North of Grand Neighborhood Association

The newsletter of the North of Grand Neighborhood Association is now available by clicking here. Please check it out for all the stuff going on!

Also, note that our Quarterly Membership Meeting will be:
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013
7 p.m.
El Patio Restaurant, 611 37th St.

Our guest speaker will be Melanie Hopkins with Everybody Wins! Iowa. This organization is a literacy and mentoring organization dedicated to increasing children’s success in school through reading and mentoring experiences with caring volunteers. Visit www.everybodywinsiowa.org for more details.

Join us Feb. 12 for this and other updates from the neighborhood association!

The City of Des Moines’ Capital Crossroads Neighborhood Improvement Sub-Committee invites the public to a town hall meeting to share ideas for improving Des Moines’ neighborhoods. Town Hall meeting will include a brief introductory presentation followed by audience engagements. Each of the three meetings will offer the same format and content.

• Tuesday, Jan. 22, 6-7 pm: Lincoln High School Commons, 2600 SW 9th
• Wednesday, Jan. 23, 4-5:30 pm: Humphrey Center Grand View University, 1200 Grandview Ave.
• Monday, Jan. 28, 12-1:30 p.m.: Olmsted Center at Drake University, 2875 University Ave.

For more information, visit www.capitalcrossroadsvision.com

The number 13 may spark fear into some, but not the North of Grand Neighborhood Association board! We are charging forward into 2013 with renewed energy and commitment to making our neighborhood the best it can be.

In order to do that, we rely on comments and feedback from you, the residents. Please feel free to connect with us either through this Web site, via email (see Contact), or through Facebook. We’re here to listen to issues that matter to you. Neighbors are the heart and soul of our community, they’re what make us who we are. We live in a neighborhood that is unique and full of potential. There’s always something going on and the NOG board wants to make sure you know about it.

Please consider supporting our Neighborhood Association by becoming a member or renewing your membership today. Your support is vital to the success of our organization. It will allow for us to better promote our wonderful summer events, our homeowner educational opportunities, our history and our connection to each other.

We look forward to sharing this most special year with you.

Read our November 2012 Newsletter

The North of Grand Neighborhood Association will hold its quarterly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 beginning at 7 p.m. at Grand Suites, 3801 Grand Avenue, Des Moines.

Our special guest speaker will be Steve Wilke-Shapiro, who will discuss how to take advantage of Historic Tax Credits. Navigating your way through historic tax credits to make improvements to your home can be daunting. Wilke-Shapiro will give us some tips and valuable information to help those who qualify (homes in Middlesex or Greenwood Parks Plat). It’s like FREE money!

Wilke-Shapiro has Masters Degrees in both Architecture and Social Work. He is owner of renew Design Studio helping clients with creative renovation projects, as well as a designer with Silent Rivers Design + Build. He is an avid supporter of historic preservation efforts and began the Des Moines Rehabbers Club for homeowners interested in renovation. He resides in the Drake neighborhood with his wife, Rachel, and two children.

We will also hold our annual board elections. The following seats are up for re-election or are open this year:

Secretary: Sarah Oltrogge

At-Large: Justin Gross

At-Large: Colleen Kinney

At-Large: Matt Coen

Board members meet the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Attendance at quarterly membership meetings and participation on various committees and with events are expected of board members.  We are a passionate group of people who want to make our neighborhood the best place to live in the metro! Please consider joining us!

Help Us Help Our Community This Holiday Season

If you’re planning to attend the NOG Quarterly Meeting, please consider bringing donated food items to benefit the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC). Des Moines University students are conducting a food drive “No Place for Hunger This Holiday.” NOG will be collecting non-parishable food items during the Nov. 13 meeting.

If you are not able to attend Tuesday’s meeting – please drop your non-perishable food donations to Kimberly Hansen, 4015 Woodland Avenue, by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14. Please leave your food donations in the plastic bin on the front porch.

New for the 2012/2013 snow season all residential streets will be plowed after 2 inch snowfalls.  Streets will be cleared with larger snow plows known as “wing-plows.”

Wing plows can clear a path 14 feet wide.  This larger path requires vehicles to be off the street to make the equipment as efficient as possible.  Therefore parking will be restricted until residential streets are plowed curb to curb.

Learn When the Plows are Coming

Snow removal on residential streets citywide will begin when the snow ends.  You can access up-to-date information on snow removal by the following methods:

Email: Subscribe to email alerts at www.dmgov.org in the link “sign up for email subscriptions”

Texting: Subscribe to text message alerts by texting DMSNOW to 96362.

Facebook: like us ‘Des Moines Public Works’

Twitter: Follow us @dmdpw.

Call: The Department of Public Works 24-Hour Customer Service Center at 283-4950.

The cost of a ticket for parking during restrictions is $35 so make sure you comply!