Why should I be part of a neighborhood group? I don't have time to be involved! I don't want
someone telling me what to do with my home! I for sure am not paying any dues! (These are a
sample of comments we have heard while passing out the monthly newsletters to Linden
neighbors.)
Gladstone is one of a handful of cities in the U.S. that recognizes the City's future rests in the
strength of its local neighborhoods. When a neighborhood starts to look run down, with yards
not mowed, houses needing paint, limbs piled up next to a house, or junk piled up in the yard,
we are inviting a new type of neighbor to move into our area. Crime statistics show this is
when gangs move in" when drug addicts move next door, and when people start to move away,
abandoning their homes. This has happened to many inner city areas.
I would suggest we don't have the time NOT to be involved. Most of us in the large city
suburbs come home from work, put our car in the garage and don't come back outside unless we
have to. If we are outside, it's in the back yard. How many neighbors do we know on our
block? Are they able to maintain their homes? Do they have age or physical limitations?
As Gladstone started developing the neighborhood group concept, several safeguards were put
into the bylaws of each neighborhood group. (1) There can be no dues although we do accept
contributions to help with local activities. (2) We are not an association. You won't find that
word in our name or bylaws. We can't tell you what color to paint your home or what type shingles
to put on your roof.
The driving force behind our neighborhood group is simple. We want to be the "Caring Community in the Heart of Gladstone", a place where neighbors care about each other and help each
other. We all live here and want to keep this area safe, to work together to improve our property values, resist deterioration in existing homes, and keep a watch so criminal activity can be
kept at a minimum.
We have been meeting almost a year now and our numbers are small, but we have been able to
help some of our neighbors with trash and limb removal and fence repair. One neighbor had a
code violation. We worked together with Antioch Bible Baptist Church to get their house
painted and up to code. We had a couple of stop signs blocked from view of oncoming traffic,
one has already been taken care of by residents, another will be remedied this fall. (Please note:
Our Neighborhood group has nothing to do with the City issuing code violations, but when we
find out about one, we do try to help the resident.)
As a neighborhood group, we are the Neighborhood voice to the City of Gladstone. We are
learning more about how our City operates and the City is learning more about what we residents
want and need. The more Linden residents get involved, the closer we come to being that
"Caring Community in the Heart of Gladstone". We need you!
All Linden Neighborhood board meetings and general neighborhood meetings are open to all.
Come help us make Linden the best neighborhood in the Northland.
