MIDTOWN NEWS MAY 1997
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT.
We had a packed house in April when we met jointly with the Wright PTA and were
Entertained by a musical program by third graders at the school. It was a delightful
Program and we thank the students and teachers who contributed. I particularly liked
The “Hello” song done in various languages.
We are in the final countdown for the CBDG funding for our 150,000 grant to initiate
Work on our mini-library/learning center; we have been contacting council members and
The Mayor’s office to lobby on behalf of the project. We should have news at our next
Meeting as to the outcome. Come and learn about this innovative approach to localized
Handling of minor juvenile problems.
ANGEL OF THE MONTH…
Goes out from David Kha and Martha Cooper to Bonnie Crimmins, our lady of the
Refreshment Stand. Bonnie’s gift of love to us all is to bring coffee, punch, cups, sugar cream, etc., to every monthly meeting. Her small acts of great love do not go unseen.
BOTANICAL ANGEL goes out from Margaret Leonard (The Tree Lady) to Dave Dodson of the City of Tucson. Dave graciously worked with Midtown through many
Revisions to grant tree planting permits for our April street tree planting; he went out of
His way to walk the permits through the various departments to gain approval,
BOTANICAL Angel goes out to Doug Koppinger of Trees for Tucson who extended us
Credit, delivered our April trees, and, as usual made our most recent tree planting effortless. From all of Midtown to the Crestwood Band of Angels Neighborhood Watch
--a very special golden halo award. These courageous souls are working hard to turn things around at Crestwood (more inside). BENEVOLENT ANGEL Award goes to Bob
and Sherrie Stewart, owners of Crestwood Villas, for granting the Crestwood Angels
permission to use land and water surrounding the apartments for a community garden
(more inside). GUARDIAN ANGEL goes out to Tim DeNiro of the City Planning
Department for helping us out with our community garden projects. SWEETHEART
ANGEL goes out to Gaya Zeiter, the owner of Kwik Copy, our friendly neighborhood
(and locally owned) copy shop on Speedway and Alvernon. Gaya cheerfully, and at the last minute, agreed to fold and tab2,400 newsletters for Midtown in April, thus saving
us countless volunteer hours of folding and taping. Thanks to our SERENDIPITY ANGEL and resident workhorse, Carrie Rondeau, for orchestrating April’s newsletter
mailing. A BIG-HEARTED ANGEL goes out from Loretta Schick to the Renavatos on
Pima Street. “These people, whenever someone or some animal is hit (on Pima Street), they are always the first to help. They are the best hearted people—they’ll give you the
Shirt off their back. They are such good people.” A SECRET ANGEL goes out from Judy Ostermeyer to the woman she her two sons sat next to at the March meeting. There
Was no babysitter available and the boys were getting restless and bored. This Origami Angel kept them entertained the whole time by showing them how to fold paper boats.
DO YOU LIKE GETTING THE MIDTOWN NEWS EVERY MONTH
If you do, then read on because changes are coming, Here’s why: Your City of Tucson
Tax dollars go to pay for the coping and bulk postage of this newsletter. A City Department called Citizen and Neighborhood Services (CNS) provides the money
Through their budget for newsletter mailings for all registered Tucson neighborhoods,
Including Midtown Neighborhood newsletters are an efficient, inexpensive and powerful
Way to build community, to enhance communication, and to inform citizens of issues
Directly affecting their lives. Unfortunately, CNS has been struggling along for years on
A budget too small to meet these needs. CNS serves 86 Tucson neighborhood associations covering over half the city’s population. They have come to a point where they must either increase their budget or cut their services. CNS new administrator, Max Torres, supports fully serving the needs of Tucson’s neighborhoods. But Mayor and
Council will soon be hearing budget reallocation proposals for CNS which will propose changes for CNS and the neighborhood newsletter program. Such possibilities may include: 1) reducing the number of pages of the newsletter, 2) reducing the monthly
Mailings in number to something less, 3) reducing the readership of the newsletter, and
4); limiting the topics covered by the newsletter.
