Woodburn Association of Neighbors

Next Meeting - April 20

2009-04-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

The next meeting of the Woodburn Association of Neighbors is scheduled for Monday, April 20th, 2009 at Crosley's Banquet Center. The meeting will start at 7:00 PM.

Three candidates running for the Morgantown City Council seats have also been asked to attend and answer some questions relating to the Woodburn neighborhood.

Meeting Agenda:

1. Welcome, Introductions and Approval of Minutes

2. Bill Reger-Nash, Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board (http://www.morgantown.com/ped-safety-board.htm) - Soliciting input regarding pedestrian safety issues, and sharing what the Pedestrian Safety Board has been doing to promote pedestrian safety.

3. Jessie Reckart, Morgantown Housing Authority (http://www.fmhousing.com/) - An update on the Housing Authority in the Woodburn neighborhood, and how the Housing Authority can help with promoting the voluntary owner-occupied deed restriction on homes in the neighborhood.

4. City Council Candidates, Shane Mardis, Marti Shamberger, and Michael Shuman have been invited to answer questions concerning our neighborhood.

5. Woodburn Neighborhood Spring Clean-up -
Saturday, May 9, 2009 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

6. Other business

Hope to see many of you Monday evening! Thanks,

Donna Hartman, President

Morgantown, WV in the News

2009-03-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Nightly News with Brian Williams, NBC, March 2009

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

CNN 'Island in a sea of Appalachia', March 2009

Woodburn Association of Neighbors Welcomes New Officers

2009-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Election of new officers // Slate of officers:

. Donna Hartman—President
. Steve Gunno—Vice President
. Tamara Riegel—Treasurer
. Susan Eason—Secretary

Slate nominated and seconded. Passed on voice vote.

Other Updates:

a. Larger Woodburn sign is under construction, will be ready for Spring installation.

b. City block grant: Chris Van Dyke and Susan Eason met with Dave Bott; Woodburn neighborhood’s plans were submitted.

c. Beautification commission will prepare Roger’s beauty spot for spring planting. Julie Lattanzi will coordinate.

d. Housing authority met with several Woodburn residents to discuss purchases in the area and discuss an incentive for voluntary owner-occupied deed restriction. (WAN will prepare a letter in support of that.) Also: asbestos abatement scheduled for property at Dayton/Richwood intersection on Saturday with a scheduled February 21 demolition. Jessie Reckert will attend our next meeting to discuss all of this.

e. Neighborhood brochure is back from the printer. (A copy was handed around for examination.) Still needs to be cut. Thanks to Mark Furfari and Ron Justice to contributions that covered printing costs.

f. Neighborhood Coordinating Council report. A “Special Services Unit” has been created by Police Chief Scott to address trash, underage drinking, and over-occupancy. City is considering a new “Nuisance Party House ordinance” that would track repeat complaints about a property by school year. WVU off-campus housing is implementing a voluntary Gold Star rental rating system that landlords can try to meet.

Plans for a Spring Clean-Up Day are in the works.

Next Association MeetingMonday, Nov. 10, 2008

2008-11-04T23:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:

Our next Woodburn Association meeting will be Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 pm. Location to be announced (Woodburn School or Crosley's). The Executive Comm. is preparing the agenda. Please let us know if you have items for consideration at our meeting.

Roy Nutter from the Traffic Commission would like to present his committe's proposal for Traffic Calming in Woodburn based on your submitted concerns.

Additionally, Dave Bott from the Morgantown Community Development office and working on the City Block Grant would like to attend our meeting as well.

Your input is important. Let us know if you have concerns and please try to attend. Thanks.

And thank you to everyone who took the time to respond with your comments about traffic concerns. Here is the document (Word Doc.) I compiled to send to the commmission.

I categorized your comments into 10 areas and then included direct quotes so they could see the number of people raising a concern in each area. I was surprised by the number of people replying. Thank you everyone.

Susan

Updates and Thanks

2008-09-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Neighbors:

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Housing Authority meeting on Thursday, Sept. 11. The biggest thing I came away with is that, one, the Housing Authority has purchased the property at the corner of Dayton and Richwood and will be tearing down the house there to put up 3, energy efficient, "Wi" houses.

The second thing was that in order to really work with our Association they would like to see a "Neighborhood Plan" that indicates what specifically we would want the Housing Authority to accomplish in our neighborhood. So, we will all have to think about how to respond to that request.

Thanks to all who came out to the Fall Fest on Saturday, Sept. 13. It was a smaller group than last year, but all who were there had a good time. We appreciated the beautiful music from Jenny and Nathan Wilson and Evan of Topelo Honey. The jazz sounds and rythms were a perfect fit for our outdoor setting. Check out their Topelo Honey web site.

Thanks to Mark and Karen Furfari for providing tables and to BoParc for the tents and Bounce House for the kids. Many volunteers offered donations and provided games. Thanks everyone. It was fun.

