Author: Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA)

Big Picture, Big Deal? Yep, for the king and queen of the castles.

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA) 1 Comment

To: Your Highnesses of Five Points and All other Points in NE Huntsville, being kings and queens of your castle

From:Your humble and professional Staff of Huntsville Planning and Zoning and the elected leads of the NE Huntsville Civic Association

You are invited to the first Big Picture planning session for our small area, to scheme and dream of the perfect community surrounding your castle, and to clarify what you want done with our tax dollars and contributions earmarked for the city budget!

Join the BIG Picture planning session on October 17th at 6PM at the Cooper House (405 Randolph Ave. SE).  You will be able to participate in interactive exercises to help your civil servants create a Small Area Master Plan for the neighborhoods. This event is free and open to the public. People who RENT or Own Rentals are also welcome! 

Before the meeting, please consider asking yourself: “When money is no object, and I am in charge, I will ( build, tear down, improve) ___________ for my community.  What do I enjoy most about the area and what do I want to improve? What are the opportunities to create a close knit, healthy community?   What will I spent my cajillion dollars on?

Is this worthwhile?

Your highness, as king and queen of your castle, be assured this process is important because it will inform future capital expenditures in the area.

For example, so far:

  • the Ditto Landing Master Plan resulted in new programming and construction on the river

and

  • the Downtown Master Plan fostered new private investment in housing and commercial services, and at the commoner’s street level, the construction of dedicated bike lane and improved walk ways.

Planning staff has identified six principles that will guide the final plan:

  • Build a Live/Work/Thrive Community
  • Expand a Sustainable, Resilient Economy
  • Design a Mobile and Accessible Transportation Network
  • Maintain a Network of Exceptional Education
  • Support Local Arts and Culture
  • Develop Healthy and Active Neighborhoods

Small Area Plans are created from public input and are tailored to the unique challenges facing neighborhoods and opportunity sites. Do mark your calendar, your highness:

Oct. 17, 6 pm, at the Cooper House (405 Randolph Ave. SE)

Special thanks to the Central Presbyterian Church for the use of their facility. 

More information on this event and the BIG Picture can be found at

http://bigpicturehuntsville.com/

Neighbors in need: Ya say ya saw a Yeti?

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA) Leave a comment

Adam Rosetta was baffled by the sight of something strange on our Land Trust Trails out of Oak Park, in particular, on the Dallas Branch Trail.  He shared the sight with others on the Nextdoor.com site but no one else could back him up on the sighting.  Adam, living right next door to me, knew he could count on the Association to back him up.  The best we can do, we said, was get everyone together to look for it.  Join us!  Send a text to 84483 with the letters: EventsOP to get updates.

Yeti tracking for web

 

Each Block a Village

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA) Leave a comment

VillageOur villages are changing, especially in in Five Points- for now.  Smallish mill-village houses are replaced by 30 ft. tall houses covering 40% of a 40 x 100 ft. lot.   Cottages in a commercial zone are torn down on Pratt and sit fallow-for now.  Some say we are under siege by developers and builders, others see simple business opportunity in the adage location, location, location.

During the special meeting on July 26 with the director of current zoning regulations,  we learned that there are no back-room special deals going on nor any secret subdivision of property in Five Points.  The “Big Four” on Pratt are built on narrow, deep lots that exist by plat made in 1892. The previous house was built across the lot lines.   The town homes on Dement are also built “by right” in a higher density zone of R2,
west of Andrew Jackson, by submitting construction plans and applying for a building permit.

We learned that all property in Five Points east of Andrew Jackson is zoned for single family homes, even where the apartment buildings and trailer court stand.  When an apartment building is renovated, it can remain, but if it is torn down, the owner must receive a variance through public hearing to replace the apartments otherwise only single family homes can go on the land.  As for the land where Emma’s tea room stood, the front of the parcel is still zoned commercial, the back facing the athletic field is residential.  Any change to that arrangement is by public hearing at the Planning Commission.

After the special meeting, a small think tank of residents convened to discuss how the culture of our mill villages may be preserved.  People bought in Five Points because it is eclectic and people still set a spell on their front porch and wave.  Thinkers asked: How might new construction occur while preserving the village culture?  These residents  also convened to list their preferences for ways to improve the quality of life in the area.  Their thoughts and preferences are a great jump start for All of Us to participate in the making of a Neighborhood Master Plan that will guide priorities for city budget expenditures and public/private joint ventures.

