Sherwood Forest

July 2001

Jun 16, 2001

Lois E. Primas, President
863-0167

Robert Gold, VP
861-3642

Marcia Baum, Secretary
862-1897

Sue McMillan, Treasurer
862-6366

Gail Rodwan, Editor
342-5827

Michele Davis
345-7120

Emma Foster
861-4642

Florence Gantz
861-1315

Carl Hardin
341-8196

Linda Jones
863-8310

Catherine Mayberry
862-6342

Walter Shapero
862-2779

William Vance
341-8213

Roosevelt Wise
345-5340

Charlie Primas
Patrol Manager
863-0167

SHERWOOD FOREST INVITES ALL DETROITERS TO JOIN IN AUGUST 11 TRICENTENNIAL RUN

For several years, the Sherwood Forest Association has sponsored the Fun Run / Walk Through the Forest, but this year, in celebration of Detroit's Tricentennial, we are inviting not just our own residents, but all Detroiters, to run or walk through our winding streets and see the varied architecture of our beautifully designed homes. The run / walk will be held on Saturday, August 11. Runners and walkers can begin checking in at 9:30 a.m. at Sherwood Forest Park, between Canterbury and Warrington at St. Martins. The race will begin at 10:30. There will be a registration fee of $10 for a family of up to 4 with a charge of $10 for each additional person. All participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Free refreshments will be served in the park right after the run, and prizes will be awarded to the winners. Please fill in the enclosed registration form and return it to Carl Hardin. Call Carl at 341-8196 with any questions or if you would like to volunteer to work on the event.

Please invite not only your Sherwood Forest neighbors, but any and all of your Detroit friends and neighbors to join us at this happy tricentennial event. We welcome participants of all ages.




MEET NEW BOARD MEMBERS MICHELE DAVIS AND
EMMA FOSTER

Our newest member of the Board of Directors of the Sherwood Forest Association is also one of our newest residents. Michele Davis and her family moved onto Berkeley just a few months ago. The Davises are making wonderful improvements to their home, and Michele has agreed to join our board and work with Catherine Mayberry in greeting new neighbors, telling them about our community organizations and encouraging them to join the Sherwood Forest Association and the patrol service. If you would like to see a picture of Michele at the May membership meeting, click on our web page at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest and go to the section called "Community Pages," and click on the photograph entitled "Annual Association Meeting."

Also new to the board is longtime Warrington resident Emma Foster. Emma has been a pivotal member of the Warrington group that has formed to address the issues outlined in the November 2000 Tattler. Emma has agreed to work with Bill Vance on the Property Maintenance Committee. Thank you, Emma. We look forward to the benefit of your expertise.

WE LEARNED ABOUT OUR HISTORY AT THE MAY 15 ANNUAL MEETING

At the annual membership meeting of the
Sherwood Forest Association on May 15 at All Saints Church, members of the Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board presented a slide show on historically
significant Sherwood Forest homes and updated us on the status of our application for an historic designation. We can anticipate that a public hearing on our application will be held in two to three months. Every resident will be notified prior to the hearing date. Although only a few homes were featured in the slide presentation on May 15, members of the advisory board staff did research on every single home in Sherwood Forest in preparing their recommendation to the Detroit City Council concerning our application. To find out what they learned about your home, call Kristine Kidorf at (313) 224-6536.

Representatives of Pinkerton Security Service reported that Pinkerton has merged with Burns Security. They have moved their offices from the suburbs to the Fisher Building, and they have installed cell phones in the patrol drivers' cars. A special 800 number has been set up for calls during the hours when the cars are not in service. Pinkerton has created a new vacation form for our use, and it is working to improve its vacation-check procedure generally. As residents join or renew their memberships in the patrol, they will receive telephone stickers with the new telephone numbers on them. These stickers will not be available to non-members.

Addelle Anderson, the program manager for Detroit 300, presented a Heritage Award to association president Lois Primas in acknowledgement of the Sherwood Forest Association's more that 50 years of continuous service to our community.

The business meeting was preceded by a delicious potluck supper. We can always count on our residents to bring outstanding food to these events, and this year we outdid ourselves! A special thank-you to Florence Gantz for organizing the supper this year, and to the many neighbors who assisted her in making the supper such a success.

Special thanks also go to Linda Jones, the chairperson of our Historic Committee, who planned the program for the meeting. Linda is the person who has guided us through the intricacies of applying for the historic designation and who will be most responsible if we soon, as anticipated, receive the coveted designation of "Historic Neighborhood."