Finally, special thanks to Julie Black who is helping us keep up our Woodburn blog. Check Here for some of the latest updates!

If you have a home business or business in Woodburn, send your website info. by e-mail to Julie at julzblack@hotmail.com so she can post it on the blog.

Take care, neighbors ~ Susan Eason

Fall Updates - September 2008

2008-09-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

[ View a copy of our latest Newsletter (2008 Fall Issue . pdf file) ]

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:

A special meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 11 at 7:00 pm at Crosley's to meet with John Martys of the Morgantown Housing Authority. All Woodburn residents are invited to attend. We will discuss concerns we have about the trend towards rentals and learn about the Housing Authorities purchase at the corner of Dayton and Richwood Ave.s

At our most recent WAN meeting, concerns were raised about the increased number of student rentals in our neighborhood; a neighbor hoping to build a new rental on his extra lot; and the fact that the Housing Authority seems to be be focusing their efforts in neighborhoods other than Woodburn.

As a result of these concerns, we sent a letter to the Housing Authority (see attached letter) and Ron Justice has been conversing with John Martys about our concerns.

[ Download the Letter Here (word doc.) ]

We have been able to get a meeting with John Martys next Thursday, Sept. 11. We will have an opportunity to speak with John to further express our concerns and seek his support in keeping Woodburn from hitting the "tipping point" of becoming a predominantly rental area.

Additionally, John Martys would like to share with us plans for the property the Housing Authority has purchased from Greg Jenkins at the corner of Richwood and Dayton. They have plans for building some homes at this location and he would like to share what they hope to do.

FALL FEST - Sept. 13: Also, the Woodburn Fall Fest will be held on Sat. Sept. 13 at WHITEMORE PARK from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM. If you can find the time to place the flyer out on a pole near your house that would be great.

[ Download the Fall Flyer Here (pdf file) ]

Also for FALL FEST, BoParc is furnishing a Bounce House for the children! Jenny and Nathan Wilson and son, Evan will provide music starting at 4:30 pm before heading off to their next gig. Please look at their website: http://wilson.jenate.googlepages.com/tupelohoney

Members of the Association are providing games. Bring a dish to share and a chair. Donations are appreciated.

We hope you can make it!

Susan Eason ~ President

Dates and Details

2008-02-29T16:40:00.001-08:00

Dear Neighbors:

Upcoming dates to remember:

Saturday, March 29- Prepare the "Beauty Spot" by our new sign on Richwood for spring plantings. Time to be announced.

Saturday, April 19- Earth Day/Clean-up our Neighborhood/Social! Details to come.

Next Association meeting, end of March or First of April- Stay tuned for details.
Planning Commission Meeting: March 13, 6:30 pm

Susan

Next meeting : Monday January 14, 2008

2007-12-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

The January meeting brings the time to elect new officers to the WAN. Susan indicated that she would not be a candidate for president again. Suggestions and volunteers for the new executive board are encouraged.

November Meeting Minutes have been posted.

The top news from the last meeting is posted below. Refer to the Nov. minutes for more information.

The Future of Woodburn Elementary School

Woodburn is the oldest school in the area and the only true neighborhood school. It has 230 students and the neighborhood is growing. We would like to get people thinking about what we would like to have happen in the future with the school. The timing is crucial—Woodburn could be a future candidate for closure. Some possible future scenarios include closing the school and busing local students to Mountainview or elsewhere, refurbishing the school (quite a challenge), or rebuilding Woodburn adjacent to the current building. Rebuilding money could come from state SBA money so it would not be tied to a new bond levee. The Suggested goal is building a new school on current property. Local participation in the process is encouraged!

Woodburn Playground Fundraiser: The school needs some new playground equipment and some has been selected. To make this a reality, around $20,000 must be raised. Centra Bank and developer Mike Castle have offered some support. We are looking for support from neighborhood members. We will send letters to all business owners in the neighborhood, including downtown and the Mileground. (A suggestion to include Chestnut Ridge hospital is offered.) The board of education has given an amount of about half what is needed ($10,000) based on the number of students at Woodburn and also contributed a large amount of mulch. Some money is also expected to come from a fundraiser in which cards and prints of Woodburn made by Jeannie Gren will be sold.

Meeting on Monday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 pm

2007-10-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Woodburn Association of Neighbors:
Our next meeting is THIS Monday, November 5 at 7:00 pm at Crosley's Banquest Center (next to Marios). We have special guest, Mike Stone, Morgantown Code Enforcement officer, joining us. Hope you will be able to attend. Below is the full agenda for the evening.
Susan Eason

Agenda Woodburn Association of Neighbors
7:00 pm, Crosley's Banquet Center

1. Welcome

- Thanks to Coordinators of the Block Party. It was a big success!