If you believe as we do—that the neighborhood newsletter program is a wise use of
Taxpayer money that is a service designed to benefit taxpayers, that gives those taxpayers
A voice in public policy (including how their tax dollars are spent), and that builds communities from the ground up—call the Mayor and Council 24-hour Hotline at 791-4700 and let them know what you think. Urge Mayor and Council to increase the
Neighborhood newsletter mailing program’s funding so that it can fully and affectively
Serve all of Tucson’s neighborhoods. Urge Mayor and Council to vote NO on any cuts
Or reductions in CNS and the neighborhood newsletter program. We are not asking that Mayor and Council raise taxes or spend more money on the program—instead we are asking that Mayor and Council reallocate current budget monies to help Citizen and
Neighborhood Services do the job they were designed to do—give the grassroots a
Voice in City policy by keeping them informed.
Members of the Neighborhood Association have obtained a copy of the City’s budget
And are studying it to see just where the City is prioritizing the spending of our tax money. Reports on what we find will be available at future Neighborhood meetings. Your
Voice counts. Call 791-4700 NOW.
ANGEL STORY…
My son and I have called Crestwood Villas for several years now. We were very excited to finally be moving from our cramped one bedroom to a place where we each had a bedroom (and a bath too). We had never seen such a spacious apartment. We had
Been on a four-month search before we found our new home.
We spent our first months surrounding ourselves with the old comforts that tend to make us happy—we had books, acquired some furniture, and placed pictures on the walls. Now we were living. Well…now we were ready to begin living.
I did some babysitting at first and really enjoyed having children around. But after a
While I wanted to venture out. Children are great, but I yearned for some adult conversation as well. However, people weren’t as friendly at Crestwood as I thought they
Might be. (You learn quickly who has time for chit-chat and who does not) In our old neighborhood we would visit each others’ homes and talk for hours, or meet by the pool
And enjoy good company. I guess I just expected to find things the same at Crestwood. I
Found that some people might say hello or ask how it was going, but many would avoid
Eye contact all together. We continue to nod at people, and sometimes we would chat, but nothing like the memories I held so dear.
I remember going often at first to the common area, hoping to form some friendships.
Well, we certainly came into contact with all sorts of people, but mostly we had very
Negative experiences. My son and I finally stopped opening our door to the outside world
Altogether. People were unaware that we still lived here.
After becoming so depressed that I wished death instead of life, I made one last attempt to find friendship. This time my son and I were greeted by people who seemed to
Connect with us. Maybe life had a few lessons left for us after all. We have made some
Really dear friends here and they continue to be here for us today. However, depression and desperation are never really too far away. Although we are a small circle of good friends, we live in a very depressive atmosphere. It is easy to lose your perspective when
Ugliness is all around you. Trash litters our barren grounds, the building is very drab, no one seems to care about the doggie doo and cigarette butts littering the grounds.
A change for the better has been happening at Crestwood over the past four months. People are tired of being held down and our demanding that changes be made. Crestwood now has a neighborhood watch group (Crestwood Band of Angels) which meets once a month. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for—here was a chance to make a real difference in my community. We have made some changes and our community is improving.
Yet with all of the changes going on, I still become easily depressed. What is going on? I am searching for the answer to that very question. I have decided for now that the
Answer lies in taking action. I envision great things for our community, but need to see
Something happening right now. My son and I weeded, picked up cigarette butts, and
Cleared trash out of the area in front of our apartment. We have cleared and put a border
Around a piece of land behind our apartment where we will plant a garden in the near future.
I guess what I had been searching for all this time was a call to action. Maybe no one will jump on my bandwagon and help clean up our ground, but my dream is to beautify my personal living space.
Friends are great, community is wonderful, but friends in a community taking action are the greatest friendships of all.
This Crestwood Angel, like all the folks living at Crestwood Villas, is a renter. Renters make up 60-70% of Midtown population—they are a very important resource. Midtown is a neighborhood association—we are trying to build community among everyone who lives here—renters, homeowners, and businesses. We extend a special thank you to all the Crestwood Angels who are setting an example for the rest of us on how to just that.
PIMA STREET—AND NOW FOR MORE OF THE STORY…
Loretta Schick called in her comments to last April’s Pima Street report. Loretta lives on Pima Street between Columbus and Alvernon. She wanted to respond specifically to
Last month’s comments by a neighbor who wishes to widen the street because of traffic .
