|
ODWNA Board of Directors Election
Below are the results of the 2023 Oakland Drive-Winchell Neighborhood Association Board of Directors election. Pursuant to the ODWNA Constitution, the new officer and director terms of office begin May 18, 2023 (the day following the Annual Meeting). Officer terms are for two years, and Director terms are for three years: President: Chris Shook V. President: Diana Morton-Thompson Treasurer: Rachel Bennett Secretary: Chris Bovid At Large: Eric Boersma Christine Chadderdon Barbara Miller Paul Scott Stephanie Watkins Past President: Peter Kushner *"Winchell Grant"
A Third Christian Reformed Church Initiative We are excited to help promote this great neighborhood gift/initiative! Church leadership approved donating $5,000 that they named the Winchell Grant. "This grant is designed for all residents of Winchell (and for organizations in Winchell) and for members of our church who want to do a public good project for the neighborhood and within the neighborhood. " Any Winchell resident, organization, or group located within the neighborhood (and their church members who want to do a public good project for and in Winchell neighborhood) are eligible to apply. This is a one-year project and the total amount of money to grant is $5,000. Projects such as street libraries, buying and planting trees/bushes in the neighborhood, community services, etc. (assuming that they are done by Winchell residents, for the public good and within the boundaries of the neighborhood) would potentially qualify for applying. It is not partisan and has nothing to do with religion or tradition or faith. Details, grant guidelines, and applications can be found on their website HERE 
*Street Marking & 4-Way STOP Being Added
City Staff have informed us of updates regarding pavement marking work in the Oakland Drive-Winchell Neighborhood. Work will include:
The contractor plans to start this work early the week of 3/27 (weather dependent). Monday's forecast could potentially push the start date for the work to Tuesday / Wednesday. In coordination with that painting, the city will also be installing a four-way stop at Aberdeen and resetting the bump outs along Winchell and resetting any of the disturbed curb along Chevy Chase. That work will be done iteratively starting from next week and ending sometime in April (dependent on material availability for anchors and bolts). *Stewards of Glen Park
Work Days - Volunteers Needed N. & S. Glen Park are neighborhood "mini-parks" located off Kensington Ave. (between Ferdon & Wellington) The Stewards are part of Kzoo Parks "Adopt A Park" program; a sanctioned group of community volunteers who “adopt” a city park to help beautify and care for it. Our neighborhood has a number of parks and "mini parks" and the Stewards are keeping S. Glen Park beautiful! Next workdays: FRI May 26, 10a - noon FRI June 2, 10a-11a WED June 7, 10a-noon; Workday with KAWO Planting Day SAT June 24, 10a-11a All workdays involve work such as: general cleanup, removing invasive species, planting, etc. No rain dates - Dress for work and the weather - Bring your own work gloves and bug spray Questions? Email Karin The Stewards of Glen Park's mission aligns with the ODWN Neighborhood Plan's "Environmental Responsibility" section, which focuses on ways to promote the enjoyment and sustainable management of existing neighborhood natural systems, recognizes them as important assets, and proposes ways to protect them. *City Spring/Summer Clean Up Info.
*2023 Streets for All Update, Neighborhood Projects, & Traffic Calming Updates
Here is a link to a PDF from the City which explains and details their Streets for All - Creating a Connected City initiative, as well as specific Oakland Drive-Winchell neighborhood initiatives. download the PDF here You can also find all of the details on the city's website HERE *City Resources Available Online Regarding Deer Nuisances
City resources are available online to help Kalamazoo residents that are experiencing nuisance issues caused by the deer population. You can find helpful resources like deer resistant plants, information about fencing, and how to report issues at www.kalamazoocity.org/deer. You can also read the ad hoc committee's report on Kalamazoo's deer population. * TRAFIC CIRCLE & CURB EXTENTION INSTALLATION:
10/19/22 UPDATE Below are additional questions (and answers via email from the city's Sr. Civil Engineer in quotes) about these traffic calming tools to slow down neighborhood traffic to make it a safer place for us to live, drive, walk, ride bikes, etc.: 1) Are these a temporary test or can we consider them permanent?
2) Are the bollards [white posts] permanent or simply temporary until people get familiar with the curbs?
