Sherwood Forest

April - May 2005

Apr 13, 2005

TWO IMPORTANT MAY EVENTS IN THE FOREST

OUR ANNUAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MAY 10

The annual meeting of the Sherwood Forest Association will be held on Tuesday, May 10, at All Saints Church, West Seven Mile Road. Two special speakers will share information of particular interest to our residents:

 Sean Werdlow, the Chief Financial Officer and Finance Department Director for the City of Detroit will talk about the short-term and long-term financial future of our city. How did we get where we are? How do we reduce the deficit without also reducing essential community services? How do neighborhoods become more involved in the processes of the city? What is the status of the current proposed legislation to reduce the property tax burden of some Detroit residents? Mr. Werdlow will be ready to address these and other concerns.

 Mike Barger, a certified arborist and registered forester, will talk about the ash trees in our community. What are the city and state doing to eradicate the Emerald Ash Borer, or is it too late for eradication? What can individual homeowners do to save their trees? Mr. Barger is the man with the answers to these questions.

The schedule for the May 10 meeting is as follows:

6:30 p.m. ?– Potluck supper. Bring a hot dish, a salad, dessert or bread for 8-10 people. Everything else will be provided.

7:30 p.m. ?– Business meeting and welcoming of new residents. Special guest speakers.

A representative of RCN Security Corporation will be present at the meeting to respond to questions and concerns about the patrol service.

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

We look forward to meeting neighbors, old and new, on Tuesday, May 10.

Lois Primas, President
Michele Davis, Vice-President
Sherwood Forest Association


OUR SPRING ?“MEET AND GREET?” WILL BE HELD ON SUNDAY, MAY 22, AT THE COCKREL HOME

Please join your friends and neighbors for another neighborhood party. We will welcome spring with a ?“Meet and Greet?” at the home of Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel at 3333 Cambridge (at the corner of Kingston) on Sunday, May 22, from 3-6 p.m. Please bring a cold or hot hors
d?’oeuvre or dessert to share. Beverages will be provided.

What better way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon than with your Sherwood Forest neighbors? We look forward to seeing many of our residents at the Cockrel home on May 22.

If you have questions about the party, call Social Committee chairperson Al Greene at (313) 861-0554.


CITY OF DETROIT PREPARES FOR
MOTOR CITY MAKEOVER, MAY 7, 14, 21

"Making Detroit Beautiful, Making it Last" is the slogan for May 2005?’s Motor City Makeover. Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick is again calling for volunteers to help clean and beautify our city. The city is encouraging all Detroiters, block clubs, community organizations, churches, businesses and schools to help make Detroit beautiful. Last year marked the most successful spring cleanup ever, with more than 63,000 volunteers collecting and removing 4,200 tons of debris. This year, the bagged litter campaign continues, along with an increased focus on beautification and education programs. Volunteers are needed to adopt vacant lots, play areas and entry points into the city. For more information, call (313) 224-4415 or visit the city web site at www.ci.detroit.mi.us


DPW ADDS BULK DROP-OFF SITES

The Department of Public Works (DPW) added three new public dumping locations in March, bringing the total number of drop-off sites to five. They are:
 12255 Southfield Rd. (Southfield Yard)
 9915 Conner (south side of Conner, east of Gratiot)
 8221 W. Davison (east of Wyoming)
 19715 John R (at State Fair)
 5840 Anthon (between Calvary and Campbell)

Each location is open Monday through Friday, 8 to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Facilities are closed Saturdays. Detroit proof of residency is required, and citizens are limited to one load per household per visit (limit of 500 pounds). No construction or demolition debris, household/commercial trash, tires, or tree stumps will be accepted. For information, call (313) 224-2215.


And don?’t forget that you can recycle newspapers, magazines and junk mail at the green and yellow recycling bin located in the parking lot of MacDowell Elementary School, just a short distance from Sherwood Forest at 4201 W. Outer Drive. The school uses the money earned from this recycling project to pay for field trips and other worthwhile activities.


CITY TAKES AIM AT BLIGHT WITH
NEW CODE ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM

Detroit?’s getting tough on blight ?– and has a new way to deal with it. The Department of Administrative Hearings (DAH), an independent city agency launched in February, is an innovative approach to enforcing the Detroit City Code regarding property maintenance and blight prevention.

