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From WIA President, DeAnna Outlaw September 2008 There is a subtle change in the air. I’m not
talking about politics. The change is the smell and the feel of the wind as it
blows. Soon there will be brilliant fall colors, crisp weather, and the aroma of
apple cider and pumpkin pie. *With one exception, grandfathered in long ago.
As always, we will be located right next to the
Pet Food Center at the corner of St. Joe and Franklin. Stop by, say hello and
help support WIA. There are still a few openings on the volunteer schedule. If
you would like to work in the booth, email me at
dpoutlaw@aol.com or call 589-1657. August 2008 Summer is winding down and the days are getting
shorter. Soon we will notice the air feeling crisp and the leaves will turn.
Also, right around the corner is the Westside Nut Club Fall Festival! July 2008 What is Independence Day? We celebrated this year
much as we always do. Our home was shared with family and friends. We grilled
and ate good food, wowed at the fireworks, and enjoyed each other’s company. I
must say that it never came up in conversation what July 4th really represents
and how it affected the future of our country. June 2008 What an exciting time to be living in and around
Evansville! As a teenager in the 70’s, I never thought I would utter those
words. The thought then was this – there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, and
Evansville is the most boring place on this planet. Even though most of us had
nothing to compare it with, we just knew as teenagers do. As we were growing up
and unbeknownst to our young eyes so was Evansville. April 2008 If you have been thinking that you would like to
get out and help spiff up your neighborhood, this is the best time of year to do
it. The air smells fresh, everything is in bloom and your neighborhood is
beckoning for you to come out and play. Empowering neighborhood associations to assemble volunteers and sustain community improvement is at the heart of a livable city. With the right tools, and a vision for how you want your neighborhood to be, you can bring about change. Neighborhood associations increase citizen responsibility, ownership, and pride. They provide the framework for ongoing cleanup and beautification, helps address litter, illegal dumping, and other quality of life concerns. A well-organized neighborhood can wield powerful influence when addressing the needs and problems of local residents. If you aren’t sure what neighborhood association you live in, contact the United Neighborhoods of Evansville (UNOE) at (812) 428-4243 and they can help put you in contact with your neighborhood representative. Words of Wisdom March 2008 What a glorious day! The ice and snow are gone and the sun is shining. The crocuses are peeking out with their beautiful purple blossoms. Soon we’ll see daffodils and the rest of the early blooming flowers. I look outside toward the bird feeders and see red-winged black birds, robins, blue birds, cardinals, and sparrows. It’s a virtual potpourri of feathered friends. Our field next to the house is still flooded but the wildlife sure enjoys it. We never tire of watching the Canada Geese coming in for a landing squawking the whole time or the mallard ducks hunting in the water with their young. The sound of the frogs in the summer can be deafening at times but wonderful all the same. The hawks flying overhead are spectacular. Many times they will sit on the fence posts then I can get a really good look. I’m watching for the pair of Great Blue Heron that come every year. Did I mention the squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and opossum that travel through every day? In this age of computers and video games, many youth haven’t had the chance to witness the wonders of nature, truly missing out on so much of life. This leads me to announce an exciting new adventure that WIA is embarking upon – the Junior Westside Improvement Association. Our goal is to bring westside youth into our Association for the purpose of leading by example, so that they may experience the joy and personal satisfaction that comes from volunteering in their community – as well as learn respect for their environment and others, pride of ownership, and a sense of belonging in their community. Our first effort is to get them involved with our garden “spot” on the corner of St. Joe and Maryland Street. We will start small but hope to eventually include all the west side schools, including the high schools, in various projects. We would like to see older kids mentoring younger ones, since kids seem enjoy learning from other kids. Get them while they're young and they just might live their lives with a genuine love of the environment! Master Gardener Kath Shockley has generously agreed to give of her time and expertise to help with this effort. By the way, just as soon as the earth is warm enough, everyone is welcome to come help plant. If you thought it was beautiful last year; just wait until it is in full bloom this year. Anyone wanting to participate should contact Dot Berning at 424-8307. Earth Day is April 19. Howell Wetlands is hosting
an Earth Day Celebration. There will be various booths with plants, education,
and fun activities to do. We will be there. This year we are sponsoring a bike
ride for all ages and skill levels. We could use some more volunteers. See
Dave Rockwood’s column for more information.
What were they thinking? That was my first
thought when I heard the choice of location the Evansville Convention and
Visitors Bureau made concerning the proposed softball and baseball complex at
Wesselman Park. January 2008 Recently, I had the privilege of reading through
some of WIA's archives. We have newsletters, minutes of meetings, and media
clippings from the past 30+ years. What an education this has been. The tireless
dedication that WIA members have shown for the west side has been humbling. Our
members from the beginning were concerned citizens, businesses, and politicians.
This mix of membership has remained unchanged to this day.
Our sympathies to Bill Harty and his family on
the passing of his wife, Susan, on January 5. Bill is a past president of WIA
and a current board member. Bill, our thoughts are with you. November-December 2007 As one year ends and a new one is on the horizon,
I often reflect on the closing year. We all share a common thread of
experiencing the full spectrum of life’s challenges. As is life, some better and
some worse. This new year; make it your resolution to be open minded, kind and
giving to your neighbors. It only takes one person to make a difference in
someone’s life.
I would like to thank the officers, Board of
Directors, and members for your hard work, encouragement and support. Without
all of you, WIA wouldn’t be the strong association that it is today. October 2007 What has happened to volunteering just for the
sake of helping someone or an organization without the expectation of something
in return? I’ve spoken with leaders across the board and hear the same thing
time and again. The volunteer effort in our community is accomplished mainly by
the same groups of people over and over again. Just think what could be done if
more people would become involved just a little bit. Everyone is busy. We all
have kids, grandkids, jobs, parents to help; the list goes on and on. Why do
some people make time and others just make excuses? If you aren’t active in your
community, then are you truly a part of that community or are you just existing? September 2007 There’s something in the air. The evenings are
starting to feel different. They even smell different than before. Autumn marks
the transition from summer into winter. This season is without a doubt my
favorite time of year. The leaves will be changing into a kaleidoscope of color
soon and dropping to the ground like a lush blanket of reds, golds, and purples. August 2007 It’s that time of year again and the Fall
Festival is right around the corner. This year I asked my mother, Bonnie Kolb,
to share a little of the history of the WIA Food Booth. Here's her story. July 2007 I hope everyone had a glorious 4th of July. As
always our city made it possible to enjoy the summer holiday with many
activities downtown on our beautiful riverfront. The hydroplane races, air
shows, the bierstube, musical entertainment, and of course the fireworks make
this time of year special indeed. June 2007 While I was outside one evening, this very strong
odor swept past. It smelled of ammonia and rotten eggs and something I couldn’t
identify. The fumes were so strong that my nose and eyes burned and for the
remainder of the evening I felt awful.
Here are some warning signs that you may have a meth lab in your neighborhood.
We help clean up our neighborhoods of trash and
debris, let's clean up our neighborhoods of another kind of trash. Keep your
eyes open, become more observant of what is going on in your area. Each and
everyone of you is your neighborhood watch system. May 2007 Recently, I learned of a wonderful educational
project that the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners (SWIMGA) has set up to
help schools, day care centers, summer camps, and youth groups start their own
Children’s Outdoor Classroom Gardens (COCG). This program helps children connect
with their surroundings by using the outdoors to teach Math, Science, Reading,
Art, and Nutrition.
Are we a compassionate and just society? County Prosecuting Attorney Stan Levco March 2007 Congratulations to the Mater Dei Wildcats winning
another State Team Wrestling Championship and to Coach Mike Goebel on your 12th
State Championship! Another west side tradition to celebrate. We look forward to
watching your continued success. February 2007 Brrrrr! It’s cold outside. As I write this, I look over at my spoiled critters; three cats and one dog, and remind them how very lucky they are to live inside. The dog looks grateful. The cats look bored, yawn, and go back to sleep. For everyone that has outside animals, don’t forget to provide shelter, extra bedding, and plenty of food and thawed water. Animals that live outside need more food when it’s cold to help them stay warm. Don’t forget your feathered friends. If you don’t have bird feeders, just break up stale bread. They will love it. I am excited and proud to announce that WIA has become involved with Keep Evansville Beautiful to Adopt-A-Spot. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to come together to beautify a spot on the West side of Evansville. For details and some interesting history, don’t miss the article by Mel Runge. ‘Musings of An Innocent Bystander’ by Steve McCallister is back. The subject is thought provoking and may lead you to investigate further. Lots of action going on downtown. Read about the continuing and new developments happening at the Area Plan Commission for the West side by Fred Padget. Many times we hear from members that they would love to volunteer, but they have such time constraints that it’s impossible. Another way you can help WIA achieve it’s goals is through a monetary donation. As a non-profit organization, our only funding comes from membership dues, the Fall Festival Food Booth, and donations. Beginning this month you will have the opportunity to support WIA and have a choice where your donation will be applied. You may choose from: General, Adopt-A-Spot, Fall Festival Booth, or the Scholarship Fund. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has stepped up to donate time, money, and resources to help WIA continue it’s vision to enhance the West side of Evansville. Children have never
been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to
imitate them. January 2007 As your new president, I would like to introduce myself. I grew up on the west side and have lived most of my life in Evansville. My husband, Phillip, and I have been married for 25 years and have three grown children and three grandchildren among us. We feel that it is true what people say, ‘the west side is the best side’. No question about it. More than 30 years have passed since the inception of the WIA. We still do our utmost to improve the quality of life for those who live, work, or attend school on Evansville’s west side. We believe in being active, vocal, and persistent about those things we support and those things we find objectionable. While it’s not always convenient, we strive to achieve our goals in the most diplomatic and respectful way possible. In the middle 70‘s, Evansville and Vanderburgh County were faced with questions of strengthening the current infrastructure, residential and commercial development, and intelligent growth - much as it is today. Make no mistake, we are a strong and influential organization. However, we are only as strong as our membership involvement. We simply don’t have the option of basking in past achievements and there are many. To keep with the direction of our Mission Statement, we must be ever vigilant. This is an invitation for community involvement. If not you, then who? Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means. ~Albert Einstein We will be involved in many fun and thought-provoking activities this year. You will be updated as more details become available. It will be wonderful to see everyone and to welcome all the new faces. In the February newsletter, there will be a new section. Ask WIA will be a question and answer format. Any question or inquiry that you may have concerning the west side of Evansville will be answered in this column. You may submit your question/inquiry to: email - dpoutlaw@aol.com, phone - (812) 589-1657, or mail - WIA, PO Box 6172 West Wabash Station, Evansville, IN 47719. Occasionally throughout the year, the newsletter will contain articles of historic significance. Many of you know interesting stories and history about the west side of Evansville. You can write it or we’ll be happy to write it for you. The contact information is the same as for Ask WIA in the above paragraph. Our first General Meeting on Thursday, February 15 will be interesting and relevant for everyone. Most all of you either have pets or live near other people’s critters. Tom Hayden, Superintendent of the Evansville Animal Care and Control Shelter, will speak concerning the new Animal Ordinance, spay/neuter, microchipping your pets, and other animal issues. The meeting will be held at Dove Chapel Baptist Church, 4420 Nurrenbern Road. Those of you that aren’t familiar with the location, it is on the curve where Red Bank Road turns into Nurrenbern Road going toward Burdette Park. The second General Meeting on Thursday, May 17, we will host a showing of the first episode of “Feel the History” at the University of Southern Indiana. For those of you that haven’t had the chance to see this extraordinary work, don’t miss this. Terry Hughes, a technology curriculum specialist in the EVSC, developed the course at Reitz, which is being taught by Jon Carl. The students narrated, produced, and researched the material for this documentary about the west side of Evansville. Representatives from “Feel the History” will be on hand to provide additional information. On Saturday, September 15, our General Meeting and Picnic will be held at Burdette Park, Shelter #13, the same shelter as last year. Due to the positive feedback, this seems to be turning into an annual event, one that is enjoyed by all who attend. Be sure to check the newsletter calendar each month and don’t forget to mark your own calendars. We look forward to seeing you there! From WIA president, Linda Cleek December 2006 Where did the year go? Last December, I had lots of plans and
hopes for what could be accomplished during my year as president. Now, though, I
just wonder what became of the time. October 2006 October is my favorite month, and not just
because of the Fall Festival. I want to thank everyone who helped make the Fall
Festival a success for WIA—those who prepped, set up and took down the booth;
those who fetched and carried products and supplies; those who sliced, shook,
stuffed, cooked, and otherwise worked in the booth; and those who purchased (and
enjoyed, we hope) our products. Next month we’ll report on how many of those
wonderful stuffed baked potatoes, lemon shake-ups, and other items we sold. September 2006 What is the meaning of this????? June-July 2006 Great things are happening! April 2006 Clean it up! March 2006 Congratulations!