The first opportunity get together to put a pencil to topics such as housing, roads, parks, business districts, and more is on OCTOBER 17, location to be announced.

Changes in Five Points + or – Meet July 26th

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA) 4 Comments

Are all the tear-downs and re-builds a good thing? 

  • What could go on the parcels at 401 Pratt where Emma’s Tea Room and another cottage was torn down? What about the parcels right behind them, next to the Goldsmith Schiffman field?
  • How did the four huge houses at Pratt and Maysville get approval to be built?
  • How did the tall row houses on Dement get approval to go there?
  • How does a property owner get approval to split or combine lots and / or re-define what is built there?

 

What might neighbors do to preserve the culture and aesthetics of the mill village area?

Let’s talk about it with city planners and construction experts.

Wednesday, July 26th 6:30 pm at Optimist Rec. Center, 703 Oakwood Avenue- near Andrew Jackson Way

 

If you can’t be there, chime in here: 

April 25th Meeting

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA) Leave a comment

Join us Tuesday eve, 4-25 at the Optimist Rec Ctr, 703 Oakwood Avenue, at 6:30 (meet and greet) & 7:00 meeting. In addition to meeting Beth Norwood, a talented neighbor, the purpose of the meeting is to decide what action we can take as a community in support of parents to influence kids to not hang out with drug dealers or try narcotics and amphetamines. (“Just say no” campaigns just don’t work.)

This activity is to follow up on results of our January meeting when members and residents voted on safety as the most important topic for us to work on together. Safety includes crime prevention… and we learned from police officers that 80-90% of crime is related to drugs!  If we tackle the drug traffic issues with kids, we have a better shot at preventing crime over the long haul.

BEFORE the meeting, we will ask for everyone’s opinion on ways we can influence kids to stay out of trouble with drugs through an on-line competition of ideas. The on-line competition will be announced via email to members and to Nextdoor accounts in our service area. DURING the meeting, we will make an action plan to implement the ideas that get the most votes and are S.M.A.R.T.  Please, invest 1.5 hours in your community at this meeting.

City Budget Requests

In June we present a list of needs and wants to the Mayor for consideration in the budget process.  Look around NE then come to the meeting or comment here and tell us what else we need from the city:

  • Beirne Park- more shade trees & ?
  • Oak Park- greening at the street, continue sidewalk east on Oakwood past the park, include trailhead signage downtown
  • Bollards along Bankhead sidewalk to protect runners all year preparing for Cotton Row Run
  • Bus shelter @ Roses Center
  • Smart timers at all Five Points corners
  • Bike Patrol of O’shaunessy, McKinley, Rison, Halsey, & Lincoln Village / Meridian Street
  • Improve drainage capacity of Dallas Branch watershed to relieve people of the flood zone designation

We hear and know that…

Oak Park Yeti ?

6da2a75eeaf8187ec6ec1e5783c769e0.jpg.max800

Adam Rosetta reported a “sighting” of a furry creature on the Dallas Branch trail, a spur off of Oak Park Trail.  Adam heard it holler: Whaaboo!, the ‘come on out and play’ signal.  Adam says there will be a yeti tracking party in or near Oak Park this summer, followed up by a fall festival to swap stories and play games on the theme of “our”  yeti.   Join the conversation about this and other helpful (truly) information on nextdoor.com.

Gimme Shelter

On the days when you don’t want to drive out of our area but still want to explore, you may like to know that the first bus shelter for NE was installed on Monday, 4/17/17 on Andrew Jackson Way.  The shelter will mean a lot to the workers of the day-care at Jackson Way Baptist Church, to anyone who wants to ride to the new pools at the Natatorium and to kids who want to ride to the splash pad and disc golf at Brahan Springs Park.   The shelter was requested last year by your NEHCA.  Thanks go to our city Transportation Division, General Services, and Jackson Way Baptist Church.

Cross pollination of neighborhoods

IMG_1776 (1)

We hosted the first NEHCA spring festival and plant swap, the “Garden Gathering” at Optimist Recreation Center on Saturday, April 8th.  At least 100 generous people came out bringing items to share, to learn about other grow-y things and meet cool people from the NE Hsv neighborhoods. One man said “I think I’ll hang around a little longer and see what else shows up!” He was either referring to the great people or the cool plants. Kids made “pizza gardens”, too. We appreciated support of our city Landscape Management Division/ Green Team, C.T. Garvin’s Feed and Seed, Bennett’s Nursery, Cunningham’s Pot Yard, Mr. & Mrs. Simon of Florida and Five Points, Denise Garrison of Five Points, Anna Pollard of Old Town, and Master Gardener Mary Howe from Brownsboro. And most of all, we thank Sabrina Simõn for conceiving, designing, and implementing the festival.