- Approve Minutes

2. Guest Mike Stone, Code Enforcement Officer. Mike will speak about code enforcement regulations and take questions.

3. Woodburn Elementary School

- Woodburn Playground Fundraiser- Woodburn is undertaking a major fundraiser to replace equipment on the playground. Partners in the endeavor, Centra Bank and The Phoenix Group, have encouraged the planning committee to seek support from a variety of groups including the Woodburn Association of Neighbors.

- The Future of Woodburn School- The Local School Improvement Council will be holding a meeting with the Superintendent to discuss the future of Woodburn School. Community members are strongly encouraged to attend to give voice to the neighborhood's hope for the school. Time of meeting to be announced.

4. Gravel deposits on Louise and James and Louise and Dayton. Is street sweeping occurring? How can run off of gravel into the streets be reduced?

5. Email Policy: The Executive Committee proposes that the email list will be used to communicate information that pertains to or comes out of the business meetings of the Woodburn Association of Neighbors. The Blog could be used to post information about events in the neighborhood or pertaining to individuals in the neighborhood.

6. Parking on Union Ave. a concern

7. Election of new officers. It is time to develop a new slate of officers to be elected at our January annual meeting. We are seeking people to run.

8. Greg Jenkins requests time to discuss the possibility of seeking rezoning of his property at corner of Richwood and Dayton.

9. Follow-up on:

- Signs

- Plantings around signs

10. Other business

Adjourn

Great Fall Festival

2007-09-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:

It was good to see so many folks out at the Fall Festival. A huge thank you to Karen Woodfork. Thanks too to Joel Halverson for some prearrangements and Steve Gunno for the great work on the Newsletter and signs! It was great to welcome many new faces to the neighborhood event as well.

Our next business meeting will be Monday, November 5 at 7:00 pm. We are arranging for Mike Stone, head of Code Enforcement to be with us. Mark your calendars now. Below are minutes of our last meeting.

Again, what a great time at the party. Thanks everyone.
Susan Eason, Pres.

---------------------------------
Woodburn Association of Neighbors
Meeting Minutes
Monday, August 13, 2007, 7:00 PM
Crosley’s Banquet Center

Attendees: Anna Avakian, Paul Atkins, Anthony Barker, Susan Eason, Steve Gunno, Joel Halverson, Eric Hansmann, Ron Justice, Bob Merow, Anne Miller, Paul Miller, Tamara Riegel, Jeanette Shahan,
Louise Taft, Karen Woodfork.

Susan Eason called meeting to order and those present introduced themselves. Minutes were approved, with one spelling correction and one other change.

Susan began with a note of thanks to those who helped install the new Woodburn signs in thetime since the last meeting. (Jamie and Everett Lester, Griffin, Paul, and Betsy Miller, SusanEason, Chris, Logan and Amelia Haddox, Julie, Patrick and Katherine Zuercher-Kirby, and PeteCheesebrough helped with the big sign on Richwood and Monongalia, and Jamie Lester, PaulMiller, Steve Gunno, Jenny and Nathan Wilson and Evan, Ted and Buffy Vehse helped with thesmall sign on Charles.)

1. Noise, Trash and Vandalism Concerns:
- Paul Miller described the Monongalia and Willey tire slashings that occurred overnight on July 11-12 in the neighborhood. Other recent vandalism involved eggs thrown at cars. All neighbors were encouraged to be vigilant and report suspicious activity.

- Talk of communication with the city led to some follow-up on the poorly kept property complaint expressed last time about 829 Richwood. (It is known that disability is not the cause of the problem.) No letter was sent on behalf of the WAN, due to confusion about which house and some skepticism about the effectiveness of the letter. If the home occupant rents, Ron Justice confirmed that information about home owners is available from the city. The city can out put information on whole streets at a time if given some time. Any city resident can file a complaint online about code enforcement (or other) issues. It was suggested that WAN members fill out complaints about 829 Richwood if they agree is a problem. We can also draft a letter to the owner/occupant/city if we later choose to try that avenue.

- Some concern shared about noise from the 4th of July party, but since it was only a one-time event, with a permit, concern was mild.

- With new students arriving, the suggestion was made to call police at the earliest real problem to avoid establishing a bad precedent for unacceptable behavior for the new neighbors.

2. Fall Social Event:
• Date: changed from Saturday September 8 to September 15, 2007.
• Where: Whitmore Park
• Organizing Committee appointed included: Karen Woodfork, Steve Gunno, Joel Halverson, Anthony Barker.
• Louise Taft agreed to supply paper products and Jenny Wilson has previously agreed to provide some music.

3. Request Regarding the Woodburn signs:
• Can we replace the smaller one with a larger sign and move the smaller one to Woodburn School?
• We can ask the city for more money in two months or so.
• Discussion about flowers and maintenance led to a suggestion that the city beautification group or the WVU landscape architecture program might be able to take on the project or suggest a good, low maintenance plan. Ron Justice describes similar beauty spots in Suncrest, Hogback Turn, near Colasante’s, and in Wiles Hill.
• He suggests a possibility: City pays for first planting, neighbors do upkeep, and perhaps it could be added to city’s summer watering list. City contact would be Marchetta Maupin.

