Looking Back, Looking Forward

It seems that 2014 was the year of gentrification for Dignowity Hill. In the past year much has been written in the media about Dignowity Hill, gentrification and the continued rise of the neighborhood as urban renaissance. Pundits, elected officials, academics and anti-gentrifiers have all offered opinions on how to deal with gentrification, which essentially is an issue of change. Well, depending on whom you talk to the Dignowity Hill gentrification train is either coming around the bend or left the station a long time ago.

In the last almost 7 years the neighborhood has experienced a good amount of change or dare I say progress. In 2008 Dignowity was beginning to feel the first waves of noticeable revitalization, even as a deep recession was taking hold. A kind of coolness was setting in as Dignowity was being “discovered”. Brave urban pioneers were beginning to invest in the neighborhood. Dignowity was getting known for its Pushcart Derby. Gentrification was but a whisper in 2008. By 2014 a number of significant projects and events had taken place that set both the neighborhood and the Eastside on a seemingly upward trajectory of revitalization.

Some of those key events include:

• The BRAC at Ft. Sam Houston, which brings the first noticeable attention to Dignowity and the Eastside. (2007-2010)
• The development and approval of the neighborhood and re-investment plans (2009) 
• The first of the Eastside Economic summits is held. (2010) 
• The opening of the Hays Street Bridge (2010) 
• The first STAR event is held in Dignowity (2010) 
• Dignowity Historic District gets historic street signs (2011) 
• Alamo Brewery project surfaces as a concept (2011) 
• The city is awarded the $24 million Eastside Promise Neighborhood Grant (2012) 
• City council with support from the DHNA approves the Alamo Brewery project (2012) 
• The Choice Grant is awarded to the city (2012) 
• Cherry Modern gets approval to build new housing near the Hays St Bridge (2013) 
• Alamo Brewery breaks ground (2013) 
• Alamo Brewery ribbon cutting (2014)

Siclovia 2014 is routed through Dignowity Hill.

For Dignowity these projects and events have certainly contributed to the ongoing revitalization or as some would say, gentrification, of the neighborhood. In the background of these relatively high profile projects an ongoing almost quiet activity of private investment in the neighborhood has been occurring. This is most evident in the real estate market for Dignowity. In 2008 you could buy a near tear down for $40,000. In some cases in the midst of the recession foreclosed properties could be had for less than $30,000. By 2014 well-restored houses were selling between $200,000 and $400,000. Empty lots are now being listed for over $40,000. Developers and flippers have discovered Dignowity. A new housing development, Cherry Modern, sold units starting at around $178, 000. The brewery project's $7 million investment, while generating controversy, is being seen as a catalyst for additional business development. This activity by both major and small investors is what is driving most of the conversation around gentrification. Questions with no clear answers are being asked. Will this activity displace any of our lower income neighbors? Will these development projects change the character of the neighborhood? Will the historic nature of the neighborhood be affected?

Moving forward it seems that change/gentrification/revitalization issues as they affect Dignowity will be discussed and dissected for a while. The problem when discussing and analyzing gentrification, as many have discovered, is that it is difficult to define it in general as it applies to a particular context. The affects of this type of change certainly impacts the built environment in a neighborhood as properties are fixed up but can be difficult to measure on a human scale. The current gentrification conversation in San Antonio tends to get twisted and rendered inert around topics of displacement, rising property values and rising property taxes. Assertions are made that displacement is occurring in the neighborhood but no quantifiable evidence can be produced. Displacement can be an issue if it’s done in incorrectly without regard to the consequences. On the other hand, there is some validity to the rise in prices and taxes but those are natural outcomes of both market driven change and taxing entities assessments based on market conditions. Is any of this a good thing? The trends we’re now seeing in Dignowity were set in motion over the last few years through a combination of city government policies/incentives, public investment and private dollars flowing into the neighborhood. Those trends have gathered traction and will most likely continue into the next few years.

Looking ahead some things are certain as we move into 2015:

• The real estate market in Dignowity will remain active and to some degree speculative that will continue to drive property prices upwards.
• Developers are eyeing empty tracts in the neighborhood for multi-housing and infill housing projects. 
• Business development activity will continue and needs to be encouraged. 
• Incentives offered by the city have been in place for sometime to attract private investment into neighborhood and will continue to help make investment in Dignowity attractive. 
• Historic preservation issues vs development issues will need to be thoughtfully navigated.
• Millennials will continue to be attracted to the neighborhood.

