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NEW UNPA WEB-SITE
LAUNCHES!
Since you are reading this message, you have found our new web site.
Welcome.
Many thanks to Sean Hovendick of Studio
Fusion for the design and production of our new site. A member of
our marketing committee, Sean worked with us to completely redesign
our identity including a new logo, stationery, brochure and other materials.
If you have any questions, additions, links, corrections, comments,
or would like to submit a testimonial about the neighborhood or UNPA,
please do not hesitate to contact our webmaster, at webmaster@unpa.net
or our Executive Director, Joanne Stewart at director@unpa.net.
We appreciate your input.
REAL ESTATE ALERT – CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR LAW
Effective March 6, 2003, a functioning carbon monoxide detector
must be installed in every one and two family house, coop, or condo
offered for sale. The new law does not apply to New York City.
PETER’S GROCERIES IS NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS …
Nationwide, the smaller, family-owned supermarket companies have
been hard hit from the 1990s through today. Many have been bought out
by bigger competitors. Many other have gone out of business. Many of
the grocers cite increased competition as reasons for difficult times.
Giant retailers are striking claim in the grocery business.
While the recent highly publicized bankruptcy filing broke the heart
of the founder, John Peter, they made the move to stay in business.
"We’re not closing the Nottingham property", said Joseph Peter.
"It will not close under any circumstances whatsoever."
Keep supporting Peter’s Groceries! We are lucky to have them in our
neighborhood.
THE PLAY IS THE THING…
You are cordially welcome to join your University Neighbors for an evening
of desserts and theatre in support of UNPA. The next annual UNPA Dessert
Theatre Benefit is planned to be held at Syracuse Stage, Thursday, April
24, 2003. The Dessert Social Hour begins at 7PM. Show time is 8PM. The
play Into the Woods will be performed
by the Syracuse University Drama Department. It’s for general audiences…
so bring your children.
INTO THE WOODS is a blend of Grimms’
famous fairy tales with an original story of a childless baker and his
wife, who attempt to reverse a curse on their family in order to have
a child. The show features the stories of "Cinderella", "Rapunzel",
"Little Red Riding Hood", and "Jack the Giant Killer"
as it explores what happens after the "happily ever after".
INTO THE WOODS won three Tony Awards in 1988 including best score
and best book of a musical as well as five Drama Desk Awards (including
best musical), two London Oliver Awards, New York Drama Critics Circle
Award for Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Show
Album. It is also the winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Revival
of a Musical.
What NY1 Critic, Dennis Cunningham, says about INTO
THE WOODS… "Bright, joyful and, oh yes, scary, too. But
it’s a good kind of scary. In the final analysis, INTO
THE WOODS is fun, tuneful, beautifully acted and staged, and
a reminder to yourself of just who you are and just what is expected
of you. Now you can take children with you, and those children will
listen and have a great time. It’s kind of free-wheeling enchantment."
What New York Times Critic, Ben Brantley, says about INTO
THE WOODS… "Follow the music. It will take you somewhere
wonderful. When INTO THE WOODS sings,
you float into an enchanted world. By all means, go!"
HOME EQUITY PROTECTION PROGRAM
In July 2002, Congressman Walsh and Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative
officials announced the creation of the Home Equity Protection (HEP)
program, designed to encourage greater investment and home ownership
in the City of Syracuse.
HEP is administered by Equity Headquarters, a subsidiary of Home Headquarters.
According to the Equity Headquarters web site, HEP provides financial
protection to homeowners in the event that home prices decline in their
neighborhood (defined by zip code) between the time they purchase the
protection and the time they sell their home.
After a three year period from purchasing the plan, if a homeowner sells
his/her home and home prices have dropped in the neighborhood, HEP pays
down the mortgage or pays the homeowner directly in an amount defined
as the percentage decrease in price times the Protected Value of the
home.
For example: A homeowner purchases Home Equity Protection for a $60,000
home. The cost of the plan is a one-time 1.5% fee based on the Protected
Value of the home. (Protected Value is defined as the current market
value of the home, some portion thereof, or the anticipated value after
improvements.) In this case, the fee for the plan is $900 (1.5% of $60,000).
After three years, if the homeowner sells his/her house and prices have
dropped in the neighborhood zip code by 20%, HEP would pay $12,000 (20%
of $60,000) to the homeowner, no matter what price the home sold for.
HEP is available to one and two family, owner-occupied homes in any
neighborhood within the City of Syracuse. The program is funded through
a $5 million federal grant secured by Congressman Walsh in FY 2002.
For more information about the HEP program, visit the Equity Headquarters
web site at www.equityhq.org
or call (315) 474-1939, ext. 248.
