KLBNA calls out 2nd Baptist – appeals to city’s leaders

Today December 14,2007 Second Baptist Church at N. 17th ( under the leadership of Pastor Washington for less than 1 year ) DEMOLISHED another building, the 2-storey Barbershop Building at the Northeast corner of  N.17th and E. Long St.Tuesday 12/11/2007 Second Baptist Church under Pastor Washington Demolished the House that was beside the Barbershop.November 2007 Rehobeth Temple Church Demolished the Lodge at1108 E. Long St. All demolitions were compleated without any Community input thru the Columbus City Council supported Near East Area Commission.

Pastor Washington I am calling you deceitful!

Second Baptist Church waited till after the Saturday December 8th,2007 Near East Area Commission Zoning Committee Site Hearing at Second Baptist Church for their parking lot expansion to bring in the wrecking ball. Pastor Washington you waited till you got NEAC approval for your parking lot that you wanted ,to begin wiping out what little is left on E. Long St.You knew the Area Civic Association KLBNA has been very vocal on this issue, you did not offer to talk with KLBNA to prevent a powder keg from blowing up.Any thing Second  Baptist Church wishes to do in the future in the neighborhood with their numerous properties cannot help but be viewed by the surrounding Bronzeville Neighborhood as having alterior motives.You have severly damaged your credability with your neighbors who live here not only on Sunday but 7 days a week!

Willis Brown as President of KLBNA and myself as Zoning and Development Chairman of KLBNA spoke at Columbus City Council this past Spring 2007 and said rumor on the street in Bronzeville is that Second Baptist Church is going to Demolish all of their properties on

E. Long St. between N.17th and N.18th which includeds the Barbershop at N.17th and E. Long St., and The Centennary Church at N. 18th and E. Long St.

OK Pastor Washington when are you Demolishing the HISTORIC CENTENARY CHURCH?

City Council Members Taveras and O’ Shaunasey thanks for recognizing Bronzevilles concerns on this issue when we discussed it last Spring in Columbus City Council. As KLBNA REMEMBERS  Council Member Taveras asked  Development Director Boyce Safford if this talk of Demolition of the Second Baptist Church properties on E. Long St. was true?

(City Attorney Pfeiffer this is not a direct quote ,but this was the gist of the statement.)

Boyce Safford replied  I have heard that Second Baptist Church has asked for Demolition Bids on their properties.

(City Attorney Pfeiffer  this is not a direct quote, but this was the gist of the statement.)

Coucil Member Taveras replied .Director Safford we need to look into the situation on the Near East Side and Long St. in particular .I dont want us to lose any more …..

(City Attorney Pfeiffer again this is not a direct quote, but this was the gist of the statement.)

OK City of Columbus the Historic Near East Side which is overseen by the NEAR EAST AREA COMMISSION is being leveled with actual Demolitions and actions pushing for Demolitions.

The Camel Bell Building thought saved by NEAC is again in the process of Demolition by Columbus Compact.

The Firestone Mansion on E. Broad St. is in its last breathing days as The Columbus Foundation is about to demolish it for another parking lot on Historic E. Broad St.

The Colony Club at N. 17th and E. Long St.,Northwest corner was demolished this past Spring 2007 , again without ANY COMMUNITY INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY ELECTED NEAR EAST AREA COMMISSION RECOGNIZIED BY COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL.

Mayor Coleman we got a problem.

 

Are area churches tearing down the fabric of Bronzeville?

Today December 11,2007 Second Baptist Church at N. 17th Demolished another house just North of Long St.on the East side of N. 17th.To those NEAC Commissioners who attended the Saturday NEAC Zoning Site Hearing at Second Baptist proposed parking lot the demolition was across the street and a bit South a few feet.

Last month Reboth Temple Church demolished a house on E.Long St. without a NEAC Site Zoning Meeting and today Second Baptist Church demolised a house without a NEAC Site Zoning Meeting.Which area Church in NEAC will demolish a house in January without a NEAC Site Zoning Meeting?

The King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association (KLBNA) has for the past 4 years  been very vocal against Demolitions that do not go thru NEAC SITE ZONING PROCESS.These Churches know what they are doing. The question is : Is it better to ask for permission or forgivness?

All our area NEAC Churches are valuable assets to our community.Today the demographics have changed and all our neighborhood churches have only a very small minority of members who actually live in the church neighborhood.Also new folks are moving in to the neighborhood who often have nothing to do with the existing Churches whatsoever. Therefore difficult times are coming as we neighborhood Civic Associations and Block Watches question the Moral Right of the Churches to act without facing the elected  citizen elected body as established by Columbus City Council to review demolitions which is called NEAC.

