Median renovations taking shape

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

Not only has the New Year come, but it's flying past as well. The historic snow falls have given all of us new images of our streets and yards and, for some, a deeper longing for spring and summer to get here.

The University Hills Civic Association board has been busy planning and discussing the beautification of the medians that front our neighborhood; and I, for one, am eager to start making some real progress.

We have decided to stage the development into three phases and are currently working with city-parish officials to assist us. (See details of the project below.)

Phase One involves planting hedges along the edges of the medians, installing bollards to restrict the ability of vehicles to drive across them, and extending irrigation to the front median.

We have asked both our Metro Councilman Smokie Bourgeois and EBR assistant director of Public Works David Guillory to assist us in getting this work started. It is our intention to break ground and start planting in March. This will be a cooperative project between the city-parish and our civic association. I believe that we will require unskilled labor to complete this project; and I intend to ask for your help as it is needed.

We'll have more details about this project as they become available. The UHCA Web site remains the best place to find out what is going on around here and our e-mail list allows the Association to keep in contact with the members.

In matters financial, the board has made several decisions that affect our association.

We are utilizing money from our bank account to purchase plants and supplies for the median renovations and have increased the annual dues from $35 to $45 to facilitate the renovation.

We decided to end the contract that we had to maintain the front garden bed and now have neighborhood resident Marshall Watts do that task.

Last year, just under a hundred families joined the Association. We hope that they will renew their membership and that others will take this opportunity to support our neighborhood. Please spread the word!

I encourage you to take the time to join the Association. There are two easy ways to do that:

1. follow the link on this Web site and use PayPal to conveniently make the payment
2. drop a check in the mailbox of our treasurer, Rob. His address is 345 Centenary

I want to take this opportunity to thank George Daniels. George has served as secretary and board member of the University Hills Civic Association for as long as anyone can recall. Due to his failing health, he tendered his resignation earlier this year. We thank him for his service and wish him all the best.

Regards,

Christopher Liddy
President
417 Delgado

PS: Make universityhills70808.net your home page. That way you can follow our progress and keep up-to-date about your civic association and your community.

New plans for median renovations unveiled

The University Hills Civic Association board of directors last month set aside $5000 to get the Delgado Drive median renovations started, subject to approval by the city-parish. The objective of the renovations will be to beautify the median and to protect it from vehicular intrusions.

Landscape architect Bill Reich has come up with a new plan that is a variation on his original plan "D" that incorporates your suggestions. (For information of the development of this plan and previous versions of the design, see the Your Thoughts page of this Web site.)

The renovations will be conducted in phases as additional funds became available. These initial funds appropriated by the board will buy shrubs for the border and whatever other plants and trees that can be afforded from the remaining monies. The following phases of development (described below) are subject to rearrangement or modification as assistance from the city-parish and individuals and other organizations become available. We will also seek additional funding from various sources to complete the project. These funds may come from individuals in the neighborhood and from grants, both public and private.

NOTE: Each median section is approximately 250 feet in length.

We have identified shrubs and trees that we anticipate using (see notes at end). They are subject to change, however, depending on the source, cost (free or paid), and city-parish restrictions.

PHASE 1. Vehicle Traffic Restriction and Preparation for Future Work

Consult with city-parish to:

• Determine restrictions on the work
• Arrange for, and determine details of, water and irrigation installation and assistance
• Identify specific items (materials and/or labor) the city-parish will provide
• Set a schedule for coordinating the neighborhood's efforts with those of the city-parish
• Determine how to best partition the portion of the front median where utility trucks (primarily phone and cable) need access (see utility screening on drawing)

Objectives of PHASE 1

Clearing — Remove undesirable trash, dead or dying trees and shrubs, particularly the old, decaying ligustrums close to Highland Road, the sprouting remains of a tree removed earlier, and other dying or dead plants.

Shrubs — Prepare beds to plant approximately 800 feet of shrubs to provide borders four feet from street (Delgado Dr). Plant 200 shrubs

Bollards — Install sufficient interconnected bollards to protect the young shrubs and provide added deterrent to vehicular traffic (spacing, number, and interconnection to be determined during meeting with city-parish representative).

Gravel edging — Install 4’ gravel edging between street and shrubs to provide a pedestrian walkway and minimize tire damage to the median.

PHASE 2. Expanded shrubbery and tree planting

Funding — Seek funding from residents and other potential sources.

Trees — Identify, purchase and plant trees, using drawing as a guide: large, medium, evergreen, and small flowering.

Shrubs around telephone equipment structure — Identify, purchase, and plant shrubs to complement previous work and provide utility screening.

