1. 1st Place - $75 - Don Hawkins, 930 NW 19th
2. 2nd Place - $50 - Henry and Mary Williams, 916 NW 19th
3. 3rd Place - $35 - Lora Lee Laird, 904 NW 18th

If you didn't have a chance to throw on your tire chains and see the holiday lights this year, be sure to check them out next year!

We had results for the Halloween Decorating Contest too, though they didn't make the newsletter deadline. A lot of folks remarked on the large number of trick-or-treaters they had this year, and I'm happy to report that Mesta Park put on a good show with quite a few homes all spooked out for Halloween. The 2009 Halloween Decorating Contest winners are:

1. 1st Place - $70 - Afton and Tina Gille, 1013 NW 18th
2. 2nd Place - $40 - Lora Lee Laird, 904 NW 18th
3. 3rd Place - $30 - Terry Doneti, 610 NW 22nd

Don't forget that Yard of the Month is just around the corner in May!

Full details can now be found here on the Home Tour webpage.

If you are available to volunteer and help with the tour, please email Cassie Niemann at hometour@mestapark.org.

Do you have an alley that is in need of some TLC? Well step right up! The City of OKC is offering to all neighborhood associations an opportunity to rid their common areas of litter and overgrowth free of charge!

The city's Solid Waste Management Division will provide neighborhoods with one 30 cubic yard trash container and will pay the disposal costs for whatever is collected. Neighborhoods must provide volunteers to do the clean-up. The program began the first Saturday in April and runs through the last Saturday of September. Each association may have one Saturday Morning Sweep per calendar year. Regular bulk waste rules apply and no hazardous materials will be collected. If you are interested in coordinating this effort, please e-mail president@mestapark.org!

This is the perfect time to be visiting home centers and nurseries to plan replacements for shrubs that didn't make it through the winter, a new tree for the yard (as in our case) or beautiful new flowers you've been wanting to add to your landscape. Mesta Park is beautiful any time of the year, but Spring and Summer are great opportunities for us to showcase our wonderful homes. GOOD LUCK!

As we ring in the New Year and return to the hustle and bustle of everyday life that the season’s holidays seem to suspend, we must not forget last December’s Holiday Home Tour. I know I certainly haven’t! The 2008 Home Tourreiterated that age-old mantra that says ‘It takes a village’, and certainly it did!

First, Suan Grant and I would like to say thank you so much to each of you who made our home tour such a grand success! There are so many things that so many people do to make this happen each year which really make the tour quite the event to watch unfold. We are grateful to the homeowners, Tim Lyons, Tracey & Andy Zeeck, Mick Shirron & Don Hawkins, Lori Wrotenbery, Jennifer & Steve Ryan, Summer & Don Steele, and Jim Pickens, who put hours, days, weeks, and even years, into making their homes beautiful for the tour. We heard many compliments about each of your homes and hope that each of you feels some gratification for your work. Thank you to the House Captains, Michael Khoury, Mary Jane Southwick, Lisa Escalon, Claudia Conner, Mary Schneeberger, J.B. Schuelein, and Gary Jones, for all of your work in coordinating the volunteers who staffed the houses. You truly did a great job representing the neighborhood and greeting all of our visitors!

Thank you to Al McAffrey, Tiffany Davis, Jackie Johnson, Mary Schneeberger, and Claudia Conner for hosting and coordinating the cocktail party. It was a wonderful evening with great friends, food, and drinks, and it helped turn quite a profit for the home tour!

There is also some behind-the-scenes work that deserves acknowledgement. Paul Wilkes and the staff at Red House redesigned all of the print materials and delivered a newly refreshed home tour logo that perfectly reflects both the modern and traditional nuances of our little village. Thank you to Dana & Mike Templeton for donating the luminaries, and thanks to Dana T. and Dana & Harry Meister for putting them together and setting them up at each of the homes. They added just the right amount of ambiance to the Saturday evening tour. Karen Zimmer spent a lot of time working on our postcard database both before and after the tour, helping to rebuild our list from previous years and making sure we increase our outreach for next year. Dan Connally researched all of the home histories and drafted each story for the program. Gary Jones did a wonderful job of making sure we had a yummy and delightful refreshment stop. Houda Moussa, Janice Menser, and Loralee Laird baked hundreds of cookies that Vinyard Foods donated. Jackie Johnson led poster distribution, and Mary Schneeberger coordinated the ticket outlets. Thank you also to Mike Menser for leading the clean-up efforts and to Michael Khoury for drafting the home renderings. There are so many more of you that donated your time to staff the houses and helped in ways that we may not know. You all have our sincere gratitude.

Lastly, we must thank our media partners who promoted our event: Downtown Monthly, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma Magazine, The Journal Record, and KFOR TV.

We also want to extend our gratitude to our sponsors without whom we could not launch this event: AT&T, American Fidelity, Bank of Oklahoma, Crescent Market, Design Resources, Homeland, St. Anthony Hospital, and Western Lawns. It is so wonderful to have their partnership in the many beautification projects that our neighborhood undertakes. We also had many wonderful advertisers whose donations help drive our revenue. Redbud Floral in Norman, Floral & Hardy, Brandt’s Flowers, New Leaf Floral, Dulaney Flowers, Granada Floral, and OKC Florist each provided beautiful floral decorations to the tour homes. Food donors did a fabulous job by providing delicious food at the cocktail party: Bin 73, Paseo Grill, Prarie Gypsies, Prohibition Room, Tom & Jerry’s, and Vinyard Foods, along with Dick Sias who provided the Joulian wine and Freeman’s Liquor who donated the keg of beer.

If you get the chance, please let these businesses and individuals know how grateful we are for their continued support. And as much as a ‘good neighbor is a great blessing’, so are our community friends and partners who help make this event happen every year!

Thanks to a last minute effort just days before the December 31st grant deadline, Mesta Park’s Endowment Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation (OCCF) has increased by $10,000. Many of our neighbors contributed to the cause, donating a total of $5,000 to the John Kirkpatrick Centennial Endowment Challenge offered by OCCF earlier this year. The Kirkpatrick Family Fund then matched our collections with $5,000, for a total increase of $10,000!

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation and Kirkpatrick Family Fund offered the John Kirkpatrick Centennial Endowment Challenge “in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Mr. Kirkpatrick’s birth. In 1979, Mr. Kirkpatrick organized the first of seven ‘Kirkpatrick Challenges’ through which he would match contributions as a way to increase organizations’ endowments and to attract new donors. These match challenges would become a hallmark of his philanthropy.”

The Mesta Park Endowment Fund was established approximately four years ago in order to provide a permanent source of income for the neighborhood. We receive 5% per year on our endowment fund balance, which now stands at over $60,000, and this will continue in perpetuity! The larger the balance, the more income we generate each year, so it stands to reason that we should donate to the fund whenever we can.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO DONATE! Although the matching grant has expired, you can still contribute to the MP Endowment Fund by sending a check to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1146, Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1146. Please specify on the memo line of your check that you are donating to the Mesta Park Endowment Fund. You can also make a donation online with a major credit card by visiting OCCF’s secure website at www.occf.org/donate.

