November 1997
Fall is finally here! We get relief from sweltering September
afternoons, high electric bills and and worrying if and when it will rain. With all these
changes come changes in the newsletter.
Hello, West Enders, my name is Mike Tyson and I'm the new
editor of this illustrious publication. Mr. Sparrow felt it was time for participation
from other West Enders so I volunteered. Neither myself nor my co-editor, Helene Cannon,
are quite as polished writers as the previous editor, so please bear with us as we learn
the ropes. Speaking of writing, we encourage other West End residents to submit articles,
letters to the editor, and news items to the editors. We will make the newsletter as
interesting as we can, but it will get stale pretty fast if we don't get input from the
rest of the community!
(Somewhat Unofficial) Notes from the October
Meeting
- Jim Vaughan opened the meeting with the question of whether
West End residents were becoming apathetic as there are no great battles to be fought. His
thoughts are addressed in a Letter from the President which can be found on the web page
for those who did not receive a copy at the meeting. A strong recommendation was made to
bring in new members to the board to freshen things up. Both Jim and Wanda Merschel
made the point that people in the association need to be prepared to act on their
suggestions rather than relying on a few of the board members to get things done.
(Editor's note: This was when Mike volunteered to edit the newsletter and Helene's eyes
popped out of her head.) Discussion followed on how to encourage new and old residents to
come to the meetings. Hand delivery of the newsletter was discussed as a means to
encourage participation. Despite the cost, the group felt the newsletter should be
continued as a means of keeping the neighborhood informed. Nick Kefal volunteered
his time and expertise as the new Business Manager of the Association.
- Directly related to the participation issue is the low number of dues
paying members . To simplify the process, it was suggested that dues be paid at the
beginning of each calendar year rather than scattered throughout the year.
- Some issues for continuing improvement for the West End include
getting historical markers placed at the boundaries of the West End so that people passing
through recognize it as a historic district. Also mentioned was the addition of period
streetlights.
- One major issue addressed was the speeding traffic through the West
End. Several residents have called the city asking for the lowering of speed limits,
placement of speed bumps and 4-way stop signs at some intersections. This met with little
success. If you would like to add your voice to the campaign, please call Stan Polanus
at the City of Winston-Salem at 727-2707. Suggestions for long range solutions included
changing intersections over from pavement to cobblestones, which would serve a dual
purpose of slowing traffic and helping to restore the historic look of the West End.
- The subject of vandalism was brought up by a couple of residents. The
suggestion was made to revive the Neighborhood Watch program in the West End. If this is
to be an organized effort, a lead volunteer is needed.
Letter from the Business Manager
- To all members of the West End Association, past and present, our
Membership Drive begins right after the Holidays and runs through January and February.
Let's be proactive and send in our dues early so our efforts can be directed at gaining
additional advertisers for our newsletter and more members for our organization. Dues are
$15/yr., $5/yr. for seniors and full-time students, $25/yr. for corporate or business and
$75/yr for corporate or business (includes advertisement in the West Ender for one
year). We need everyone's ideas, input and participation to make 1998 a banner year for
neighborhood. Thank you
- Nick Kefal
- Business Manager
Top 10 Reasons for Living in the West End
- Mike and I have been in the West End now for just about 6 months, so
we felt we have gotten a pretty good enough feel for the neighborhood to offer some
observations to those who might be looking to join us:
- 10. No need to go shopping for a cat - plenty of strays to go around.
- 9. Save time by not watching TV programs like Home Improvement
because you live Home Improvement
- 8. The whole issue of "where to go and what to do" in
Winston-Salem is totally moot because all you do is work on the house.
- 7. If you lose your job, you can always get one at Lowes or Home
Depot because you already know where everything is.
- 6. For those with steep stairways from the street - no need to use
the Stairmaster at the YMCA or YWCA.
- 5. You get to join the West End Association and write the newsletter.
- 4. Who needs a driveway?
- 3. You can avoid mowing the front lawn by turning it into a herb
garden.
- 2. If you don't mind waiting to renovate, you can always wait for one
of those huge trees to fall on the house and get the insurance company to pay the bill.
- .........and the #1 reason for living in the West End is:
- 1. You just don't get a Hot Pink clawfoot tub when you buy a Fortis
Home.
Food for Thought (Shameless editorializing)
- Last Sunday's Journal had a letter to Sam asking how to get the speed
limit on Polo Road reassessed. This was in response to a bicyclist being killed and a
another resident being hit while getting her mail. If traffic were recognized as a
city-wide issue, it would get some attention from the police force, and perhaps some
action from the city to add stop signs or reduce speed limits. While there is a resource
problem with regards to the police, we still need to find a way to draw the line.
- When Mike and I were deciding to make an offer on our West End house
and a friend of mine asked me if I would want to raise children in "that" area.
Where would they ride their bikes? Would there be other kids in the neighborhood? Was it
"kid friendly"? One of the reasons we felt confident in choosing the West End
was the West End Association. We felt that being in the Historic District would help
protect our investment and knew that the association has some political voice within the
city.
- A lot of West Enders seem to think that once the Historic District
was established, that was
- last major issue for the Association. Well, there are still a lot of
things in our neighborhood that need to be addressed. If we as a neighborhood let the city
government know that we are not happy with the speed situation, maybe other neighborhoods
will follow suit and the city will respond. Back to Jim's and Wanda's points at the last
meeting, this will not happen all by itself. We need people who will come out and work for
these changes. If we can get 800 people to come out for the Christmas tour, we can get the
city to put up a few street signs. It's really not that hard, and at the very worst, you
just might meet a few of your neighbors.
- -- Contributing Editor Helene Cannon --
Side Notes
The next meeting is at Craig and Kim Dishner's home at 1404
Brookstone Ave. on November 5 at 7:30 PM. All West Enders are encouraged to attend.
- At the November meeting, Jack Steelman with the Winston-Salem
Downtown Development Corp. will be presenting their plans for the downtown. This will be a
great opportunity for us to find out the long range plans for our city and how it will
affect the West End.
- As a group, we pay a fair amount of taxes - or at least if feels that
way. Nick Kefal has embarked on a mission to quantify that statement. We will keep you
updated on his progress.
- To get a copy of the West End Historic Overlay District Design Review
Guidelines, contact the Winston-Salem Historic District Commission, PO Box 2511 W-S, NC
27102 phone: 727-2087
- Don't forget to vote on November 4th - West Ender Wanda
Merschel is running for alderman of the Northwest Ward.
THE WEST ENDER
PUBLISHED BY THE WEST END ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 10055, Salem Station,
Winston-Salem, NC 27108
Editors: Mike Tyson / Helene Cannon 722-9804
powermt@gte.net / hcannon@ibm.net
Business Manager: Nick Kefal 725-9209 Circulation: David Elam
724-5282
Production: TBA