Submitted by shawn on 13 June 2010 - 8:01pm
OSHNA's Information & Outreach committee has been conducting a survey for a few months now. The purpose of this survey is to guide the Board of Director's decisions in the coming years to be more in line with what the neighborhood wants. This will take the form of a strategic plan which will drive budgets, fundraising, and other activities.
The comments have been especially informative. Everyone who took the time to complete the survey is thanked, and especially those that took extra time to fill out personal comments. Your efforts will not be wasted.
Some of these comments are already in line with OSHNA's current activities. Results of the survey will be duscussed at the July General Membership meeting and in the upcoming July edition of the OSHNA Advisor. However, for those comments that OSHNA is already acting on, the membership may find that information helpful today.
Publish meeting agendas to the membership prior to the meeting: If you click on the calendar entry for the meeting, you will find an agenda published for each meeting since January. Those agendas are inserted the Friday prior to the meeting, in most cases, and updated up until the meeting itself. The same agenda that is printed and distributed to the board members and handed out at the meeting can be printed on your own home printer already.
Walkability of the neighborhood: This is the primary project for the Greenspace committee headed by Myron Griffin. Myron is attempting to get city budget spent on a "Seminole Heights Trail" project that will span not just Old Seminole Heights, but South and Southeast as well. Southeast Seminole Heights is already getting a sidewalk up 12th street from MLK to Hillsborough. OSHNA is trying to continue that sidewalk all the way up 12th to Patterson park on the river. Future plans will extend the 12th street sidewalk under the freeway and South to Rivercrest park.
More Kid-friendly events: OSHNA held its first social event this year at Patterson park to celebrate the OSHNA Playgroup committee's hard work in getting the city to install a playground and clean up the park. The event was hosted by the Playgroup committee and included a BBQ, games for children, and even gourd painting. One of our young residents was recognized for her efforts in cleaning up our local springs. You can read more about that here, in our April Advisor (pdf) and view pictures of the event right here.
In addition to the Patterson park grand re-opening, we also held a children's lake ecology education event and BBQ at Lake Roberta. There were many children and adults at this wonderful event. To read more about it, click here.
A third event is in the works as OSHNA has committed to purchase three new sets of soccer goal posts for Henry and Ola park. These fields are not just used by the 40 or so Seminole Heights youngsters signed up for the city soccer league, but by all 400 of them city-wide. When the goals are installed, OSHNA will celebrate with yet another community event where our children will be an important element.
There were many more comments than these and they will be shared over the course of the next couple months. If you have not taken the short amount of time to participate in the survey, now is your chance. Just click right here and off you go. Everyone participates in their community in different ways and degrees. Reading our newsletter, our website, attending meetings, and participating in our survey contribute to the neighborhood you live in. If you can only do one or two things, please keep informed and provide feedback using our survey.
Thank you for participating in your community!