The Colonial Hills Civic Association

Updates from the Worthington Parks & Recreation Department:

Selby Park Playground Replacement Update

Thank you to everyone who came to the Selby Playground Replacement in-person open house and those who posted comments on-line. We are reviewing the comments and will be sharing our final playground design early next week. Results will be available on our website at: Selby Park Playground Replacement Process

Selby Park Playground Oak Tree Removal

You may have noticed in our playground designs the beautiful, large, split trunk oak tree is missing. Many of you commented on it and we wanted to provide an explanation. Unfortunately, we will be removing it during the playground renovation. Our certified arborists have been monitoring the health and condition of that tree for many years. The double forked structure of the tree has been a concern as well as its declining health, especially given its proximity to the busy playground where so many kids and families congregate. Those split trunk trees are especially dangerous as they decline because they are prone to splitting and falling at a moment’s notice. Since we have been aware of its decline for a while, we have been planting trees along the west boundary of the playground in anticipation of it being removed. We will also be improving the mulch area on the east boundary of the playground by planting new large species trees that will provide shade for years to come. All of our designs also included shade over the seating area in the middle of the playground.

Selby Shelter Improvements

We saw many comments in our Selby Park Playground Replacement feedback about the shelter and when it might be improved. This has been an expressed goal of the city in the Parks Master Plan and there is funding in the 2022 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to assess the west end of the park including the aging shelter building. The design work will look at the best future layout for the entire west end of the park (including the parking lot) and assess whether to renovate or replace the existing shelter. Staff will begin working with residents early in 2022 on the project.

A big bright spot in this very challenging year is to see and enjoy all of the beautifully decorated, sparkling homes in Colonial Hills this holiday season.

The whole neighborhood appreciates every decorated home for your extraordinary showing of holiday hope and spirit. I think we could add “the festive neighborhood” to our name!

Our judges always have difficult decisions to make, and this year was no exception. After the votes were cast, the winners are:

• Best Overall – First Place: 71 Southington – A classic shimmering white wonderland.
• Best Overall – Second Place: 287 Loveman – “The Island of Lost Toys” theme, complete with music!
• Best Overall – Third Place: 212 Colonial – Nutcrackers, flanked and topped by Christmas Trees.
• Best Front Door – First Place: 63 Southington – Just lovely with swags of evergreens.
• Best Front Door – Second Place: 302 Loveman – A welcoming stoop with wreaths, bows and sleds.
• Best Front Door – Third Place: 384 Colonial – Festive festoons and colors of the season.
• Best Retro: 547 Park Overlook – Dinosaurs! You can’t get more retro than that!
• Most Artistic: 322 Loveman – Caribbean Holiday with a Hula Dancin’ Santa, Flamingos & Palm Trees. Why not!!
• Most Lit Up: 5595 & 5597 Indianola – Purple Haze! Lots of light and a cool glow.

Congratulations to the winners! In your honor this year, the Colonial Hills Civic Association has made a $100 contribution to the Worthington Resource Center Food Pantry.

(And here are the pics, with photo credits to the Secret Judges – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these photos)

_01 Best Overall – 1st Place
_02 Best Overall – 2nd
_03 Best Overall – 3rd
_04 Best Front Door – 1st Place
_05 Best Front Door – 2nd
_06 Best Front Door – 3rd
_07 Best Retro
_08 Most Artistic
_09 Most Lit Up

Continue reading ‘2020 Colonial Hills Holiday Decorating Contest and Photos’ »

In lieu of our traditional children’s holiday party, Santa has agreed to meet our neighborhood kids via Zoom!
On Sunday, December 13, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

So, from the comfort and safety of your own home, please visit the SignUpGenius
Children’s Holiday Party – Zoom With Santa, Sunday, December 13
to choose a 5 minute timeslot between 3:00 and 5:00 PM that works for you.

Make sure to enter your children’s names and ages and also let us know if you’d like a goody bag(s) dropped off to your house and how many you need!

Please sign up, using our SignUpGenius for Kit Assembly this year, for Luminary Kits Set Up, Saturday, December 5, starting at 10:00 AM.

The City of Worthington has approved the CHCA’s use of the shelter house for our luminary kits assembly on Saturday, December 5, starting at 10:00 AM. This approved event will be strictly Covid-protocol compliant, enforced by the Event Chair:

• Masks will be worn at all times
• Socially distanced workstations, with no more than 8 people continuously inside the shelter house, and no more than 13 people continuously outside in the work area
• Volunteers will sign up in advance via SignUpGenius, for either of two shifts, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or 11:00 AM to noon, for the following tasks:

1. Inside the shelter house component assembly (up to 8 volunteers)
2. Outside the shelter house component assembly (up to 3 volunteers, plus the Event Chair)
3. Bundling supervisor
4. Pea gravel shovelers (up to 4 volunteers), who are requested to bring their own standard-size, pointed-tip garden shovel. Each shoveler is also requested to recruit an immediate family member to assist them in holding open their grocery bags while they shovel. This immediate family member can be a youth no younger than middle-school age.
5. Except for the pea gravel assistants, no youths can be included in the event this year

Some background: As an essential part of complying with CDC protocols, our plan uses the minimum number of volunteers needed to complete kits assembly in about two hours. This plan is a modified version of our usual workflow, and is modelled on our actual experience with a minimal number of volunteers during the 2014 kits assembly event, when 18 heroic volunteers completed kits assembly during a continuous, cold rain.

