July 2013
Hello, All: Time for a face-to-face meeting, which will be planned for August-day/time TBD. Among some of the topics will be discussion on the Patch ’N Paint project, which is neighborhood block revitalization. We did one this past June on Worden Ave., in collaboration with Home HeadQuarters.
There have been lots of questions on this project, so I’m going to cut to the chase.
To be clear with everyone, this is not some cutesy – rah, rah let’s all hold hands and sing project. What this is - is a down to earth attempt to get our neighborhoods to be the best that they can be. And the only way that is going to happen is for us to step up and get it done. And we can. It isn’t that hard.
If you can push a broom, dig a hole, lift a paint brush, hand out water bottles, donate a gallon of paint, mow a lawn, call for donations, buy some plants, make some cookies - this can be done.
You want to see your property value stay steady/increase, you want to be able to actually say hello to a neighbor with some commonality of neighborhood pride, you want to start flushing out the problem properties; this project can make that happen.
The Patch ‘n Paint streets will be our own, within Court-Woodlawn neighborhood, on each of the blocks where you live. It does not have to be the entire street participating. It can be two or three homes. It is our cleanup of our little corner of the world.
This benefits – all of us.
Think about it.
So, more to follow along with the date of the meeting.
________________________________________________________________
June 26, 2013
Please check out the below link for photos of our NorthSide TNT crime meeting with Chief Fowler and Mayor Miner. A big thank you to all the Northside Neighborhood Watch members, community members and concerned citizens who participated.
www.flickr.com/photos/city_of_
____________________________________________________________________________
June 21, 2013
So thankful for Home Headquarters, Butternut Circle businesses, members of Court-Woodlawn group, Worden Ave residents, all the great kids and volunteers who pitched in to make our first Court-Woodlawn Patch 'n Paint on June 8th a success. Neighbors can come together to make good stuff happen. And we will continue to come together for future Court-Woodlawn Patch 'n Paints. Look for us in your neighborhood.
____________________________________________________________________________
April 24, 2013
Hello, All: Some good stuff to tell everyone. The City has
listened to our requests to sit down with the businesses along the
Butternut Circle corridor and discuss ways to revitalize and sustain the
area. Hopeful that this will result in a collaborative effort between
our businesses and the city regarding ways to fund facade improvements,
and work towards improving the streetscape. As we all know, this area
is our key 'downtown' with lots of shops to do lots of things. So keep a
good thought something good will come out of this.
Our Patch 'n Paint on Worden Ave. will be Saturday, June 8th
from 10AM-3PM. Please pitch in to help. Remember, even if you can help
for an hour, it would be greatly appreciated.____________________________________________________________
March 22, 2013
Hello, Everyone: We've come up with a name for our Worden Ave revitalization - Court-Woodlawn Patch 'n Paint. The event will be Saturday, June 1st with a rain date of Saturday, June 8th. Please join in. We need people to help. The stuff we do is really the stuff you do around your home. Trimming shrubs, painting porches, little bit of hammering here and there, spreading out some blacktop on the driveway. Any help is appreciated.
So, please mark your calendars.
And if you know anyone who has skills like carpentry, painter, masonry, etc., please ask them if they could spare an hour or two to help.
As discussed in the last e.mail, Home Headquarters is agreeable to having this be an annual or semi-annual event that would encompass the entire NorthSide. We will pick different blocks to do a patch 'n paint.
I'll be requesting escrow funds at the NorthSide TNT Wednesday, March 27th to make it happen. Keeping my fingers crossed.
You know, community groups do make a difference. And I'm glad ours is doing just that.
Thank you.
___________________________________________________________
March 13, 2013
Hello, Everyone: Very good news - Have had a few meetings with Home Headquarters, and they have agreed to do a mini-block blitz on Worden Ave., the street which has Change of Pace and 7 Eleven on the corner (off of Grant Blvd). This means that we will be doing some painting, minor repairs, landscaping, shrub trimming, sealing driveways - whatever, giving the entire block a nice re-freshening This will happen the first or second week of June on a Saturday. Of course we'll need volunteers. So please mark your calendars. Also, if you know anyone who is a painter, mason, carpenter, refinishes driveways - any kind of trade like that would be great for them to volunteer, along with yourself of course. If you're not the physical type, perhaps you could donate some paint, nails, blacktop goop for driveways - or bake some cookies.
_________________________________________________________________
So, been reading lots of articles singing the praises of Downtown – expanding on all the nip/tucks taking place, the walkability, the great places to get a bite to eat, the great places to meet and greet with friends, the great places to live. Very cool.
What we do need is a name for our project - so send any in that you can think of so we can put it to a vote.
I'm hoping we can make this an annual if not semi-annual event, as Home Headquarters has agreed to mentor us for any of these projects that we choose. And would be great to spread it out over the entire NorthSide. So, can think of our next block re-do next Spring in Danforth/Pond/Butternut or Washington Square or Lincoln Hill or other NorthSide neighborhoods.