DAH cases are heard in a fair and cost-effective manner at a facility at 561 E. Jefferson in downtown Detroit. Cases that come before the department include violations of building, zoning, health, sanitation and environmental ordinances. Previously, those types of cases were considered criminal misdemeanors and were handled by the 36th District Court. Under the new system, blight violation cases can be heard and resolved more quickly - and penalties are more appropriate.

Also, the city is stepping up code enforcement. Police officers and other city officials issue Blight Violation Notices to those who blatantly disregard city ordinances that exist to keep Detroit clean and healthy. Citizens who receive Blight Violation Notices may present any defense before an administrative hearing officer.

The DAH has three separate hearing divisions: Property Maintenance, Zoning and Solid Waste/Illegal Dumping.

The types of ordinance violations heard by the Property Maintenance division include failure to obtain certificates of compliance, rat infestation, failure to remove snow and ice from sidewalks, inoperable vehicles, failure to maintain exterior of property and failure to comply with emergency orders.

The types of ordinance violations heard by the Zoning division include change of land or building use without a permit and failure to obtain required certificate of maintenance of grant conditions.
The types of ordinance violations heard by the Solid Waste/Illegal Dumping division include early bulk placement at the curb, early or late placement of residential garbage containers at the curb, improper storage of waste and illegal dumping.

The city will actively pursue violators and the collection of fines (up to $10,000). Ignoring a Blight Violation Notice or failing to pay fines, fees and costs can result in default judgments and/or collection actions, which may include wage garnishment and/or judgment liens being placed upon property. For more information on the DAH, call (313) 224-0098 or (800) 545-4948 or go to www.detroitmi.gov/dah. A complete DAH Citizens?’ Guide can be downloaded from this web site.


SHERWOOD FOREST ASSOCIATION ELECTION NOTICE

The Board of Directors of the Sherwood Forest Association is made up of 15 members, with each member serving a 3-year term. The terms are staggered so that the terms of 5 of the 15 members expire each year.

It is the time of year when we elect 5 members to the board. According to the by-laws, nominations to these positions are made in the following ways:

1. By recommendation of the nominating committee.
2. By any 5 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 3, 2005. The letter must be signed by at least 5 association members and should include a candidate?’s address, occupation and a brief statement of his or her interest and aspirations for Sherwood Forest.

Candidates must be willing and able to attend monthly meetings and participate in committee work. Each board member has at least one committee assignment. We encourage residents to run for these positions. Our board and 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.

Respectfully,

Marcia Baum and Gail Rodwan
Nominating Committee

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ARE NOW RESTRICTED FROM PARKING ON RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL STREETS

The city has passed a new ordinance restricting the parking of commercial vehicles on both residential and commercial streets. It is now unlawful to park any commercial vehicle, bus, taxi, limousine, trailer or recreational vehicle/equipment on any residential street or service drive at any time or on any commercial street where parking is allowed for a period longer than one hour.

?“Residential street?” is defined as any portion of any street that is adjacent to any land zoned or developed for residential use. ?“Commercial street?” is defined as any portion of any street or highway that is not a residential street.

Exceptions to the above rules are allowed for specific situations, such as loading and unloading or the performance of a commercial service, and for specific commercial-type vehicles, such as certain pickup trucks or vans.

For details, consult Ordinance #26-03, at the City Clerk?’s Office, located in Room 200 of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. For enforcement, contact the 12th Precinct or the Parking Violations Bureau at (313) 967-1752.

BULK PICKUP DATES

Monday, April 25
Monday, May 23*
Monday, June 27

*Remember that bulk pickup is on the fourth (not the last) Monday of the month, and bulk should not be placed at the curb earlier than the day before the pickup date. May 2005 is a month with five Mondays.


YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTION:
www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest

Are you reading this Tattler on-line? If so, you are getting your neighborhood news days before ?“snail mail?” subscribers, and the Sherwood Forest Association is using the postage saved for other neighborhood events and projects. If you are not on the on-line subscription list and would like to be, please notify Gail Rodwan at Rodwan@sbcglobal.net.