Educate me! As I begin my second month as president of WIA I am becoming painfully aware of how little I know. This awareness comes about in part because people are calling with questions and stopping me in Schnuck's to tell me about problems in their neighborhoods. In case you don't know, in my "real" job I am director of continuing education at the University of Southern Indiana. For more than 30 years, my life has been dedicated to promoting lifelong learning. Well, now the educator needs to do some learning! I need to become more familiar with the various neighborhoods (hint to associations: I'd love an invitation to one of your meetings), as well as problem areas. Also, I'm always interested in learning about businesses and people of the west side. As one who is permanently attached to her computer, e-mail is probably the most efficient way to contact me. The address is lcleek@westsideimprovement.org. Many of the concerns people bring to my attention have to do with drainage, dumping, and other pollution/conservation issues. We are currently in need of people to work on our Pollution and Conservation Committee. If cleaning up eyesores, preserving the environment, breathing clean air, and having clean water to drink are concerns of yours, why not volunteer for that committee? I hope you will make plans to attend the February 16 general meeting. Brenda Jeffers, WIA senior vice president, has arranged for County Commission President Cheryl Musgrave and a representative of the city administration, to be named later, to present a program on what to look for in local government affairs in the coming year. We'll also be presenting our 2005 scholarship winners from Reitz and Mater Dei. Brenda has reserved The Korner, 3911 Broadway, for the meeting which starts at 7 p.m. The Korner is a party/meeting facility that was formerly a convenience store. It is next to the old Leo's Barbecue. Please bring your friends and neighbors along to this interesting and informative meeting. I'll remind you about this again, but please make note that the April Board of Directors meeting will be held at Burdette Park, Shelter # 18. The Red Bank Branch Library will be undergoing renovations during April and May. Thanks to Joyce Moers for securing the Burdette location. Finally, a hearty thank-you to the members of the board of directors, many of whom have already stepped up to take on new roles in the coming year. Welcome to new board members Officer Joe Dickinson and Ava Nix. And a huge thank-you to Fred Padget who is patiently teaching me about this job and still doing yeoman's work on behalf of the organization. January 2006 Help!
From WIA President, Fred Padget A PERSONAL NOTE But rather than list our accomplishments and shortcomings, which for the most part have been documented in our newsletter and on our Web site, I think it is more valuable to look to the future and plan how we can be even more successful. We have just elected a new President, Linda Cleek, who comes to this position with a long history of WIA involvement as well as a high degree of support for the WIA mission, goals and objectives. The membership has made an excellent choice. She’ll also have a dedicated group of officers, board members and committee members to help carry the WIA mission to a higher level. One of the biggest challenges for our group is continued perpetuation of the effort toward our mission. To do this, we must recruit new and active members, a very difficult goal to accomplish based on what I hear from many other volunteer organizations. It is difficult to get younger people involved because of the many commitments they already have. But it is vital to our organization that we expand our membership. A second challenge is to create an environment that will cause our current members to become more active and involved. That is meant as no disrespect to the many members who already help in so many ways. It is simple logic. The more that are involved, the more we can accomplish. And there are many areas within our community were we could have a more significant impact with more involvement. We must make involvement a rewarding and pleasant experience. For me, the reward of accomplishment is almost euphoric. Once experienced, I’m sure others would feel similarly. The support for your involvement is within the organization though many sources. Thirdly, we need to assess our resources and focus our attention on vital goals where we can be successful and make real change for the better. Our Mission Statement, goals and objectives are the guidance for this course of action. We must limit our focus to reality and what can be done with our limited resources. And finally, so much of WIA’s accomplishment rests with our committees. This is truly where things get done. Each active committee can focus on specific goals as part of our Mission Statement, determine what is needed to accomplish the goal and help to find resources to cause the goal to be accomplished. Active committees are vital to any success we have. I have pledged my support to help Linda continue the
mission of the WIA; I hope you do the same. November/December 2005 First, I’d like to welcome and congratulate the new President of the Westside Improvement Association for 2006, Linda Cleek, and express my congratulations to all the Officers and Board of Director Members elected at our recent annual meeting. Good luck and best wishes to all in performing the functions of their elected positions. Read more about our annual meeting. Although the new west side Kohl’s has been open since early October, on behalf of the WIA, I would like to welcome them to the west side and wish them great success at their new location. Without question, the new store brings something special to this area in design, landscaping and shopping experience. I’ve already had many good comments about the operation and we are glad to have Kohl’s in the area. Best wishes for a long and successful operation. We also want to congratulate Suzanne Crouch for recently being elected to the unexpired term as State Representative for District 78. Although we will miss Suzanne as County Commissioner, we welcome and congratulate Tom Shetler, Jr. who was elected to fill the remaining term that she vacates. Good luck and best wishes to both Suzanne and Tom in the performance of their new positions. During the October Board of Directors Meeting, action was taken to make a contribution to the Howell Park Glow Golf event and purchase a gift card for a program to be administered through UNOE and the Red Cross to aid recent hurricane victims. We also wish to pass our condolences to those who suffered loss or injury during the recent tornados in the area. As we all know, the area experienced several tornados with the east side of Vanderburgh County and neighboring Warrick County suffering much loss and devastation. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who were affected. At the same time, our first responders, recovery crews and the many agencies involved in the rescue and recovery efforts deserve great credit. They all reacted marvelously; it is just unfortunate they had to react at all. Since this is a combined November/December message I do want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a happy and successful New Year and a wonderful holiday season. Again, congratulations and best wishes to Linda
and all those elected to leadership rolls for the WIA. It has been a privilege
and honor for me to serve you as President for the past four years. Thanks to
all of you for all your help and support. October 2005 The 84th West Side Nut Club Fall Festival is now over and recovery can begin. It will probably take me three or four weeks to recover and I should be ready again next year. But it is a great event for Evansville and all of Vanderburgh County as well as the surrounding counties. To keep an event going and improving for 84 years is a tribute to the Nut Club and the effort they put into it. Of course the WIA had our food booth there and I want to sincerely thank each and every individual who helped to make it a success for the WIA (See the article by DeAnna Outlaw.) Without your help, it couldn’t happen. I appreciate you efforts very much. I especially thank Bonnie Kolb, the WIA Food Booth Chair, for her effort this year and for the many years she has successfully led the effort. She won’t tell us how many years she’s been involved and I‘m smart enough to not ask. DeAnna Outlaw also deserves special thanks for recruiting volunteers for the food booth and helping Bonnie in so many ways. In the end, it is those who volunteer to work in the food booth that truly makes the effort successful. Thank you all, once again. At our most recent board meeting, the board voted unanimously to write a letter to the County Commissioners and EUTS (Evansville Urban Transportation Study) requesting that plans be developed for rebuilding and upgrading of Hogue Road. Hogue Road is all ready quite congested and in need of expansion. With current on-going development and projected future development an upgrade to the road is sorely needed. The request is currently being drafted. Also, early in the New Year, we’ll have an opportunity to request road resurfacing. If you know of roads in need of resurfacing or patching, let me know and we’ll put it in our request. Be specific about the location and whether it is in the county or city. Pictures would also be helpful but not needed if you are specific about the location. We may not get everything done we’d like but we’ll get more done than if we don’t ask. We’ve recently received some complaints concerning activities on the southeast corner of Diamond Avenue (Route 66) and St Joseph Avenue. Concerns include the storage of trailers and other items on that area as well as a generally unsightly appearance. Since this area is one of the major entryways into Evansville, it certainly reflects a first impression of Evansville. We are researching the zoning and other ordinances that may pertain and will report more next month. We’ve also had complaints concerning Carpentier Creek, specifically blockage at the culvert under the CSX Railroad so bad that little water is flowing though and also a culvert under Old Henderson Road in the same area. We’ve been told of a significant fish kill because of the quality of the water and damage to crops from the water backing up. Additionally, there are many old discarded tires in a nearby area that may create a mosquito health problem and should not be there. We will be following up on these concerns with the owners and appropriate agencies in an effort to get these problems corrected. We’ll let you know more next month. An upcoming event you might want to be aware of is the United Neighborhoods Of Evansville (UNOE) Sparkplug Awards Banquet on Thursday, October 27, at the Executive Inn at 6 PM. For reservations call 428-4243 or contact me at 428-2529 or fcpadget@aol.com before October 20 for reservations. Make plans now for the WIA Annual Meeting, Banquet and Election of 2006 Officers and Board of Directors on Thursday, November 17, at the Old Mill Restaurant at 6 p.m. More information will be forthcoming. If you would like to be a member of the Board of Directors, let Shelby Mugrave know at 437-4463 or give me a call. On Tuesday, November 29, Commissioner Musgrave
will hold a District 3 County Commissioner’s Meeting at 3:30 p.m. at the O’Day
Discovery Lodge at Burdette Park. All residents of Vanderburgh County are
welcome and this is a great chance to ask questions of the Commissioner, express
concerns you may have and get her input on most any subject pertaining to
Vanderburgh County. I’d encourage everyone to attend. September 2005 Last month I complained about no rain. This month
I’ll complain about too much rain, too fast, along with all the mud I’ve been
cleaning up. And, in viewing several construction sites, many could have done a
much better job of anticipation with appropriate erosion control measures being
in-place before the storms. Of course this is required but in some instances I
saw, it appeared no erosion control measures where in-place at all. I do commend
the County Engineer’s staff for being very active and responsive in dealing with
