Monday, April 10, 2017
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, Basement Multi-Purpose Room
Minutes of past meetings may be found on the PPNA website.
Subscribe to the PPNA Community Calendar: iCal, Other
Board & Committee Chair Introductions
All Board members’ and Committee Chairs’ names and contact information may be found on the PPNA website.
The PPNA is actively seeking a VP to represent the North Sector. Interested? Know someone who might be? Email Pat Lundberg.
Thanks to ya’ll, some new or newly active committees are starting to take off! See below for details.
New neighbors/attendees and some old familiar faces say “Hi.” Welcome!
Neighborhood Updates & Events
Newsletter Committee
Apologies that the newsletter is not yet available. It will be, soon! This gives you more time to…
WHAT: Advertise your business
WHEN: Now
WHERE: The PPNA newsletter! Both online and in print.
Distribution assistance needed!
If you are skilled in the art of distribution logistics and can orchestrate newsletter delivery to ~3,000 homes and businesses in Patterson Park, your assistance is needed.
Contact Joanna Sullivan.
Community Safety Committee
WHAT: Patterson Park Safety Talk
WHEN: Wednesday, April 26th, 7 PM
WHERE: TBD… outdoors, weather permitting
Details and updates on the Facebook event page.
Questions? Matty Woodruff.
Beautification (FKA Sanitation) Committee
WHAT: The Mayor’s Cleanup
WHEN: Saturday, April 29th, 8 AM – 12 PM
WHERE: Library Square (Fayette x Lakewood)
Join Mayor Pugh at her first stop of the day (9 AM sharp)! Sure to be plenty fun and productive, the event will include a mix of cleanup and gardening focusing on the West Sector (Fairmount) and Library Square.
Questions? Erica Danko.
Housing Policy Committee
WHAT: Kick-off meeting
WHEN: Next Tuesday, April 25th, 6:30-8:30 PM
WHERE: Roman’s Place (2 S Decker)
Questions? Jeff Amoros.
Youth & Family Engagement Committee
WHAT: Table & activity at Día del Niño
WHEN: Saturday, April 29th, 11 AM – 2 PM
WHERE: Patterson Park Pagoda
Want to volunteer? Christine Collins.
WHAT: Game ‘Night’ followed by Pocket Park Cleanup
WHEN: Every Wednesday, 4:00-5:30 PM
WHERE: Basement of the Patterson Park Branch Library (158 N Linwood)
Spread the word! All kids welcome.
Adult help needed, especially for setup (3:45-4:15) and game-playing, just drop by.
Questions? Anne-Marie Johnson.
WHAT: PPYFE Committee Meeting
WHEN: Monday, May 1st, 7-8 PM
WHERE: 136 N Ellwood
Check the Facebook event page for details and updates.
Questions? Christine.
WHAT: Parent/Guardian & Youth Surveys
WHEN: Now available online
WHERE: Parent/Guardian Survey (for parents or guardians of youth in our community); Youth Survey (for kids and youth age 18 and under–please assist young children)
These surveys are intended to help guide the Committee’s strategy and programming. We want to hear from you! Note: if you completed a survey in the past, we have your responses. Findings will be shared at a PPNA Community Meeting and other relevant venues once enough data has been collected to draw preliminary conclusions.
Questions/comments/trouble accessing? Lydia Animosa.
Greening Committee
The Greening Committee and/or Baltimore Tree Trust will be repairing damaged pits and replacing trees where missing. Let you sector VP or VP Patterson Place Zainab Nejati know of tree pits in your area that need to be maintained or re-planted.
Spruce-Up Grant
After submitting a letter of intent to apply for a Spruce-Up Grant offered through the SECDC, the Greening Committee has been invited to submit a complete proposal by May 5th. This grant provides up to $20,000 towards community-driven public space projects. The concept being developed by the Committee is to create more clearly defined “gateways” to the neighborhood using planters and signage. Volunteers needed.
Questions? Steve Preston.
Economic Development Committee
WHAT: Class B restaurant liquor license community meeting
WHEN: TODAY! Saturday, April 22nd, 1-2 PM
WHERE: 123 N Clinton (former El Punto G, near the RoFo)
Details and updates on the Facebook event page.
On another note, the Housing Policy and Econ Dev Committees and other community stakeholders are considering a request for the rezoning of the storage garages on south side of Esther St between Clinton and Highland from R8 to C1. Stay tuned…
Questions? Alex Schwartz.
Neighbor Announcements
Kim Brock, Strong City Baltimore
WHAT: 10th annual Neighborhood Institute organized by Strong City Baltimore
WHEN: Saturday, April 29th, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
WHERE: Baltimore Design School
Workshops focus on volunteering, community organizing, fundraising, and more. More info and workshop schedule.
Registration is $20 and includes lunch. The PPNA will sponsor neighbors who would like to attend.
More info: Kim.
Interested in a PPNA sponsorship? Pat.
Shannon Darrow, Southeast CDC
WHAT: Complete Streets / Transit Placemaking workshops organized by the Southeast CDC and the Neighborhood Design Center
Workshop #1: Introduction to Complete Streets, hosted by Bikemore
WHEN: Tuesday, May 2nd 6:30-8:30 PM
Workshop #2: Community Visioning, with DOT and MTA
WHEN: Thursday, May 25th, 6:30-8:30 PM
Workshop #3: Community Visioning, with DOT and MTA
WHEN: Thursday, June 15th, 6:30-8:30 PM
WHERE: All workshops will be at the Patterson Park Branch Library (158 N Linwood)
This project will focus on the Fayette St corridor from Highland to Washington Avs. Neighbors are invited to attend one or both visioning workshops.
