URBAN ECOLOGY CENTER - 1859 N. 40th Street
Joey Zocher of the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) led neighbors in a tour of the park and UEC. Membership to the UEC is $25 a year for both locations. This includes a newsletter, use of their garden tools and fun equipment like canoes, snow shoes, ice skates, etc. There is free fishing at the lagoon before Wednesday concerts. After the tour, neighbors gathered by the vegetable gardens and introduced themselves and were able to take vegetables grown in the Martin Drive Community Garden which were brought by Steve Falsetti.
Committee Reports
Healthy Neighborhoods -- Pat Mueller updated neighbors on the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative, neighborhood markers and events in the Park.
Three markers are planned for our boulevards, two on Highland & Vliet, Martin Drive and one 46th & Martin Drive as you get off the expressway. This will be done as the boulevards are redone as part of the sustainable boulevards which will include more perennials and less annual flowers in the boulevards.
Pat expressed a need by neighbors for help with replacing roofs on their homes and will look into the possibility of making this a program.
Al asked about the flowers. Pat explained that flowers have been planted in tree lawns by 50 participants of the Blooming Blocks Project.
Housing Resources will do the Home Tour on August 22. The tour will start at Birdie’s Café. Pat is looking for ambassadors. Sharon said maybe some of the block reps might be able to help.
Park Events -- Wednesday Night there are concerts in the Park. There is a vender from a neighbor on 46th Street. Mary said his food at the Farmer’s Market was very good. Washington Bark Dog Day is September 12, 2010 and is an event which raises money for the UEC.
Rummage Sale -- Sharon said that 35 sales were going on in the neighborhood. Sharon said that the process for registering the flags went well. The flags and maps were helpful. Sharon would like to have flags returned to use next year. Linda suggested an earlier date be considered next year. Sharon said that an earlier date could conflict with another neighborhood.
Picnic -- The Picnic Committee will meet @ Birdie’s Café at 10 a.m. on July 17.
Business & Finance (same balance as the previous month)
Garden -- Steve said the garden needed less water this year. The City is proposing to cut the use of fire hydrants for watering gardens and there is an open meeting for opinions. Steve is working on the fence to cut back the brush to make the area looking nicer.
Newsletter Committee -- Mary thanked the newsletter committee for work on the recent edition.
Community Pie -- Amy said there is a group that is working with neighborhoods to help identify a fruit or nut to do a pride project around. Amy asked neighbors to think about it. The next meeting July 21, 2010 at 8 a.m., August 21 they will be baking the pies and they are in need of more fruit of any kind. August 25th there will be a sale of the pies for the Urban Ecology Center. Her goal would be to renovate the kitchen at the Urban Ecology Center. Amy said Grandmother Beyond Borders is leaving for Uganda to help victims of the bombing and the AIDS epidemic. Three thousand five hundred people die daily from AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sharon said she will bring ideas to the Projects and Planning Committee.
New Business
New Meeting Schedule -- A proposal will be made by the P&P Committee for a new schedule for neighborhood meetings. This will be discussed and voted on at the next meeting.
Police Walk -- Pat explained that there will be a police walk on Thursday. Neighbors will be able to meet the new captain. There will be a potluck cook out that evening in Raymond’s Backyard.
Clean Garbage Containers -- Maggie said that as a respect to the people who pick up the garbage for a living; people should wash the cart.
Bookends Project -- Pat said that 46th and Juneau now has very nice landscape.
The meeting adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted,
Raymond Duncan
1260 N 43rd St.