Northside PRIDE Participates in Feinstein Foundation’s Food Drive and Begins Community Garden Project

For the 16th consecutive year, The Feinstein Foundation will divide $1 million among hunger fighting agencies nationwide.  The more money and food JNP was able to raise between March 1 and April 30, the more of the Feinstein money they will receive!
Northside PRIDE partnered with the  Joint Neighborhood Project to participate in this program.
To Support Joint Neighborhood Project and Hunger’s Pervasive Footprints in Chautauqua County, Northside Pride was able to collect 100 food items in their first annual Spring food drive.  “I was proud of my Neighbors’ efforts,” says Kurt Carlson, member of Northside PRIDE, “to donate a small but sizable sum of dried and canned goods for this food drive;  all in all we collected 100 food items.”  Coupled with matching Feinstein funds ($1.00 per item), that’s a rather meaningful donation.”  Research has shown “hunger’s fingerprints” are everywhere, including poor school performance, increase in crime, child and domestic abuse, prostitution and use of alcohol. Where there is poverty, there is hunger. The poverty rate in Chautauqua County is 16.5%.

 Northside PRIDE is fighting hunger in other ways as well, by increasing food access on the north side. With the guidance of The Jamestown Renaissance center and its budding Grow Jamestown campaign, Northside PRIDE will be installing a community Garden on its vacant Grant Street properties.  Interested north side resident are invited to attend the Community Garden Meeting, which will be held Wednesday, April first, at 6:30 at the Jamestown Free Methodist Church, 515 East 7th Street

Community Garden Meeting

Meeting Location has Changed
                                                                                                                     Wednesday, April 3, 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, second floor in City Hall to state our case re: CDBG money allocation.  Might be advantageous for us to get on radar  w/ Vince Dejoy, our new DOD director. I also propose that we have a quick follow up meeting at the same location--I'm sure there will be available meeting space At City Hall.  

• JNP Food Drive (BOB)
• Neighborhood Clean Up
• Follow Up Info re: mtg with Todd Peterson
• Lilian Dixon Park Info
• Open Discussion
• Community Gardening

IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE COMPLETE ATTACHED SURVEY AND BRING WITH YOU TO MEETING. 

I WILL READ A STATEMENT RE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS, SO PLEASE FORWARD INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY SEE AS MOST PRESSING.

Agenda

WALKABLE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

March 6th, 13 Meeting. Attendees: Mary, Peter, Ken, Theresa, Bob, Kurt, Ruth and Don.
Summary of meeting:
We began the meeting with the discussion of creating a community garden in the PRIDE target area. Members have been very impressed with the enthusiasm that The JRC has generated through their Grow Jamestown activities. PRIDE would like to take part in this gardening renaissance. A partnership with the JRC and the City will be explored. Discussion concerning the state of the neighborhood followed. There is serious concern among neighbors regarding abandoned houses and houses with apparent code violations. Recent letters have gone out to City inspectors and government officials with a much appreciated plan of action and response. PRIDE's financial activity was then discussed.The meeting closed with discussion of Joint Neighborhood Projects annual food drive and PRIDE's commitment therewith. It should be noted that all the members were discouraged with the lack of shoveled sidewalks this winter. We will be looking into laws regarding clearing sidewalks and why the City allows for noncompliance.The next Meeting will be held Wednesday, April 3rd, 6:30 @ The  Free Methodist Church, 515 East 7th Street

WHAT IS THE CITY DOING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?? 

HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE NEXT TO A HAZARDOUS, INFESTED, ABANDONED HOUSE?

Northside PRIDE encourages the city to be responsive and to hold slumlords, absentee landlords and slum tenants accountable. 

Recent letters sent to Jamestown Housing Inspectors:

