Rountree Neighborhood News Volume 7, Issue 2 October 2010
Chair's corner — Ken Reese It’s hard to believe October has already arrived! Soon the trees will begin their annual change of colors painting this neighborhood with what could be a Rockwell painting. I want to take this opportunity to say what a great response we have received with our new Google Groups. To date we have over 150 members sharing updates from their block. Unfortunately, many reports have had to do with theft and vandalism and the case of teenage kids squatting in a home. These incidents have caused many of us to consider a Neighborhood Watch program that could help facilitate the reporting of these incidents. The board has asked officer Jason Rust to attend the general membership meeting at the Rountree Library, on October 19th at 7pm to discuss the best way we could report these problems to the police. The essential element of a successful watch program is an open line of communication, we hope you will consider visiting www.RountreeNews.org and joining our online forum.
What makes Rountree a Great Place To Live?
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
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 MeetingBoard Elections**January 18th @ 7pm Rountree Library**Subject to change
Inside this issue: Chair's corner
1
Board Elections
1
Halloween Parade
2
Block Captains Needed 2 Local Business Profile
3
Connecting Neighbors
4
RNA Membership
4
Volume 7, issue 2
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Annual Halloween Parade
If you have never marched in the annual Halloween parade in Rountree then make it a point to join us this year as we celebrate a quintessential American holiday. The group will take a short walk on Sunday October 31st beginning at 5pm at the corner of Weller and Delmar ending in the 800 block of Weller followed by night of trick or treating!
Block Captains Needed Neighbors, below is a map of the boundaries for the Rountree Neighborhood Association. The area shaded in gray was our original boundary and represents the current boundary of what is known as an Urban Conservation District. Living within a UCD means there are ordinances that must be followed that range from occupancy maximums in households to general care of the property. If you would like to read more about what it means to live in an Urban Conversation District, visit www.RountreeNews.org for further details. Over the last two years we have added the remaining outlined area to our association and need to expand involvement from residents in those areas. If you have neighbors you know that live there please encourage them to join us for the next general membership meeting or let them know of our group on Google. We also have elections to the board that will be held at the January meeting and are always in search of new blood. 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. We have taken steps to address this through better communication (we hope) but now need more to step up to serve as liaison for their block.
Thank You Springfield Blueprint for continuing to support the Rountree Neighborhood by providing printing for the Rountree Neighborhood News!
Springfield Blue Print & Photo Copy 219 E Pershing, Springfield, MO 65806 417.869.7316
Volume 7, issue 2
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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.
PICKWICK PLACE CHILDREN’S CENTER 614 S Pickwick 862-5222 On August 1st of this year, Pickwick Place Children’s Center celebrated thirty years of service to children and families in the Ozark area. The Center has been operated since the beginning by Jenny and Steve Sauer, residents of the Rountree neighborhood. Their son, Scott, a local artist and computer animator, attended daycare at Pickwick, elementary school at Rountree, and on to Jarrett, Parkview and Missouri State, a true local boy. Jenny has been in the childcare field since March of 1976, directing a chain-owned childcare center in southeast Springfield. Wanting to work together and own their own business, the Sauers purchased the residence at 614 S. Pickwick in February of 1980 and worked practically night and day to remodel the home into a licensed-approved center to service fifty-three children, opening August 1, 1980. Since that time many, many area children have spent their pre-school and elementary years under the care of the Pickwick staff. Several children later returned curing college years to work as teachers at the center. Many have grown up and brought their children, the second generation of children, for care at Pickwick Place. The bricks from Springfield Normal School, originally located in the 600 block of Pickwick and the predecessor of Missouri State University, were used to construct many of the houses in the Cherry-Pickwick area, including Pickwick Place Children’s Center. During the early years of the center, children often dug up pieces of plates, cups, silverware, etc., while playing in the back yard. Bits and pieces of coal were often discovered and the children were certain these were old enough to soon become diamonds! According to a catalog from the Normal School dated 1894, the school offered “good wholesome board” for a $1.75 a week and tuition charged at that time was $12 per term. Later, after the Normal School moved to Grand and National, the old school setting was used as what at that time was referred to as a “poor farm”. The Sauers often jokingly say that perhaps history has come full circle because as everyone in the childcare business will attest, there is not a fortune to be made in this field. However, the Sauers are proud of the business they founded thirty years ago. They are most appreciative of being able to get to know and love so many children throughout the years and the continued support of the community during this time. Steve notes that Pickwick Place Children’s Center is perhaps the oldest continually operating business in the Rountree area. Jenny adds a special invitation to any and all past and present friends to drop by. Given a minute she can usually recall a story or two about each child who has ever attended during these past thirty years. The Sauers love living and working in the Rountree neighborhood, the friendly community spirit, being able to walk, if one chooses, to and from work, restaurants, markets, etc. plus the added benefit of beautiful shade trees, bushes and flowers. Jenny grew up in a rural setting while Steve was raised in the city. Springfield and especially the Rountree area offer many benefits to make them both feel at home. They look forward to many more years of enjoying the area and continuing their successful business.
Volume 7, issue 2
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Connecting With Our Neighbors There have been three main efforts underway since our last General Membership Meeting to get our neighborhood better connected: Rountree Neighborhood Directory, Rountree Google Group and starting a Neighborhood Watch program. All three operate under the principle that if we know more about our neighbors, we will have a more cohesive, safer and ultimately more family friendly neighborhood. Rountree Neighborhood Directory: We are asking families to enter their information to help us get to know our neighbors better. Not just for calling or E-mailing, but also for remembering everyone’s names, their kids, pets, etc. Visit www.RountreeNews.org and click on the hyperlink in the New Neighborhood Directory story on the home page to enter your info. We understand that personal privacy and security is very important. Just fill out the information you feel comfortable sharing and leave any other areas blank. Rountree Google Group: We've also created a Rountree Google group that should be a convenient way to keep everyone informed on neighborhood activities. This can come in handy to keep the neighborhood informed about meetings, spread the word about break ins, ask for referrals to get your yard mowed, hire a babysitter, etc. Visit www.RountreeNews.org and click on the Rountree Google Group hyperlink in the New Neighborhood Directory story on the home page to request to join our group. Neighborhood Watch: Now that we’re better connected, we’ve been hearing more about the break-ins occurring in the area and have decided to form a Neighborhood Watch program. John Melton has graciously volunteered to be our initial Neighborhood Watch Captain and will serve as the liaison between our neighborhood and the police department. This is a big job and John can’t do it on his own, so he needs your help. His phone number is 831-0233 and his Email address is vespacian@sbcglobal.net. Please let John know if you’re willing to lend a hand. All three of these are 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’ve already made great strides in three short months. Keep up the good work everyone.
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. 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