4. Newsletter:
• We plan to distribute a newsletter prior to the social event.
• Steve Gunno will help organize.

5. Update on Letter Requests:
• A letter was sent to Mrs. Nakaishi regarding the new school building. That decision
has been made and won’t involve closing the Parsons Street.
• A letter was sent to Boparc including suggestions (from last meeting) for improvingWhitmore Park. These suggestions were appreciated.
• The letter of complaint was not sent. (Details above.)

6. Other Business:
• Ron Justice updates:
• Tire damage totaled about 60 total cars over three days in at least twoneighborhoods, both near major roads.
• Social event: The city can help with porta-johns.
• Think about how the WAN might be able to thank Mark and Karen Furfari for use of their space.
• Next: Social event, 9/15
• Next meeting: Monday, November 5.

Neighbors Respond to Recent String of Tire Slashings

2007-07-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

My name is Shanon Schuetzner and I own Town Hill Bar & Grill. Although my business may not be technically in Woodburn we are just as much a part of the community as anyone else. I've worked and/or lived in this neighborhood since 1994.

Since becoming owner of Town Hill I have worked hard not only in cleaning up the business but also the neighborhood on my end. Recently, working with police, we put an end to some criminal activity on Wiley street but as you know there is always more.

I am willing to help with a neighborhood watch but I need your help. If you love Woodburn and want to keep it safe we need to take action now. I don't like waking up to slashed tires or a vehicle that has been broken into. I understand this is something that has been talked about at the Woodburn meetings so lets work together to rid the neighbor of these petty crimes.

Got something to say? Click on the Comments below this post - and read other comments.

End of June - Early July Activities

2007-06-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few reminders and opportunities coming up in the neighborhood.

1. The Roosevelt Ave. Yard Sale is THIS Saturday, June 30. The residents of Roosevelt Avenue (off of Charles Ave.) will hold their annual yard sale so stop by and check it out.

2. Woodburn Signs- Thank you to everyone who came out to help install the Woodburn sign at Richwood and Monongalia (Jamie, Everett Lester; Griffin, Paul, Betsy Miller; Susan Eason, Chris, Logan and Amelia Haddox; Julie, Patrick and Katherine Zuercher-Kirby; Pete Cheesebrough!) It looks fantastic, don't you think? We hope to add flowers around it. Let us know if you want to help with that.
One more sign needs to be installed on Charles Avenue and we are about ready to go. Jamie is looking at next week some time. We'll let you know specifics as they are worked out so maybe you can come out and help.

3. Mario's Fishbowl 4th of July Party- Mario's Fishbowl will host a 4th of July Party in the Backyard/Lot at Mario's Fishbowl. The party starts at 3:00 PM and ends at Midnight. There will be live music by Joe Hall and High Country (country rock) as well as karoke and amplified music going throughtout the day and evening. They will be cooking food outdoors and offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for sale. There will be some fun things for the kids who stop by during the day. The neighborhood is invited and encouraged to attend. Spread the word!

4. Dishwashing Job Available- Help Needed Immediately! Do you need a part time job? Karen Fufari of the Fish Bowl could use you. "We were awarded the contract to cater the Emma Kaufmann Camp this summer and we're searching high and low for kids to dishwash as a summer job. We are feeding roughly 450 kids breakfast, lunch, dinner and camper snack 7 days a week. There are day shifts and evening shifts. The pay is $7 per hour." says Karen. Interested? E-mail Karen at fishbowl@mountain.net

Thanks everyone.

Susan (Questions? e-mail me)

Suggested Improvements to Whitemore Park

2007-06-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Neighbors:
I wanted to let you know of a few things that have transpired since our meeting.

1. Woodburn Signs- The Woodburn signs are finished as you know. See what the the large sign looks like! Jamie Lester has met with the city and identified the spot where the sign on Richwood and Monongalia will be located. Many thanks to Jamie for his good work, he has been doing this for over a year now!

2. Letters Sent Out on Behalf of Woodburn Assoc. Two letters have been sent out based on discussions at our meeting. The first to Woodburn principal, Mrs. Nakaishi and the other to BoParc Staff and Commissioners. It looks like Mrs. Nakaishi and the BOE are not going to pursue closing Parsons St. The building will be put behind the Kindergarten classes. Parking may still be an issue that we in the future may want to address with the BOE.

3. MUB is wanting to do an educational event with Woodburn Neighborhood some time this summer or early fall. With residents, they want to mark the storm drains that dump directly into the creeks and rivers in our area. I'll keep you posted on further developments. This could be an educational event for us all, but especially the teens and children.

