ALGER HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

2006-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Broken Record

I hate to sound like a broken record, but there has been yet another rash of B&E's into peoples cars. There were three of them around the first week of October. People had their windows smashed in, some purses were stolen... Now, there are several things that could possibly be going on here. People are complacent and think 'oh no, not my car'; people aren't spreading the word or directing one another here to your Dear Anna column, or people simply don't care. So, once again, if you want it stolen, leave it in your car.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but there has been yet another rash of B&E's into peoples cars. There were three of them around the first week of October. People had their windows smashed in, some purses were stolen... Now, there are several things that could possibly be going on here. People are complacent and think 'oh no, not my car'; people aren't spreading the word or directing one another here to your Dear Anna column, or people simply don't care. So, once again, if you want it stolen, leave it in your car.

That being said, a couple of the block captains said something about this possibly going on early, like 4 am or something, so if there are any of you first shifters out there, or your up for whatever reason and you see strange people mulling about...it's not like people wander through Alger Heights in the wee hours of the morning on a site seeing tour. Call the cops.

2006-09-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

Grand Rapids Police Department

POLICE CHIEF TO HOLD COMMUNITY MEETINGS
TO DISCUSS 2007-2009 STRATEGIC PLAN

In January 2006, Chief Harry Dolan met with area-wide neighborhood associations and conducted a brainstorming exercise with the residents who attended. Through lively discussion, residents involved themselves in helping to develop the police department’s new 2007-2009 Strategic Plan. Ideas and concerns were written down and later incorporated into the overall plan. Chief Dolan is now planning on meeting with those same groups of people in order to review the new plan with the residents to see how their ideas will impact their neighborhoods within the next two years.

The location for Alger Heights is Redeemer Lutheran Church - 1905Madison S.E. - 6:30-8

Thursday, October 5, 2006

2006-09-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Vigilance

The Board has gotten several notifications of some things in the area moving beyond simple petty crimes. There have been a few incidents of home invasions and a spat of automobile break-ins as well. All of this have occurred in the last couple weeks. One of these incidents occurred near the new school, one along Eastern and one near Eastern and 28th. Patterns in the past suggest that these activities occur along the main corridors of Alger Heights, meaning along Eastern, or Alger, but that's just me talking. Keep your eye out!

There has been also some contact established with other communities in West Michigan regarding the graffiti near Merritt and Hazen. There may be some other action that can be taken to persuade the occupants to get that removed. If you, as a member of this community, can do anything to help get this situation taken care of, please do so. It's so pleasant to look at everyday, that's for sure!

Regarding all of the above, there may be a general tendency to err on the side of caution and not notify the police of any suspicious activity. I can assure you, they will respond accordingly. That's what they are for. It is important to communicate that the quicker the community takes action and the stronger that action is, the more likely and more apparent any improvements will be. With the new school in the backyard of Alger Heights, this neighborhood serves as something of a model under the watchful eye of greater Grand Rapids. Don't let it deteriorate.

Sorry for being so stern.

Ciao!

-Anna

Lest ye forget...

2006-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Stuff...

Oh let's see...busy busy busy...there was a board meeting this week, so I'll give you those highlights...uh...it's been pretty quite this summer as far as crime and such goes. It goes without saying at this point that if you want something stolen, leave it in your unlocked car. Um...everyone should have gotten their newsletters, I hope. Thanks to the block captains and the girls from St. Johns Home on that one...that worked out pretty well using those girls. OH! The coffee shop! Common Grounds looks like they will open in October sometime...the hardware store might might might move to a smaller temporary location, but that's just talk at this point...Video Master is shrinking and JB's is growing. let's see..what else..

oh...there's a new board member! Joel Barrett rose from the ranks of block captain and sort of jumped right in. Hail Joel, for he is good and yay unto him. There's still a spot on the board I think, but compared to last year...they tell me there was only like 6 people or so, but I'm blabbing...um...I'm supposed to add a link to Wedgwood cuz they're doing something with the new middle school, but I don't think I have those notes in order, so stay tuned...

Trash Day was today, I guess. They said it wasn't as busy as in past years for whatever reason, but I guess there was LOTS of help. There were like 4 girls from St. Johns plus the staff from there and then there was a couple other boys who helped, so I guess you had to get outta there way. I'm told they were a HUGE help, so that's working well with St. Johns. Yay unto them, for they are good, eh? Not too shabby!

Anyhow...I think that's it...I'm up to my eyeballs this fall for whatever reason so I'm sure I forgot something, but for now...all is good.

