Rountree Neighborhood News January 2011 What makes Rountree a Great Place To Live?
Chair's corner — Ken Reese At our last meeting we discussed the need for an organized Watch program for the neighborhood with Officer Jason Rust. We were pleased to find that the basic structure for a good watch program already exists in the body of our association and that a key element was the ability to communicate with others in the neighborhood. Please visit www.RountreeNews.org to see how you can join our Rountree Google group. The neighborhood was also given 4 Neighborhood Watch signs that were provided by Officer Rust and we have made an additional investment in 10 more signs. At our next General Membership meeting we will discuss placement of these signs and hold our annual elections for the board. Please consider whether you have any skills that would enable you to be a contributing member of the association. We are always in need of good material for the newsletter, if you have a great story to tell about growing up here or would simply be willing to deliver the newsletter for your street please reach out to us.
RNA Board Chairman
Ken Reese
kreese311@gmail.com
417-869-6049
Vice Chair
Kim Heckman
chrisandkimheckman@hotmail.com
417-217-1440
Secretary
Nancy Chikaraishi
nchikaraishi@drury.edu
417-869-5774
Treasurer
Sara Hollis
sashollis@aol.com
417-818-8179
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Joanie Meinhardt Troy Meinhardt Bob Keyes
417-459-9578 417-459-9578 417-773-5175
Next General Membership MeetingMarch 15th @ 7pm Rountree Library
A wonderful neighborhood school
Great Neighbors
Homes with unique charm and character
Beautiful tree-lined streets
Proximity to the university and downtown
A strong neighborhood association
Thank You Springfield Blueprint for continuing to support the Rountree Neighborhood by providing printing for the Rountree Neighborhood News! Inside this issue: Chair's corner
1
Block Captain Update
2
Local Business Profile
3
Historic Home Profile
4
Membership Renewal
4
Block Captains Update As we stated in our previous newsletter, given the sheer size of our association, over 1000 households, it is a challenge to adequately address the concerns of everyone given our current size. Our Rountree Google Group has done a good job of keeping us all better connected electronically on issues that effect the entire neighborhood, but we also need more of a person to person, localized contact to keep our fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in each of the different sections of our neighborhood. There may be certain issues that are more important to the areas near the MSU campus than they are to the areas near Glenstone. Some areas may have issues with loud parties. Other areas may have concerns with traffic control or storm water issues. There’s simply no way the RNA Chair can adequately stay on top of all these different perspectives without help, so we have taken steps to address this by assigning Block Captains to serve as a liaison for their area. This is still a work in progress, but we are initially envisioning a Block Captain performing the following duties: - Pass out the RNA Newsletters for their area (generally around a two block area) - Keep the Neighborhood Watch Captain informed of any break ins or suspicious activity in their area - Pass along any problems, questions or concerns for their area to the RNA Chair Since everyone is busy and most people are reluctant to volunteer, we have offered an incentive to any area that has a Block Captain willing to serve: We will reward them with a Neighborhood Watch sign for their area. The idea is that if an area is willing to step up to the plate and have leadership for their area, there will be a reward for that effort. So far our initial crop of Block Captain Volunteers are: Sharon Taylor - 910 S Pickwick Troy Meinhardt - 1317 E Harrison Loren Vigil - 1111 S Weller John Melton - 707 S Weller Matt Case - 725 S Pickwick Sarah Hollis - 1326 E Delmar Terry & Melissa Hutton - 807 S Weller Tony Venute - 1402 E Cherry Ken Reese - 1523 E Monroe Craig & Joann Hosmer - 1655 E Delmar As we add to our Block Captain list, we’re working on creating a Master Block Captain Map that shows all the areas we have covered with Block Captains and what holes we still need to fill. Our goal eventually is to have the entire Rountree neighborhood covered with Block Captains and this should lead to more organized RNA newsletter distribution, better communication between neighbors and hopefully better representation by the RNA board to address the concerns of each individual area. If you would like to volunteer or you think you know of a good potential candidate for us to talk with, please contact our Neighborhood Watch Captain John Melton at 831-0233. His Email address is vespacian@sbcglobal.net. Please let John know if you’re willing to lend a hand. Our Block Captains, Neighborhood Watch program, Rountree Google Group & Neighborhood Directory are all works in progress. There will be bumps in the road as we figure out the best way to do things. But as long as everyone continues forward with a spirit of cooperation and we all work towards a common goal of getting our neighbors better connected, this effort will pay great dividends for years to come. We’re continuing to make great strides in just a few months. Keep up the good work everyone.
Rountree Supports Neighborhood Business Owners From time to time the RNA has profiled local business in this publication. The focus of the these stories have usually been on our neighbors in Pickwick Place. We have decided to expand the profiles to include business owners living in the Rountree neighborhood. If you would like to have your business profiled in the next or a future Rountree Neighborhood News go to www.RountreeNews.org and contact us.
