Sherwood Forest

April-May 2001

Apr 12, 2001

ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON MAY 15

Please join your neighbors at the annual meeting of the Sherwood Forest Association on Tuesday, May 15, at All Saints Church, West Seven Mile Road.

6:30 p.m. - Potluck supper. Bring a hot dish, a salad, dessert or bread for eight to ten people. Everything else will be provided.

7:30 p.m. - Business meeting and welcoming of new residents. There are several topics of critical importance on the agenda.

Meet guest Addelle Anderson, the Program Manager of Detroit 300, who will present a special award to Sherwood Forest Association in recognition of its more than fifty years of service to our community.

Meet guest Deborah Goldstein of the Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board, who will present a short history of our neighborhood based on the research she has done for her report to Detroit City Council on our application for a historic designation. Learn the status of our application (we hope we are close to being approved).

Board member Walter Shapero will update us on the status of the proposed city ordinance on special assessment districts.

A representative of Pinkerton Security Services will be present at the meeting to

respond to your questions and concerns about our private patrol service.

If you would like to assist with the potluck supper, or if you have questions, call Florence Gantz at 861-1315.

Remember that even if you cannot make it to the 6:30 potluck supper, your attendance at the 7:30 business meeting is important to all of us.

We will celebrate our history at this annual meeting. Just as the city of Detroit is marking its 300th birthday in the year 2001, we are marking the rich heritage of our own community.

I look forward to meeting neighbors, old and new, on Tuesday, May 15.

Lois Primas
President
Sherwood Forest Association

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN THE PATROL

Living in a neighborhood as safe as ours is no accident. Pinkerton Security Service is vital to the safety and tranquility of Sherwood Forest. The new fiscal year for the patrol begins on June 1. A bill will be sent to every Sherwood Forest home in May. The rates have not changed. Please return your payment promptly so we can begin the new fiscal year on a firm financial footing. If you have questions about the status of your membership, call Gordon Rodwan at 342-5827.
PROPERTY INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON CITY WEB SITE

Citizens, real estate agents, developers and others interested in Detroit assessment and property value information can retrieve that information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no charge, using the new Online Property Information System. The Online Property Information System allows for instant access using a simple web browser.

The Online Property Information System is accessible through a link on the Sherwood Forest website, www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest, or directly from www.ci.detroit.mi.us.

Thousands of people have used the system since it went into operation on the web on February 9. Prior to its creation, a person would have to make a trip to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center to access this same information, at a cost of $2 per transaction. Now there is no cost, and the information is accessible from home or office.

Future improvement to the Online Property System include additional property related information and more elaborate search options (e.g., list multiple addresses within a geographic area). A link the Detroit's Geographic Information System (GIS - electronic mapping) will be available soon and will allow users of the system to create and view maps when searching for property. This is one of the first of several proposed e-government initiatives that the city hopes to have on its web site in the near future.

DETROITERS RECYCLE

Detroit's recycling efforts are not as extensive as many residents wish they were, but it is a myth that there is no recycling in Detroit. The Chene Ferry Recycling Center at 2263 E. Ferry at Palmer, west of Chene, is open every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Recyclable items must be properly prepared before they are dropped off. Tin can and plastics must be rinsed and crushed, with lids removed. Newspapers must be tied in bundles or placed in paper bags. Glass containers must be separated by color. The center also takes batteries, used motor oil and anti-freeze. For more information, call (313) 876-0146.
A WEEK OF CLEAN SWEEP

Remember that Detroit Clean Sweep will last for a whole week this year, from April 23-28. During that week, volunteers will clean around schools, businesses and industrial complexes. On Saturday, we will concentrate on parks, playgrounds, churches and other neighborhood sites. Neighborhood City Halls will provide 30-gallon plastic garbage bags. Volunteers are asked to bring their own cleaning equipment.

The Detroit Police Department is already working with the DPW to tag and tow abandoned vehicles. The goal is to get every abandoned vehicle off the streets of Detroit by the end of April and then keep them off by issuing more tickets and doing more towing than was done in the past.

