April 16th General Meeting and Potluck in the park

About Mitchell Park West Neighborhood Association
You are Mitchell Park West Neighborhood Association.
If you are receiving this flyer, you are already a member of the Association.
Everyone living in Mitchell Park West are automatically members of the Neighborhood Association. Mitchell Park West covers the area from University to 13th St and Hardy to Roosevelt. There are roughly 300 homes in our neighborhood.

Neighborhood Associations are NOT Homeowners Associations.
NA's exist primarily in older neighborhoods and exist solely for the betterment of the community.
The Neighborhood Association (NA) has a board of directors with up to 12 members.
The board is elected annually at the general meeting (AT THE APRIL 16th General Meeting).
All residents (this means you) are eligible and encouraged to participate on or with the board.

A few things the 2010-2011 board made possible.
1. encouraged the city to repair sidewalks within the neighborhood
2. encouraged the City to bring the volleyball courts into working order
3. organized and worked FOUR!! alley cleanups
4. organized and threw the fall potluck/volleyball which brought out nearly 80 neighbors!
5. began a process of working with ASU's School of Sustainability to generate ideas for the forthcoming Mary Anne Corder Neighborhood Grant. (Last year's board was responsible for creating/presenting a winning grant application to add an additional piece of public art at 12thSt and Roosevelt)
6. encouraged the City to add doggy bags to the west entrance of the park.


We Need YOU
If you are interested in being part of the 2011-2012 board, please send us an email and plan on attending the General Meeting April 16th @ 10:30AM.

Dec 1, 2010 Board Meeting

Mitchell Park West Neighborhood Association Board Meeting

Wednesday, December 1, 6:30 PM, Childsplay

Attending: Chris Coleman, Penny Wilson, Mac McGinn, David Saar, Pat Konomos, Matt Garcia, Matt Toomey

The minutes of the last board meeting were accepted.
Alleys: Mac will create a volunteer alley cleanup team to help improve the neighborhood. Someone suggested an improved surface such as gravel, etc. Someone else noted the alleys are not roads, and improving the surface might result in more through use. Matt proposed we need an incentive for keeping the alley clean, and Pat suggested art projects, such as mosaic on walls (with owner's permission) or use of solar lighting in the alleys. We discussed changing the use of alleys: Mac pointed out that other cities have used alleys for art or expanded yard or walk space. Two ideas for obtaining volunteers were suggested: send out notice to an expanded email list, and post the request on the bulletin board in the park. We decided the next scheduled alley clean up would be January 8, 2011.

The potluck and volleyball tournament: We all agreed it was a great success. Over 80 neighbors and city representatives attended. Penny reported that Natalie offered to compose a thank-you letter which will be hand-delivered to businesses who donated gifts. The $8,500 Mary Anne Corder neighborhood grant: (Art Grant): David reported that the committee-approved proposal request form had been send to Natalie for help with formatting (including a picture of the site with a text wrap). We recognized that Natalie is very busy, and asked Matt Garcia to help her with this (if necessary). David will send the final format for review by Maja Aurora, of the Tempe Cultural Services Administration. David advised the suggested deadline for proposals was to be January 15.

Bulletin Board: Chris reviewed the history of the disagreement with the city about this. Pat noted that Bob Pohlitt was opposed to our idea of a freestanding decorative bulletin board. Matt Garcia suggested, and other members agreed, we should consider going to the City Council if the Parks Department was still adamantly opposed. However, Chris still intends to follow channels by meeting with Travis Dray about this project.

Adopting Mitchell Park: After much discussion of this topic, and reviewing our history with Tempe Parks and Recreation, we determined that a better working relationship is needed. Chris and Mac will meet with the relevant city personnel. Mac pointed out that all committees should include neighbors who are not on the board. We agreed that this would increase participation in the association.

Ideas for Next Year's Grant Application: Chris suggested we do a brainstorming session, which resulted in the following ideas:

■A shade structure for the children's play area. Pat pointed out that this had also been suggested by neighbor Gayla May at the last General Meeting and had been brought up before that.
■An exercise circuit. Mac pointed out that other parks have this.
■Improved children's playground equipment. Chris stated that his daughter misses having Monkey Bars in the park, and volunteered to build it for the park.
■A sustainable project using solar panels for general park lighting, or more specifically for an interactive art project. Matt Garcia has seen such freestanding art/information structures in South American parks, and will get more information on that. Matt Toomey and Matt Garcia both offered to get information from ASU's Sustainability College regarding possible projects and funding.


Please note the next board meeting will be Wednesday, January 12, at 6:30, site to be determined.



Minutes by Penny Wilson and Pat Konomos





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Request for Artists: $8500 public art grant from MPW

http://www.tempe.gov/arts/News/MPWNA.pdf connect to this URL for a copy of the request for artists' ideas which contains a picture of the installation site and a map of this proposed site and neighboring public art installations.



The Mitchell Park West Neighborhood Association (MPWNA) announces a public art opportunity for artists to design, fabricate and install an aesthetically and environmentally friendly art piece in the new traffic-calming roundabout at the intersection of 12th St. and Roosevelt in Tempe.

MITCHELL PARK WEST

Our neighborhood surrounds Tempe's Mitchell Park and Childsplay’s Campus for Imagination and Wonder at Mitchell Park. Mitchell Park West is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tempe. It is a robust and bustling community of pedestrians, restaurants, and businesses with an eclectic mix of residents. Its history, location and community provide a unique opportunity to create an artistic enhancement for this unique neighborhood.

TRAFFIC CALMING

It is our belief that the addition of public art in this location will enhance the pedestrian experience and moderate motor vehicle traffic, thereby creating a more comfortable and vibrant place for residents.

