Southeast Festival

Feel free to download a printable version of this poster in color or black & white and place it where many people will see it!

We are going to have a baked goods booth at the Southeast Dayton Day Festival. If you would like to donate any baked goods, please call Beverly at 253-6266. This will be a fund raiser for our Association.

Getting Ready For The Festival

Here is a picture of Mike Schommer cleaning out the old wading pool at the Walnut Hills Park this week. If the weather is hot we will set up a misting station in the pool where the water can drain.



Here is Harold Ayres emptying a garbage can before the big day!

Some of the executive board members will be at the park this week getting a few last minute things ready. Stop by and say "Hi" if you see any of them working near the storage shed and restrooms.

An Invitation from South Park

I wanted to extend an invitation to you and your Walnut Hills neighbors from South Park. We are hosting a concert in our gazebo on Park on Saturday, June 23rd at 7 PM. A popular local group will be performing, and we are going to gather with blankets, lawn chairs, and refreshments to listen (everyone is bringing their own seating and refreshments).

Please invite your membership to attend. The group Disconnected is supposed to be pretty good--they play rock, Blues, Pop, Country covers and original songs. They play at the Fraze! Read about the band at http://disconnectedband.com.
Best regards,
Karin

Proposed Spray Park Picture

Here is a picture of the proposed spray park to be constructed in Walnut Hills Park. You can click on the picture for a larger image.

East Dayton Vikings Youth Football

Will be holding early sign-ups for football players and cheerleaders entering grades 3rd-6th for the 2007-2008 school year. Registrations will be accepted at Lohrey Center 2366 Glenarm Ave.
Cost is $75.00 per participating child.

Sign-up Dates are:

Saturday May 19th 11am-2pm
Saturday June 2nd 11am-2pm
Saturday June 9th 11am-2pm

These are early sign-up times. We will also be accepting registrations our 1st 2 weeks of practice starting Monday July 30th at the football field behind Belmont High School. Any questions please call.

Robert Delong @252-0311 Cell 657-4722

Mark Santos @781-4158

Brian Cooper @259-0269

Online yard sale sign up & map

With the spring Walnut Hills Community Yard Sale less than two weeks away... now is the perfect time for you to join in the yard sale fun. To make it easier to sign up, we've created an online form so that you can submit your information for the sale. The web form and additional info can be found HERE.

Once you sign up and contact me, we'll get your info and address on the official map. To view the current list of yard sales, check out the map HERE.

Then, to help you advertise your sale, we'll provide you with one of our new signs for your front yard... very cool.



All that for just $5! So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!

SOCCER 2007

www.daytonsoccer.org

SIGN –UP NOW UNDERWAY
FOR 2007 FALL SOCCER

• Enrollment for the Dayton Area Soccer Association (DASA) Fall Soccer season is now underway.

• Kids 4–18 years of age can register to play in this recreational soccer league.
• Dayton SAY is the official soccer league for the City of Dayton.
• See reverse side for registration form, deadlines, and fees.
Facts about Dayton SAY Soccer
• The SAY Soccer program emphasis is on kids having fun! Every player is guaranteed to play at least 1/2 of every game.
• Registration covers the cost of a soccer jersey, socks and a team photo. You supply the shorts, shoes and shin guards. No additional fundraising required!

• Season starts in late August and concludes in mid October. There are approximately 10 games in the season.
• Most games are played at the Gateway Sports Complex on Stanley Ave. near Route 4. Teams with kids ages 8 and above play some away games.

• Most games are played on Saturdays. Teams with kids ages 6 and above will play some evening games as well.
• Players ages 4–7 will receive a participation trophy at the end of the regular season.

Register early and save $5.00 for each child!

‘Building Safety Week’

Discounted Bill Payment Options Offered
During ‘Building Safety Week’
Release Date: Friday, May 4, 2007
Contact: Bill Nelson, Director of Building Services, 333-3883

As part of “Building Safety Week,” the City of Dayton’s Department of Building Services is offering a special amnesty program that will allow citizens to repay some outstanding bills at a discounted rate.