As some of you know we are always working at coming up with projects for our NorthSide TNT escrow funds, so I'm putting this out there for a vote next meeting to help with some of the costs. Meeting will be Wednesday, March 27th @ 7PM @ Grant Middle School.
Community projects can be a great way to give a little sparkle to your neighborhood. You don't have to have any great skills, cause there's always someone around to point you in the right direction.
Jump in.
_________________________________________________________________
So, been reading lots of articles singing the praises of Downtown – expanding on all the nip/tucks taking place, the walkability, the great places to get a bite to eat, the great places to meet and greet with friends, the great places to live. Very cool.
Well, I’d like to let you know of Butternut Circle with their
own brand of great things to offer, located on the upper NorthSide starting at
the intersection of Grant Blvd and Butternut Street.
Want great pizza – we got you covered with Peppino’s.
Want great wings – we got you covered with Change of Pace.
Want great deli – we got you covered with New York Roast.
Want that great cut of meat, or sausage – we got you covered
with Lieh’s and Steigerwald’s.
For all those other needs we have, Butternut Circle’s got
you covered with Rite Aid, Byrne Dairy, Butternut Dental, Sundue haircuts, Simply
Unique Beauty Salon, Jaquin’s Cleaners… Okay, you get the drift. You need it, Butternut Circle’s got it. I could go on and on.
To the point is the point that all this goodness is in a
three block stretch, very walkable, and nestled in a residential area that offers
homes with all the character that we crave without a high ticket price.
As many of the business owners said - in all of Syracuse, you’d be hard pressed to
find an area as unique as Butternut Circle if just for its sheer blend of our
little ‘downtown’ nestled in the hometown of upper NorthSide.
Looking for all those great things that make a community a place
where you want to live? Check us out.
You may just be looking at your new neighborhood.
__________________________________________________ February 20, 2013
Greetings Friends, Family, Colleagues and Acquaintances,
I don't often make shameless plugs, but this is an exception:
6 years ago, I helped start an organization - the Northside Urban Partnership (Northside UP) - with the belief that people
were the most essential resource in community revitalization. Since
that time, we've seen that theory of change be proven over and over
again. We now have an opportunity to take our work to the next level.
Recently,
Mike Bloomberg, through his foundation (Bloomberg Philanthropies),
initiated the "Mayor's Challenge", a nation-wide competition that asked
mayors to submit bold and innovative ideas for solving some of our
nation's greatest challenges. I was honored to be invited by Mayor Miner
to lead the effort in developing Syracuse's application. Now, after an
incredibly long and arduous process, Syracuse is one of twenty finalists
nationwide (out of 300+ cities), and we're competing for one of five
prizes, ranging from $1 million - $5 million.
The
competition also includes a 2 minute video, featured on the Huffington
Post - and is part of a "Fan Favorite" competition. The winner of which
will receive additional resources and publicity from Huffington Post. I
would be really grateful for your vote. Regardless of where you live,
our proposal is relevant to your city. It's about believing in
people's inherent potential and creative power. We confidently state
that the disconnected and disenfranchised residents of our communities
are assets, waiting to be tapped, rather than problems to be treated.
Show us some love!
Link to our video is here:
Voting Page is here:
Most sincerely,
Dominic Robinson
Northside UP
Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
Hello, Everyone: Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of attending a Shrove Tuesday celebration at Gethsemane Church, where I met a wonderful couple who have made Court-Woodlawn their home for 28 years. I'll be catching up with them for an interview to place on our blog and Facebook page. Gethsemane Church is located on upper Butternut Street, a few blocks from the Circle. They do sponsor dinners, and seasonal events inviting the community to join in(some photos on our blog). They also provide a 'personal closet' for those in need. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, March 23rd @ 1PM. As I receive notifications on other events, I'll pass them along to you. And I had a nice chat with Pastor Penny and Reverend Judy. Encouraging Rev. Judy to make Court-Woodlawn her home - very, nice woman.
Please note that at our Feb. 27th NorthSide TNT meeting @ 7PM @ Grant Middle School, Diane and husband Magic (interview on our blog) will do a presentation on the house rehab school they are starting. We'll also have Katelyn Wright (city person) who will speak on the new city proposal regarding boarded up/abandoned buildings. We will also have Sarah from the Citizen's Review Board speak on their function regarding the police department.
Court-Woodlawn will be having a face-to-face meeting in the Spring.
As we are nearing Spring, I'd like to float out this idea. As we know, Spring is when a lot of people think about moving whether finding a house or a place to rent. We do put houses for sale in Court-Woodlawn on our blog, so if you know someone who's looking encourage them to make our community their home. Or if you know of a rental, let me know so I can place it on our blog. Also, as we are always encouraging people to make Court-Woodlawn their home, might be a good idea to do a photo and interview project on Butternut Circle businesses. Lots of people frequent the shops, restaurants, etc. and could be a good way to show that a place as walkable as Butternut Circle is a good place to live. Please send your thoughts on this.
Also, will be placing these newsletters on our blog so people can see what we are up to.
