Blog Posts - Crestwood Neighborhood Association

Annual Elections: September 13, 2016

8/31/2016

6:30 p.m. Sep. 13, 2016
at the 19th St. Median Flagpole

Official minutes will follow, but this email shall serve as notice that the CNA will be holding elections at the September meeting. If you are interested in being on the board or being an officer, please email the CNA president by replying to this email or by emailing justin.cliburn@gmail.com.

The following positions are open for elections:

President;
Vice-President;
Treasurer;
Secretary;
Board of Directors (the bylaws call for 5-15 board members).

The vote will be by ballot rather than show of hands, so be sure to put your name in the hat ahead of time so we can print the ballots. There will be an opportunity to write in candidates if they appear on election day. There will also be some bylaw amendment votes that will be sent to the membership before the meeting.

Special Meeting to Discuss Neighbors Night Out, Bylaws

8/25/2016

By CNA Interim President Justin C. Cliburn

This shall serve as notice that a special meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at the 19th Street median flagpole. The topic of the special meeting shall be our Neighbors Night Out event in October as well as an amendment to our bylaws tying annual elections to Neighbors Night Out.

Why a Special Meeting?

A recent survey sent to the Crestwood Neighborhood Association mailing list found that 88% of respondents supported expending CNA funds to get a permit to close a section of 19th Street during the three-hour Neighbors Night Out event on October 4, 2016.

NOTE: The results are presented by screenshot in order to avoid a sizable service fee for downloadable survey results.

However, the scope of the permits respondents preferred varied greatly, as evidenced by the comments below (there are two pages of comments; click on the '2' to navigate to the second page):

Depending on which permits we seek, those costs (which may be offset thanks to sponsorships CNA member John Encomienda is seeking) may exceed $300, and the CNA bylaws require any expenditure over $300 to be voted on by the membership at a regular meeting or special meeting:

The permit application requires submission at least 30 days before the proposed closure. Here's the problem though: our next general meeting is Tuesday, September 13th — less than 30 days before Neighbors Night Out. So, out of an abundance of caution, the funds will be voted on at a special meeting, which may be called at any time by the CNA President:

So, I, acting CNA President, am calling a special meeting to sort this out in time to follow through on permits if the Association approves them. Also on the agenda is a proposed amendment to the bylaws:

Proposed Bylaws Amendment

The current version of the bylaws was ratified in 2012. At that time, Neighbors Night Out was held in September, and some members from that era believe the intent of Article III, Section 2: Annual Meeting was for the annual elections to coincide with Neighbors Night Out. However, the current bylaws state that the annual meeting (to elect officers) "shall be held in September":

On motion of a board member, the special meeting shall also be used to vote on amending that language, which is authorized by the bylaws so long as the notice includes discussion of the proposed changes:

So the special meeting agenda will also include a vote on amending Article III, Section 2. The proposed change reads:

Section 2: Annual Meeting.
The annual meeting shall be held at the annual Neighbors Night Out event or, if the CNA does not participate in Neighbors Night Out, the meeting shall occur during the month that Neighbors Night Out is scheduled to occur. Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting.

If the motion passes, officer elections will be held at the beginning of our Neighbors Night Out event in October. If it is not passed, elections will be held at the next regular meeting on Tuesday, September 13th.

June 2016 Crime Report Available

8/24/2016

The Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma has the crime statistics for June 2016 listed on their site. Check it out here.

Check Out These 10 Crestwood Homes For Sale!

8/21/2016

Have a friend or family member looking to buy a home? Refer them to our Home Listings page. As of today, Realtor.com shows 10 beautiful Crestwood homes for sale listed from $105,000 to $200,000 (and Zillow shows a great-looking fixer upper at $85,000).

Help Crestwood Get a Grant from OG&E!