Self Serve Services

Hsv Connect

Please use the city service request system known as “Huntsville Connect” or “SeeClickFix” to report blighted property, potholes, streetlights out, trashcans left out after pick up days, etc. NEHCA members see your service requests and can chime in if you aren’t getting resolution. Set up an account and use it often, please.  Sign up here: https://seeclickfix.com/huntsville

 

As always, if you see something odd going on, say something!
Call 256-722-7100 to HsvPolice non-emergency dispatch

Community un-meeting this Tuesday 6:30 pm

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA)

You are invited to a mash up of Show and Tell and Indoor Block Party on Tuesday Jan. 24th, 6:30 pm at the Optimist Recreation Center, 703 Oakwood Avenue

Even without the beer & BBQ, it will be great, not just ’cause we have good cookies.  All neighbors and members are invited to join us for our first Meet the Neighbors themed un-meeting.

Here’s the scoop:

6:30 to 7:00  put a Big green Sticker on 3 of the 5 areas you think are most important for our Association to focus on.  Are you most concerned about:

Safety (roads, traffic, crime prevention)

Security (food, clothing and shelter resources, including upkeep of shelter)

Schools (all of them: Chapman, Montview, MLK, Lee, and New Century)

Sports (for youth in any season)

or

Smiles (evidence of a good feeling about life in our neighborhoods)

7 – 7:20:  there will be a few Very-Good-News announcements and the election for current members of the NE Hsv Civic Association .  Your neighbors and members Allen Krell, Eloy Alcivar and Scott Akridge, with Naaman Goode as chair, recommend these folks as officers: me, Frances Akridge, Evan Smith, Farrah Napolitano, and Sabrina Simon.  Scroll way-down for details about their readiness to serve, please.

7:20 – 8:00: We will introduce you to three of our extraordinary artistic neighbors of NE Huntsville.  If you already know artists Jennie Couch, Katie Rosetta, and musician Nick Z. Robey, wear your fan club buttons!  If you don’t know them yet here is your chance.  

There will be no sales of merchandise, just show and tell by the artists.

If you want to turn your block into a little slice of Mayberry pie, Join Us!  Contact us (nehsvcivicassn@gmail.com) or come to any one of our 4 meetings to meet people who simultaneously want to brag about Northeast, keep it a secret, and once in awhile complain about it, too.

By the Way

The current board (Dick Hiatt, Naaman Goode, and I) met on January 3rd and offer this recommendation for 2017:

nehca-proposed-2017-budget

 

Nominated Officers 2017

President, Potentate of Possibilities: me, Frances Akridge, from Oak Park. My goal is to continue the momentum we built last year and to begin at least one new project as agreed on by the other officers.  With more heads being better than one, we will continue our commitment to

  • improve the Reading Buddy Program at Chapman School
  • exceed expectations as partners in the Adopt a Mile and Adopt a Park projects
  • be an exemplary Trail Care Partner to the Land Trust of North Alabama on the Monte Sano Preserve
  • follow up with city department managers about improved transportation options and begin a long-range planning session

Vice President, Grand Poobah and Civic Leader:  Evan Smith (Oak Park) is a big fan of The Big Picture long range planning sessions and is interested in everyone’s vision for Northeast Huntsville.  Looking ahead and around from a hawk’s eye view is something he understands literally; Evan is a Graduate of UNA with a B.S. in Geographic Information Science (2011) and a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon, The International Geographic Honor Society.  His professional interests include GIS, Cartography, LIDAR, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Conservation and Natural Resource Management.  He is is actively continuing his education through professional certifications.  Evan is a quiet yet effective communicator and engaging speaker.  In his spare time he enjoys outdoor adventures and making maps.  Evan and his wife plan to travel all points of the compass to explore the world and appreciate coming home to the foothills of the Appalachia, checking in occasionally with family in Florence— the one west of the Tennessee River.

