Who Needs a Neighborhood Association?

Why do they even exist? What value do they bring to a neighborhood? We all know of examples where a particular Association was nothing more than a tea party for the unoccupied busybodies. I see these types of organizations as less than useful unless they have a clearly articulated value proposition and an action plan to execute it. Is the Washington Park East Neighborhood Association different? Should you join?

Read on.

The Washington Park East Neighborhood Association's by-laws have 8 items listed under the section called Purpose. A summary of those items might say the WPENA exists to make our neighborhood a better place to live.

To that end a meeting was held to elect new officers of the Board of Directors on Thursday, June 26, 2008 and to define the priorities of the Association for the upcoming year.

President: Biddie Labrot

Vice President: Joanne Asher

Treasurer: Gilbert Gonzales

Secretary: Marilyn Holmes

Without strong membership any organization is doomed to failure. Without neighbors understanding the critical issues that affect the quality of our lives, real estate values, safety, and education the Association will not attract members. So, a first step is to educate the neighbors about the issues.

One very important is faced by all neighborhoods. It is the output of the Zoning Code Task Force. If not done correctly with neighborhood input we may have a zoning code that has limits real estate appreciation or limits our options. The Board feels it is important to prepare a Small Area Plan that would be submitted to the Community Planning and Development (CPD) department to present the Washington Park community's stance on the new zoning code.

Anyone had a break-in lately? A car heisted? A bicycle stolen? Tired of strangers patrolling the streets? The Board is concerned about the level of property crimes occurring in the neighborhood and a proposal was raised to begin a Neighborhood Crime Watch effort.

The quality of the schools serving our neighborhood was also discussed and the Board has decided to reach out to our schools to determine how we might help them achieve the improvement they need. This issue is especially critical for our young families that have children entering school. It would be a good thing for these families to stay in Washington Park and not leave to seek higher quality education elsewhere. There is an education task force at work today to decide the fate of Cory Elementary, Merrill Middle, and South High Schools.

Have you been harassed by a cyclist in the Park; Seen unleashed dogs bothering others? Gotten tired of the Saturday morning noise? Wanted to be involved in the nurturing of the Parks landscape? The Friends and Neighbors of Washington Park (FANS) is a volunteer organization whose mission it is to be stewards of the Park. The Board believes WPENA should support the efforts of FANS to resolve critical issues that affect the future quality of the Park.

Would WPENA be stronger if its influence was leveraged with other associations? Probably. A community outreach program will be launched to integrate WPENA with other organizations active in our broader community such as FANS, Washington Park Cares, the Old South Gaylord Business Association and other neighborhood associations.

Finally, the Board decided to investigate possible methods to delineate the boundaries of our neighborhood. Washington Park is a unique neighborhood in Denver. The real estate values continue to rise and WPENA wants to see that continue. The Board wants the public to recognize exactly where Washington Park begins and ends and to establish markers to designate the limits of the neighborhood.

For a neighborhood association to be effective it is critical to have resident participation.

We will have committees addressing each of these issues. If you care and have an hour a month to contribute, we encourage you to participate.