February 7, 2013  Attention ____________  Building/Zoning Code Enforcement Officer   Municipal Building   Attn: *Housing Enforcement*   200 East Third Street   Jamestown, NY 14701  Dear Mr. _______:  This letter is sent to report the unsafe conditions found at 25 Liberty Street.  It has come to our (NSP’s)  attention that a large picture window has been smashed, creating a potentially hazardous situation.  This house is presently abandoned, and has been so for the last five or so years.  It is our concern that  animals will infest this house or worse yet trespassers may harm themselves on the sharp glass.    These conditions violate Jamestown’s  code laws below:  § 215-43. Infestation and screening.  A. Grounds, building and structures shall be maintained free of insects, vermin and rodent harborage and infestation. B. The  exterior of every structure shall be so maintained as to be vermin and rodent free. All exterior windows, doors and other  openings shall be screened or protected with approved materials. Defects, cracks or holes shall be tightly sealed to prevent the  entrance of vermin and rodents.[Amended 3-19-2007]G. Exterior property areas shall be free from holes and excavations,  sharp protrusions and other objects or conditions which might cause personal injury. Walks, steps and driveways that contain  holes or tripping hazards shall be filled, repaired or replaced to conform to their intended use; wells, cesspools or cisterns shall  be securely closed; and trees or limbs of trees that constitute a hazard shall be removed.  Northside PRIDE would appreciate some follow-up information re: this concern.  FYI: This house was  formerly the Lucille Wright House, and it is unfortunate that the conditions of this historic (once great)  house continue to deteriorate, year after year.   Sincerely,  Concerned Resident and Northside PRIDE representative   Hello....... .....Aside from the abandoned housing issues we're dealing with, we are receiving a number of neighbor complaints regarding __ __ Falconer St.--complaints regarding copious amounts of garbage on premises, including mattresses, tires, broken appliances and the like, not to forget the dog feces that is scattered about the front lawn.  I myself have noticed these things,  as well as broken windows and fading, deteriorating exterior conditions.  I can only imagine what it's like on the inside; I doubt a very safe environment for children.  It should be noted that this house has been reported before-- and little if anything has changed. __ __ Liberty has similar issues. Another house of concern is the corner blue house on __ __ Falconer,corner of Grant. There seems to be a lot of accumulating debris on the lawn including cement, broken fencing etc., and the exterior of the house is in very poor condition.  In the next few weeks we will be conducting our annual neighborhood sweep and sending you additional information.   I wish we had Quality of Life laws like they do in buffalo,  because conditions aforementioned really do cast a dark, depressing pall over the Northside in particular and Jamestown as a whole.  A thousand thanks for all that you do.  +++++++ PRIDE of Jamestown, INC. A 501 (3) (C) N.Y.S. Chartered Not-For –Profit Corporation P.O.Box 781 Jamestown, New York 14702

“Come to the Grow Jamestown Garden Fair and gear up  for the spring gardening and landscaping season.  Get helpful tips and learn how Jamestowners are promoting gardening as a way to make neighborhoods and residents healthier.”The Garden Fair is Saturday, March 23^rd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jamestown Renaissance Center (corner of Washington and West Third).  There is free admission and free Saturday parking!  There will be exhibits by local nurseries, landscapers, and community organizations.  Also, workshops on garden planning, landscaping, community gardening, and more!  And don’t forget…prizes, food, and shopping!Join us at the 2^nd annual GROW Jamestown Garden Fair!

Summary of last NSP meeting, which was held February 13, 2013:

Attendees: Kurt, Ruth, Don and Bob.  NSP has regrouped, refocussed and is now looking forward to a productive year.  Due to financial and logistical issues, NSP has  once again opted to forgo their annual Chocolate and Champagne event. Everybody has high hopes to continue the C&C in 2014.

Items discussed during meeting included coordination of neighborhood clean up, recent vandalism, appointment of new Director of Development, community gardening and the current state of the neighborhood, with particular attention to several houses of concern. One house discussed in particular was 25 Liberty--currently vacant with a broken picture window. It is NSP's hope to get this house back on the market and to honor this once stately house-- formerly owned by Lucille Wright. The goal for next meeting is to bring someone from the neighborhood.

 Meetings will once again be held at the Free Methodist Church, 515 East 7th Street, on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30PM. Our next open meeting will be March 6th. Please join us!! Our next meeting will focus on the state of the neighborhood, neighborhood watch, Neighborhood Clean-Up (Trash Bash), community gardening.  Look for an agenda in your email.  Thank you all for reading this post and let us all work together to improve the quality of life in Jamestown.  Cheers.

Thank you to all of you who kept their sidewalks shoveled this winter!!

Volunteers Come Together For Chadakoin River Cleanup - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Volunteers Come Together For Chadakoin River Cleanup - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Drug Bust Nabs Two - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Drug Bust Nabs Two - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

BE ADVISED: THERE ARE DRUGS BEING SOLD IN THE NORTHSIDE PRIDE NEIGHBORHOOD. THANKFULLY, AN ANONYMOUS TIP LED TO THE ARREST OF THESE CREEPS. BE VIGILANT NEIGHBORS!! This is the house where  the drug dealers lived and distributed crack. House owned by  Renovated Rentals LLC 2889 Lewis St. JamestownNY,  managed by Brian Hasson. Anyone with information regarding illegal sales of narcotics or other criminal activity can contact the Jamestown Police Department's anonymous tip line at 483-8477. All calls and tips will remain strictly confidential.

