ENA Newsletter - October 2004

Things are happening quickly with our new neighborhood association. After a lively discussion, at our September Meeting, we voted to amend the interim bylaws and became member driven with a small administrative committee. It was also agreed that all decisions for the association be decided by a majority vote of the membership. 

This is a more egalitarian approach and our meetings will reflect that. We will use the town meeting model at the November 4th meeting and begin to introduce Roberts Rule of Order to guide our discussions. Having read “The Cliffs Notes” to Roberts Rules of Orders, Michael Menard, “parliamentarian in training”, will do his best to run the meeting. Experienced parliamentarians are encouraged to jump in and help us do this right.

With these structural changes the ENA Committees take on a greater degree of importance. They become the real drivers of the organization. The “Action Committees”  (Growth and Land Use, Neighborhood Safety and View ) are the core of our association. There is also the Bylaws Committee which is working on a set of permanent bylaws. This committee may sound dry but the impetus for our structural changes came directly from their last meeting. The Communication and Membership Committees are our critically important support groups. 

All of these Committees have been hard at work these past weeks identifying their major issues and setting priorities. It is never too late to join. Read the committee reports below for more details.

There is an important issue coming before the membership at the November 4^th Meeting, so mark your calendar. The View Committee would like association support for a mediation mechanism which can be used for settling disputes among neighbors. We are looking for a broad base of support for this issue so be sure to attend and become part of the discussion.

If you are not yet a member of the Edgemoor Neighborhood I urge you to join and support the association in its efforts to improve and preserve our neighborhood. The membership fee is $15.00 per person and covers items such as printing costs, signage, funding of committees, and upcoming mailings. Remember all residents have a voice at the meetings but only members have a vote. 

I look forward to seeing you at our November meeting. Note the meeting is being held at a new location, The Fairhaven Park Pavilion, details below.

Susan Tercek, Interim President

November Meeting   Agenda

Thursday, November 4 at the Fairhaven Pavilion in Fairhaven Park from 7-9pm

We will be discussing and possibly voting on some important issues. The View Committee will present a proposal for a Mediation Mechanism to settle disputes between neighbors. 

Committee Highlights  For  further details  visit the Committee Page on the ENA website

Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee reviewed copies of the bylaws from the other neighborhood associations to find ideas to incorporate into ours. The committee is in the process of putting together a first draft and should have that draft on the web after our next meeting. They ask all members to review the document at that time and provide comments and suggestions.

Next Meeting: November 23 from 7-9 PM at 102 Briza Court.

Communications Committee & Membership Committee

There will be a meeting on of the Communications Committee and Membership Committee on Tuesday, November 2, 10AM at 229 Middlefield Road. All ENA Members are welcome to participate. Please advise Sandie Koplowitz if you will be attending.  Topics of discussion will concern the website, newsletter, and membership flyers. Your input is welcome, so please send email with your comments about the website and newsletter to Sandie.

Neighborhood Safety Committee

The Neighborhood Safety Committee has set the following priorities:  Sidewalks on Fieldston, a crosswalk at Willow and Chuckanut and a four-way stop at Fieldston and Willow

The committee sill be looking for association support for investigating the feasibility of sidewalks on Fieldston Rd. from Willow Rd. to Lairmont Manor.

Also, the committee has contacted the police department and arranged for an overview presentation of the Neighborhood Watch Program. The date is set for January 10^th and we are considering inviting all Southside Neighborhoods to join.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 17 from 7-9 PM at 502 Mulberry. Contact Austin Paprtiz  or Donna Grasdock

Growth and Land Use Committee

The Growth and Land Use Committee’s first priority is the rewriting of the Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan. They started by reviewing the current Neighborhood Plan and noting items that are out of date and should be removed as well as items that require some updating to reflect the present and future state of the neighborhood.

As part of a brainstorming process to develop a vision for our neighborhood the group listed the qualities that our neighborhood enjoys such as quiet, solitude, dramatic geography, stunning marine and territorial views, green space and mature forested areas.

The committee then listed some ideas for enhancing the neighborhood including sidewalks, access trails to the shoreline and to public viewing sites, small parks or play lots and future development guidelines.

Come to a meeting or contact the committee with you ideas..

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 17, from 7-9 PM, at 224 Bayside Place. Please advise Brad Rose if you will be attending.     Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan

View Committee

The View Committee has put together an ambitious plan. Their first priority is to establish a mediation process to resolve view (and other) disputes.

Proposed View Resolution (Mediation) Mechanism

1. Concerned individual or group contacts ENA.

2. ENA provides outline of mediation program, list of mediators with short biographic summary for each, legal disclaimer (no liability for ENA, its members, officers, or the mediators), and offers to contact other party.

3. If concerned individual agrees (and returns signed liability waiver), ENA contacts other owner indicating a question has been raised regarding view preservation.  The name of the person (or group) requesting the mediation is not relayed to that owner.  

4. ENA provides outline of mediation program, list of mediators, and legal disclaimer to owner.  If owner agrees to mediation (and returns signed liability waiver), both sides work through ENA to identify mediator acceptable to both.

5. Mediator contacts each party separately to determine concerns and objectives.

6. Mediator begins mediation process in series of individual and face-to-face meetings.  

7. If parties reach solution, binding agreement is signed by all. If they do not, mediation efforts end.

The View Committee welcomes new participants and neighborhood input. Contact Paul Stephenson.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 10 at 7 PM at 117 Underhill. Email John Stephens or Alice Hale if you’re planning to attend. 

For further details on all the committees visit the Committee Page at the ENA website www.edgemoorneighborhood.com