S.N.I.A.

I attended my first Neighborhood Association meeting last night, and learned all sorts of interesting tidbits about the neighborhood!

1. The limestone four family building one block over that was torched last year and has been sitting in shambles (literally -- no roof, half the house is caved in...) was finally condemned and gifted to the neighborhood by the bank that owns it. The bank also gave the neighborood the land it sits on, as well as a "gift" of $10,000 to cover the cost of demolition. So, the eye-sore will be torn down in early 2009, and new condos will be built in its place. (This normally wouldn't matter to me, but the building shares my alley, and new construction means that the punks that have been hanging around the property will be gone.) Huzzah!

2. The neighborhood is in the process of having the Board of Alderman vote to make it a special taxing district, which would raise taxes in order to fund neighborhood improvements, like hiring private security to patrol in addition to the city cops that currently keep an eye on the neighborhood. I'm not sure how I feel about this, as crime in the neighborhood seems limited to drugs and car break-ins, and the tax increase would mean hundreds of dollars more every year. (The informational pamphlet they handed out gave an example of a home that was valued at $36,000 being taxed an extra $186.00 per year. With my house being appraised at $245,000, I can't imagine the difference.)

3. This one is less monumental, but is still interesting -- just around the corner from my house, one of the local residents is opening a bake shop / art studio! We spoke last night at the meeting, and the owner might give me a call to do some minor interior design work on the space. Very fun.

There was quite a bit more, but those were the three main things that interested me. The reading of the past months' crime report was also pretty enlightening -- mostly arrests for dealing drugs, and a few domestic violence calls, but nothing major -- the neighborhood seems to have a good grasp on what needs to be done about crime, and they're definitely working towards eliminating it.

Overall, the meeting was very informative. I met quite a few people, got a welcome packet from one of the members, and learned who I need to call if I'm having issues or have questions about neighborhood policies.

The one downside to the meeting? No cookies and punch.

I motion to add snacks to the agenda.