Many thanks to all of you who contributed to this worthy and lasting cause! Generations of future Mesta Parkers will thank us for having the foresight to establish this fund and for ensuring that Mesta Park continues to stand out as a beautiful and thriving community.

As I am sure many of you have noticed, Graffiti has become quite a problem in our area. This is especially true on NW 23rd St. This type of vandalism hurts the beauty of our area, decreases property values, and makesvisitors think we don't care about our neighborhood. We can't control the many run-down businesses on 23rd St, but we don't have to settle for this vandalism that advertises our neighborhood as an easy target for crime.

According to www.graffitihurts.org, studies show that the most effective way to prevent graffiti is to remove it promptly (24-48 hours). This is most likely not possible in all instances, but if you are or know the property owner of a vandalized building, quick removal will help prevent recurrence. According to the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma, "Oklahoma City municipal code states that it is the responsibility of the property owner to remove graffiti from their property. The Community Action Agency will provide free paint and supplies to property owners who wish to clean up graffiti. Contact the Community Action Agency at 232-0199 to locate the nearest district office. If the graffiti is not on your property, CAA staff will also help you carry out the steps necessary to get permission from the property owner and will issue a voucher for paint and supplies to a local paint store or equipment rental agency. If the same area is vandalized again, you can use any remaining paint or go through the process again to obtain more materials." For those situations where the property owner is a disinterested out-of-state party the city provides a means for clean-up: "It is important to note that the city will remove graffiti at no charge to the property owner, but the city is required by state law to wait 20 days after the initial notice of code violation to allow the property owner to remove the graffiti themselves. After a property has been served with one notice of code violation for graffiti, no further notice will be issued. The city crew will remove any future incidence of graffiti from the same property as it is reported."

Please report all graffiti to the OKC Action center, by phone 297-2535, by fax 297-2579, or on the web at http://www.okc.gov/action/Complaint.html. If you witnesses graffiti in progress, you should call 911 and report it. Getting caught is also a successful deterrent to vandals. If you are interested in helping with the removal of graffiti, please email graffiti@mestapark.org and link your personal email to it.

Click here to download the February 2009 newsletter in pdf format

Click here to view the minutes from the December 2008 neighborhood meeting.

Click to view / download the November 2008 newsletter

We'd like all our homes to be ready for the many visitors who will attend that weekend, so the deadline for the 2008 contest will be Sunday, November 30th.

Start getting the wreaths fluffed and the lights untangled.... Last year, Mesta Park looked great for Christmas! We will again be offering first ($80), second ($40) and third ($30) prizes, so good luck to everyone!

My understanding of why this has come about is a bit muddled. In the past, commissioners with a perceived conflict of interest have simply recused themselves from the proceedings at hand. Recently, however, it seems that the City’s Municipal Counselor’s Office has issued a new ruling regarding conflicts of interest (fished out of the state statute) that prohibits architects (or others) from serving on our City’s various boards or commissions if the architects own more than 25% of their firms, and if they have (or hope to have) contracts with the City. This eliminates almost all of the qualified architects who have the time and interest in Historic Preservation, as well as many others who want to contract with the City now or in the future. So. . . not only is the HP Commission without architectural expertise, but our other City boards and commissions are, too.

There will evidently be an amendment on the November 4th ballot to City Charter, Article IV, Section 11, that will address this issue. If it passes, the amendment will also have to be signed by the governor. This would solve the problem on the city level. Eventually, the state statute will have to be amended if we hope to eliminate the rule altogether. I’m no attorney, and I’m certainly no expert regarding all the legalese that goes on in City and State government. I do know one thing, though. Without committed and experienced HP architects on the Commission, we will all lose, and I’ll be forever dumbfounded. [Contact me with questions regarding HP issues at hp@mestapark.org]

Click here to view the minutes from the Mesta Park Board Meeting on October 16, 2008

Thanks to everyone who came out to the meeting. Click here to view the meeting minutes.

Click here to download the Newsletter

If you have ever lost your pet you undoubtedly know how hard it is to find it. If you have ever found a pet sometimes it is even harder to find its home. Recently, a friend of mine who lives in Heritage Hills called and asked whether Mesta Park had a pet registry. She had found a dog and was looking for its owner. She told me about the pet registry which had been formed in Heritage Hills — one person to call to help this pet find its owner. What a great idea!

I remember a couple of years ago when my 18 1/2 year old, half blind Shih Tzu found his way out of my yard. I searched frantically for hours, put up over 50 posters, and luckily he was returned 36 hours later. But if I'd had a place to call, to get the word out by email to other pet owners, and if the person who had found him had been able to call a pet registry to find me, 36 hours of worry could have been avoided.

If you lose your pet or if you have found one, I will work in cooperation with the Heritage Hills Pet Registry representative through our combined databases to help reunite pets with their owners.

Thanks to the great group who came out for our first meeting for the fall. Click here to view the minutes from the meeting. Please join us for our next meeting in October.

Click here to download the newsletter.

So when folks around Mesta Park decide to ignore the Historic Preservation guidelines and ordinance, removing windows or building new features without a C.A., it's no surprise that tongues start to wag.  Someone will call me up to ask if I've noticed what's going on over at so-and-so's address.  "Do they have permission to do that?", the caller will ask: or, "I can't believe they got approval for THAT!", they'll exclaim.  Then I have to call the City inspector to determine whether so-and-so has permission to do THAT, and when I determine that they don't have a C.A., the trouble begins:  The inspector has to go out and issue a citation, the home-owner has to complete a C.A. application after the project is underway or complete, and at least half the time the application eventually gets denied.  Of course, the homeowners can appeal the decision to the Board of Adjustment (for a $500 fee), but more often than not, their application is denied again.  If that happens, there's still the potential for an appeal to District Court (fee unknown, but it ain't cheap), which is a lengthy process and involves untold legal fees.  If the homeowners lose the case, they have to return the property to its previous condition.  This scenario isn't pretty.

I have to ask myself why so many people are choosing to ignore the HP Guidelines.  Yes, the Guidelines can be a bit inconvenient; and yes, the C.A. process does add a bit of time to the project.  But more often than not the folks who are violating the Guidelines are doing so because they think they won't get approval for their projects.  They just decide to go forward and hope they're not caught.  The problem (as I've pointed out) is that it's hard to keep a secret around here.  Eventually--and it doesn't have to be this year, or  even next year--people are going to talk, and tongues are going to wag, and the person without a C.A. is going to pay the piper.  This is miserable for everyone:  the homeowner, the neighborhood association, the neighbors, the HP Commissioners, and certainly ME.