the many calls received during the storms and the aftermath. August 2005 Heat and no rain, grass is burnt out, flowers are struggling, my dogs are hogging the air conditioning, summer in Evansville and I love it. Although some rain would be very welcome as I write this in early August. Can’t do much about that but we can all help to improve the community we love and live in. As you read this newsletter, once again you’ll see much WIA activity aimed at being involved and working toward a better community. I’d like to thank the Vanderburgh Farm Bureau, Inc., for inviting me to attend Drainage 101, a seminar presented by the Indiana Farm Bureau, Inc. The purpose of this seminar is to promote an understanding of the laws and regulations that control drainage of land in Indiana. This seminar will take place August 31and I’ll report about it in our next newsletter. On behalf of the WIA, I’d like to welcome Ann Ennis as the new Executive Director of Keep Evansville Beautiful. KEB’s purpose is to motivate and educate the community about litter prevention, recycling and beautification programs for the environmental and economic benefit of the Evansville area. We wish Ann great success in her new and important responsibility. Some upcoming events to be aware of include Mayor Weinzapfel’s 18th Traveling City Hall Program planned for Wednesday, August 31, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Room 118 A & B of the C.K. Newsome Center, 100 E. Walnut Street. The Mayor and many of his staff will be there to meet with you. It is a great opportunity to let the appropriate people know of your concerns within the city and often get them resolved. County residents will have a chance to attend a public meeting hosted by Commissioner Bill Nix of District 1 on Monday, August 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the NE Park Baptist Church (1215 N Boeke Road). All residents of Vanderburgh County are welcome to attend and this is another good chance to speak with your elected representative about subjects of interest to you. Another good opportunity to speak with one of your representatives is on Tuesday, August 30, at 5:30 p.m. at the 4-H Center. Commissioner Suzanne Crouch, District 2, will be hosting this meeting and, again, all residents of Vanderburgh County are welcome and encouraged to attend. Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave will also hold a
public meeting during November and we’ll remind you of that in a future
newsletter. Until next month, stay cool, be involved. July 2005 I’m writing this on the 4th of July and, no, I’m not feeling sorry for myself because I didn’t anticipate the holiday and do it sooner. In fact, expressing our opinions and being involved with the many governmental agencies we try to be involved with is a very great freedom denied to many. This day is what it’s all about. All of you know of many areas of the world still being oppressed are those who have not been enlightened to the many freedoms we, as United States of America citizens, have every minute of every hour of every day. In that regard, and maybe a little late, I thank those currently serving in the military to protect our freedom and I thank those who have served or gone before in gaining and keeping our freedom. Freedom is very precious and very expensive in terms of personal sacrifice. Nearly every month, the WIA has someone who wants to help. I want to thank Betty Baumgartner and Joyce Moers for volunteering to help Shelby Musgrave on this year's Nominating Committee. Joyce may not even be aware she volunteered since Steve Craig volunteered her. Thanks, Steve. And thanks Joyce, Betty and Shelby. I was very honored and privileged to be asked to speak at a recent meeting of the Hilltop Neighborhood Association. I don’t know that I added much to the meeting but I will tell you that Hilltop is active and involved. I was very impressed with the proceedings of the meeting and President Carolyn Stagg, as well as all the attendees. The group was planning for National Night Out (August 2 at 6 pm at Garvin Park). Based on what I heard, they are going to give the rest of the groups there some serious competition. If possible, you should attend NNO. It is a great night out nationally and locally. The Evansville Police Department and many others sponsor the event locally. Another recent event presented by UNOE (United Neighborhoods Of Evansville) included a panel discussion concerning land use. This is always a timely subject, especially for this area where much is going on with land development and land use. The effort was educational and presented various aspects and viewpoints concerning zoning, planning, control, environmental effects and development of the areas land. The panel was made up of Cheryl Musgrave, County Commissioner and Culver Neighborhood Association Representative; Steve Melcher, City Councilman Ward 3 and Diamond Stringtown Neighborhood Association Member; Pete McCullough, local developer and builder; Blaine Oliver, Assistant Director Area Planning Commission; Pat Seib and Mike Wathen from the County Engineer’s Office; Mike Lockard, WIA Land Use Chair and APC member; as well as myself. Paul Farmer, UNOE Chair, did a fine job as moderator but with a panel like that, of course we ran overtime. The discussion was forthright, interesting and informative. It’s amazing when you get a diverse group like that together, how common our interests are. It was a good evening. I also want to thank our County Commissioners for devoting a major part of a recent meeting to exploring the circumstances that led to student housing on Schutte Road. Although this came about because of major misrepresentation about the project, some good may come of it. A detailed review of how information moves from the approval stage to the over-sight stage is in progress. What someone says in the approval process, hopefully, will be followed up in the project administration and review process. Additionally, much effort by Mike Lockard, Chair of our Land Use Committee, has been put forth in meeting with APC Representatives, City Council Members and representatives, as well as the County Commissioners and representatives reviewing a proposed Covenant for potential use in adding accountability to the testimony presented to these bodies for land use decisions. We sincerely thank the City Council, County Commissioners and APC staff for their time and seriously considering our proposal. I might add that the County Commissioners recently used a Covenant running in favor of the County for commitments made by Pedcor Investments concerning a development on Green River Road. This represents great foresight and initiative for both the County Commissioners and Pedcor and both parties deserve much credit for their willingness to document what they said and intend to do. The basic principle; say what you are going to do and do what you say. Not too complicated. Until next month, enjoy the summer. June 2005 Just got back from the 2nd annual “Picken’ on the Pigeon” and they were having a great day. The weather was perfect, lots of canoes and kayaks on Garvin Lake, many good booths and displays including WAVE (Water Awareness for the Vanderburgh Environment of which the WIA was an original member), the VCSWCD (Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District) and the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage Group along with many other dedicated and valuable community organizations. Everyone seemed to be having a good time listening to the music and enjoying snacks. I don’t know who was having the better time, the children or Bill Jeffers, our County Surveyor. It was a good day put on by the Wesselman Nature Center and Canoe Evansville. We hope there will be many more. I want to take a minute and thank Paul Farmer for
volunteering to be the WIA representative to the Vanderburgh County Solid Waste
District Citizens Advisory Committee. Although he’ll represent the WIA, he will
bring a wider vision to the group because of his leadership of UNOE and, in
turn, be able to further involve UNOE into the important function of solid waste
management for the area. Our last General Membership Meeting was very informative because of a presentation by Jim Daniels concerning the ability to sustain good growth with limited resources. Jim is President of Sustainable Evansville and the amount of information and relevant statistics in his presentation is awesome. He’s presentation really makes you think about the big picture and how this earth can possibly sustain the accelerated population growth. Thanks, Jim, for being with us and making us think about the future. We appreciate your efforts. You can visit Sustainable Evansville at www.sustainableevansville.org. As you may know and would expect, Mayor Weinzapfel has a press distribution list to help communicate any press release coming from the Mayor’s Office. If you or anyone from your neighborhood would like to be the first to know and receive those announcements, you can. Just contact Stacy Wybiral, Communications Director for Mayor Weinzapfel, at 436-4962 or swybiral@evansvillegis.com. Although this may be a little late, we all wish Shirley James a complete and speedy recovery from recent surgery. Knowing Shirley, I’m sure she’ll “push the envelope” with her recovery. Lastly, you’ll notice this issue has several articles about Eagle Village Student Housing. I hope it helps to bring you up to date. We can’t change what is there but we can change the future. In that regard, be sure to read Mike Lockard’s article about the WIA proposal for future promises which might be made regarding rezoning. Have a good month and we’ll have more in July. May 2005 If I remember correctly, and I often don’t--in
fact, sometimes I don’t remember at all--about this time last year, I expressed
how difficult it was to sit here writing an article when the weather had just
turned so nice after a lengthy siege of unseasonably cold. As Yogi Berra was
credited with putting it so eloquently, it seems like déjà vu all over again.
The weather has been magnificent lately, do get out if possible and enjoy it. April 2005 Once again, one of our members has stepped
forward to serve the Westside Improvement Association. Bill Harty will be our
representative to the Technical Committee of the Evansville Urban Transportation
Study (EUTS). Of course this is not the first time Bill has helped with the
mission of the WIA. He has been involved in many, many aspects of the
organization and was President of the WIA a few years ago. In fact, Bill was one
of our founding members and last year received the Pioneer award. Jim
Gillenwater, Transportation Committee Chair, and I appreciate Bill’s help and
thank him for volunteering. As you may know, the county recently completed an efficiency study on county government. Commissioner Crouch, President of the County Commissioners, has requested input concerning portions of that study including Burdette Park, the Weights & Measures Department, County Highway Department, Engineering Department, Health Insurance, the SMG Contract and the Purchasing Department. You can find the study and make comments at www.vanderburghgov.org/home/index.asp?page=1053 or go to the county site at www.vanderburghgov.org and use the government drop down than the county drop down, click on commissioners and than, on the left, click on commissioners forum. I’m sure all comments will be welcome. If you don’t have computer availability but wish to see the study contact me and I’ll make a copy available to you. Also, the Evansville/Vanderburgh County 2004-2025 Comprehensive Plan is now available and can be obtained from the APC Office. A fee may be charged for the report but you can also view it at the APC web site www.evansvilleapc.com. The United Neighborhoods Of Evansville (UNOE) is in the process of establishing a long-range plan with a provision for outcome measurement. The plan will involve many facets and most likely include an effort to help organize new neighborhoods both in the city and the county, developing a training program for neighborhood association leaders and members, providing a “tool kit” for organizing neighborhoods and continuing to work closely with the city to name a few. UNOE is rapidly becoming a major force in helping to strengthen neighborhood organizations and, in turn, neighborhoods. Some upcoming events of interest certainly
include our General Membership Meeting planned for Thursday May 19th at 7 p.m.
