The Empowerment Congress Southwest Area Neighborhood Development Council focused our outreach and community involvement efforts this year on reaching the community through our top notch Jazz Festival which packed out St. Andrews Park in July. We continue to focus on community issues and invite you to join us as we work to make our community safe, quiet, and beautiful. Come to a Board Meeting on the first Monday of the month, join a committee, and stay in touch online.
The Empowerment Congress Southwest Area Neighborhood Development Council focused our outreach and community involvement efforts this year on reaching the community through our top notch Jazz Festival which packed out St. Andrews Park on July 2. It was a wonderful day where the community came together as one and enjoyed the music, great food and local vendors. The Council met neighbors before and during the event, heard about community issues, and invited folks to get involved to solve concerns about airplane noise, traffic and more.
At the end of the year we partnered with City Council President Herb Wesson to provide free bikes for needy children in our community to brighten their holiday.
We continue to evaluate how we can make our meetings most accessible to the community so people will feel comfortable coming and getting involved.
Our outreach takes many forms so that we can reach you where you are. With our user friendly website you can access our meeting information past and present at any time along with community events you may want to attend and learn about our accomplishments and ongoing efforts. We send out our email newsletters several times a month and ask you to invite your friends to sign up for these informative emails. Also, we invite you to join our community conversation on facebook.com/ECSWANDC/
We continue to focus on community issues:
- Held a Town Hall on Airplane Noise in November to provide residents with information on how to take action to reduce airplane noise. Our Airport Ad Hoc Committee recommended bringing concerns to our congressional representatives and noted that decibel levels in our area register just below the point to qualify for mitigation efforts.
- Worked with Ralphs on their store remodel plans and created a forum for them to hear community input at our meeting. Celebrated the grand reopening at the ribbon cutting in May.
- Supported expanding the Pete Brown Tennis Program with funding of $2,000 for equipment.
- Our Ad Hoc Homeless Committee has investigated available services for the homeless, sought to expand their availability and publicized opportunities
- We just created a Medical Marijuana Ad Hoc Committee to address concerns about illegal dispensaries.
- Participated in Vision Zero sessions to provide input on plans for Western and Florence
- Provided the community with information about options for the Vermont Transit Corridor funded by Measure M.
This year we invite you to join us as we work to make our community safe, quiet, and beautiful. Come to a Board Meeting on the first Monday of the month, join a committee, and stay in touch online.