To temper things a bit and for a reality check:

• Dignowity Hill is a relative poor neighborhood. Poverty is a growing problem in the city as wealth segregation increases. According to recent published data the zip code 78202, which covers all of Dignowity, has the highest percentage of poverty in the city. The median income for a family of 4 hovers around $27,000, below the city average of $45,000.
• Educational attainment is a huge issue. Recent data indicate that only 38% of residents in the neighborhood finished high school. 
• Crime is still perceived as being an issue. 
• Basic infrastructure needs such as street repairs, sidewalks, etc, are still being deferred by the city. 
• City council is in a state of flux and representation on city council for our district may change again in May 2015.

Neighborhood street after a rain. No sidewalks or curbs

Change is needed and welcomed but we need to be mindful of not pushing our more needy neighbors out. Mitigating the adverse affects of gentrification will be key. The mayor's appointed panel to look at changing neighborhoods is struggling to define gentrification as it applies to the city. Workable solutions are still a ways in coming. In the meantime, community building that can restore the frayed edges of the neighborhood still has a place in the neighborhood. Transformational leadership at the grassroots will be required. The neighborhood association can certainly be an advocate for improving the quality of life and should continue to work with elected officials and city staff to address structural issues. However, transformational leadership is needed to change lives and often occurs when individuals or small groups take the lead to tackle a challenge or solve a problem. For example, a neighbor recently took on the issue of monitoring the trains that block traffic in and out of the neighborhood. Another neighbor is tutoring her neighbors with GED assistance on her front porch. A group of neighbors are discussing the idea of developing a farmer’s market model that is affordable for our community. We need more individuals to help mentor and tutor our neighborhood kids. I’m encouraged by the millenials that are moving into the neighborhood for they bring not only new energy but new ideas as well that will lead to transformational change. Finally, I'm also encouraged by long time residents that welcome the revitalization of the neighborhood.

So my wish for the neighborhood for 2015 is to continue working for progress in a balanced manner. I challenge those in the neighborhood that are willing to be transformational leaders to get after it. Don’t be discouraged by the naysayers or by institutional barriers. There’s lots of work still to be done.

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The Auditorium at Ella Austin

The Ella Austin Community Center occupies an entire city block in Dignowity Hill.  The center is named after Ella Austin an African American woman who founded an orphanage in 1897 and cared for homeless children until 1940. In 1968 the children's home was converted to a multi purpose community center and continues to serve as a neighborhood based social service agency for the Eastside and beyond.

Ella, as the community center is affectionately called, is housed in what used to be Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior High School, which was closed as a school in the mid 1960's.  The main building dates back to 1921 and is located in the middle of the Dignowity Hill Historic District.  The building is a historic preservation project waiting to happen. The structure, while in relative good shape, is in need of on going maintenance.  The exterior of the main building still retains much of it's architectural interest with it's oversize windows and doors.  Over the years much of the interior space and old classrooms have been carved out for office space, conference rooms and space for programs such as the day care and after school program.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Inscription

Gated Entrance to Ella

The one interior space that has remained relatively untouched by remodeling efforts is the old school auditorium.  This is a beautiful space with old hardwood flooring, a large stage, high ceilings and amphitheater type seating that slopes down towards the stage. The windows are floor to ceiling with multi pane glass or lites. The seats appear to be the original wooded fold up types no longer seen in schools.   

Entrance to Auditorium off of Pine Street

Auditorium Seating and Windows

Stairway to Balcony

Stage

Old Wooden Seats

Ella is seeing a resurgence in utilization as staff from the Eastside Promise Neighborhood and Choice Grants along with the Urban Strategies Group have recently moved into office space at Ella giving the community center higher visibility.  With this newly generated visibility discussion has turned to the possibility of updating and enhancing the auditorium for use by the community for events like movies, stage plays and gatherings. New lighting, new seating and audio visual equipment could help bring this beautiful space back to life.  However, funding is needed to rehab the auditorium space for community events. Keep Ella in mind, it could use your generosity. 

Antique Piano 

The Vision Thing

One of my neighbors recently posed a great question. He wanted to know what is the vision for the neighborhood moving forward. The question seems straightforward but perhaps not as easy to answer as you may think. It's a good question to ask at this juncture in the life of the neighborhood. The vision question indicates that folks are sensing an emerging healthy tension as the neighborhood continues to progress and are beginning to wonder which way to go next.  So how is vision for a changing neighborhood like Dignowity created?