Treasurer, Exalted Money and Member manager Sabrina Simon (5 Points) is another fearless explorer and contributor to her community.  She earned a college degree in 2000 as a graphic designer and is a business owner of a cottage industry.  Sabrina is known to many as an archaeological field photographer, illustrator and cartographer, having mapped and sketched the caves of the Maya deep in the Yucatan peninsula. She spent 10 years on the board at the Huntsville Grotto of the National Speleological Society which is dedicated to the study and science of speleology, encouraging safe cave exploring techniques, conserving cave fauna and natural formations, and to promoting fellowship among club members. In addition to making public presentations about the thrills and technical teamwork of spelunking, she served in many capacities in the club to help the community thrive.  She also enjoys sunshine as an avid gardener and mother who often walks to the Market in Five Points and travels to Florida for some quality time with her folks.

Secretary, Keeper of the Flame: Farrah Napolitano (Chapman Heights), native to Huntsville, is the proud mother of an energetic four year old. She is excited about the overall vision for the city and raising her son in her hometown. She believes that our youth are the future and is excited about the revitalization of the parks in Northeast Huntsville.  She is also eager to collaborate on ways to bring more families to the area. She is a trained researcher and writer with a B.S. in Intelligence from the National Intelligence University (2013) and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society. She currently serves as the Financial Chair for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center. She is also a Board Member for the Local Federal Coordinating Committee that plans and organizes the overall campaign for the Tennessee Valley CFC. She and her husband, Brian, are excited about contributing toward the improvement of our community.

Utility Rates: Sim City anyone?

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA)

We aren’t reporters, but we will pass on what we can about proposed electric rate increases.  Here are the slides that were presented to the public on Monday, Jan. 9th in a public meeting in city hall.  It is an outline of the reasons for a 2.75% increase in electric rate.

feb-2017-electric-rate-action-presentation-presented-monday-jan-9

The upshot of that meeting was people were questioning whether the increase was actually going toward install of Google Fiber.  That was flatly denied. Personally, I didn’t know they could be related.

This evening, the staff of Hsv Utilities addressed city council formally.  ( They met with individual members of city council last fall, according to the presentation.) We didn’t tune in on Hsv TV; if you did, please fill us in.

The topic of increased rates is critical for some people.  Every neighbor can contribute one dollar a month for a fund to offset costs for residents.  And people over 62 can apply for assistance.  If there is hardship, please don’t hesitate to call the Utility Company:

http://www.utilitybillassistance.com/html/huntsville_utilities_assistanc.html

This topic leads me to wonder if anyone in our service area is playing Sim City.  How do we set up a NE Hsv simulation?  It may be a fun way to understand what city council, mayor, and utility companies negotiate.

 

 

 

 

Ain’t nuthin but a thang…

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA)

How is it that a little thing started by just one person can mean so much for others’ quality of life?

The story of ridding O’Shaughnessy Avenue of industrial blight began with one resident who was flummoxed by a situation and contacted us.

utility-yard-oshaunessy

I’m proud to relay another story of another one resident’s initiative and great customer service from our partners at “city hall”.  It’s not about politics, it’s about the business of building a quality of life that we want in our community.

The long, deep parking lot at the Oak Park baseball fields is an invitation for all sorts of hanky-panky, switch-a-rooing and fence-vaulting into the adjacent back yards.  Evan Smith was diligent about calling 256-722-7100 to ask the HPD to shoo the cars out of the park after dark and investigate unusual behavior during the day.  After a month of surveillance, Evan felt alone in the endeavor and was tired of the pattern.

west-side-oak-park-fields

Smart man that he is, Evan asked for help, because at least two heads are, actually, better than one.  We contacted James Gossett of Parks and Rec and Captain DeWayne MacCarver, south precinct HPD, and described the predicament.  They looked at the records of calls for HPD service and agreed that it was time to put up a barrier at this site.  We dreamed of an iron arm controlled by a timer and realized that a chain and lock would suffice for now.  And who would put it up and take it down?  Evan agreed to invest more of his time and manage a team of gate-keepers, the neighbors from the adjacent homes.  Parks and Rec made the next call and in just a few days, BAM!, General Services put up a sturdy barrier to make it very inconvenient for vehicles to enter after dark.  We were pleased. The galvanized chain was like Bruno, a burly bouncer at a bar, thick arms crossed and silent.  “Thou shalt NOT enter” Bruno announced.

