SouthSide Cowart Place Neighborhood Meeting OCT 13

Our next SSCP meeting on Oct.13th at 6:00 will be at NIKO'S.  The manager said we can have a room in the back on the first floor.

The party committee met last Friday.  The neighborhood potluck will be held Sat.,Nov.5th with a 6:00pm start time.  It will be held in the alley behind Angela's and Myra's townhouses.  We are to bring a dish to pass and our beverages.  Angela and Myra will get the tables together.  If it rains, the plan is to use the carports.  We are making a flyer which will be delivered two weeks before the event.  I am trying to get some beer donated.  Cups, plates and plastic flatware will be provided.  We need to put an agenda item to vote to spend $85 for a port-a-toilet. at our Oct.13th meeting.  

City Share: Code for America

City Share: Code for America 

featuring guest speaker: Jennifer Pahlka

Please join us on Wednesday, September 28th for City Share. 

City Share is a conversation-based speaker series focused on sharing creative solutions to community issues. City Share gives community members an opportunity to dialogue with individuals from around the country using web-based video projection.

Jennifer Pahlka is the founder and executive director of Code for America. The New York Times describes Code for America as "a new nonprofit project...which aims to import the efficiency of the Web into government infrastructures" and tries "to make working in government fun and creative."

For the past year, Code for America has connected the talents of cutting-edge web developers with the people who deliver public services in the cities of Seattle, Boston, & Philadelphia. The City of Seattle and Code for America, are working together to make it easier for civic leaders to mobilize their communities. In Boston, they are improving high school education by connecting the community.The City of Philadelphia has partnered with Code for America to help citizens get involved to support public services. 

Fundamentally, it's all about using emerging digital platforms and technologies to unleash the power (and the inherent need) for citizens and stakeholders to act smarter and more effectively together.

Prior to her work with Code for America, Jennifer Pahlka ran the Web 2.0 and Gov 2.0 events for TechWeb, in conjunction with O'Reilly Media, and co-chaired the successful Web 2.0 Expo.

Please join us for this enlightening presentation from 12-1 pm on Wednesday, September 28th at Createhere.

City Share is free and open to the public.

Lunch will be provided.  

Please RSVP to teal@chattanoogastand.com.

For more on this event, please visit our site.

Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns - Volunteers needed.

Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center

Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns       

SAVE THE DATE!

MANY FUN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE 

Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16, 2011, the Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center will host the 12th annual Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns.  This old-fashioned family event is a Chattanooga tradition for many.  The event features pumpkin carving, hayrides, petting zoo, pony rides, bonfire, live music, games, storytelling, and an outdoor showing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.”   

Volunteers are needed to assist with the festival set up, games, concessions, hayrides, pumpkin carving, parking and much more!   

WHEN:

October 14 (set-up) - 10:00 am until 4:00 pm 

October 15, 2011 - 10:00 am until 9:30 pm

October 16, 2011 - 11:00 am until 7:00 pm

October 17, 2011 (clean up) - 9:00 am until 2:00 pm 

WHERE: 

Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center

400 Garden Road

Chattanooga, Tennessee  37419

(423) 821-1160, extension 105 

We are currently looking for volunteers to commit to helping out at this event.  The perks of being a volunteer can SAVE YOU MONEY.  Every volunteer gets into the event free AND gets to bring one friend in for free – what a great way to volunteer and spend time with a friend.  You will also receive food and drinks while volunteering and get $10 off a Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center membership. 

For more information or to sign up, please contact Mary Katherine at mkatharper@yahoo.com or mkharper@chattanature.org.  

Through environmental education the Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center empowers individuals with an ethic of stewardship and informed decision-making to affect human impact on native wildlife and the land upon which it depends.

SouthSide Crime Watch Meeting.. Sept 12th.

Monday 9/12 at Townsend Altier at 630-830pm

The address is 201 W Main St, it's on the back side of the storage
bldg located on the NW corner of Main and Williams, several doors to
the left of Camp House.

All Block Captains should attend.. for Cowart Place, Ft. Negley, and Jefferson Heights neighborhoods.  This will be where we decide whether to have a single watch organization or divide up by neighborhoods, form organizational structure to manage interface with the city, police and other organizations.

Additionally, Andre McGrary and Officer Wayne Jefferson have been (or will be) invited. 

