THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER ….. Belle Rita Novak

I hope that you all had a lovely summer. I enjoy the freedom of walking outside with no shoes on, using my screened-in front porch as another room, watching my garden grow and so much more.

But then another season arrives and I enjoy that too. I am a little hard-pressed to truly enjoy winter although since I bought a snowblower, I don't dread winter as much.

As usual Maureen Posner, her committee and the folks from Maplewood Terrace (last year's location), Marengo Park and Bellevue Avenue did a superb job making the 8th annual Illumination Night a fun place to be on June 15th. The weather was perfect, the South End Dixieland Jazz Band was fabulous, and the strawberry shortcake was delicious. Thank you all for devoting so much time to make this neighborhood event so special.

Community Improvement awards were given to Boston Carpet and Flooring, Keiffer and James, Selica Insurance, and Mt. Calvary Church. They have all improved the property where they are located and have added to our neighborhood. We thank them for their hard work. Good Neighbor awards were given to Amy Gustman, the founder and continued leader of C-Spy, a youth organization that works for six weeks during the summer and monthly during the remainder of the year to clean up our neighborhood. Also to Nancy Callahan who lives on Noel Street and has been fighting the good fight for many years, not giving up on her street and heading for the suburbs where there are fewer problems. Last, but certainly not least to Pat Triggs, a stalwart of the FPCA. She is a past president who continues to give of herself for the good of the neighborhood. Thank you to all for your good deeds!

The Board has recommended that we have more meetings which will allow more Forest Park residents to feel that they are part of what is going on. We have planned a clean-up day on October 18th (rain date the 19th), someone from the Planning Department to discuss the Forest Park Neighborhood Plan with us on October 20th, and the annual children's Halloween party on October 26th. Also on November 2nd a neighborhood pot-luck supper to which all are invited, a December meeting on genealogy, a January meeting with Jan Hines our very own master gardener, a February annual meeting program with our Community Police officers, someone from the Community Development Housing Office in March, and a couple more meetings culminating with Illumination Night in June. The meetings will be held in different locations in the neighborhood.

I think that our neighborhood is looking better. There are fewer houses being boarded up, and more are being fixed up. 107 Garfield Street, was taken by the City for tax title, and was auctioned off the end of September.

Bravo to Concerned Citizens for Springfield who refurbished 340 Dickinson Street. It has been SOLD. A BIG bravo to CCS for their hard work getting the two brick apartment buildings and the two green monsters at the corner of Belmont and Keith Streets demolished! Neighbors are so pleased!

Please attend a beat management team meeting on the first Wednesday of each month at the Goodwill building on Dorset Street, 7PM. You will learn first-hand how community policing works. It succeeds when police and citizens solve problems together. Although I haven't attended a Citizen's Police Academy yet, I know people who have and they have told me that they are extremely interesting. Two sessions recently started, but there will be more during the year. I encourage you to attend. Each academy is 15 weeks, and meets once a week. Call 787-6386 for info.

Selected areas of the city are having a new trash pickup system tested for a few months. It was time for the DPW to purchase new trucks so they looked at new technology and found that these trucks which use only one worker have been successful where they have been used. No-one from the DPW will be laid off. I think the DPW does a super job on a regular basis. Perhaps money can be budgeted from the City and many of the sidewalks that need replacement can finally be replaced.

There is a committee called Citizens to Save Forest Park who are very concerned about the impact that Bright Nights has on our neighborhood. Yes, it's pretty, but it does impact on the Park for about six months, and there certainly is some negative impact on other parts of the neighborhood during the 7 weeks that it is open. Bill Valliere, the first president of the FPCA has been working diligently to lessen the impact and to make sure that the promised financial gain to the City does in fact come about.

Our neighborhood has about 26,000 residents--about the same size as a small city. So, when someone starts talking negatively about our neighborhood, remind them that even a small city has problems. We are no different, BUT we care about where we live, and we work at solving problems. Keep up the good work! See you around the neighborhood!