There are changes afoot in Madison Park, and in spite of the best efforts of all who have made an effort to spread the word, too many of us are still unaware of what's been contemplated and what has been accomplished.
It seems in this day of instant and constant communication from all corners of the globe, it becomes more and more difficult to communicate with our neighbors.
Take Historic Madison Park (HMP), for instance.
ATTENTION-GETTING EFFORTS
From the start, the group has been searching for the ideal way to let people know the organization exists and what it hopes to accomplish.
The Madison Park Times prints new of the HMP monthly meetings-to-be and occasionally follows up with a write-up of the meetings after the fact.
Fliers cover shop windows up and down East Madison Street and can be found in many businesses along the street.
The Madison Park Community Council has a website, as does Historic Madison Park. The HMP has a newsletter that you'll find in many places around town. Meetings dates and times also are posted in front of the Madison Park Bathhouse, where the meetings take place.
Yet, in spite of all the efforts, many of us are quite unaware of when or where such meetings take place. We who live here really need to know and participate in what is being considered, which may change Madison Park in many ways.
When we are at the meeting, we can ask questions or give our opinions - pro or con - on these various projects that are under consideration with either the council or Historic Madison Park.
Both have tried almost everything to catch our attention except standing on corners beating drums and waving large banners.
Since Historic Madison Park and the council have made such efforts, it's now up to us to do our own detective work to locate the information we need to attend the meetings and learn of the plans that are being considered for our neighborhood.
AIR YOUR OPINION
Why would you ever want to go to one more meeting?
Well, you might want to congratulate the organizations that managed to get a grant to repair those bone-breaking sidewalks we're famous for, along with an evaluation and replacement of the trees in the parkways.
Perhaps you think a median of flowers down Madison is one of the better ways for slowing down the Madison Street Speedway.
On the other hand, you wonder where the delivery trucks will park to make their deliveries if the lane they park in now should disappear.
Would you like to be part of the efforts to redo Madison Park, or are you opposed to parts or all of it? Do you want a place to park within walking distance of the shops and restaurants?
Your views will have much more weight at a formal meeting than if you talk about the whys and wherefores for your position with friends over a cup of coffee at Tully's. So it's up to you and me to watch for notices of meetings wherever they may be posted, from doctors' offices to Madison Park Hardware.
You, like me, may tremble at speaking out at a meeting. Historic Madison Park's Sean Smith told me that the HMP board is anxious to have participants at monthly meeting - whether they are for or against a project, of if they have a project that they would like to have the board take under consideration.
All those who want to speak to the subject at hand or to a related subject will receive time to have their say.
So look alert, read the agenda, then go to a meeting and have your say.
Roberta Cole, a Madison Park resident, can be reached at mptimes@nwlink.com.
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