(Once link above clicked, go to "I Want To..." at top of page, then "Report..."
|
|
|
|
**City of Kalamazoo Stormwater Marker Project
Volunteers Needed for Project that Aligns to Our Neighborhood Plan! The city has partnered with the Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioner this year to extend this project that was originally started in 2007-08. The stormwater maker project uses metal markers with messaging like “No Dumping Drains to Creek” and places them using adhesive to stormwater inlets and catch-basins along the curb. As the stormwater sewer system discharges to local surface water, the goal of the project is to bring community awareness to the stormwater municipal drainage system to help stop preventable pollutants from getting into local surface water. The Kalamazoo municipal stormwater sewer system covers the entire city and discharges primarily to the Portage Creek/Arcadia Creek watershed. Most pollutants that get into our lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands come from stormwater runoff. If YOU would like to help with placing these stormwater makers on preselected storm drains around the city it would be a great opportunity to bring awareness that “what gets in the street, gets to the creek”. The Winchell Neighborhood needs to replace around 10 “missing” markers and add 20 new inlet locations that were not previously marked. The city will provide the markers, adhesive, and maps with preselected stormwater inlets and catch-basins for the markers to be placed and provide instructions. The following days/times are scheduled for installation (weather permitting): W 10/21, TH 10/22, SAT 10/24, SUN 10/25, M 10/26, TU 10/2, W 10/28, TH 10/29 Due to Covid-19, the city recommends volunteers work individually or in groups of two, practicing social distancing and/or working in groups from the same household. The city asks that any interested volunteers be over the age of 18. To volunteer, YOU can contact Jessica Enaohwo, Environmental Support Specialist, Public Services: enaohwoj@kalamazoo.org or # 269-337-8343 *Land Preservation Initiative by
Stewards of Kleinstuck Property Officially Off The Market...but there's more work to do! The Stewards would like you to know that this project would not be possible without the deep generosity of a neighborhood family who wishes to remain anonymous. They offered them a loan for the property and will forgive the last $250,000 of this loan. However, they still need to raise about $250,000 to pay off the property in full. They bought the property for $550,000, and have incurred additional costs (closing costs, insurance, appraisals). They’ll also have interest to pay on the loan and ongoing maintenance costs for the property. They are extremely grateful for the $150,000 in donations they’ve received so far from our community, which allowed them to make the down payment and close on the property. They are continuing to accept donations; if you haven’t yet donated or would live to give again, now’s the time! If you would like more information about this project, and/or donate to their cause, you can visit their "Keep Kalamazoo Wild" website HERE The Stewards of Kleinstuck is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization *Need Help With Leaf Raking or Snow Shoveling?
The Volunteers at Third Reformed Can Help! We'd like to relay to you a very generous offer to those of our neighbors in-need from our friends at Third Reformed Church: As a fellow member of the neighborhood, the Third Christian Reformed Church (located on Winchell Ave.) would like to offer our help to those of you that might need assistance this fall and winter to rake your leaves and/or clean shovel your snow, free of charge, as a way of grateful service to our neighbors. If you (or you know of a fellow neighbor that might need our help) would like our volunteers to rake leaves in your front yard or backyard or if you would like us to clear the snow from your driveway and/or sidewalk, please contact the church (email: office@3rdcrc.org; call: 269-343-2400) and let us know your details (address, contact info, preferred days for raking, etc.) *Proposed* Glen Park Youth BMX Bicycle Trail
7/8 UPDATE: Results of PRAB Meeting and Next Steps The Parks & Rec Advisory Board (PRAB) met on Zoom last night for their July meeting; the proposed youth BMX bike trail in Glen Park was on their agenda. It was suggested by Sean Fletcher (Parks & Rec Director) that PRAB table any decision they might make until their board can first:
The PRAB agreed to pursue Sean’s suggestion, and to form an ad hoc committee of 3 PRAB members (and Sean) to put together those responses and then meet with us and the neighborhood. No timeline on accomplishing those objectives was discussed by the PRAB board. The ODWNA board will continue to communicate with Parks & Rec to gather additional proposal information (there has still not been much put forth) and ensure that this (or any) proposal aligns with our Neighborhood Plan, and that two-way communication with our neighborhood takes place. *K College Student-Based Kalamazoo City Deer Population Study – You Can Help!
