The meeting was convened at 7 p.m. by co-chair Mary Hey. Eight neighbors were present plus two city staff to talk about the Arapahoe reconstruction project. Awesome poppy seed cake and still warm cookies were provided.
Minutes from last meeting were approved.
Bryant Gonsolves, City of Boulder Transportation Manager, and Noreen Walsh, Senior Transportation Manager, discussed with us the Upcoming construction project on Arapahoe. We had a chance also to give our input and experience. You can find all kinds of information (history, plans, who to contact, comment form) here. The new road surface will be concrete. All the sidewalks will be widened to 6' (except in cases where big trees prevent this, or lack of space, such as by Folsom and Arapahoe by Subway or gas station). Paving will take place summer 2014 and will take 10 weeks. One lane will be closed; only eastbound will be allowed. A storm drain has to be constructed down the center of the road and the road has to rebuilt all the way to its foundation. Underneath all that asphalt is actually a concrete roadway!
We gave input on the light placement. Those of us who were there voted for the stop light to be moved to 21st where most people cross anyway. Our input was that the light does not really give a time advantage anyway since it doesn't turn until all the traffic is stopped anyway. We also proposed a pedestrian island where there is currently a third lane that is not used (it's not a turn lane). You can leave comments on the link which is provided above. There will be another public meeting Jan/Feb 2013. We'll get mailings.
The proposal that Neighborhood Parking Zones be reviewed every 5 years has passed the first hurdle. It still has to go before City Council, but it looks like that will be what comes out of this. Most neighbors wanted this.
The Community Garden is finishing up its season. We had a very good group of gardeners who showed up to weed and maintain all the flower beds that all the neighborhood enjoys. Currently, only the gardeners are taking care of the Park and flower beds adjacent to the Community Garden. We'd like to see more community volunteerism. It's a great way to contribute, does not take much time, and makes you feel good. Usually 3-4 plots open up every year. If you want a plot, it's time to put in a request to Growing Gardens.
Projects for 2013. We discussed various projects which have been raised. Of course, for something to happen, someone needs to have the passion/initiative to lead it.
- Little Library. This is part of a nationwide movement for neighborhoods/individuals to build very small libraries for free take/leave books. You can read about it here There is one up on 6th close to Chatauqua, which is completely adorable. We could put it in the Community Garden by the benches, or in front of someone's house. The Transportation Dept has approved placement in the Garden, but there is concern about vandalism. We do have a location in front of someone's house, too, if we decide Garden is not the right place. We could also trial it in the Garden. Chris, one of our talented and creative neighbors, has volunteered to design and build it. Jenny is spearheading this effort to get it off the ground in Spring 2013.
- Kiosk for Community Garden: Oh my gosh, has this one been on the list forever. The idea is to have a welcome arch/kiosk as the entrance to the Community Park/Garden. Wade, who attended the meeting is a builder/carpenter, and he agreed to a one hour brainstorm on this, along with a couple of other people we have in mind. Plan is to have meeting sometime in January/February 2013. Jenny to call meeting.
- Meditation Garden: This is another idea that has been floating about, especially since Naropa is part of our community. The park at 19th St might be a good location. Jerrie has volunteered to have some discussions with Naropa, as it would be great to have a community project with them.
- Street Mural Maintenance: We want our beautiful street mural to stay beautiful! Mary will follow up with Jan on what needs to be done.
- Neighborhood Brochure: Be great to have one to pass out to new neighbors. Jenny wrote one before and has located it. She'll update it and bring to next meeting for review and comments.
- Other Projects: we do not have sufficient passion for within the volunteer community that attended: Social events: These are great but need to be planned by individual neighbors. There have been several impromptu events around. Neighborhood Cleanup: Things look pretty good. We see the mural upkeep as important but no one had enthusiasm for organizing a separate cleanup. Hispanic history in Goss-Grove: Loren brought up the rich history of the African-American and Hispanics in Goss-Grove. In recognition of this, an Hispanic group is proposing to the City to rename Canyon Park (across Canyon from us, on 21st) to Emma Martinez Park. Emma was the reason that that spot of land is a park! It was going to be developed into apt buildings, but Emma stood up first to save the children's playground and then to have it become a full park. Loren would like to introduce a motion for the neighborhood to support the renaming at the next meeting.
We have let police visits to the meetings lapse because frankly, we have very little crime here.
And finally, election results!
First, we thank Mary and Maria for their service as co-chairs over the last year, including the delicious desserts and wine at their home. This last year was a challenging one for us with all the zoning and we made it with critical help from Jerrie, Michele and others. We also thank Jerrie as treasurer and Michele as our loyal secretary.
The new officers for the next year are:
Stephen Haydel and Jenny Devaud, co-chairs
Jerrie Hurd: treasurer
Michele Bishop: secretary
Diane has offered to provide desserts for our meetings. Yummy and thank you!
Be sure and thank each of them for volunteering for this service. Goss Grove is the oldest neighborhood association in Boulder. Without the volunteers who step up to lead this organization, we would not have the zoning we have, the parking program, a community garden, a street mural or any of the other things you all enjoy. Think about how you can step up and help out in this community.
Don't know Stephen or Jenny? Jenny has been a garden leader for the last several years. She rides her bike every day to Ball Aerospace where she works on physics problems. She writes poetry and plays flute in her spare time.
Stephen is often seen in an orange cycling jersey. He's a software engineer, currently employed but seeking new opportunites! He also promotes bike races, loves bikes and all things bikes.
They have a little black dog named Portia. Jenny calls her Pork Chop, with love.
We hope to see many more of you at our quarterly meetings! They will continue to be at 7 p.m. and will be wine/ dessert affairs. We'll let you know when the next one one. You can contact us by email at jenny.devaud@gmail.com or stephen@haydel.com.
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