People who still owe money to the City of Dayton for demolition or boarding/securing costs can repay those costs at a 40 percent discount. But the time to take advantage of the discounted payment option only lasts through the end of May, so individuals with outstanding bills are encouraged to act fast. Payments can be made in the Department of Building Services’ One Stop Center, 371 W. Second Street, or in the Department of Finance at Dayton City Hall, 101 W. Third Street.

The discount does not apply to any bills that have been turned over to UCB Collection Agency or that have been attached to a property through Montgomery County. In these instances, customers must contact those agencies directly and will not be eligible for the 40 percent discount.

Each year, the City of Dayton joins other communities around the world to celebrate Building Safety Week, May 6-12. Building Safety Week raises public awareness of building safety and promotes the use, enforcement and understanding of building safety and fire prevention codes to protect lives and property.

“During Building Safety Week, I encourage the public to stop by our offices at the One Stop Center to learn more about the work that the Building Services Department does,” said Bill Nelson, Director of the Department of Building Services. “Building code enforcement is the job of professionals who work right here in the City of Dayton. Inspectors, plan reviewers and others in our department work to ensure that the structures you and your families live, work, and play in are safe by issuing building permits and inspecting buildings during and after construction.”
Nelson added, “Our department is using Building Safety Week to educate the community about the importance of obtaining proper permits and maintaining their properties. It is an opportunity to increase public awareness of the role that building safety and fire prevention officials, local and state building departments, and federal agencies play on the front line of defense to protect lives and property. They are the ‘silent defenders’ who are seldom seen but work daily to ensure safety in the community.”

Building Safety Week, first observed in 1980, is sponsored by the International Code Council Foundation, an organization dedicated to changing the devastating effects of natural disasters and other building tragedies at home and around the world. The International Code Council is an association that develops building safety and fire prevention codes that are used in more than 15,000 jurisdictions across the nation.
For any building safety concerns, contact the Building Services Department at 333-3883. For housing questions, contact the Division of Housing Inspection at 333-3977.

Found!!!!!!

I found a set of keys at the Walnut Hills Park earlier today. They were located on one of the picnic tables under the roofed area. There are four (4) keys attached to a ring, along with a Speedy Rewards ID tag & a Kroger Plus ID tag.
If you lost a set of keys & can identify them, give me a call @ 937-479-1965. Otherewise, I'll leave this post up for a few days, then send them USPS back to Kroger so that they may ID the owner.

Grass Cutting

If you need someone to gut your grass in the neighborhood and don't have anyone in mind then you can contact Billy on his cell phone at 718-0753. He is already cutting grass for several residents in the area and may be able to help you out.

PORCH LIGHTS

Now that the weather is changing and more people will be out and about, it would be a great idea if everyone in Walnut Hills would keep their porch light on. It costs only about $5.00 per month to leave it on 24/7. This would help your area along with the entire neighborhood by discouraging auto break-ins and other types of vandalisms. LIGHT UP THE STREETS!

Sherwin Williams Discount

We now have the cards for the discount at all the Sherwin Williams stores. All you have to do is present the Walnut Hills card and you will be given a 20% discount on all regular priced merchandise and a 5% discount on all sale priced merchandise. The cards will be available at our meetings or you can contact Beverly at 253-6266 and she will arrange for you to receive one. Spring is a great time for sprucing up your homes and this will make it even easier. HAPPY PAINTING!

Abandoned Properties - Article

This is an interesting article that describes what Buffalo, New York is doing to make banks assume ownership of their abandoned properties.
http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/254265.html

Sorry it isn't Walnut Hills related but it certainly applies to Dayton! I know our city administration is currently working on getting similar legislation on the books to deal with the same problem.

Don't Forget This!