SITELOCATION

The chosen site for this project will be the nine foot round, raised island in the center of the roundabout at the intersection of 12th Street and Roosevelt. Roundabouts create a calmed, steady traffic flow. The island is currently landscaped with a Palo Verde tree and Barrel cacti. Artists may choose to design within the existing landscaping, or remove all or part of it, costs for which must be included in the total fee.

ELIGIBILITY

This project is open to all artists, architects, designers and students. Collaborations are welcome.

DESIGN CRITERIA

Creativity and uniqueness of the proposal will be the primary criterion. We will also consider respect for the character and historic nature of the neighborhood, and artistic synergy with other public art installations in the adjoining Mitchell Park East neighborhood. Artists are encouraged to visit all of the public art sites in both neighborhoods as they design their proposal. This project will be the latest addition to the art collection of both neighborhoods.

AWARDS

Awards are all-inclusive and will not exceed $8,500 for the installation in the roundabout.

Award must cover all expenses including: design and preparation, supplies and materials necessary for the design, and fabrication and installation for completing the project. Costs associated with the collaborative process, taxes and insurance, and transportation of the artist and artwork are the responsibility of the artist. The installation must be fully completed before September 15, 2011.

DEADLINE

All submissions must be received no later than January 15, 2011.

Please send to:

MPWNA Public Art Project

618 West 11th Street

Tempe, Arizona 85281

CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions contact David Saar at 480-921-5701 or e-mail dsaar2@cox.net

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

- An artist’s statement of interest (not to exceed one page), qualifications, and ideas communicating your specific skills and interest in the project.

- A current resume and contact information (not to exceed two pages). Be sure to include mailing address, telephone and FAX numbers, e-mail and website addresses.

- From 5 to 15 images of past work. Images will be shown to the members of the selection panel for a limited amount of time, making it very important for the images to be of high quality. Images should be accompanied by an image list. The list should include the title of each work, its year of completion, location, commissioning agency, and budget. If new to public art, please include a list of references, including names of contacts, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

- Include a self-addressed return envelope with sufficient postage if you would like your materials returned to you.

SPONSORED BY

The City of Tempe’s Maryanne Corder Neighborhood Grant program provides funding for this public art project. This request does not commit MPWNA to enter an agreement to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of this request, or in any subsequent negotiations, or to produce a contract for the project. MPWNA reserves the right to reject any and all applications, or to reissue the Request for Qualifications. MPWNA is not responsible for loss of or damage to materials included with applications.

Next Neighborhood Association Board Meeting

Wednesday, December 1, 2010. Location not yet determined. Usual time: 6:30 PM, unless otherwise noted.

October Board Meeting Minutes

Mitchell Park West Neighborhood Association Board Meeting
Wednesday, October 27th, 6:30 PM, 707 W 10th St.
Attending: Chris Coleman, Penny Wilson, Mac McGinn, David Saar, and Pat Konomos
The minutes of the last board meeting were discussed and deemed accepted due to email consensus.
A letter of resignation from Billy Gawrych was accepted .
The problem of getting a quorum was discussed. Chris read from the bylaws, and we agreed that six people would be necessary, given that now we have ten board members. We discussed why some board members were absent. Mac suggested we ask people what days they could come. We agreed to address the problem in the future.
The potluck and volleyball tournament will be on November 20th. Natalie sent copies of letters requesting prize donations from local merchants. Volunteers will deliver them. She also sent signup sheets for the board members to select specific items, to make sure there will be enough main dishes. David offered tables and chairs from Childsplay. Mac will get a park alcohol permit. We agreed city -funded post cards will be sent out, as well as flyers and large posters throughout the area.
We reviewed our recent alley cleanup. We expressed gratitude for the people who helped clean up the alley. Penny questioned if enough trashcans were set behind the homes in that alley (between Howe and 12th St, Hardy to Judd). She will contact the city to see if more trash receptacles can be placed there.. Mac asked when the next alley cleanup would happen. He expressed intense interest in the project, and volunteered to take charge of arrangements and promote future cleanups. He has already contacted potential volunteers. Despite the great flyers and posted announcements, most of the people at the last cleanup came through word of mouth.
The $8,500.00 Mary Anne Corder neighborhood grant has been approved by the city. David Saar said the official letter has been delayed, but he is talking with various city departments about the way to inform artists of this opportunity. His preference is to ask for resumes and examples of the artists' works. He said the grant amount must cover the approximately $500.00 for structural approval, and $1000 for a base. We have a year to complete the project. Pat noted that we need to start planning next year's grant project soon.
The bulletin board for Mitchell Park was discussed. Chris Coleman suggested a decorative board could be fastened to the fence instead of the plain board there now, but in a different location. We agreed that the original plan to have a freestanding board would be better. We reviewed the history of the city's opposition to our board, and Chris offered to speak with Travis Dray . The city's approval is necessary to the plan.
Please note the next board meeting will be Wednesday, December 1, at 6:30, site to be determined.

Minutes by Penny Wilson, typed by Pat Konomos

Next neighborhood association board meeting

6:30 Wednesday the 15th at the Konomos' (719 W 11th St.)
1. review of ideas in previous meeting minutes .(June Board meeting)
2. review of art grant (including status of bulletin board) from grant committee
3. review of alleys (Mac McGinn)
4. new item: GAIN night/volleyball/potluck
5. new item: 2nd postcard (for... GAIN or to re-iterate website)
6. new item: (time permitting) discussion of merits of Mitchell Park
East/West aggregation
7. suggestions for next meeting agenda

Board Meeting Change

Please note: The M.ParkW. Board meeting is cancelled for this Thursday, Sept. 9. Time, Place, and Date (next week) to be announced.