My advice is:  don't keep secrets.  Go through the C.A. process (I'll guide you if you need my help!) and get approval BEFORE you begin working on your project.  This is really a promise we should make to one another--to honor the Guidelines and Ordinance as best we can--so that we can keep Mesta Park a true Historic Preservation District.  It's no secret that this is what makes our neighborhood unique and important.  [Contact me with questions regarding Historic Preservation issues at hp@mestapark.org ]

Oh yea. . . could you do this before it rains again?  My garage is leaking.

• 1001 NW 16th, Lam Nguyen and Sara Murphy
• 900 NW 18th, Steve and Jennifer Ryan
• 916 NW 18th, Lori Wrotenbery
• 930 NW 19th, Don Hawkins and Mick Shirron

Also, thank you to Jim Pickens, 801 NW 17th, who will host the refreshment stop for tour-goers.

Many thanks to those neighbors who have volunteered to serve on this year’s committee. We will have our first official committee meeting on Tuesday, August 19th. Please watch the website for location and time as we get closer to the meeting date. If you are interested in learning more about this year’s tour or would like to volunteer, please let us know by e-mailing us at hometour@mestpark.org.

Even if you've never been to a neighborhood meeting before, you'll want to come to this one. We'll lay out our four initiatives and also show you all of the leadership and volunteer needs we have that are currently unfilled. If you're new to the neighborhood or if you are not currently involved in a volunteer role, this is your chance to find the perfect place to get involved. Please join us and get involved in all that happening at Mesta Park!

As always, we will have lots of great food, beer and wine tasting, the Chili Cook-Off and lots and lots of fun children's activities. New this year are a Historic Preservation Booth and a Salsa Chop-Off! For a mere $5.00 fee per entry, you can obtain bragging rights! All entries need to be at the park by 12:00. Please bring at least one quart of salsa and a bag of chips. Chili Cook-Off contestants, please bring your chili in a crock pot with a ladle. Enter one contest or both, as many times as you wish. The prizes in both competitions will be Hottest, Most Unusual, and Best of Show. The entire neighborhood will judge the entries, so invite your family! Tell your friends!

Mesta Festa 2008 is a great way to showcase our incredible neighborhood. Hope to see all of you there!!

“. . . Old windows, of course, aren’t often associated with ‘green’ these days. Quite the opposite. Ancient, paintflecked panes are pulled out every day, with new vinyl windows inserted in their stead by homeowners seduced by newspaper ads promising that you can “Save Energy Now!” for impossibly low prices, including installation. The aesthetic result? A building that had long worn elegant wirerimmed frames suddenly switching to clunky, Clark Kent glasses.

It’s a sacrifice, of course. But it’s for the greater good, because replacement windows make sense for environmental reasons, right? Not so fast. It turns out that windows—even old singlepane windows—are responsible for relatively minor energy loss in most buildings. ‘Only 10 to 12 percent of the total air infiltration in a building is through the windows,’ said [Walter] Sedovic [preservation architect in Irvington, N.Y]. ‘The cold isn’t being transferred through the glass. It’s through openings in and around the sash. The energy loss is mostly through the roof and through the sill.’ He suggested that ‘replacement walls’ or ‘replacement fireplaces’ would make more sense for the energy conscious. So why are we bombarded with ads for replacement windows? ‘It’s because windows are easy to construct, easy to transport, and easy to sell,’ he said. ‘But they’re the wrong idea.’

According to the Whole Building Design Guide, for instance, an older singlepane window has an insulation factor of R1. A modern doubleglazed window offers R3 insulation. Yet if the walls of a historic building have an Rvalue in the teens, ‘taking a window from R1 to R3 will not provide sufficient energy savings to offset the cost of replacement windows and associated waste,’ according to the guide.

What’s more, if your goal is to reduce overall resource consumption, restoring and maintaining old windows make sense in another way. ‘We call them replacement windows because you keep replacing them,’ Sedovic said, invoking the words of his colleague John Seekircher. When modern windows, with their high tech seals, eventually fail—and they will—the result tends to be catastrophic failure. You don’t repair them. You replace them. Anyone who doesn’t see something amiss in replacing centuryold windows with ‘environmentally responsible’ windows that will be junked and replaced every decade or two is suffering from an irony deficiency.”

Contact me with any questions you have about Historic Preservation issues at hp@mestapark.org.

Click here to view the board meeting minutes from July 17th, 2008.

Mesta Park is launching a new initiative to revitalize our Block Captains. We are looking for one individual or couple from each block in our neighborhood to serve in this very important role. We believe that our Block Captains are the key to improving our neighborhood's communication and community. It's not a hard job, but it's an extremely important one. Can you help?

We've put together a new section of our website dedicated to Block Captains. There you'll find the Block Captain job description as well as a map showing all of the blocks in Mesta Park along with the name of each Block Captain, if there is one. Won't you take a look to see if your block is represented and, if not, would you consider serving in this role?

If you are willing to serve or if you have any questions, please fill out our contact form on the website, or contact Cassie Niemann, our Block General, at blockcaptains@mestapark.org.

Click here to download the 2008-2009 slate of officers approved at this meeting

That's right, the Yard of the Month award has returned. Congratulations to Steve and Jennifer Ryan of 900 N.W. 18th! They've been working industriously on their yard for several years. It really shows! Thanks to the Ryans for helping to make our neighborhood beautiful! We'll be out and about seeking next month's recipient soon -- there are many nice yards yet to be acknowledged, so keep planting!

Pictures of this beautiful yard are shown below. Keep watching for more winners in the months to come.

Click here to download the meeting minutes in PDF format.

Click here to download the March 2008 Treasurer's Report.

1. Keep original window intact.  Studies show that older windows can perform as well as vinyl replacements.  Weatherstrip them so that they seal tightly, caulk the exterior trim, and repair cracked glazing or putty around glass panels.  You'll reduce landfill waste and the demand for vinyl, a nonbiodegradable material that gives off toxic byproducts when it's made.
2. Use light paint colors for your house's exterior.  Lighter colors reflect heat better than darker ones.
3. Insulate the attic, basement, and crawl space.  About 20 percent of energy costs come from heat loss in those areas.
4. Reuse old materials such as brick, stone, glass, and slate when making home improvements.  If you're rebuilding a staircase, for example, use wood from the summer kitchen or shed that couldn't be saved.
5. Install fireplace draft stoppers, attic door covers, and dryer vent seals that open only when your dryer is in use.  An open dampener in a fireplace can increase energy costs by 30 percent, and attic doors and dryer vent ducts are notorious energy sieves.
6. Plant trees.  Evergreen trees on the north and west sides of your house can block winter winds, and leafy trees on the south and west provide shade from the summer sun.  Using old photos of your house, try to match the historic landscaping.
7. Have an energy audit done by your local utility company, or visit Home Energy Saver (http://hes.lbl.gov).  Audits can help pinpoint problem areas and measure energy savings after you improve your home's efficiency.
8. In summer, open the windows and use fans and dehumidifiers, which consume less energy than air-conditioning.  Many old houses were designed with good cross-ventilation; take advantage of your home's layout.
9. Keep doors airtight by weatherstripping, caulking, and painting them regularly.  Recent studies suggest that installing a storm door is not necessarily cost-effective.
10. Restore porches and awnings.  Porches, awnings, and shutters were intended for shade and insulation.  To save energy, draw shades on winter nights and summer days.

