By Amanda Riley
Northside News
On a Wednesday evening in late September, 11 Northsiders representing five neighborhoods met at the Northside Planning Council (NPC) office for a conversation. We are formal or informal leaders wanting to share what we are doing to organize in our respective neighborhoods and to hear from others.
Some of us have been active organizers for decades, and some of us are just beginning. Currently, the Northside has 17 neighborhood associations recognized by the city, with four listed as inactive.
Dave Meyer, of the Brentwood Neighborhood Association, shared his experience in the 1990s when organizing meetings of the NPC would fill rooms with 60 or more people, all eager to contribute to the project at hand. Motivating projects included building the Warner Park Community Recreation Center and Troy Gardens, as well as a desire for safe neighborhoods and strong schools.
Beth Sluys described a successful effort to retain a bus route to the Pick’N Save on Aberg Avenue that the city planned to discontinue. She and others collected signatures from riders as they exited the bus to go into the grocery store, convincing city officials that the route was needed. While other organizing efforts, such as the push to build an urban farm on the property formerly owned by the Raemisch family, have not been successful, Beth advised organizers to “believe that you can move the bar.”
Conversation turned to our current efforts and wishes for the Northside. Attendees expressed concern about impending development of Northside open spaces and frustration that Northsiders are involved too late in the planning process to make meaningful contributions. We identified a goal of creating a communication hub: connecting the various Northside neighborhoods in conversations to create necessary infrastructure for a population increase.
Scott Burklove, of the Lerdahl Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA), shared his organization’s focus on supporting local schools. LPNA fundraises for the Mendota Elementary PTO, for example. Other neighborhood organizing efforts include block parties, game nights, garage sales and potlucks. Neighborhood connectedness and social cohesion are known to promote public health and prevent violence.
If you would like to get involved in building your neighborhood’s capacity for civic engagement, contact the NPC office at director@northsideplanningcouncil.org.
