Minutes April 7, 2009
President: Joaquin Garofalo; Board Members Attending: Karen Doty, Lee Spittler, Ann Carson, Lauren Austin, Bonnie Anderson, Marina Hillard, Amberley Pyles, Karla Thornton, Steve Grant
We held a very successful workday at the Preservation Station to get things in better shape for our neighborhood meeting place. There was cleaning, painting, wiring, organizing and the scraping of very many layers of old paint off of the tiles in the bay. We had some very tasty scones to start the day and Joaquin provided pizza and soft drinks for the crew’s lunch. He is also looking into an easier way to remove the many layers of paint from the tiles in the bay. Despite all the hard work, we had a wonderful time and look forward to our partnership with TACA and bringing the Preservation Station to it’s new place as a neighborhood meeting and historic preservation station.
There will be some agreements between the neighborhood association and TACA to assure that there are no misunderstandings and that we both know what we will be bringing to the union at The Preservation Station. We think that it will be beneficial to all, and we look forward to having a home for neighborhood activities.
Parking is and continues to be a problem in some areas of the neighborhood. We are looking at various solutions including permits in some areas or permits on every other street. We also have received reports of people parking illegally in vacant lots. If you have a problem like this on your street, please call the non-emergency line for the police at 242-COPS to report the problem. As our neighborhood grows and develops we will have increasing demands for the available parking and we will have to be creative and proactive to satisfy everyone’s needs.
All the planning for the Victorian Ball is moving along and we expect that we will have a wonderful new event for the neighborhood. Thanks to Kay Adams and Jerry Smith for setting up the new event. I’m sure they will need plenty of volunteers for the Ball, so contact one of the Board members to be a part of the event happening on May the first and second at the Greek Church.
We are investigating signs for the neighborhood, what is available from the City at no charge and what we may be able to do ourselves. Our effort is to not only identify our neighborhood, but to show that there is a pride in our history and a commitment to preserve our past. Cindy Carson is heading up the effort to look at the sign topper that would mount above the existing street signs.
The Lead-Coal project is continuing and the City is looking to show off some techniques for making streetscapes green by using recycled materials and providing areas where water can be directed and reabsorbed rather than going to the storm drains and lost.
We have been looking at other improvements to the Preservation Station, including a neighborhood garden that would not only beautify the site, but also provide extra meeting space outside the building. Once the pavement has been removed on the east side of the building we will start on the new landscaping plan. There are also plans to fence the area to provide additional security as well as great curb appeal. We will accept at least three bids on all major projects and coordinate with TACA on any improvements to the property. Once work is started we will need volunteers to help with the project. Come out and meet your neighbors and help give our neighborhood a wonderful new (old) meeting place.
Other ongoing projects include a neighborhood yard sale possibly in October during the Balloon Fiesta and a repeat of our very successful ice cream social event. There was also talk of trying to document some of the sites in our neighborhood that have been used to film both movies and television shows. If your property has been used in a media production and you have a story or memorabilia that you would like to share with us, please contact one of the Board members. We might even be able to compile an additional walking tour booklet. A home and garden tour is planned in conjunction with the Spruce Park Neighborhood for Mother’s Day on May the 10th.
In all the work that we do, we need volunteers to accomplish our goals. Everyone has a busy schedule these days, but many hands make light work. Make an effort to volunteer for one of the neighborhood events or write an article for the newsletter. We think you will enjoy the experience and have a great time meeting your neighbors.