PHASE 3. Structural and Pedestrian Components

Preliminary: Obtain cost estimates and identify potential funding sources for remaining items:

• Sign structure with seating at entrance.
• Circular bench seating around John LaPlante memorial oak
• Covered bus stop upgrading or refurbishing
• Concrete walkways in middle of front median
• Pedestrian lighting

Types of shrubs and trees to be planted:

(The plants on this list are only suggestions and may be replaced by others available from or required by the city-parish.)

• Little gem magnolia
• Crepe myrtle
• Leland cypress
• Japanese magnolia
• Pistachio
• Loropetalum
• Holly of Japanese blueberry
• Holly shrub
• Ilex
• Hawthorne
• Eastern red bud
• Red bud forest pansy

On Monday, February 22, representatives of the board and Bill Reich met with Metro Councilman Smokie Bourgeois and EBR assistant director of Public Works David Guillory. Mr. Guillory said that the city-parish would plant the shrubs that the civic association will purchase. The city-parish will also extend the irrigation in the front median along the length of the median and install bollards that the civic association will also purchase. Mr. Guillory will research whether the city-parish will be able to supply gravel to line the edges of the medians.

We are also working with Baton Rouge Green on acquiring trees at the discount prices that it has available to it.

We'll be reporting more news here about this project as it develops. If you have suggestions or comments about the beautification, send an e-mail to:
your_thoughts@universityhills70808.net. We'll post those comments on the Your Thoughts page.

2009 Association annual meeting

The Civic Association held its once-rain-delayed annual meeting on Sunday, May 31. The meeting took place on the Delgado Drive median at 5 PM. (An attempt to meet on May 3 was called because of thunderstorms. Yes, it actually rained within the past two months.)

Association president Chris Liddy gave a report on the Association's activities during the past year. Treasurer Rob Canzonire gave his financial report, explaining how dues were spent and saying that about 70 residents had paid dues for this year, in contrast to the 116 who paid last year.

The next order of business was the election of new board members. Paul Bell and Tracy Molidor were elected to the two new board seats, bringing the total board membership to nine. Robert Canzonire, George Daniels and Erick Swenson were re-elected without opposition. Those elected at the meeting will serve two-year terms. The terms of the four other board members will expire next year. (For a listing of board members with their terms can be found here. The board met June 15 to elect officers. See story below.)

After the elections, landscape architect, Bill Reich presented his plans for Delgado Drive median beautification and answered questions from the assembled Association members. The "D" option for the front median had narrowly beaten the "A" option in an opinion poll on this Web site. Later this month, the board will discuss possible city-parish assistance in the project with EBR director of Landscaping and Forestry, Steve Shurtz. Although the civic association maintains the median, it is city-parish property. The city-parish donated the live oak that was planted last year in memory of the late John LaPlante who was an association president.

Board member and Zoning Committee chair Bob Benedict reported on progress concerning abandoned properties, in particular 4665 Tulane Drive that was demolished by the city-parish recently and 4615 Tulane Drive (at the corner of Tulane and Delgado Drives) which has since been remedied. Bob also passed out a written report to go along with his discussion.

Zoning Committee member, Tommy Watts, discussed problems with rental properties and possible remedies. (If you're interested in working on the Zoning Committee, contact Bob at zoning@universityhills70808.net.)

[Complete annual meeting minutes and the treasurer's report are available on the Reports page of this Web site.]

New Association officers elected

The board of the University Hills Civic Association met June 15 to elect officers for 2009-10 and conduct other business. The new and returning officers are:

• President: Chris Liddy, who was re-elected to that office
• Vice-president: Bob Benedict, who replaces Michelle Spielman in that office
• Secretary: Michelle Spielman, who replaces George Daniels
• Treasurer: Rob Canzonire, who was re-elected to that office

Thanks to those who served in 2008-9.

Further information on the board meeting is available on the Reports page.

Editor's note: Sometimes, because of space and clutter considerations, the navigation on a Web site can be slightly cryptic. What does How To mean? What are Resources? Actually, they can mean what you want them to mean. If you know how to do something that others in the community can benefit from, then let us know and we'll put it on the site. Have a product or service that your company sells? Then that can be a resource. We encourage Civic Association members to patronize other members' places of business.

Are you a teenager who is looking for lawn mowing work or babysitting? Let us know and we'll post that on the site. Want to volunteer to help elderly neighbors? We can facilitate your finding neighbors in need. Know a good handyman? Recommend him to the community.

That's what this site is for. You.

If you're really stumped about what a button means, hold your mouse over the button to see a further description of the contents of the page.

And, if we need other buttons, that's OK. Buttons are cheap.