Questions? Shannon Darrow.
Cheryl Bryant, Friends of Library Square
WHAT: Friends of Library Square monthly meetings
WHEN: 3rd Tuesday of every month
WHERE: Basement of the Patterson Park Branch Library (158 N Linwood)
WHAT: Earth Day Paint & Plant
WHEN: TODAY! Saturday, April 22nd, 9 AM – 1 PM
WHERE: Kenwood Plaza at Library Square
Join Friends of Library Square in repainting the beautiful mandala marking the drain to Harris Creek and in planting summer flowers. Kids accompanied by an adult welcome. Materials provided, bring empty plastic containers if you can (for paint). Live DJ and celebratory BBQ to follow. Info and updates on the Facebook event page.
WHAT: Free family movies & popcorn!
WHEN: Every 3rd Saturday at 1 PM
WHERE: Patterson Park Branch Library
Questions? Cheryl.
Mark Parker, though away for spring break, sends the following announcements
WHAT: Park After Dark – date announced!
WHEN: September 16th
WHERE: Patterson Park (the park)
Park After Dark is a family-friendly overnight camping and social event held in Patterson Park. After a few years’ hiatus, PAD is making a comeback this fall. Mark your calendars now–it’s not to be missed!
WHAT: Highlandtown Wine Fest
WHEN: Sunday, April 30th, 1-6pm
WHERE: Claremont x Conkling
Info and updates on the Facebook event page.
Questions? Mark.
April Community All-Star
Michelle Prieto, Kevin Okun, and Travis Lauchman.
These three kind and generous neighbors took it upon themselves to help out a beloved staple in the neighborhood, Ms. Barb, who is at risk of losing her home after losing her husband to cancer last year. They are helping her navigate her financial options, set up a donation website, and recently organized a yard sale to help her raise money in an effort to keep her house or to rent and apartment and lighten her load if she can’t. Using social media, the April All-Stars garnered support from many other Patterson Park neighbors. Ms. Barb has been linked with Southeast CDC and Banner Neighborhoods for additional assistance.
Please donate to Ms. Barb at the YouCaring website they set up for her. Any amount is deeply appreciated. Thank you!
PPNA Board & Committee Retreat
On Sunday, March 19th the Board members met for a day-long retreat focused on taking stock of the our shared organization, identifying SWOT items (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and ultimately reassessing the Association’s mission statement, vision statement, and guiding principles.
Mission statement (unchanged): The PPNA’s mission is to nurture diversity and empower residents to work together toward a healthy future for our neighborhood.
Vision statement (new): The PPNA seeks to cultivate our neighborhood’s unique character in order to promote equitable development, maintain diversity, improve environmental assets, and make Patterson Park a fun, sustainable, and fulfilling place to live, work, and grow.
Former goals: Build community spirit; promote revitalization and investment; increase awareness of our neighborhood; promote improved public safety and sanitation; and preserve and beautify our environment.
Updated goals, reframed as guiding principles:
- Increase community spirit and involvement
- Advocate on behalf of all community members
- Provide a forum and vehicle for discussion and empowerment
- Optimize the health and well-being of community residents
- Foster diverse and well-maintained community and environmental assets
- Build collaborative relationships with other organizations and institutions
- Strengthen organizational effectiveness
These can now be found on the PPNA website.
In the afternoon, the Board was joined by committee Chairs and co-Chairs for a similar SWOT exercise focused on the goals of each committee and how those goals tie into the Association’s overarching guiding principles.
The retreat was fun and productive, and we hope a new tradition that will carry forward annually for years to come.
Questions or suggestions? Pat.
Sector Breakout Session
The second half of the meeting was dedicated to small group discussions organized by sector and facilitated by sector VPs or other sector leaders (where VPs were unable to attend the meeting). Each discussion focused on getting to know our more immediate neighbors, identification of the assets/opportunities and issues/pain points unique to each sector, effective things to continue doing, and ideas for improvement.
If you are interested in exploring ideas and/or building your own capacity to act on these issues, consider coming out to the Strong City Neighborhood Institute on April 29th.
If you missed the meeting, contact your sector VP for a summary of the discussion.
Silver Spatula
Potluck theme: Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Cupcakes FTW, again! This time in red velvet with cream cheese frosting by Cheryl Bryant. Ms. Cheryl insists they are appropriate for all occasions, and no one can argue with that!
Thank you to everyone who brought snacks to share, and enjoy a league, pick-up, or O’s game this summer.
MEETING ADJOURNED
Show off your PP Pride!
This summer, treat yourself or a special neighbor to one of these new Patterson Park t-shirts. Perfect for donning around town and making your friends in other neighborhoods green with envy, or sporting at any of PP’s many community events. Featuring a cheerful new logo on soft, well-made fabric, at $20 a pop it is sure to be your new favorite tee. Proceeds support PPNA-sponsored neighborhood activities. Thank you for your support!
To order, contact resident swagmonger Pat.
Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who attended and participated! Questions or comments? Lydia. See you next month!
The next PPNA Community Meeting is Monday, May 8th, 7-8 PM in the basement of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church.