Perhaps we can start by re-visiting the neighborhood plan that was developed by neighborhood residents and approved by city council in 2009. You can find the complete Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Plan at:
http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/neighborhoods/dignowityHillNP_dec2009.asp 

The stated purpose of the neighborhood plan is to provide a guide for future action, growth and development. The plan provides a ready made list of improvements and steps that residents want to see in the neighborhood. In turn city staff can use the plan to prioritize capital improvement projects and most importantly identify and prioritize funding mechanisms for those projects. 

There are 22 goals under four major headings that are part of neighborhood plan. The headings and their descriptions are listed below: 

Community Facilities and Public Health

Maintain and enhance the neighborhood parks, community centers, and cultural events that promote healthy lifestyles and highlight the historic character of the Dignowity Hill neighborhood

Crime and Public Safety

Improve the well being of the community by eliminating criminal activity through improved public safety measures to ensure that all community members especially children are able to work and play without fear in a safe environment

Housing and Economic Development
Coordinate and integrate development of a mix of neighborhood businesses that serve the immediate residents in the vicinity and establish housing options with diverse age and density that are walkable and secure  

Transportation, Infrastructure and Drainage

Work with partners and neighbors to enhance the aesthetics of the area by improving sidewalks and road infrastructure to create a safe and friendly environment for pedes­trians, motorists, and bicyclists

Taking Action

Work toward achieving the goals and objectives that are laid out in the Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Plan

In the past five years the neighborhood in partnership with city and elected officials has made significant strides in addressing some of the goals of the neighborhood plan with some success in pushing crime out and improving public safety. The economic piece is starting to gain some traction with the coming of Alamo Brewery and other business ventures in and around the neighborhood. Housing, especially large infill housing has yet to get any significant footing in the neighborhood although that may be changing soon as demand for housing close to downtown is gaining momentum and developers are eyeing larger tracts within the neighborhood.  The one area where there is dire need of improvement is infrastructure and drainage improvements.

View from Lockwood Park

It's also helpful to understand that the Dignowity Hill neighborhood plan was developed and approved before there was an Easpoint, before the Promise Zone, before there was the Eastside Promise Neighborhood Grant, and before there was the Choice Grant, which by the way does not include or affect Dignowity Hill. The grant initiatives are all good in and of themselves because they address specific challenges associated with improving educational outcomes, addressing an extremely economically distressed area of the Eastside and bring much needed public investment.  The reality, however, is that Dignowity as a neighborhood has been working on the vision thing way before any of these initiatives existed. 

The interesting thing about the vision question is that all of us in the neighborhood most likely have an image of what the neighborhood can become or even what it should become. That is why visioning ought to be an exercise in collective thoughtful expression. I also believe that the neighborhood is reaching a tipping point that was set in motion in the mid 2000's by private investors who saw the potential of the neighborhood. They were willing to take a financial risk on the Eastside and in Dignowity. That wave of newcomers also brought along the notion of building community and finding ways to sustain the character and social fabric of the neighborhood.  The question now is where do we want to go from here?

Ella Austin Community Center-Auditorium Entrance

The elements found in the neighborhood plan are good starting points to jump start a conversation about the neighborhood vision question. As I mentioned previously some healthy tensions are developing as the neighborhood continues to progress and they are not clearly addressed by the neighborhood plan. Some examples: the neighborhood is attracting young professionals that are investing in the neighborhood but we are also attracting investors and developers who do not necessarily care about building community. We find our selves layered by federal grants that for a number of reasons, neither good or bad, are not part of the vision of the neighborhood because of the prescriptive and focused nature of the grants. The question of gentrification has popped up as newcomers accelerate investment in the neighborhood yet I also feel a strong sense of community of making sure we do not displace our long time residents.  Our historic district puts the neighborhood in the middle of historic preservation issues but often times those issues collide with economic development initiatives or public safety concerns around older or abandoned structures. Do we envision better schools? Do we want streets with sidewalks and curbs that actually drain off after a rain? Do we allow developers do in fill housing without regard to historic architectural guidelines? Do we allow concerns regarding density for the sake of having a new housing development in the neighborhood be discounted or worse yet disregarded?

The vision question is important. It's time that we as a neighborhood pause a bit and do some reflecting on what next.  