“In general terms, we look at the street typology, function, target speed limit, and design to evaluate what measures are needed to meet calming goals. Speed humps for instance aren’t the safe option on a sloped street, higher speed street, or commercial street most often. Other things to consider are geometry, pavement condition, and available funds.” Our city traffic engineer also told us that the city does use speed bumps, but each instance is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Main downside to speed bumps? He told us that studies show that when they are put in the “wrong” places, drivers will actually speed up between the bumps to make up for their perceived “lost“ time! “As always, we understand this is significant change. The best thing to do is communicate the TRIAL and PILOT nature of the recent installations. The City is open to adjusting and adapting the calming measures. However, we have to have time for traffic to settle, people to get use to it, and then make changes based on that. Basically, we need to give time for the items to work/not work before making adjustments.” “We are monitoring this closely and I have been driving the area from multiple angles and direction several times a day since we’ve started the installations.” ALSO - see the graphics (from the city) HERE to better help you visualize the final product. * TRAFIC CIRCLE & CURB EXTENTION INSTALLATION:
10/7/22 UPDATE Below are questions to the city along with the Civil Engineer's answers (in quotes). This is a process that will be completed shortly, but it will take a bit of time and patience from our neighborhood before implementation is complete. Again, the overall goal here is to slow down neighborhood traffic to make it a safer place for us to live, drive, walk, ride bikes, etc. ALSO - see the graphics (from the city) HERE to better help you visualize the final product. 1) How long it will take to complete the installation? (the rubber curbs, in-street arrows & bike symbols, yellow painted lines, painted “islands”, etc.?) “The rubber curbs are new items to us (the city) and the Contractor. Install speed/timeframe is not yet known. We expect it will take 2-5 days to be fully installed at ALL locations (including the curb extensions).” “Installation of the curbs will start Monday 10/10." “Paint and other items to occur once that Contractor is in the local area (end of October/beginning November is expected).” 2) Will these be monitored (and if so, by who, and how?) for their effectiveness and ease of use? “Public Services will monitor the operation of the traffic circles. We took before traffic speeds and volumes and will compare them against the post-installation speeds and volumes once traffic normalizes, which will occur in 2023.” 3) Can/will these be changed if warranted? What would warrant them being changed? “These can be changed if warranted. Public Services selected modular rubber curbs that could be removed, moved, added to, or changed if absolutely required.” 4) Will busses and big trucks be able to go through these traffic circles safely and effectively? “These are all designed per the City of Kalamazoo Streets Design Manual to accommodate the appropriate vehicles for the road type. I personally watched school buses, one transit bus, 1-ton truck/trailer combos (x2), and garbage trucks (x2) navigate the circles without an issue this morning. Lane widths and roundabout locations were picked with snow clearing and leaf clearing in mind as well. It just made everyone slow down going through the intersection – exactly what they were meant to do.” 
*Winchell Ave. Bike Lanes: Explained
There has been some FB chatter and questions to our board regarding the Winchell Ave. bike lanes, particularly asking why parking can't be added back in them in front of the Preserve's entrance. Below is our board's and the City's rationale. This all starts with the ODWNA Neighborhood Plan, a 2+ year culmination of meeting, talking, and surveying hundreds and hundreds of our neighbors, as well as the work of five committees comprised of over 50 neighborhood residents. It is officially a part of the City’s Master Plan. The highest priority issues identified, neighborhood-wide, were traffic calming and increasing our safe, non-motorized networks (i.e. – sidewalks & bike lanes), both within the neighborhood and to connect us to other neighborhoods. As outlined in the City Planner’s June 9, 2022, correspondence, I will briefly reiterate her, and our boards, reasoning behind these bike lanes:
Our ultimate goal is to build a safe, green, effective, and inclusive intra- and inter-neighborhood non-motorized transportation network that will safely move bikers, pedestrians, and others through our neighborhood and city. The bike lane on Winchell Ave. is the first (and key) component of this larger plan. Our board understands not every resident will agree with every decision that is made, or action implemented. We believe the main responsibility of the ODWNA board is to serve the greater goals of the neighborhood (as identified through our Neighborhood Plan) and we believe these bike lanes are an important first step to satisfying this responsibility. * Residents can report traffic violations to police online
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) new webpage https://kalamazoopublicsafety.org/traffic/ with a form which allows you to report speeding, stop sign and red light violations, school bus violations, crosswalk violations, and more. You can also report where violations happen, how often they happen, and other details. KDPS says they will use the feedback to determine where to deploy their resources to address concerns. In case of an emergency, call 911. To report a malfunctioning traffic light or other equipment issues, call 311. *Native Plants
Update: Further Info. and Plant Sales We had a great turnout (and interest!) in our February 2021 ODWNA meeting relating to native plants. As a follow up, you will find below further information regarding native plants, as well as opportunities for you to purchase native plants for this year! 1) Native Plants "Cheat Sheet" - thanks to our February speaker Linda Whitlock, you can download HERE a "cheat sheet" of native plant information for our area, as well as other valuable resources. 2) Local Native Plant Sales (click on the links for details): *ODWN Neighborhood Plan
APPROVED By City Commission 6/1/20 Our Neighborhood Plan is now a part of the City's Master Plan!
