Good Day in the Neighborhood

Had a good day today. The sun finally broke through and the rain has gone away, at least for awhile. Our good friends Jeanine and Gordon dropped by and we spent the afternoon exploring the neighborhood together. We went by visited James Hendricks' studio and got to see some of his creations. Stopped by 724 Nolan, what a great old house! The house is being restored and the workers let us go inside and see the work in progress. It was built in 1885 and has some wonderful balconies and even a basement! Walked over to the Hays Street Bridge. The rehab of the old bridge is really taking shape now. Some of the lights are in and the approaches are complete. It was good to see lots of folks out and about in the neighborhood. After what seemed like an eternity of gloomy and rainy days it was good to take a walk in the neighborhood.

Winter Doldrums

It's been a while since the last post. The neighborhood seems to be in a winter doldrums of sorts, although, there's lots of things happening in and around the community. It's been pretty wet with unusually cooler temps this winter than normal. I haven't been able to garden much this winter....the ground does not get enough time to dry out before the next rain comes along. But things are looking up. The weather is suppose to dry up bit for the next week or so. The planning for Pushcart Derby has started. I was invited to meet with the organizers of the derby this past week. Our council woman has committed to having an entry in this year's race! I can't wait to see that cart!

The community garden continues to make progress, although, the weather has affected some of the work still needed to be done, like tilling and completing the raised beds! There's lots of enthusiasm being generated with the garden so I think it will be a great success once the ground dries up enough.

Man, I can't wait for some warmer weather but I shouldn't complain. The folks on the East coast were hammer this week with 2 big snow storms and up the road in the Dallas/FT Worth area, they've also gotten a good amount of snow. So I suppose like everything in life, it's a matter of perspective....but I still can't wait for warmer weather!

MLK Day

Today is MLK day. Living on the Eastside of San Antonio, the day is a powerful reminder of both the progress we've made and the unfished work that remains to be done in regards to justice, race relations and economic equity. Growing up on the Westside of San Antonio in the 60's, I was somewhat removed and insulated from the civil rights movement. I only knew what I saw on TV and did not necessarily appreciate the passion for justice and equality that the African-American community was fighting for in those days. Today I believe that Dr. King's legacy and dream has had a profound effect on all of us. Respect and dignity in our everyday interactions with each other, regardless of skin color or ethnicity, can only lead to a better world.
Much has been accomplished since Dr. King first laid out a vision of justice that is inclusive of all, much still needs to be done.

More Than Talk.

It's been a over a week since the Eastside economic summit was held at Sam Houston High School. More than 400 people attended which speak volumes for the importance and the critical need to make progress in bringing investment and economic development to the Eastside. This was the first of three "summits" that will identify and hopefully begin the process of changing the economic landscape on our side of town. There is plenty of hope that this time things will be different mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Too much history of failed promises linger in the minds of many Eastsiders. Once all the talk is concluded things need to happen in the form of launching a projects that will generate sustained economic growth, bring jobs to the Eastside as well as investing dollars in our neighborhoods in the form of incentives for homeowners to restore or rehab their houses.
At this point more than talk is needed.

Progress

Back in November I wrote about the sad state of disrepair of one of our grand old houses in the neighborhood. The house, which was built in 1885 and is located on the corner of N Olive and Nolan, had been literally falling apart for several years.
Well, finally some progress! A couple weeks ago clean up and repair of the house was started. There is larger dumpster in the backyard that is being fill and the damaged second story balcony on the house has been taken down. A crew of workers has been busy on making the structure safer and hopefully, the work will lead to a full restoration of the house.
How do you eat elephant? Answer: one bite at a time. How do you revitalize a neighborhood? Answer: one house at a time.

Stirring the Pot

The mayor and our council person are hosting an Eastside Economic and Reinvestment Summit the second week in January. This is a great way to get folks together from the community to brainstorm and prioritize on how to bring businesses and investment into the Eastside. We don't need any more plans on what needs to happen on the Eastside. This is an opportunity to really stir the pot to get things going in terms of how to bring dollars and perhaps some incentives to the Eastside. There is much to be accomplished in regards to business development for this community.
Eastside Economic and Reinvestment Summit
Sam Houston High School
830am to 430pm

Dignowity Hill Community Garden

A community garden has sprouted in the neighborhood! Located at 624 Nolan, the garden is beginning to take shape as volunteers have been busy planning and laying out garden beds over the last few weeks. The garden is being made possible through a Green Spaces Alliance grant and the generosity of the Catholic Worker House Organization, who has agreed to lend the property behind one of their houses for the garden. A number of Dignowity Hill residents and folks associated with the Catholic Worker House have volunteered to serve on a planning and steering committee. On Saturday January 2, 2010 a group of volunteers met to start digging holes for some of the fruit trees that will be going in. Check it out out next time you happen to be driving or passing through our neighborhood. By this summer the garden should be producing a healthy bounty!