Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
Speakers Bureau Moves Forward
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be August 20, 2001, at 7:00 pm, 710 Georgia Avenue.
DEADLINE for the September issue is Tuesday, August 28, 2001.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: Monthly crime and code enforcement reports - Meet our new codes inspector - The remainder of the meeting will be an open format for new business, questions, and concerns.
Well, it's already August, and you know what that means. Absolutely, SCHOOL STARTS NEXT MONTH! This year, it starts for more than just the children in the neighborhood. Spearheading an effort to support the schools and the children, our neighbor, Doug Pilley, has assembled a list of willing residents who will be Going Back To School!
The recent issue of cross-town busing for middle-school students grabbed our attention and made us aware of some of the needs of our public school children. Even though our homes were put back into the Blair school district, our residents were not satisfied with some of the deficiencies that became evident during the public meetings. Thus was born the "Speakers Bureau," a group of dedicated individuals reaching out to help where an obvious need exists.
It is exciting to see these volunteers pulling together for the benefit of the children in our city, regardless of what school they attend or in what neighborhood they live. The Speakers Bureau Volunteers have offered to visit any middle school in Norfolk to talk with the kids about life experiences or to help fulfill certain needs within their curriculums. After a recent meeting with Dr. Lockamy, Deputy Superintendent of Schools, and Dr. Victory, Executive Director of Middle Schools, we could sense their appreciation for everyone's efforts. Plans are being made now for a Welcome Aboard Orientation and reception for the people that have already signed up.
AND NOW FOR THE BEST PART! There is still plenty of time for those of you who have not signed up to do so. Come on and volunteer! It will be a rewarding experience for you as well as for the many children that will benefit from your efforts. Invest just a little bit of your time, and you will reap immeasurable rewards. It doesn't matter whether you have children in school or not. All you need is the desire to make a difference. To volunteer, contact Doug Pilley at 623-5316, or email dlpilley@pilot.infi.net, or contact me, Craig Reilly, at 627-6887. We are anxious to hear from YOU!
Yes, it's still in the planning! I have been in contact with Ron Gallahugh at the City Facility Maintenance Department. He will lower the existing fencing in the northwest corner of the Greenway so that it will be at ground level. He will also fence the rest of that area, and include a regular gate and a double gated enclosure for entering the dog park. But we need to come up with approximately $1067.00 for materials. We have to pay up front before he can start.
I am hoping to receive sufficient donations to cover the initial cost and to have a grand opening "Dog Park Day" in the fall with booths and activities. A $5.00 "Dog Park" tag will be available in order to register neighborhood dogs and to raise funds.
Anyone who is able to contribute toward the initial cost and/or help with "Dog Park Day," please contact me, Elizabeth Masten, at 622-6635.
PROGRESS REPORT: A walker strolling through the Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden enjoying the flowers, may notice some new work in-progress. Jack Kennedy is leading the way to build a tool shed. The foundation and floor are now complete, so the items needed next are roof sheathing (1/2" plywood or equivalent oriented strand board), roofing felt, and roof shingles (wood-like in appearance). Any other items (above the third line) on the previously published list (see July 2001 newsletter) are welcome, too. Many thanks to those who have contributed already: Jeremy Jones, Breck Daughtrey, Sandra Caldwell, Terence Passmore, Nick Pope, Joanne Yarwood, Michael Price, Rachel Theo-Maurelli, Betsy Kennedy, Kyle Taylor, Kip Gardner, and Peter and Artemis Stoll. Please call me, Becky Kiser, at 627-7007, for donations of materials, money, or labor.
We also welcome the young gardeners from First Presbyterian, who are raising fresh veggies for their soup kitchen, and they have a beautiful sign welcoming visitors to "God's Garden of Eatin'." The other structure growing in the garden will soon be a vine-covered trellis and shady spot! Please feel free to walk through, enjoy the refreshing sights and smells, and chat with the gardeners.
On a recent sunny, Saturday morning, residents met at Uncle Louie's Restaurant to discuss an issue that is mentioned often as a source of concern and importance to folks living in many Norfolk communities. The issue is code enforcement. This covers property maintenance, safety, environmental and health issues, animal management, policing, and zoning. A concern voiced repeatedly during the meeting was this: the process falls short of meeting the needs of taxpayers. Some thought the current process doesn't work as well as it could because the database system currently in place is too cumbersome to use. The current database does not allow employees working in different departments to access the same information. Currently, individual departments use different systems that don't "talk" to one another.
In an age when accessibility via the internet seems to be limitless, there are very few City of Norfolk departments that offer you the opportunity to communicate with them and receive feedback using the internet. An electronic record of each customer transaction stored by property address could go a long way toward eliminating duplication of effort and reduce the number of items that fall between the cracks.
An effective system would provide the tools needed to implement a process that would facilitate the goal of improving efficiency and customer service. It would mean more access and faster service to citizens. It would give the City the capability to gather information that can be shared between departments and sorted for reporting purposes. Reports can be generated to categorize the kinds of problems we are encountering, the frequency, the affected areas of the City, and the rate in which they are being abated. Reports can be created to be used as a benchmark against which subsequent information can be compared to see what progress is being made and where more effort is needed.
Will a new database system fix everything? No, it won't. It is only part of the solution. Mr. Curtis Randolph, the new Director of Norfolk Neighborhood and Leisure Services, spoke about the importance of improving internal processes before purchasing a system that will only work as well as the information put into it. That's important. He is currently reviewing the existing processes.
Judging from the large turnout at the July meeting (we ran out of chairs for people to sit in), there will be a lot of interest in Mr. Randolph's findings. Neighborhoods such as Park Place, Ocean View, Ghent, Lambert's Point, Five Points, Colonial Place, Riverview, business districts, and others were represented. In addition to Mr. Randolph, three councilpersons attended the meeting, as well as personnel from the City Manager's Office, Planning, Public Works, Communications, Police, and Information Technology. If I've left others out that attended (which I probably have), then I apologize. Councilpersons that attended were Herbert Collins, Barclay Winn, and Randy Wright.
Before the meeting was adjourned, we agreed to meet again in September to learn about the outcome of Mr. Randolph's review and discuss this issue further. I will let you know when the date is set for that meeting.
Mr. Eisenberg provided the meeting place and the nourishment. We appreciate his generosity.
Are you interested in joining a Colonial Place/Riverview Playgroup? If you'd like to meet other parents and give your children an opportunity to mingle, play, and have fun, join us on Saturday, August 18, at 10:30 a.m. We'll meet at the park in the Colonial Place Greenway (on the corner of Llewellyn and Delaware). If you're unable to be there on the 18th, but are interested in learning about future Playgroup dates, please contact me, Artemis Stoll, at 627-1728. Hope to see you there!
The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
P.O. Box 6347
Norfolk, VA 23508
(757) 640-5555 extension 20943
WEB PAGE: dcf.net/cprv (and now also at cprv.org)
Community News Editor: Wayne Johnson, Phone 623-1078
Community News Distribution: Margaret Bright, Phone 627-2815
Advertising: Jeff Stark, Phone 640-8938
Please deliver typewritten newsletter items to:
Wayne Johnson
637 New Jersey Ave
Norfolk, VA 23508
e-mail houstori@pilot.infi.net