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The revitalization of neighborhood councils in Independence continues.
This time, it’s Bristol Neighborhood No. 3 – still somewhat intact – that is becoming active again within the 41-year-old nonprofit corporation, Independence Plan for Neighborhood Councils.
At its inception, the Neighborhood Councils included 42 organized neighborhoods across the city. The program received national and international recognition at its height, but in recent years, the number of active councils dwindled to just a handful.
Last September, Russell Hunt, president of the Council of Presidents, oversaw the revitalization of Santa Fe Neighborhood No. 17, which is now under the leadership of Sara Hosman.
Starting Feb. 16, Bristol will aim to join the ranks of the active Santa Fe, Bundschu, McCoy and Rock Creek South neighborhood councils. Bristol residents are invited to a meeting that day at 7 p.m. at Maywood Baptist Church, 10505 E. Winner Road. Bristol last had its newsletter published in 2009, which is about when the last neighborhood council meeting took place.
The neighborhood still has a vice president and a treasurer on its board and some funding is still in its account, Hunt said. In northwestern Independence, Bristol is bounded by G. M. & O. Railroad on the south and west, Sterling Avenue on the east and Truman Road on the north. It includes the Englewood Business Association and the newly formed Englewood Arts District.
“This is kind of an exceptional neighborhood,” Hunt said. “Since the neighborhood council is somewhat intact and there is a remnant of it left, I’m going in as an acting president.”
Next week, Bristol’s first newsletter in nearly three years will go out to about 1,100 homes, inviting all residents to attend the Feb. 16 meeting. An election committee chairman will be selected soon to preside over the voting for additional board members, including a secretary and a president.
“From that point, once the elections are held, the neighborhood council operates on its own,” Hunt said.
Randall Neighborhood No. 34, which once boasted the youngest member ever elected as its president (Tom Benson, then age 16), also is in the works of reactivating, Hunt said. Encompassing northeastern Independence in the Susquehanna area, Randall will be the largest neighborhood council with more than 1,700 households.
Following Randall, Benton No. 23 and Procter No. 10 councils will be reactivated, Hunt said. Other residents who want to reactivate their neighborhood council are welcome to contact Hunt (visit www.ipnc.us for more information) to follow the seven-step plan approved by the Council of Presidents.
The revitalization of neighborhood councils in Independence continues.
This time, it’s Bristol Neighborhood No. 3 – still somewhat intact – that is becoming active again within the 41-year-old nonprofit corporation, Independence Plan for Neighborhood Councils.
At its inception, the Neighborhood Councils included 42 organized neighborhoods across the city. The program received national and international recognition at its height, but in recent years, the number of active councils dwindled to just a handful.
Last September, Russell Hunt, president of the Council of Presidents, oversaw the revitalization of Santa Fe Neighborhood No. 17, which is now under the leadership of Sara Hosman.
Starting Feb. 16, Bristol will aim to join the ranks of the active Santa Fe, Bundschu, McCoy and Rock Creek South neighborhood councils. Bristol residents are invited to a meeting that day at 7 p.m. at Maywood Baptist Church, 10505 E. Winner Road. Bristol last had its newsletter published in 2009, which is about when the last neighborhood council meeting took place.
The neighborhood still has a vice president and a treasurer on its board and some funding is still in its account, Hunt said. In northwestern Independence, Bristol is bounded by G. M. & O. Railroad on the south and west, Sterling Avenue on the east and Truman Road on the north. It includes the Englewood Business Association and the newly formed Englewood Arts District.
“This is kind of an exceptional neighborhood,” Hunt said. “Since the neighborhood council is somewhat intact and there is a remnant of it left, I’m going in as an acting president.”
Next week, Bristol’s first newsletter in nearly three years will go out to about 1,100 homes, inviting all residents to attend the Feb. 16 meeting. An election committee chairman will be selected soon to preside over the voting for additional board members, including a secretary and a president.
“From that point, once the elections are held, the neighborhood council operates on its own,” Hunt said.
Randall Neighborhood No. 34, which once boasted the youngest member ever elected as its president (Tom Benson, then age 16), also is in the works of reactivating, Hunt said. Encompassing northeastern Independence in the Susquehanna area, Randall will be the largest neighborhood council with more than 1,700 households.
Following Randall, Benton No. 23 and Procter No. 10 councils will be reactivated, Hunt said. Other residents who want to reactivate their neighborhood council are welcome to contact Hunt (visit www.ipnc.us for more information) to follow the seven-step plan approved by the Council of Presidents.
As he did upon his election in mid-2011, Hunt said he wants to stress that the Neighborhood Councils are not a homeowners association or a religious organization. Involvement is open to all residents, regardless of whether they own or rent their home.
“We certainly welcome everybody – it’s a community organization,” Hunt said. “We really want to put our hand out for the community in an open-arms kind of way.”
In reactivating the councils, he said, the biggest challenge is in keeping up with the opportunities available to Independence residents, whether it’s at the city government level or within other nonprofit organizations.
“There seems to be a spirit of cooperation across the city with other organizations,” Hunt said. “It’s very interesting, and it seems like things seem to be opening up. The effort is in keeping up with the opportunities that are out there with Neighborhood Councils and other organizations that are out there. People are very helpful and very open to cooperating with each other.”
