From jeni at charlesvillage.org Thu Jan 5 12:27:18 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:27:18 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] *Block Leader Meeting Reminder* Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I'm writing to remind all of you that we will be having our bi-monthly Block Leader meeting: Monday, January 9th 7:00pm Future Care - 2700 N. Charles Street Please bring your timesheets and any surveys you have collected. There will be snacks and small tokens of our appreciation. Also, please be prepared to take a box of lightbulbs to pass out to residents on your block. (We will discuss this project.) Happy New Year! See you all soon, Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544 From jeni at charlesvillage.org Fri Jan 6 13:40:34 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 13:40:34 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] Proposed Juvenile Center Meeting Message-ID: Hello everyone, As you may know, the state has proposed to put a new Juvenile Reporting Center at 2920 Greenmount Avenue. I have attached some information to this email about the center. The state says that it will serve no more than 15 children at a time, but this new space has capacity for quite a few more. The state is holding a "Public Hearing" on Monday evening, the same time as our block leader meeting. If this is an issue that is important to you, please talk to some of your neighbors about it and ask them to attend. There should be opportunity to ask questions at this meeting. I encourage all of you to attend the block leader meeting. This is a great opportunity to network with neighbors to have all meetings attended so that you can share information with each other later. The Harwood, Abell and Waverly neighborhoods may organize against this facility, and I will keep you updated on that effort. See you all Monday, Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544 -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Juvenile Reporting Center TP.doc Type: application/msword Size: 20992 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://charlesvillage.info/pipermail/blockleaders_charlesvillage.info/attachments/20060106/46b9f40c/JuvenileReportingCenterTP-0001.doc -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: HARWOOD COMMUNITY.doc Type: application/msword Size: 19968 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://charlesvillage.info/pipermail/blockleaders_charlesvillage.info/attachments/20060106/46b9f40c/HARWOODCOMMUNITY-0001.doc From jeni at charlesvillage.org Tue Jan 10 15:54:09 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 15:54:09 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] Light Bulbs, etc. Message-ID: Hello block leaders, Thanks to those who made it to the meeting last night! If you were unable to attend (or forgot your timesheet), please email me with the amount of hours you currently have on your timesheets (with activities and dates) and let me know when I can pick up the surveys you have received. I will make copies for you, and keep the originals here on file. Some folks are going door to door to gather more surveys, which I think is a great idea. If you picked up a box of lightbulbs last night could you let me know how many boxes you took? I have to keep track of where they are, etc. A quick email is fine. Be on the lookout for the meeting mintues, survey copies and results. I had an unexpected health issue I had to address this morning (very minor, all taken care of, but one of those urgent things) so I lost half the day. I will work to get this out to you tomorrow. Also, I forgot to mention last night that I am available evenings and weekends to assist you with passing out these lightbulbs. I am happy to help, and service hours are actually a requirement for my program! If you'd like some extra help just let me know when! Thanks!! Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544 From jeni_spevak at yahoo.com Wed Jan 11 17:11:50 2006 From: jeni_spevak at yahoo.com (Jeni Spevak) Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 14:11:50 -0800 (PST) Subject: [CV Block Leaders] Meeting Minutes Message-ID: <20060111221150.99797.qmail@web32004.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi folks, I'm working a little from home today, and wanted to forward the meeting minutes on to all of you. If I missed anything that should be included here, please send it to the list at blockleaders at charlesvillage.info I really enjoyed meeting with all of you Monday night. I am working on the survey tabulations and will be getting that information and survey copies out to you by the end of the week. Jeni -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Block Leader Meeting - January 9th, 2006 - 7:00 pm - FutureCare at 2700 N Charles St. 11 block leaders were in attendance. Many issues were discussed: There is a need for trash cans on many blocks. If the city will not provide raised trash cans, perhaps trash cans chained to a tree are an option. Is it possible for CVCBD to empty these trash cans? Block leaders would potentially put in liners, and monitor. The city should provide trash cans at all bus stops. Jeni will follow up and see what needs to be done. Trash dumped in alleys and on corners - CVCBD works to clean up these dump sites. Block leaders and residents can call the CVCBD to report these dump sites. Maintenance of tree wells and sidewalks where tree roots have caused damage were discussed. Kirsch has experience with sidewalk repair. It