MEET A BOARD MEMBER
Kate Auwaerter joined the UNPA board this past summer. Her background
is in urban planning with a specialty in historic preservation planning.
Kate is employed as an economic development specialist at the Downtown
Committee of Syracuse, the not-for-profit organization that manages
the downtown business improvement district.
Kate and her husband John moved to the University Neighborhood almost
five years ago. "We weren’t really looking to purchase a house.
We just happened to come across a for sale‚ sign in front of a
neat looking house on Buckingham Avenue and we decided to take a look."
The house, a 1913 Colonial Revival, had not been occupied for several
years and needed a bit of work. "We spent our first year scraping
several layers of paint off the oak woodwork, but the hard work has
paid off. It has turned out beautifully!"
Kate’s first contact with UNPA was as a grant recipient. "As first-time
home buyers and with John still in graduate school, money was tight.
Having UNPA take care of our closing costs made a tremendous difference."
Since then, Kate and John have developed a strong attachment not only
to their house, but to the neighborhood as well. "We love the energy
and diversity of the neighborhood." Kate sees her work with UNPA
as a way to help get the good word out about city living in general
and the University Neighborhood specifically. "We know all of our
neighbors and everyone looks out for one another. In addition, we are
close to everything – to SUNY and S.U., to downtown – it’s a great place
to live and own a home."
MAYOR ANNOUNCES EMPLOYEE MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
"We want to encourage people to live in the City," says Mayor
Driscoll. All City employees are eligible for this City-sponsored mortgage
assistance program. This program provides opportunities for first time
homebuyers in the City as well as current homeowners who want to buy
in the City. As an added incentive, UNPA can supplement this program
with our mortgage assistance program. The first 100 City employees to
participate in this program will also be guaranteed a slot in the Home
Headquarters’ Home Equity Protection Program that would protect
the market value of your home. Attorneys, Bond Schoeneck & King,
agreed to give City employees deep discounts on closing costs and even
waive them altogether. For further information about the "Home
Assist" program, contact Catherine Faulkner at KeyBank, 385-0000.
FREE MONEY FOR HOME IMPROVEMENTS!
Plenty of money is still left for homeowners and potential homebuyers
within the Westcott Neighborhood. This money is available through the
federally-funded Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative Program. There are
no income restrictions for the home improvement grants. Other categories
of grants and loans for acquisition and rehabilitation are also available.
For more information about the program and service area location, please
contact Home Headquarters at 474-1939.
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW …
As we enter the winter season, snow removal from our sidewalks and streets
becomes an important issue, therefore, it is important for residents
of the University Neighborhood to comply with City regulations regarding
sidewalk snow removal and odd-even parking. Regarding sidewalks, many
of our residents and children use the sidewalks to and from school,
and to travel throughout the City. For public safety City Ordinance
27-72D requires all property owners to clear the snow and ice from their
sidewalks by 6PM the day following the accumulation. The City also encourages
residents to observe the odd-even parking and illegally parked cars
on residential streets. Please remind your neighbors and friends to
move their vehicles at 6PM on odd-even parking streets, and as posted
for snowplow operations. In neighborhoods where cars are parked illegally,
the Syracuse Department of Public Works will be working with the Syracuse
Police Department to ticket and/or tow the vehicle(s) to make it possible
to plow the streets. Should you find a street that has consistent illegal
parking during snowstorms and snow removal, please contact 448-8650.
STUDY TO TACKLE UNIVERSITY HILL TRAFFIC AND PARKING
The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council (SMTC) is conducting
a comprehensive transportation study, a federally funded project looking
at University Hill traffic patterns, public access, and other broader
transportation issues. Issues such as law enforcement, parking regulation,
and neighborhood and employee parking will also be addressed. The study
area including both commercial and residential interests is bordered
roughly by Interstate 690 on the north, Interstate 81 on the west, Thurber
Street and South Campus to the south, and Westmoreland Avenue to the
east. UNPA is one of the neighborhood associations represented on the
advisory committee. For up to date information on the study and announcements
of public meetings, please contact SMTC at: wwestervelt@cnyrpdb.org
or 422-5716.
KEEPING THE ‘TOWN’ IN COLLEGE TOWN
Bob Karrow, a technical writer who has always lived in college towns,
maintains a web site devoted solely to the topic of College Town issues.
He believes that through creative university and neighborhood partnerships,
college and university communities can work together to keep the ‘town’
in college town. For more information, please visit the web site: www.users.muohio.edu/karrowrs/College/index.html.
S.U. TEACHES STUDENTS RESPONSIBILITY …
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators named the
Syracuse University in the Community Program a 2002 Exemplary Program.
The initiative, created by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office
of Government and Community Relations, was introduced in 1999 as a way
to educate students about their rights and responsibilities while living
in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. For more information, please
contact, Laura Madelone at 443-5489.