Congestion. Loretta says: I have lived here for 39 years right on Pima Street. When the road was two lanes I did not notice any traffic veering off into side streets because of
Congestion. I used to take my walks along Pima Street, and I only noticed traffic cutting
Through the shopping center to avoid the light. Perhaps they may have taken the first street up from the intersection to avoid the light, but it wasn’t because the street was narrow, it was because they wanted to avoid the light altogether. They do that even now
That the street has four lanes.
From my experience, the traffic on Pima Street didn’t get bad until they widened the
Street to four lanes. Now they just zoom by. I know because I’ve lived here 39 years and
Walk it. I can’t even walk along Pima any more of traffic and speeding. We had very few
Accidents before it was widened, but now that they’ve widened it we’ve had rear-ender accidents galore. We had a bicyclist hit out here a few years ago. He was scraped up pretty bad and his bike was ruined. Mind you he had been riding in the right place—between the white line and gravel—but the old man who hit him was yelling at him saying “you shouldn’t be out here on the road.” This poor guy lay there, gravelled and bruised up. That’s what a widened road gets you—this man wouldn’t have been flying down our residential street if it had been narrow, but the bicyclist would have been safe.
Oh yes, there have been numerous rear-end accidents…animals hit…because people are
Speeding. And there is one motorcyclist—if he ever hits something he’s going to be circling Pima County for a month. I know if he’s a student or what. I hear it sometime morning, sometimes evening, and he takes off from Columbus and heads for Alvernon—
He must have very good brakes , because it sounds like an airplane jet taking off, I say a
Prayer for him every time I hear him flying by.
WRIGHT SCHOOL PARK REPORT…well we did it. We broke ground April 4 and we are now officially a park. Pro Neighborhoods awarded us our grant for soccer goals and
Pima County Parks and rec will that dollar aamount—so we’ll be able to afford soccer goals right away. Robie Pardee described what happened at the ground-breaking ceremony when Glen Dixon, the Director of City Parks and Rec, got up to speak. At the
Wright School kids were in attendance, and were standing far away from the podium. He
Beckoned them to come forward, and within seconds, hundreds of children broke rank and swarmed the podium. It was a joyous event. M. Anderson Construction has broken ground and should be finished by mid-May. We can then plant tree, set up the soccer field, and set tile in our park benches. For more information on how you can get involved
In putting on the finishing touches, call Martha at 327-4733 and leave your name and number.
MIDTOWN FOOD REVIEW.
Strange goings-on at Midtown in April. The place was crawling with children, every table was full and people lined the walls. Our inexpert estimate was 200-300 people in
Attendance. This meeting as it turned out, was a joint PTA/Neighborhood meeting. The
Grand turnout was, in large part, the friends and relatives of the Wright School third-grade class who opened the meeting with three songs…then they all left. We would have felt bereft, but fortunately they didn’t take the food with them, and we dined on the usual
Feast: tamales, macaroni and cheese (the kids loved that), fresh garden spinach salad (the
Kids politely declined to sample), a potato salad with cucumber, tomatoes and black olives, lightly seasoned—very refreshing. There was chicken, macaroni and cheese casserole that tasted, to my unrefined palette, like stuffing (and was quite delicious). We
Passed on the green jello and marshmallow salad but the kids gobbled it up. There was also a juicy egg and relish potato salad, and a macaroni, green olive and carrot salad in light vinaigrette (very tasty). There were whole-wheat tortillas, richly flavored beans and salsa, as well as beans and pork simmering in a crock pot (I had a whole bowl—a most
Mellifluous combination of flavors). There were home made rolls, tortilla chips, and a delectable fried rice with pork, egg, corn, onion, peas, carrots, green beans, and soy sauce. It was cooked by David Kha and had that “authentic Chinese restaurant” flavor (Mr. Kha is Vietnamese—he has mastered international cuisine). Dessert was the all-time
Kid favorite, and we did not fail to notice that the kids loaded their plates with dessert first. According to Donielle the brownies were worth two nods. There were shortbread and chocolate chip cookies, there was a coconut cream pie from which the children licked
The whipped cream off the top. According to Becky, “even the crust is good.” We noticed that one Bonnie Cummins stood guard over the cream cheese and crackers. The cream cheese had a bright orange sweet and sour sauce ladled over all, and was delicious.