Cherry Modern On Cherry Street

A Run Through the Neighborhood

The 2nd Annual Bowden Fun Run/Walk was held today. What a turn out! Last year's inaugural event drew over 300 participants. This time around the event with 3 other schools invited to participate the event more than doubled in participant size.  Over 800 folks joined in the event staged to promote wellness and fitness. The amazing thing about this event is that is free. The brain child of Bowden Elementary School assistant principal Greg Velasquez the run is designed to bring the community together while educating community members about the benefits of being physically active. The real pay off is in creating pride in our Eastside communities and breaking down old perceptions about the Eastside.  Good health goes beyond the individuals, it applies to communities too!

 

Moving Forward

It was recently announced that the owner of proposed micro- brewery to be built next to the Hays Street Bridge has changed the location where it will be built. The plans still call for the brewery to built next to the historic old bridge but it will be built on property owned by the brewery's owner, on the southside of the bridge.  This is good news for the neighborhood and the Eastside. The project has been stalled since August 2012 when city council approved the sale of city owned land to the developer. The project has created controversy from the start. The bridge restoration group cried foul when the city moved to sell the land that the restoration group has insisted was to be used as a park.

The neighborhood has supported the project from the start. Much of the organized opposition has come from outside the neighborhood. The opposition has demonized the neighborhood association making accusations that the association is infiltrated by newcomers. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality the folks that have organized the opposition do not live in the neighborhood and therefore do not really have a good understanding of what is behind the support by the neighborhood. None of these folks have ever sat down with me or others in the neighborhood to talk about why we don't need another park and would rather see a project that can generate jobs.

The basic truth to all of this is that our neighborhood has supported the project because of the potential of being able of kick starting sorely needed economic development in and around the neighborhood.  More importantly, getting the brewery project off the ground will be a first step in tearing down some of the negative perceptions about the Eastside.

For my part I'm glad to hear that the brewery will be moving forward.

. 

The Derby is On!! Good News for Lockwood Park!

The 8th Annual Pushcart Derby is on for Sat October 27, 2012 from noon till 7pm! The brain child of artist Cruz Ortiz, the derby has evolved from his idea of bringing together a group of artist friends for a day of artistic, fun, and somewhat competitive racing of hand made pushcarts to an event that has grown to be the signature event of the year for the neighborhood.  One thing remains the same and that is the spirit of the derby: which is to bring families, kids and neighbors together to enjoy a day of fellowship and community building.  And the pushcarts still need to be hand made with available materials!
For more info on the derby  go to:
http://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialDignowityHillPushcartDerby

On the same day as the derby we will have an "unveiling" celebration of the Texas Public Radio (TPR) Lighter Quicker Cheaper award for Lockwood Park. Back in August TPR in partnership with the City, the Project for Public Spaces, and the AIA San Antonio asked the city residents to re-imagine a public space in their own respective neighborhoods across the city. A concept submitted by one of our neighbors became one of 5 finalists and eventually came in as the top idea.  The concept was refined to constructing designated seating using rock ledges and terracing to take advantage of the view of downtown.  Construction is scheduled to beging soon and will be completed by pushcart derby day. For more info regarding this exciting improvement to Lockwood go to: http://tpr.org/articles/2012/05/lqc.html

We Come in Peace!

After over a year of intense community debate, dissection by the media and misplaced johnny come lately organized opposition, the city council gave a unanimous vote in approving the microbrewry plan next to the Hays Street Bridge to go forth and multiply many more Alamo Beer fans.  While some lingering concerns remain regarding the use of the space on the bridge overall this is a a good thing for the neighborhood and the city.

One of the many smoke screen issues that surfaced during the vetting process was around how the newcomers to the neighborhood are the ones that have been pushing the economic development notion over having another park next to the old bridge....and in the process are the ones that are pushing out long time residents in their quest to invest in the neighborhood. Well, the bucket that tried holding that argument was full of holes. The brewery project is about private investment in a long neglected waste land with a serious touch of blight. No one is being displaced because of this project or to put it another way, the brewery is not the root cause of some major gentrification trend!

