Worm catchers

Kara Gooding writes:

Due to the overwhelming demand for more tree banding supplies as well as concerns about common areas in Elizabeth, the ECA will sponsor a tree band volunteer day on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 11-5 in upper Independence Park.

On this day, the ECA will be distributing supplies for banding the park trees, any un-banded city trees or trees on rental property. So take note of any area in our neighborhood, especially on your street or on your block that is not banded. Get a group of neighbors, come get some supplies, and lets band these overlooked trees to make sure Elizabeth is 100% banded.

The one you've been waiting for

What will happen to the Roy White property on 7th Street? What will happen to the properties assembled by David Krug across the street? Find out Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. when Chris Branch of the Boulevard Company makes a presentation to the Elizabeth Community Association at the Hawthorne Rec Center. Boulevard has apparently either acquired or is in the process of acquiring both sets of properties, and will be seeking rezoning from the city. They'll want to get input from the ECA first. The meeting Dec. 11 will be the first steps in that process.

Boulevard did the Laurel Ridge development at Randolph and Laurel. You may recall they originally sought a rezoning that would have allowed more units on that site. The city, after consulting with the ECA, denied the rezoning request for higher density.

I don't think I can overstate the importance of the 7th Street projects to the neighborhood. If you live in Elizabeth or if you just occasionally drive on 7th, you have a stake in the results. Come to the meeting and let your voice be heard.

Neighborhood "improvement"

This is probably unfair criticism, but here goes: Does anyone think a fenced-in gravel lot is an improvement over a restaurant? For this they tore down the Athens?

Farewell pumpkin wall

The 2007 Pumpkin Wall has come and gone with little fanfare from UtWT. My apologies to all involved for neglecting the wall and the service of the dedicated carvers who had to brave the few days of rain we've had in the last few months to scoop and cut. Nice job to the Woodpeckers and all who took part. This is what the wall looked like on Halloween night.

Plenty of free parking

No one hates to pay for parking more than I do. But sometimes I wonder if we only encourage our dependence on the automobile (and therefore foreign oil) by offering plenty of free parking everywhere. I thought of this today while wondering what on earth the developers of the nearby Home Depot/Target project were thinking when they put the parking garage out front and the stores behind it. Were they afraid people wouldn't find the garage if they hid it behind the store where it belongs? Home Depot and Target stores aren't known for their tremendous curb appeal, but anything would be better than a parking garage -- even if this one is better than average -- and having the store at the front might encourage walk-ups.

Contrast that Midtown development with the construction on the Central Avenue side of the Hawthorne Lane bridge. I guess the huge concrete monolith is a parking garage, and by all appearances the condominiums will be wrapped around it. Result: We'll see the places where people live, not the places where cars live. Doesn't that make sense?