That is, instead of the 18 intrepid volunteers who worked the entire approximately 2.5 hours that day in 2014, we plan to have up to 21 volunteers for each of the two one-hour shifts, to complete the assembly in about 2 hours in 2020. We will monitor signups to try to ensure all positions are filled.

Donuts will be individually packaged by Tim Horton’s, and plenty of hand sanitizer will be provided inside the shelter house.

We do regret this year, that you cannot simply show up to volunteer Saturday morning, if you haven’t already signed up for an available slot on SignUpGenius — we cannot have more people at the shelter house than specified in our approved plan.

Regarding the Trustees picking up their bundles of kits for their Districts: We are asking the Trustees to start coming over no earlier than noon on Saturday to pick up their bundles, so as not to increase the number of people present in the shelter house area during the kit assembly timeframe, 10:00 AM to noon.

Light Your Luminaries! Our luminary display evening will be Sunday, December 13, starting at 7:00 PM, per the instructions which will be enclosed in each resident’s luminary kit.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you encounter any difficulty using our event’s SignUpGenius. Thank you,

Will Pearce, Luminaries Event Chair
365 S. Selby Blvd
614-888-8236
willpearce@columbus.rr.com

The CHCA Meeting Minutes and Agendas which have been archived to our website are listed below
(if there is a link “Continue reading CHCA Meeting Minutes” below, click it to display the archived items).

Continue reading ‘CHCA Meeting Minutes’ »

The City of Worthington had in its budget the replacement of the Selby Park Playground this year. The playground surfacing is showing its age and several of the components of the playground including some of the decking are showing excessive wear. The project was put on hold in the spring along with many other projects due to uncertainty with funding.

However, this project has now been reinstated, and Parks & Rec has the green light to begin planning for the renovation. Our goal is to complete a design with community input this fall and winter and be under construction in the spring when the weather allows. Please help us determine how we should move forward with the playground by filling out our Selby Park Survey (via SurveyMonkey).

Thank you.

Neighbors, you are the BEST! Our judges had a challenge with selecting the winners for the Halloween decorating contest. There were several split decisions but difficult choices had to be made.

Drumroll, please …

Friendliest: “2020?! Good Grief!” photo booth at 400 Park Blvd.

Most Creative: “There’s no place like home… during a pandemic” at 417 Kenbrook Dr.

Best Effects: “Skeleton party in the yard” at 350 Kenbrook Dr.

Spookiest: “Witches Brew CoronaVirus Vaccine” at 244 Colonial Ave.

(And now for the photos (Photo Credits: Secret Judges) – please click the “Continue reading” link below to see these pics which have the following descriptions)

_Winners, Photo Montage #1
_More Pics #1, Montage #2
_More Pics #2, Montage #3
_More Pics #3, Montage #4

Continue reading ‘2020 Halloween House Decorating Contest and Photos’ »

Here are the details for our events:

Halloween House Decorating Contest – Tuesday, October 20, 7:00 PM

• Our 3rd Annual Halloween Decoration Contest will be judged at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, 10/20.
• The categories are: Spookiest, Friendliest, Most Creative, and Best Effects.
• To help scare up your creative spirit, you might refer to some of the frightful winning designs from the 2019 contest (spiders, coffins, and bats, oh my!):
  2019 Halloween Decorating Contest Blogpost

Socially-Distanced Halloween Party at Selby Park – Sunday, October 25

• When: Sunday, 10/25:
  Last names beginning with A-L – 3:00-4:00 PM
  Last names beginning with M-Z – 4:00-5:00 PM
• Where: Selby Park Shelter House
• What: You are welcome to wear costumes!
  Join us at the park during your designated timeframe to choose a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, get your yearly family photo at the CyMack photo booth, and get a goody bag with treats and a craft to take home.
• We will not be gathering; it will be more of a grab-and-go event.

Thank you to CyMack, Keller Williams Capital Partners for their continued sponsorship of this event!

Beginning Monday, August 31, residents will see new temporary traffic control measures on Foster Avenue near Kenbrook Drive in the Colonial Hills neighborhood, per details including photos, given in the Colonial Hills Traffic Calming Study PDF.

These temporary traffic control measures are part of the study of traffic calming options that the Worthington Service & Engineering Department has been conducting in response to Colonial Hills residents requesting traffic calming solutions in this area. The effects on vehicle speed and counts of various study options have included temporary stop signs installed at Loveman and Foster. The current study option is the chicanes (cone-shaped obstacles), which were recommended by the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.

These temporary chicanes will be in place until September 14, and while they may not end up being permanently placed at this location (to be determined), this study will help the City determine the effectiveness of various chicane designs at similar locations throughout Worthington (see photos in the Colonial Hills Traffic Calming Study PDF).

For more information, please contact the Worthington Service & Engineering Department at 614‐431‐2425.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 41st Annual Run Through the Hills this year.

Not everyone wanted their time posted but it’s not about winning this year, just doing your best! Nevertheless, we did want to recognize the top overall female and male finishers (remember those bragging rights!):

• Female: Teresa Moore – Time: 25:31
• Male: Jamie Stillman – Time: 20:29

And here are the rest of the times of the first ever (& hopefully only) Virtual 5k, in an alphabetical list of everyone who sent in their times and wanted their times published:

• Overall Alphabetical List Results

Thank you to Courtney Jolley and Jeff Spain for initiating and organizing a Virtual 5k race this year. And Courtney, so much thanks for documenting the results, and for getting our t-shirts to us, the design for which we all thought was truly awesome!