Dodge/Flower Neighborhood Association

Fall 2002 Edition

Nov 07, 2002

OCT 1ST MEETING NOTES

This was a very friendly, positive AND informative meeting. There were snacks on hand and we had sodas generously donated by our local Fry's store.

The western boundary issue was finally resolved. We had a quorum of voting members who unanimously agreed to honor the wishes of the majority of the Palo Verde residents who wanted to be released from Dodge/Flower. The western boundary is now "up to but not including Palo Verde." This includes all residents/businesses along Grant, Water, Flower, Bermuda and Glenn between Richey and Palo Verde, but does not include anyone with a Palo Verde address.

An excellent informational talk was given by Sgt. Jim Driscoll on Elder Crimes and Abuse. Officer Corina Chavez from the TPD Crime Prevention Unit invited Sgt. Driscoll to speak to us on this topic, due to the high percentage of seniors in our neighborhood.

Jan Lesher was unable to attend the meeting due to a scheduling conflict. However, she did provide us with a printed copy of the construction timeline and scheduled move-in dates of CPSA, SAMHC and Compass at the Dodge/Flower facility, which were available as handouts.

(Complete meeting minutes of this and the August 20th meeting are on file with our Secretary, John Cise, and will be available at our next meeting for approval.)
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ELDER ABUSE TASK FORCE PRESENTATION BY SARGEANT JIM DRISCOLL

This countywide task force has two Pima County Sheriffs and two TPD detectives that work for Sgt. Driscoll. He discussed why elders and ?“vulnerable adults?” are targeted, mostly for theft of money or goods.

In Pima County, 70% of elder abuse crimes involve theft of goods or money; most issues are financial cases. In addition, Sgt. Driscoll discussed mail/identity theft and a variety of scams/lotteries used to separate elders/minorities from their money.

He also named the local TPD staff available to our Midtown area: Captain John Levitt and Sergeant Bob Webster (791-5562). General suggestions included: Shred your waste mail, send mail from the post office only, use licensed professionals for household repairs and eldercare, check your credit rating periodically, make sure your elderly friends and relatives have a support network in place.

As far as citizens observing crime, Sgt. Driscoll says always call it in with as many details as possible, so that the incident will be
documented, and a case can be made for taking action. Curfews: Under 16 years of age: 10 p.m., Under 18 years of age: Midnight.
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*** THIS JUST IN ***
Would you like to reduce traffic speeds and traffic volume on your street?

Our Ward 3 Councilmember Kathleen Dunbar has offered Back to Basics money for up to 40 speedhumps/tables in the Dodge/Flower, Oak/Flower, North Dodge, Cabrini and
Doolen/Fruitvale neighborhoods.

Speedhumps/tables are effective means of keeping traffic speeds down to 25 mph - which is the posted speed limit on all the residential streets in our neighborhood. You will need to get 60% of your neighbors to sign a petition requesting the speedhumps/tables within your block (i.e. on Winstel between Glenn and Flower there are 37 properties. A minimum of 23 signatures are needed on the petition to meet the 60% requirement). Because Dodge is an emergency route, speedtables (like the ones on Dodge north of Glenn), not speedhumps would be installed on Dodge. The rest of the streets in our neighborhood would get speedhumps (like the ones on Baxter).

Please contact Barbara Lehmann (237-2140) for a petition. We want to get the petitions into COT?’s Traffic Engineering Dept ASAP.
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HELP FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED NEIGHBORS
Building Neighborhoods One Yard at a Time

Do you have an elderly or disabled neighbor who can use some help with yard cleanup and household repairs?

Our plan is to work on one house at a time, one day a month or so. Neighbors who organize the work and provide the labor will be the foundation of the project. With support from the Ward 3 office, we will establish relationships with local businesses that are willing to provide the materials.

Bennett Bernal of the Ward 3 office is already at work making community contacts for the project. If this project is successful, it can be used as a model for other neighborhoods in Ward 3.

If you would like to participate on a team to get this project off the ground, please contact Barbara (237-2140 or kbjj2000@cs.com) or Bennett (791-4711).

