CRNA Board Meeting – Minutes
January 8, 2008
Attending—Board: Pax Bobrow, Betty DiMarco, Julianna Padgett, Gary Smith, and Jerry Speir
Absent Board Members: Marilyn Barbera , Kevin Brown, Gordon Cagnolatti, Rodney Dionisio, Rudolf Garrison, Tilman Hardy, Marshall Hevron, Todd Leavitt, Judith Miranti, Amanda Smithson, Llewelyn Soniat, Jim Stratton, and Betsy Weymann
Residents/Guests: Annettte Bak, Cindy Morse, Robbie Roberson
Annette Bak reported on the recent meeting of the Education Committee. Each One Save One is working to re-build its mentoring program in local schools (which was much bigger before Katrina). Mentors are expected to commit one hour per week (preferably the same hour and day each week) to helping a single child with whom they are matched through the program. Mentors must attend a training class. The next training class will be Saturday, January 24, at Gentilly Baptist Church, 5143 Franklin Ave. Registration is 8:30-9:00 a.m. And the class will run from 9 to 3; breakfast and lunch will be provided. The training will include sessions on conflict resolution, rapport building, cultural awareness and diversity. Call 504-599-5904 to register. You can also e-mail the program at Eachsave@aol.com The program director is Leslie Lange. Executive director is Lavonzell Nicholson.
There was also a brief report on developments with Leonidas House—a project to provide extra-curricular tutoring, training and recreation for at-risk youth in the neighborhood. Renderings have been promised for a possible renovation of the building at Willow and Leonidas. Some equipment (benches and desks) has been donated by St. Joan of Arc church. A board is being formed and is meeting regularly. Anyone interested in helping should contact Tilman Hardy at tilmanhardy@kw.com
Harrell Park/Stadium is finally back in business (though still not quite complete—thanks to the efforts of lots of people in the neighborhood.
Much of the meeting focused on ways to improve our organization and to better serve the neighborhood. Topics of discussion included:
–the potential value of a house-by-house, block-by-block “census” of our neighborhood. Data that would be useful would include personal data, like household needs regarding disaster evacuation, educational assistance for children, and the like, as well as “environmental data” about blighted houses, vacant lots, street conditions, etc. Jerry pointed to the work of the Central Carrollton Association, available athttp://www.centralcarrolltonassoc.org/documents/CCADeFraites20sep2007.pdf as a possible model for the physical/environmental part of such a census. This CCA report maps potholes, water leaks, etc. Julianna agreed to check on what information is presently available from the city on blighted housing and the like. [After the meeting, Julianna called by attention to http://www.noraworks.org/search.htm —if you pull down the “neighborhood” menu there and select “Leonidas,” which the city calls much of our neighborhood, you will get a ten-page list of problem properties. It may not be absolutely up-to-date or comprehensive, but it’s a good start. J]
–a suggestion that the board members who were present talk to other board members about whatever problems they may be having attending board meetings, their visions for the organization, and the like.
–the possibility of having a joint board meeting of CRNA, Palmer Park, Pension Town, Oak Street and Riverbend Merchants to discuss common goals and coordination. It was agreed that some preliminary work toward an agenda for such a meeting would be helpful.
–a continuing concern about the status of the Priestley school building. Jerry agreed to engage our newly elected school board member, Woody Koppel, on that issue.
–the value and potential of our newsletter. Pax suggested that an inventory of services/resources available in our neighborhood could be both useful and enlightening. Pax, our splendid newsletter editor, is seeking short articles from anyone with about issues important to our neighborhood. Contact Pax atpaxbobrow@yahoo.com
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, February 12 at the Keller-Willliams offices, 7 p.m.
Filed under: minutes |
Carrollton-Riverbend Neighborhood Association (CRNA) 
Leave a Reply