CANDIDATES' SIGNS

Candidates' yard signs are welcome in this political season. They are a hallmark of our active and concerned neighborhood. However, signs on public property are not welcome. In fact, a Detroit ordinance strictly limits the public placement of signs:

Sec. 40-1-11. Advertising, placing of signs, etc.

No person shall distribute any advertising matter, political or otherwise, from any vehicle, nor post or place any notices, signs or other encumbrances of any description upon any erection, structure or tree, shrub or vine which may be growing or erected in, upon or surrounding any park or public property under the control of the recreation department.

In past years, we received complaints of commercial as well as political signs posted at the entrances to our neighborhood and in our pocket parks. This year, one candidate for mayor has affixed his posters to trees in several locations within the neighborhood. A candidate who seeks to lead the government of our city might be expected to know better!

We ask everyone's cooperation in keeping public areas free of signs.


DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES "POET IN RESIDENCE" PROGRAM

This summer some of Detroit's most talented poets will be in residence at various branches of the Detroit Public Library. These writers have won national and international recognition for their work. There are varied programs for both children and adults. The Main Library is holding an art and literature workshop for adults led my Ron Milner. Call (313) 833-1470 for the schedule. The Children's Library (within the Main Library) is holding a children's workshop with Leslie Reese on Thursdays from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on July 12, 19, 26 and August 2, 9, 16. Call individual branch libraries for information about other programs.


DO YOU GET CONFUSED ABOUT BULK PICKUP DATES?

Bulk pickup day is the third Tuesday of each month. If a holiday falls on the third Monday of the month, bulk pickup will be on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Bulk items are not to be placed at the curb earlier than the night before the pickup date. You can always confirm the correct pickup date by going to the Sherwood Forest web page at www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest and clicking on the section called "Community Calendar." Important event in the community, including upcoming bulk pickup dates, are included on that calendar.


DETROIT 300 CELEBRATION

July is the month when many of the major Detroit 300 events are scheduled to take place. They include:
?· Tall Ships docked for public viewing at Hart Plaza and Dieppe Park, July 19-21.
?· Jazz Detroit: Swing, Bop and Beyond, Friday, July 20.
?· Celebrity Homecoming Concert featuring Stevie Wonder, Saturday, July 21.
?· Ford Parade of Ships, Sunday, July 22.
?· DSO/Gospel Concert, Sunday, July 22.

Detroit 300 will need as many as 1500 volunteers to assist with this historic event. Volunteers are required to attend an orientation/training session prior to the event. If you can help, call the toll-free Volunteer Hotline at 1-866-865-VOLS300 or e-mail det300vols@hotmail.com.



READING THE TATTLER ON THE WEB

Many Sherwood Forest residents have begun to receive their Tattler exclusively on the web. This allows the Sherwood Forest Association to use the money that would otherwise be spent on printing and postage on other worthwhile neighborhood projects. It allows the resident to get more up-to-date information more quickly. If you would like to sign up for Tattler web service, contact Gail Rodwan today at Rodwan@attglobal.net.


"BETTER SERVICES THE GOAL OF NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION"

The above headline appeared over a front-page article in the June 14, 2001, Detroit Free Press concerning a group of Detroit neighborhoods, including Sherwood Forest, that are asking the Detroit City Council to pass an ordinance authorizing the creation of Special Assessment Districts (SADs).

The article explained that Detroiters who feel they are not getting adequate city services for their tax dollars are seeking to bridge the gap by creating special tax assessment districts in their communities. The special taxes would cover the cost of services like snow removal and security patrols. SADs would deal with what the article calls the "free-rider problem," where, under a system of voluntary contributions, too many neighbors choose not to pay their share, even though everyone benefits from the services. Sherwood Forest is all too familiar with the "free-rider problem," especially now, when we are engaged in the annual membership drive for our Pinkerton security patrol.

The Free Press article reported that Detroit City Council members say they like the idea of SADs and want to pass an ordinance this summer. However, there are many details to be worked out before a SAD ordinance is passed.

As readers of the Tattler know, your Sherwood Forest Association Board of Directors has been working on this project for some time, along with University District, Palmer Woods and other surrounding neighborhoods. We hope this good idea soon becomes a reality.

















REMEMBER: THE PLACE TO BE ON SATURDAY MORNING, AUGUST 11, IS THE SHERWOOD FOREST FUN RUN / WALK. THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING DETROIT'S 300TH BIRTHDAY!