We are joining Neighborhood Watch

The Academy Neighborhood Association is becoming an official member of the Erie Council of Neighborhood Watch Groups. At the last meeting, June 20th, the members voted 5-0 to inform the Council that we wanted to join their coalition. 

Basically, the decision puts us "on the map" in a figurative and literal sense. We will now be recognized as an official group by the Erie Council, which is recognized and supported   by various government agencies. We will also be placed on the official map of neighborhood watch groups, which can be viewed at the Erie Neighborhood Watch Council site.  

The ENWC is currently undergoing a leadership change. From what I read in this article in the Erie Times-News the council's leaders are looking to work with groups to help with neighborhood development projects - a perfect fit for our organization!

I had emailed the previous head of the council with our intentions, but I didn't realize she was on her way out the door. So I'll be calling the council's office Monday morning to let them know basically that we exist. 

This brings up the issue of our "map". I have drawn up a much smaller version of the original map of the neighborhood. You can see it in the shaded green areas below. Please know that this map is flexible. If you have a strong reason for changing one of the areas or expanding or contracting the map please let me know or attend one of our meetings.

Here it is... 

Every home on this map (the entire white area) has received, twice, information about the Academy Neighborhood Association. I drew up the smaller area highlighted in green based on the following:

1. Homes of people who have attended meetings.

2. Homes of people who contacted the Association about participating in the neighborhood yard sale.

3. Discussions about the neighborhood that took place at our two meetings.

4. There is another neighborhood watch group on East 28th and East 27th. It is a small group called the Brickyard Neighborhood Watch. I have contacted the woman who is organizing the Brickyard group and I think we can work very closely with her and her group. 

Basically if the map is marked green, people from that area have "gotten involved" in one way or another. If it is still white, no one from that area has contacted or been involved with an Academy Neighborhood Association activity.

As always, the map is subject to change, with your input.

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Neighborhood Yard Sale - June 7, 2014

Whoa, that seems like a long time from now. At our last meeting we agreed to keep the date basically the same - two Saturdays after the Memorial Day weekend. The next sale will be Saturday, June 7th, 2014.

A LOOK BACK AT THIS YEAR'S SALE

I felt like things were kind of "meh". Not a lot of traffic, gloomy weather, and not the level of excitement I felt in 2012. At the last meeting (June 20th) everyone in attendance basically came to the same conclusion: there needs to be a paid advertisement in the Erie Times-News. All of the free notices, ads, and listings are still a big part of the picture, but that paid advertisement needs to happen to really put the sale on people's radar.

THE THING ABOUT SIGNS

I learned a very hard lesson about where to place signs. Apparently, if you place signs in the median on State Street they will be taken down. The same applies to East 38th St. near the V.A. My wife and I made 9 signs like this...

and six of them were taken down, and taken down within a matter of hours. So "campaign style" signs are not allowed in the medians, and apparently this rule is strictly and swiftly enforced. Wouldn't it be nice if all of the zoning and property violations in the neighborhood were this quickly dispatched? 

We did decide at the last meeting that we need to have larger, crazier signs in the days leading up to the sale. Now that more people are involved in the association, I think it would be fun to have a pre-sale sign making party.

HAVE AN IDEA?

If you have a suggestion, idea, or improvement to help the neighborhood sale run more smoothly or attract more people please let us know. You can email me at academy.neighborhood.erie@gmail.com or attend one of our upcoming meetings, although as of today, July 7th, we don't have a meeting scheduled. We do have these two events:

Neighborhood Family Walk: Saturday, July 13th, 8 a.m. meet in front of Uptown's

Baker's Field Clean Up: Saturday, August 3rd, 8 a.m.

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