2010 plans and projects
Our monthly general meetings on the second Thurs- day and board meetings on the fourth Thursday will continue as they have for so long. Immanuel Lutheran Church on Westport Road has continued to offer us meeting space, at least until the new Westport-Roanoke facility gets sorted out. Board meetings are public – anyone can just show up. If you have a particular topic of concern, it’s best to notify someone on the board and get on the agenda. We’ll continue to try and have interesting speakers at the general meetings.
Dumpster day will happen again, probably in June, and probably the week after the neighborhood yard sale. If spring ever shows up, and after having a real winter this year, one’s faith wobbles a bit, there are several outdoor activities we can do in and for our neighborhood. Graffiti and tagging have slowed down in this cold weather, but there will be more to clean up in spring. We may be able to get the city’s help with graffiti. We can have a clean-up of the park, which has not been done in a few years. Kite Singleton has suggested a clean-up of invasive plants such as Japanese honeysuckle in the park, which I personally would be interested in as a member of Missouri Native Plant Society and we might get help from other organizations such as KC Wildlands. The community gardens will be in their second year and we’ll continue to develop them.
Back to our housing stock, there has been considerable interest in reconvening the Housing Committee to deal with codes issues which arise and to help homeowners connect with available resources to maintain their homes. Manuel Lopez (see his notice) is starting up the committee again, along with Dean Darnell. They can’t do it alone. Folks who have emailed me about various properties are invited to join the group. Join it long enough to work on the property of your concern. If many people participate at that level, the work could be divided up.
The city has told inquirers that VNA can issue parking permits. I’ll be following up on that. My understanding from the former president is that it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Last, but by no means least, we will continue to forge relationships with other organizations. We are already working with CCO through Immanuel Lutheran Church, which efforts got the Westport Road crosswalk installed. Last month, Jim Peters and I attended a board meeting of the 39th Street CID, signed an agreement with them for the new banners, and made plans for further collaboration. Also, we’ve been in touch with West Plaza Association and Westport Go! and will work with them in areas of overlapping interest.
-Pam Gilford