4. The Annual Woodburn Fall Party will be in Whitemore Park, set for sometime in September. We're looking for people to help coordinate the event. We need music, food, activities for teens and children, plus adults, etc. If you want to help, please let me know. Send me an e-mail: susanchris@verizon.net!

Thank you, Susan

Woodburn Signs Complete-Plus Other News

2007-05-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Jamie Lester is done with the signs and we'll be installing them soon. Dear Neighbors:
I wanted to let you know of a few things that have transpired since our meeting.

1. Woodburn Signs: The Woodburn signs are finished as you know. Jamie Lester has met with the city and identified the spot where the sign on Richwood and Monongalia will be located. After the utility check, we can begin to install the sign. This will probably be done by next Monday. We would like to try for an evening time next week or the following week (to beat the heat and to catch folks after work!) We will need lots of laborers and equipment (shovels, spot bar, wheel barrow, etc.) I'll send out a note on the specific time, but I hope you will try to clear your schedule when the date is planned. Many thanks to Jamie for his good work, He has been doing this for over a year now!

2. Letters Sent Out on Behalf of Woodburn Assoc.: There are two letters that have been sent out based on discussions at our meeting. The first to Woodburn principal, Mrs. Nakaishi and the other to BoParc Staff and Commissioners. It looks like Mrs. Nakaishi and the BOE are not going to pursue closing Parsons St. The building will be put behind the Kindergarten classes. Parking may still be an issue that we may want to address in the future with the BOE.

3. MUB is wanting to do an educational event with Woodburn Neighborhood some time this summer or early fall: With residents, they want to mark the storm drains that dump directly into the creeks and rivers in our area. I'll keep you posted on further developments. This could be an educational event for us all, but especially the teens and children.

4. Woodburn Party in Whitemore Park is set for September: We will be looking for people to help coordinate the event- music, food, activities for teens, children, adults, etc. If you want to help, please let me know. THANKS.

STAY COOL. I'll be in touch about the sign installation party!

Susan

Next Meeting - MONDAY, May 21, 7:00 pm

2007-05-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:

The Woodburn Association of Neighbors will hold its next meeting on MONDAY, May 21 at 7:00 pm. We plan to meet at Crosley's as usual. I want to thank all the folks who came out to help clean-up Woodburn. Twenty-six people pitched in to fill up Paul Miller's pick-up truck with 27 bags of garbage!

Folks hit Whitemore Park, Charles Ave. (especially the house with TONS of garbage in the front yard) and lots of streets in between. A special thank you to those who were there: Cub Scout Pack 49, Den 2; Paul, Betsy, and Griffin Miller; Lori, Joel, Andi and Seth Halverson; Karen Woodfork and Julian VanDyke; Julie Black, Paul Atkins, Anne Miller; Cheryl Torsney and Eric Hansman; Steve and Ian Gunno; Logan, Amelia, and Chris Haddox and Susan Eason. (If I missed someone, please let me know.)

Some interesting things will be on our agenda for the May MONDAY Meeting:

1. BoParc is developing a new master plan and would like input from neighborhoods about ideas they have for parks in their neighborhood. We will plan to give some thought to what you would envision for Whitemore Park and any other areas you might hope for in our neighborhood, like a nice entry way into Woodburn up Prospect Street perhaps?

2. Woodburn signage is nearly complete! I have seen the large one and it is gorgeous. Jamie Lester is working on the logistics of getting it installed. We will have a sign-up sheet for people who are interested in helping.

3. The Morgantown Neighborhood Coordinating Council (Joel Halverson and I have attend those meetings as we could) has proposed that neighborhoods submit "a vision of what they want their neighborhood to be" to City Council. Dates for a gathering of folks from across the city neighborhoods to do that kind of work will be forth coming.

4. Blueline Parking- with the Condos on Richwood taking buyers, we are confronted again with whether to install Blueline parking permits. Joel Halverson will be checking on that.

5. Did you know that the two houses for sale on Richwood up from Mario's just before the intersection with James and Charles are zoned B-1? What would that corner look like if more apartments and/or retail went in? We may want to look at this zoning before someone wants to build on this site. It may not be a concern, but then again, it may if we want to keep a certain character in the neighborhood.

6. Set a date for a fall social event.

Do you have something you want to add to the agenda? Let us know. If you know of someone who should be added to this email list, PLEASE ask them to send me an email. We need to be in touch with more people in the neighborhood and your help spreading the word is essential! Hope to see you on MONDAY (yes, that's Monday!), May 21 at 7:00 pm

Susan Eason

April 21 - Clean-Up Day in Woodburn!

2007-04-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:

The day is here! It's CLEAN-UP DAY IN WOODBURN! This Saturday, April 21 at 10:00 am to noonish or so. Meet in front of Mario's Fishbowl. Bring gloves if you want or use the ones provided.