Law Office In A Residential Area? Charles (“Charlie”) and Peggy Hedrick have lived in the big stone house in the Rountree area, on the northwest corner of Delaware and Grand for thirty years this summer. For most of those years, Peggy has had a full time law practice based in her home. Charlie was a professor at MSU, until six years ago, when he retired from MSU and began working full time in his home office. He also is a witness or notary for some of Peggy’s clients. During all of those years, they have taken advantage of the IRS’s allotment of the maximum 25% of home expense deduction for the business use of one’s home. The family was living in New York City, when Charlie was offered a job teaching Religious Studies at what was then SMSU. Peggy expected to practice law in a traditional law firm in California (where their children grew up) or New York City (where she went to law school), and had never considered the idea of establishing a home based business. When they moved to Springfield, and chose the house in the Rountree neighborhood as their home, Peggy decided to accept clients at the home address for two months, while purchasing office furniture and equipment and evaluating possible locations for her office. She obtained a post office box and a business phone line, so her contact information would not have to be changed. Colleagues referred clients to her, and she accepted positions on community boards, and became involved in community service activities. It didn’t take two months to reach the conclusion that the home based office was not only comfortable, but desirable as the location for her office, for many reasons. The overhead was minimal. Clients liked the privacy, and the neighbors were friendly, accepting, and even consulted Peggy for legal services. Computers had reached the stage that made it possible for a single, computer-literate attorney to run a law office competitive with the largest, well established firms. And, through the years, the relatively small office with a single attorney, has remained competitive because of the continued technological development advancements. With the advent of web sites and blogs (http://www.blog.peggyhedrick.com) the Internet has broadened her client base to the entire state, the nation, and even the world. Commercial areas surround Rountree, which include traditional law offices. It is different when a law office is established within the residential area, in a home, occupied by the lawyer. City ordinances permit law offices in residential areas. But the ordinance imposes restrictions on all home based offices, regarding signs, parking, employees, and even having a “waiting room.” Depending on the nature of the practice, restrictions may be cumbersome, and discourage attorneys from taking advantage of the benefits. Some assume clients prefer a more traditional office, but the home office has worked for Peggy. Peggy’s full-time law practice has included civil and criminal jury trials, trials to the Court, depositions, appeals, estate planning, business, and domestic matters, and dealing with numerous crisis situations. Her clients have found her through referrals, and 25 years of answering legal questions on Wayne Glenn’s Saturday morning KTXR radio show. Also through her community service through the years, including, during the 1980s, the Rountree Board, and most recently, the Planning and Zoning Commission. She’s also been a Mediator/Arbitrator for the Fee Dispute program of the Missouri Bar since the inception of the program, monitored elections in Bosnia and Kosovo, and worked on projects in Egypt. The home law office remains open and active, though it may be more difficult for a new client to get an appointment. Providing continuing services to clients she has had through the years keeps her busy enough to pay the bills, enjoy her garden, and grandchildren, and to remain engaged in what is going on in Springfield, and the world.
Dr. Anna Lou Blair House In addition to featuring neighborhood businesses, we’d also like to occasionally feature historic homes. We’re looking for homes that are architecturally and/or historically interesting. In this issue, we feature the “Blair House” at 802 S. Kickapoo owned by Tom and Nancy Dornan. This historic home has housed people from around the world. Family members ranging from Civil War veterans to a Supreme Court Justice to a Governor have been part of the history of this home. It was the site of monumental events: weddings, deaths, funerals, as well as regular weekly teas celebrating different languages and customs. This home originally sat at the heart of a large acreage that extended from Kickapoo to Fremont. The house was built in 1905 and purchased by Louisa O. Blair, the mother of Anna Lou Blair, from Sarah Ray Ramsey in 1907. Now this home is fully restored for its second hundred years. The “One and Only” Dr. Anna Lou Blair lived at 802 S. Kickapoo for many years. She initially taught German at Southwest Missouri State College in 1908 and was on the faculty for 49 years. Head of the Foreign Language Department for 14 years, she also taught Latin, French, Spanish and Russian. During her tenure at SMSU, she sponsored international students, many of whom lived in this home on the second floor. The northeast bedroom was a kitchen. There was a bathroom and five bedrooms. Dr. Blair lived on the first floor. For years, her home was the scene of these weekly teas for foreign students and the scene of the annual gathering place for the members of the SMSU German club, “Deutscher Verein”. Dr. Blair’s mother, Louisa Osborne Blair, was born in 1847 in Tennessee and received her education at Athens Female College. She married Dr. Samuel Tate Blair who received his early training at the Jefferson Medical College of the University of Tennessee before serving in the Confederate Army in the Civil War. The family moved to Springfield in the early 1900’s. Louisa and her husband, Dr. Samuel Blair had eight children with only four surviving childhood. Anna Lou’s brother, James T. Blair Sr., became a Missouri Supreme Court Judge in 1914. The son of James T. Blair Sr., James Jr., became the governor of the state of Missouri in 1956 and visited this home often. Under his governorship, the first budget review and control office was established. This house, now known as the Blair House, has housed three families in its first century of life. Now, it is ready for this century and to welcome others. Contact Nancy Dornan at NBrown715@aol.com for more information.
Rountree Neighborhood membership funds go to support neighborhood efforts such as the newsletter, trash pick-up and social events. We are hoping that everyone eligible for RNA membership will join. YOUR SUPPORT WILL MAKE THIS GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD EVEN BETTER! SEND BOTTOM PORTION WITH PAYMENT
ROUNTREE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION NAME ADDRESS PHONE # EMAIL ADDRESS MEMBERSHIP LEVELS: Individual--$5, Family--$10, Business--$25 MAIL TO: Sara Hollis, 1326 E. Delmar St., Springfield, MO 65804