Ciao!

-Anna

2006-08-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Community Meeting

Wow. There were something like 200 people at the Church last night. What a great turn out! The local news was there and everything! Even my folks knew about it and they live on the West side. Maybe I should pay attention more, eh?

Well, here's the skinny. The ice cream shop is closed for the season. However, the coffee shop is going to open maybe near the end of September or something. So that's a good thing!

The families who own the hardware store are sort of waiting around to hear from the fire marshall and the insurance company to decide what they are going to do. They have taken a note from Yours Truley and started their own website at www.alger-hardware.blogspot.com and you can leave them comments there on what you think. Apparently,they can't do that repair shop anymore. I guess that's trashed! In general, the Alger Hardware folks are discussing things with one another, what are they going to do, are they going to do it together, stuff like that.

I guess there was a sign up sheet and so forth at the Church last night, so I'm sure the board will follow up on what's needed by whom and when. At the end of the day, it was great that everyone pulled together like that.

That's about it. Any questions, as usual, you know where to reach me. I put a new link to the hardware store's website on the right hand side there.

Ciao!

-Anna

2006-08-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Alger Heights Business

There will be a community service Sunday, August 20th, at 6:30pm at Seymour Christian Reformed Church in regards to the businesses effected by the recent fire. If you can make it, it will be a good way to pull together.

Ciao!

-Anna

2006-08-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

Alger Hardware

It is with sad remorse to notify everyone that the De Jong and Buys family, owners of Alger Hardware, and their staff, lost their business to a major fire Friday (Aug 11) evening. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the blaze, however, it appears that the structure is a total loss. Many of you know these families quite well so please, whatever the neighborhood can do to help, now is the time to offer it. The Board is in the process of examining the situation and searching for ways to pitch in.

-Anna

2006-08-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

And So On...

Let's see...what's new. How's everyone's summer going? School starts soon for the kids and this should be the first year for the new Middle School. Very exciting. Their fancy little sign seems to post lots of events for a 'welcome' sort of thing, so I hope some of you have had a chance to check it out.

AHNA is proud to begin a new relationship with St. Johns Home, a residential facility for abused and neglected kids. The board has invited a small group of young ladies to help out around the place. You will probably begin to see a group of them helping out with the distribution of the summer newsletter. It will be a small group of about 8-10 girls (with staff and AHNA supervision) aged 12-16 years old. The girls will be supervised. They do not, I repeat do NOT, have criminal records and are considered 'non-delinquents'. The girls in this program are encouraged to give back to their community and this is a volunteer thing. This is not court mandated. The board is trying this out on the newsletters. Any questions or concerns, you know how to reach me. The board is pretty excited about it and hope it works well. This is a good thing.

Block Captains: Pay attention as there will be a new manual coming out soon. The board is also encouraging ya'all to get little business cards. They're free from a place called Vista Print. Contact me for more information. All you have to do is pay shipping of like 5 bucks and you get something like 250 of them. Thanks to "Joe Rod" for the tip on that one (Hey...my first shout out!).

Oh..yeah...Block Captains. You should be contacted soon by someone from the board to help hand out the newsletter. The board is trying to cut some corners, so they are going to hand out newsletters this time as long as it's nice out.

That's really about it. The usual things..keep your doors locked..keep an eye out. Trash Day is around the corner, don't forget. There will be a thing in the newsletter on that one.

There's still a general need for more block captains and there are a few seats open yet on the board.

Nothing exciting, I know. Hope all is well.

Ciao!

-Anna!

2006-08-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

VOTING:

Don't forget to vote on August 8th! Educate yourselves and vote smart!

Here is the State's official list and so forth.

http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1633---,00.html

you can take a look at your ballot here:

http://www.publius.org/

If you don't know, our polling location is Seymour church by the hardware store.

(The results are posted here: http://www.wzzm13.com/elections/default.asp )

Ciao!

-Anna

2006-07-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

It's hot and someone stole my owners manual!

Well, it looks like we're having some petty stuff getting snatched from peoples cars again (still?). Seems someone has taken a fancy to stealing owners manuals from peoples cars. Maybe they aren't sure how to use the tire gauges they stole earlier? When the board sent me the notification from the cops (Nothing like getting cop e-mail to brighten your Monday...not that I did anything wrong, mind you...that you know of anyhow), the cops had emphasized that these thefts had occured from UNLOCKED cars. I'm no detective, but I would say this is vandalism more or less. It's not like they're stealing anything worthwhile so, again, lock your doors!

