This past Monday, nine neighborhood advocates met at my house to discuss a shared vision for the future of our neighborhoods, and how the city and residents might partner to increase neighborhood identity, resilience in emergencies, and quality of life through positive and healthy neighbor relationships. I believe that, though we do lots of things right in Cedar Falls, a greater emphasis on neighborhood cohesion is needed as a way to inform and engage residents...and as a simple way to improve the quality of life in Cedar Falls.
During our meeting, Dr. Jim O’Loughlin, the president of the Overman Park Neighborhood Association (OPNA), described how OPNA came into being in 2005 to advocate for keeping Lincoln Elementary in its present location. He described how OPNA functions with a constitution/bylaws and elects officers annually, and has varying levels of activity, depending on the issues of the season. OPNA can serve as a model for other residents looking to start their own association.
I explained how the city currently has three neighborhood associations, which accounts for only about 10% of our population. These are Overman Park Neighborhood Association, College Hill Partnership, and North Cedar Neighborhood Assocation. Community Main Street overlaps with OPNA, and has some resident engagement downtown. On top of that, several Home Owners Assocaitions (HOA's) exist, which are compulsory (as opposed to neighborhood to associations, which are voluntary). Still, as the city grows and works get resident input on construction, planning & zoning issues, and other civic questions, neighborhood associations can be an effective shared voice for residents to their local government.
I also showed the resources that I’ve been referring to as a City Council member, including the city’s financial plan, five-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) plan, the Community Wide Strategic Plan, and the 2012 Comprehensive Plan.
Our immediate actions moving forward are to:
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Share the OPNA bylaws as a template for other prospective neighborhood associations.
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Share a running Google Doc to document and broadcast best practices for neighborhood engagement.
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Work within our neighborhoods to identify and recruit leadership in areas where neighborhood associations have strong potential, particularly:
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Cedar Heights
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Southern Birdsall Park area
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Residences surrounding Greenhill & Main
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And as encouragement, these kinds of changes don’t happen overnight; my goal is that by the end of my four-year term on City Council (12/31/2021), we’ll have strong momentum, identified leaders, and the start of new traditions of neighborhood picnics, clean-ups, and other similar activities, as we do in my own Sartori Park. Cedar Falls will be much better for it!
For those who couldn’t make it to the event, we’d love to have you connected and to work toward a strong neighborhood where you live. Send me a note at rgreencf@gmail.com and perhaps we can grab coffee sometime! I’d love to hear what you’d like to see happen in your neighborhood.