The very Churches that were at the center of so many good things in our Bronzeville Neighborhood  for so many years are now often percieved as a threat to the historical integrity of  the existing housing and commercial areas like E. Long St.between 17th and 18th.

Remember area Churches ……do unto others as they would do unto you !

 

Monroe Cluster condos zoning issues

The Monroe Cluster at N. Monroe and E.Long St. comes before the Near East Area Commission for an On Site Review Dec.8th with the Zoning Commission.

At the last NEAC  Zoning Meeting last week the Glaven Development team introduced a condominium project for the residential area .

We have a problem –  never was a condominium concept discussed with KLBNA on this part of the site.  LBNA has supported the townhome concept.  Another problem this proposed condo has 11 units and is one big building.  The townhomes were to be several collections of buildings.

KLBNA has concerns about the Glaven representatives comments at the NEAC Zoning Meeting last week,when a Commissioner asked if there is a difference between Condos and Townhomes he basically said there is little difference.

We, KLBNA as the Neighborhood Civic Association, have had no imput into this proposed Condo development.All the N. Monroe residents from E. Broad St.to Mt. Vernon  need to know KLBNA attempted to give imput and was shut out. We have a problem with this project.

 

More on demolitions – we must speak out

Demolition is a great threat to all standing structures on Mt. Vernon, Long St., E.Broad St.,E.Main St.,and Parsons Ave. As Near East Area Commissioner,District 1 (Bronzeville)and KLBNA  Zonning and Development Chairman I Dana Moessner am telling all interested residents of our East Side neighborhoods we have a big problem.

Columbus Landmarks has been put in a awkward position in its funding dependence upon The Columbus Foundation. Columbus Landmarks does wonderful projects but Columbus Landmarks can not save our East side historical buildings without the residents demanding our buildings will not be demolished.KLBNA President Willis Brown and KLBNA Beautification Chairman Marjorie Moessner spoke at Columbus City Council last night 11,26,2007 about the demolitions that continue to descimate the Bronzeville and Old Town Neighborhoods.

Demolitions continue to occur without any Near East Area Commission input as occured last week with the demolition of 1108 E. Long St. at the hands of Reboth Temple Church for a parking lot. Columbus City Council members Taveras and O’Shaunesy continue to make statements questioning the demolition process and its impact upon the Near East side when KLBNA raises the issue at City Council Meetings.

However, nothing changes Department of Development under Boyce Safford allows the demolitions to continue despite being questioned in City Council about the demolition process numerous times during the past year.We must have a Demolition Moratorium in the NEAC area until are significant structures can be properly reviewed and identified.  The Firestone residence on E. Broad St.,the Edna Building on E. Long St. and Centenary Methodist Church on E. Long St. are at very great risk of demolition at any time .We must act now!!

Dana Moessner   Near East Area Commission District 1 and KLBNA  Zoning and Development Chairman

 

An open letter from KLBNA zoning and development comittee

  I,  Dana Moessner as District 1 Commissioner and also KLBNA  Zoning and Development Chairman, am outraged at the demolition of 1108 East Long St. at the hands of Rehobeth Temple Church.

The Area Commission process has once again been run over by the City of Columbus Department of Development. I personally spoke before Columbus City Council earlier this year about the demolition process and the damage it has done and will render on the historic East Side and the Bronzeville neighborhood on East Long St.Councilwoman Taveras and Councilwoman O’Shaunasy responded to my concerns about the demolition  process and my questioning the waiting period for demolitions.

Both Councilwomen asked then new Director of Development for Columbus Boyce Safford about the process. Councilwoman Taveras then asked that this be looked at closer before the existing demolition process further affects the Historic East Side and East Long Street in particular.Nothing has changed and the demolitions continue .

I am telling Keena Smith and Boyce Safford we of NEAC and KLBNA know the process of benign neglect as a process for demolition. This is happening with the Edna Building on East Long Street between Monroe and 17th .This building could be eventually brought down by the City of Columbus for structural reasons unless action is taken immeditaly.

Winter is coming and the roof is letting rain and snow inside for another Winter.We of KLBNA have been telling City Council this for at least 3 years and the Department of Development at least 20 times during the past 3 years.This would not happen in Clintonville,Victorian Village ,or Berwick but it happens under the radar on the Near East Side neighborhoods .Watch out South Side ,Parsons will suffer the same painfull and nefarious plight.

Dana Moessner NEAC District 1 Comissioner

 

Bronzeville Neighbors.com Our new Internet Home

As of September, 2007, The King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association’s new home on the Internet is here at BronzevilleNeighbors.com.