Children, teens, WVU students are all encouraged to participate, the more the merrier. Come socialize with your neighbor while we work to make our neighborhood clean. A Cub Scout troop will be joining us. (Will the Girl Scouts?) Some folks can take off through the park and others can hit the streets. Looks like Saturday is to be our nicest day of the month, so come on out!

See you then, neighbor.

Susan

Planning Dept. and Planning Commission MeetingThursday, March 8 - 7:30 pm

2007-03-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends:
Some of you may be interested in a meeting to be held this Thursday, March 8 at 7:30 pm at City Hall Council Chambers. Concerned citizens and residents of Morgantown have made requests to the City Council and the Planning Commission to make changes in the recently revised (2006) Zoning Code.

The meeting THIS Thursday is open to all interested persons who wish to participate in a discussion about the proposed changes submitted by the concerned citizens. If you want to attend please phone or email the Planning Department by March 6 at (304) 284-7431 or e-mail lmardis@citymorgantown.org .

You may ask them to send you the materials in preparation for the meeting. < See the March 8 Meeting Agenda Online.

In additon, we are also trying to get someone to come to our meeting this Sunday, March 11 to speak to the issue. Woodburn has most recently been affected by the changes in the Zoning Code with the property on Richwood across from Marios. Other areas around you/us may be impacted and you may want to learn more about this.

Next Meeting - Sunday, March 11

2007-03-06T05:36:00.000-08:00

Dear neighbors, our next Woodburn Association of Neighbors meeting is scheduled for Sunday, March 11 at 4:00 pm at Crosley's, 616 Richwood Avenue next to Mario's Fishbowl. If you have an item for the agenda, please email me as soon as possible. Hope to see you at the meeting!

Thank you, Susan Eason

February 8 - Zoning Ordinance and request changes at the Planning Commission Meeting

2007-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:

Kathleen Sutter from Suncrest is leading an effort for residents to examine the zoning laws affecting our neighborhoods. She is encouraging you to review materials provided and formulate your thoughts for the Planning Commission on Thursday, February 8. Do consider attending if you have concerns you want to voice. Please read below for more information! - Susan Eason

Dear Members of Neighborhood Associations,

Last night's City Council Meeting gave us much hope. City Council agreed that the Planning Commission should review and amend the Zoning Ordinance so that residential zones retain their residential nature.

Mayor Ron Justice requested that the Planning Commission review and amend the residential portion of the Zoning Ordinance passed January 2006 and return the document to the City Council within the month. He requested feedback from other neighborhood associations.

Ron Justice, Bill Byrnes, and Jim Manilla agreed that changes need to be made to preserve the residential nature of our neighborhoods. We have a chance to make a difference to our neighborhoods in the years to come.

A good zoning law will prevent conditional use applications which are not appropriate to our neighborhoods.

The present zoning law allows in R-1 and R-1A Professional Services Establishments such as physical therapy, massage or legal offices which require two story buildings within 3 to 6 feet of the front property line. See attached review of the law concerning Professional Services Establishment.

Present zoning law permits under conditional use such businesses as restaurants, bakeries, beauty shop, convenience neighborhood store throughout R-1A neighborhoods.

Now is the time to review the residential portion of the Zoning Ordinance and request changes at the Planning Commission Meeting on February 8. The Zoning Committee from the Suncrest Neighborhood Association is working on R-1 requests to the Planning Committee.

Bill Kawecki of the South Park Association is drawing up requests for R-1A with his association. We need representatives from each neighborhood association to make requests for residential zones.

Here is a link to the summary of the permitted and conditional uses in residential zones. You can find more information directly from the ordinance at the following City of Morgantown page. Be sure to look at the supplementary regulations and definitions that go with each use.

All of us can make a difference if we work now to preserving our quiet neighborhoods for families.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Sutter, Zoning Committee, SNA

Our Next Meeting is Sunday January 28 at 6PM

2007-01-23T06:57:00.001-08:00

Dear Woodburn Neighbors:
Last Sunday's scheduled meeting had to be postponed due to the weather. We have now set a new meeting time for our Annual Association meeting for this Sunday, January 28 at 6:00 pm. (Please note we are starting a little bit later to accomdate folks who watch or go to the basketball game!) We will meet at Crosley's as usual.
We will not be distributing flyers for the event, so any help you can make in spreading the word to your neighbors would be appreciated. We will be voting on officers, receiving annual dues ($5.00 per adult), and preparing for spring activities! Please plan to attend and bring your neighbor!
See the proposed agenda below. Look forward to a good crowd.
Susan Eason

Woodburn Association of Neighbors Meeting Agenda, January 28, 2007, 6:00 pm

Welcome and Sign-In
Approval of October minutes (read below)
Election of Officers

Planning for spring events:

Clean- Up Day for April 21? Earth Day collaboration with BoParc.
Social Day- Pot Luck at Woodburn School? Have police do talk about their police dogs for the kids
Officer Karl from Neighborhood watch, etc. May?
Neighborhood Yard Sale- June?

