VHCA thanks you for your participation at the 2004 Annual Meeting. More than 90 neighbors attended the dinner and meeting, along with City representatives and elected officials. Thanks to the Inman Middle School PTA for arranging the burrito dinner and tours of the newly remodeled school.

Elections

The 2004-2005 Board of Directors was elected during the meeting and includes:

John Craft
Kevin Cronin
Chip Gallagher
Rob Glancy
Moshe Haspel
Paula Hyman
Jean Jordan
Ken McDuffie
Wiley Sommerville
Barbara Touchette
David Vaughan

Alternate: Mike Harrison

2004-2005 Grant Recipients

VHCA did very well financially this year, due in part to a successful Summerfest. The organization is pleased to announce the grant recipients this year:

Morningside Elementary School PTA
Inman Middle School PTA
Grady High School PTA
Council of Intown Neighborhoods and Schools
Ponce Library
YWCA
Trees Atlanta
PEDS
Piedmont Park
Freedom Park
Zone 6 Police
Firehouse 19
Orme Park

1st Annual Aaron Gross Community Service Award

A very special award was introduced at the annual meeting — the Aaron Gross Community Service Award. In honor of the late Aaron Gross, a very active neighbor who was instrumental in the creation of Summerfest, this award honors a very special person who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. We are pleased to announce Cynthia Gentry, the creator and developer of the Cunard Memorial Playground as the first recipient of this award. Cynthia received a beautiful Froebel award and $1,000 to donate to a charity. Congratulations, Cynthia! We appreciate all your hard work and dedication. You certainly created a beautiful park and addition to the neighborhood!

2003-02-24: Broken sidewalk? We can help!

by Chip Gallagher

Imagine taking a nice stroll from Amsterdam to Ponce on any side of the street in Virginia Highland. Now imagine that the sidewalk you’re on is perfectly smooth and pedestrian friendly: no cracks, no missing pavers, no sink holes. One of our main projects this fiscal year is to repair all or at least a sizeable portion of the sidewalks in our neighborhood. We will pay 50% of the cost of the sidewalk repair, up to $500.

Getting your sidewalk repaired is cheaper and easier than you can imagine because if you use the city to make the repairs you only pay for the sidewalk materials. I had a portion of my sidewalk repaved by the city for a cost of $280. The Virginia Highland Civic Association reimbursement would now be $140 (At the time the reimbursement was 25% so I received $70.) The board has allocated $10,000 of this year’s budget to fix our sidewalks.

What you need to do if you are interested in fixing your sidewalk:

1. Call the city’s streets number at 404-330-6245 and set up an appointment to have someone inspect your property and write up an estimate and work order. Get a name and a direct number of your contact so you can follow up on your work order.

2. Make sure you have a receipt from the city for the work that was done on your sidewalk. We cannot reimburse you if you do not have a receipt. Make an additional copy for your records.

3. Send the receipt to Wiley Sommerville at 858 Adair Ave. or call him at 404-881-1003.

If you have any questions feel free to call me at 404-651-1853.

2004-02-24: Inside VHCA

Committees and Chairs

The VHCA and the Virginia-Highland neighborhood thrives through community activism and awareness. We need and welcome your involvement in any of our committees. You can join through any of the emails listed below or by expressing an interest at any of our monthly meetings.

Parenting and Education

As Virginia-Highland continues to be a favorite place to live, more and more families with children are part of our neighborhood. To ensure that VHCA addresses their needs as well as the rest of the community, this new committee will focus on family and children issues in the areas of play space, safety, accessibility and child-friendly neighborhood enhancements.

Chair: Jean Jordan

Parenting@vahi.org

Parks

The VHCA seeks to preserve and maintain the neighborhood parks and other green spaces within our community. Specifically, we will:

1. Support the efforts of the John Howell Park Projects in developing the park in accordance with the approved master plan.
2. Provide input and support of the reviewed master plan for Piedmont Park.
3. Encourage the planting and maintenance of trees along the commercial and residential rights-of-way.
4. Oppose the proliferation of signs and billboards that encroach on trees and public green spaces.
5. Provide an avenue for community interface with the City of Atlanta concerning the design, maintenance and safety of public parks, recreational facilities and green spaces in Virginia-Highland.

Scheduling Events at John Howell or Orme Park:

• For what the City considers a park activity, a small gathering that doesn’t include tents, stages, alcohol or vending, visit the City of Atlanta Bureau of Parksonline. At the bottom of the page, you will see a link to the application form. The city can’t accept an application online, but they will accept a fax.
• If you have questions about larger festivals or gatherings along the scope of Summerfest that utilize any of the items listed above, visit the City of Atlanta Office of Special Events online for more information.

Co-Chairs: Rob Glancy and Paula Hyman

Parks@vahi.org

Planning and Zoning

The goal of the VHCA as relates to planning and zoning is to ensure that the VHCA neighborhood maintains its popular “village-like” character, including maintaining the current mix of uses. The committee reviews zoning applications on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Ponce de Leon Public Library.

Co-Chairs: John Craft and Chip Bullock

Planning@vahi.org

Public Safety

Through the Public Safety Committee, the VHCA will create communication about public safety issues within the neighborhood with an objective to maintain a safe environment throughout the community.

Chair: Chip Gallagher

Safety@vahi.org

Summerfest

Summerfest is Virginia- Highland’s annual festival to celebrate the official beginning of summer in the neighborhood. Held the first Saturday and Sunday of June, Summerfest offers art, food, music, entertainment and more – all in the park like setting along Virginia Avenue. Summerfest is loved by neighbors, visitors and professionals – it was voted the “Best Neighborhood Festival” both by critics and readers in Creative Loafing Magazine’s 1999 “Best of Atlanta” issue. For more information on Summerfest, visit the Summerfest section of this web site.

Co-Chairs: Kevin Cronin and Wiley Sommerville

SummerfestInfo@vahi.org

Virginia-Highland Voice

The Voice is a free, bi-monthly newsletter produced by the VHCA to increase awareness and participation in community activities. Hand delivered to all homes, apartments, and businesses in the Va-Hi community, the Voice is funded through VHCA operating income and the generosity of area businesses who pay for advertising.

Chair: Barbara Touchette

Editor: Nonie Daniel
Business Manager: Kevin Grebe

Editor@vahi.org

Virginia-Highland Morningside Parents’ Association

Information about the VHMPA is available here.