My good friend and neighbor, Tony C, spoke eloquently before our esteemed city council about being a newcomer to the neighborhood. One comment that he made was classic: "we newcomers come in peace".  Well said! Tony and his wife Sonya moved into the neighborhood 2 years ago and quickly became involved in neighborhood/community building activities. They joined the neighborhood association, they participate in the tutoring and mentoring program for the neighborhood elementary school, they also started a garden club for the after school program at the Ella Austin Community Center called the Germinators, and they are core members of the community garden group. Tony is a member of the board of directors for the neighborhood association so he's learning the ropes of community leadership.  These folks are compassionate doers that believe in building community.

Newcomer Tony and all around good guy!

The reality is that the old neighborhood is changing and it's changing in a positive direction because of newcomers like Tony and Sonya and others who bring much needed new energy and vibrancy to a neighborhood in the mist of transition. Together these newcomers along with long time residents are creating a a wonderful synergy of ideas that is leading to improved quality of life for all neighborhood residents.  Will full blown gentrification happen in our neighborhood? Maybe, maybe not. What we're experiencing in Dignowity at the moment is a spurt of urban renaissance.  We have a long ways to go before any one can start claiming that Dignowity Hill has become gentrified. 

Bridge, Brews and Public Spaces

Following the approval by the city's planning commission a couple of weeks ago, the micro brewery proposal next to the Hays Street Bridge will be on the city council meeting agenda sometime in early August.  The brewery project has support from the neighborhood association as well as broad community support. The project was recently endorsed by the editorial board of our local newspaper as a great example of bringing private investment to an area that has been longing for investment, either private or public.  Council approval is the last step for this project to get going in what has been a year long process of meetings, discussion and debate.

The restoration of the Hays Street Bridge was a wonderful achievement by a committed group of individuals. Those folks should be rightly recognized and honored for their accomplishment but they don't own the bridge and neither will the brewery operator. The bridge has always been public space and will remain public space. And because the bridge is a public space and city owned property is involved, there has been over the course of a year an open and fair public process that ensured that the community had a say one way or another.  From neighborhood association meetings to community meetings organized by the city to hearings before the city's planning commission, citizens have had several opportunities to voice their support or opposition.

Those folks that are in opposition of the brewery certainly have a right to voice their concerns and ask questions.  However, in this case the the notion of private investment around a historic structure that could potentially spur other investment on the Eastside was more compelling an argument for the community than putting another park in the neighborhood.

Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Communities

Our neighborhood community garden....the Eastside Sprout....hosted a garden workshop on Saturday.  It was a little wet and chilly but gardeners are a tough breed and we survived the morning. The topics of the workshop were around creating and maintaining sustainable gardens.  The notion behind this is to create a garden using plants or trees that produce year over year, such as fruit trees or perennial plants that come back every year.  In other words, with good care, good soil, proper plant selection your garden can survive, thrive and sustain itself even with the extreme weather we sometimes experience in South Texas. In practical terms, sustainable gardening requires that you learn to understand the environment you're planting your garden in, learn what plants work best, have a good understanding of soil and nutrient requirements and understand how all these things come together to create a healthy garden. There a little bit of science and art involved when gardening so gardeners need to have a good integrative approach when working a garden.

Garden Workshop

Planting a Bare Root Pear Tree

Learning in the Drizzle!

The idea of creating a sustainable garden made me think of how similar the notion of creating sustainable communities are to each other. At a very basic level, sustainability of a community is built on creating and maintaining its economic and environmental health and most importantly, encouraging citizen participation to create a collective vision for the future. Communities or neighborhoods need to learn how partner with institutions that can bring valuable resources into a community to further enhance that sense of sustainability. In other words, you need an integrative approach to building sustainable communities.

In our little corner of the world, we're at the threshold of a wonderful opportunity of reaping what we have sown (pun intended!). For the last 3 years neighborhood residents and newcomers have worked hard to bring new life back to the 'hood and we are starting to see results. The mayor and city government have made a commitment to bring much needed investment to the Eastside. With the coming implementation of the Promise Neighborhood grant and other initiatives that includes housing and safety enhancements, I can see where we are reaching a tipping point. Critical to all these trends coming together is sustainability. While we all must work carefully to change and improve our communities we  need to always keep in mind that the changes we seek are pointless if can't find a way to sustain them.

There's a lot you can learn from gardening if you're trying to change the world!

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."— Mahatma Gandhi

Built in a Day- Kaboom Playground

Over 200 community volunteers converged at the Ella Austin Community Center to build an inter-generational playground.  Primarily funded through a grant by Humana Healthcare with the support of United Way, the Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Association, Ella Austin CC,  the playground was designed by neighborhood kids and seniors from the community center. It was a great team effort as the playground emerged within 6 hours of starting construction. What a wonderful way to build and transform a community!