in Mitchell Auditorium in the
USI Health Professions Center. The program will be concerned with
“Sustainable Evansville” and
you can read more about the group. Tire Amnesty Day will take place on April
16th and you can find more information in
Community Calendar. And, the County Commissioners are going to have public
meetings in each of their respective districts throughout the year. District 1
will most likely be in early June, District 2 is planned for August 30th and
District 3 is planned for November 29th. Most of us, but not all, live in
District 3. Much of the focus for these meetings will be City/County Unification
but the meetings will probably not be limited to only that subject. Since these
meetings are in the early planning stage, I’ll keep you informed as information
becomes available. March 2005 As you are well aware, the WIA is always looking for volunteers in many areas. I’d like to mention two who have stepped forward to help in a couple of important events. Brenda Jeffers, newly elected Secretary for the WIA, has volunteered to Chair our annual National Night Out participation. This nationwide event is organized and sponsored locally by the Evansville Police Department with many neighborhood associations and other groups also participating. And, Shelby Musgrave has stepped forward to help with our 2006 Nominating Committee. Thank you Brenda and Shelby, your help is much appreciated. And, I’d like to thank Dot Berning for making arrangements for our recent General Membership meeting at the Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Gardens Discovery Center. Eric Beck provided a very interesting update on the Amazonian Center and other improvements to this treasure of the west side and the entire southwestern portion of Indiana. If you weren’t there, you missed a very informative evening. Thanks Dot and Eric for a great evening. The 64th Annual Meeting of the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District (VCSWCD) was held on Tuesday, February 22, 2005. Lauren Preske, SWCD Supervisor, and Darrell Rice, District Conservationist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, competently shared the Master of Ceremony duties. Many awards were presented and the event was well attended. Wayne Fehd was reelected as a Supervisor. Judge William Brune gave the Oath of Office to Wayne and Les Nunn, who was previously appointed as a supervisor. Bonnie Bittner, as always, did an excellent job of arranging the event. As a sidelight, the VCSWCD was organized in 1940 and was the first in the State of Indiana. The VCSWCD mission “is to provide quality conservation services resulting in a harmonious balance between natural resources, social change, and profitability within Vanderburgh County by fostering innovative partnerships“. The WIA is a partner with the SWCD in this mission. You’ve probably read of some programs going on in Evansville that could have significant benefit to some neighborhoods. One is the new Sidewalk Repair and Replacement Program. A citywide public meeting was held on February 19 to explain the program to interested residents. The program is basically a cost-share program where the city pays 75 percent and the residents 25 percent for requests submitted prior to January 1, 2006. After that it is a 50/50 split between the city and residents. The residents can spread their payments over 10 years with no interest. For anyone, or a group of adjoining residents, who desire to have their sidewalks repaired, a petition must be presented to the Board of Public Works prior to January 1, 2006 for the 75/25 split. If you are interested in pursuing this program, contact someone with the Board of Public Works, your City Councilman or me. I’ll be happy to help you contact the right person. This program does not apply to new sidewalks. A Drug House Ordinance was recently proposed to the City Council. This ordinance would require landlords to evict renters whenever the police department has sufficient evidence that illegal use or sale of illegal drugs or controlled substances, illegal gambling, or prostitution is taking place at that residence. Some of the inner city neighborhoods have extreme problems with these activities and neighborhood revitalization is difficult or impossible under these circumstances. Needless to say, this proposed ordinance has caused a great deal of controversy between landlords and others. Often, the police have sufficient evidence but it takes time to work a case though the courts and the offender, most likely, will return to his residence anyway. Often, if they are evicted, they just move down the street. UNOE, this past month, held a panel discussion where neighborhood representatives, landlords, law enforcement, an attorney and a representative from DMD discussed the pros and cons of the ordinance. The effort is to assure the ordinance does not put undue responsibility on the landlord while still giving the community an effective tool for neighborhood improvement. Some revisions have been made to the original ordinance and discussion is on going concerning an indemnity clause for the landlord. Both of these programs fit into the Front Door Pride process of revitalizing downtown neighborhoods. In last month's newsletter you probably noticed a new feature, Musings of an Innocent Bystander. This column is intended to present a wide range of comments and thoughts from area citizens about the goings on of our community. If you wish to express yourself, send me your thoughts in a format suitable for the newsletter and we’ll get them published. We do ask that you include your name for publication with the article and we’ll include a disclaimer that the thoughts in the article do not necessarily reflect the position of the WIA. Hopefully, this will provide insight into a broader range of opinions and thought. Finally, we would like to thank Mayor Weinzapfel
for bringing the Traveling City Hall to the west side recently and we also thank
the Commissioners for holding a public meeting on the west side concerning road
repairs. Both these events are aimed at making elected officials more available
to the public and the WIA appreciates the effort. February 2005 I’m saddened to tell you of the recent passing of George Kolb at the age of 87. George and Bonnie Kolb were married for 58 years with one daughter, DeAnna, married to Phillip Outlaw, and two grandchildren, Aleisha and Jeremy. Bonnie is one of the WIA Pioneer Members and was recently recognized for her many years of contribution to the WIA. She has also been the Chair of the WIA Fall Festival for many years. DeAnna is a new member of the WIA Board of Directors and Chair of our Membership Committee. I only knew George for a few years but he was a great friend of the WIA, a hard working family man and had a refreshingly great sense of humor. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Bonnie, DeAnna and their family. His family, the WIA and many, many others will miss George. I would like to thank Shelby Mugrave for inviting me to speak at a recent meeting of the Poplar Grove Neighborhood Association. It was a great opportunity to tell about the history of the WIA, what we stand for and try to accomplish, discuss some of the current happenings of the area and, for me, to meet a great group of people. There were several questions, which I hope were answered satisfactory. It was a good evening. Mayor Weinzapfel recently announced his
endorsement of a ”Drug House Ordinance” for the City of Evansville. “The sale
and use of illegal drugs are major threats to the health and well being of the
citizens of Evansville and contributes to the deterioration of our
neighborhoods,” said Mayor Weinzapfel. “The proposed Drug House Ordinance will
provide us with another tool to fight illegal activity in our neighborhoods and
make them safer for families and children.” The intent of the Drug House
Ordinance is to make landlords accountable for the activities conducted on their
property. We appreciate the Mayor’s recognition of this significant problem and
thank him for his support in helping to curb a major blight on the city. Another bit of significant news is that Paul Farmer was re-elected to Chair the United Neighborhoods Of Evansville (UNOE) for another year. I, for one, was elated with his re-election. During the past year, Paul moved UNOE to new heights of accomplishment. And, he has great plans for UNOE in the next year. There are many things planned but a couple will have major impact on the entire community, the “Front Door Pride” program and a “Faith Based Initiative” program. Both of these programs are an effort by The City of Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development and many other groups along with UNOE to enhance the neighborhoods of Evansville. Congratulations, Paul. A couple events coming up may be of interest to you. On Tuesday, March 1, at 5 p.m. in room 307 of the Civic Center, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration will hold a public meeting concerning the public's view about the transportation planning process for the Evansville area. This is not about specific highway or road problems but rather the planning process. On Saturday, March 12, 10 a.m. at the C.K. Newsome Center, the Meet Your Legislators program will once again convene. This is open to the public and presents a good opportunity to hear your legislators’ view on many subjects. If you wish to speak, you need to call 425-3524 by noon of the preceding Thursday. If you wish further information on either program, just contact me. During the past couple of months, as usual, I was involved with several meetings of various groups with which we have a close association and common objectives. We do need some help in this area. The home page has a list of activities where help is needed. If you would like to become involved in any of these areas, just let me know. Or, if you know of anyone who might be interested, have him or her contact me. The pay is non-existent but the rewards are priceless. And, experience is not required, only a desire for the betterment of the west side. Your efforts will be appreciated. January 2005 The 2004 elections have now been over for some time and we hope you exercised your right, privilege and duty to vote. As I hear about the rest of the world, this is a very special right and privilege and we should never take it for granted. Hopefully, the candidates of your choice were elected but, in any case, each candidate who took the time and made the effort to run for an elective office deserves our gratitude and thanks. And for those that were successful, congratulations and we wish you much success in the discharge of your duties. Recently the WIA also held election of Officers and Board of Director members for 2005. While you can read more of the election and our Annual Meeting elsewhere, I want to congratulate those elected to serve the WIA next year. Each of you is very special and I thank you for your willingness to put time and effort in helping the WIA to continue efforts for the betterment of the West Side. Along with many others, I recently attended a workshop hosted by Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and the City of Evansville in partnership with UNOE and the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD). The purpose of the “Partnership in Neighborhoods” workshop was to explore how existing community organizations can partner with the City to strengthen programs and develop a network of how to help and get help for organization’s members as part of the “Front Door Pride Program”. The goals of the “Front Door Pride Program” are to:
Although this program is primarily for low- to
moderate-income neighborhoods, it is important to all of us living in the area
because vibrant neighborhood areas, especially within the City, are a benefit to
the entire area. We all gain with an attractive downtown and surrounding area.
The City/County Unification Study Group has evaluated feedback from the recent Public Information Meetings, one at USI and one at UE. With the elections over, the study Group is making an active effort to gain political support for the effort and build in suggestions and thoughts from that group. Legislation will be developed with a referendum planned, probably, for 2006. This is a good decision since there is no election in 2005 and it would be very expensive to hold an election for this one item. The group will most likely have one or two more public meetings before the referendum. We’ll keep you informed of this important question. As you probably know by now, Rose Zigenfus, Executive Director, Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) recently announced her retirement. She has guided EUTS and the transportation network for this area through many, many changes for many years. We wish Rose the very best in her retirement. Finally, being in the major holiday season, take
some time for your self, your family and your friends to enjoy some special time
together and create some fond memories to hold forever. This is a very special
season for most all of us, myself included. The WIA and I wish all of you a very
happy and special holiday season, and a satisfying and successful new year. November 2004 The 2004 elections have now been over for some time and we hope you exercised your right, privilege and duty to vote. As I look around the world, this is a very special right and privilege and we should never take it for granted. Hopefully, the candidates of your choice were elected but, in any case, each candidate who took the time and made the effort to run for an elective office deserves our gratitude and thanks. And for those that were successful, congratulations and we wish you much success in the discharge of your duties. Along with many others, I recently attended a workshop hosted by Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and the City of Evansville in partnership with UNOE and the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD). The purpose of the “Partnership in Neighborhoods” workshop was to explore how existing community organizations can partner with the City to strengthen programs and develop a network of how to help and get help for organization’s members as part of the “Front Door Pride Program”. The goals of the “Front Door Pride Program” are to:
Although this program is primarily for low- to
moderate-income neighborhoods, it is important to all of us living in the area
because vibrant neighborhood areas, especially within the city, are a benefit to
the entire area. We all gain with an attractive downtown and surrounding area.
The City/County Unification Study Group is evaluating feedback from the recent public information meetings, one at USI and one at UE. With the elections over, the Study Group will make an active effort to gain political support for the effort and build in suggestions and thoughts from that group. Legislation will be developed with a referendum planned, probably, for 2006. This is a good decision since there is no election in 2005 and it would be very expensive to hold an election for this one item. The group will most likely have one or two more public meetings before the referendum. We’ll keep you informed of this important question. As you probably know by now, Rose Zigenfus, Executive Director, Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) recently announced her retirement. She has guided EUTS and the transportation network for this area though many, many changes for many years. We wish Rose the very best in her retirement. Finally, as we begin a major holiday season, take
some time for your self, your family and your friends to enjoy some special time
together and create some fond memories to hold forever. This is a very special
season for most all of us, myself included. The WIA and I wish you all the very
best and a happy and special holiday season. September 2004 For those of you who attended our first of many (hopefully) annual membership picnics, you know it was a big success, very enjoyable and interesting. Dot Berning, as Chair of the Picnic Committee, did a great job in organizing the picnic and provided perfect weather for the event. Her committee of Joyce Moers, Mel Runge, Wayne Gerteisen, Sam Wentzel, and Shelby Musgrave were also major contributors to the effort. Some horseshoes were played, tossed aimlessly may be a better way of putting it, Marx Barbecue chicken was delicious, the conversations were good and the history of Burdette Park was definitely the highlight. Shelby Musgrave, whose father was one of the original supporters and helped to create the park, spoke to the group about the history of Burdette. Following Shelby’s presentation, most everyone boarded the bus for a guided tour of the park to learn some more history. The tour guide was Bill Murphy. Bill not only knows a great deal of the history but provided pictures and photographs documenting the history of Burdette Park. You may have seen some coverage of the picnic in the August 15 issue of the Courier & Press. We appreciate and thank the Courier & Press for the article. Steve Craig, Joyce Moers, Bill Murphy and all the Burdette staff deserve a big “thank you” for doing an excellent job in managing the park and providing such nice facilities. We thank Shelby for his very interesting history lesson and the committee for an outstanding event. The purpose of the picnic was to increase our membership and that was also a success. We welcome several new members who have joined our organization and appreciate their membership. Together, we will participate in the WIA’s effort for the betterment of the west side. All in all, it was a great day. We also want to thank Carolyn Rusk, Brownfield Coordinator for the Department of Metropolitan Development, for speaking at our recent General Membership Meeting. Some of the statistics she provided were astonishing. Brownfields are defined as under-utilized properties due to environmental hazards, blight, deterioration, abandoned buildings and other factors. Did you know we have somewhere between 300-500 brownfield parcels in the area? It is likely that many more have not been identified at this point. Carolyn also discussed all the activity currently going on to manage and improve the brownfield problem. Thank you Carolyn, for an informative and interesting presentation. The United Neighborhoods of Evansville (UNOE)
recently sponsored a meeting with several of our state representatives and
candidates to discuss concerns about unregulated teen clubs, litter in our
community, expansion of alcohol sales in convenience stores and the subdivision
approval process. The meeting was to inform our state level representatives of
our concerns and discuss possible action to resolve these issues. Speakers were
Officer Debbie Williams of the EPD, Kalah Jerstad, Director of Keep Evansville
Beautiful, Mike Lockard, member of the APC and WIA Chair of the Land Use
Committee, and myself. Susan Harp, President of Oakhill Neighborhood
Association, chaired the meeting. Paul Farmer is Chair of UNOE, the sponsoring
group. August 2004 As the saying goes, it is difficult to project the future. But it is difficult to think that the future of Evansville, Vanderburgh County, and the surrounding area will not be positively impacted by the many and diverse organizations concerned with the future of this area. I like to think the WIA plays some small part in the overall positive impact on the area, as do many neighborhood groups as well as other groups concerned with environment, health, education, improving living conditions, sound economic growth, and quality of life issues, to list only a few of the concerns championed by various groups. Recently I was privileged to meet another group
of people who are putting forth much effort and will also contribute positively
to the future of this region. This group is Sustainable Evansville, Inc.
