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ENACT NEWS…
Winter brought a pause to the ENACT project, however, thanks to the
City of Syracuse Commissioner of Community Development, Fernando Ortiz,
funding is now available to replace the roof. A development advisory
board has been formed to support the Board of Directors through the
final stages of fundraising and facilities development. The plan is
to develop the building floor by floor, so that programs can begin as
soon as possible.
The porch will be completed first, then, the ground floor will become
a community computer center, art gallery, office space, and the Youth
Cultural Center. The basement area will include an audio-video studio
and production space, a studio arts education room, and a multi-media
arts area. The upper floors will be a performance hall, canteen, and
additional studio and office space.
In addition to lining up performance for the Picnic in the Park Series,
ENACT is working with other organizations on collaborative programming.
Onondaga Community College, for example, has expressed an interest in
using the ENACT center as a community based teaching site for their
courses, and WAER’s Women’s Voices Radio program plans to broadcast
from the ENACT radio studio. ENACT will also house the Onondaga Historical
Association’s "Peaceful Flat Travelers" writing program. A
Healing Garden has also been proposed.
If you have ideas or are interested in helping out, please contact Alana
Bolden, ENACT Arts & Cultural Programs Organizer at 471-7911 x232.
PORCHES PLUS PROGRAM…
ENIP (Eastside Neighborhood in Partnership) is organizing a new program
to assist homeowners with repairs to their homes. Grants of up to $5,000
worth of "curb appeal" repairs (that improve the appearance
of the front of a house, i.e. painting, windows, porches, landscaping)
will be available from the Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative for homeowners
in those target blocks.
Homeowners must match this grant with $1,000 in cash or labor (sweat
equity).
ENIP’s Porches Plus Program will assist homeowners through the process
of planning repairs, applying for funding, recruiting volunteer labor
(some with professional skills), and supervising the work.
For more information, please contact LaTonya English at 471-7911 x228.
LEAD HURTS KIDS…
Did you know that any home, apartment, school or day care facility built
before 1978 could be a source of lead poisoning for your child?
For more information, call 1-800-424-LEAD.
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.
UNPA THEATRE BENEFIT A SUCCESS
Over 150 University Neighbors and Friends of UNPA gathered to help the
Syracuse University Drama Department launch the musical …Into
the Woods on Thursday, April 24th.
This annual benefit not only celebrates the success of UNPA but also
celebrates the University Neighborhood. It was a wonderful evening thanks
to Laura Martin, Grace Flusche, and Pat and Bill Atkinson. Provisions
Bakery, Peter’s Groceries, Sodexho Marriott, and up to 20 neighborhood
bakers (a record number) contributed an array of delicious delicacies.
Light jazz, performed by Andy Carroll on piano and Ian Stewart on bass,
two local high school jazz musicians, was a delightful complement to
the food, theatre and company. Ian and Andy continued to entertain guests
throughout the dessert hour and into intermission.
According to Neil Novelli of the Theater Notebook…"When
Steven Sondheim and James Lapine launched ‘…Into the Woods’ in 1987,
the idea of "fractured fairy tales" was pretty common thanks
to "The Bullwinkle Show" and cartoonist Jay Ward, who regularly
took liberties with kids’ favorite stories. So Sondheim and Lapine had
some easygoing fun, fracturing the intertwined fairy tales they used
…’Rapunzel’, ‘Jack & The Beanstalk’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Little Red
Riding Hood’, and ‘Snow White’. For example, the dozen or so characters
form a community. It’s an eccentric community, to be sure, but when
it faces threats, some people look out for others, and some don’t. Gradually
the fairy-tale characters take on realistic dimensions and strengths
as they face realistic problems."
…Into the Woods is a must see
at The Storch Theatre, Syracuse Stage, 443-3275.
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.
LOCAL 5TH GRADER WINS ESSAY CONTEST
Ed Smith 5th grader Juliette Wetzel won first place in the grades 4-6
essay division of the Post Standard’s Newspaper
in Education contest. Her "Hero", her mom, Sue Wetzel,
is one of our Board Members.
What My Hero Has Taught Me
There are many heroes in the world, but I have a very special one. She
is with me all the time, in heart and spirit and in person. She is my
mom. This person has been my hero all my life, right under my nose.
She has a very good personality. She’s spunky, nice, loyal, caring,
thoughtful, understanding, full of fire, creative, trustworthy, and
truthful. She uses all the life skills and is a very great person. I
look up to her as a role model.
She’s helped my in the hardest times of my life. She gave me moral support.
One time I had to get nine stitches on my forehead, over my right eyebrow.
She drove me to the doctor’s office. She also got very worried for me.
I’ve had many big falls in my life, and she’s helped me through all
of them. The hero of cuts and bruises — first prize goes to mom.
She cheers me on through thick and thin. She’s the all-time cheerleader
in soccer and softball; if I do bad or good, she’s there for me. She
cheers me on in all the sports I play and understands how much it means
to me for her to be there. She hates to not be at a game. She’s my game
saver; without her there are no cheers for me!
She’s also my bus. She takes me everywhere I need to go. She takes me
to ski races, soccer games, swim races, religion class, track, Labrador
Mountain, and everywhere else I need or want to be. She gets me there
on time, gets me ready, and tells me things I need to know.
If I told you all the things that I have learned from my mom, I would
have to have a 50-foot piece of paper. I’ve learned to be patient from
all the time she waits on me to go everywhere I need to go. I’ve learned
to be caring. I learned this from all the times she picked me up when
I was down, or to give me that stray Band-aid in her pocket that she
found under the couch. I learned to be brave from when she had to watch
me get stitches in my forehead.
I learned all this from my mom. She is my bus, my nurse, my cheerleader,
and, truly, my hero.
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.
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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