Davis Street Gardens update - April 2011

It’s gardening time again and if you aspire to grow flowers but don’t have enough room or a sunny spot for them consider joining the Davis Street community gardens. The gardens are located on the north side of Davis Street, between Grant and Palmer. The garden consists of 25 plots of land, each 10 feet square. Residents of the Bryan Park Neighborhood can sign up for a free plot, or more, by contacting the Garden Coordinator Ria Collee. E-mail mcollee@indiana.edu, or by phone 336-2512.

The lots are numbered with the numbers painted on a stone that marks each lot. All of the plots have some sun, but the lots on the west side are sunnier than the lots towards the east, which have semi-shade at different times of the day. Currently, lots 8-9, 18-19, 21, 24-25 are available. The soil is in pretty good shape, plants and flowers have been doing well. There is mulch available on the east end of the gardens by the creek’s culvert. It came mostly from pine trees but has now aged for over a year and should no longer be too acidic. The full guidelines for the garden are available at: http://bryanpark.blogspot.com/2008/02/davis-street-garden-guidelines.html.

Please join us to make the gardens more beautiful than ever by adopting a plot this year.

Open House to Meet Mayor Kruzan this Saturday

Dear Bryan Park Neighbors
Please join us for an open house to meet Mayor Mark Kruzan this Saturday, April 16 from 6:30-8:30p.m. Mayor Kruzan is an exceptional leader and Bloomington has flourished under his leadership. We have known Mayor Kruzan for over 30 years; his abilities and leadership continually impress and amaze us.

But don't take our word for it.... drop by and find out for yourself!

Saturday, April 16
6:30-8:30 p.m.

Jan Sorby and Jon Lawrence
525 E. Grimes Lane
Bryan Park Neighorhood

Tame rabbit in my back yard

I have a large (probably twenty pound) gray rabbit with brown and black stripes that may be a pet living under my back porch. It is easy to see. If it belongs to someone, or you have a good recipe, please contact me. It is driving my dogs crazy. We live in the 1300 block of South Dunn St. I can be contacted at 317-506-7617.

Greg Ellis

Mon. 3/28: Allen St. Bikeway Public Meeting

The City of Bloomington Public Works Department is hosting a meeting on Monday, March 28 at 5:30pm at the Free Methodist Church, Grimes Lane and S. Lincoln Street. (where we hold our monthly meetings) to discuss bicycle infrastructure improvements along Allen Street. They will be seeking input on a variety of possible tools to make these streets more attractive for bicycles. The meeting is open to the general public.

The initial plan would include simple striping, shared lane markings, and signage; there is also potential to change stop sign orientation to allow bikes to have right of way. All improvements will be pilot projects since this is the city's first "bike boulevard," part of a plan to improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city.

They will also be seeking input on some intermediate and long-term options--these might include a pedestrian/bike median at Walnut and signalization options.

For more information, see

http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=5688

BPNA meeting Tues. 3/22

Our monthly meeting for March will be this Tuesday, Mar. 22. As usual, we'll meet at 7:00p.m. at the Free Methodist Church on the corner of Grimes and S. Lincoln.

AGENDA

OLD BUSINESS

[Update]

Bryan Park Conservation District

Continuing the discussion from several meetings over the past year, we will talk about the nature of a conservation district, and the many steps of the application process to ensure neighborhood interest and public comment. The city has just said that we may choose to apply, if we wish. At the meeting, we will be discussing the district, when and how public comment is incorporated, and whether we should form a subcommittee to proceed.

[Follow up on snow flyers -- Postponed to a future meeting with more time]

Jan will contact local schools to find volunteers to shovel walks for those unable to do so. We will edit the flyers Jeff Firestone proposed, to reflect that help will be available for those who cannot shovel their walks due to physical limitations.

Thanks to Jeff F. for updating our web site at http://bryanpark.blogspot.com/.

NEW BUSINESS

Bike improvements along Allen St.

The City of Bloomington Public Works Department will be hosting a meeting on Monday, March 28 at 5:30pm at the Free Methodist Church to discuss bicycle infrastructure improvements along Allen and Smith Streets. They will be seeking input on a variety of possible "tools" to make these streets more attractive for bicycles. The meeting is open to the general public.

Small and Simple Grant

The grant proposal for our annual block party is due in April. We'll discuss the details--so we can get the application done.

Neighborhood Leadership Series

Thursday, April 7, 2011, 7 to 9 p.m., City Council Chambers

The session on Thursday, April 7 "HANDS ON HOUSING" will be highly interactive. HAND staff will to talk to participants about their own housing as well as what is needed in the neighborhood. A wide variety of stations will be set up to help you improve your home, not just for your own comfort and pocketbook, but also for Bloomington as a whole. Programs cover how to purchase, maintain, and rehabilitate a home, how to deal with an emergency and how to make your home more energy efficient. Attend this fun and interactive session with HAND staff to learn how to make your home a part of our increasingly sustainable city.

HAND will offer a drawing for a free Home Energy Audit to one of the participants in each session!

Neighborhood Watch

Regular report from Dick and Mary Lou Mitchell.

Please let me know if you'd like to add anything to the agenda.

Thanks,

Mary