Immediate Needs
- Create a committee to determine what homes need repair and yard work.
- Create a timeline and project model
- Create list of donations needed (materials/cash)
- Create database of neighbors and community supporters

Mission and Short/Long-Term Goals:
Mission: Create Community Pride and Goodwill
Goal #1 - Help Neighbors in Need and Promote Goodwill. Primarily our goal is to spruce up homes for our neighbors who may need assistance. This will help promote goodwill and friendliness among our neighbors.
Goal #2 - Improve the Overall Appearance of Our
Neighborhood. We believe that by sprucing up one house at a time, the general appearance of our neighborhood will improve over the
long-term. By working on one house at a time, other property owners (including landlords) may be encouraged to better maintain their properties.
Goal #3 - Reduce Crime. The overall appearance of a neighborhood has an affect on crime rates. A neighborhood with a run-down appearance is
inviting to criminal elements.
Goal #4 - Establish a Relationship With Area Landlords. We have an 80% rental rate in our neighborhood. In working with the Ward office, we hope to improve communication between residents and landlords to work together to reduce a slum-like appearance in our neighborhood.

In the long term, an improved appearance will be more appealing to individuals and families who want to live in a safer, cleaner and friendlier neighborhood.
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WE NEED YOUR VOTE - Proposed Bylaw Changes

The Dodge/Flower Board members reviewed both versions of the proposed changes to the bylaws that had been submitted at our annual meeting in June.

A set of the proposed bylaws were presented by the Dodge./Flower Board members for review by the membership at the October 1st meeting. Doing so has satisfied the requirements in our existing bylaws regarding notification of bylaws changes to the membership.

The proposed changes include corrections to typographical errors in the existing bylaws, removal of references to a charter as we have none, and changing quorum requirements from ?“50% of the voting members?” to ?“voting members present?” - a change that will help to keep the Association moving forward.

If you have not had an opportunity to review the proposed changes, and have misplaced your copy, copies are available at the Ward 3 office (791-4711) or by calling Barbara Lehmann at 237-2140.

If you are a voting member, we appreciate your making every effort to attend this meeting.

Feel free to contact any of the Board members if you have questions about the proposed bylaw changes.
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OCTOBER 12TH G.A.I.N. EXPO - Crime Prevention In Our Neighborhood

The crime prevention expo held at Greypointe Apts. was a real success! Officer Olbert with his crime prevention trailer brought much needed exposure to the problems at Greypointe. The tenants who are victimized by the "shenanigans" going on there were really appreciative of the attention to the problems they're having, and for the opportunity to "vent." Councilmember Kathleen Dunbar was there for a good hour and got quite an earful.

Low-income housing doesn't have to mean crime-infested housing. Many of the tenants there are decent, law-abiding citizens who don't have many choices of where they can afford to live, and who are at the mercy of a seemingly non-caring landlord. Many are disabled and/or don't have their own means of reliable transportation, so they need to live in a location that is convenient to public transportation and shopping. The property appears to be in violation of numerous codes. However, the tenants are hesitant to report the violations because they fear retaliation. No wonder it's a haven for the criminal element.

This event was a start in promoting crime awareness and crime prevention throughout our neighborhood, and we feel very hopeful that changes will come about as a result.

Special Thanks - A HUGE thank you to Elizabeth Ramey and Becky Bishop for coordinating the event. Thank you to the neighborhood volunteers who distributed door hangers (Jo, Gordon, Pat, Beverly, Trish, Elizabeth, Becky, Michael, John), and to the businesses that displayed posters. Thank you John Cise and Becky Bishop for donating refreshments. AND thank you to all the neighbors who came out to the event to find out how to prevent crime in our neighborhood. Finally, THANK YOU Officer Mike Olbert and our TPD for implementing the Crime Free Multi-Housing program in our community.
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CPSA Update

SAMHC, Compass and CPSA offices and facilities will be moving into the Dodge Flower Square complex (old Desert Gardens nursing home). CPSA has assured us they will be an asset to the neighborhood. Jan Lesher, representing CPSA spoke, addressing questions from the floor.

About 70 employees will be housed at the new facility. CPSA, a non-profit organization, got funding from federal, state and city sources to finance the project. SAMHC at Campbell and 6th is part of what is relocating to the Dodge facility, as that structure is being demolished to build a dormitory facility. CPSA has sent a mailing notifying the neighbors of the changes. Jan mentioned addition of a ?“wall, sidewalks and lighting?” to accommodate the community.