WANT TO CUT DOWN ON JUNK MAIL?
If you want to reduce the amount of national advertising mail you receive
at home, send your name and address to the Direct Marketing Association’s
Mail Preference Service (MPS) at PO Box 643, Carmel, New York, 10512.
After a few months, the MPS will reduce the amount of advertising mail
you receive. Names remain part of the MPS for five years. After five
years, you will need to register with MPS again.
KIDS WRITE ABOUT SCHOOL
What do I like best about Ed Smith School?
As told by a 6th Grader from Ed Smith Elementary School …
This year I will be leaving Ed Smith School for Levy Middle School.
I will remember the people … both students and teachers at Ed Smith
School. There are a lot of things to do at Ed Smith School … band,
chorus … things like that. I feel at home there. My favorite room
is the gym. I like to play on the roller racers. Roller races are like
little cars. You can put your feet on the metal bars and move the handles
back and forth to move them. We race them around the gym and play games,
like cat and mouse, on them. I also like my homeroom because it is decorated
with work we have done. This makes me feel like we accomplished something.
My favorite subject is Math. The teachers do a good job at teaching
Math because they explain it very well and make it fun. Science is another
favorite subject because we do experiments. The teachers are very good
at getting us ready for tests because they go over and over everything
that is going to be on the test so we know it, and they make sure we
really understand something before we go on to the next thing. The Ed
Smith Carnival is fun because there are always plenty of prizes, and
everyone wins something.
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
If you hear of a house coming up for sale, or if you hear of someone
who wishes to live in, and buy a home in, the university neighborhood,
by all means call UNPA at 476-5228. We will network with real estate
agents and share information about what help is available from UNPA
and other organizations.
UNPA’s goal is promotion of owner occupancy. At this time, most "mint
condition" houses in our neighborhood are selling very well. The
challenge now, as when UNPA was formed in 1990, is bring back into owner
occupancy some of the houses that have been rental properties. We are
particularly interested in hearing from rental property owners who are
ready to sell a house in the area. There are several blocks in the area
that will benefit from the return of two or three homes to owner occupancy.
With that change, they can join may other blocks that have the balance
of families and students that many of us appreciate about the neighborhood.
We look forward to hearing from you.
FREE ENERGY AUDITS AVAILABLE…
Free Energy Audits are available to University Neighbors through Entherm.
Entherm is a local weatherization company that performs home energy
audits under the New York State Energy Star Program. In addition to
climbing in and out of attics, certified energy auditors can help homeowners
prioritize their home improvement needs. Low 5% loans are also available
through this program to finance energy-related work using Fannie Mae
and NYSERDA funding. Grants are also available for people whose household
income is 60% of the NYS Median Income. Eligible energy saving measures
includes: insulation, ventilation, high efficiency heating systems,
energy star appliances, windows and doors, etc.
Bill Meadows, a certified energy auditor of Entherm, resides at 1155
Lancaster Avenue. He and his wife, Jacqueline are UNPA recipients who
welcome this opportunity to give back to our community by performing
energy audits for neighborhood families at no change (thereby saving
you about $107). If you are interested in this program, please contact
Bill at 420-2210.
WESTCOTT COMMUNITY CENTER
PRESENTS…
FOURTH ANNUAL UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORS LECTURE SERIES
The University Neighbors Lecture Series committee is excited to announce
its fourth season. Over $10,000 has been raised through the lecture
series to date. "The lecture series enhances the ability of the
Center to provide community programing for the 25,000 people that pass
through the Center’s doors," says Steve Susman, Executive Director
of the WCC.
Proceeds from the lecture series have been used to help purchase a video/data
projector. The after school program was enhanced by funds raised through
the lecture series. Improvements were made to the front lobby and landscaping
plans are in progress. An annual event, the 2002-2003 series covers
a range of topics from the community affairs to politics. Keeping with
our theme of University Neighbors, all of the presenters are from the
University neighborhood.
We encourage people to come and meet their neighbors. We welcome people
from outside the neighborhood to come and hear the presenters; join
us in dialogue and share refreshments after each presentation. Please
visit the Westcott
Community Center web site at www.westcottcc.org
for more information and a full listing of topics and presenters.
TALK TO A LAWYER FREE…
Come in and "chat" with a lawyer and ask questions anonymously
and confidentially without cost or legal obligation to hire the consulting
lawyer. The "Talk to a Lawyer" program is held every Thursday,
7-8PM, at the Westcott Community Center, 826 Euclid Avenue. Consulting
lawyers are members of the Onondaga Bar Association. 117 people have
already sought free legal advice through this program. Topics range
from divorce to landlord-tenant issues. For more information, please
call 478-8634.
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