Sustainable Evansville “is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving
Southwest Indiana though the promotion of education and understanding of the
connections between environmental concerns and sustainable community
development”. Making presentations were Joe Tutterrow, Director of the Land Resource Council for the Indiana Department of Commerce, and Lauren Preske of Sustainable Evansville. Though the use of many statistics concerning population growth, development, farmland, pollution, etc., a compelling case was made for concern about our future and the need to “promote a life style that enables society to live within its carrying capacity”. The presentations were followed by a wide-ranging panel discussion of issues concerning sustainability. The panel included Lauren and Joe as well as Blaine Oliver of our Area Planning Commission Staff and Herb Reed from the Izaak Walton League. Jim Daniels is President of Sustainable Evansville, Inc., and you can visit their Web site at www.sustainableevansville.org. We wish this group the very best as they move forward to make a positive difference for the area. Within our own organization, please be reminded of our Candidates Forum on Tuesday, September 14, at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. St. Paul’s is located at 12th Avenue and West Michigan Street. A meet and greet with the candidates will begin at 6:30 PM with the formal program to begin at 7:00 PM. All candidates for Vanderburgh County Offices as well as School Board and local State Representative Candidates are invited. This is an especially good opportunity to meet the candidates, hear what they have to say and ask questions of them. The Candidates Forum has been a successful tradition of WIA for many years and this year will continue the tradition. Candidate's Night is co-sponsored by the Vanderburgh County Farm Bureau, Inc., Mount Auburn Neighborhood Association, the Western Terrace Neighborhood Association and Westside Improvement Association. We thank St. Paul’s for the use of their facility and we are very fortunate to have Paul Farmer act as moderator as he so ably has done for previous Candidates Forums. Anyone may attend the forum so invite your neighbors, relatives and friends. They’ll be glad you did and we’ll enjoy seeing you all at the Candidates Forum. Another important activity for WIA will take
place in November, our annual meeting and election of officers and board for
2005. We still need a committee to put forth a slate of candidates at that
meeting. If you are interested in working on a committee to develop a 2005 slate
of candidates for WIA, give me a call at 428-2529 or e-mail at
fcpadget@aol.com. This is an important
function for WIA and your efforts will be appreciated as well as having a
significant impact on WIA’s future activities. Better yet if you would like to
run for a seat on our board or a specific office, just let me know. June 2004 The Evansville/Vanderburgh County Area Planning Commission Staff recently completed the public information meeting process concerning the 2004-2025 Comprehensive Plan Draft. Meetings at the Red Bank Branch Library and at the new Red Cross Center in conjunction with the United Neighborhoods of Evansville were quite well attended. There were a lot of good questions and some lively discussion. This was a great opportunity to learn more about the proposed land use for the area and provide input to the plan. The plan includes many facts and some history of the area as well as many other aspects of land use. If you really read and study the plan with an open mind toward good and proper land use, it is a very good, sound plan, at least in my opinion. Many of the problems we get into involve the process of land use approval as opposed to the plan itself. The APC accepted written comments concerning the plan though June 11. The WIA did provide comments, many of which concern the process, and they can be viewed in their entirety on our web site at www.westsideimprovement.org. Director Brad Mills and all his staff deserve a big thank you for the effort and amount of hard work that went into the plan. Once the plan is finalized, it will also be available to the public. At our last General Membership Meeting we were pleased to have Dennis Owens, Developer of the Carpentier Creek Pavilion, and Bart Mueller, Chief Engineer for the project, attend our meeting and bring us up to date on plans for the Carpentier Creek Pavilion project. A Kohl’s Department Store is planned to be the major commercial effort at that site. Mr. Owens answered many questions about the project and Mr. Mueller led a thorough and detailed discussion of the plan. The site will contain considerable landscaping, a riparian way, removal of the 90 degree bends in the creek along with a creek widening and other improvements. Although our meeting attendance could have been better, it was a very interesting and informative meeting. We appreciate and thank Dennis and Bart for taking the time to be with us. WIA Vice-president George Thompson was recently
privileged to attend the Mater Dei High School Honors Program. As you know,
Derek Herrmann from Mater Dei was last years winner of the WIA Paul Harper
Scholarship. Derek will be attending Ball State majoring in Music Education. We’ve written many times about the City/County Unification Study Group and its mission to study city/county consolidation as well other possible ways to improve local government services, efficiency and responsiveness for the citizens of the city and county. Although there is much left to study, the group felt it was time to listen to your thoughts. In that regard, I would encourage you to attend a Public Input Meeting to be held on Wednesday, June 23 at 7 p.m., at The Centre. The meeting will be for the purpose of gathering input from all interested citizens as to what benefits or drawbacks associated with consolidation you feel to be important as well as any suggestions for improved local government. For the most part, the study group will not discuss specific findings at this point but is more interested in hearing from you. Specific recommendations by the study group, if any, will be forthcoming sometime in the future. If you can make it to this meeting, it would be a valuable use of your time and a big help to the study group in developing a long term course for local government and citizens of Evansville and Vanderburgh County. Some other major events coming up are National Night Out on August 3, the WIA Membership Picnic on August 14 and our Candidates Forum on September 14. Mark your calendar to attend now. More information concerning time, place, etc., is in the Events section. Although many groups help and support us in many ways, I would like to thank one group in particular for their long standing support, help and willingness to listen to us and act when it is appropriate. That is the County Engineer John Stoll, and his staff. They are an excellent group to work with and we appreciate it. Finally, we have tried to keep you informed about
our concern with the decision by the APC in regard to APC Member Mike Lockard
and any involvement on his part with the WIA. I’ve recently been informed by the
President of the APC that after further consideration of our concern, the
original decision of no involvement by Mike with the WIA has been reversed. We
appreciate the willingness of the APC President and Legal Counsel to revisit the
decision and make a new determination. And Mike, welcome back. May 2004 On April 20, the County Commissioners held an open house at the Old Courthouse in downtown Evansville. It afforded the citizens of Vanderburgh County an excellent opportunity to talk with various county department employees, ask questions and present concerns. Unfortunately, it was not well attended and an opportunity to better understand and help improve our community was missed by many. Regardless, I hope the Commissioners see fit to continue this type “open house” on some regular basis. It does present a great opportunity for the citizens, if the citizens participate. We thank the Commissioners and the staff for this effort. Last month I mentioned that the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) in conjunction with neighborhoods and other interested citizens began an effort to review, rewrite and improve the Housing Code and Compliance. This project is progressing well. A few days ago, I received a letter from DMD indicating they were in the process of preparing the City’s 2005-2009 Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan. This is required for jurisdictions receiving Community Block Grants, Emergency Shelter Grants, and HOME Funds. They are looking for input to help complete this document. Although much of this deals with the inner city, it is important for the overall community. The WIA stands ready to help and if you have any thoughts or would like to participate, just let me know. As directed by the WIA Board at the March meeting, we did write a letter in support of the city and county resolutions concerning expansion of alcohol sales into convenience marts. We also presented that letter and the WIA’s position to the Alcohol Beverage Board of Vanderburgh County (ABB) at their April 12 hearing. The specific case involved Zeller’s Master Tire at Red Bank and the Lloyd. Although our thoughts were not aimed at Zeller's in particular, they were the petitioner involved. The question is much larger than a single outlet and concerns relaxed standards for alcohol sales and expansion of the definition of a grocery store. It could have many implications if the definition is broadened to convenience marts or other establishments where minimal food items are sold. Additionally, these outlets do not have to meet the stringent standards of liquor stores. The April 12 hearing was lengthy with many remonstrators and eventually continued. Subsequently, on April 26, the ABB approved the permit, three in favor and one opposed after a very lengthy contentious two hour meeting that, at times, appeared to be mass confusion on the part of one members of the board and even a little bizarre. You may have read about it in the April 27 Courier & Press. The state ultimately has final approval. As I have previously discussed, the City/County Unification Study Group continues to work. Although there is much left to study, the group felt it was time to receive public input. In that regard a Public Input Meeting is going to be held on Wednesday, June 23 at 7 p.m., at The Centre. The meeting will be for the purpose of gathering input from the public concerning how to improve local government including services, efficiency and responsiveness for the citizens of the city and county. For the most part the study group will not discuss specific findings at this point but is more interested in hearing from the public. Any specific recommendations, if any, will be forthcoming sometime in the future. If you can make it to this meeting, it would be a valuable use of your time in helping to set a long term course for local government. The WIA is always looking for volunteers to help carry forth our work in many different areas. Three individuals have stepped forward to do just that. I would like to thank Joyce Moers for volunteering to chair the National Night Out Committee for this year (August 3). This will be the third year WIA has participated in this event held at Garvin Park. This event is held throughout the city and sponsored by the Evansville Police Department in conjunction with many neighborhood groups and others. The excellence of past years events have been highly recognized nationally and I’m sure this year will be no exception. Thanks, Joyce, for your valuable help. Paul Farmer also deserves our thanks for once again volunteering to chair the WIA Candidates Forum. At this point arrangements have not been finalized but prior year Candidates Forums were great successes. Paul’s been involved with this activity for many of those events and this year's event will also be a great success. We know Paul loves it, during last year's Candidates Forum he was quoted as saying he ”was lovin it” and we thank him for stepping forward once again. And you’ll read elsewhere about our membership picnic on August 14, but Dot Berning and her Picnic Committee also deserve a very big “thank you” for taking on a project new to the WIA. The committee includes Joyce Moers, Mel Runge, Wayne Gerteisen, Shelby Musgrave and Sam Wentzel as well as Dot. Thank you all for the help. As I’ve said many times, WIA committees are where
the work gets done and accomplishments are made. With your support these events
will also be successful . Thanks again to all those who take an active part in
the efforts of the WIA and you members who help support the WIA.. April 2004 The Enhance Evansville: Doing The Front Door Basics program was announced and kicked off at meeting held by Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel at the C. K. Newsome Center on March 13. This program addresses the issue of housing code enforcement that has been a constant and serious complaint of city neighborhoods for many years. Basically, neighbors were asked to help define a new Neighborhood Inspection Services function for Evansville. To start things several committees were established to completely review and rewrite the Housing Code, set penalties and compliance times, develop a user friendly handbook, help with the Neighborhood Inspection Services, develop support programs and review the judicial process. The meeting was chaired by Gregg Lamar, recently appointed Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development. The meeting was well attended and is an excellent first step to continue efforts to revitalize the city. We thank the Mayor for this initiative and wish Gregg Lamar and all the involved volunteers a successful effort. A couple of other recent actions also reflect a renewed interest in the city communicating with neighborhoods. I recently received an e-mail asking if we would like to receive notice of hearings before the Housing Court and a letter asking about our interest in being informed of items before the Board of Public Safety. Of course I answered yes to both. This will be both time conserving in doing research of agendas for those groups and helpful in identifying concerns with which we may want to be involved. We also thank those involved with these efforts to help keep the neighborhoods informed and involved. Dates for the Evansville Police Department Citizen’s Academy were announced at the recent West Sector Citizens Committee Meeting. There will be two sessions, the first begins April 7 and the second begins September 8 with each running for six weeks. This is really an interesting program and you can call Tonya at 436-4948 for more information. At the same meeting, Jerry Tucker of the Salvation Army announced that new programs are being established at the Fulton Street facility. The programs will begin with a Boys and Girls Basketball Training Camp and an After School Camp. The number and type of programs may expand depending on participation and may include some adult activities depending on interest along with many volunteer opportunities. You can call Jerry at 425-1375 for more information. The City/County Unification Study Committee and
the associated sub-committees continue to meet and study this very important
subject. Again the members of this group are trying very hard to maintain an
unbiased approach and simply study the workings of local government with any
future recommendations, if there are any, aimed only at improved services and/or