In everyone's busy life it is sometimes easier to communicate via e.mail where one can gather their thoughts on a subject and respond to it. To everyone who sends their thoughts and ideas for our area - Thank you. And to everyone - if you have an idea, concern, anything, please share it. Times in Syracuse are challenging right now. Though, thankfully, our Court-Woodlawn area remains a safer place to live(check our crime stats), we are seeing a spike in crime throughout the entire city, which - thankfully - citizens are speaking out against. And hopefully our elected official will take note. If you belong to a Neighborhood Watch group, be sure to make a continued point of wanting our streets safer. If you don't belong, find out where your local group meets. If you don't know your local group, send me a message and I'll check it out.
Take care.
Barbara.
______________________________________________________________________
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Hello, Everyone: Some good news - after many discussions with city members and land bank members, they've agreed to add portions of Court-Woodlawn to the next go-round of tax delinquent letters. What this means is the tax delinquent buildings in our area (residential and commercial) will receive letters requesting payment of back taxes, the city will work with property owners regarding their payment. If letter is ignored(as some property owners have just walked away), the city has the right to seize the property and put it into the land bank. When it is in the land bank a person may bid on a property (the city will be sure that the company/person that is bidding is credible) and they would be obligated to fix it up (you probably see where I'm going with this). This helps our area in that it puts these buildings on the track for development. This will be an opportunity for Court-Woodlawn Development to acquire one of these properties to get it ready for owner occupancy. Thank you to those who have offered to help when I do acquire a building. I will definitely be in touch. So, I'm hopeful that this will encourage those tax delinquent properties to make good on their debt; and if not, enable someone to step in, fix up the property, and make it productive again.
Also, I was contacted by Diane Bostick, a new homeowner in the Court-Woodlawn
neighborhood. She, her husband and a few other people are working
towards starting a school which will train people in house renovation.
The good part is it will be a hands on experience, so they will be
doing actual houses, and she is working towards starting in the NorthSide. I have invited her to speak at our next NorthSide
TNT meeting on Feb. 27th @ 7PM @ Grant Middle School. We'll see what
she's got going on. Check out our blog (Meet the Neighbors) for some info on her.
Take care.
Barbara.____________________________________________________________
Monday, January 28, 2013
Hi, Everyone: Am sending an update, as you know that we do not have scheduled meetings unless there is something significant to discuss. There is nothing worse than having a meeting just for the sake of having a meeting. I guess this is our official/unofficial mini news letter.
So, for an update. I am continuing to research properties for rehab. Thank you to all who have given me locations. As was my concern, I have found that many of the abandoned houses have significant back mortgages, compounded by liens regarding credit card debt or medical bills etc., which makes them cost prohibitive. Eventually, there will come a property that will give the right start to this project.
Also, I have had some discussions with members/non-members of our group as to the idea of forming a 501c3, which would give us non-profit status. (Thank you for your interest) At this time given the small pool of funding for non-profits and the competition for that funding, it would not be practical to form a non-profit. I find that having discussions with the non-profits that it is best to work in conjunction with them, as our goals are the same.
Our last NorthSide TNT (Wednesday, Jan. 23) main meeting had the police giving a presentation on burglaries etc. on the NorthSide. Please remember that should you see anyone suspicious or anything bad happening in your neighborhood call the police. It's the only way to get some attention paid where it's needed.
As you know we did a graffiti cleanup that was successful, and I've noticed that much of it has not yet returned. Should you be part of the group who is doing the cleanup or should you like to join, simply purchase some graffiti cleaner at Home Depot or Lowe's, use a kitchen scrubbie and a rag - it's pretty easy to cleanup. And for another tip, after you clean it up, spray a bit of WD40 or a light lubricant/oil over the area. If the graffiti tries to come back it will run, and also it makes it easier to clean up the next time.
Lastly, as many of you know the new NorthSide TOPS is open. There was some fanfare on TV, newspaper etc., regarding its opening, but not a lot of thank you's to those who actually started the movement to get a grocer on the NorthSide. Pat Body and Danforth/Pond/Butternut, along with Diane McGuire of Washington Square started the parade. So, giving credit where credit is due, if you should see Pat or Diane or others of their original group, please give them a big shout out thank you.
Take care.
Barbara.
__________________________________________________________
Friday, December 14, 2012
Hello,
Everyone: As we all know the strength of our community lies in the
large percentage of owner occupancy we have. And towards to protecting
that end, I've started up Court-Woodlawn
Development which will work towards purchase of houses to rehab and sell
for owner-occupancy. I have been approved via Cooperative Federal for
purchase funding.
I oftentimes have found that when people let a property slide or it's a
case of elderly that leave the house to family, the family oftentimes
sells to whoever, and sometimes that whoever is an investor with no
interest in taking care of the neighborhood. So, my request to you is
that should you know of a home in your area that falls into this
description, please let me know about it.
Even if it is not yet ready for sale I'd like to reach out to the
family/owner, and perhaps their knowing that a family home can be
revitalized to be sold to someone who will enjoy it could help to make
their decision a better one for our community.
Court-Woodlawn is a great place to live.Thanks for your help.
Barbara
No comments:
Post a Comment