Archive for month: February, 2011

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Neighborhood Improvement Continues in the Brikyaat

21 Feb 2011 / 0 Comments / in Uncategorized/by

LEED certification and drastic home improvements are coming to 35 Diamond NE and 1037 Helen NE.  LeeKitson builders is partnering with the City of Grand Rapids and the Midtown Neighborhood Association to perform “miracles” on the  aforementioned Brikyaat homes.  Both homes are vacant and were foreclosed upon.  Both will receive interior and exterior make-overs as well as some landscaping improvements such as flowers, shrubs, trees and decorative fencing.  Midtown Community Organizer Kelly Otto has toured both homes and made suggestions in accordance to Crime Prevention through Environmental Design standards.  Alan Kitson attended the January 2011 Neighborhood Improvement Committee meeting to introduce himself, LeeKitson Builders and the project at 1037 Helen NE. 

Midtown’s Neighborhood Improvement and Public Safety Committees will continue to focus committee efforts as well as volunteer efforts in the Brikyaat in order to continue the  positive momentum built by the extensive efforts of residents on the Brikyyat Area Specific Plan, adopted as an overlay to the  City of Grand Rapids Zoning Master Plan. If you are a resident of one of these two blocks keep an eye in your mailbox for a meeting invitation with the developer, LeeKitson Builders, and Midtown representatives to learn more about how these projects can be used as catalysts for positive changes on the block!  Here’s to looking at a more vibrant Helen Street and 0 block Diamond corridor in 2011!

Winter Storm Heroes of Midtown

20 Feb 2011 / 0 Comments / in Uncategorized/by

Many reports of “wonderful neighbors, “heroes” and “lifesavers” were called and e-mailed in to the Midtown office during the great snow storm of 2011.   Several recipients of kindness (for example the residents on Vernon Street who were dug out by the snowblowing talents of a certain gentleman named Matt)  have mentioned that their neighbors should be rewarded or somehow publically acknowledged for their neighborliness.  In light of these suggestions in occurs to many of us here at the association offices that the annual presentation of the Ginnie Taylor Good Neighbor Award would be a perfect fit.  The ever-increasing list of suggested nominees will surely make it more difficult to choose whom to present the award to in 2011 due to the vast number of nominees.  That is a great “problem” to have here in Midtown….

A  Holland Street resident e-mailed this image, pictured to the right, of a “team” of  residents who are reported to have worked together for several hours to “dig out” the neighbors one driveway at a time.

If you have stories or pictures to share, please sent them to midtownmi@yahoo.com.  If you would like to nominate a neighbor for the Ginnie Taylor Good Neighbor Award (to be presented in August) please send your nominations, stories and related pictures to Midtown Neighborhood Association 1147 E. Fulton Grand Rapids MI 49503.

Neighborhood Meet and Greet to be held on February 28 at 6:00pm

20 Feb 2011 / 0 Comments / in Uncategorized/by

The Midtown Neighborhood Association will be hosting a ‘Meet and Greet’ event on Monday February 28, at 6 PM at the Salvation Army, located at 1235 Fulton Street. The ‘Meet and Greet’ will be a chance for residents to meet community leaders, representatives from the police department, Midtown board members, 2nd Ward commissioners, and each other. We believe that giving community members this chance to get to know one another will build relationships, cutting down on crime and increasing involvement in the neighborhood.

Attendees will be able to mingle, enjoy snacks and beverages, and discuss neighborhood news in an informal setting. In addition, we hope to highlight successes and events from the 2010 year in order to honor past community involvement.

 The Midtown Neighborhood Association is dedicated to improving public safety and fostering participation in the neighborhood among residents. We have been able to complete a number of projects this past year due to funding from an ARRA Justice Assistance Grant from the city of Grand Rapids. This included graffiti mapping, crime prevention and neighborhood watch training, neighborhood beautification projects, and more. Many Midtown residents were involved with these projects, and we have already seen results from their efforts.

We look forward to seeing you!

Stephanie Willette, ARRA JAG Organizer

Training Was A Success, What’s Next?

13 Feb 2011 / 0 Comments / in Uncategorized/by

Thank You to all of the Midtown residents who participated in Saturdays Block Captain and Neighborhood Watch Training, to Mac Brown for presenting, to Andrew, Derrick and Stephanie, Midtown Public Safety Organizers for helping make the event a smooth running success, to Emily at Schuler Books for the gift card donations, to Melissa at the Farmers Market for the mug donations, to Piper and Taylor for making themselves available for childcare and to Midtown Board members Josh, Jennifer, Mark and Chris for adeptly representing the Board! Residents not only learned alot about becoming a greater advocate for their block but also asked ALOT of great questions that made us all think about what kind of neighbors we want ot be and what kind of neighborhood we want Midtown to be.

Residents from Ashby Row, the Brikyaat, Cegielnia Crossing, Coldbrook Creek, Old East End and the Woods were well represented!  Liz from the Brikyaat and Judy from Ashby Row deserve special thank-you’s for sharing their first hand experiences and stories from their respective block groups in regards to meeting frequency and block beautification projects.

If you were unable to attend the meeting but would like to receive a ‘Block Club Member Resource Kit’ please contact the office by calling 732-9191 to schedule a time when a kit can be dropped off.

Stay tuned for upcoming news about the “Block Party in A Box” and how your block group can get in on the fun!