See?  These are way better than I could've come up with.  Plagiarism is great!  If you want to check out more great articles about going green, check out Preservation magazine "The Green Issue" for January/February 2008.  This is the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, so maybe they'll forgive my transgressions if I plug their magazine enough. 

Be sure to contact me with your questions regarding Historic Preservation in Mesta Park.  I'm always happy to answer your questions or put you in contact with people who can. 

First of all, Jennifer Vogler and I want to say thank you so much to each of you that made the home tour happen.  There are so many things that so many people do that it really is a wonderful event to watch unfold!  We are grateful to the homeowners (Sarah Parks & Koon Srisathit, Janice & Michael Menser, Suan Grant, Susie & Gary Jones, Sarah & Trevor Francis, and Sue & Andy Sullivan) who put hours (days, weeks, years :-) into making their homes so beautiful for the tour.  We heard many compliments about your homes; we hope that each of you feel some gratification for your work.  Thank you to the house captains (Cassie & Chad Niemann, Terri White, Mary Schneeberger, Lisa & Jay Escalon, Mary Jane Southwick, Marsha See and JB Schuelein) for all your work in coordinating the volunteers to staff the houses.  You did a great job representing the neighborhood and greeting all of our visitors!

Thank you to Michael Khoury, Lance Whitwell, Jennifer Ryan, and Angelia Webb for hosting and coordinating the cocktail party.  It was a wonderful evening with great friends, food & drinks!  And it made close to $3000 for the neighborhood!

Some of the behind the scenes activities need acknowledgment too!  Chris Cook provided all the layout/design of the print materials, which required many late night e-mails!  Thank you to Dana & Mike Templeton for donating the luminarias.  And, thanks to Dana T., Dana & Harry Meister for assembling and distributing them.  Even though the weather wasn’t cooperative, they still were a nice touch.  Karen Zimmer has spent countless hours on the postcard database and is helping us recreate one.  Bob Hardy researched the tour home histories.  Todd Davis & Loralee Laird made sure we had a lively & fun refreshment stop.  Claudia Conner, Loralee, and Pam Vinyard (Jennifer Vogler’s mom) baked hundreds of cookies that Vinyard Foods donated.  Cassie Niemann did an outstanding job doing the PR/marketing of the event.  There are so many more of you that donated your time to staff the houses and helped in ways that we may not know.  You all have our sincere gratitude.

We also want to extend our gratitude to our sponsors:  AT&T, Bank of Oklahoma, Chase Bank, St. Anthony, Design Resources, Western Lawn, Homeland, Crescent Market, Raina & Stan Pelofsky, and Marsha & Carson See.  Their support is vital to the success of the tour.  And it is wonderful to have their partnership in the many beautification projects that our neighborhood undertakes.

Redbud Floral in Norman, Brandt’s, Granada, Floral & Hardy, and Dulaney Florists each provided beautiful floral decorations to the tour homes and OKC Florists donated the flowers at the cocktail party.  Food donors did a fabulous job by providing delicious food at the cocktail party.  Paseo Grill, Tom & Jerry’s, Trattoria Il Centro, Bin 73, Prairie Gypsies, Cheever’s, Vinyard Foods, & Cusack Meats were on the menu.  And, Dick Sias provided the incredible Joullian wine for the cocktail party!

Kudos to all of you!

What can you say?  Don Hawkins & Mick Shirron...just amazing!  What a lot of work...and how WONDERFUL! Surely everybody has been by 930 NW 19 by now and parked to listen and view the fantastic light display.  Channel 4 reported from that corner. It's brought tons of people out to enjoy the sight. If you didn't see the report, it may be still viewable on KFOR.com. Guess who won first place this year?

Our second place winners are Pete and Mary Williams of 916 NW 19 and third place went to Michael Khoury of 1005 NW 18. Both were beautifully lit, also.  Merry Christmas everybody!

• 100 arrests made
• 10 stolen cars recovered
• 7 car thieves arrested
• 4 drug arrests
• 6 burglary suspects arrested (some caught in the act)
• 1 juvenile run-away located
• 1 individual arrested with a gun
• 3 sex offenders arrested
• 3 parties interrupted while parents were away
• Over 1,450 checks on members’ homes while they are away (These are not drive-bys.  The officers walk around the premises and check doors, etc.  Many unlocked and open doors have been discovered by the officers.)
• Contained three loose pit bulls until animal control could come get them.

In addition, the officers successfully kept our neighborhood safe during the December ice storm, when so many of our homes were without power and vacant.  They often patrolled two officers at a time, and made countless daily home checks for residents displaced during the power outage.  They even thwarted a group of would-be looters.  It gave HNSA members great peace of mind to have this service available during a time of such helplessness.     

This patrol service is funded directly by HNSA membership dues.  If you were a member of HNSA in 2007, THANK YOU!  Please renew your membership now by completing the Monthly Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) form that was included in your invoice or prepaying your annual dues.  We really need your membership.  If you cannot pay your dues in one of these two ways, contact Sheryl Dolan at ssdolan@sbcglobal.net or 405.521.0119 for other possible options.  

If you are not a member of HNSA, stay safe in the New Year by joining for a little over $1 a day.  If you become a member, you will have access to the benefits of membership that you currently do not enjoy, including:

• Immediate access to an HNSA patrol officer, who is an Oklahoma City police officer, via a mobile number that is with the officer during patrol hours
• Reports on security issues in our neighborhood
• Car battery jump-starts
• Out of town home checks upon request

2007 Midtown Holiday Gathering and Walk-a-bout

For those of you that have helped with the home tour in the past, you know what a wonderful event this is to get out and meet and greet neighbors as we work together to host the most historical and profitable event each year for our neighborhood.  So as we raise money to support street lighting, sidewalk improvements, park and boulevard beautification, historic preservation, and our local school among others, we are also raising morale.  Because it is these very attributes that brought most of us to the neighborhood.  We love these old houses and they need the love!  Though we tire sometimes of the seemingly endless list of things to work on, or the time and resources that these houses take, now is the time of year to take a step back and look at what wonderful progress is being made!  Well-lit streets from beautiful historic street lights, wheelchair/stroller accessible sidewalks/curbs, neighbors talking to one another from their front porches, landscaped public spaces with sprinkler systems, and houses that have new coats of paint are all items that make life more pleasant in Mesta Park.  So let’s show it off!

Tickets are now available for $10 from all board members/ officers and at the following locations:  Bruno’s, Mockingbird Manor, 23^rd Street Antiques, Kamp’s, Crescent Market, Edward James Provence (Edmond), Elegant Décor, Full Circle Bookstore, The Colonies Market Antiques, Mister Roberts (Norman), and The Antique Avenue Market.