Mystery Solved

The historic street signs have been going up in the historic district for the last several weeks. But up until this weekend no one had actually seen any city crews installing the signs. The signs seemed to magically appear from one day to the next on different intersections in the neighborhood. Well, I finally spotted a crew installing some signs this weekend. I caught up with Mr Romo and Mr Gonzalez from the city's public works department working on the corner of Olive and Lamar. Looking good!

Alamo Brewery Proposal Gets the Nod

The neighborhood has spoken! The neighborhood association has officially taken a stance in supporting the proposed micro brewery concept next to the Hays Street Bridge. The city and our council woman have been standing on the sidelines and telling everyone that support from the neighborhood for the brewery was critical in moving forward. At this week's association meeting the members present voted to support the brewery rather than seeing another park come into the neighborhood. So the message has now been delivered!

How to Build Community

Turn off your TV- Leave your house
Know your neighbors - Look up when you are walking
Greet people -Sit on your stoop
Plant Flowers - Use your library Play together
Buy from local merchants -Share what you have
Help a lost dog -Take children to the park
Garden Together -Support Neighborhood Schools
Fix it even if you didn't break it
Have Pot Lucks- Honor Elders
Pick Up Litter - Read Stories Aloud
Dance in the Street- Talk to the Mail Carrier
Listen to the Birds -Put up a Swing
Help Carry Something Heavy -Barter For Your Goods
Start A Tradition- Ask A Question
Hire Young People for Odd Jobs- Organize a Block Party
Bake Extra and Share- Ask For Help When You Need It
Open Your Shades -Sing Together
Share Your Skills -Take Back the Night
Turn Up The Music -Turn Down The Music
Listen Before You react To Anger
Mediate A Conflict -Seek To Understand
Learn From New And Uncomfortable Angles
Know That No One is Silent Though Many Are Not Heard
Work To Change This

Source: Syracuse Cultural Workers Poster: How to Build Community

Eastside Sprout Community Garden

Check it out.....a new community garden will soon be turning soil and getting started in the neighborhood. The garden is called the Eastside Sprout and is located on the grounds of the Ella Austin Community Center. The garden is being made possible through a grant from GreenSpaces Alliances. This will be a great opportunity to partner with not only the Ella but with Bowden Elementary School. The gardeners are getting excited and hope to have fall garden started by August. You can find a link to the Eastside Sprout Blog on this page on the Links to Explore. The garden space is a blank palette at the moment but come this fall the garden will be blooming!

Education Reform: Dignowity Style

We live across the street from Bowden Elementary School. The school used to be named Robert E Lee but somewhere along the way the name of the school changed to honor Artemisia Bowden, who was an African-American educator and long time administrator for St. Phillip's College. I find the irony of the names for the school delicious but that's another story for another time.

The real story for today is that the neighborhood association has made a commitment to partner with Bowden with the goal of developing a tutoring and mentoring program for the next school year. The neighborhood association has formed an Educational Leadership Committee made up of neighborhood residents with a passion for education and gifts to give to Bowden in way of time and skills. Bowden's principal, vice principal, and teachers are all on board in seeing this come to fruition. The parents of Bowden will also be engaged because they will be key in ensuring success in the classroom for their kids.

This effort is timely given the shortsightedness of our state legislature in cutting funding for our schools. We need to find away to get back to the notion of a community school in which a neighborhood has a vested interest in the educational success of our children. Our effort may be small but we think its a great start to making a dent in improving educational outcomes.

Brewery or Park?

This is interesting.......all of sudden the area around the Hays Street Bridge has become the focal point of two competing and very different visions. On one hand we have Eugene Simor who owns Alamo Brewery Company. He has brought forth a proposal to build a brewery on city owned land adjacent to the historic Hays Street bridge. His vision is to have a brewery that is not only brewery production operation but a tourist destination as well complete with a rooftop brew haus.

On the other hand we have a proposal from the good folks that were responsible for pushing the restoration of the Hays Street Bridge to use a city owned tract of land adjacent to the bridge for a park, a skate board park to be specific.