She was waiting for the owner to claim the empty dish so she could snag the recipe—if she had any success, we will pass it along in next month’s newsletter. Our only regret of the evening? The children failed to eat their vegetables.
THE HOME FIRES ARE BURNING AT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY/LEARNING CENTER…and if Martha Cooper, Brad Holland, and Anna Marie Patti are successful—things are going to stay that way, Midtown is in the running
For a $150,000 CDBG grant to get started right away on our neighborhood library/learning center—with or without a building—doggonit we’ll rent. The Three GrantMeisters have been lobbying on our behalf behind the scenes, and should have more
At June’s meeting
COMMUNITY GARDENS ARE COOL…especially in the summer. Picture this-barren vacant lots transformed from glass and garbage-strewn wastelands to oases of green—
Flowers, vegetables, trees. Midtown is currently gearing up to work in partnership with
Community Gardens of Tucson in identifying possible community garden/pocket park
Locations. So far, the Crestwood Band of Angels is moving ahead with a garden in the alley between Crestwood and Alhambra Apts. on Pima Street. We are also contacting the
Circle K at the corner of Pima and Columbus to see if they will let us use the vacant lot
Behind the store as a pocket park. (If anyone can help us out with this one, call Margaret
At 323-5049). And if there is a barren spot in your area that you would like to transform into a community garden or pocket park, call Margaret at 323-5049—we’ll talk.
REMEMBER THE WORM LADIES. We still need donations of supplies to set up worm
Beds. To help out, call Martha at 327-4733.
AND FO ALL YOU ENTERPRISING TYPES…NOW IS THE TIME TO MAIL YOUR
BUSINESS CARD TO DAVID KHA for the business directory. David’s address and phone is: 4136 E, North Street, 85712—323-8278.
THE APRIL TREE PLANTING…brought 45 new trees into the neighborhood. Look for
New locations on our “Tree World” map at the next neighborhood meeting. In only one
Year we’ve planted almost 400 trees—way to go Midtown. P.S.—our wildflower farm
Is going great—we’ll have plenty of wildflower seeds to distribute for planting in the tree
Wells in October. For those of you who have wildflowers blooming now—be careful not
To weed out the penstammon (which will bloom next spring). Right now they look like this:
SUMMER ACTIVITES FOR KIDS—ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE.
Here’s the lineup:
* Soccer Club: there will be two 6-week sessions at the Wright School
Park. Call 323-8278 for more info.
· Chess Club: will meet every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the Tucson
· International Center, 4108 E, North Street. Call 323-8278 for more info.
· Computer Club: will meet every Saturday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at the
· Tucson International Center. Call 323-8278 for more info.
· Bicycle Club: will meet every Sunday from 10am-12 pm at the Liverpool Computer on North Street. Call 323-8278 for more information.
THE VIRTUAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION , sponsored by David Kha and Chris Lagemann has hit big time. A recent article in the Tucson Citizen
Tells about this “grassroots citizen support system” on the Internet that now has six
Neighborhoods from all over the metro area on-line. David and Chris’ goal is to have all
Neighborhood associations on-line to provide an interactive forum for citizens and government to link. More later. To see the latest developments, check out the site at
AND NOW FOR THE BORING STUFF…
Tres English reported on Charter Government at our April meeting. Tres is helping to
Write the Pima County Charter, which would give more local control to Pima County
Government. He described the many components in the Charter that he believes will empower people at the grassroots to make positive changes in local government. The final version of the Charter will be published in May. Every household should be getting
A copy. It will also be published in the local newspapers. Tres urges everyone to take the
Time to study the Charter to see if they will vote for it or not. The ratification of this Charter will come up for a vote this summer—we urge you to be a part of this important
Democratic process. Because the vote will be taking place in the summer, there will be a
Lower turnout, so every vote counts—make sure yours is one of them.
The May 20, 1997 Pima County Bond election was also discussed at our April meeting. Doug Koppinger gave a brief description of each bond packages that will be available to vote on (on an individual basis). They are: 1) Juvenile Detention and Court
Facilities, 2) Public Safety, Law Enforcement and Superior Court, 3) Parks, 4) Sonoran Desert Open Space and Historic Preservation, 5) Public Health, Safety, Recreational and
Cultural Facilities, 6) Flood Control Improvements, and 8) Sewer System Revenue Bonds. Our last county-wide bond election was in 1986. Since then, those bonds have been retired. Pima County government and the Citizens Bond Advisory Committee believe that, now that the old bonds are paid off, new bonds are needed to help pay for the new growth we’ve had since 11986. Money from our secondary property tax will pay
For them. This bond election is your opportunity to have a say in how public money is spent—take the time to learn more about it. Take the time to vote on May 20. Your vote
Counts –use it. To receive a copy of the Bond election information sheet call 323-5049.