WALNUT HILLS ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT
And BREAKFAST

Saturday April 7th, 2007
WALNUT HILLS PARK
Breakfast served in the shelter from 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM
Easter Egg Hunt begins at NOON

Hey everybody, it's that time of year when those bunnies lay those funny colored eggs and leave them in our neighborhood park! We invite the local children to search for them. The Church on the Rock is providing breakfast. This is a FREE event! A great time for everyone! We need 5 volunteers to help hide eggs and supervise, please contact Ella at (937) 256-3855 after 1:30 PM

Egg hunt is limited to children ages 0 through 12 only
and will begin at noon. Meet at sidewalk beside the tennis courts for egg hunt.

Neighborhood Yard Sale Plans

The neighborhood yard sale event is planned for May 12th – 13th, 2007. If you wish to be identified as a yard/garage sale location on the handout map and benefit from association advertising of the event, then you need to contact the following people this week and submit your name and address and whether you will be having a one day or a two day sale. Residents living west of Illinois and west of Wayne Avenue should contact Gary at 253-1359, while those between Pursell and Indiana Avenue should call Sarah at 252-2210. The fee is $5.00 payable to Walnut Hills Association and will be used to offset costs of advertising and promoting the event. We are looking into providing standardized yard signs for all participants. Don't wait until the last minute to call because the maps have to be printed before the event. When we know who the participants are we will post a map on the Walnut Hills website. Just before sale day someone will collect your fee and leave some map handouts and some balloons for identification purposes on the big day and possibly some signs. Remember anyone can have his or her own sale on this weekend but we won't know who you are and therefore can't help you with promotion. We learned from last years event that being on the map helped those locations with a large number of sales. So get your neighbors involved if you want to have a yard sale! It will help with the traffic flow. Any business owners should consider doing sidewalk sales on this day and it may be a good day to have an open house if you plan to sell your home.
Last September there were some 65 paid participants and another 20 or so that joined in on the day. It would be great if we could advertise over 100 locations!
If you don’t want to have a sale at your home you may be able to put up a table at the Colorado Ave Baptist Church. Call 256-1051 for details or if you would like to donate saleable items to the church. Please check this web site for updates.

20% Off Paint

The Walnut Hills Association has signed up with the Sherwin Williams program that will allow residents of Walnut Hills to purchase paint at a 20% discount of regular prices or 5% off sale prices. This discount is available immediately at the Walnut Street location. If you wish to use the Linden Avenue location then you might want to ask before you make a purchase. Just tell them you live in Walnut Hills. We are waiting for cards to be issued that will allow purchases at any Sherwin Williams location. For details or questions, contact Beverly at 253-6266 or check this web site for updates.

Dayton's Neighborhood Assistance Officer program seeks volunteers

The following story is from the Dayton Daily News, on Sunday, 03/25/2007. I feel that this is an important program and could be very beneficial to our neighborhood. The contact info is included in the article.

Dayton's Neighborhood Assistance Officer program seeks volunteers

By Kelli Wynn
Staff Writer
Sunday, March 25, 2007

DAYTON — If you want to go beyond attending a meeting to show that you care about your neighborhood, then you may want to consider becoming a Dayton Police Neighborhood Assistance Officer.

The purpose of the program is to have Dayton residents volunteer to act as a support unit for the police department. NAO volunteers are trained to handle duties such as traffic control at emergency scenes, special events, nonenforcement calls, missing person searches and noise complaints. They also patrol at least four hours a week.
"It's a unique opportunity to be a little pro-active in your neighborhoods," said Cindy August, NAO supervisor. "You're doing something more than attending a meeting. You're out patrolling your neighborhood."

Starting April 1, current Dayton Police NAO volunteers will work 100 days to get 100 applications from Dayton residents. NAO volunteers will visit numerous neighborhood meetings, events and churches while performing regular duties to accomplish recruiting goals. This recruiting effort is in conjunction with National Volunteer Month.

NAO volunteers will be present during the Dayton Dragons' opening-day fireworks and Tax Day at the main post office on East Fifth Street.

