Sherwood Forest

August 2000

Jul 23, 2000

SHERWOOD FOREST HAS ITS OWN WEB SITE AT WWW.NEIGHBORHOODLINK.COM/DETROIT/SWOODFOREST

A few months ago, I learned about Neighborhood Link, a civic communication network that enables every neighborhood association within a metropolitan area to create its own free, interactive web site. Many Detroit organizations signed on with Neighborhood Link, and as editor of the Tattler, I decided to do so too. Since then, with technical assistance from my husband, Gordon, I have been working to create a web page for Sherwood Forest that will provide residents with more information in a more lively and timely manner than has been possible with the Tattler.

The web site is now ready for use. Please log on to www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest, and you will find a wealth of information. Here is a "road map" of what you will find:

?· On the left side of the web page, you will find a vertical banner. At the top of that banner is the date and current weather, and links to the local weather forecast, a radar map and "Today's News." I particularly like "Today's News" because it allows one to click on to the web sites of our local newspapers, tv and radio stations, as well as national news sources, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post.


?· Next is a section called "Citywide," where one can access a chat room, post any organization's web site free of charge or post a classified advertisement free of charge. I think the free advertising section has a lot of potential. I regularly get calls from residents (and non-residents) who want to place advertisements in the Tattler. The Tattler has long had a policy of not taking paid advertising. "Free Classifieds" looks like the perfect solution.
?· "Toolbox" is a section with information about Neighborhood Link. It is followed by "Questions and Comments," which allows the reader to send messages to the Neighborhood Link organization or to me, as the manager/contact person for our web page.
?· There are three interactive areas across the top of the main section of the web page. The first is "Community Calendar," which at the moment lists upcoming bulk pickup dates. Every neighbor can use this calendar to announce events and communicate items of local interest, such as meetings, garage sales, lost pets, etc.
?· The second interactive area is called "Talk About It." This is an interactive bulletin board that enables neighbors to share ideas and discuss neighborhood questions, problems and concerns. Some of our Sherwood Forest Association board members already have posted
messages on this bulletin board. Feel free to post your own message anytime.
?· Meet Your Neighbors" allows each of us to post a free personal home page, and it can include photos and favorite hotlinks.
?· The next section of the web page is called "Association Info," and includes information about the Sherwood Forest Association (with a photo), a list of the members of the board of directors and a link to the most current edition of the Tattler. The Tattler you are reading right now can be accessed through this link.
?· "Neighborhood Information" tells a bit about Sherwood Forest and includes a photo of a neighborhood home. I have not yet entered anything into the "Neighborhood Schools" part of this section because I am not sure how we can make this part most useful to our residents. Suggestions?
?· The section called "Local Government" includes a link to the City of Detroit's web site, which, as I have said in past Tattlers,contains a wealth of useful information about the Mayor's Office, City Council and all city departments.
?· "Police and Safety" contains information from the Detroit Police Department, including important telephone numbers.
?· I have created eight separate entries under "Community Pages." The first is our "This Old House" list, which can now be updated whenever someone provides me with new information. The second and third are membership forms for the Sherwood Forest Association and the Sherwood Forest Patrol. The fourth is a complete list of our Sherwood Forest property restrictions. The fifth through eighth are photographs of some particularly beautiful Sherwood Forest homes and gardens.
?· The last two sections of the web page are called "Useful Hotlinks" and "Community Hotlinks." I have added no information to either of these links.

Now that you have seen how much the Sherwood Forest web page has to offer, please "bookmark" it and use it regularly. It is my hope that many residents will want to replace the Tattler with this web page, since the Tattler now can be read online. This fiscal year, more than $2,500 of the Sherwood Forest Association budget will be used to print and mail the Tattler to every resident. This is money that could be spent on neighborhood improvements and activities. But there are advantages beyond cost to reading the Tattler online. Residents received their June Tattler a full two weeks after it was put in the mail. Bulk mailing is slow and unpredictable. Further, the Tattler is published only six times each year. New information can be put on our web site on a daily basis if necessary.

I realize that many residents do not use the internet. For those residents, I am more than happy to continue providing the Tattler by mail. However, if you are willing to start reading your Tattler on our web page, please e-mail me today at Rodwan@attglobal.net and tell me the e-mail address to which you would like me to send notice each time a new Tattler or other new notice is put on the web page.

