December 2018

12/20/2018

Season's greetings, Historic South Wayne neighbors! Given that we most recently distributed an October-November issue of our newsletter, and because December is already such a busy time for everyone, in lieu of delivering printed newsletters to finish out the year, we're going to go all digital with this one. But don't worry! We still plan to continue delivering printed versions in 2019. For now though, kick back with your computer or mobile device and enjoy your final Historic South Wayne Neighborhood News of 2018!

2018 in Review

This was a busy year for Historic South Wayne. Here are some of the happenings and accomplishments to look back on:

Members, Officers and Board Members

Household Memberships increased by 30%
HSWNA Officers: Nate Hubartt (President); Ozie Taulbee (Vice President); Kristen Emick (Treasurer); Brad Stutzman (Secretary)
Board Members: Katie Magsam, Kyle Magsam, Richard Cochran, Simon May, Jason Nather, Jordan Kurzen

New Logo, New Website, and Redesigned Newsletter
Taking advantage of talent and resources we have right here in our neighborhood, our Marketing Committee worked to put a fresh new face on our communications, social media presence and printed materials. Special thanks to Andy Kurzen for his design work, and to Ben Swygart for the amazing aerial drone photos of the neighborhood. Thanks, also, to Wendy Stein and Stein Ad Promos for helping us get t-shirts printed. Keep watching in 2019 for additional chances in to order your HSWN t-shirt if you missed out!

Events and Service

In April we participated in the Great American Cleanup, collecting loads of garbage and debris from our streets and alleys for some good spring cleaning.
In May we once again offered Dirt Day: free nutrient-rich dirt to help give your gardens a little boost.
On June 9th we were one of many neighborhoods in the area holding yard sales.
Unfortunately, two of our summer events had to be canceled due to inclement weather: Kite Day and Movie Night.
Weather was finally favorable in September as we put on our biggest event of the year, a neighborhood-wide block party, to coincide with Fort4Fitness. Runners and walkers were given an extra shot of energy as they passed through our cheer zone, and South Wayne kids and adults alike enjoyed hanging out, eating and getting to know each other better.

Working with Local Neighbors and the City of Fort Wayne

Two of our alleys were chosen by the City for reconstruction in 2018 and were completed in November (the alley between West Packard and Kinnaird Avenues between Beaver and South Wayne and the alley between Kinnaird and West Wildwood Avenues between Indiana and South Wayne).
Free trees were offered to residents by the Fort Wayne Parks Department in May and five were planted.
Historic South Wayne applied for, and received, one of eleven Neighborhood Grants awarded by the City of Fort Wayne to go toward beautifying our public spaces and strengthening community involvement. We will be using this grant to update the Historic South Wayne signs around the neighborhood.
Members of Historic South Wayne participated in monthly meetings as well as a half-day "retreat" in November sponsored by the Packard Area Planning Alliance (PAPA) where we contributed our voice to plans and concerns of other area neighborhoods. PAPA provides us a united voice to work with the City of Fort Wayne on projects that will enhance our neighborhood.

Overall, it was a successful year, and we're looking forward to more in 2019! (See below)

There's Still Time for Leaf Collection!

If you missed getting your leaves raked to the curb in time for the City of Fort Wayne's leaf collection, you can schedule a pick-up if you place your leaves in biodegradable bags. The City’s bagged leaf program allows residents to call 311 to schedule a pick-up. The bags should be placed at the curb and will be collected within two business days of the call to 311. This option gives residents the flexibility of having leaves collected at their convenience.

Homeowner Repair Program

The City of Fort Wayne’s Office of Housing & Neighborhood Services Homeowner Repair Loan program is now open.

The Roof and Heating & Air Conditioning Replacement Program provides 0% interest seven-year loans for heating, air conditioning or roof replacement. Following are a few of the criteria needed to qualify for the program:

Applicants must own their home and it must be their primary residence.
The home must be located within the City limits.
Homes being purchased on land contract are not eligible for this program.
Applicants must have a household income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income.
Applicants must have homeowner’s insurance.
Applicant must be up-to-date on mortgage payments.
Applicants must not be involved in a pending bankruptcy or have liens placed against their home.
Further qualification information is included in the program guidelines:

Heating & Air Conditioning Program Guidelines
Roof Program Guidelines

Residents may call 260-427-8585 to leave their information on a voice mail system. Someone from the Office of Housing & Neighborhood Services will then call them back to determine their eligibility. As always, funding is limited for this program, so qualified homeowners are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Looking Ahead to 2019

Through the help and involvement of many of our neighbors, we built some good momentum for our Historic South Wayne Neighborhood in 2018 and really want to see it continue and grow in the coming year. Here are some of things we're looking forward to, and want you to be a part of:

We're hoping to slightly increase the number and frequency of our meetings to every other month. With only two board meetings and two general meetings each year, it's hard to get broad participation and keep continuity.
Additional t-shirt and other HSWN logo items for sale. This is an opportunity for us to show pride in our neighborhood as well as make a little money for the association.
A City ordinance states that brick streets and alleys must be reconstructed in brick. Building upon the alley work done in 2018, the City of Fort Wayne has selected the brick alley bounded by Kinnaird, W. Wildwood, Indiana and Beaver Ave. as its 2019 project. This was in large part due to requests made directly by HSWNA and by you, our neighbors!
Updated Historic South Wayne Neighborhood signage, thanks to our Neighborhood Grant awarded by the City of Fort Wayne.
We have been in discussion with ARCH, Fort Wayne's historic preservation organization, about partnering with them on a home and garden tour in 2020. This will take a lot of work and commitment in the coming year to pull it off, but the benefits to our neighborhood could be huge.
We will likely try again for Kite Day, Movie Night and our Fort4Fitness Block Party, so let's hope for better weather in 2019!

In order to help us gauge overall interest in these things, as well as to get your feedback on other items pertaining to our neighborhood in general and the association in particular, we will be sending out a survey sometime early in the year. Your response will be very important, so please stay tuned.

Thanks again to all of you who helped contribute to a great year. We are excited about the possibilities ahead!

Join the Historic South Wayne Neighborhood Association

It's never too late or too early to become an official member of Historic South Wayne. Membership is a great way to become involved, to help our neighborhood improve, to know about what’s going on, and best of all, to get to know your neighbors. Your dues really do make a difference!

Set up an annual donation using our online payment system, and you won't have to remember to write a check:

Pay Dues