus CEO is now available at newsstands.

Urban Achievers 4H Program

Kerry, who is a Merion Village resident, asked me to post this information. I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet her last earlier in the week at the Merion Village Association meeting with Kroger.

We talked briefly about the Urban Achievers 4H program and I learned that the cost of sponsoring a child is only $16 per year. When I learned that a small investment could help give a child a chance to participate in such a program I offered to donate $16 so that the program could sponsor one more child this year.

I would encourage everyone to do the same. It amounts $1.33 per month, which is less than the cost of one cup of coffee. Sponsoring a child for the Urban Achievers 4H program is a very inexpensive investment for our neighborhood and our city as a whole.

Urban Achievers 4H would like to invite all youth ages 8-18 to join our club.

We are hosting an organizational meeting on Friday March 13, 2009. 5:30 – 7:00pm at the Columbus Metropolitan Library – Parsons Avenue Branch meeting room. (845 Parsons Ave.)
For more information about the Franklin County 4H youth program click here.

Urban Achievers formed in 2005 and offers a fun learning environment with a focus on volunteering and community service. To serve our community the club has been helping weed, maintain and even pick a name for the pocket park at Morrill & Bruck now called “Walker-Bruck Park” in Merion Village. This is an on-going volunteer project that began when Urban Achievers participated in Make a Difference Day 2005, the club created an action plan for the park and were awarded a grant from the Ohio 4H Foundation to put the plan into motion. Each year we plan learning experiences focused on the park. Our members have also volunteered for the Merion Village Association Pasta Dinner, the 4H BBQ at the Franklin County Fair, collected pop tabs for The Ronald McDonald House and canned food for the food bank.

Members are encouraged to select and enroll in a project for evaluation at the Franklin County Fair, but are not required to. Members can opt to participate in a group project completed during club meetings. In the past the club has pursued “Art as Expression”, “Let’s Explore the Outdoors” and “Ohio Ponds” as group projects. There are also opportunities for learning at 4H camp, participation in various workshops hosted throughout the year and on club field trips. 4H also offers State, National and International opportunities for learning and leadership and several scholarships for college.

If you are interested in learning more feel free to attend the meeting, we are more than happy to answer your questions. If you are interested but unable to attend the meeting please contact me directly at: kerry |at| think-urban.com or (614)507-5630.

Preparing for Economic Recovery

Merion Village will be kept in great condition even during the city’s budget cuts with a just a bit of help from the residents.  In doing so, we’ll remain a neighborhood that remains safe and clean, thus giving us an advantage while the City prepares for economic recovery.

Here’s some tips;

• While it may seem counter-intuitive, the neighborhood is actually safer when you choose not to pull your shades and blinds.  Fully covered windows are an indication to people on the street that no one is watching.  Keeping the blinds open, if not fully then at least partially, indicates that people are around and actively connected with what’s going on outdoors. The more eyes watching, the less potential exists for petty crime.

• Sweeping the curb in front of your house is a quick and simple way to make the neighborhood look and feel great.  Street cleaning is already erratic, but trash collection and yard  waste isn’t, so clean the debris from in front of your house and place it where the city can collect it.  Imagine how much money the city could save if everyone cleaned their own curbs.

• While you’re at it sweep a portion of the alley behind your house.

• Shovel your walks.  One of the best attributes of Merion Village is its pedestrian access to just about everything.  An unshoveled walk inhibits one of the very reasons people choose Merion Village.  Remember that a shoveled walk is an indication that someone inside is in tune with what’s happening outside.  And as friend of mine once said (he also happened to be our neighborhood priest) – “shovel past the property line, even if it’s just a shovel-width or two.”

• When you’re out for a walk or taking the dog to the park, bring along a spare trash bag and pick up the stray pieces of litter along the way.  In addition to the exercise you’re getting by walking, you can add a bit more to it by bending and stooping.  No one likes  having to pick up after someone else, but if each of us picks up a bit each time we’re out, the neighborhood will be cleaner without having to ask the City for assistance.  Our Ganther’s Place neighbors schedule litter clean-up nights and it’s been an effective tool for keeping their streets and alleys safer.

However you choose to contribute to keeping Merion Village in tip-top shape, please take a couple of extra minutes to reach across the property line and help someone nearby.  The interactions we have as neighbors in preparing Merion Village for the upcoming economic recovery will benefit all of us.

Green Workshop

Join the Merion Village Association for it’s first Green Workshop on Saturday, October 18th.  Whether you have a large lot or a small plot of land, these workshops will provide you with resource-saving tips that will prepare you for spring gardening.  Rain barrel and composting kits will be available for purchase on site.

The event is open to all residents of the city.  Proceeds benefit the Merion Village Center.

WOSU Documentary to Include Merion Village

In celebration of Columbus’ bicentennial celebration in 2012, WOSU will begin work on a series of documentaries that highlight some of the city’s neighborhoods and will include a portion about Merion Village.

WOSU wants grassroots participation on this project and offers residents the opportunity to share their photographs, videos and stories regarding the various neighborhoods.  To reserve a time to share your insight into the neighborhood call WOSU at 614 292 9678.

The multimedia project will include web and television broadcasts as well as class-room materials for students and teachers.

Find out more about  WOSU’s Columbus Neighborhoods project by clicking here.

Merion Village Blog Gains Media Attention

Tim Eby, former national president of NPR and current station manager at WOSU makes mention of the Merion Village Blog at the July 9th meeting of the Columbus Metropolitan Club.

Tim Eby, along with Walker Evan of Columbus Underground and Helen Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library discussed how social media is changing the way communities interact.

If you missed the luncheon you can watch the video by clicking here.

Newest MV Park Gets a Name

And there’s more new about outdoor space in Merion Village from This Week News:

Merion Village gained the park in 2001 after several neighbors turned the vacant, overgrown land into green space.
Soon after the 4-H group volunteered to tend the park as part of Make a Difference Day, after which the club decided to take on the project on a long-term basis.

This pocket park is located on the corner of Bruck and Morrill.

Merion Village Garden Tour – IX

It’s time to plan for the Merion Village Garden Tour.  Scheduled for July 6th, rain or shine.

I’ve been able to attend this event every year since 2001.  Not only have I seen some  unique examples of cultivated spaces, but I’ve also watched Merion Village solidify into an even greater urban neighborhood.

The Merion Village Garden Tour is low-key compared to other such neighborhood exhibitions around the city, but I think its one of the most exciting because it showcases the hard work of individuals.  This isn’t the tour that showcases your landscaping company.  This tour is a testament to the joy of getting into the dirt yourself and creating a space to enjoy throughout the outdoor season.

The tour is open to the public and admission is free.

Merion Village Ponders Conservation Plan

Merion Village is hoping to be among three neighborhoods chosen to pilot a new Columbus conservation program.Late last month, Columbus City Council unanimously passed neighborhood conservation district legislation, which will allow neighborhoods to identify what qualities make the area unique, and hopefully preserve these traits.Bob Leighty, Merion Village Association president, said his association is interested in the program, but wouldn’t like to see the strict standards of a historic preservation district imposed on the area.

Read the full article at This Week News.