Please use sign-up sheets to indicate your willingness to help.

Updates:

Blue Line parking- Paul Miller
Woodburn School Playground- Susan Eason
Signs- Jamie Lester
Downtown Development Plan- Susan Eason
R1 and R1A zoning
Crime Report
Next meeting date
Collection of dues, $5.00 per person given to the treasurer.
Other business

Highlights of Last Woodburn Association of Neighbors Meeting, October 22, 2006

WAN By-Laws approved
Tamara Riegel presented information on the School Levy
“How to Start a Neighborhood Watch” information was distributed
Street and Code Enforcement issues were raised
Spring social gathering and clean-up day will be scheduled

The Purpose of the Woodburn Association of Neighbors
As recently stated in our Woodburn Bylaws, “The purpose of this organization shall be to build neighborliness and to promote goodwill, pride and cooperation amongst residents and property owners of the area; to preserve and improve the quality of living and residential character of Woodburn; to represent the collective interests of neighbors, and to address the needs in the community such as traffic, litter, and security.”

Some ways we have thought to do this are:
1. Hold regular Woodburn Association of Neighbors meetings (at least quarterly or more often as needed).
2. Install signs to identify the neighborhood.
3. Offer block parties and social events for neighbors to meet and mingle.
4. Hold regular Clean-Up Days, Work Days-In-Whitemore Park, Work Days at Woodburn School.
5. Work to support our neighborhood school, Woodburn Elementary.
6. Work to reduce problems with poorly maintained or vacant homes, crime, traffic and general aesthetics of the area.
7. Work to ensure Woodburn remains walkable to Downtown, the PRT and the rail trail among other areas.

New Woodburn Signs to be Installed
At the second Woodburn Association of Neighbors meeting, those members present voted on a design for two marker signs to be placed in our neighborhood. The signs are under construction now and should be ready to be put in place in early spring. One sign will be placed on Richwood in the triangle area (or what is know to the city as “The Beauty Spot”) just below Monongalia Avenue. The other will be placed on Charles Avenue on the right side of the road just uphill from the intersection of Willey, Hampton and Charles Streets.
We will need volunteers to help plant flowers around the base of the signs once they are in place. If you are interested, please contact Susan Eason by phone at (304) 296-2415.

Voice Neighborhood Concerns with Morgantown Request 24/7
Do you have concerns about a streetlight being out, a vacant run-down home near you, dogs not leashed? An easy way to register those complaints or any others and to follow their progress is by using the city’s website. Go to the City of Morgantown's Online Communication System and “Create an Account.” Once your information is entered you will be able to click on specific categories of concern and enter your problem or request. It is an easy, efficient way to let the city know what is going on anytime of the day or night. We encourage you to try it!

Zoning Meeting Workshop on Wed. January 24

2007-01-20T23:51:00.000-08:00

The workshop, concerning the proposed B-4 Neighborhood Preservation Overlay District, will be held at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall.
[ Download the full description here. ] It's a pdf file.

Consider going and participating for at least two reasons:

1. The topic to be discussed will affect the future development of downtown Morgantown and the wharf area. In other words, the personality of Morgantown and what it might become.

2. The city has been asked to let the neighborhoods voice their opinion and influence the decision making process.

There are assuredly other demands for our time, and this meeting won't solve all of our problems, but it makes for a good beginning. I hope to see you there.

Note: if you cannot view the pdf file upbove, download Adobe® Reader® free.

Bill Kawecki
President, South Park Association of Neighbors, SPAN
e-mail: Bill.Kawecki@NETL.DOE.GOV

Public Information and Input Meeting2030 Regional Transportation PlanThursday, Nov 30

2006-11-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Do you have an opinion on traffic in and around Morgantown or a concern for how it will affect future growth? Express your concerns at the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting this Thursday, November 30th. Make your voice heard.

The Greater Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and its member organizations will be hosting the fourth in a series of public input meetings for the update of the multimodal long range transportation plan.

What:Public Information and Input Meeting for the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan

When: Thursday, November 30, 2006 6:30 PM
Where: Durrett Hall, Erickson Alumni Center, Fine Arts Drive (close to the WVU Rec Center on Evansdale Campus)

Topics to be covered as part of the meeting include:

• revisions to the preliminary recommendations provided at the October 4, 2006 Public Information Meeting
• review of the key recommendations for the roadway, bike and pedestrian and transit systems
• next steps in the plan update process

For More information call: Chet Parsons, MPO Executive Director, at 291-9571

Thank you,
Bill Troe
URS Corporation
(866) 671-5309 (Toll Free)
www.plantogether.org

Meeting on the development of the downtown area of Morgantown, WV - November 13

2006-11-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

The City is hosting a meeting on the development of the Downtown area at the Hotel Morgan on Monday November 13 at 5:30. The City Manager sent a open invitation which follows, to all interested parties.