If you are interested in helping out, here are the many ways that we need you:

1. Help sell tickets:  Please contact Jennifer Vogler at 226-0991 or Jennifer@vinyardinc.com and she will make sure that you get tickets!  This is huge – remember your family, colleagues, and social circles.
2. Attend the pre-party:  See the invitation in this newsletter.  Hope to see you there!  Contact Jennifer Ryan at 202-1940 or jenniferryan1@cox.net for late RSVPs.
3. Route preparation:  We need 5 more people to help make sure the tour route looks great (trash pick-up, leaf-raking) and to help deliver tour programs, signs, and benches to each house as well.  Contact Todd Davis at 834-3347 or todddavis@cabainc.com if you can help!
4. Clean up the neighborhood:  Make sure your property and those around you look its very best by Saturday, December 1^st.  Rake leaves, trim trees so people can walk on sidewalks safely, park cars in garages/driveways to free up street parking for tour-goers.  Help neighbors that may have difficulty with this task.
5. Put out your holiday decorations:  Hang your lights, etc. and try to win the MPNA yard/house of the month award!
   

We would like to thank everyone who is helping with this year’s tour.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact either of us:

Jackie Johnson, Home Tour Chair at 818-4503 or kjjohnson2001@hotmail.com
Jennifer Vogler, Home Tour Co-chair at 226-0991 or Jennifer@vinyardinc.com

Through the generosity of MP residents and the sound investment strategy of our friends at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, our MPNA Endowment Fund has grown to $58,127. Our annual distribution check, received on October 4, was $2,762. That money is available for maintenance and improvements at Perle Mesta Park, our neighborhood sidewalk replacement program and other beautification projects.

• Penn Square Mall - December 12th at 10 am
  
• Overholser Mansion Holiday Open House - December 14th at 6 pm
  
• School Sing-Along - December 21st at 2 pm (auditorium)

First Place -- Afton & Tina Gille at 1013 NW 18th

Second Place -- Lora Lee Laird & Jack Moore at 904 NW 18th

Third Place -- Jeff & Joann Marshall at 631 NW 17th

Moving forward, I hope you've been thinking about how to top last year's Christmas contest for outdoor decorating. Our neighborhood looked VERY festive, indeed, for the Home Tour and throughout the holiday season! Again, we will offer cash prizes – $75 for first, $50 for second, & $30 for third place winners. For judging purposes, homes must be decorated by Nov. 26th. What a wonderful time of year!

Sarah Parks & Koon Srisathit at 601 NW 16th
Janice & Mike Menser at 800 NW 16th
Suan Grant at 805 NW 16th
Susie & Gary Jones at 804 NW 17th
Sarah & Trevor Francis at 926 NW 17th.

If you live on these streets please begin preparation for a wonderful winter walking tour - due to the proximity of the homes this year, we are going green and forgoing the trolley. So lots of folks will be on foot. Consider sweeping your sidewalks and raking those leaves, if you need help, e-mail hometour@mestapark.org. Also the homes tour is a great way to meet new neighbors - we need volunteers at the tour homes, help distributing posters around the city and a clean-up crew! So if any of this piques your interest, again e-mail at hometour@mestapark.org or plan to attend the next neighborhood meeting Tuesday, Nov. 6th at 6:45 p.m.

The Cocktail party will be held at the home of Michael Khoury, please see the invitation enclosed in the newsletter. And finally, a big thank you to our Home tour sponsors, Homeland, Bank of Oklahoma, Chase Bank and Western Lawns.

Thanks to all members who have stayed with us during the sometimes confusing changeover from our former security service to the new one. The transition has been an enormous amount of work, but we think it is worth it, and we appreciate our loyal members who have helped make all of us safer. If you are not a member, we need for you to join so we can reach our goal of 24 hours patrols!! 

If you have questions about joining or about the security patrol, visit our security page. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following Mesta Festa committee members:

Stephen Kovash, thank you for being so easy to work with and as the Oklahoman put it such a wonderful “art guru”.

Michael Menser, thanks again for being the “man on the scene” and taking on the responsibility of directing participants the day of the festival.

Harry Meister, thank you for getting the brewers and the sound system and for telling me it was all going to be ok, even when you knew it wasn’t!

Cam Husted, thank you for always being there when I needed some last minute help! You have been a wonderful friend. And thanks for organizing the music and chili cook-off!

Dean Newby, thanks for handling the ice and the street barricades! Mary Jane Southwick, thanks for organizing the volunteers and for giving up your OSU tickets to support the hood!

Jay and Lisa Escalon, thanks for all your support!

John Moncrief, thanks for the wonderful t-shirt design!

Michael Persons, thanks for your work with the musicians!

John Clark, King of the poopers/popcorn and pop! Thanks chief!

Doug Smith, Tyler and Erin Wood, Ashlie and Tony Schender what a great group of newbies! Hope you’ll come back next year!

Thank you to the following board members for selling their allotted tickets: Terri White, JB Schuelein, Don Hawkins, Raina Pelofsky, Karen Zimmer, Todd Davis, Ann Dell, Bob Hardy, Cassie Newman and Ann Zachritz.

Interested in becoming part of a fun, committee that supports the neighborhood? Mesta Festa 2008 will be coming soon to a park near you!

    In other words . . . I waited awhile to paint my house.  Too long by some people's standards; not nearly long enough by my own.  I had watched a couple of (what I thought) were successful exterior paint jobs in the neighborhood over the summer, and I selected a contractor based on my conversations with the (tortured) homeowners.  Somewere along the line, the question arose about the paint application method; that is, hand-painting vs. spray-gun applications.  Which is superior, I wondered?  As with almost anything, an internet search revealed six of one, a half-dozen of the other, but my gut told me to trust the tried-and-true paintbrush.  The problem is finding anyone to hand paint . . . many painters have converted to spray-guns!  They're being used all over the neighborhood, but after my recent experience, I'd like to see them banned.

    The nightmare unfolded, thus:  My painters arrived and began scraping the house.  So far, so good.  The next thing I knew, they were spray-gunning the eaves of my house, and the paint mist was flying into the air.  I made it clear that they were to protect the beautiful red brick on my front porch and chimney by covering it completely, but when I returned from lunch, 60% of the brick was uncovered, and the paint mist was clearly "oversprayed" onto the brick.  The wind was whipping around, and I said that it was too windy to paint.  The painters weren't happy.  The next day, still battling breezy conditions, I had to act as foreman on the job in order to ensure that the brick was protected; otherwise, I would have had a light coating of "Tawny Taupe" Sherwin Williams Duration paint all over my historic brick--and so would my neighbors, who live about 15 feet away.  Even with me there, much of the brick eventually had to be cleaned, and I can assure you that if I HADN'T been there, it would have been a catastrophe.