If anyone lives next to those people who have the lovely graffiti on their fence, kindly ask how you can help them get it taken care of. It's an eyesore and makes the place look trashy and like 'the hood'. Maybe we can adopt a gang too! Or sell some drugs to fund the board? Maybe get that nice gang symbol as the new logo? It's your neighborhood! Have some pride! Just because it's not 'your' side of Alger Heights, doesn't make it go away.

And finally, it's getting BEASTLY hot out there. I think I heard something on the radio that they were going to open some shelters for people who don't have A/C or whatever. I'll try to hunt around and see if I can put up a 'beat the heat' link or something like that.

Hope all is well. As always, if there are any questions, lemme know!

Ciao!

-Anna

(UPDATED: I put a link up there from WZZM. Animal Control's phone number is 336-3209. That's the shelter that's over on Ball. If that's not correct, let me know. As I sit here, NPR is playing a bit on past deadly heat waves and I'll put that up once they post the audio)

2006-07-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

CORRECTION:

The date for the trash day is wrong.

The trash day is September 16th.

The Church carnival is September 9

I think I had them backwards.

Ciao!

Anna

2006-07-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Water! Falling from the sky!

It's BLAZIN' hot out. I was going to go write this outside, but I don't think so. Too hot. Ugh.

So, what's been going on. Well, let's get the business out of the way. Go get a pencil and come back because there's some important information. Go 'head. I'll wait....

BLOCK CAPTAINS: You will be asked to distribute the summer AHNA newsletter in your area of responsibility. The board is still a bit shy for block captains, so if any body wants to put in a little extra something, you might want to e-mail me and I'll hook you up with them. I mean..not hook you up, but you know what I mean. Should be sometime around the middle of August.

TRASH DAY: It's looking like that will be on September 9th. Again, the board loves help on this one. And you can go through your neighbors trash too. More info on this later on though.

CARNIVAL: Uh...let's see...Seymour Christian Church is having a carnival on September 9th from 3-? If you need more information, again, e-mail me and I'll see what I can find for you. I think I have some phone numbers for that...hafta see.

SPEEDERS: AHNA is sponsoring a meth lab..oops..wait..no..oh..yeah, here it is. GRPD will be up and down Alger Street like towards the end of July into early August to kind of put the kabash on people zinging up and down there before that school opens up. It's lookin' nice, eh?

GRAFFITI: The home owners are discussing how that's going to go down with the city. There's contracts, liability, bla bla bla bla. It's ugly! Clean it up, I say.

CRIME:
1.) There was a dispute involving firearms on Ottillia, though nobody was injured.
2.) Two unlocked cars were entered and some stuff was stolen. Lock 'em up, folks! And don't leave money, your purse, or whatever in your car. Remember! We have people stealing tire pressure gauges out of peoples car. So if you want to keep it, bring it inside!
3.) If anyone is missing a gym bag with a medical text book in it, speak now, or forever hold your peas.

That's about it, really. Did I mention it's hot? I feel like a broken record, but lock your doors, keep your eye out for strange people mulling about, and what have you. Call the cops if it's look odd. Most cops don't bite...well, there was this sheriff, but that was off duty...anyhow...where was I? Uh...oh, yeah. Yeah...I lost my train of thought...um...busy times for criminals. Especially, for some reason, when it's gets really hot like this, people get antsy and feeling reckless.

I think maybe I'm going to get some ice cream over at that place. You guys been there? It's DELISH.

Hope you're having a good summer. Let me know if you need anything.

CIAO!

Anna

2006-06-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

GRAFFITI AND CRIME NOTICES

Well, it has come to my attention that the north east side of our community has been vandalized pretty badly by graffiti. Now, I don't know what these symbols mean, nor do I pretend to know anything about gangs or gang related activity. But, taken in conjunction with the increased visibility of these kids I see with nice shiny chrome bikes all wearing similar clothes (white T-shirts and black pants) roaming through the area, it makes me a bit suspect. And, last I joined you, I think I said something about July and August being the worst time of the year for crime. Well, it appears that premonition was true. I've looked and looked and looked and looked online to see what these things mean and I can't really find anything. Maybe one of them, but again, I'm not even going to make any generalizations.

The area's 'hit' are the alley behind Richards (again), the alley off Blaine between Hazen and Merritt and the alley along Alto between Merrifield (I think) and Hazen.