*City & Neighborhood: Site Plans, Road Projects, Other Projects
1) 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 2) Road Projects: You can find information about road construction and other projects HERE 3) Other Projects: All other "Imagine Kalamazoo" city projects can be found HERE "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 |
Our next ODWNA Association meeting is:
Wednesday September 20, 2023 7:00pm Location: TBD +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our Board can always be reached via EMAIL HERE NEW: 2023 SPRING/SUMMER View From The Curb is now available and full of very helpful information! Download it HERE
*City and County Issue Joint Statement on MDHHS Air Quality Health Report
Regarding Air Quality/Graphic Packaging The City of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County Government received the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Health Consultation report Monday regarding odors near the Graphic Packaging International (GPI) facility and the Kalamazoo Wastewater Reclamation Plant. City and County staff are thoroughly reviewing the results from the health consultation. The City of Kalamazoo will continue actively monitoring GPI and work with federal and state regulators and county health officials, as well as with all parties involved on this important issue. A link to the MDHHS report, along with a press release from the state, are available online: Kalamazoo Air Quality Health Consultation (michigan.gov) 
*Gates, restrooms, and water fountains now open at city parks
As of May 1All Kalamazoo city parks are open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. City parks are open year-round, but gates to some parking areas and vehicle drives are closed during the winter months because of reduced staffing. Restrooms and water fountains are winterized each year and reopen for the season once freezing temperatures pass and seasonal staff are available for cleaning and maintenance.City parks and pavilions are also available to rent for parties, events, and weddings. Residents can learn more about Kalamazoo’s city parks including park locations and amenities HERE. City of Kalamazoo removes properties from commercial zoning proposal
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – April 25, 2023 – The City of Kalamazoo administration is removing two properties at 4301 and 4701 Stadium Drive (near the intersection of Stadium Drive and Drake Road) from a City-wide commercial zoning proposal which is currently under public review. There is no pending request by the private property owner for development at this location under review by City staff or the City of Kalamazoo Planning Commission. “The two properties in question are being removed from the City-wide Commercial Zoning Code and Map Update to consider appropriate zoning options for the sites,” said Christina Anderson, City Planner and Deputy Director of Community Planning and Economic Development for the City of Kalamazoo. “These properties were initially included in the City-wide Update because of their location.” The proposed update includes changes to the text of the Zoning Code and changes to the Zoning Map for just under 2,000 parcels; the Zoning Code and Map were last overhauled in 2005. A map of the proposed changes is available online in an interactive map. Users can click on each parcel to see what it is currently zoned, what it is proposed to be zoned, and additional information on the proposed zoning change. The proposed Zoning Code and Map update is currently in the outreach and engagement phase, which includes public meetings around the city, online review and comment opportunities, and one-on-one meetings with property owners and occupants included in the proposed map update. City staff will revise the proposed Code and Map based on the feedback received and will release the updated document in mid to late May. The proposed updates are available for review at: imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/zoningupdates. Property owners of lots included in this zoning update can schedule a conversation with City staff (by phone or on Zoom) to discuss the proposed changes and how they would affect their property. Following community review and updates to the proposal, the Planning Commission will review the changes at a public hearing this summer and provide a recommendation to the City Commission whether to approve the changes later this year. 
*Kalamazoo Avenue: Two-Way Plans
To Be Introduced at May Meetings Draft plans for the two-way redesign of Kalamazoo Avenue will be available for community members to view at two meetings at the end of May:
*Rain Barrel Sale for Southwest Michigan Residents
Our friends at the City of Battle Creek are hosting a rain barrel sale! Rain barrels collect roof runoff and reduce the amount of water that flows from your property. They're a great way to conserve water, and its free water for use in your landscape! You can place an order for an upcycled rain barrel HERE *Recycle Coach App
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” *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 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) General Questions / Comments? (269) 337-8000 or 3-1-1 within city limits -or- www.KalamazooCity.org/contact 2) Foundation For Excellence website 3) www.ImagineKalamazoo.com where the public can connect and collaborate with local decision makers and other residents on the future of our community. 4) www.kalamazoocity.org/connect provides information on how residents can connect with the city to receive important information and updates. 5) 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.
ODWNA Board Members
President - Chris Shook
Vice President - Diana Morton-Thompson
Treasurer - Rachel Bennett
Secretary - Chris Bovid
Board Members at-large:
Eric Boersma
Christine Chadderdon
Barbara Miller
Paul Scott
Stephanie Watkins
Peter Kushner - Past President
President - Chris Shook
Vice President - Diana Morton-Thompson
Treasurer - Rachel Bennett
Secretary - Chris Bovid
Board Members at-large:
Eric Boersma
Christine Chadderdon
Barbara Miller
Paul Scott
Stephanie Watkins
Peter Kushner - Past President
Oakland Drive / Winchell Neighborhood Map
______________________________________________________________
ODWNA ~ P.O. BOX 20061 ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019
ODWNA ~ P.O. BOX 20061 ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019