    I had overspray on my bicycle, utility equipment, storm windows, window screens, door handles . . . the list goes on.  The lesson is obvious.  Never trust anyone who tries to convince you that spray-gunning is a good thing.  It's a slap-dash, cut-the-corners method of painting a house that flies in the face of good Historic Preservation practices, because it not only puts the unpainted detailing of YOUR house at risk, but it also puts your neighbor's house in jeopardy.  Heed my advice and steer clear of spray-guns.  There's a reason why it's cheaper and faster:  you get what you pay for.  And in this case, the price may be higher than you bargained for in clean-up and damage to your historic property.  [Be sure to contact me with your questions regarding Historic Preservation!]

Poster Distribution: Nov. 5th - 9th. Help place posters around the city, Edmond and Norman. Even if you could do just five posters in places that you already frequent, this would be a huge help! We have 350 posters to distribute!

Clean Up Crew: Nov 30th or Dec. 1st in preparation of the 30th Annual Home Tour. Walk or drive the tour route and help pick up any debris so that the tour-goers see nothing but beauty!

House Volunteer: Saturday, Dec. 1st from 4-8 and Sunday, Dec. 2nd from 1-5 we will need volunteers to staff the tour homes in two hour increments. This is a great way to meet your neighbors and see the home tour up close and maybe pique your interest in showcasing your home in the future.

Holiday Party Nov. 30th: We need volunteers to help coordinate food and drink donations, oversee mailing of invitations, track the guest list, help set-up and clean up.

Just a couple reminders:

1. The contest will be an exterior home decorating contest, and
2. In order to participate, your home must be decorated and ready for judging by Sunday, October 21st.

And remember as you decorate that the kids will be out trick-or-treating at night, so spooky lighting will only enhance their enjoyment of your decorations.

One last note: Christmas is coming! So please start thinking about that contest, too. More details to come.

Any HNSA Member interested in contributing money towards a gift pool for our HNSA officers may do so as well. Please note: this is completely voluntary in no way should you feel obligated to participate. This is just an efficient way for any HNSA member to provide a monetary gift and / or written thank you notes for our 15-20 officers that regularly work for us. The holiday season is when many of us give gifts as an expression of gratitude to the people who help and serve us through the year so it seems fitting that we provide this opportunity to thank our HNSA officers.

If you are interested in contributing to the gift pool and / or the “thank you” scrapbook, please contact Sheryl Dolan, 521-0119 or ssdolan@sbcglobal.net. All cards/cash gifts should be collected by 11/30/07 and can be left in the Dolan’s mailbox, (which goes into the house), at 227 NW 15th.

The auditorium was standing room only as families learned about Wilson's programs and arts integration curriculum.

Principal Beverly Story announced Wilson's API Test Scores for 2007: Reading - 1332; Math - 1324; Total - 1310 (out of a possible 1500). Way to go Wilson!

Principal Story also noted that Wilson Preschool teacher, Susan Bumgarner, received the Girdie Ware Memorial Award for Outstanding Early Childhood Teaching given by the Oklahoma Early Childhood Association.

Everyone is excited for another great year of learning and fun-filled events and activities!

Download the treasurer's report in pdf format.

The committee has been working really hard (and having a lot of fun) since March to make sure that this year’s Mesta Festa is one of the best ever. Mesta Festa 2007 will be Saturday, September 22. For the second year we are having an art festival. Stephen Kovash has organized the festival and promises some of the best artists in OKC will be here to show and sell their art.

The Wilson School PTA is in charge of the children’s area. They’ll have face painting. bouncies and lots of safe activities for children.

The “stage” will feature local band IRIS—the hit of Mesta Festa ‘06. Other favorite bands such as Dr. Pants will be here as well. Music will start at noon and continue through the afternoon, so bring your dancing shoes!

Delicious food will be plentiful from the Deep Fork Group of restaurants. And as usual, the local brewers and hot spots will be there to provide a great variety of beer and wine tastings. The Bricktown Brewery, Bin 73, Deer Creek Winery, Choc Beer, Texas Sux Beer and many more. Don’t forget there will be a chili cook-off too. Brickshaws will be back this year to provide neighborhood tours.

Whew! What more could you want? Mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Perle Mesta Park, 18th and Shartel. Contact mestafesta@mestapark.org for more information.

1. Planting Tulips on Trolley Island: Usually November - get together to plant. Takes an hour or two.
2. Poster Distribution: Nov. 5th - 9th. Help place posters around the city, Edmond and Norman. Even if you could do just five posters in places that you already frequent, this would be a huge help! We have 350 posters to distribute!
3. Clean Up Crew: Nov 30th or Dec. 1st in preparation of the 30th Annual Home Tour. Walk or drive the tour route and help pick up any debris so that the tour-goers see nothing but beauty!
4. House Volunteer: Saturday, Dec. 1st from 4-8 and Sunday, Dec. 2nd from 1-5 we will need volunteers to staff the tour homes in two hour increments. This is a great way to meet your neighbors and see the home tour up close and maybe pique your interest in showcasing your home in the future.
5. Holiday Party Nov. 30th: We need volunteers to help coordinate food and drink donations, oversee mailing of invitations, track the guest list, help set-up and clean up.

“Having been awarded the generous grant from the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Overholser Mansion now has the opportunity to offer educational and fun-filled programs for every age group. It is a real exciting time at the Overholser Mansion,” said Liz Carr Overholser Mansion Director.

All programs will be at the Overholser Mansion Carriage House and refreshments will follow the program. Below is a list of the fall programs offered at the Overholser Mansion.

Gist of Whist: How to play a popular Chafing Dish Society Game
Thursday, September 13, 6-8 p.m.
$5 donation welcomed; ages 11 through adult

Fun With Stenciling
Tuesday, September 18, 4-5 p.m.
$5 donations welcomed, ages 5 through 13

The Art of Stenciling
Tuesday, September 18, 6-8:30 p.m.
$5 donation welcomed, ages 14 through adult

Tiny Tots
Saturdays September 22; October 20; November 17th; December 8th at 10 a.m.
$3 donation welcomed, small children

Boo-oodles of Fun
Sunday, October 28th 1-3 p.m.
Children tickets: $5, adults accompanying a child are admitted free

    In other words:  Stark white sidewalks and driveways are NOT allowed!  (Even though you'll see plenty of non-compliant sidewalks out there.)

    But here's the problem with the Guidelines:   the sidewalks in Mesta Park are not "medium grey."  Our sidewalks are more brown than grey, so if we're to "match the color of historic pavement", as the HP Guidelines require, then we have to figure out what color formula to use to get as close a match as possible.  This can be challenging, to say the least, and I've observed inconsistency with the resulting color.