I am excited at the prospect of www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest creating new levels of communication among Sherwood Forest residents.

Gail Rodwan
Editor


RACETRACK UPDDATE

On June 28, 2000, in Wayne County Circuit Court, a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief was filed against the State Fair Development Group and the State of Michigan by the cities of Detroit, Ferndale, Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge; Inter-County Citizens Achieving Regional Excellence (ICARE); the Sherwood Forest, Greenacres-Woodward, Palmer Woods and University District Associations; Machpelah Cemetery Association and numerous individual homeowners.

This lawsuit is intended to block the construction and operation of a racetrack and an outdoor amphitheater at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. As of this writing, the Defendants have not filed an answer to the complaint.

SEMCOG is conducting an environmental impact study concerning the racetrack. The study will consider noise,
traffic, pollution and other issues.

On July 15, 2000, a race car noise test was conducted at the fairgrounds under the direction of John Hertel. That test was not conducted under actual racing conditions however, and there is considerable dispute about whether the test will have any impact in determining whether the planned development would constitute a public nuisance.

ICARE is coalition of communities opposed to the racetrack. ICARE meets weekly at 7:00 PM on Thursday at the Zion Lutheran Church at Woodward and Albany in Ferndale. If you would like any more information about ICARE, please contact Gordon Rodwan at 313-342-5827.

An ICARE member has created a web page consisting of newspaper articles and letters and other information concerning the racetrack issue. Sign on to www.explainamation.com/icare.



311 HELP LINE

The Detroit Police Department wants all Sherwood Forest residents to be aware of its new 311 Help Line. This new number is intended to ease the load on the city's 911 emergency number, while making it easier for residents to report crime or get assistance from the police. Residents will still call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.

Citizens should call 311 to report crimes that are NOT in progress, such as property damage, lost property, break-ins, auto theft and abandoned vehicles. City officials estimate that as many as one-third of calls made daily to 911 are not life-threatening emergencies. Increased use of 311 will free emergency operators and police scout cars to respond to real emergencies and better fight crime.

When citizens are in immediate danger, they should still call 911. If they want to report a crime that is not in progress or to get information about police business, they should call 311. Misuse of the 911 system slows down police response time and ultimately jeopardizes lives. This dual telephone number system is working well in other large cities, such as Chicago and Baltimore, and the police anticipate that it will work well in Detroit.


DETROIT 300

The year 2001 will mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the settlement of Detroit. An organization called Detroit 300 has been formed to help us celebrate and commemorate the history and culture of Detroit and its people. The Detroit 300 Commission, chaired by Edsel Ford II, is spearheading programs and providing funds to enable neighborhoods such as ours to develop their own tricentennial programs.

Sherwood Forest has responded in two ways. We have applied for special recognition under the Community Recognition Program, which honors business, cultural and community organizations that are at least fifty-years-old. Sherwood Forest was platted as a subdivision in 1917, and the Sherwood Forest Association was formed in 1929, so we should be eligible for this recognition.

More significantly, we have applied for a Tricentennial Project grant. We have been approved for a grant, but we will not know until October the exact size of the grant.

We intend to use the grant to write a history of Sherwood Forest, and we need your help:

1. Do you have any photographs of old Sherwood Forest? If so, call Linda Jones, grant project director, at 863-8310. We will carefully copy your photos and return them to you.
2. Do you have any historic documents pertaining to Sherwood Forest? Again call Linda Jones. We will return the documents to you or, if you prefer, we will make them a part of the permanent archives that we hope to develop as a part of this project.
3. We would like to begin an oral history project by talking to any of our residents who have lived






here for forty years or longer or to anyone who used to live in Sherwood Forest and can provide us with interesting information about its history and development and place that information in the larger context of the development of the city of Detroit. If you would be willing to talk to a member of our oral history project, or know of someone who would, please let Linda know.

The Board of Directors of the Sherwood Forest Association is very excited about the Detroit 300 grant, but we also know that the project we envision will require a great deal of historic sleuthing. If you are interested in doing historic research, archiving documents, finding old photos, interviewing neighbors for the oral history project or helping to plan a culminating public "event" in the neighborhood, please submit your name to Linda or to any other member of the Board of Directors.