was mentioned that the city has an Americorps program that gives plants to non-profit and community groups free of charge for neighborhood projects. Jeni has this information. Other issues included rats, blind corners and speed bumps in alley, issues with recycling pick-up, removal of dead trees, and trees interacting with power lines. Some advice/actions to take on these issues: For many issues, it is best to call 311 first, and then call the benefits district. This is especially true of issues concerning private property, which are handled by Peter. For issues with dumping and clean-up, call the CVCBD for our clean team to assist you. Email 311 for city issues and trash citations. It is more effective and easier to track than a phone call. Keep your tracking number for reference. For trees interacting with power lines, call BGE for removal. Other actions: Mary suggested getting a list of residents on each block from the CVCBD. Jeni will check on this, and send these lists out to block leaders. It was also suggested that each block leader should have a list of the information for all block leaders in the area. Jeni will distribute this list. Nigeria suggested having a message board for block leaders and residents to communicate and discuss issues. This would also be a great outlet for lists of contractors, announcements and resources. This information would not go into an email box and would be organized by conversation and topic. Jeni is checking on this, and will speak to Emil about the message board and the CVCBD website capabilities. It was also mentioned that Sheila Rees was once on a Tree Committee for the CVCBD. Jeni will follow up on this resource for information and advice. There was much talk of block leaders networking and working together to address common issues. Light bulbs donated by Johns Hopkins were given out to Block Leaders to distribute to the residents on their blocks. Pizza, donated by Janet and the CVCBD, was also enjoyed. Thank you to all who attended!! --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos ? Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover Photo Books. You design it and we?ll bind it! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://charlesvillage.info/pipermail/blockleaders_charlesvillage.info/attachments/20060111/bbc2b27e/attachment.htm From jeni at charlesvillage.org Thu Jan 12 18:39:14 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 18:39:14 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] Survey Results! Message-ID: Hello Everyone, I am sending you a copy of the survey results in Excel. If you can not open this attachment, please let me know and I will bring you a paper copy. This is everyone's results so far- I will email individual block results out to each of you. (This copy does not have resident names/addresses on them) This is just a tool to help you all see which blocks have similar issues as yours, so you can network and work together. I think almost every single person who responded is concerned about rats! I have also attached a list of all the block leaders, blocks they are covering, addresses, home phone numbers and email addresses. I hope this is helpful to you all. I'll continue to forward this list as it expands. Please, if any of you have SURVEYS or TIMESHEETS I have not yet received, let me know!! Hope the light bulb effort is going well. Let me know if I can be of help- I am available to assist with distribution! Thanks everyone, Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544 -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Survey Results BL 1-06.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 36864 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://charlesvillage.info/pipermail/blockleaders_charlesvillage.info/attachments/20060112/b18ef1ed/SurveyResultsBL1-06-0001.xls -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Block Leader Contact List.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 17408 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://charlesvillage.info/pipermail/blockleaders_charlesvillage.info/attachments/20060112/b18ef1ed/BlockLeaderContactList-0001.xls From jeni at charlesvillage.org Tue Jan 17 14:44:19 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 14:44:19 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] FW: Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I realize this is a bit last minute, but I just got this email. If you're interested, please come on by! Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544 ------------------------------------ All: Sorry for such short notice, but I received word that the Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) that we have been waiting for will start here at the Benefits District Building in the basement on Thursday, January 19th. It will start at 6:oo PM and end at 8:00 PM. First session is on Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Psychology. I know we all have a lot of meetings to attend during the week, but this is good training for anyone in our neighborhoods to take. Please contact anyone you think might be interested in taking this class and have them contact me. Wesley Tolbert Director of Field Operations Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218 Telephone: 410-235-4411 x 18 Email: safety at charlesvillage.org From jeni at charlesvillage.org Fri Jan 20 17:18:32 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:18:32 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] Meeting Follow-up Message-ID: Hi everyone, There are a number of things from the meeting notes that I have looked/am looking into: Trash Cans- Apparently it would take a major petition drive to get the city to put trash cans back on our street corners. And apparently this was once done on Charles Street. The trash cans stayed for approximately 2 weeks, and then the city took them away, stating that people were dumping household garbage into them. I was told that the city did not empty them as they were supposed to, and that the entire overflow problem occurred in the first place because the cans stopped being emptied twice a week and were emptied to once a week, then once every two weeks. If you want to try the petition route again, please let me know. That said, you can put your own trash cans out, chained to trees, and the CVCBD can empty them. I am looking into the possibility of getting trash cans donated, but if you would like to put one of yours out you are welcome to. We should be able to supply liners, and our Clean Team should be able to pick up the bags and replace the liners. I am hoping that it will be possible to do this once a week. It is very important for you all to let me know if you are putting out a can, so that our Clean Team can pick up the bags. I will keep you all informed of updates. Traffic issues are a little more complicated, and may take a very long time to get resolved. This is in reference to the alleyway on Debra's block behind Margaret Brent Elementary, which was brought up at the meeting. For any traffic related issues, even in alleys, a traffic study needs to be done. The Department of Transportation website is http://www.mdot.state.md.us/, and anyone can go there to request a traffic study of the street/alley in question. This process could take up to 6 months! Now, it is possible to get it pushed through faster with backing by the appropriate community association, and if there is interest in that, let me know. Apparently traffic issues are one of the most difficult things to solve in this city. The city's Rat Rubout team will lay poison in a block only if they can get all houses to sign a waiver (in case a dog digs it up or something) They will not treat any homes that do not sign up. Multi-family dwellings and businesses are supposed to supply their own rat control, and will not be treated by the city. That said, if you see a rat hole at a specific address, you can call 311 and report it. The Rat Rubout team will inspect that property area and contact the owners for permission to lay poison. This is really helpful if you can see the hole where the rats are coming and going. I have spoken with Emil about a message board, and he is testing some software that would make this feature available at charlesvillage.info. It will not be attached to the CVCBD website at this time (due to server issues) but perhaps we could link it in the future. I will keep you all updated as this develops. Last night the CERT training began, and there will be 4 sessions, dates TBA. It's not too late to jump in, because everything we learned last night is in the training manual. This is a great opportunity to be on a first response team in the neighborhood in case of disaster, natural or man-made. If you're interested in it, let me know. You get to learn CPR, put out small fires, and be the proud owner of your very own hard hat! Thanks everybody. I know that was a lot of information, but I hope you found it useful. It's now time for me to harp on Timesheets, Surveys and Light Bulb Distribution. Give me your timesheets (or email your hours to me), and let's keep getting those surveys in and light bulbs out! Again, I am available to help with light bulb distribution! Let me know if you need anything at all. I'll be in touch, Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544 From jeni at charlesvillage.org Thu Jan 26 13:43:15 2006 From: jeni at charlesvillage.org (Jeni Spevak) Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 13:43:15 -0500 Subject: [CV Block Leaders] CERT Training and Trash Cans Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I wanted to let you all know that the updated training schedule for the Community Emergency Response Team is as follows: -Fire training and safety: Saturday, January 28th from 8am-4pm. If you can't make Saturday, you can go Sunday, the 29th at 8am-4pm. The facility is at 6720 Pulaski Hwy. -The CPR/Medical training will be held at the CVCBD on Saturday, February 4th from 8am-4pm. I am looking into possible make- up days for this, because I know I won't be able to make it! I'll let you know what the make up day is. -The last meeting will be held at the CVCBD on Wednesday, Februaru 8th at 6pm. This is an informational session. Trash Cans! I contacted Tiffany James with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods. She says we can get cans at bus stops, and asked for specific locations. As far as corner cans, she asked for one particularly bad corner and said we could start there. The city is no longer giving out Believe cans, because people were using them as laundry baskets or otherwise, and were continuing to put their garbage out in bags. Go figure. So let me know the locations of the bus stops that need cans. Also let me know which corner is in desperate need of a city trash can. I'll get that info back to Tiffany ASAP. Jeni Spevak Block Leader Coordinator Charles Village Community Benefits District 2301 N. Charles Street - Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone: (410) 235-4411 x16 Fax: (410) 235-5544