The best place to verify trash and recycling pickup is in on the official OHCA calendar. The homepage of this website has an upcoming events section where you can verify pickup information. Need trash/recycling pickup reminders? Click here to setup pickup reminders.
In the last several years, many neighbors have experienced a break in the water line that runs from the main water line at the street to the house. This primarily has been due to poor materials used when the homes were built. Unfortunately these lines are the responsibility of the home owner and repairs can run thousands of dollars. Here is a note from our neighbor Ray DeAndero who had this type of repair.
"I've had my water line break not once, but twice. The first time was down by the street, the second under the slab of my house. These would have been very expensive repairs, but fortunately, I had purchased the optional coverage from Columbia Gas, so it didn't cost me a dime. I signed up for it because a fellow from the city water department who had come out to fix an earlier leak in front of my house (on the city's side) had told me the black plastic pipe they used when building these homes was sub-standard, and likely to break. You may want to let folks know that if they haven't had their water line break yet, they almost certainly will soon, and should seriously consider getting coverage for it. The Columbia Gas coverage was only $3.50 a month, added to the gas bill."
Here are the details for the "Water Line Guarantee" offered through Columbia Gas.
Columbia Gas offers “Water Line Guarantee” insuring your water line ‘curb to house’.
The cost at this time is $42/year (or $3.50 per month) with a $4000 coverage per claim.
Contact Columbia Gas for complete information: 888/442-7349
Click here for more information on this and other utility line warranties that are available.
Crime in the city of Columbus has risen recently and the Columbus Police Department would like us to know we all play an important role in the prevention of crimes in our neighborhood. Each of us can participate by being the eyes and ears for our local police. With the warmer temperatures, outdoor activity is increasing and with that comes more opportunity for crime to occur. Because we live in the community, we know what is normal and what is not. There have been reports of a suspicious person walking the neighborhood while apparently scoping out the houses and yards. There have also been reports of speeding vehicles through the neighborhood in the late night / early morning time period. If you observe these or other suspicious activity, please call the Columbus Police non-emergency number 645-4545 and request a patrol car to check things out. Write down plate numbers and vehicle description of any vehicles involved in these suspicious activities and provide this information to the police when you call. Also, please provide these plate numbers to our Block Watch Coordinator so others can be notified to watch for these vehicles. All vehicle information given to our Block Watch Coordinator will be relayed to our police liaison to determine if further investigation is needed. Obviously if you witness a crime in progress, please call 911 for the most rapid response.
Things we can all do to help:
Be observant during the daylight hours, not all crimes occur at night
Keep exterior lights on at night. Install motion activated lighting if possible
Keep all vehicle doors locked at night whether parked on street or in the driveway
Close all garage doors when away and at night
Talk with neighbors and have someone you trust look after your house during vacation time
For those who may have an interest, there is also a website that will show all reported crimes in a selected area of Columbus. You can also register for email notifications on a periodic basis from this same website. For more information on this service, follow this link.