8/20/2016

OG&E is giving away three grants to neighborhoods for sustainability practices through their Create Great Neighborhoods initiative. The Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma describes the initiative:

Create Great Neighborhoods is an annual program brought to you by OG&E and Neighborhood Alliance to encourage neighborhoods to think about energy efficiency, resource conservation and sustainability. Neighborhoods like yours can compete to earn one of three Positive Energy cash grants from OG&E: $2,500, $1,500 or $1,000.
Step One: Enter your neighborhood to compete for a Positive Energy cash grant by completing the 2016 CGN Neighborhood Application
Step Two: Use the 2016 Household Commitment Form to recruit neighbors to participate and help your neighborhood accomplish as much as possible.
Step Three: At the end of the summer, complete a 2016 Positive Energy Grant Application detailing your neighborhood’s efforts to promote energy efficiency, resource conservation and sustainability. Your applications will be reviewed and scored by a judging committee and winners of the cash grants selected.

So, here are the ways you can help us win a grant:

Complete the Household Commitment Form via this survey;
Print out, complete, and return the Household Commitment Form to the CNA (you may do so at the September meeting or by putting it in the mailbox of 2804 NW 18th Street);
If you are so inclined, complete the Household Commitment Form and email it to thecrestwoodokc@gmail.com.

August Meeting Minutes

8/16/2016

Crestwood Neighborhood Association
Membership Meeting Minutes

August 9, 2016

Present:
Justin Cliburn, President
Micah Legall, Vice-President
Doris Carder, Secretary
Deanne Cliburn, Newsletter
Aaron Barton,
Dana Deal,
Donna Stiles,
John Encomienda,
Alicia Miller,
Jason Barton,
Don Burnett,
Francois Bigot,
Elizabeth,
Kimberly McCauley,
Russell Vannoy,
Carter Faison.

Not Present:
Nancy Kitchen, Treasurer.

This meeting was held at the Crestwood Vineyard at 6:30 p.m. to discuss concerns, improvements, upcoming events, and future projects.

Sign Toppers

Enough money has been raised (approximately $590.00) to put the sign toppers on the peripheral entrances to the neighborhood.
- The membership voted to order and pay for the first round of sign toppers
- CNA President Justin Cliburn has paid for the application fee and installation costs to the City and ordered the signs from OCI
  - The signs will arrive in two to three weeks
Future donations can go towards toppers on the intersections within the neighborhood.

Marketing

John Encomienda suggested we knock on doors to invite people to come to our meetings in the future.
- John has created a Crestwood Instagram account (@crestwoodokc) that he is using to market the neighborhood

Sustainability Grant from OG&E

Deanne explained about a grant from OG&E (1 of 3) for the neighborhood which has the best sustainability project this summer.
OG&E is giving 3 grants this summer to the neighborhood in Oklahoma City that has the best sustainability project.
It can be a fund raiser for improvements that better our environment, energy efficient improvements to our homes (collectively) or Median, recycling projects, or whatever we can think of to work on as a neighborhood to conserve energy
Deanne Cliburn passed out questionnaires (detailing what members may have done to help qualify for the grant) to meeting attendees to complete and return to her.
We have until Oct. 7 to qualify for the grant.
Donna Stiles had previously told the membership about OG&E coming out to her house to do an energy analysis and how beneficial it was and would be to others [President's note: You can request a free home energy audit here.]

Crestwood Yard of the Month

Donna Stiles (who lives on NW 20th St.) was congratulated on receiving Yard of the Month for August.

19th Street Median—General

Justin Cliburn has been working on getting the spigot fixed so a hose can be attached to it to water the median.
Justin Cliburn has contacted Parks and Recreation to see about replacing the broken doggie trash receptacle and to purchase 2,000 doggie bags for $75.00.

19th Street Median--Bird Sanctuary

Don Burnett and Doris Carder put (attached) a bird bath that Don Burnett and his family donated on the Median concrete area by the flag pole where there is a wood bench.
Seddie Barber donated recycled lumber for bird houses and feeders on the Median to create a bird sanctuary.
Doris is almost finished with a bird feeder/house that will be attached to one of the dead pine trees by the flag pole.
Other feeders and bird houses may be built and put on the Median when completed.