Please, if you have ideas regarding communications and forming partnerships to help us strenghten our neighborhood, attend.

A map of block captains has been generated for Cowart Place.  If a similar map is being developed for Ft Negley and Jefferson Heights.. please bring it to the meeting.

Thanks
Mary

Hello South Side Crime Busters (August 30, 2011)

August 30, 2011

Hello South Side Crime Busters,

Or, so I have dubbed all those that came to the meeting at Planet Altered. Here are the highlights I captured from the neighborhood security meeting held August 25, 2011 with Sargent Craig Joel as our guest speaker. Joel’s one liners are classic!

Big thanks to Julie Harris who dropped by with some samples of pepper spray. She is going to follow up and check that the % is adequate potency as it was difficult to tell from the packaging.

Please find Mary Eubanks notes below mine which have additional information.

• “Empower yourself! You have property rights, store owner rights and human rights.” – Sgt. Joel
• “You do not have to welcome everyone into your stores.” – Sgt. Joel
• “As distance decreases, danger increases.” - Sgt. Joel Pepper spray is recommended, the highest per-cent of Oleoresin Capsicum available up to 10% with a long shooting range.
• “Criminals don’t act reasonably and have no concern for your property; a civilized mentality does not apply.” – Sgt. Joel
• “Don’t create an invitation for crime and keep your area well lit, cockroaches don’t like bright lights.” – Sgt. Joel
• “If you are accosted, focus on being a witness, starting from the head down. Note the color of hair, cap, tattoos, earrings, piercings, clothing and colors of clothing. Note height, weight and any unusual characteristics. Close your eyes and remember then write it down” – Sgt. Joel
• Report graffiti and post no-loitering signs. Lettering on signs must be a minimum of 2 inches tall. Signs must be posted for the police to take action.
• There are 42 documented gangs in the city.
• Call the police if you see suspect activity.

Notes from Mary Eubanks

Non-Emergency number - 698-2525 - goes to dispatch

Tagging on street signs, photograph, locate and call 311 to report.
Tagging / graffiti on building (especially absentee owner buildings) call 311 to report and request City Code Inspection.

Existing Street / alley lights - Identify pole # and call 311 or EPB

Blocking of sidewalks is a violation, call non-emergency number? or 311? if this is a repeating event. Photograph offenders at each opportunity.

Document with Photos all incidents using smart phone with SeeClickFix.com app and web page (available for android, iOS, Blackberry)
(open to suggestions for alternate tools).

To give police the authority to move along vagrants etc in private lots or drives, post "no loitering" and "no trespassing" signs with TWO inch letters prominently.

Pepper spray is probably the best option for home and business owners to have at hand. Look for 10% Oleoresin Capsicum Possibly with dye. Organize sign up for bulk purchase with associations.

Contacts:
Corliss Cooper (main st south) 643-5434 Cooper_c@chattanooga.gov
Eric Tucker (main st north) 643-5124 Tucker_eric@chatttanooga.gov
Captain Jeff Francis (sector captain ) 643-5042 Francis_Jeff@Chattanooga.gov

Budget discussion - See city council members. Posting on proposals at Chattarati.com antd Chattanooga.gov

Email Contacts Update

If you are suppose to be getting the Association emails and are not recieving them. Please send an email to sscowart@gmail.com with subject - Update my email.. and I'll work on it. You may receive a reply to sign up for the mailing list at the correct email. I'm not able to manually update the list any more.

Or you can enter you email below.  It should send you a confirmation back to verify susbscription. If not, follow up with email like above.

Subscribe to SSCowart Neighborhood Association

Email:

Southside Safety Meeting - August 25, 6PM Planet Altered

Thanks to all who attended the meeting... If you are interested in joining one of the neighborhood associations, please email us at SSCowart@gmail.com or the other associations (I'll add emails when I get them.)
Also, I will be posting notes from the meeting after they've gone out to those who attended.

Hello Friends,

Given the recent crime wave in our backyard, I have invited Officer Craig Joel to Planet Altered on Thursday, August 25, 6:00 p.m. for a neighborhood awareness chat. He will connect us with our local police officers so they can be aware of the issues on their beat and help us learn the most effective way to deal with various types of crime in our shops and homes.

It will be an informal gathering and there will be time for questions. Please RSVP so I can set up chairs and make some coffee.

Yours in safety,

Jean and Linda
Planet Altered