Two K College students (working in conjunction with the Kalamazoo Nature Center) created a deer monitoring project within the smartphone app called iNaturalist, a free platform that allows for photo documentation of living creatures by community members. These students are particularly interested in the population and distribution of deer in the City of Kalamazoo after hearing that residents are concerned about a possible rise in their population and the impacts of that rise. For anyone that would like to participate you simply need to create a free account in iNaturalist through the phone app. Once you have an account use the Search function by entering: "Deer populations in the residential areas of Kalamazoo", then click on the project. There should then be another button to join the project. When you are out and about and spot some deer you can open the app on your phone, click the “observe” button and snap a photo using the camera on their phone. Once you have a clear photo click the “next” button and there will be a screen to enter information about what you took a photo of. This where you will type in “White-tailed deer” and make sure the project it is going into the Kalamazoo project and that's it. You can do this over and over for all the deer that you see anytime. It will then populate a map so they know where all of the deer observations are coming from. There is also an area to type in comments for each photo, like if the deer are browsing on particular plants or what their behavior is, etc. *Want to use your computer instead of your smartphone? You can submit camera-taken photos here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/deer-populations-in-the-residential-areas-of-kalamazoo The students will be working on this project for the summer but if it is proves successful they might continue it so folks can be made more aware of the population/distribution of deer in the city. Any questions can be directed to Jennifer Meilinger, Community Science Director, Kalamazoo Nature Center: jmeilinger@naturecenter.org *ODWN Neighborhood Plan
APPROVED By City Commission 6/1/20 Our Neighborhood Plan is now a part of the City's Master Plan!
*Neighborhood Site Plans
The city regularly posts to their website active site plans for review and comment by the public. You can find all site plans HERE You can send any comments regarding a site plan to: siteplan@kalamazoocity.org COVID-19 Information
- Updated City information can be found here: https://www.kalamazoocity.org/news - Updated State of MI COVID-19 information can be found here: https://www.michigan.gov/Coronavirus -Updated KPS news can be found here: https://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/Home.aspx * You can find a full list of COVID-19 resources HERE Stay safe, wash your hands, and take care of your family, friends, and your fellow citizens! 
*Neighborhood Crime
Here's a great new (FREE to you) initiative that partners KDPS and "Ring!" * You can also put the FREE app on your PC or Mac if you don't have a smartphone! Just go HERE ================== What should you do to report something that is of a non-emergency nature? Well, our friends at KDPS tell us you should:
KDPS is here to help us...but they need our help as well! By reporting non-emergency issues, KDPS can track and identify trends in our neighborhood, and not only respond, but understand how to best be pro-active to prevent crimes as well! *City Contacts
"Quality of Life" Issues/Who to Contact
Ordinance Enforcement As a follow-up to recent neighbor concerns regarding nuisance/quality of life ordinance adherence, we have listed on our Resource Links page the areas of concern as well as the City contact phone number you may call to report any perceived violations. Our City Rental Inspector has assured us that any complaints registered with the city will be followed up on, and the person reporting the violation will remain anonymous. You can also report violations via the City's website with their Report It! link Go HERE to read the full meeting minutes of this (or any) of our ODWNA Association meetings
|
Wednesday November 18, 2020
via ZOOM - 7:00PM TOPIC - DISTILLING CRAFT SPIRITS SPEAKERS - Nic & Joanna Merrill, co-owners; The Kalamazoo Stillhouse Please join us for a great virtual presentation on how one of our LOCAL distillers makes the magic that is craft spirits! ======== With COVID-19 still an issue, our board will be holding our November monthly Association meetings remotely via ZOOM. ======== ** We will post the Zoom registration link to our November 18 Association meeting here a week or so before the meeting (*we are limited to 100 participants) You will have the chance to sign up, log on, participate in the meeting, listen to our monthly speaker (see our great 2020-21 lineup HERE), and virtually raise your hand to ask questions. ======== A week or so before our November meeting, we will post the ZOOM meeting link to our website, Winchell FB page, and put it in our monthly eNews. Our plan (fingers crossed) is to be back in-person in the Winchell Elem. library for our January 2021 meeting. However, if that is not possible we will continue to hold our Association meetings via ZOOM. ======================== ** Our Board can always be reached via EMAIL HERE *NFP: Phase 2
Virtual Town Hall on Natural Features Protection Updates - Wednesday, October 28 - 6:00pm The City will host a virtual town hall on Wednesday, October 28, at 6 p.m. to discuss updates to the City’s Natural Features Protection (NFP) Overlay District and related zoning code standards. City staff will give a presentation and be available to answer community questions about the project, which would expand protected areas in the city and clarify the NFP requirements. The town hall will be streamed live to the City’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/KalamazooCity/ and YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgXSSXLSDxThVaaiRMsR5Q Community members are invited to submit questions for discussion before the town hall by:
Proposed updates would add additional areas to the NFP Overlay District map and minor amendments to the ordinance text, which were originally approved in 2019. New and additional areas that are being considered for protection were identified through a mapping analysis and community input. The NFP Review Board and City staff also reviewed site plans and variance requests that came before the board over the past year to determine if the implementation of the standards was fulfilling the intent of the ordinance. As a result, a handful of text amendments to the ordinance are also recommended to clarify the standards as well as improve their application and outcomes. On October 13 the NFP Review Board voted unanimously to recommend the amendments to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will review the proposed zoning updates at their next meeting on Thursday, November 5. If recommended by the Planning Commission, the proposal would go before the City Commission for final review and adoption. The NFP ordinance and overlay district work to support the City’s goals in housing and economic development, while protecting the important ecosystem benefits natural features provide to the community. The ordinance does not stop development but requires thoughtful consideration and design to protect existing natural features on a site. Draft documents and additional information is available at www.imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/nfp2 * Fall Leaf Collection Program
November 2 thru December 11 During this time each household will have two pickups, one near the beginning and one near the end of the program. Residents can place any volume of leaves, sticks smaller than 4‘ in length and 2” in diameter, grass clippings or other organic debris out for pick up as part of this program. We ask that residents push the organic material to the curb lawn where it will be picked up by City crews. Please avoid placing leaves near mailboxes, utility poles, landscaped areas, or over or directly adjacent to storm sewer drains. Leaves must be placed out by 7:00 a.m. on the Monday of the week designated for your area. This program is dependent on the weather, and the schedule may vary depending on snow, when leaves fall, and other considerations. Snow and freezing weather can make it difficult or impossible to collect leaves and this can cause program delays. Depending on these factors, the second pickup may not occur for some or all areas. Should this happen, residents can store leaves until April 2021 when they can be collected during the April Spring Clean Up. 
*Kalamazoo Public Safety Policies and Documents
Now Available for Public Review The City of Kalamazoo has published on their website Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) policies, training and recruiting documents, budget information, and union contracts and other information for public review at: www.kalamazoocity.org/kdpstransparency These documents are provided along with other relevant information such as: links to submit a FOIA request, information about the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeals board, and crime statistics. Additionally, the KDPS hiring process, the Department’s recruiting plan for 2020-2022, and a summary of the KDPS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program are available for download. *Brush Pick Up
Schedule Runs June - end of October Complete program details (and collection schedule map) are available at: www.kalamazoocity.org/brush *Recycle Coach
FREE App For Personalized Trash, Recycling Info. And More! The City of Kalamazoo has launched of a mobile app (iPhone & Android) and website plug-in containing all of the information residents need to know about residential trash and recycling services, tailored specifically to your neighborhood. Other features include:
The app is available for Android and iPhone users and can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play for free by searching for “Recycle Coach” *City Public Services Information
*Upcoming City Projects
Curious about a project that is happening in the City? Want to find out what street construction projects are planned this year? Wondering about upcoming parks projects? All City-planned projects can be found at: www.kalamazoocity.org/projects Projects are identified on an interactive map that includes the project scope and estimate start and completion dates (actual dates are dependent on weather and other factors and may differ). You can also sign up for email updates on road construction at that website that will be provided approximately every two weeks. *Kalamazoo County Smart911 Available
Now Available! Public Safety Officials Encourage Residents to Sign Up For the Free Service That Provides Emergency Responders with More Information in the Event of an Emergency Public safety officials in Kalamazoo County announced today that Smart911 is now available to all individuals in Kalamazoo County. Smart911 is a free service that allows individuals and families to sign up online to provide key information to 9-1-1 call takers during an emergency. Smart911 allows citizens to create a Safety Profile at www.smart911.com for their household that includes any information they want 9-1-1 and response teams to have in the event of an emergency. When a citizen makes an emergency call, their Safety Profile is automatically displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker, allowing them to send the right response teams to the right location with the right information. *Are Your Service Water Pipes Made of Lead?