If you would like to be a part of this important effort, call our Northwest Neighborhood City Hall at (313) 578-7580 or the Clean Sweep Hotline at (313) 224-4415.


H.U.G. BELLE ISLE

Another important clean-up will take place on Saturday, May 5, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Belle Isle.

Much has been written recently about how to pay for Belle Isle's desperately needed renovation and upkeep, including a proposed vehicle entry fee. Since 1998, Detroit Recreation Department employees have collected over 6,000 tons (or 12 million pounds!) of trash on Belle Isle alone, and that department is also responsible for maintaining more than 400 other parks. Dedicating the necessary staff, equipment and supplies for trash collection means that other vital needs in the park must go unmet - such as grass cutting, tree trimming, picnic shelter renovation, shoreline clean-up, and repair and maintenance of playground equipment.
Obviously, the Recreation Department needs help, and volunteers have a role to play. The department hopes that May 5 will mark the inauguration of an annual Belle Isle Clean-Up Day. Please encourage your family and friends to volunteer, and then call (313) 852-4208 to say that you are ready to H.U.G.(Help Uncover the Gem).
The "gem" we call Belle Isle needs money, but it also needs what money cannot buy - our heartfelt commitment to Detroit's largest and most beloved park.


DETROIT CELEBRATES ITS 300TH BIRTHDAY

Although the "big" celebration will take place in July, our tricentennial celebration is going on all year long. For a schedule of monthly events, check out the Detroit 300 link on the Sherwood Forest web site or go directly to www.detroit300.org.


CALLING ALL ON-LINE TATTLER READERS

For those resident who told me that they would like to read the Tattler on-line, the February-March edition was supposed to be the final "hard" copy mailed to the home. However, for two reasons, everyone on the Sherwood Forest mailing list is receiving a printed copy of this Tattler.

The first reason is that this Tattler contains important information about the May 15 annual meeting of the Sherwood Forest Association, and we want to make sure that all Tattler readers in a household, not just the on-line readers, know about the meeting. Second, I am in the process of creating two separate mailing lists for the Tattler - one for on-line readers and one for readers who want the newsletter mailed to them. I want to make sure that my on-line list is as complete as it can be, so I am urging all those residents who are willing to get the Tattler exclusively on-line, but just haven't gotten around to telling me so, to e-mail me today at Rodwan@attglobal.net. There are many advantages for the on-line reader and for our association's budget as well, and I urge all residents to take advantage of this option.

Gail Rodwan
Editor

ELECTION NOTICE

The Board of Directors of the Sherwood Forest Association is made up of fifteen members, with each member serving a three-year term. The terms are staggered so that the terms of five of the fifteen members expire each year.

It is the time of year when we elect five members to the board. According to the by-laws, nominations for these positions are made in the following ways:

1. By recommendation of the nominating committee.
2. By any five members of the association nominating a candidate by the following procedure:
a. Obtain the consent of the candidate to serve.
b. Furnish a letter containing the name of the candidate to a member of the nominating committee no later than May 7, 2001. The letter must be signed by at least five association members and should include the candidate's address, occupation and a brief statement of his or her interests and aspirations for Sherwood Forest.

If there are more nominations than vacancies, a ballot will be mailed to all members of the association. The ballot will include a short biographical sketch of each candidate.

Candidates must be willing and able to attend monthly meetings and participate actively in committee work. Each board member has at least one committee assignment. We encourage residents to run for these positions. Our board and our community are only as strong as the residents who volunteer their time and talent to help maintain Sherwood Forest.

Only members of the Sherwood Forest Association may participate in the election. Call our treasurer, Sue McMillan, at 862-6366 to verify that your dues are paid.

Election results will be published in the next Tattler.

Respectfully,

Marcia Baum and Gail Rodwan
Nominating Committee
































MEET YOUR GOOD NEIGHBORS AND SHARE YOUR GOOD IDEAS AT THE ANNUAL MEETING ON TUESDAY, MAY 15, AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH





















MEET YOUR GOOD NEIGHBORS AND SHARE YOUR GOOD IDEAS AT THE ANNUAL MEETING ON TUESDAY, MAY 15, AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH