May 2nd ¡Hola Vecinos!© E-Letter: Calling All Volunteers

A Big Welcome to our new Association Board Member: Sergio Guerrero, Jr. Sergio, a resident on Frankfort Avenue, brings to the Board quite a portfolio. He holds two Masters from the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, has worked on environmental issues for the EPA in the City of El Paso, and is currently teaching in the El Paso ISD. He is the son of a very beloved teacher, Rosa Guerrero, who was my class sponsor at Austin High School. (Sergio also has a very loyal Chihuahua named Azucar.)

Sergio replaces Christina Estrada who is moving with her family to New Hampshire. We wish her and her family all the happiness in the world and thank her for her service.

Please help your Newman Park Neighborhood Association with its second annual membership drive on Saturday, May 24th. We need people to go door to door, give out information about the Association and its activities, and collect membership contributions. The drive will begin at 8:30 with a potluck at President Lynn Coyle’s home, 2700 Richmond Avenue. The more people that we have, the more ground we can cover and the fewer homes each person will have to call on. Since our Association extends from Nashville to Aurora and Piedras to the mountain, there is a bit of ground to cover.

Anyone can send in a contribution of $15 or more at any time. Checks can be mailed to our Treasurer, Lee Byrd, at Cinco Puntos Press, 701 Texas Avenue, El Paso 79901.

Attached is a 2008 Association Membership Application.

Please remember that your Association also needs your experience and help with these Committees:

Crime Committee

Communications Committee (includes this e-letter and developing a future hardcopy newsletter, blog and web site, distributes flyers to all neighbors regarding upcoming events of special importance to all)

Events Committee ("fun stuff" - concerts, pumpkin carvings, caroling, potlucks, etc.)

Park Committee (park improvements, grand design, a Master Plan, maintenance)

Neighborhood Economic Planning Committee (elicits local business support for the Association and encourages support for our local businesses, works to boost local economic vitality.)

Greening/Traffic Calming Committee (works to calm traffic in and around the neighborhood; advocates for “green” living and restoring and expanding a native tree canopy; promotes xeriscaping.)

Great news! Our application for a $50,000 Neighborhood Improvement Program grant was accepted by City Council. Lynn Coyle reports:

“I am happy to report that the City Council voted to approve our $50,000 grant!

I made a brief appearance before city council to introduce our organization and thank the City for providing us this grant opportunity. This victory belongs to the NIP committee! Thank you Becky Friesenhahn (our fearless advocate with the City), Becky Ayala, Jim Tolbert and former board member Cristina Estrada. Really, the work of this committee has been long and hard – oftentimes frustrating and thankless. Great things happen when we work collectively. These improvements will truly increase our enjoyment of the park for years and years to come.”

A letter from Lorrine Quimiro of the Department of Community and Human Development to Becky confirmed that grant as well.

However folks, don’t hold your breath to see any improvements immediately. The City often moves slower than a snail on tree sap. For example, the City has yet to install new swing sets in the Park adjacent to the current playground. This $16,000 grant was made many moons ago – many moons ago. Board Member Lisa Degliantoni has volunteered to follow-up with Richard Garcia in the Parks Department to see whether we can finally get this project moving along. (By the way, the new swings will be installed without removing the beautiful live oaks near the playground.)

President Lynn Coyle, highly recommends that you visit the El Paso Botanical Gardens at Keystone Heritage Park and see the beautiful mosaics on the walls of the garden:

“If anyone has not been over to the El Paso Botanical Gardens at Keystone Heritage Park, I highly recommend a visit. There are incredible ruins, great birds and a fantastic butterfly exhibit. I also want you all to check out these fabulous mosaics on the walls of the gardens. I am thinking that a Newman Park monument/sign can look something like these mosaics with a professional artist and neighborhood kids working together to create it. I have spoken with the director of public art and she is amenable to funding such a project."

Be sure that you check out http://newmanpark.smugmug.com/. Pictures from our Halloween, Christmas and Easter events have been posted. You can upload your own neighborhood photos as well. (Anyone have historic photos of our hood?)

Also take time to visit our blog (http://www.newmanpark.blogspot.com/), take the “greening” poll and read about traffic calming. Also, please become a member of our Google Group. It’s easy to do. Just visit http://groups.google.com/group/newmanpark and sign-up or email me at jimhtolbert@elp.rr.com and ask me to add you to the list. Members: please be sure to update your membership information. Two of us have pictures. (No comment about Paco Man.) Being a member of the Google Group allows you to participate in discussions about topics of concern to the neighborhood. It also means that you can send out one email and have it broadcast to all other members. You may know about a missing person, have a lost pet, or have seen a suspicious activity in the neighborhood. You can get the word out quickly as a member of our Google Group. Ideally, it would be great if all of you would join so we can assure that all urgent messages go to as many households as possible.

Finally, all of us are concerned about rising food costs (not to mention our having to mortgage our homes and pet Chihuahuas before we buy gasoline). I love one of our local grocery stores: Amigo Market on Fort Boulevard and Copia. They sell a gallon of Sarah Milk (great milk!) for just $2.69. I’m also seeing great prices for beans, rice and store made tortillas. Beat that Albertson’s!

¡Vaya con Dios!