Northwest Neighbors

Hello Neighbors,
The coming of the new year brings a new change in leaders in the Northwest Neighbors. Both myself (as president) and Vice President Beth Norduane will be moving out of the northwest neighborhood the first part of 2008. Marla Berg has stepped forward to take the tasks of keeping the big events such as National Night Out and the Halloween Festival going this year. This leaves a big opportunity for new leaders in our neighborhood to take charge of other task such as meetings and this web site.

Until those leaders step forward you will see a few changes in the association. Meetings will only be held to discuss specific critical topic and the quarterly meetings will NOT be held. You will not see the neighborhood newsletter in your mailbox and the web site may remain quiet for some time. If you would like to see these continue going and are willing to lend a hand, please contact Marla Berg.

But, the main events will still keep going! Keep your eyes open for the neighborhood signs at the entrances announcing our yearly events:

Annual Garage Sale in May
National Night Out in August
Halloween Festival in October

Your talents and skills are always needed to help the association grow and to build a stronger community. If you can help with any of the events above or want to contribute in another way to the association, please contact Marla Berg at 280-8954.

-Bonnie Lodermeier

Our Ice Cream Social for Nation Night Out was a great success because of all the great people that came and participated. (And because of all the great volunteers!) Here are a few of the pictures from that night: 2007 NWNeighbors NNO Album.

We hope everyone had a fun and your fill of ice cream!
Bonnie Lodermeier

On Tuesday, Sept 25 you will be asked to vote on a referendum to build and open a 600+ student public elementary school in northwest Rochester to relieve overcrowding in our 15 existing elementary schools. The website link below provides answers to commonly asked questions about this referendum, a map of where the new school will be built, how much your taxes will increase, and a Powerpoint presentation explaining the need for this school.

www.rochester.k12.mn.us/school85/referendum

The Northwest Neighbor Association is neutral on the issue of the referedum vote, but we are willing to communicate others ideas and request for help.

The following is a request from Ginny Amundson a member of the Build for the Future committe:

“Build for the Future is a citizen’s committee supporting this referendum. You can visit their website at www.buildforthefuture.org for more information. The committee is asking for volunteers to help inform the public.

Before the vote, the public has to be provided with information so that they can make an informed decision. One way we are doing this is staffing tables at various events with brochures. The committee is asking your help to staff these tables. There will be training for the volunteers, either in person or online. Two people are needed per shift; the tables will be set up for the volunteers. Currently I am looking for volunteers for the Farmers Market Saturday mornings either 7:45-9:30 or 9:30-11:15. I also need volunteers for the Quarry Hill Fall Festival on 9/15 and 9/16; those shifts are 10:45-1, 1-3, and 3-5:15. If you are able to help with any of these or would like to be on a list for future opportunities, please email me at ginny_amundson@charter.net or call me at 289-2357.”

We had a successful National Night Out again this year with over 500 neighbors coming out to park for some ice cream, fun, safety information, and social.
The Post Bulletin also highlighted our neighborhood which shows the strength of what people can do when everyone comes together. See the video in the Post Bulletin page for National Night Out.

-Bonnie Lodermeier

As we get into the heart of summer, more of us are enjoying the sun and the warm outdoors. But as the days get hot and sticky we need to be careful of heat related illnesses. Take these prevention tips from the American Red Cross:

Preventing Heat-Related Illness

• Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun’s energy. It is also a good idea to wear hats or to use an umbrella.
• Drink water. Carry water or juice with you and drink continuously even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body.
  Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein which increase metabolic heat.
• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
• Stay indoors when possible.
• Take regular breaks when engaged in physical activity on warm days. Take time out to find a cool place. If you recognize that you, or someone else, is showing the signals of a heat-related illness, stop activity and find a cool place. Remember, have fun, but stay cool!

See more information about heat related illness from the American Red Cross health safety page.

Hello Neighbors,

As you may have heard, plans are in the works to build a new elementary school in our neighborhood. If you are a advocate of the new school, please read on for a message from Nicole Ferrara.

The District is preparing for a fall bond referendum to fund the construction. Part of this process is the organization of a citizen’s volunteer committee to run the advocacy campaign for the referendum. Are you interested in being on committee to help promote and educate people on the referendum?

It is anticipated that the Board will make a decision on the referendum date in June. It’s likely that the committee would formally organize after the Board decision and would then begin planning for a campaign to ramp up some time in August. There would be long-term leadership opportunities as well as opportunities for volunteers interested in helping out with a single task. The time commitment would vary depending on a person’s role in the committee, with the last six weeks before the referendum being the most demanding. The likely time frame for the referendum is late September.

If you are interested in taking part in this committee, please contact Nicole Ferrara at your earliest convenience. We’re still in the planning stages, but I’d be happy to discuss this in detail if you have questions or concerns. I can be reached at 328-4242 or niferrara@rochester.k12.mn.us.

Thanks!

Bonnie Lodermeier
Northwest Neighbors

Have you seen some suspicious activity in the neighborhood? Have you been a victim of a petty crime? Do see traffic problems on your streets? Are you reporting these to the Rochester Police department??!! The police department wants you to report any crime or safety issues immediately and to keep reporting them if they keep occurring. The more they hear from you, the more information they have to do their job of keeping Rochester safe.

How To Contact:

• 911 for emergencies
• Call their general phone number: 507-285-8300
• See a complete contact list: Rochester Police Department Contact List
• To report traffic violations you can fill out the Voice Your Traffic Concerns form on-line on the Rochester Police Department web site.

Do you have questions to ask of your City Council Representative? How about comments or complaints? Suggestions on how things could be done better? Bruce Snyder is at Caribou Coffee (located by Target) every Thursday morning to listen to what you have to say. With advanced notice it may also be possible to have someone from the appropriate department available to provide more detailed answers.

• What: Coffee Talk with City Council Member Bruce Snyder
• When: Every Thursday Morning
• Time: 7:00 until 8:30 AM
• Where: Caribou Coffee (by Target)

Come share your ideas and your concerns!

55th St NW & W.Circle Dr NW intersection:
Proposal to move the intersection from 55th St NW to Members Parkway and 41st St NW. The city will be taking all comments into consideration during their decision making process, so please view the proposal and submit comments at the website: http://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/publicworks/hottopics/index.asp. Because of budget constraints the actual move will not take place until 2009.

65th St NW & Hwy 52N interchange:
The traffic study for this interchange has been put on hold and currently there is no progress on this. For 65th Street NW itself, the street west of Hwy 52 is planned to be upgraded in the next couple of the years to handle additional traffic.

Villa Rd NW:
Neighbors have expressed concerns with the increase of traffic, water flowage problems, the speed of the vehicles and safety of pedestrians along this narrow road. A proposal to the neighbors from the city and a meeting with public works was held with the neighbors with proposals of curb, gutter and sidewalks, but cost to do so is too high due to size of properties. Also proposed was a one-way loop around Chateau Road and Villa Rd, but was rejected by the neighbors.

Our city council member Bruce Snyder has been pushing to have a solution for this problem. The most feasible possibility at this time are speed tables. In the mean time if you drive this route, please be aware of these issues - slow down and yield to pedestrians.

Rochester Public School:
A new elementary school north of 55th St and west of 50th Ave is being planned - contact the Rochester Public School if interested in being involved in the development of this.

For questions please contact rochesternwneighbors@yahoo.com

-Bonnie Lodermeier
Northwest Neighbors

Our 1st Annual Halloween Festival was a “spooky” good time for the volunteers, for the kids, and for the families. We hope to make it bigger and better in 2006. Check out the pictures in our new picture gallery: 2006 Halloween Festival Album