19th Street Median—Landscaping Controversy

Doris Carder cut down a seven-year-old ash tree on the east end of the 2700 block of the 19th Street median and replaced it with a crepe myrtle donated by Lowes. This caused controversy.
- CNA member Francoise Bigot appeared at the meeting to ask why the tree was cut down, as she had planted it seven years prior
- Doris maintained that it was not a tree, but a "bush-like tree" or "weed tree" while Francoise said that it was an ash tree.
  - CNA President Justin Cliburn said that the CNA will stipulate that it was a tree.
- Doris maintained the tree was dying and that the CNA had decided to cut it down
  - At the meeting, the CNA made it clear it had never discussed cutting down the tree at a general meeting, nor had the CNA voted to cut down the tree
- The shouting back and forth prevented a more nuanced discussion of the issue, but a rule was put in place to prevent it from happening again:
  - Before any permanent structure is placed upon or removed from the 19th Street median, there will be a membership vote
Doris explained she will build another fence to go around the newly-planted crepe myrtle so mowers won’t disturb its growth.
After the meeting, CNA President Justin Cliburn met with both Doris Carder and Francoise Bigot, separately, to discuss the concerns they raised at the meeting. Justin also sent the members present at the meeting an email apologizing for how the meeting devolved into shouting.

Neighborhood Night Out, Tuesday, October 4, 2016

This is a city-wide event where we meet our neighbors and usually have speakers come in to discuss safety (fire and personal).
We can invite the local police and fire department to speak.
We have had our councilwoman Meg Salyer and Senator David Holt and Representative Jason Dunnington also speak and/or attend in the past.
We would like to set up games for younger people who attend.
John Encomienda is leading the charge on our NNO Committee
Elections will be held at the October NNO meeting, so be thinking of that if you plan on running for a position.

The meeting adjourned early at approximately 7:35 p.m. in order to end the shouting between members.

As a result, John Encomienda did not get to present a giveaway he organized on his own
- CNA President Justin Cliburn assured John that he may do the giveaway at the September meeting

Crestwood Street Sign Toppers on the Way!

8/11/2016

A mockup of the design that will sit atop street signs at the entrances to Crestwood

CRESTWOOD VINEYARD CHURCH — Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for new Crestwood-branded signs atop street signs and stop signs. The Crestwood Neighborhood Association voted Tuesday, August 9th to purchase the signs, which will initially be placed at all peripheral intersections surrounding the Crestwood neighborhood, which runs from NW 23rd to NW 16th Streets (north to south) and Villa Avenue to North May Avenue (east to west). The signs are manufactured by Oklahoma Correctional Industries. The Association will revisit the topic in the future to decide whether to expand the signs to all Crestwood intersections.

Military Park was the first Oklahoma City neighborhood to install sign toppers, and Miller Neighborhood (directly south of Crestwood) installed theirs recently as well.

May Crime Report Available

7/22/2016

The Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma just released the crime reports for May. Click here to view the entire report. Crestwood's is screenshotted below. Keep in mind that incidents on 16th, 23rd, May, and Villa may have no actual connection to our residents, as those are busy arterial streets.

July Meeting Minutes

7/19/2016

July 12, 2016
Present:
Justin Cliburn, President
Micah Legall, Vice-President
Doris Carder, Secretary
Deanne Cliburn, Newsletter
Aaron Barton, Member-At-Large
Amy Krokstrom, Member-At-Large
Andrew Rockel, Member-At-Large
Becky Leath, Member-At-Large
Dana Deal, Member-At-Large
Donna Stiles, Member-At-Large
John Encomienda, Member-At-Large
Matt Nagle, Member-At-Large
Tim & Dee Anne Holt, Member-At-Large
Tim Troutman, Member-At-Large
Wendy Gabrielson, Member-At-Large

This meeting was held at the Crestwood Neighborhood Median at 6:30 p.m. to discuss upcoming events and future projects.