costs for the citizens of Evansville and Vanderburgh County. Recently the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District was addressed by Carolyn Rusk, Brownfield Coordinator for the City of Evansville. Her presentation was fact filled, wide ranging and very interesting. Although Carolyn covered many aspects of brownfields, much revolved around the important aspect of helping to revitalize the downtown area while helping to reduce some urban sprawl and preserve some of our farmlands in the process. She and the SWCD are exploring ways to “partner” in some of that effort. If you get a chance to talk with or listen to Carolyn, please do so. She is very interesting, dedicated and knowledgeable about urban sprawl, unused land assets and brownfields in particular. Also at the recent SWCD Board Meeting Dave Ellison was elected Chair for the next year with Phil Hoy being elected as Vice-Chair. Holly McCutchan was appointed Finance Committee Chair, Lauren Preske was appointed Chair for Preservation/Creation of Natural Areas and Wayne Fehd was appointed Chair for District Operations. We wish these hard working volunteers the best with their new positions. Just a note for your information, EUTS (The
Evansville Urban Transportation Study) is in the process of revising the annual
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the area. We’ll bring before them
some of our concerns about roads and highways on the west side for possible
inclusion into the plan. If you have specific concerns, let me know and I’ll
also present them to EUTS. The plan will be finalized in June. Finally, May 4 is the primary election. Voting is
an important function in governance of our city, county and country. It depends
on all of us. And it is, in my opinion, one of our greatest privileges and
responsibilities. We urge you to study the candidates and then vote for your
choice. March 2004 Recent days have been in or near the 70 degree range, I have daffodils and crocus in bloom, and other early plant species are growing well. I’m love’n it. Soon there will be grass to mow, oppressive humidity and, with our mild winter, plenty of unwanted pests. Maybe I won’t be love’n it for long. But spring and summer are welcome guests. Those who were able to attend last month's general membership meeting found a new way to vote. The new electronic voting machines are absolutely fantastic. Easy to understand and use with touch screen technology. It provides the ability to change a vote before completing the process if a wrong candidate is chosen. A final summary is displayed to allow the voter to assure his or her vote is for the desired candidates and not a mistaken vote. Best of all, no “hanging chads.” Although there were many questions concerning security of the system, it seems very secure. We thank Pete Swaim from the Vanderburgh County Clerk’s Outreach Office for making the demonstration possible and we especially thank Court Carrell for a fine “hands on” presentation and answering our many questions. Thanks to you both. Although the voting machine demonstration was a hard act to follow, Bob Conner of the Environmental Management Corporation, the company that manages our sanitary sewer system, made an equally interesting presentation concerning our sewer system and some of the problems and complexities associated with it. Again there were many questions and Bob took the time and patience to thoroughly answer them all. We thank Bob for his interesting presentation and taking time to come and speak with us. The City/County Unification Study Committee and the subcommittees continue to work on the study and meet regularly. Although only in the preliminary stage of planning, a number of public meetings for input from all residents and others will probably take place in May or June. The purpose would be for the committee to be become more educated on the concerns, thoughts and ideas of concerned citizen’s with the intent of addressing those concerns within the study while sharing some of the factual information determined at this point. At some future date, public meetings would be held to present and explain the group's recommendation, if any. In the meantime you may want check out the study committees new web site at www.citycountystudy.com. You can learn a little about the group and the process and send the committee any comments you may have. Lastly, I want to take a little time and discuss the WIA. As you know we have several members who are very active in furthering the goals and objectives of the WIA. I won’t get into names at this point but we do thank and appreciate all those working for the betterment of the West Side. Like most active and involved groups, there are many more projects and activities where we could make a difference but lack involvement simply because we run out of time. As a group, we are quite well recognized and have a good reputation for being involved in a reasonable and responsible manner. We have many doors open to us in both the city and county government and with most elected officials as well other organizations. Although we certainly don’t get all the results we’d like, our voice is heard and our concerns are given serious consideration by most of those with whom we have contact. In that regard we publish a
list of areas where the WIA could use help. If you
haven’t looked at it in the past, take a moment this month to review it. If you
have an interest in any of those areas and would like to become involved, give
me a call or e-mail. These opportunities take no special skills, to that I’m a
perfect example. The only requirement is a desire to be involved and help make a
difference. The benefits, in addition to making a positive difference in our
community, are the personal growth you achieve, learning more about how our
local government works, where and how things get done within the community and,
sometimes, why they don’t, and the satisfaction of being involved with many
other dedicated and interesting individuals who also want to make a positive
difference. February 2004 While writing this article, I occasionally look
out the window, daydreaming or looking for inspiration I’m not sure, but snow is
in the air. There are those who enjoy the snow as I do and that can be
understood. But some early spring would be good and when it arrives, it will be
appreciated. At the same meeting we heard from Dr. Jeff Seyler speaking about the many forms and health concerns of pollution. Jeff included many statistics concerning cancer, asthma and other pollution-related diseases. His presentation was aimed at creating more public awareness and involvement in understanding the detrimental effects of pollution and becoming part of the solution to the problem. Jeff is a chemistry professor at USI and a member of Ohio Valley Common Ground. Carole Rust, also with the Ohio Valley Common Ground group, accompanied Jeff for the presentation. The Courier & Press included coverage of this presentation in the January 29, 2004 issue. This would be an excellent presentation at one of our General Membership Meetings and we will try to arrange it. WIA recently received a letter from Sandie Deig informing us that Councilman Troy Tornatta had been re-appointed by the Vanderburgh County Council as a representative to the WIA Board of Directors. We are very pleased and proud to welcome Councilman Tornatta to our board. During the past month an important new group was formed. WAVE is the acronym for Water Awareness for Vanderburgh County. WAVE is a coalition of neighborhood groups, schools, city and county departments and others interested in helping to create more public awareness about clean streams and lakes. Brenda Jeffers, Education and Public Outreach Coordinator for the Vanderburgh County Surveyor’s Office, and Holly McCutchan, an Associate Supervisor with the Soil and Water Conservation District, were instrumental in pulling this group together along with many others. This initial effort was a partnership between the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Vanderburgh County Surveyor and Westside Improvement Association. Brenda, as you know, is also a member of the WIA board. This group along with the VCSWCD has the potential to help satisfy a major requirement of the new Rule 13 for education and public outreach. On January 27, 2004 the Courier Press also ran an article about WAVE and you might want to check the web site www.riverfriendly.com to learn more. I’ve recently mentioned a perceived weakness in our zoning regulations; that of subdivisions planned in an area zoned agriculture not requiring a change in zoning. In these instances the APC is mandated to approve the subdivision if the plan meets the criteria of the Subdivision Review Committee. APC has no effective authority in this instance. We’ve talked with many individuals, some from the APC, city and county departments, legal profession, advocacy groups, neighborhoods and others who feel it is time to revisit our zoning ordinances. In that regard a group is getting together in mid-February to pursue interest in this effort and probably begin an effort to review the ordinance with an eye toward potential change if warranted. We’ll keep you informed of this project as it progresses. Finally, one more absurd thing. I’ve been looking
at the “Construction/Stormwater Pollution Plan - Technical Review and Comment
(Form 1)”. This is a check list developed and distributed by the Indiana
Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to be used in evaluating storm water
control plans submitted by developers and others. It contains requirements of
the IDNR rules for storm water control including narratives, legal description,
specific points where storm water leaves a site, measures to prevent
non-conforming discharge and many other technical issues. It is a check list to
see if the rules are being followed and met. There has been much
discussion locally as to whether these plans should be reviewed for
completeness, content or both. Let me assure you the local officials I’ve talked
with believe strongly plans should be reviewed for both completeness and
content. IDNR is one of the key groups to oversee natural resources. It is their name, Department of Natural Resources. I’m still confused, if they don’t look at the content of a plan, all the blanks may be filled but the plan may be a hollow shell. Apparently IDNR doesn’t get it. The plans need to be reviewed technically and for content. The Vanderburgh County Surveyor, in conjunction with the County Engineer and others, has worked diligently to develop a sound storm water ordinance for the county. Rest assured the check list being developed to aid in reviewing local projects will be of substance and review for both content and completeness. January 2004 The New Year is well underway. We hope yours got
off to a great start and that you have much success and personal satisfaction
during 2004 and beyond. For myself, I appreciate the opportunity to serve you
and the Westside Improvement Association as President for another year. During 2004, as always, we will have emphasis on sound land use planning, smart growth, our valuable parks, the environment with continued special attention on Carpentier Creek, transportation improvements, our scholarship program, increased membership and the fall festival. We’ll be following closely the progress and potential determinations made by the Evansville/Vanderburgh County Unification Study Committee in this important comprehensive study of local government. Along with the Oak Hill Neighborhood Association, the Area Planning Commission (APC), city and county leaders and a coalition of others, we plan to accomplish some changes in the local zoning ordinance. One specific zoning area of interest is to change
the way subdivisions are approved. As you know from previous articles,
residential subdivisions of any size “do not” require a rezoning to residential
if the area is zoned agricultural. Compliance with a check list reviewed by the
Subdivision Review Board is all that is required. If conditions of the check
list are met, the APC is required to approve the project regardless of concerns
from remonstrators or the APC. This sometimes leads to unacceptable development
and is not in the best interest of area citizens, the city or the county. We also want to wish newly elected Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel much success in the discharge of his duties as Mayor of the City of Evansville and great success for the City of Evansville. Best wishes and success is also wished for all the returning City Council Members as well as those newly elected. If you were able to attend the WIA Annual Meeting
you were privileged to hear Dr. Phil Fisher, Dean Emeritus of the USI School of
Business, provide his insight and progress update of the Evansville/Vanderburgh
County Unification Study Committee. Although any potential recommendations will
not be presented until some time in the future, the committee is making good
progress with the study in a remarkably unbiased fashion by a widely diverse
group. We thank Dr. Fisher for his presentation and participating in our annual
meeting. Dr. Fisher was introduced by Linda Cleek. As always, we welcome new members. If you know of
individuals or businesses interested in the betterment of the West Side, please
invite them to become a member. And if you, or anyone you know, would like to
become more active in pursuing the goals of the WIA and providing an opportunity
for self-growth please let me know at 428-2529 or
fcpadget@aol.com. September 2003 Although our candidates forum was held September 9, 2003 at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ this is the first newsletter written since that evening. The candidates forum was co-sponsored by the Vanderburgh County Farm Bureau, Inc., Mount Auburn Neighborhood Association, Western Terrace Neighborhood Association and the WIA. Of 22 candidates city wide, 19 attended. Total attendance was about 60 and, although we wish more could have attended, we considered it a very successful evening. It was nice to have candidates from other than ward 6 attend even though most of us cannot vote for them, however, their votes do affect us many times and it’s good to let them know about us and our concerns. Paul Farmer did an excellent job as moderator (ringleader is probably too strong a word) and he told me he “was loving it”. Thank you Paul for an excellent evening. Again, I would like to thank all of the candidates for being there, answering our questions and providing plenty of one-on-one conversation. The candidates put in a lot of time and effort because they believe in benefiting the community. From my perspective, it is much appreciated. It is now our duty and right to go to the polls and vote for the candidate of our choice. That is one of the many things this United States is all about. I’d also like to thank Sam Wentzel and Linda Cleek for their help in putting this forum together and Dot Berning for keeping us within the time limits. Thanks also to St. Paul’s for the use of their comfortable facilities. The September 10 Courier and Press had a very comprehensive article of the candidates positions as expressed in their presentations and answers to questions. A couple TV stations also provided coverage. We also thank the media for being there and reporting it to a larger audience. The Storm Water Ordinance Review Committee has met three times and will likely meet several more times to review and finalize the proposed ordinance for presentation to the County Commission. There have been several proposed changes to the ordinance but much work remains to be done. Making a sound, sensible, workable and manageable ordinance from rule 5 and the new Rule 13 is proving difficult. The end product should, and I think will, meet that criteria. The Vanderburgh County Surveyor, Bill Jeffers, has worked very hard in pulling this together and deserves much credit for his foresight to start early and prevent a time crunch later. The county Soil Erosion Ordinance I spoke of last
month was approved on September 15, 2003 for assignment to the Vanderburgh
County Engineer, John Stoll. We wish John the best in administration of this
important ordinance. The City of Evansville has not reassigned responsibility
for the city Soil Erosion Ordinance and that responsibility remains with the
Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District at this writing. The City/County Unification Study Committee continues to work. The group has determined four subcommittees to work in the specific areas of Health & Safety, Government Structure, Government Services/Responsiveness and Economy & Taxation. Lyle Granger and I will Co-Chair the Economy & Taxation Subcommittee. All subcommittees are looking for additional volunteers to help with the workload involved in the study. If you are interested, give me a call. Finally, don’t forget to make plans for the WIA
Annual Meeting and Banquet on Thursday, November 20. It will be a good time for
fellowship, conversation and maybe a little story telling. We also have a great
speaker lined up and you can read more about that in another article. August 2003 WIA participated in the 2003 National Night Out (NNO) held August 5 at Garvin Park. The weather was as perfect as it gets, the attendance was excellent, the many events and displays were well done, it was great. And even better, the WIA Pollution and Conservation Committee chaired by Trena Roedel went in partnership with the Vanderburgh County Surveyors Office to present some video tapes concerning wetlands, pass out coloring books with educational information concerning clean water and discuss water and environmental issues with many of the interested attendees. It was an outstanding effort and I especially thank Trena Roedel and her committee as well as Bill Jeffers, Vanderburgh County Surveyor, and his staff for a lot of work and a very successful evening. Thanks to you all. The NNO is organized locally by the Evansville Police Department and specifically the West Sector Group for events at Garvin Park. The East and South Sectors of the EPD also organize the NNO events for their respective areas. Congratulations to the Evansville Police Department for yet another great National Night Out. Thanks also to Dot Berning and the Nominating Committee for their diligence, perseverance and hard work in putting together a slate of WIA Officers and Board of Directors for 2004. Slate of Officers/At-Large Board Members The Nominating Committee works quietly with little notice but has a tremendous responsibility and, in great measure, determines much of the future for the WIA. Again, thanks to all who participated on this important committee. Last month I wrote of the proposed Storm Water Ordinance, its importance and complexities, and the need for some urgency. The Review Committee has met once and will meet several more times to review and finalize the proposed ordinance for presentation to the County Commission. In the meantime, the local Soil Erosion Ordinance is apparently in limbo. The responsibility for enforcement of the local ordinance currently rests with the Soil and Water Conservation District. Some time ago it was proposed that this responsibility be assigned to the County Engineer. At this point the reassignment has not happened and some needed enforcement appears not to be taking place because of the confusion. It is imperative that this proposal gets action one way or the other. Although these are separate issues they are intertwined. We will continue to be involved in this important issue and keep you informed. The City/County Unification Study Committee is continuing organizational efforts and have heard presentations from Morton Marcus, Executive Director of the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University and Kevin Brinegar of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The committee is dedicated, and diligently working , to perform a non-biased study of all options concerning local government. This effort will continue for a lengthy period of time but is of great importance to Evansville, Vanderburgh County and the entire region. We’ll also keep you updated on this important project. We’ve recently read and heard about the planet Mars being closer to the earth than at any time in the last 60,000 years. Of course that is a big event. But even bigger is the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival scheduled for Monday, October 6 though Saturday, October 11, 2003. Now that is a BIG event. As always the WIA will have our food booth there
serving delicious Shyler’s Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Italian Sausage Sandwiches,
Egg Rolls, and thirst quenching Lemon Shakeups. As you know, our food booth
activity at the festival is our only fund raising activity other than membership
dues. This not only pays for our newsletter and Web site, supports the many
activities we are involved with though our committee activities and other
efforts on a continuing basis but also provides for two scholarships each year,
one for a Reitz graduate and one for a Mater Dei graduate. It takes a lot of
volunteers to make this happen and we need volunteers for Thursday and Friday.
If you wish to help, you are qualified and your effort will be appreciated. Just
give Bonnie Kolb or myself a call. Bonnie can be reached at 423-7089 and I can
be reached at 428-2529 or fcpadget@aol.com. July 2003 As a volunteer organization, it is always gratifying when an individual steps forward to assume a major responsibility and help move the organization forward. Over the years the Westside Improvement Association has been well served by many hard working, dedicated and concerned volunteers. Today I’d like to mention another. Dot Berning has accepted the important responsibility of chairing this years Nominating Committee. This committee under the guidance of Dot will select and propose a slate of WIA Officers and Board of Directors for the year of 2004. Dot and her committee will bring a high degree of integrity and thought to the selection process and a sincere interest in the perpetuation of the WIA. Thanks Dot, your efforts are appreciated. Last month I mentioned a proposed county ordinance that would require organized neighborhood associations be notified of certain activities within their area. This Neighborhood Notification Ordinance was recently approved unanimously by the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and will soon be in effect. The city has a similar ordinance and if an organized neighborhood association is registered with the city they will also be registered with the county. We appreciate and thank the County Commissioners for this action in support of neighborhoods. (See “Organizing A Neighborhood” ). Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) Citizen Advisory Committee met on July 30, 2003 to begin planning for the 2030 Transportation Plan (TP) process. The project includes Project Identification, Project Evaluation, System Performance, Financial Constraints and Air Quality Assessment. The Project Identification portion includes Roadway Systems, Public Transit, Bicycle/ Pedestrian concerns, Rail/Air/Water transportation and Intelligent Transportation Systems/Travel Demand Management. The process involves computer modeling using year 2000 traffic counts as a base and projecting future traffic patterns based on various input including information from the Comprehensive Plan, project growth patterns and other sources. 2030 is in the distant future but for financial planning involving future traffic projects it is quite important. This study will be on-going for the next several weeks and, perhaps, months. As the plan develops, I’ll keep you informed. A proposed ordinance “Control of Storm Water Discharges from Construction Sites and Land Disturbing Activities in Vanderburgh County, Indiana” was drafted and recently presented to the Vanderburgh County Drainage Board by Bill Jeffers, the Vanderburgh County Surveyor. If ultimately approved by the County Commission, this ordinance will replace the current county ordinance concerning “Erosion and Sediment Control” Chapter 15.44 of the Vanderburgh County Code. The city has a similar ordinance on the books and I’m not clear of its future at this time. The proposed ordinance is in response to requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act and Indiana Code 327 IAC 15-13. The proposal is lengthy and very complicated. At this point in time I’m certainly not well qualified to try to explain it but it includes land disturbing activities and construction activities for sites of one acre or more with certain exceptions as well as activities involving less than one acre for many activities. It addresses storm water discharge in nearly all cases regardless of size or source. It contains requirements for education of staff and builders/developers, a technical committee including among others the County Engineer and the County Surveyor. That committee will also include three residents of the county each of whom will be appointed by a member of the County Commissioners. Members of the committee and staff are required to participate in a minimum number of various other activities which include attending meetings and making presentations to neighborhood associations along with other community activities and seminars. The intent is to gain community input and provide feedback to the community as well as education. For those who ignore or circumvent the ordinance punitive procedures are also included. A committee has been appointed by the Drainage Board to review and make suggestions for changes if deemed necessary to improve the ordinance. I was selected to participate with this committee. As indicated earlier this is a proposed ordinance
and very complicated but also very important to the county. You can
view the proposed ordinance at www.vanderburghsurveyor.com. If you have
concerns or suggestions about the ordinance just send me a note or
e-mail them to me. Your input is important
and will be appreciated. June 2003 By the time you read this we’ll be well into summer, probably hot and muggy, probably wishing for rain and probably wishing for some cool weather. I don’t believe it was that long ago when we were wishing for warmer weather and less rain. I guess we humans are never satisfied and that is probably good. Because we are hard to satisfy, many of us work at many activities hoping to make things better. We take pride and work hard at making our homes, yards, city, county, quality of life and the complete myriad of things that affect our lives better. Many efforts this past month by many people and many diverse groups reflect that attitude. You’ll read later about the Citizens’ Vision Committee, Burdette Park, activities of some of the WIA Committees and my viewpoint on a few things. But this effort to improve comes from elected officials, independent business owners and industry leaders, employees, farmers, religious groups, students, the educational system, health care groups, volunteer groups, and many I’ve not mentioned but the biggest and most effective is the average citizen. So much can be, and is, improved by action from the average citizen. Become involved, this truly is a great place to live and a great country when that happens. One group working hard to make a better community is in Howell. They have recently established the Howell Neighborhood Association for the betterment of their area of the city. Kim Cavins is President and we wish Kim and this new neighborhood association good luck and best wishes for a very successful effort. They deserve our support and they have it. Vanderburgh County Commissioner Catherine Fanello recently informed me that she will soon “introduce a county ordinance that will establish a process whereby neighborhood associations will be notified when matters concerning their areas come before the commissioners.” This would most likely include street vacation, drainage issues, public utility easements, rezoning and, perhaps a few other activities. The city currently has such an ordinance and we appreciate Commissioner Fanello supporting our interests in this regard for the county. It will be a valuable tool in helping us to stay informed on matters of concern. Last month I mentioned my involvement with the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Unification Study Committee. This group is composed of 18 individuals with very diverse backgrounds and interests and residents of both the city and county. The group is chaired by John Dunn with Dr. Phil Fisher from USI as the Project Coordinator. A nine member Steering Committee will provide general oversight while four committees will concentrate on Health and Safety, Economy and Taxation, Government Structure, and Government Services/Responsiveness. It will be an extensive study of all aspects of city and county government most likely taking 1 ½ years or more. The group is committed to a fair and unbiased fact finding study. Due to the complex nature of the study, I may not report often because piecemeal reporting would probably not be reflective of the total facts concerning a subject and bits and pieces would not be representative of the totality of the project. I will report when it is appropriate. Also last month I mentioned a proposal by the Southwestern Indiana Home Builders Association (SIBA) to the County Commissioners requesting a policy change that would put the commissioners, most likely through the County Engineers Office, in charge of regulating soil erosion at construction sites. This would be done in conjunction with Code 327 IAC 15-13 commonly referred to as Rule 13 dealing with storm water control. At our last WIA board meeting representatives of the SIBA spoke to the group concerning their views on this proposal. After considerable discussion and pointed questions, the board agreed to support the policy change by a vote of 15 in favor with one abstention. The general feeling was that the County Engineer would be better suited to help educate in the area of soil erosion and better cope with the increased work load created by inclusion of construction sites one acre or more as opposed to the previous 5 acre rule. Enforcement would be as strict or more so depending upon the ordinance that must be written and enacted. Additional citizen input and complaints could be presented at the weekly County Commission Meeting. As a WIA Board Member I’m supportive and agree
with our decision. However this action will not diminish the important work
performed by the Vanderburgh Soil and Water Conservation District (VSWCD). They
are deeply involved with educational programs, many for the youth of our county,
dealing with soil loss and water quality. They help to administer many programs
dealing with improved farming methods vital to the farming industry and to all
of us. They have a great concern for our streams, rivers, trees and forests. And
they are a dedicated group trying to protect our earth just as many of us. The
VSWCD has been around for 62 years and was the first in Indiana. They’ll be
around for many, many more years with equally important work to do. They deserve
our gratitude and support for the many important things they do. May 2003 Saturday, April 26, 2003 was a great day for the
west side and especially the Western Terrace Neighborhood. Morning broke with
bright sunshine, a cloudless sky and an invigorating temperature. It was a
glorious day. And then it got better. That wonderful morning, three acres of
precious, old growth woodlands were preserved for present and future
generations. April 2003 Once again spring is here and sitting at a computer writing this is a bit of a struggle. Especially with the warm weather and fish biting. As usual the WIA has been involved in many things this past month and I hope you enjoy reading about some of them. Recently I was very privileged and honored to be asked to tell the Farm Bureau, Inc., a little something about the Westside Improvement Association. For me it was a great opportunity to talk about something I feel committed to and an organization with goals and objectives that I feel are very important to the quality of life for the west side. And for those in the audience, I may have provided a non-prescription sedative but I hope not. I appreciate and thank the Farm Bureau, Inc., for the opportunity to be with them. With your indulgence, I’d like to tell you a little of what was presented.