So anyhow, I'm sure it's very easy to go 'oooh' and 'aww, what a shame' so I thought I'd include some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Think about having this on your fence or your stop sign when you are having family over the 4th of July and ask yourself how long we are going to tolerate things like this and look the other way and wonder 'should I call the cops'. Yes, call the damn cops! If someone looks suspicious around here, folks, call the cops. Take notes of what you see, when you see it, and all that stuff and call the cops! That's what they're for. And, on a side note, someone must have heeded that advice because one of the Hooligans on Bikes got picked up for a breaking and entering or something. Good job! Keep it up!

So, I'm afraid I'm not my normal jovial self, but this kind of sucks. It's not 'too bad', it's not a pity. It's not something to just say 'boy, if there's anything I can do...'. It's a damn shame and we need to be extra vigilant to let those people who think it's okay to pull this kind of ___ in Alger Heights...bunch of punks! Pardon my French, but that stuff is not fun to look at and it's less fun to clean up.

And, on that topic, the board is all over this one. If the city can't get it done fast enough, the Board assures me it will get handled as quickly as possible. This weekend maybe? Be vigilant folks! Alger Heights is not 'that type of community' so let's not let it get there. Any questions, comments, or advice, you know how to contact me.

Sorry for swearing.

UPDATE: The board tells me this should be removed within the week as expected. Thanks guys!! And, on a broader note, a friend of mine claims to have seen this graffiti on city buses and some spots outside of Alger Heights. Bridge and Monroe, I think. So, keep an eye out and maybe we can collectively put two and two together. And, Don over in the 1400 block of Hazen e-mailed me this the other day:

'Up here on the 1400 block of Hazen (east of Kalamazoo) we had two break-ins in the light of day! The suspect is a medium skinned male(black or hispanic) with dark hair in a pony tail and a small goatee. he has been seen walking around talking on a cell phone recently. He cut the screens and gained entry through open, unlocked windows. Keep an eye out and keep everything locked.'

I think I need a name. Is Anna (get it..AHNA) too trite?

2006-06-15T16:32:00.001-07:00

(Insert Pithy Title Here)

So, let's see here...there are some new board members and some shuffling about for starters. Our new members are Mike Myers (yeah, we covered that already..he's not Austin Powers), Jill Sieve, Len Allman, and Brian Tingley. Yeah onto the new board members, for they are good. And we shuffled about some new roles for the old hags too, but I don't think your day is really going to be affected by who sits on the COG committee, or what COG is for that matter. So you'll just have to wait for the next newsletter!

Just as a heads up, there's been a roving bandit of Hooligans on Bikes roaming the neighborhood that you should keep an eye on. No need to call the cops or anything, just keep a close eye on these kids. And July and August tend to be the most active months of the year as far as crime goes, so lock your doors and bla bla bla. And remember to not hang the I'm Not Home sign out when you go to work. Leave a light on, the TV, buy a mannequin and have it nap on the couch, something like that.

And it's getting to be Voting Season as is evident by all the signs in peoples yards. And while the governorship of our wonderful state is not something that you can buy, I must remain non-partisan and hope that everyone takes a moment to educate themselves about who is running for what. Lots of times, people either don't vote, or pledge blind allegiance to party politics. So, I'm going to put a couple links on the right there so you can get some information. Commercials are not information! Okay, I'm done ranting.

Hope all is well! Oh! I know, I think I'll try to put something up about where the fireworks are going to be for the 4th, so stay tuned for new links (I have since removed the 4th of July fireworks link - Anna 7/06/06) !

2006-06-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Well, I was out sneaking a jog in between the hail and was thinking about West Nile. With all the rain, I guess, 'tis the season. Last year, we had a sweet little elderly lady fall victim to West Nile Virus. She was funny. She used to walk around with one of those four pronged canes, but she'd just hold it out in front of her. Anyhow, so, we should probably make a point to try to keep things under control, especially with things like standing water and so forth. I put a link on the right hand side there about West Nile prevention.

Oh, and another thing. Looks like the trash day is going to be on September 16th. It's a ways off, but it's fun if you want to volunteer. You'd be amazed what people throw out! We were thinking of maybe getting Mel Trotter or something like that involved as there's lots of stuff that shouldn't be thrown out, ya know.

Anyhow, hope everyone is having a lovely late Spring/early Summer!

2006-05-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

AHNA ANNUAL MEETING

Well, the meeting went pretty well. There are a few new board members and even got a block captain. About 30 people showed up and not one of them offered to mow anyone's lawn (again!). Come on, people. It's getting out of hand!

