Work Group Meeting: Focus on Communication & Outreach

Volunteers Present:  Daniel Kopald (videographer), Jim Jackson (chair of project, steering committee), Kate Martin (steering committee)

Others:  Ellen Southard (Site Story – facilitation & outreach), Annette Frahm (SageEnviro – communications consultant), Paul Sorey (web development consultant)

Info boxes

We decided to put the biweekly/monthly newsletter in the info boxes. Kate will copy the current issue and give it to the community member who has volunteered to fill the boxes.

Funding

We need a clear description of funding options. Perhaps Raechelle or Annette could write it.

Web site

• Have new document for home page with part of original project description (need to stay true to our original project goals).
• Annette will put new home page and revised “How do I get sidewalks” on Google Groups and email Austin.
• If Austin can’t do it soon, Paul will put up new home page.

Video ideas

• Daniel will have first two videos in a few days.
• Interview Jim about what and why of project.
• Interview seniors; Ellen has been to Greenwood senior center.
• Lowell Deo would likely be willing to interview seniors.
• Could include history of sidewalk funding.
• Get photo of Mia with her chalk art and another block with no sidewalks; no art.
• Day care near P-Patch: how to they get kids around?
• Kids and seniors are prisoners

Greenwood parade ideas

• Kate will sign us up for parade: Wednesday July 28, 2010.
• Banner: “got sidewalks?” And web site URL (Kate will get printed)
• Magnets with “got sidewalks?” And web site
• Stroller with square wheels
• Continuous roll-out of carpet sidewalk
• People could wear shoes with bricks made out of foam.
• 2 strollers: one with square wheels and one with regular wheels with carpet rolling out in front
• Kids with bikes
• Kids with skateboards
• T-shirts that say “got sidewalks?” Could use iron-on; print lots and have everyone wear one. Could throw them to the crowd.
• Daniel will look into magnets.
• Red wagons (Ellen has)
• Keep it fun and energetic.

Work Group Meeting: Focus on Website

Volunteers Present:  Austin King & Patty O’Hara (web / tech), Daniel Kopald (videographer), Jim Jackson (chair of project, steering committee), Kate Martin (steering committee)

Others:  Annette Frahm (communications consultant), Paul Sorey (web development consultant)

-We’re going to translate what we know about the process so far onto the website to keep the neighborhood involved in real time. This category, Project Journal, will hold the meetings  and outcomes of the meetings. All project content clears through Paul / Rene

-Homepage will have video, brief relevant statements and links to 3 most important sections of website. (assumption that neighborhood has a few basic concerns / questions that should be easy to find answers to quickly – how much is this going to cost?  how do you get started?  how long will this take?  Homepage will also have Jim’s contact information

-Annette will put draft of neighborhood steps to getting a project going into easy to understand terms and Paul will post it

-Patty & Austin will get to-do list from Paul to do web related work. We’ll keep the website very basic, but get the content in there

-Kate will start the project journal blog entries and will take a shot at ROM (rough order of magnitude) streetscape costs for typical conditions on both sides of Greenwood

-Daniel and Paul will work out format for videos so they can live on FTP site for Paul (and volunteers with Paul’s direction) to grab content and upload

-Next work group meeting is Wednesday June 30 at the same place: Neighborhood Service Center 8515 Greenwood Ave N, 7:30 AM (Next door to Romio’s)

At the FIELD DAY, parts of the consultant team and volunteer professionals set up at the Greenwood Food Bank parking lot (new location) and following an orientation set out to walk the focus areas identified by the consultants to exemplify typical conditions, respond to interest, and equitably distribute the project benefits geographically.  Six focus areas were determined and photo maps for the field groups were created that facilitated “ground truthing” of the conditions.  Block Organizers from each project area (representing the combined interests of over 100 interested neighbors) were paired with professionals (both paid and volunteers) for the field work.  The focus areas were:  1: NW 87th St west of 3rd Ave NW – south areas of 6th Ave NW,  2: NW 90th St -  NW 92nd St – Palatine – 1st 2nd NW – around Sandel Park, 3: Phinney-Evanston-Dayton Ave N, 4: N 90th St east of Greenwood Ave, 5: around Holman Rd – Carkeek Park, and 6: N 102nd St Greenwood to Aurora.   Over 100 block segments and intersections were studied by the field groups.  Photos, notes, and videos were generated by each group.  Everyone came back to the parking lot to share findings and food at noon.  The consultant team and volunteers are processing that work into next steps for the blocks to take toward designs for their sidewalks and walkable streetscapes.

Greenwood Streetscapes had a successful open house on May 18. About 50-60 people from the neighborhood stopped by the Greenwood Library during the evening.

Some of the activities:

• People put a dot on the map where they live and looked at maps of natural features, transportation routes, etc.

• They filled out maps and surveys about where they walk or would like to walk and what they would like to see in their neighborhood.

• They looked at funding tools and talked with project volunteers and staff.

• We interviewed several people on video about their experiences; we plan to post a video on line.

• Several people signed up to be block captains to organize their blocks.

• Some people wrote about sidewalks and no sidewalks on a graffiti wall.

• A few kids used chalk to make sidewalk art.

I joined the Greenwood Streetscapes consultant team for a tour of the project area to help them get a feel for the right of way conditions and general context of North Greenwood.

We managed to weave back and forth throughout areas on both sides of Greenwood and made stops at Sandel Park, Greenwood Park, Greenwood Ave N @ Holman Road / 105th, the south entrance to Carkeek Park, Evanston P-Patch, the Piper’s Creek tributary at 97th and 3rd Ave NW, the Greenwood Peat Bog areas.  We covered the conditions on all of the arterials and bus routes as well (8th Ave NW, 3rd Ave NW, Greenwood Ave N and Aurora Ave N).