Open Letter to Code Enforcement Officer

Open Letter to the DOD

March 28th, 2012

Northside PRIDE of Jamestown Inc. is
Kurt Carlson, Bob Doverspike,
Larry Pace, Don and Ruth Baker,
Ken and Theresa Sohmer,
Stacey and Lisa Huffman,
Glenda Owoc and all of the neighbors and property owners that contribute to our revitalization efforts.

Dear Mr. Centi:

We send this letter with an understanding that CDBG funding has been drastically reduced this year, yet extend an urgent plea that the Department of Development make good use of these limited funds by investing in the Northside Pride Target Area. Over the past five years our organization has made several appeals to the City to amend the infrastructure problems we are plagued with. Though there are a significant number of issues within the target area, we have identified the most critical ones: where broken curbs are resulting in soil runoff, busted, uneven sidewalks are resulting in unsafe thoroughfares for pedestrians (particularly the elderly and disabled), and severe dips and deviations in the road are resulting in unsafe driving/bicycling conditions and the formation of large pools of standing water. Enclosed you will find photographs of the most critical areas with corresponding street addresses.
Since its inception, North side PRIDE has worked hard to improve our neighborhood. We have promoted incentive programs for property investors; we have donated a house to COI and have assumed ownership of a parcel of land that we are developing into a neighborhood park. We have sponsored fundraisers, hold annual educational block parties, and hold annual clean-up activities. Several private organizations (i.e. JRC, CHRIC, COI, and CHN) have recognized these efforts and have made significant investments in our community. To date, we have collectively rehabbed over seven houses. Most recently, twenty of us in the North side Pride neighborhood were recognized as Renaissance Block Designees and were awarded mini stipends to make exterior improvements. It is important to highlight these efforts to let your department know that we care our about our neighborhood and about our great city. Like the private organizations that have rallied around our efforts, we hope that The City and the DOD will follow suit. I will close by referring you to a quote extracted from Jamestown’s Neighborhood Revitalization Plan
In order for Neighborhood Revitalization to truly come to fruition in the City of Jamestown it is absolutely critical that everyone work together toward a common, accepted goal. No one entity can work independently to be truly effective in making positive change to the City’s neighborhoods. The private, public, philanthropic, and not-for-profit sectors must come together to leverage their respective strengths and collective expertise toward creating successful and sustainable change in Jamestown’s neighborhoods. Limited resources of time, energy, and funding need to be carefully and efficiently allocated to gain the desired positive effect. Creating new and sustainable partnerships will also ensure that revitalization will be carried out and sustained over the long term.

Thank You,

Proud Members of Northside PRIDE

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Follow The Leader - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

BLOCK PARTY

BLOCK PARTY a video by NorthSide PRIDE 2011 on Flickr.

Almost Playtime - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Almost Playtime - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Block Party Was Great Success - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

Block Party Was Great Success - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Jamestown: a progressive city to be proud of

WOW!! A bustling farmers market on Third Street, the Prendergast Library Book Sale, The on-going Literary Trail, the Soap Box Derby and Northside PRIDE’s Summer Block Party. The palpable energy of this week’s activities goes to show that Jamestown is a progressive city to be proud of.
As one of the organizers of the Northside Pride’s Block Party, I was overwhelmed with the community support and neighborhood camaraderie. Such an impressive turnout showed me that people in our community share a common goal: to make Jamestown a healthy, safe, and enjoyable place to live. I wish to thank Mayor Teresi and Councilmen, Paul Whitford and Tony Dolce for coming out to support the Block Party. I was particularly impressed with the organizational contributions that helped make this event a great success. A big THANK YOU goes to Janet Forbes and Kerry Mihalko of the Jamestown Garden Group and The Creating Healthy Places Program for forging a great partnership and for conducting an educational-planting-demo. A special thanks goes to Peter Lombardi of Jamestown Renaissance Center, to CHRIC, NeighborWorks and Youthbuild, especially to Larry Kestner, who constructed the garden boxes and to Cindy Rocky who helped secure the funding for the event. A very heartfelt thank you goes to Julie and Matt Harper of Four Season’s Nursery for providing soil and vegetable plants, to Jamestown Awning for providing the tent and to Tom Harris of H&H metal for providing the grill, and to all those behind-the-scenes for their hard work with the set-up, including Anne and Paul Leone, Ken and Theresa Sohmer, Larry Pace and The Ruth and Don Baker family.
-Kurt Carlson-
PRIDE of Jamestown, INC.P.O.Box 781Jamestown, New York 14702E-mail: northsidepride33@yahoo.comhttp://northsideprideofjamestownnewyork.blogspot.com

JNP Class Takes Part In Walkability Survey - post-journal.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown | Post-Journal

JNP Class Takes Part In Walkability Survey - post-journal.com News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Jamestown Post-Journal

Northside PRIDE's Second Summer Block Party