So, GRPD Chief Dolan and Cpt VanderKoi came in and gave a few comments. Dolan spoke about trying to reach out to the kids in the area, especially with the new school coming up. He made a few comments about seeing the kids of people he arrested 20 years ago wind up in jail and many of the trends and such point to education. Along the lines of 'it takes a village, people' (I think it's the Indian, but that's just my take..get it? Village People..Indian..oh, never mind!), Dolan highlighted that it takes a neighborhood commitment to bring a city together. Look up the Broken Windows theory online sometime. That's pretty interesting. I think NPR had a bit on that last fall maybe? And, I just can't let it go without stating that a visit by Chief Dolan just would not be complete without a Brooklyn story.

The Cap'n ran over some numbers on crime. He said trends are consistent with Grand Rapids in general and that lots of the property crimes were going down. If you don't have a garage to park you car, lock your doors or take anything you don't want stolen into the house with you. I mean, some kids stole someone's tire pressure gauge once. Come on now! Anyhow, there was some other discussion on when it's okay to call the cops. Anytime you think something is amiss, it's okay to call the cops. Now, don't go calling 911 when you see something fishy in the alley or something. Call the non emergency number (456-3400) if you think something is up. The cops may not materialize out of thin air like when I'm speeding, but they will show up. Lots of times, a cop car mulling about is enough to calm things down a bit. It's better to be safe than sorry. So, if you think something is odd, or whatever, call that non-emergency number. That's what it's for. And leave your lights on the front porch or something like that. Motion lights are good. Leave a radio or something like that on during the day too. Don't hang the 'I'm not home' sign if you can help it.

What else, the principal of the school, Tom McNally, spoke about how quick the school was going up. He said something about, like, August 1st they'd open the doors. It sounded like it would be a pretty cool thing to have in our backyard. Might be some community media there perhaps, like internet and such, but don't quote me on that. Uh, what else. Oh, they talked about doing the kids on an alternate school schedule so they'd take lots of little breaks instead of all summer. And busses! There would only be 4 or 5 busses coming from that school.

Um, the Alger Heights Business Association has been helping the AHNA board a bit as sort of a partnership thing. They are going to have a sidewalk sale next weekend to compliment the garage sale thingy we are doing. Don't forget! They are going to do like a bike safety thing too from 11am - 1pm. I assume that's probably over by the hardware store. There was also something about a coffee shop with some ice cream coming in over there on the corner.

And that was about it. Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather we've been having lately. Hey, at least the grass will green up. See, there I go again with the lawn. Oh! I ran the 5/3 riverbank run too. But, only the 5k part, but still. Yeah me!

Okay bye!

2006-05-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

AHNA ANNUAL MEETING AND BLOCK CAPTAIN INFORMATION

Okay, nothing fancy today really, just some general business.
Our featured speakers for the meeting on Tuesday are:
From the GRPD, we our honored to welcome chief Harry Dolan and Captain Kurt VanderKoi

From City Neighborhood Improvement, we are looking forward to hearing from Virginia Million

The Principle of Alger Heights Middle School, Tom McNally, will be joining us as well as Lisa Key, the Assistant Principle.

And members of the Alger Heights Business Association will be welcomed as well.

We will also have general elections for the AHNA Board.

Here are the areas we need block captains for:
Nevada-Blaine to Brooklyn
Almont &Alger to Nevada
Brooklyn & Alger to Nevada
Edna & Eastern to Blaine
Edna & Blaine to Nelson
Joslin
Merrifield & Blaine to Nelson
Merrit & Eastern to Blaine
Nelson (the apartments)
Jennings
Linwood

2006-04-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

AHNA Annual Meeting Info and bla bla bla

Hey, all. Boy, I've been a busy little blogger lately. Okay, we have a location for the AHNA Annual Meeting. It will be May 9th, 7pm at the Seymour Church in the Fellowship Hall upstairs. I'm sure you'll see the crowd gathering about. We have some key speakers from GRPD and such attending too. I'll put something up about who will be there when I run through my notes.

Also, we are in dire need of some block captains, folks! It's really not that huge of a commitment. Just sort of be the eyes and ears. For example, our water was running a bit yellow a few weeks ago and one of the neighbors called me to find out who to call. That sort of thing. It's not like you have to go mow peoples lawns and go to all these meetings and such. Well, okay, I take that back, you can come mow my lawn I suppose. But, anyhow, as a block captain, you get a folder full of handy phone numbers and you're like the point person for your street. And really that's about it. It's not scary and it doesn't hurt. I'll post a thing later this week about the areas where we are missing people.

