I mentioned on Facebook last week an opportunity to become involved with the Friends of 43212′s tree-planting effort in Fifth by Northwest, and someone asked me to please post more information about the project. Rather than rewrite what has already been well written, I’ve reprinted below an article below originally printed April 20, 2011 in This Week’s Grandview Edition by Alan Froman, because he did an excellent job getting the details. The team working on the Trees project meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7pm at Holy Trinity Church, 2001 Northwest Blvd. and is led by Bruce Mortland. The Trees team is actively looking for new residents to get involved in making this dream a reality. From sorting through the zoning needs of the individual tree locations to raising funds to getting permission from local businesses to plant the trees once we do have the funds in place to recruiting MORE volunteers to help care for the trees once they’re planted – WHEW! there is something for you to do! Help make Fifth Ave. a greener place to be!

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The Friends of 43212 organization has selected West Fifth Avenue as the target area for its 2011 “Keep 43212 Beautiful” campaign.

The organization will be raising funds to purchase trees to be planted along West Fifth Avenue, said Fifth by Northwest Area Commission president Becky Obester.

The commission is not a sponsor of the beautification campaign, but is in full support of the effort, she said.

Legally, the commission cannot be involved in fundraising, Obester said.

The initial goal is to plant 25 trees this fall, she said.

“Long-term, we’ll looking to plant about 168 trees in total,” Obester said.

The city of Columbus has partnered with the Friends of 43212 and will provide assistance in designing the beautification plan, tree selection, delivery, planting and maintenance, she said.

Details about the plan will be discussed by the director of the Columbus Neighborhood Design Center at a meeting on April 26 for business owners and interested residents. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Reitter building, 1100 King Ave. The building entrance and parking lot are on the west side of the building.

“We really hope that this project is something that local businesses and the community will support,” Obester said.

Donations are being sought to help cover the costs of the trees as well as signage, benches, bike racks and other materials, she said.

The materials will be purchased as funds become available, Obester said.

A fund for the Friends of 43212 beautification project is being set up at the Arlington Bank branch at 1460 Grandview Ave., she said. Donors are being asked to contribute in a range of levels, including $25, $50, $100 and $500 or more.

“The city forester has said the trees will need to be fairly mature two-inch caliper trees, so the cost will be $200 to $300 per tree,” she said.

The trees that will be selected for the project will be ideally suited for an urban setting and able to withstand such elements as vehicular and pedestrian traffic and pollution, Obester said.

“They are going to make West Fifth Avenue a more appealing place, especially for pedestrians and customers of our businesses,” she said.

In addition to their aesthetic benefits, the trees will have environmental benefits for West Fifth Avenue, including helping to prevent runoff into the Olentangy and Scioto rivers, Obester said.

Businesses will have to give their permission for trees to be planted in front of their buildings, she said.

“That’s why we’re hoping a lot of people will attend (Tuesday’s) meeting so they can learn more about the beautification plan,” Obester said.

A donation solicitation packet is being delivered to Fifth Avenue business owners and is available to the public at the Grandview Heights Public Library and at participating businesses.

We’re lucky here at Fifth by Northwest – Car thefts and break-ins are the crime most frequently committed, rather than crimes like murder or assault.  Here are 10 ways to protect your ride. Let’s not give the thieves anymore reasons to come to Fifth by Northwest.

Lists come out every year detailing the most stolen cars and, with that, what steps one can take to deter car thieves. Yet, a car is stolen in the United States every 24 seconds according to the Insurance Information Institute. Auto theft continues to thrive despite those lists and regardless of new anti-theft technology that emerges with every new model year.

What else can you do besides not drive the most stolen car in America and equip your car with anti-theft protection? We’re going to give you the unique opportunity to look inside the mind of the car thief and learn how he steals cars. With the help of police auto theft experts and auto theft professionals, we’ve compiled this list of some of the ways thieves steal cars followed by suggestions of how to stop them from doing it to you.

We have no intention of providing new information to the wrong people and simply want to educate the good guys. We haven’t disclosed anything that car thieves don’t already know and we have left out specific details to avoid making this a “how-to.” Knowing the insider tricks of auto thieves will motivate you to take the necessary precautions to defend your vehicle.

1. Bump against the car to check for a car alarm. Since it seems like everything from a loud Harley to a rumbling garbage truck can set off a car alarm, people have been conditioned to tune them out. Instead of a motion-sensitive car alarm, use one that has a pager that will notify you as soon as your alarm is activated.
2. Break the window or jimmy the lock to gain entry into a locked car. Don’t tempt car thieves. Keep valuables out of plain sight. Take them with you or store them in the trunk. Also, if you have a stereo with a removable face plate, take it with you instead of tucking it away in the glovebox.
3. Cut the steering wheel itself if there’s a steering wheel lock. Instead of locking just your steering wheel, “lock” your car’s ability to go by using a starter disable switch and putting it in a place where only you can get to it.
4. Look for exposed wiring that can be cut or for the central unit of the car alarm to deactivate it. Instead of going to a big retail chain store, have your car alarm installed by a professional car alarm installer, preferably a reasonably shady one. Unlike retail chain employees, these experts know what it takes to make your car elusive to crooks.
5. Look for car alarm decals to figure out which method to use to eliminate the alarm. Never display stickers that advertise what sort of car alarm you have, or audio system for that matter. Consider using a hood lock cable so the thief can’t get to your battery or car alarm mechanism.
6. Jump into an unattended running car while the owner is at the ATM, dropping off videos, etc. Never leave your keys in the ignition even for a quick errand. Car theft is a crime of opportunity, so don’t make it easy for them to grab yours.
7. Look for the car’s title, registration or anything with a home address on it. Keep your registration and insurance information with you and never leave personal information in your car.
8. Stake out sporting events, movie theaters and shopping center parking lots for the car of your choice since they offer the largest variety of cars in one area. Whenever possible, park in lots and garages that have security and/or parking lot attendants. If not, don’t park in the farthest corner of the lot but rather near the entrance of these facilities to insure the most foot traffic (and the most potential witnesses). Also, opt for paying the extra couple of dollars for the monitored parking lot instead of using the free parking on the less-trafficked side streets.
9. Find the second set of keys the owner “hid” in the car. Don’t leave spare keys in your car or in a magnetic box attached to the underside of your car. Thieves know where all the “hiding places” are.
10. Copy specific vehicle information and take it to the manufacturer to get a replacement key made. Instead of VIN etching the major parts of your vehicle, which doesn’t turn most thieves off, drop your business card into the doors through the window slots to identify your car as yours.

Even though auto theft is a crime of opportunity, if a crook really wants your car, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it regardless of steering wheel locks or car alarms. But with the above knowledge, you can slow him down, make your car inconvenient to him and, hopefully, discourage him from attempting to steal your vehicle. Layering your car with anti-theft protection, especially if it’s at the top of the most stolen vehicles list, is a good start. But, as with anything that is of value to you, the most important protection you can give your car is to take a proactive approach to security when you leave it unattended.

Original Article Here