    The best result I've personally seen is located at 916 NW 18th St., where Lori Wrotenbery recently replaced her sidewalk, driveway, and a portion of her retaining wall, while keeping a section of the historic retaining wall.  Lori's father, who worked as her contractor, passed along the following information about the color formula he came up with:

• "The color system we used for the recent concrete job at 916 NW 18th St. was 'Scofield Integral Color SG', which is used by Swartz Redimix.  From the Color Chart A-322.02, we used 'SG677-2 Ripe Chestnut'.  It comes in 10 lb. bags at about $30-$35 per bag, and it is added at the mixer at the formula quantity which was, as I recall, about 5 to 6 lbs./yard.  This adds about $20 per yard to the costs.  If I had it to do over again, I might have had them add 1 or 2 lbs. extra to the formula to darken it slightly, but we are pleased with the result." 

    This is invaluable information, and if you want to check out the results for yourself, go by 916 NW 18th St.  Yes, it adds to the cost of the job;  however, to be in compliance with the HP Guidelines, we are required to match the historic color as best we can.  This formula takes some of the guesswork out of the mix. 

    Thanks to Paul Wrotenbery for taking the time to pass on this information.  Let me hear from you with questions!

    Then I look at my charming little one-car garage, which is now more accurately called a gardening shed, and I know I did the right thing when I jacked it up, re-poured the cracked slab underneath, replaced a few support beams, and repaired the original garage doors.  I think it's adorable!  But it ain't gonna house no cars.  Indeed, some Mesta Park folks don't even have what I  have--whatever they DID have either fell down or got torn down long ago.  So, what's a garage-envyin' gal or guy to do?

    Lucky for all of us that new garages ARE permitted in Historic Preservation Districts, although our Guidelines state that "the retention of existing, historic garages is encouraged.  Refurbishment and modifications to historic garages to accommodate contemporary vehicles and lifestyles are preferred to demolition and replacement."  The Guidelines go on to say:  "New garages are permitted where a house does not have a garage, or where a new garage is necessary. . . . new garages should appear as secondary structures and not overwhelm or compete with the main building in size or form."  Here are some of the most important Guidelines to know about, if you want to apply to build a new garage (contact me with questions at hp@mestapark.org ):

• New garages should be compatible in size, scale, proportion, spacing, texture, setbacks, height, materials, color and detail to the main residential building and/or relate to similar garages within the neighborhood.
• New garages should follow the historic setback patterns of other garages in the streetscape or neighborhood.
• Garages may be of "modest" or "high-style" design.  In many instances, new garages should be "modest" of a simple rectangular plan and form, low-pitched gable or hip roof, and little or no ornamentation at the doors or windows. 
• A replacement garage may be two-stories in height when the original garage was 2-stories, or if located in a block where two-story garages are dominant or occur on adjoining property.  In those blocks that contain only one-story garages, new garages shall be one-story in height.
• At double garages, consideration should be given to the use of two single garage doors rather than one larger, double door.  This will maintain the scale and rhythm of older structures, making a two-car garage seem smaller and more compatible with the house.
• If a historic garage is to be removed to allow the construction of a new garage [which must have a Certificate of Appropriateness!], it is encouraged that the historic doors be salvaged and re-used at this new garage, or if this is not possible, that the historic garage door be replicated in the new garage design.

    Don't forget to contact me with questions.  If you're interested, I'll teach you the dance steps.  It's a dance that I've gotten used to, but I understand if you'd rather not learn this one.  Let me hear from you!

If you would like to help the neighborhood, get to know your neighbors, show off your unique home and all the work you've done, please contact Jackie Johnson at 525-9080 or kjjohnson2001@hotmail.com, or Jennifer Vogler at 226-0991 jennifer@vinyardinc.com.

Our planning meetings for the home tour are scheduled for the last Tuesday of each month (July 31st, Aug 28th, Sept 25th, Oct. 30th, Nov. 27th) at 7 p.m.  Locations TBA.  Topics to be discussed are additional houses, location of the tour’s Friday night party and sponsors. We need volunteers, so I hope to see you there.  In fact bring your neighbor too - and the one across the street - and the one two doors down - and the one on the corner...we need all of you!

Guess what?  A group of your neighbors raises $18,000 per year to plant flowers, mow, fertilize, edge, trim, overseed, and repair our medians along NW 18th and Shartel.  The City doesn't do it.  WE DO!  I know this because I'm the chairperson of the Shartel Boulevard Development Authority, Inc., a non-profit organization we created seven years ago to maintain our medians.  It's my job to make sure we raise the money necessary to fulfill our organization's mission--and it takes a lot of work!  The great reward is that our beautiful medians have caused the houses along NW 18th St. to be reclaimed, one by one, over the past five years, which has increased property values and added to the charm and beauty of Mesta Park as a whole.  So. . . when I see cheesy garage sale signs planted smack dab in the middle of the flower bed on the corner of NW 18th and Western, or anywhere else along the medians, I truly do see red (not pink)! 

Here are some good manners guidelines:

1.  Put signs up on the day of the garage sale (not before).

2.  Remove signs promptly when the garage sale ends.

3.  Only place signs on the easement (the area between the city street and the public sidewalk). 

4.  Use as few signs as possible, preferably none (newspaper notices work best!--Our neighborhood is not hard to navigate!)

5.  Be advised that any garage sale signs placed on the medians will be removed and thrown away.

Please do your part to keep the neighborhood looking its best.

July 21st
Going West: Journey to Oklahoma
I have Heard of a Land
My First Little House Book

August 4th
O is for Overholser!
ABC’s Oklahoma Style
Surrey with the Fringe on Top

July 28th
Oklahoma Animals
Why Buffalo Roam
Grady’s In The Silo

August 11th
Oklahoma’s Turbulent Thirties
Don’t Forget Winona

All programs start at 9:00 am on the Overholser Mansion’s lawn and are open to Pre-K through 4th grade. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Call (405) 528.8485 to reserve your spot! Admission is free.

While we know that some residents will still desire the paper newsletter delivered to their homes, we are hopeful that many residents will opt to receive the newsletter by email only. Fewer printed newsletters means less money the neighborhood has to spend on printing and postage. Plus, it's better for the environment.  Hooray!

To sign up for the email newsletter and (optionally) to discontinue your printed newsletter service, please visit our newsletter page.

Congratulations to Richard & Annie Bohannon of 814 N.W. 16th street. Theirs is a really lovely shady yard, as are many of the yards along the 800 block of 16th. It was a real pleasure to canvass the neighborhood this month. I encourage you to take the time to take a drive around Mesta Park and appreciate all the lovely flower-filled green yards soon!

And, good luck to everyone this next month ...

Now, I am a frequent and enthusiastic user of HNSA patrol services. Every time I see someone who looks suspicious I call 911 and then the dedicated patrol number. I keep the patrol number in my mobile phone. In addition to the excellent security services, I am finding that people who make a career in police work love to be acknowledged. It reminds me of the old days when we had a police officer on our block and everyone got to know them.