As we have discovered, development of the Downtown area can have a significant impact on the quality of life in our neighborhood. I encourage you to attend. Please respond to my e-mail address at Bill.Kawecki@NETL.DOE.GOV so I can give the City manage a count.

Yours Truly,

Bill Kawecki - SPAN President

From Dan Boroff:

As you know, this past summer significant interest was expressed in the future development of Downtown Morgantown.

Many different concerns expressed firm opinions about the scope and scale of potential projects. To help organizes these perspectives and establish a general consensus to guide the future development of the Downtown, City Council will be hosting an important meeting on November 1 3, 2006 at the Hotel Morgan. The meeting will have the following features:

1. To provide a common base of information, short presentations will be made about the City's Comprehensive Plan; existing zoning laws; status of infrastructure to include parking; and WVU plans that may have an impact on the Downtown.
2. Participants will be organized into small groups to develop goals, aspirations, suggested projects, visions for the Downtown.
3. The attendees will reconvene and all the groups' ideas will be presented, discussed, and explored for a potential consensus of opinion.
4. Results will be reported to the City's Planning Commission and City Council.

Given the importance of this meeting, the City asks that you help publicize it and encourage interested members of your organization to attend. The City is also hopeful that you will be able to report how many people from your group will plan to attend so that the appropriate logistical support for the meeting can be arranged.

Thank you for your consideration of the request and I look forward to you hopefully being able to attend the meeting. During the interim, if you should have any questions or need additional information, please call upon me at once.

Respectfully,

Dan Boroff - City Manager

Woodburn Meeting on Sunday, Oct. 22

2006-10-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Neighbors:
Our next Neighborhood meeting is this Sunday, Oct. 22 at 4 pm. I am making up the agenda now. Please let me know if you want to add something prior to the meeting. Our last meeting a speaker was invited and I was not aware of it and it really overloaded our meeting!

So far the agenda is as follows:
1. Final Presentation of "Neighborhood Guidelines" for approval- Anne Miller and Betsy Miller
(If approved, appoint a group to develop a slate of officers for the election.)
2. Comments on School Levy- Tamara Riegel
3. Neighborhood Watch info distributed- Susan Eason
4. Sign Update- Jamie Lester
5. Street Issues
- Blue Line Parking- Is there interest?
- Werner St.
- James St. drainage?
- Mirror on Monongalia?
- Other
6. Clean-up day?
7. Social Event?

Here are the minutes from our last meeting.
Meeting Minutes from September 17, 2006

The meeting was called to order by Susan Eason at 4:10 pm

Susan introduced Morgantown Police Officer Scott Carl who acts as a liason between the city police department and local Neighborhood Watch (NW) groups. “One of the oldest and best known crime prevention concepts in history, Neighborhood Watch was created to unite law enforcement agencies, private organizations, and individual citizens in a massive effort to reduce residential crime.”

Officer Carl provided an overview of the potential benefits of Neighborhood Watch for our community and explained how we might establish a Neighborhood Watch in our area.
He said that basically all we need are people willing to participate. Once a geographic region for the watch is defined, “block captains” and “Neighborhood Watch captains” are identified. These folks then attend city-wide organizational/training meetings and bring back to us strategies that we may implement to decrease crime in our neighborhood. Time commitments for block captains and NW captains range from 2 – 4 hours per month.
A Neighborhood Watch captain from Suncrest who was also in attendance spoke firsthand about the positive impact NW has had on that area. He emphasized that success depends upon neighbors taking an active role in looking out for one another and in calling the police “when something just doesn’t seem right.”

Attendees identified theft, vandalism, speeding, and drug-related activities as possible targets for a Woodburn Neighborhood Watch.

Also attending the meeting was Chet Parsons, Executive Director of the Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization. He presented an overview of the research that has gone into developing the 2030 regional transportation plan which was presented to the public on October 4, 2006.

Basically the plan recommends long-term improvements for roadway, transit and non-motorized systems in the greater Morgantown area. Details may be found at www.plantogether.org.

Finally, careful attention was focused upon prior drafts of proposed bylaws for our neighborhood association, and the bylaws were finalized.

By majority vote, “Woodburn Association of Neighbors” was chosen to be our official title.
- Dues will be $5 per person per year.
- Our business year will run from February 1st though January 31st.
- A final draft of the bylaws will be submitted for approval at the next meeting.

A date for the next meeting was set for Sunday, October 22, 2006, at 4pm at Crosleys.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Betsy Miller.

Neighborhood Associations Meeting - Wed. Oct 18

2006-10-14T02:33:00.000-07:00

In an effort to try to get the area neighborhood associations together to see how we might cooperate for the benefit of all-- a meeting has been planned for Wed., October 18 at 7:00 pm. The time and place is yet to be confirmed, and a summary is on the way. If you are interested in attending or have any questions e-mail Bill Kawecki.