February 25th Meeting Notes

We had another great meeting last night at Howard Elementary School. Lots of new faces and plenty of people who want to pitch in to help our neighborhood thrive. Many thanks to everyone who braved the cold to attend.

Last night we discussed new ways you can keep up with breaking city news, snow emergencies and police situations. Nixle and Twitter provide almost instant reports to your email or mobile device. Take a look and sign up, if you're interested:

www.nixle.com

www.twitter.com/cityofdearborn

Also, the City of Dearborn has updated its website. The new site is easier to navigate and much more user-friendly. Check it out here:

www.cityofdearborn.org

John Cascardo from Dearborn's Residential Services Department discussed the Wayne County Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program. This is a free service that has already helped over 2,000 families avoid foreclosure. From the sound of it, this is a very worthwhile program. You can look into it for yourself at www.FightMortgageForeclosure.com or by calling 877-693-6199.

The issue of neighborhood traffic was brought up. We've had several complaints about speeding drivers, as well as cars rolling through stop signs. The corner of Edward and N. Martha was cited as being particularly bad (especially after Howard School lets out in the afternoons). If you're having traffic issues in your area, please let us know. We will contact the Dearborn Police Department's Traffic Safety officer next week.

Finally, we need BLOCK CAPTAINS! Block Captains can help the Association with certain issues that may be affecting your specific block (vacant homes, unregistered rentals, code violations, etc). They can also help spread the word about upcoming events, meetings or neighborhood projects. Some of you volunteered last night. Please send me an email with your address, and we'll start compiling a list.

Early next week we'll put up a post detailing some of the Association projects that were proposed last night. Lots of great suggestions...keep 'em coming!

NEXT MEETING: APRIL 15th
GUEST SPEAKER: MAYOR O'REILLY
LINDBERGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAFETERIA
7:00PM

Meeting Tonight

Just a reminder that we're having a quick meeting tonight at 7:00pm in the cafeteria of Howard Elementary.

We'll be talking over ideas for Association events as well as any neighborhood news or concerns.

We won't have any speakers at this meeting, but we will be joined again by John Cascardo from the City of Dearborn.

Hope you can make it!

If you're not on our e-mail list yet, drop us a line at: 

howardparkneighborhood@yahoo.com

We'll let you know about upcoming meetings, events and any neighborhood news.

REMINDER: NEXT MEETING IS FEBRUARY 25th

Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 25th for our first meeting of 2010. We'll meet at 7:00pm in the cafeteria of Howard Elementary on N. York Street.

Bring a neighbor and come on by!

Nominate a Neighbor

  Judging for the Dearborn Aglow holiday decorating awards will take place this Saturday through Monday, so make sure to get your displays plugged in and ready.
  Members of the City Beautiful Commission will be on patrol throughout the city, looking for the most compelling, imaginative, and awe-inspiring displays.
  You can still nominate outstanding homes in the Howard Park Neighborhood by calling 313-943-2415 before 5:00pm on Friday, December 11th. Don't be afraid to nominate yourself!

  Let's show some Christmas spirit and make our neighborhood glow this season!

Get On Our eMail List

  Get current news and announcements about our neighborhood and the Howard Park Neighborhood Association by signing up for our email list. Learn about upcoming meetings and important community issues like foreclosures, abandoned or vacant homes and crime. You'll also find out about upcoming events where you can meet your neighbors.
Sign up today at howardparkneighborhood@yahoo.com.
  Some e-mail addresses that have were submitted have bounced back, so if you've signed up and have not received an email from us over the past few weeks, please re-submit your email address.
  No junk, we promise. Just important information about your neighborhood.

Another Great Meeting!

  Thanks to everyone who attended last night's meeting of the Howard Park Neighborhood Association. Lots of new faces in the crowd. Dearborn Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston spoke about the school budget crisis and answered every question in the room.
  John Cascardo from the City of Dearborn was on hand, as usual, and addressed some of our concerns about vacant homes in the neighborhood. To report homes that are unkept call Neighborhood Services at 943-2161. Or you can pass on concerns directly to the Association at howardparkneighborhood@yahoo.com
  Also, we elected a few board members for 2010:

• David Bierman, President
• Bob Vogler, Vice President
• Denise Mann, Secretary

  We're also looking for volunteers to be Block Captains. Ideally, every block in Howard Park would be represented by a Block Captain. If you're interested, please email us or simply come to our next meeting. We'll announce the time and date soon.
  Happy Thanksgiving!

Superintendent Whiston at Tuesday's Meeting

This Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00pm in the cafeteria of Howard Elementary, Dearborn Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston will address the Howard Park Neighborhood Association. 
As most of you know, our district is facing deep cuts in staff and programs. Mr. Whiston has kindly agreed-on very short notice-to fill us in on the budget crisis facing Dearborn Public Schools.  
Bring a neighbor, and hope to see you there.

REMINDER: NEXT MEETING IS NOVEMBER 24th @ 7:00PM

  Our next meeting is just a week away! Please drop by on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00pm in the cafeteria at Howard Elementary School. We'll all get to know one another a little better, figure out who wants to help out on the Association Board and plan what we can do together in 2010.
  Bring some ideas!! And bring a neighbor or two!!

Next Meeting Scheduled!

We'll have the next meeting of the Howard Park Neighborhood Association on Tuesday, November 24th at 7:00pm. This meeting will be held in the cafeteria so there will be plenty of seating for everyone.
Please tell your neighbors and plan to be there on the 24th!

Thank You, Howard Park Neighbors!

  Our first meeting was a real success. We had a packed house...one of the biggest first meetings ever, according to some. Corporal Jerry Blevins and Corporal Dan Bartok gave a very informative presentation about Dearborn's Neighborhood Watch program. We all learned easy and affordable ways to protect ourselves and our homes from the 'bad guys.'
  John Cascardo, Neighborhood Redevelopment Coordinator for the city was also on hand and touched on a lot of our neighborhood concerns; rental homes, vacant homes, code violations and more. We'll continue to delve deeper into these important issues in future meetings.
  Most importantly, we learned we have a community filled with a lot of active, concerned citizens. We'll take the time to get to know each other more in future meetings, and even have a little fun.
  We'll announce our next meeting very soon. It will definitely include snacks (and more chairs)!