Newmanistas Celebrate Christmas

Celebrating Christmas just comes naturally for Newmanistas. Starting with a Christmas party and caroling, they then gathered to assemble and deliver luminarias.


Last Wednesday, December 21st, many Newman Park neighborhood folk got together at the home of Becky and Michael Friesenhahn for hot chocolate, cookies, Santa and storytelling. Afterwards they went from house to house caroling.

Eddie Holland accompanies caroling practice on his flute. Association Ex-President, Lynn Coyle, conducted the Newmanista troubadours, the envy of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Santa arrives! Many thought that Santa was a dead-ringer for NPNA Treasurer, Robert Taylor.

Storytelling

Just before going caroling

On Saturday, Christmas Eve morning, Newmanistas gathered to assemble and then deliver luminarias. The day before, nearly 3 inches of snow fell in the El Paso area. With light snow and rain on the 24th, some families elected to light luminarias on Christmas Day.

The Stephens Family gets ready to take luminarias to a customer in Mountain Park.

Kathleen Harmon gives instructions as Association President, Jim Tolbert, and Carol Culver listen.

Putting sand into the bags

Visiting his great-grandmother, Margaret Tolbert, 2-year-old Anders Lindstrom of Salinas, California neatly puts candles into bags.

Christmas cat Copernicus checks out the living Christmas Tree from the Pearson Tree Farm.

Neighborhoods May See Increase in Parking Citations

Code Inspectors to Issue Parking Citations

El Paso, Texas – Code Enforcement inspectors now have the authority to issue parking tickets, the City of El Paso Environmental Services Department announced.

An ordinance amendment to Title 12 adopted earlier this month by City Council empowers inspectors to issue parking citations. Fines will vary depending on the parking violation. Before the change only police officers could issue citations for all parking violations.

Though the ordinance amendment is now effective, the Environmental Services Department will provide a short grace period before the citations are issued to allow for public outreach.

Code enforcement inspectors will begin issuing parking citations in January 2012.  In the meanwhile, they will continue to issue warning notices for parking violations while patrolling neighborhoods within the city limits.

“Every day our code enforcement inspectors encounter parking violations and they leave warning notices. Unfortunately, sometimes notices are not enough to change public behavior,” Environmental Services Director Ellen Smyth said. “Now, our inspectors will be able to respond to the violations by ticketing vehicles, particularly those obstructing the public’s access to sidewalks, blocking driveways or parked on unapproved surfaces, such as lawns.”

The public may report violations by calling 915-599-6290. 

City Holiday Operational Hours

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2012 Quality of Life Bond

The City of El Paso is soliciting ideas for the 2012 Quality of Life Bond. You can find more information on the bottom of the City's home page. Representative Susie Byrd wrote this to all of us:

Hello,

The City of El Paso wants to bring a Quality of Life Bond Election to the voters for consideration in November of 2012. We are in the process of soliciting ideas and priorities from constituents about the projects they would like to be considered for the bond election. As you know, we fund the repair of existing infrastructure (streets, facilities, etc) using Certificates of Obligation that are authorized by the City Council. For new quality of life projects that would require new capital and new investment in operations, we take those items to the voters for their approval. The last Quality of Life bond initiative was authorized by the voters in 2004.

There is a lot of demand out there for new projects so the next couple of months will be spent prioritizing those projects and determining what projects will be included on the list for the voter’s consideration. Can you take some time to either email me your ideas or provide your comments online at www.elpasotexas.gov (there is a submission form and additional information about the bond election towards the middle of our home page)?

It is our hope to be able to fund a signature project for Downtown, one that will flip the switch for Downtown and our economy. There are several ideas floating around including: an arena, a trolley project, further improvements in the streetscape of Downtown... What do you think? What else should be considered?

There will also be new projects made throughout the city to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. I’m hoping the focus for these dollars will be in building new parks, recreational facilities and libraries for those neighborhoods that are underserved. District 2 residents, please give me some ideas about priorities for our district. I’ve been cataloguing requests over the years, waiting for this very moment. I’ll need your help figuring out what needs to get on the list.

District 2 proposals listed in order of how often I get requests are:

• Rec center towards the southern part of the district to serve neighborhoods between Grandview Park and Memorial Park
• Soccer fields throughout district, but particularly in Lower Dyer neighborhood, maybe a soccer complex on Airport land
• New park at Radford (PSB purchased the land in this area that was identified as having inadequate park access and is willing to let us use the part that they don’t need as a park)
• Pave remaining alleys
• Skate park towards southern part of the district
• Quiet Zone in Five Points neighborhood
• Trowbridge street improvements to slow traffic
• Convert Monroe and Van Buren to two way traffic to slow traffic

So let me know what you know. I’ll keep you posted as the process unfolds.

Hope all is well.

Susie Byrd

City Council Representative, District 2

Winter Tree Tips from WTUFC Dec. 15

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Map to library.

For more information about purchasing living Christmas trees, go here.

Cindy Milazzo Art on Display at Titovets Art Show and Sale

Cindy Milazzo and Lyuba Titovets

Yet another way to buy locally for the holidays is buying work done by our local artists. If you really want to get local, then know that Newmanista and Newman Park Neighborhood Association Board member, Cindy Milazzo, will be exhibiting and selling some of her art at the upcoming exhibition and sale of art by more than twenty students of the Titovets Art School of Alexander and Lyuba Titovets.

The sale is this Thursday, December 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the One for Life Ministries Church on 1060 Doiniphan Park Circle, Suite F behind the Vista Quality Market on Doniphan and Sunland Park.

Painting by Marina Savitsky, mother of Lyuba Titovets. Marina's work has been shown in many exhibits, including a one-woman show this year at the Chamisal gallery and at the Crossland Gallery downtown.

Living Christmas Trees!

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You can also donate the tree to be planted at Newman Park or another City of El Paso park. Just ask Brent for details when you call. Of course, it will be great to have more trees planted at homes in our neighborhood.

Newmanistas Order Your Luminarias Now!

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You can also download and print a file from here:

Luminarias Flyer 2011