Check the map and database link below Kalamazoo's municipal water system has about 4,300 known lead service lines at about 2,800 addresses out of a total of more than 46,000 service lines in the system. At about 1,600 addresses, both the yard service lines and street service lines are lead. Of those addresses with one or the other, most of the lead pipes are yard service lines, according to city records. You can go to an MLive article HERE to access the map and/or search the database to see if your address is listed. Lead and Copper Program The City offers free lead and copper testing kits to City of Kalamazoo water customers. In an effort to streamline the City’s Lead and Copper program and respond timely to customers, the City requests that all calls and inquiries be directed to (269) 337-8550. ================== Here is a guide from the EPA, supplied to us by the City, that explains: • How lead gets into the body • About health effects of lead • What you can do to protect your family • Where to go for more information Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home * Connect With City Government!
Connect with the city to receive news, updates, and alerts 1) Foundation For Excellence website 2) www.ImagineKalamazoo.com where the public can connect and collaborate with local decision makers and other residents on the future of our community. 3) www.kalamazoocity.org/connect provides information on how residents can connect with the city to receive important information and updates. 4) The city has created an online newsletter. This bi-monthly publication will contain information about what is happening around the City and include news, alerts, meeting schedules & agendas, and events. Go HERE to sign up. |
ODWNA Statement of Purpose
-Preserve and enhance the neighborhood living concept in the area.
-Protect the natural beauty of the area.
-Encourage the beautification, physical well-being and neighborhood spirit of the residential area.
-Constructively assist the Kalamazoo City and County Planning Commissions.
-Provide a forum for open and frank discussion of different points of view on neighborhood development.
-Provide for communication on matters of neighborhood interest to residents.
The Oakland Drive/Winchell Neighborhood Association was founded in 1973 in response to the City of Kalamazoo's proposal to widen Oakland Drive, which would have required the removal of many trees.
-Protect the natural beauty of the area.
-Encourage the beautification, physical well-being and neighborhood spirit of the residential area.
-Constructively assist the Kalamazoo City and County Planning Commissions.
-Provide a forum for open and frank discussion of different points of view on neighborhood development.
-Provide for communication on matters of neighborhood interest to residents.
The Oakland Drive/Winchell Neighborhood Association was founded in 1973 in response to the City of Kalamazoo's proposal to widen Oakland Drive, which would have required the removal of many trees.
2020-21 ODWNA Board Members
President - Peter Kushner
Vice President - Chris Shook
Treasurer - Kathy Shook
Secretary - Chris Bovid
Board Members at-large:
Eric Boersma
Diana Morton-Thompson
Paul Scott
President - Peter Kushner
Vice President - Chris Shook
Treasurer - Kathy Shook
Secretary - Chris Bovid
Board Members at-large:
Eric Boersma
Diana Morton-Thompson
Paul Scott
Oakland Drive / Winchell Neighborhood Map
______________________________________________________________
ODWNA ~ P.O. BOX 20061 ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019
ODWNA ~ P.O. BOX 20061 ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019