After just few nights of dragging Bruno across the parking lot and trying to stretch the 80 pound mass, we realized that we needed to tweet the thang, i.e. find a sustainable solution.  Evan was willing to put money toward new materials, but this time we contacted General Services ourselves, described the situation, and “in no time atall”, Bruno was replaced with a  lighter, strong twisted cable.  The barrier is now like a lean, wise woman who spots a mischievous child reaching for an off-limits vase, her eyes inferring “don’t .even. think. about it”.  Just enough warning to still be effective.

We are happy to see neighbors taking action to create the quality of life they want on their street and calling us when they want help.  In this micro-project, residents are investing time and labor, the city invested time, labor, and materials.  Some day, for other improvements, residents may have to also invest money for materials.

What needs attention on your street? What ideas to you have for a public-private partnership?  If you don’t have an idea but you want to be counted among others who have confidence in our community, please JOIN your Association!

Progress for Northeast

Northeast Huntsville Civic Association (NEHCA) Leave a comment

In July of 2016, we submitted a list of items to the Mayor, City Administrator, and the Department Managers for improving NE Hsv, and we asked for commitment to these items beginning in October 2016.  They discussed each item and reported quickly that “some [items] are going to require a little more analysis, some are significantly more expensive than was estimated, and some are reliant on a few other things being completed, and a few we can hit right away”.  A progress report on each item is as follows:

Re-stripe Oakwood Ave. to improve safety for residents on Oakwood Ave in the 40 mph section This topic was a popular on nextdoor.com and on “Imagine Huntsville” message boards.  The realignment of lanes can happen when the road is repaved because the stripes are melded in the road surface!  City-wide repaving is based on a scoring system from 10 to 60.  Roads ranked in the ’40’s are put in the queue for city council approval.  This section of Oakwood is currently in the 20’s.  It is estimated to be five years, maybe less, for resurfacing.  In the interim, Traffic Engineers will study the overall patterns to make sure that a reconfiguration of stripes would not mess up the overall traffic flow in the area.

Bus Shelters on Andrew Jackson  Did you know there are 12 bus stops on this street? Yet there are no bus stop shelters, and most of us agree that we want to encourage use of buses as an investment in our overall economic development.  Parking and Transit is able to install at least one on the street pending approval of a site near the heaviest ridership: one at Jackson Way Baptist Church/Dollar General and another near Hardee’s. Transit representatives will be in touch with private property owners in the next few weeks.  By the way, the buses are clean and provide a pleasant experience, thanks to the drivers’ sense of customer service.

Safe Pedestrian Crossings  We asked for pedestrian-centric systems in the Five Points business district and adjacent to the Optimist Rec Center.  The latter site meets everyone’s goal for connecting pedestrians of all ages to the built environment, in this case, the pavilion, playground and gyms.  Mid-block crossings have to meet federal guidelines. Traffic Engineering will undertake a study this year for the proposed crossing to see if it would meet standards.

Philpot Park  We asked for ways to increase foot traffic to the pocket park; that is, more reasons to walk to the wonderful open space.  The dog park idea was nixed, but the other ideas stuck. Immediately after the city’s meeting, Parks and Rec manager Steve Ivey sent soccer goals to encourage pick-up games.  P&R staff also ordered balance and strength fitness stations for all ages and will create an attractive area next to the lil’ kids play equipment under the trees. Site work is underway and the Water Fountain is Working now!

Oak Park  We asked to convert a small field to a dog park and using the concession stands for public art.  The answer is “Not now” for the dog park, but when there is a more clearly articulated art project to enliven the grey block buildings, they will listen!  Maybe the area can serve as mini-plazas with a fountain and mosaics?  We will have to think of ways to raise money to make it happen. Let us know what you have in mind if you want to see the concession stands look lively.

Optimist Park The idea of having an out-door movie screen on hand for community use on the pavilion grounds didn’t fly, but the request for an on-line reservation system resonated.  This request gave the P&R department more reason to finalize their plans for on-line reservations.  BTW, can anyone make a Little Free Library box for Optimist or at Max Luther rec center? We have the green light to make one at these sites.

Neighborhood Planning and Zoning  We asked again for a commitment to set a date for a series of meetings so that we can get more clarity on the needs for the area and the quality of life that we want. For example, what if…there was a pop up seasonal shopping center next to Chapman Pool or a small village of Tiny Houses on High Mountain Road.  January is the goal now for the meetings.  Stay updated on nextdoor.com or subscribe to our blog.

Please call to ask about these items and please stay in touch to improve our community in one of the 5 S’s:

Safety, Security, Shelter, Schools, Sports and Smiles! 

Contact us Here