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How long have you lived in German Village?
I’ve lived here since 1993. Why did you choose this neighborhood? What attracted me was its proximity to downtown, the architecture and charm. What keeps me here is the people and sense of community. 
Do you have a pet?
Gabbe is my blond “terrier something” 20 lbs of attitude. You will see us walking around the neighborhood on a regular basis. |
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What are some of your other favorites?
It’s the interactions with friends and neighbors. This is a passionate and active community, we don’t always see eye to eye on some topics but we embrace our differences and continue to support one another when it counts. Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in Zanesville and initially moved to Columbus in 1983 before leaving for the Washington DC area and Phoenix for about 10 years before returning to Columbus in the early 90s. What is your occupation?
I am the national marketing manager at Team Fishel, a national utility and network installation contractor. In addition, I have been on the board of Homeport, an affordable housing developer for the past 9 years, most recently as board chair 2016-2020. |
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Have you had any special German Village “moments” you’d care to share?
There are so many, I’d be hard pressed to find any one. From the many Haus & Garten tours I’ve been involved with and other events to just fun interactions with my neighbors, it’s a blast to live in this neighborhood. I would say that one of the most impactful times was when I was asked to join a small group of women from the neighborhood back around 2000 to assist in creating a new German Village cookbook. None of us knew each other very well but all agreed to come together. We met every Monday for 6-7 months rotating at each others homes and testing recipes submitted by the neighborhood. At the end of the process we had a product we were proud of. It sold out quickly and we discovered we missed seeing each other so we continued to get together on a regular basis. |
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We started traveling together, as some started retirement in various parts of the country, we visited each other.
Now we are scattered from here to Long Island, various Florida locations and Boston and we still are as close as ever. We deemed ourselves “The Mavens” and the fun, love and support received from one another is one of the most beloved relationships I have. Other than work, how do you spend your time? I love gardening, travel, art, music and theatre. 
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As President of the Board of German Village Society, please reflect on last year and your current vision for GVS and the neighborhood.
Fiscally and administratively, this was a very challenging year for the German Village Society with the pandemic and loss of some of our major annual funding sources. We had to do staff reductions in order to sustain our financial health. That was the challenge. But was also was gratifying was the way our board and membership stepped in to support our organization. Our board and some members stepped into some of the administrative roles needed to keep the building and key day to day processes going as best we could. During our annual membership drive, a number of our members upped their levels to help sustain us. We were able to support an abbreviated Garten Tour in partnership with the German Village Garten Club. And as well we were awarded two PPP loans. All these contributed to helping us to maintain some semblance of balance.
The other challenge was the proposed redevelopment of the former Giant Eagle site. We have members supporting both sides of the issue and it did create some angst in how the Society should be involved with the technicality being that it was not officially in the foot print of German Village and coordinating efforts with Schumacher Place. This development has brought to our attention the questions as to how we as an organization approach these types of developments from both a preservation and civic relations perspective. This will be a goal of these two committees in the coming months.
As we still grapple with Covid issues, our next task is support of our German Village Business Community. We are in the process of reaching out to see where they need our help and what we can do to help them continue to navigate. We are hoping (fingers crossed) to have a typical Village Lights this year but as I have been saying this past year, we are zigging and zagging. We had hoped to have all of the pandemic issues behind us by now, but it looks like this is not going away anytime soon.
Finally, we have a brand new team of staff members on board who are well experienced and enthusiastic and ready to support our membership! The energy they are bringing is exciting and its our hope to be business as usual soon once they get through the learning curves of our organization.
Fiscally and administratively, this was a very challenging year for the German Village Society with the pandemic and loss of some of our major annual funding sources. We had to do staff reductions in order to sustain our financial health. That was the challenge. But was also was gratifying was the way our board and membership stepped in to support our organization. Our board and some members stepped into some of the administrative roles needed to keep the building and key day to day processes going as best we could. During our annual membership drive, a number of our members upped their levels to help sustain us. We were able to support an abbreviated Garten Tour in partnership with the German Village Garten Club. And as well we were awarded two PPP loans. All these contributed to helping us to maintain some semblance of balance.
The other challenge was the proposed redevelopment of the former Giant Eagle site. We have members supporting both sides of the issue and it did create some angst in how the Society should be involved with the technicality being that it was not officially in the foot print of German Village and coordinating efforts with Schumacher Place. This development has brought to our attention the questions as to how we as an organization approach these types of developments from both a preservation and civic relations perspective. This will be a goal of these two committees in the coming months.
As we still grapple with Covid issues, our next task is support of our German Village Business Community. We are in the process of reaching out to see where they need our help and what we can do to help them continue to navigate. We are hoping (fingers crossed) to have a typical Village Lights this year but as I have been saying this past year, we are zigging and zagging. We had hoped to have all of the pandemic issues behind us by now, but it looks like this is not going away anytime soon.
Finally, we have a brand new team of staff members on board who are well experienced and enthusiastic and ready to support our membership! The energy they are bringing is exciting and its our hope to be business as usual soon once they get through the learning curves of our organization.
What have you found to be the best part of living in the Village?
I jokingly call Lindey’s my second kitchen. I’ve lived in three different locations since I moved here and its never been further than a block and a half from them. Its a great place to see and be seen for so many. It's essentially my “Cheers”.
Having been on the Haus & Garten committee from almost the beginning of my time in German Village, its always been my favorite event. Its German Village at its best. A second is TEA 43206 – Darci Congrove has made it one of the most inviting events for the neighborhood we have and the fact that it focuses on our preservation efforts is a true blessing for GV.
Having been on the Haus & Garten committee from almost the beginning of my time in German Village, its always been my favorite event. Its German Village at its best. A second is TEA 43206 – Darci Congrove has made it one of the most inviting events for the neighborhood we have and the fact that it focuses on our preservation efforts is a true blessing for GV.
I’m so appreciative of the support given to our organization through this past year of challenges. We are still navigating with a truly dedicated group of volunteers and I just want to say 'Thank you!' to each and every one of them who have given their time, resources and provided kind words along the way. It means a great deal.
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WHO Villager Chris Hune Issue X
