Challenge for you...

[mrhaskellok]

Being a "newbie" in this forum I hesitated to post this "challenge" but a wise man once told me never to be afraid of being right.   I digress.

I challenge everyone to locate one issue in their NEIGHBORHOOD (not the entire city) and work to solve it.  Cliche?  Sure, but bare with me.  If each one of us would identify an "ugly" building or a particularly poor road, faded (or non-existent) street striping, a missing crosswalk for kids going to school, trees in need of trimming, an alley unkept, or a home that needs attention but the occupants are elderly or  poor and can't do it; if each of use could identify one issue and solve it this month, think of the positive energy we would create for more  great things that could happen in our neighborhoods.  
WE are the solutions to the vast majority of the problems facing our communities today.
I was reading a very old newspaper, several in fact, from a local community (10 points if you can guess which one).  I found several articles illustrating how we got to be a great nation.  People were laying brick in their neighborhood, pouring concrete for sidewalks, installing equipment at a park they wanted in their neighborhood.  
I believe in this kind of work.  Hard work indeed, but community changing work.  I also believe it produces change much faster than almost any other method.  Keep in mind, if you can't solve something on your own, ask for help.  More often than not you will have better results if you include others in your projects.  Hand out a flier and put your email address on it and ask for feedback or ideas.  You can even hold a meeting at your home or a local church.

So this thread is for "us".  You and me who are going to improve our neighborhood now.  Tulsanow...what an appropriate name.    

To start things off, I will tell you what I am going to do.  Since I live in a small town just outside of Tulsa we don't have "neighborhoods" like Tulsa has, but we do have 'sections' of the community that are geographic in nature.  I am going to hold a town hall style meeting this month with my neighbors.  I am going to print off a bunch a fliers and walk my neighborhood inviting everyone to come and discuss what issues we feel are most important and work to solve them.  (I am going to bet drainage is going to be a big one)  

What are you going to do.  

This thread is for those interested in getting involved in your community.  Hope there are some takers.  

 

My wife can tell you, I love quotes...I want to leave you with a favorite of mine.

"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."  -Margrate Mead

Good luck and keep us all posted on any developments!

[booWorld]

I call the Mayor's Action Line fairly often to report hazardous street and sidewalk conditions in my neighborhood.  These are usually a result of broken storm drains or water lines which result in subsurface erosion.  When I notice caverns forming below pavements, I call.  

They know me well enough to realize that when I call about something, it's a potentially dangerous situation.  The City usually responds the same day I call or the next day.

[mrhaskellok]

Oh yes!  I forgot to add, I am also very interested to hear your success stories.  Ways you got involved and achieved results.  

[dsjeffries]

As a student Senator at TU, I successfully had Harvard Avenue's rough-riding, car-shaking southbound lanes ground down and it is now much smoother.  It's not much, but it helped.

I'd be willing to help someone in their neighborhood if they can come up with something...

[sgrizzle]

My issue is that recently a project was done to replace pipes in my neighborhood (I think water lines) that went under the street. They dug up the streets and curbs, ran new lines and replace the streets. They never replaced the curbs.

[RecycleMichael]

We pick up illegal signs.

[cks511]

I'm definitely going to help oust taylor and miller out of office!

[booWorld]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

We pick up illegal signs.

I do that as well.  So far my success rate has been high -- 100% as far as I know.  Each sign I've picked up has gone into the trash, and I assume into a landfill somewhere.

[Gaspar]

We already do everything we can to make our neighborhood a community.  I live in Forest Creek (81st and Harvard).  We clean our park, have regular groups that walk the stream bed and clean up debris.  

We have a neighborhood association, but they just bicker and bi&ch and don't really accomplish anything.  Our neighborhood pool/park acts as a social center for the hood where we make decisions on what to plant and what activities to set up for the kids and the neighborhood.

Last week my neighbor and I went around with pole-saws and helped some of our older residents get the old broken branches out of their trees.   This last sunday, a group of us rented a soil aerator and aerated as many lawns as we could (until we ran out of gas).  We have a pretty good little community.  