Also, if anyone is interested, we are doing that bowling thing tomorrow (Friday, the 29th). It's from 7-9pm and it's at the bowling alley on 28th and Division (AMF Comet Lanes). Isn't that where the Howlin' Moon was/is? Must be. No, I don't line dance, thank you very much. Anyhow, it's 10 bucks and that includes unlimited bowling for 2 hours! Anyone who'se attending, contact me on the right hand side there so we can get the lanes reserved. I think one of the board members sent out an e-mail on this as well with the contact information there.

Don't forget to check back later this week for the block captain listings and the speakers for the annual meeting!

2006-04-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

Garage Sale Weekend and Annual Meeting Information.

It seems that there are some errors in the newsletter. It was pointed out that the dates for the garage sale were incorrect. The correct dates are Friday, May 19th, and Saturday, May 20th. I think the newsletter has it on Saturday and Sunday. We still haven't found a place for the annual meeting, so check back and I'll put that information up as soon as I get it. Don't forget we have an e-mail address now, so don't be afraid to use it.

2006-04-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello (or why my air conditioner is kicking on in April)

Well, it looks like summer got here a few months early. Is it just me, or do all my plants look a bit stunted? My tulips were the size of my fist last year! I also think perhaps it's a bit early for my peonies to be getting buds on them, but so be it. But then again, the end of April is a bit early for 70 degree's, don't you think? Been pulling weeds and I had to sprinkle my lawn already! Global warming anyone?

Let's see. What's new. You probably all got the newsletter otherwise you wouldn't know of the website. First off, I must remind everyone that we are on need of some volunteers in the Alger Heights area. We're supposed to have almost a dozen people on the board, but as you can see, our numbers are dwindling. We could also use a new block captain or four. The contact information for that sort of thing is in the newsletter, otherwise you can e-mail me at the contact information on the right there (we even have an e-mail address now!).

What else? We have the annual meeting coming up soon and some information for the block captains that day as well. It's May 9th at 7pm. If I were a betting man, I would guess we'd have it at the church there, but don't quote me. It's not like we can use the school, right?

We've been tossing around the idea of doing some sort of golf event or a softball something or other. We have a perfectly good park and a perfectly good golf course in our backyard, might as well use them. It's just talk at this point, but, I don't know, e-mail me if you'd be interested.

Lawn bags: I got a blast of messages from people who had their leaf bags piling up. It seems the city has subcontracted that out to someone whose truck isn't quite so big, so be patient (you should be composting anyhow!).

That's about it for right now. Don't forget about the meeting on the 9th. Oh! That's right! The garage sale is right around the corner too, so if anyone wants to come clean out my attic and sell my stuff for me (and give me the money, of course) let me know!

Happy EarthDay!

2006-02-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome! Thanks for paying a visit to the website. I hope you will find it useful.

Let's see. First off, we have some openings on the board if anyone is interested. A lot of times, it may seem a bit intimidating to be on your neighborhood board association, but it's important to remember that a community is what you make it. The level of commitment is not all that much. We meet once a month for about an hour and half. Some of us go to city meetings, some of us handle budgeting and such, and others of us blog. Usually, I would say it's maybe 5 hours a month of time? If anyone wants to give it a test run, our meetings are on the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm at Seymour Christian Reformed Church. We had pizza last time, so you never know what you are missing.

We were thinking about maybe doing a golf event or something like that this year if there's lots of interest. We have Indian Trails right in our backyard, so why not? It would be a good chance to meet some people in our neighborhood! We have also talked about maybe a bowling night or something like that. It's just talk at this point, but it might be fun.

Also of note is the garage sale weekend. That's coming soon, despite winters rude arrival (aren't you glad we didn't lose power this time?). We were talking sometime around Mothers Day, but nothing is set in stone.

What else...earlier this year, maybe around January, there was lots of criminal activity in our area near Eastern Avenue. Someone was breaking into cars and some houses, but nothing of note got stolen. One was actually prevented because someone had a keen sense of things! Don't be afraid to call GRPD non-emergency even if you think something is fishy. Better to be too careful than to be utterly careless. Let's keep an eye out, especially after this cold spell breaks...and during the day if you are home.

We should have a newsletter coming out again soon so look for that. Hope all is well. There is a place to e-mail us on the right hand side there and if you have any comments, you can e-mail us, or leave a comment here.

Take care!