Historic Madison Park continues to seek new avenues to engage the public in dialogue over neighborhood improvement plans. While their efforts have yet to translate into any physical change, the group has begun distributing newsletters, surveys and seeking input from its website.
It's the group's efforts, however, that have a few residents concerned.
Longtime Madison Park residents Solveig Thomson and Lola McKee are questioning whether the group is getting an accurate account of what the public truly wants.
"My [concern] is in communication - it's lacking," said Thomson, who lives on 43rd Avenue East. "Not everyone receives their newsletters, is on-line or goes to Starbucks to pick up their surveys."
PROVIDING A FORUM
When Historic Madison Park began holding meetings to help restore the neighborhood's charm last year, its binding creed was "to assist in facilitating the conversation and education in a strategic manner," according to the website. The group's director, Lisa Taylor-Molitch, maintains that the group's focus has not changed.
"We're simply providing the forum to talk with the residents of Madison Park about how to improve - not change - the neighborhood," Taylor-Molitch said.
Still, the group's pace and direction remain a concern for some residents.
"The kinds of things they're proposing have been done before," said McKee, who owns and operates Madison Park Hardware. "We've had flower baskets and public kiosks before, and there's a reason why we don't have them anymore."
In a letter written by Thomson, she outlined the concern of the troubled residents: "[Historic Madison Park] has energy, determination, organization skills and some good ideas and visions, both old and new. However, [the group] need[s] to slow down and take baby steps dependent upon building the support of a majority of park residents, which takes time."
Taylor-Molitch, who said she's received great feedback from the group's surveys and newsletters that are distributed to 1,200 residents each month, believes that because community projects have been tried in the past, does not mean they cannot be explored again.
"Is there a problem with trying things again?" said Taylor-Molitch, who recently established the group as a nonprofit organization. "We want to find out why things have failed and how to potentially make them work in the future with the support of the entire community."
COMPETING INTERESTS?
Historic Madison Park believes firmly that the area could use some improvement, with issues of pedestrian safety, roadway revamping and parking scarcity atop its list.
Last April, the group applied for a $15,000 Small and Simple Projects neighborhood matching grant from the city for a design charette that was ultimately denied.
Historic Madison Park also more recently applied for three Bridging the Gap funds, also from the city, for sidewalk work in the Madison Park business district, a median down East Madison Street and a rejuvenation project for North Beach Park. These are still under consideration.
However, Thomson and others wonder if the group is undermining the Madison Park Community Council.
She wrote, "There appears to have been some friction between the long-functioning Madison Park Community Council and [Historic Madison Park], which stated that the community council was slow to move or did not support their ideas. Now, hopefully, both sides are meeting to resolve problems."
While, feasibly, Historic Madison Park could make improvements without the community council's approval, Taylor-Molitch said that's not the group's aim.
"You don't work on city designs or improvements without the community council," she said. "We want to work with everyone and are working with the community council."
Community council interim president Jim Hagan said the two groups have been working together, despite some past tension.
"There was some friction early on [between Historic Madison Park and the community council]," said Hagan, who noted that the group members now meet on a regular basis. "The two groups agreed to work together as best as they can. The goal of the board is to make relationships more harmonious.
"As people get a better understanding of what they want to do and what [Historic Madison Park is] about the friction should die down," he said. "I believe there's always room for improvements here."
THE MESSENGERS
The concerned citizens, too, believe there's room for improvement but feel that Historic Madison Park should work to get more residents involved.
"None of us have been consulted," said McKee, a member of the community council and Madison Park Business Association. "We have to learn how adjust, but they need to learn how to communicate to everyone around here."
Historic Madison Park members believe its efforts have reached great heights, but said there's still no timeline for any of the discussed improvements.
"We've tried very, very hard to allow people enough avenues to respond and talk," Taylor-Molitch said. "We're the messenger. We're being productive and proactive."
The Madison Park Community Council (www.madisonparkcouncil.org) meets at the Bathhouse, 1900 43rd Ave. E., at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month.
Historic Madison Park (www.historicmadisonpark.com) meets monthly at the Bathhouse at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month.
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