When new folks move into the neighborhood it takes them a little while to recover from the shock of actually having friendly helpful neighbors.  My in-laws live in midtown and are always a little unnerved when they come over and we sit on the porch.  The neighbors always stop by during their walks to say hi or let their kids play with the dog.  My mother-in-law says it's like the neighborhood from "Leave it to Beaver".  They've lived in Florence Park for 31 years and only know a handful of their neighbors.  She calls the city action line every-time the neighbor across the street lets his lawn grow over 6 inches.  It's funny.  When she walks her dog she has a little red plastic ruler with her. [}:)]

[booWorld]

quote:Originally posted by Gaspar

My in-laws live in midtown and are always a little unnerved when they come over and we sit on the porch.  The neighbors always stop by during their walks to say hi or let their kids play with the dog.  My mother-in-law says it's like the neighborhood from "Leave it to Beaver".  They've lived in Florence Park for 31 years and only know a handful of their neighbors.  She calls the city action line every-time the neighbor across the street lets his lawn grow over 6 inches.  It's funny.  When she walks her dog she has a little red plastic ruler with her. [}:)]

I thought the height limit on grass was 12 inches.  Your mother-in-law's neighbor might be wasting time and gasoline keeping his grass at 6 inches...what's the response from the City when your mother-in-law calls?

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

We pick up illegal signs.

I helped with your efforts RM.  Last weekend (or two weekends ago?) I was heading to the shooting range.  I stopped at the corner of 21st and Harvard and there were those damn Tulsa Tree Removal signs standing about 2.5 feet tall.  Which just happens to be the perfect height for me kneeling or prone. []
- - -

I have called the mayors action line 4 or 5 times, usually AFTER asking the neighbor to take care of the problem.  All of the issues have been resolved, so I'm pretty happy with them over all.

The problem on my street (back me up JNE) is 2 particular houses that are crap.  A rotating cast of, ummm, nice but somewhat rural oriented residents (read: 3 pickups in the grass) take up residence for a year or 2 and move on.  Nothing the city can do, nothing I can do.

The streets also suck, but again...

I got it!  

At the corner of 28th St. and Pittsburgh there are two things:

1) The large cinder block wall that abuts EIS is panted an industrial tan/gray color.  It's an ugly wall that gets graffitied somewhat often and then repainted.  I would like to try and fund or otherwise get a mural on that wall.

Totally clueless in this regard.  NO idea how much something like that costs, what steps I need to take etc... but there is an idea

2) At that same location, following Pittsburgh North under the BA there are horrible fences on either side.  As you walk under it is like a cage trapped with weeds, bird crap, and dead pigeons.  It would be far better without the fences.

[TheArtist]

Nice topic.

I live in a tiny strip of a neighborhood between the highway and the Promenade mall. Along the highway, on the neighborhood side of the sound wall, is a trail and park space. I occasionally think of what I could add to the park, and the entrance to the neighborhood. Perhaps an art sculpture, gazebo, park benches. Something that would make the area look friendlier and give a bit of pride, community and identity to our little cluster of houses.

[RecycleMichael]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder
At the corner of 28th St. and Pittsburgh there are two things:

1) The large cinder block wall that abuts EIS is panted an industrial tan/gray color.  It's an ugly wall that gets graffitied somewhat often and then repainted.  I would like to try and fund or otherwise get a mural on that wall.

Totally clueless in this regard.  NO idea how much something like that costs, what steps I need to take etc...

Let me see what I can do to help...the art teacher at Eisenhower is a good friend and my company has adopted that school.

I could buy the paint and supplies and the kids could come up with the design...

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael


Let me see what I can do to help...the art teacher at Eisenhower is a good friend and my company has adopted that school.

I could buy the paint and supplies and the kids could come up with the design...

That would be great!  I'm not picky on what goes up there, with the caveat that it is of course nice enough that jerks don't want to graffiti over it.  I'd be happy to help pay for the paint, help paint/prime (not an artist, well, not a good one or even decent anyway), help clear the wall/scrap, petition the school, city... whatever I can do (I'm not rich and have no idea of the cost, so I don't want to stick my neck out too far.  Artist: what would be a material cost guess?).

I'd love to be more involved in things, I just really don't know where to start.  And those two elements of my neighborhood reminds me of downtown Detroit (not the area itself, just those two elements).  I would very much appreciate your help and would do what I can to carry the weight of the project.

[mrhaskellok]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

We pick up illegal signs.

I love this one!  One of my pet peeves is banners and yard signs...blah!