Where it gets really interesting is that the city owned land is coveted by both Mr. Simor and the good folks that want a park. The city owned land was donated to the city by the Dawson family when the bridge restoration was completed with an apparent understanding that the land would be used for a park. Well, after some digging around I found out that there is no stipulation written into the city ordinance that accepted the donation that the land would be reserved to used for a park.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The idea of a brewery has some appeal because it could be a catalyst or spark in further revitalizing the neighborhood and bring much needed economic development to our corner of the world but there are some concerns from neighbors regarding traffic, noise and crowds in the area. On the other hand, a park would be nice, after all you can never have enough green spaces in the city but most likely would not generate any real economic development. What's a little mystifying is that the folks that are pushing for the park have yet to reach out to the residents and the neighborhood association...not good form! So the question is: does the community support an enterprise that could possibly spark a substantial wave of revitalization or do we go for a park that is dedicated to skateboarders?......Hmmmm.

Catching Up

Just trying to catch up since the last posting! I didn't realize it's been since Feb when we had the "big snow" that I've posted anything of worth!
Lots of stuff happening lately. We had some new sidewalks put in on Hays Street. Yeah.! It may sound a little trivial but I get excited when new concrete is poured!
The city has dollars for some capital improvements in our neighborhood and we want to spend those $$$$!
The historic street sign project was a success and we should have our signs in place this summer!
City elections are next week and it looks like our council woman will be serving another term. I just can't see how her opponent has a chance!
The San Antonio Independent School District Board elections are also on for next week. This should be interesting as the mayor has endorsed some of the candidates....hmmmm.
Met the nice folks that rehab the house on Nolan Street...nice job!!
Stay tuned as there are some interesting developments brewing for the neighborhood!

Lots of Stuff Happening

October always seems to get folks more active and interested in getting things done. The weather finally cools down and I know for myself I tend to feel more energized. Maybe it helped that we we spent 10 days in September driving along the rugged Oregon coast! That trip was just incredible and it helped put things into perspective. But its always good to come home, especially if you live in Dignowity Hill!
At our October neighborhood association meeting it was exciting to see the large number of folks that attended the meeting and who are interested in the many things that are happening in the neighborhood. Here are some of the things that are happening in the coming months:

• In early November the San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation together with the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Architecture will be doing a service project in the neighborhood. The project will involve over 200 student volunteers from UTSA to do minor repairs and painting on some of the houses in the neighborhood.
• At the October association meeting the director of Parks and Recreation made a commitment to work with the association to open up the Lockwood Park community building for neighborhood use. The building is a landmark in the park and has not been used for a number of years.
  
• At the association meeting we approved the statement purpose for our 501c3 application. This a great step forward in getting to a non-profit status for the association.
• The city will be doing a survey of our neighborhood sidewalks in the coming months. This is great news and is the first step in getting our sidewalks repaired!
• The Dignowity Hill Community Garden is flourishing and thriving under the watchful stewardship of some great volunteers.
• Restoration activity on some of the old houses in the neighborhood is ongoing and it's good see some of these old houses coming back to life!
  
• Maybe it's the cool weather but I have seen folks in the neighborhood tending their yards and sprucing things up....the neighborhood is looking good!

I'm sometimes taken aback by the many good things that have happen since we moved into Dignowity Hill in 2007 and we still have many challenges ahead of us...but I would not live anywhere else at this time in my life!

Can We Keep this Going?

This past Saturday we had a gathering of Dignowity Hill residents and city officials at the Carver Center to celebrate the completion of the ACTION (Advocacy to Combat Threats Impacting Our Neighborhoods) program in our neighborhood. The city's Neighborhood and Housing Dept organized the ACTION program as part of the Eastside revitalization initiatives to improve and address quality of life issues. Dignowity was chosen as the pilot neighborhood. It was a relatively successful program which brought together code compliance, animal services and waste management services to the neighborhood in a concentrated focus. One statistic that really struck me was that in 4 months almost 9 tons of trash and brush were picked up in the neighborhood. So far since the beginning of the year when the quality of life initiative for the Eastside was started in February over 180 tons of trash and brush have been pick up. That's pretty impressive but when compared to 2009 when only 6 tons of brush/trash were picked up in all of District 2, I have to wonder what happened in 2009!

Well, I don't want to dwell on the past, obviously not much was being done. So moving forward can this effort be sustained? The only way we can happen is by residents proactively in engaging code compliance and other services and by city departments being actively responsive to our needs. Otherwise, we will surely slip back to old habits.