With apologies to poets everywhere -- we recently held a Mystery Birthday Party at our house. A good part of the evening was pursued by a group of girls running through Tenney searching for hidden clues. Do you know this place as well?

I won’t make you suffer through the one that included Quercus (Bicolor – aka Swamp White Oak). Oh well, the Party seemed to make a good adventure out of it. They eventually found all the hidden clues and I had the satisfaction of seeing them happy to discover some aspects of our neighborhood Secret Garden that we can all, if so disposed, enjoy.

There are so many wonderful places worth treasuring in and about our neighborhood. Have you enjoyed the color and aspect of houses renewed and repainted, like the one at the top of the ridge in the 1200 block of E. Dayton? Or stopped to pet one of the friendly dogs out exercising a neighbor? Or taken a respite amongst a butterfly riot in the street corner garden at Reynolds Park? Check out the labels for each of the vines over on the vine fence on the 800 block of E. Mifflin and choose your favorite. Have you wandered through shops new and old in the Johnson St. business district? Watch for some exciting new openings there. All of this abundance contributes to the cumulative vibrancy and character of our slice of the Isthmus.

Many people continue to work hard to help make our neighborhood a better place for people and are against increasing the capacity of our streets for more and faster vehicle traffic. Here are some coming opportunities for participation. Monday, September 13 there will be another Transportation Meeting; 7-8:30, Tenney Apartments, 302 N. Baldwin. Hopefully, we will have some resolution to report on the construction of pedestrian islands in the 300-400 blocks of N. Baldwin by then. The work on bus routing that serves riders needs and access, is cost effective, and minimizes residential traffic impacts will continue. This is a very challenging task and we have an impressive number of people who are dedicated to achieving the best possible solution for the Baldwin-Sherman area. There is strong interest in calming traffic along Sherman Ave. The consultant's report for the E. Washington Ave. reconstruction project comes out Aug. 31. It then will make the rounds of City Committees before it comes to a Council vote. Speaking and registering at the committee meetings are essential to affecting the outcome. October 4-8 will be a City-wide Drive 25/Pedestrian Safety Zone Week. Tentatively we will hold some activities on that Friday.

So keep participating. And thanks for your help.

Return to September/October Table of Contents: http://danenet.wicip.org/tlna/web-data/news/news09/091999.html