Right now, the program currently has 20 volunteers. This is a great decrease compared to the late 1970s and early 1980s when the program had about 80 volunteers. August said she doesn't know exactly why the numbers have dropped, but thinks the decrease may have something to do with people being busier than in the past. "People don't know their neighbors and they don't get outside their own little world," she said.

For more information on the NAO program, contact Cindy August at (937) 333-1350.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2414 or kwynn@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Criteria for being an NAO

Must be at least 21 years old

Must live in the city of Dayton

No felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions involving a weapon or violence

Must possess a valid Ohio driver's license

Must have automobile insurance

Must be people-oriented

Ability to attend five weeks of training from 7 to 10 p.m.

Chili Cook-Off Results!

The 2nd annual Belmont Vs. Walnut Hills Chili Cook-Off that was held this evening was a huge success! We had around 80 people in attendance and a total of 14 entries from the two neighborhoods.

The proud winner of First Prize is Ms. Lynn Burchill-Phillips from Belmont.

Second place was awarded to Bill Brashear of Walnut Hills who's secret ingredient was sun dried tomatoes.


Third place was awarded to Josh and Krissy Mayes of Walnut Hills who used lentils and pineapple in their secret recipe.

The event was organized by Bev Dunnington and Bob Lipps who did an excellent job with providing all the extras and putting together the prizes. We would also like to thank all the members of the "Church on the Rock" for their support and without whom this event could not have taken place. Thanks to all the people who entered and all who attended. I'm sure this will be a repeat event next year.

Monthly Meetings Information

Monthly neighborhood meetings are held on the second (2nd) Monday of EVERY month EXCEPT in July and August at the Church on the Rock located at 321 Edgar Ave., Dayton OH 45410

The format for our monthly meetings are going to be changed beginning with the April meeting. We will now have a social and refreshment period beginning at 6:30. We encourage everyone to try to attend this time. We are having everyone wear name badges and the street that they live on so we can get to know our residents better. This will give you a chance to chat with your neighbors and also enjoy some good refreshments.

This will be followed by a normal meeting at 7:00. That meeting should be approximately 1/2 hour long. We will then break up into specific committees and anyone can participate in one or more of these committee meetings.

We now have a Park Committee, a School Committee, a Fund Raising Committee, and a Housing Committee. Our goal is to get more residents to participate in what's going on in the community. If you have a concern about a particular issue, you can be a part of that committee meeting and discuss your issues. It's very important to get your voice heard and we are making it easier for you to do just that.

Come out and be a part of your neighborhood.

PARK PROGRESS

Several representatives from the neighborhood met with the City directors for Recreation and Youth Services and Public Works to discuss some changes at the Walnut Hills Park that would be beneficial to the community. These changes are as follows:

1. The 200 amp. electric service near the shelter should be installed in early Spring.

2. The restrooms will be accessable for community events. A key(s) will be given only to specified people including the Park Committee chairperson.

3. The pool will be turned into a great spray area. This should be completed around July. They will have a designer come to a meeting and discuss it before it is put in.

4. We will have a walking path around the tree area in the top section of the park. After some discussion, it was agreed that having it around and near the ball diamonds was not feasible.

5. They are going to install basketball hoops.

6. They are going to install two poles for volleyball.

7. They are working with a resident and employee of the Public Works Department regarding the resurfacing of the hockey rink. 20 gallons of paint will be donated for the painting of the sides.

8. Discussions are in progress regarding a youth program this summer. We may receive support or services from the YMCA and East End Community Services as well as some assistance from the University of Dayton. The lunch program will begin following the summer break.

10. Regarding the tennis courts, it was suggested that we partner with Belmont or Cleveland School to see what can be accomplished about getting them worked on. It is being investigated.

It was a very productive, successful meeting. Harold Ayres and his son Ed, who are very familiar with the park, have accepted the position as chairpersons for the park committee.