THE BABYSITTING BLUES…have struck. We’ve lost our babysitter for the monthly
Neighborhood meetings. But all is not lost. Judy Ostermeyer has volunteered to be our point-mama for babysitting. Depending on local interest, she can help coordinate with local teens interested in babysitting. Or, if there is enough interest, she will help coordinate a babysitting coop for the meeting. For more information, call Judy at 326-1517.
THEY’RE DOING AGAIN AT WRIGHT.
Our Halloween bash at Wright elementary was so successful, they’ve decided to have a Cinco de Mayo festival. We’ll report on how the festivities went in our June newsletter.
BUILDING COMMUNITIES FROM THE INSIDE-OUT…was the topic of an inspirational seminar Martha Cooper attended recently. The seminar covered, step by step, how to build community by working with the people assets we currently have. The
Speaker had “never found anyone who didn’t have at least 30 assets to offer the community, and that includes people on welfare and people who think they have nothing
To offer”. Martha is so keen on these ideas that she would like to get started building an
“asset bank” of the skills, interests, and talents of the people living here in the neighborhood. She would like to get started with a survey, perhaps this summer. For more info, or if you would like to offerone of your 30 plus assets., call Martha at 327-4733
TERRYGALLAHGHAN OF THE METROPOLITAN MINISTRIES OF TUCSON was
At our May meeting to report on the status of the Midtown First-Time Homebuyer’s program. This program has made money available to struggling families wishing to own a home who lack the initial resources to become homeowners. Metro Ministries provides
Guidance, help in contacting lenders, and down payment and closing costs, depending on
Each family’s circumstances. So far, they have placed four families in their own homes,
And they have resources available to help 9 to families. Terry is a great guy and the process is very user friendly. Call Terry at 322-9557 to find more about this wonderful
Program. Also, if there is a fixer-upper house in your neighborhood that might be for sale, contact Terry. He has money available for rehab and repair.
NOW THAT’S VISION> Anna Marie Patti, our grant writer, is a local realtor who has a
Dream, She looks around the neighborhood and sees a lot of transience, people passing through. Right now we are 60-70% rental, even though a lot of those renters would like to
Own a home if they could afford it, Anna Marie wants to make that possible. She is in the
Process of collecting information on local landlords interested in selling their rentals. She wants to help renters buy the properties they are living in. Anna Marie is investigating
Possible funding sources from community reinvestment programs of large mega-banks that can help people do just that. Anna Marie has a big vision, and a big heart, and we’re
Betting on her. If you’d like more information, call Anna Marie at 881-0244.
THE STAND FOR CHILDREN is a national event that got started in the summer of 1996 in response to rising child poverty rates (one in four children in Arizona live in
Absolute poverty), rising child abuse and neglect, and lowering standards of child health care. On June 1. 1996 over 300,000 people rallied in Washington, D.C. to bring attention
To this growing crisis of the next generation. This year, people are being asked to Stand for Children in their neighborhoods. Carrie Rondeau has volunteered to spearhead Midtown’s Stand for Children by sponsoring a Food Drive during the month of June.
Donations of food, baby formula, and tennis shoes will be accepted at Wright School.
Why tennis shoes? Carri works as a school counselor and every day she sees kids who are
Unable to participate in sports because they don’t have adequate shoes they can run and play in. New or outgrown tennis shoes in good condition will be accepted. Carrie is also
Willing to pick up donations. For more information, call Carri at 795-1478
* * *
Take time to work, it is the price of success. Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to play, it is the secret of perpetual youth. Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom. Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness. Take time to love and be loved, it is nourishment for the soul. Take time to share, it is too short a life to be selfish. Take time to laugh, it is music of the heart. Take time to dream, it is hitching your wagon to a star…-David Kha
Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal…-Ralph Vaull Star.
Newsmay97