The Dodge unit may be taking homeless people; they try to avoid transporting them at night. Joan from Compass indicated they were planning to join the DFNA and attend regularly. 50 beds will be maintained for various uses. Folks with alcohol, drug addiction as well as patients with mental health issues will be treated there. Elizabeth Ramey mentioned that tractor trailer trucks were idling several nights at the facility after midnight. Joan and Jan said this was a temporary situation to expedite moving old equipment out of the building. Security may be shared with a vehicle currently in use by the high-rise building who patrols the facility at night. SAMHC needs to move into the renovated building by year end.
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HOW TO REPORT DRUG ACTIVITY - Take Action Against Drug Activity

The DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency] encourages citizens to report drug-related activity in their neighborhood.

Call 573-5500 and ask for the duty agent. You may remain anonymous.

You may also call the Pima County Attorney's Office anonymous tipster line, 88-CRIME, or 911.

(Arizona Daily Star, July 12, 2002)
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WALGREENS UPDATE

Our Haskell neighbors reported that the construction contractor said the demolition of the condemned properties may be starting around February, 2003, with construction of the Walgreens starting soon after. Walgreens has also agreed to put in a speedhump on Haskell, as long as they get approval from the City, which, based on the above news related to speedhumps in
our neighborhood, shouldn?’t be a problem.
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DO YOU HAVE A PHONE TREE ON YOUR STREET OR IN YOUR APARTMENT COMPLEX?

In the Summer Newsletter we had an article about the importance of having a phone tree for your street or apartment complex. We gave an example of a true story of a young boy who was late getting home and his mother didn?’t know where he was. We used the phone tree to call neighbors who hit the neighborhood streets immediately to help find him. We did find him, safe and sound.

In September our neighborhood reps, Beverly Van Den Borre, Elizabeth Ramey and Barbara Lehmann attended a seminar presented by the Midtown Police Captain John Leavitt and Sargeant Bob Webster. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the importance of maintaining communication between neighborhood reps and the police department. This is where the phone tree is instrumental for another use. In the event of an emergency (such as a neighborhood evacuation due to a broken gas line) the neighborhood reps with the use of the phone trees can get information from the police to the residents faster than the police going door-to-door.
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NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUP

Volunteers needed to help with a neighborhood cleanup we plan to have in January. We?’ll ask Solid Waste Mgmt to bring a ?“roll-off?” to our neighborhood for dumping of large items, such as furniture.

We?’ll need neighbors with trucks (and muscles) to help haul the large items to the roll-off.

With enough volunteers the cleanup should take only one Saturday morning (many hands make light work). We may possibly get volunteers from surrounding neighborhoods, by offering to return the favor when they schedule a cleanup for their areas. Assuming we?’ll work up some pretty good appetites, we?’ll try to get a local restaurant to donate lunch for the volunteers.

Stay tuned for the scheduled cleanup date.
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Any articles you?’d like to contribute to the newsletter are welcome and appreciated. The deadline for articles in the Winter newsletter is January 15. Call Barbara at 237-2140 if you wish to contribute. Your article can also be posted on our website if you agree to do that.
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NOVEMBER 19 MEETING AGENDA
- Call to Order
- Reading and Approval of October 1 Minutes
- Treasurer's Report
- Discussion and Vote on Bylaw Changes
- Guest Speaker, Pima Council on Aging
- Future Projects
- Call to the Audience
- Adjournment
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Thanks for caring about your neighbors and our neighborhood by keeping in touch with each other and keeping an eye out for one another, and for coming to the meetings to find out how we can make this a safer, friendlier and cleaner neighborhood!

Hope to see you on November 19th.
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NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, November 19
6:15 Potluck
7:00 Regular Meeting
Catalina Heights Church
2741 N. Dodge
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Please come and bring your neighbors!

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Board Members
President: Barbara Lehmann (237-2140)
Vice-President: Hugh McCarthy (795-9398)
Secretary: John Cise (327-3135)
Treasurer: Beverly Van Den Borre
Crime-Free Chair: Elizabeth Ramey (319-8865)
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Important community contacts:
Tucson Police Dept:
Emergencies (never hesitate to call) . . 911
Non-emergencies. . . . . . . . . . 791-4444
Sgt. Bob Webster . . . . . . . . . 791-5562
Crime Prevention .. . . . . . . . 791-4450
LPO Gary Downard . .GDownar1@ci.tucson.az.us
Neighborhood Watch . . . 791-4499 ext. 1790
Ward 3 Councilmember Kathleen Dunbar,
and Aide, Bennett Bernal . . . . 791-4711
Citizen Comment Line . . . . . . . 791-4700