I also talked of our many involvement’s and accomplishments as well as our concerns. Again, it was a good experience and I appreciated the opportunity to be there. If you would like a complete copy of the presentation, please let me know. In other matters, I’ve been told the long awaited
construction of the Ohio Street train crossing warning lights should begin in
May. Let’s hope. And when you are driving down Wabash Avenue , the Avenue of Flags, watch for the new spring plantings. It should be absolutely beautiful. March 2003 Trena Roedel has volunteered to be the WIA representative to the Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District Citizens Advisory Committee. Trena is also Chair of our Pollution and Conservation Committee. Mona Jennings, a relatively new member, has volunteered to be WIA’s representative to the United Neighborhoods Of Evansville. Mona was very involved and successful in helping to cause the recently proposed Halfway House to look for a more appropriate site rather than locate in a west side neighborhood. I thank both Trena and Mona for taking on these important responsibilities and wish them the very best with their new challenges. February 2003 It is with very mixed emotions I tell you of Michael Lockard, WIA Senior Vice-president and Land Use Planning Committee Chair, recently being appointed to the Area Plan Commission of Evansville and Vanderburgh County. The Area Planning Commission will benefit greatly from Mike’s expertise, dedication and willingness to do his homework on all zoning petitions before the commission. He will be a great asset to the commission, Evansville and Vanderburgh County. On the other hand, we lose a great asset as he is required to resign his positions including membership in the WIA. Resigning from his leadership role in WIA is completely appropriate, but I don’t understand the requirement to resign from the membership. It certainly appears to me that those who are members of neighborhood organizations are held to a completely different standard than members of other organizations represented on the planning commission. In any case we wish Mike every success in his new position and offer our heartfelt congratulations. He will be a positive addition to the commission but missed greatly by the WIA. WIA‘s involvement in land use planning will continue with Mona Jennings and myself leading the effort. We could certainly use help and anyone who would like to become involved in our land use activities just give me a call at 428-2529 or e-mail at fcpadget@aol.com. In addition to the Land Use Committee there are other areas where we could also use some volunteers. I’ve included a separate article later in this newsletter listing various areas for involvement. If you are interested in helping the WIA move forward in any of these areas please give me a call. The only requirement is a sincere interest in the future of the West Side. I also regret to inform you that Martha Jo Peak has resigned as Co-chair of the Pollution and Conservation Committee. Martha Jo was very involved with that committee and along with Trena, they made a great team. Martha Jo will remain a great asset to WIA as she will continue to be involved with the Pollution and Conservation Committee. We hate to lose Martha Jo as a Co-chair but are very happy she continues to be involved with the WIA. The November newsletter contained an announcement of the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Southwest Indiana Home Builders Association partnering to present a Soil Erosion Workshop. The workshop took place on January 30th and was well attended by home builders, developers, suppliers, local government officials and other interested parties. I also attended and was very impressed with the material presented and depth of the subject. It was well organized and, in my opinion, very beneficial. Many of the projects the WIA becomes involved in, or aware of, involve problems with drainage and soil erosion. This one workshop will not solve the problem of erosion but does represent an enlightened concern for soil erosion. Soil erosion practices seem to many to be quite simple but are, in fact, very complex. Workshops of this type will certainly lead to better soil erosion practices in the future. Most of the attendees I spoke with hope the workshops will continue and that even more will attend in the future. The VCSWCD and the Home Builders Association are to be congratulated for this monumental effort. The City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County
recently formed a citizens Vision Committee to “guide the development and
direction” of an updated Comprehensive Plan. “The Comprehensive Plan establishes
a long-range vision for our community, provides the legal foundation for land
development regulations (including Subdivision and Zoning Codes), and guides
local officials in making land use decisions." The current plan was developed in
1996 and the updated plan will set the direction of planning and growth policies
for the next 20 years. I was pleased to be asked to participate on the Vision
Committee. Our first meeting was held on January 23rd and concerned mostly
organizational efforts. I will periodically update you as the process proceeds.
January 2003 The New Year is well underway. We hope yours got
off to a great start and that you have much success and personal satisfaction
during 2003 and beyond. For myself, I appreciate the opportunity to serve you
and the Westside Improvement Association as President for another year. At our annual meeting, members elected the WIA Board of Directors and Officers for the current year. It is their responsibility to continue on with the important work to be done and add to the rich history already recorded. I realize I can not speak for others but in this case I can say that the current officers, board members and committee chairs are very willing, capable, dedicated and have a strong desire to address concerns of the West Side. In doing so the tradition of involvement and accomplishment will be carried forward. Elsewhere in this newsletter is a listing of officers and committee chairs along with phone numbers and e-mail addresses for your convenience. After our first board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 22, 2003 at 11:30 A.M. at the Red Bank Branch Library, I’ll report to you with more about our plans for the year. As always we will have emphasis on sound land use planning, smart growth, our valuable parks, the environment with special attention on Carpentier Creek, transportation improvements, our scholarship program, the fall festival and increasing our membership. If you have an interest in any of these areas contact the appropriate committee chair and see how you can help. Regarding new members why not ask your neighbors, friends, relatives and co-workers to consider becoming a member. All residents of Vanderburgh County are eligible for membership and applications are on the back of the newsletter. If you would be interested in helping to lead a membership drive contact me, Fred Padget, at 428-2529 or fcpadget@aol.com. Our general membership meetings are also very important to the success of this organization. The input provided by members to us in the form of questions, thoughts, suggestions and concerns at these meetings help to determine where our efforts need to be focused and whether or not we are meeting your expectations in doing our jobs. Our first general membership meeting will be Thursday, February 20,2003 at 7 p.m. Mark your calendar now and we will let you know the location when it is determined. Hope you can attend the meeting. All WIA meetings are open to the public so invite a guest to attend with you. As always you can keep up with events of the WIA or communicate your concerns by visiting our Web site at www.westsideimprovement.org. With your help and guidance, 2003 will be another
great year for the WIA and add to the history and tradition we enjoy. I’m very
proud to be a part of it. September 2002 In the past I’ve used this column to announce good news for the organization, recognize some outstanding efforts, inform about various activities and, according to some, ramble on. The following is not rambling and is certainly good news for the WIA. I’m very pleased to announce that Stephen Resing has accepted the position of the WIA Transportation Committee Chair. Stephen is a lifelong resident of the west side, very knowledgeable of roads and transportation in the area, and not bashful. He’ll be a great addition to the other excellent committee chairs that WIA is so fortunate to have. You’ll learn more about Steve later in the newsletter. We need to mark our calendars for Thursday evening, November 21, 2002 as that is the date for our annual meeting. It will be held at the Old Mill Restaurant as it was last year with a social hour beginning at 6 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner at 6:45 p.m. A business meeting, election of Officers and Board of Directors, announcement of scholarship winners and other annual business will follow dinner. Although we don’t have a date set at the time I’m writing this, we are planning a candidates' night in October. This will be an excellent time to meet and listen to some of the candidates up for election in November. And every office up for election is important to you and to the WIA. When arrangements are completed we’ll notify everyone by flyer or some other means. Preparation for the Fall Festival has been going on for the past month or so and hopefully, as you read this, our preparation is in the final stages. The effort involves many people and a lot of work on their part. Once again, it’s gratifying to see so many members and some non-members volunteer to help with our food booth. The one thing not in our control is, of course, the weather. But with some divine help and good luck, the weather will be perfect and the festival a great success. The festival begins Monday, October 7, and ends the night of Saturday, October 12. We hope to see you there. And, with some rambling that I might on occasion do, summer is pretty much gone. It’s been hot, dry and maybe a little stifling. The fishing I promised myself last winter still waits although fall is a great time for fishing. I’ve already got plenty of leaves on the ground and raking is my least favorite option. Maybe a good strong wind will help solve that problem. On the other hand, as the leaves fall, the grass
and weeds dry up, cooler weather sets in and the roadsides become more visible,
it gives me a chance to see the debris discarded by those who have little
concern for the environment, no concern for the rest of us, and a disregard for
the only earth on which we have to live. I’ll be picking up beer cans, paper
cups and bags, an assortment of who knows what along the street where I live
and, at least in my mind, making this a little better place to live. I hope
you’ll join me in cleaning up streets and roads in your neighborhood and, in
some small measure, working for the betterment of the west side. FALL FESTIVAL APPROACHES With the end of summer rapidly approaching, the West Side Nut Club Fall
Festival will soon be here. As we have for many years, the Westside Improvement
Association will participate with a food booth and be serving plenty of
delicious Barbecue-Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Italian Sausage Sandwiches, Egg
Rolls, and Lemonade Shakeups along with various canned beverages. I get hungry
just thinking about it. U.N.O.E. FUNDING APPROVED United Neighborhoods of Evansville (UNOE)
recently received notice that the Evansville City Council voted to accept an
ordinance that will provide funding to the group though the remainder of the
year. The funding is based on UNOE performing a scope of services for the
community. These services are as follows: August 8, 2002 |
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© 2010 Westside Improvement Association, Inc. |
Point
out the work WIA has done on behalf of all county residents, not just its own
members.