We’ve decided that a blog platform is considerably more user friendly for administration purposes, more interactive and inclusive for community purposes, more able to handle the sights and sounds of our neighborhood and more economical.

Soon, anyone will have the ability to log in, become a registered user, and post to this site any Bronzeville related news, links or photos. We were surprised to see that it was way back in January of 2004 when our first Yahoo groups posting went up.

We’ve come a long way since then, but we still have a long way to go. We hope you all enjoy this site, subscribe to it, and check back often.

– Willis Brown, Dana Moessner, Rev. Pinkney, Stephanie Myrieckes, Joe Peffer

 

Group sues to block sale of land for police offices

Group sues to block sale of land for police offices

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Mark Ferenchik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A neighborhood group sued Columbus to prevent the city from selling

land to a group that wants to build a new office building on the Near

East Side.

The King-Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association wants a judge

to stop the sale and force the city to hold more community meetings

to discuss plans for the site.

The group wants a condominium complex with ground-level stores to be

built on the half-acre site on the northeast corner of E. Long Street

and Hamilton Avenue just east of Downtown.

But last month, the Columbus City Council voted to sell the lot to

Gideon Development Partners LLC for $32,000. Gideon plans to build a

$6.2 million building that is to house the Columbus police internal

affairs and accident investigation units, a project Mayor Michael B.

Coleman backs. The city signed a 15-year lease with Gideon to house

the units. The annual cost will be $380,000.

The neighborhood group doesn’t want those police units in the

neighborhood, said the group’s president, Willis Brown. He said more

office space isn’t needed when vacancy rates Downtown are more than

20 percent. The group did not hire a lawyer to prepare the suit.

Brown, who is not a lawyer, filed it on behalf of the group.

City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. said he hasn’t seen the suit,

which was filed Wednesday. He said he didn’t think the suit would

prevent the city from moving forward with the project.

 

FRIENDS TO THE NORT H

KLBNA is pleased to announce a new fellowship with the Milo-Grogan Revitalization Willing Workers Civic Association. Milo-Grogan, formerly called the East

Fifth Area, is just north of downtown and abuts the southern edge of the Ohio State Fairgrounds. The Timken plant was formerly located in this area, and is a sizable parcel of property awaiting development.”What happens in neighborhoods around us can affect us, and what happens in our neighborhood can affect others. It’s important that these associations talk and work with one another, and consider development issues, in particular, from a broad view,” stated Willis Brown, President of KLBNA.

Members of the Milo-Grogan civic association recently attended the general meeting of KLBNA and spoke about the history of their area and its economic challenges. ~TBN

 

T H A N KS FOR THE KUDOS

The Red Sweater Brigade/Weiland

Park division, has been recognized

for excellence by SWACO (Solid

Waste Authority of Central Ohio).

The Rev. William Amanze Pinckney,

Vice President of KLBNA, received

special mention as an integral part of

the success of the program.

“I’m proud of the young people who

demonstrate pride in our neighborhood

by helping to keep it clean. I’m

proud KLBNA, in cooperation with

the Weiland Park Civic Association,

facilitates such a strong youth development

program. And I’m thankful

for recognition of the effort overall

by entities like SWACO,” Pinckney

said.~TBN

 

Misc tidbits

Some current news items:

- KLBNA is facilitating a relationship between Trevitt Elementary School and local volunteer tutors.  The education of children here in Bronzeville is of utmost importance to KLBNA as a civic association and we have devised a plan to provide after school tutoring for Trevitt children, a way to feed them during this time and a small stipend to cover at least gas money for the tutors helping our children acheive a better understanding of their school work.  Thanks are due to St Mark’s church across the street from Trevitt for hosting these tutoring sessions and caring about our community enough to open their doors.

- KLBNA is in the process of developing a boy scout/girl scout troop for the near east side.  Our residents are often overlooked and neglected when it comes to these sort of outlets for our youth and our mission is to change that.

- The Red Sweater Brigade is alive and strong.  Our area teens are meeting regularly to clean our streets and those of other historic neighborhoods, staying out of trouble and getting paid.  Thanks again to the city of Columbus who has provided seed money for this and other youth programs in the Bronzeville Community.

- Look for some news soon on the fate of two extremely important parcels in our neighborhood — the former site of the Elks building and the surrounding land at the corners of Monroe and Long and the former Whitney Young apartments site.  RFPs and RFQs have been received and reviewed.  While we do not agree with the way many of the processes involved have been undertaken, we cannot stress enough the importance of these locations to the future well being of our neighborhood.