Yes We Can: Getting Rid of Garbage at Baker Field

For those who don't know, Baker Field (often called Baker's Field) is a grassy field in our neighborhood on Holland Street, between East 32nd and 33rd Streets. The field is owned by the Erie School District. The district has been hard pressed in recent years to maintain or update the space.

In our survey of people living near Baker Field 86% of people said they would like to see garbage and recycling cans placed at the field, and more importantly they want to see the cans emptied on a regular basis. Additionally, several survey respondents mentioned trash and garbage accumulation as one of their primary concerns about the site. 

In order to address this situation, our neighborhood association contacted the City of Erie in late August of 2014.  Early in September the city dropped off six 55 gallon drums and one recycling can with the understanding that the association would coordinate or somehow arrange for the emptying of the cans. Thank you again to Brenda Sandberg and anyone else who was involved in the delivery of the cans.

The cans sat, occasionally being emptied by me or other neighbors, occasionally collecting gross amounts of soggy trash. Either way, it was better than the garbage blowing around the neighborhood.

Then, one day in October, four of the cans disappeared. I have a few theories as to what happened.

1. They were stolen. 55 gallon drums scan be sold for 5 to 10 dollars, making a quick, but small, profit for someone. I list this theory as probable.

2. Someone at some level of government (the city or school district?) considered the cans garbage themselves and got rid of them. I list this theory as possible but unlikely.

3. Someone in the neighborhood stuck the cans in their garage or storage space for the winter. I will call this theory preferable. 

Because I was concerned about the safety of the remaining two cans, I transported them to the Academy Neighborhood Garbage Can Rehabilitation Facility, also known as my back porch. Here I painted and rehabbed the cans inside and out with two coats of Rustoleum. The cans were also painted with the academyneighbors.org stencil. I'll do some touch-ups in the spring.

As for the future of the cans and garbage disposal at Baker Field, we need to work together on a few issues.

1. Deciding the best, permanent placement for the cans at Baker Field.

2. Working with our neighbors who live on the perimeter of the field to develop a plan to regularly empty the cans. 

3. Working to find money or donations to ensure there is a regular supply of 55 gallon drum liners. Valu Home Center sells them. 

I look forward to hearing from people willing to help.

Our Neighborhood Online

I have found, over the years, that people get involved with neighborhood events and happenings and then slowly drift away or lose touch with what is going on. To combat this I've been working to lay the foundation for a strong online presence for the Academy Neighborhood Association for the last few years. Basically, once someone is connected, I want them to stay connected and feel connected to what we are doing.

Our neighborhood's online presence started with an email address, simply because we needed to have a way to know who was participating in the first ever neighborhood sale in 2011. Since then the Academy Neighborhood's online footprint has grown considerably, culminating with the creation of academyneighbors.org, our new online home.

Here is a quick run down of where we are on the internet and how we can use each format.

Facebook: 

The Academy Neighborhood Association's main public face has been facebook.com/Academy.Neighborhood.Erie. With over 120 "likes" the facebook page was our main way of communicating for a couple of years. Lately, however, facebook has been asking for money to advertise and posts to the page do not automatically show up in your news feed. 

We also have a private group on facebook for residents only. If you live in or near the neighborhood and would like to join, just search for Academy Neighbors, Erie, PA while logged into your facebook account. 

There is also a facebook page for the Baker Field Revitalization project. You can "like" the page to keep updated on our plans for improving this wonderful green space in our neighborhood.

Twitter:

Follow @academyneighbor (this would have been academyneighbors but that handle is one letter too long for twitter). Good for connecting with community leaders in Erie and sharing ideas about how to help neighborhoods prosper. 

Nextdoor:

This is a relatively new social network. You can join our neighborhood by following this link https://nextdoor.com/invite/hfgcjjdrtkwxzzsetzmb . I think nextdoor is going to be very useful in the future, and a few other neighborhoods in Erie have jumped on board. You do have to provide the site with your real address and name. Sign up today, please!

And the latest addition... academyneighbors.org. The new site gives us control over how Erie and the rest of the world view our neighborhood. It also allows people to make donations via paypal to support our projects. If you have anything you would like to see added to the site or changed just let me know, at good old academy . neighborhood . erie @ gmail.com . 

The online presence has been constructed. We have a number of ways to communicate both private and public. Let's make 2015 the year we step outside our front doors and make our neighborhood a better place to live.