Do you know about all the services that HNSA provides? This weekend I completed a vacation house check form with the sole purpose of having the patrol monitor my home and make sure that my teenager is not having a party. Yeah, I know some of you can relate to this situation. Last week, I called HNSA patrol when my babysitter wanted to take my toddler on a long walk. The patrol officer was very polite and very willing just to keep an eye on them. My neighbor went walking late at night with a friend. She called the HNSA patrol and asked them to watch her route.

Okay – this is now a total bargain. It is easy and fun. So, I encourage you to pay your HNSA dues and really use the service if you are a member. If you are not a HNSA member, please sign up to enjoy these privileges. Call 348-1436 to request a sign up form today!

Click here to visit the security association section of this website.

The police on patrol recently recognized and stopped two transients who had outstanding charges against them. In another instance, an officer located a neighbor's missing dog.

The officers will do house checks if you are out of town. At the present time, we have 15 hours per day, and if we get more members, we can afford more hours. To learn more, and to join the security association, please visit our security page.

We also need a few Mesta Park volunteers for the HNSA Board. Meetings have been once a month (and are short), but may taper off as our new system gets fully implemented.

Please contact Ann Dell at 524-4675 or security@mestapark.org if you can help.

“We wanted to make a film that was well done, but inexpensive to make,” said Cook who directed, shot and edited the film. “We also wanted our viewers to be amazed the film was done by two first-time filmmakers.”

With a budget of just $75, two-thirds of which went to license music, the two believe they have achieved their goals. Mr. Towery who served as the film's producer agrees and adds, “This will not be our only film. Now that we have jumped that first hurdle, the rest of them don’t look all that big.”

deadCENTER runs from Wednesday, June 6 through Sunday, June 10. For more info: www.deadcenterfilm.com

We will be prowling the neighborhood looking for beautiful yards to acknowledge in the next week or so. We will announce the first winner of the summer on the Web site in a couple of weeks, and later, in the newsletter. So far, it's been a really beautiful spring and everything is lush and green, so I'm sure there will be lots of contenders!

Click here to view the May 2007 treasurer's report in pdf form.

Click here to view the 2007-2008 proposed slate of officers and board members which was approved at the May 2007 meeting.

President
Terri White

Vice President
Jackie Johnson

Secretary
Tim Wall

Treasurer
JB Schuelein

Slate of Board Members 2007-2008
Slate Approved at Annual Meeting on May 1, 2007

Martha Collar
Lauren Connell
Todd Davis
Ann Dell
Lisa Escalon
Bob Hardy
Don Hawkins
Joanna Head
Michael Khoury
Cassie Neimann
Raina Pelofsky
Matt Thompson
Jennifer Vogler
Anne Zachritz
Karen Zimmer

We strongly encourage all Mesta Park residents to consider joining the security association in order to support this incredible new level of service.  The HNSA has prepared a detailed fact sheet with more information about the plan.  You can read download that fact sheet below.

Click here to view the HNSA fact sheet in PDF form.

    A common argument for wanting to change an exterior feature is that it'll make the house look "prettier."  Now, I like pretty things as much as anyone else, but, in fact, there lies the problem.  My mother and I have very different ideas about what constitutes "pretty."  She likes big, bold sweaters with Santa Clauses on them during Christmas season, whereas they make me want to gag.  The same goes for various "fancifications" to historic homes.  I drive around the neighborhood and am appalled at some of the changes people made back in the '70s, but whoever made the change at the time thought, "Damn, that looks good!"  Consider the color of your neighbor's house--I'll bet I could find bushels of people who hate the color, no matter WHAT it is.  We all have different tastes.

    These differences are the very reason we have our Historic Preservation Guidelines and Ordinance.  Imperfect as they are, they offer some standards for what is acceptable and what isn't, based on the historic appearance of the house, not upon what each of us thinks is prettier.  Pretty does not equal historic, and the preservation of our neighborhood's history and character is what our HP Guidelines are all about.  Exterior changes that bring the property back to its original appearance are encouraged, whereas changes that take the house further from its original appearance are discouraged or prohibited.  This solves the problem of Historic Preservationists being labeled the "taste police," because it's not taste that determines what gets approved and what does not; it is historic appearance.

    After our discussion, the woman who called me with all the questions had to make a decision about whether she could live with the HP zoning requirements, or whether she would look for a property elsewhere.  Although she wasn't sure she would buy the duplex, she adamantly insisted that she'd continue to look for a property in Mesta Park, because she thought the neighborhood was "magical."  Hey. . . I appreciated the compliment, but there's nothing magic about it.  Mesta Park's charm and character are preserved and maintained by our commitment to Historic Preservation, and hopefully, no matter what we each wear at Christmas time, we can all agree on that.

Note:  Please contact me with any questions you have about Historic Preservation.

The slate committee met and presents the following individuals to serve as officers or board members:

Officers

Terri White – President; Jackie Johnson – Vice-President; JB Scheulein – Treasurer; Tim Wall – Secretary

Board Members

Martha Collar; Lauren Connell; Todd Davis; Ann Dell ; Lisa Escalon; Don Hawkins; Jauna Head; Michael Khoury; Cassie Niemann; Raina Pelofsky; Matt Thomas; Jennifer Vogler; Anne Zachritz; Karen Zimmer

The neighborhood by-laws state that the board will consist of 15 members. At this time, we have only 14 people to present. There are additional individuals who have expressed a willingness to serve if the requirements of board members were amended. Specifically, the requirements that were added approximately one year ago that to serve on the board an individual is expected to be a member of the security association and to contribute $250 annually, either through personal contribution or fund raising (ex. selling home tour tickets, cups for Mesta Festa, etc.) are the issues. There are 3 additional individuals who are willing to volunteer for the board if membership in the security association was not mandatory or could be fulfilled by participating on the committee. Also, there are 3 other individuals who would be willing to volunteer if the $250 was not a requirement.

Thus, the neighborhood may have a decision to make. If no one else volunteers to serve on the board, the association will have to either install only 14 members or re-examine one or both of the board requirements mentioned above. On a separate note, this will be the last year, according to term limits for officers provided in our neighborhood by-laws, I will be able to serve as President and JB will be able to serve as Treasurer. Realizing that, for the last 2 years the slate committee felt that it was important to plan for the future by selecting an individual to serve as vice-president who would be willing to step up to the president’s role in the future if the neighborhood was supportive. I am happy to report that this year we have found nominee for vice-president, Jackie Johnson, who is willing to consider the position of president in the future. As of yet, no one has volunteered to consider the position of Treasurer for future years. So if you are interested, please let an officer or board member know.

The finance committee also met and has prepared a proposed budget to present to the board and then on to the full association for action at the annual meeting. The board will meet and presumably take action on the proposed budget later this month. After the board meeting, the proposed budget will be available on the website to be viewed prior to the annual meeting (approximate posting date is April 20^th).

There will be many organized riding events, and Bicycle Alley is sponsoring the Tour de Cure ride for the American Diabetes Association on June 23, 2007. We hope to see you there. For upcoming events and other information please visit