Swan Lake Neighborhood Association

SLNA Meeting Announced

Apr 12, 2008

Swan Lake Neighborhood Association General Membership Meeting

When:
10 ??“ 11:30 am
Saturday, April 26, 2008

Where:
Fletcher Hall, Christ the King Church
1519 S. Quincy, Tulsa, OK
Enter from Marquette School


Past and Present

At the Annual Meeting/Holiday Party in December 2006, the following officers were elected to the Swan Lake Neighborhood Executive Board:
??¢ Stacey Bayles and Joe Dennis, Co-presidents (2007)
??¢ Caroline Benediktson, Vice president (2007)
??¢ Lon Foster, Secretary (2006-2007)
??¢ Peter Doerr, Treasurer (2005-2007)
Committee Chairs:
??¢ Mark Mobbs, Historic Preservation
??¢ Eric Scholl, Newsletter
??¢ Kevin Doyle, Fountain Restoration

Our first order of business was to reestablish monthly Executive Board meetings and quarterly General Membership meetings.
We are pleased to report that the Executive Committee Board meetings were held every month, except in May 2007 and December 2007.
Quarterly General Membership meetings were held at the F&M Bank, Utica Square Motor Bank Conference. Attendance at the general membership meetings peaked in March 2007 and decreased at successive meetings.

In December 2007, the Annual Meeting/Holiday Party was hosted by Patrick and Gina Kingsley in their home on Swan Drive with attendance SRO.
The 2008 officers are as follows:
??¢ Stacey Bayles President (2007-2008)
??¢ Caroline Benediktson, Vice president (2007-2008)
??¢ Jake Crissup, Secretary (2008)
??¢ Mary McMahon, Treasurer (2008)
Committee Chairs:
??¢ Mark Mobbs, Historic Preservation
??¢ Eric Scholl, Newsletter
??¢ Kevin Doyle, Fountain Restoration

The party was held before the Great Ice Smackdown of 2007 and at that time, we were all optimistic about the holiday season and the upcoming new year.
After enjoying the Kingsley??™s gracious hospitality and scrumptious food, conducting association business and awarding the holiday decoration prizes, everyone was talking about how much they enjoyed the camaraderie at the ??œLights On??? celebration and how beautiful the lake looked with the lights illuminating the fence and the trees. It was a monumental effort undertaken by Tom and Caroline Benediktson and a cast of dedicated volunteers including:
??¢ ____

Then it happened.
Nothing like we??™re ever seen OR heard before - every road and household in the city was impacted by the devastating effects of the ice storm.
But there??™s nothing like a disaster to bring neighbors together, especially if it meant sharing a generator or an extension cord.
It??™s hard to believe that the final pass for storm debris was only recently completed with over 2.5 million cubic yards of debris collected at a cost of almost $10 million.
A walk or a drive through the neighborhood reveals that our recovery continues at an undetermined cost.

In 2007, our efforts were focused on the fountain restoration project.

This year, we will be concentrating our efforts on the neighborhood, the park, and the fountain.
At this month??™s General Membership meeting, guests from Public Works and Tulsa Parks will brief us on the ReGreen Tulsa initiatives, a joint effort organized by Mayor Kathy Taylor, the City??™s Tree Advisory Council, and Up With Trees, with a goal of planting 20,000 trees by 2010.

The most important issue for our consideration will be the intersection improvement project at 15th and Utica that will undoubtedly alter the traffic patterns of every individual in the neighborhood for the remainder of the year. Burying the underground utilities at this location has already begun, but what was buried underground resulted in something else popping up elsewhere. In addition to the large, green utility box that is now located at the corner of 15th and Troost, we??™ve noticed several small utility cabinets (unrelated to the 15th and Utica project) installed in the front and side easements of yards in the southern area of the neighborhood.

We will also learn about the termination of the 1+1 Refuse/Recycle Demonstration Project that impacts the refuse route in the northern portion of the neighborhood.

In 2008, the Swan Lake Neighborhood Association celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Our longevity does not necessarily translate into effectiveness without your participation and input.
It is important to us to know what is important to you.
The limited response to the last year??™s survey identified the priorities of those who responded, but it certainly was not representative of the neighborhood as a whole.
As a result, we are hosting the survey once again starting now and closing May 31, 2008.

Log in at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mCL6_2fCSxdcCRRC_2fsjOuRTA_3d_3d

On the last page of this newsletter is a section titled ??œI Will Support the Swan Lake Neighborhood Association???.
You will learn more about how you can help on April 26, but if you cannot attend that meeting, please complete the form and return it to the address shown.

Another important way you can help the neighborhood is as a block captain.
The role of a block captain is to communicate neighborhood alerts and distribute newsletters.
A map of the neighborhood is shown on our website at http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/tulsa/swanlake/map/

We cannot overemphasize the importance of this position, since it also serves as a crime deterrent.
Please mark your calendar and save the date ??“ Saturday morning, April 26 - and join us for one of the most important meetings you will attend this year!