Sign Toppers
- The membership agreed to start on the sign toppers for the peripheral entryways into the neighborhood for a cost between $500 and $600.
- Justin and Deanne will start working on it.
- Donna Stiles, Micah Legall, and Aaron Barton each for the sign toppers.
- Any other donations may be given to the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma for the Crestwood Neighborhood Association Sign Toppers.

Crestwood Chronicle/Newsletter
- We’ll probably need to get another one out in September.

Crestwood Neighborhood Mugs
- Deanne is still delivering them to new neighbors as a welcome to our neighborhood and gave some out to new attendees, Amy Krokstrom and Wendy Gabrielson.

Sustainability Grant from OG&E
- Justin explained about a grant from OG&E (1 of 3) for the neighborhood who has the best sustainability project this summer.

OG&E is giving 3 grants this summer to the neighborhood in Oklahoma City that has the best sustainability project.
- It can be a fund raiser for improvements that better our environment; it can be energy efficient improvements to our homes (collectively) or Median; recycling projects; whatever we can think of to work on as a neighborhood to conserve energy, preserve the ecosystem we have, and save…

Any and all suggestions are welcome; we don’t have much time and we need to get started right away!
- Donna Stiles told the membership about OG&E coming out to her house to do an energy analysis and how beneficial it was and would be to others.

It is something the Association could do for the OG&E Grant.
There were no further votes on whether to do this or not.

Animal Waste Receptacles for the Median
- Justin explained the city Parks and Recreation will provide and install pet waste receptacles on the median and provide the bags for them so long as our association agrees to keep up the median.
- Everyone in attendance agreed it was a good idea.
Justin is contacting the state Parks and Recreation to see what we need to do.
- We need at least one new receptacle.
- We were spending about $200.00 per year on bags so it will be a great savings if the Parks and Recreation will supply them in the future.

Crestwood Yard-of-the-Month
- Micah Legall is still in charge of this and requested volunteers to assist him.
- TLC donated a “Yard-of-the-Month” sign and a monthly $50 gift certificate for the yard chosen each month for five months ($250 total).

Bird Sanctuary
- Doris requested to make the area around the two dead tall pine trees a bird sanctuary by attaching bird feeders and houses to the trees and putting a bird bath in between the trees.

This might be something for the OG&E Sustainability Project.

- Membership agreed it was a good idea but only for those who wanted to do it.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m.

Crestwood-Area Home Investors

7/19/2016

If you want to sell your Crestwood-area home but don't necessarily have the time or money to do necessary renovations first, contact the individuals and businesses below. They all have experience buying, renovating, and selling historic homes in the urban core. Real Estate companies listed may not be the entity that will be purchasing or renovating your home. They are provided for communication purposes only. The Crestwood Neighborhood Association cannot vouch for any contractor, but each of these individuals was recommended to us on Nextdoor:

Scott Lemmons, Allied Realty: (405) 250-7858
Benjamin Crocker: (405) 826-2823
Marek Dobosz: (405) 361-5131
Dianna Harding: (405) 209-1798
Nate Dempster, Home Contracting, LLC: (405) 819-3542
Deborah Saunders, Keller Williams: (405) 410-8037
Lesa McDonald, Main Edge Realty: (405) 420-4518
Joe and Kesia Samborski, Metro First Realty: (405) 305-7373
Nathan and Scarlet Cao, Omega Investments: (405) 300-4663
The Property Design Group: (405) 777-2620.
Miranda Roberts: (405) 323-0496
Matt Thornton: (405) 420-1052
Verbode: (405) 757-7001
Rose Wilkinson, Roz Buys Homes: (405) 881-5958

These contacts will be archived on our Investors page.

Come Be a Part of our Neighborhood!

Our community is over 90 years old, and we are eager to welcome new families into it. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For any questions, email the CNA president or ask your local Realtor. If you're part of the neighborhood already, join us on Nextdoor.