by Jessica Miller (Emery Street) | This column provides tips on reducing waste while saving money.

Here is something you can do in 2012: use public transportation. It may feel complicated at first to understand routes and schedules, but don’t worry (you can ask the drivers if you need it) and hop on. It is very pleasant to be driven around town without stressing out about traffic and inconsiderate drivers, without having to look for a parking spot, and it gives you the perfect excuse to leave work or a boring party at a predetermined time.

I have taken public transportation in all kinds of cities and countries (Paris, Chicago, London, Stuttgart) but also Eau Claire, WI where I currently reside and have never had a problem. I also regularly take my bike on the bus, which is easy as pie. I just had a driver show me how it worked on my first day. I actually enjoy getting to know my bus drivers as well as other frequent passengers. Or you can watch a video tutorial if you prefer to be 100% ready before you get on or if you hate talking to people.

In our neighborhood I can catch three different bus lines (Route 1, Route 7/17, Route8/18), and even Route 5/15 if I go to the edge of the Eastside Hill). I can be downtown within 10 minutes. I can be at the mall within 20 minutes. And from downtown I can pretty much go anywhere I want. Half the busses leave the downtown transfer station at 15 after the hour, and the other half at 45 after the hour. Here is a complete map and list of schedules.

by Jessica Miller (Emery Street) | This column provides tips on reducing waste while saving money.

Most gift wrap cannot be recycled with paper, as it often contains shiny material or different types of paper mixed together. It really pains me to carefully wrap presents in paper just so it can be thrown away later. Instead, I now wrap my presents in recyclable paper such as brown bags, tissue paper, or newspaper. If I were a seamstress, I think I would also use discarded fabric. In addition I keep every gift bag that I receive to be reused later. With gift bags, I don’t even need to wrap presents at all, thus saving time. And instead of bows, I use actual ribbon, which is so much prettier and can be reused for much longer, even in your hair!

Matching Funds Meeting
Monday October 17, 2011
6:00-6:30

Present: Bob Carr, Jack Corey, Jessica Miller, Mark Ruddy, Joe Thielen, Maria Van Hoorn

Funds
Small grant: up to $1000
Large grant: up to $5000
Volunteer hours count for $10/hour. Included in those volunteer hours are meeting times to prepare the application.

Important considerations

1. We agree that it is important to preserve the identity of our neighborhood and what each area represents. If we are going to make an addition to a park, it should be along the lines of what it is currently used for. For example, the use of sleds shouldn?t be hindered at Seven Bumps Hill.

2. We agree that the project should be focused on something tangible, visible, and that the neighborhood can show and be proud of.

3. In selecting a project, we agree that the cost of maintenance should come into consideration so that we do not commit to a project that we can?t provide upkeep.

Narrowing down ideas: three projects to choose from

1. Boyd Park Prairie and Nature Center
The prairie needs to be cleaned up and landscaped a little bit better. Thanks to signs identifying key features (e.g., names of plants) and providing education facts (similar to signs at Beaver Creek), the community could learn about nature that is right at their doorstep. Money/sponsor/volunteer hours would go towards seeds, cleaning, signage, display case.

PROS: a nature center would attract families and provide an additional play and educational area for children all year long. CONS: perhaps difficult to maintain.

2. Brick Oven at Flynn
A community brick oven would bring the community together to bake bread, make pizzas, etc. Families can learn about traditional cooking from many different cultures with neighborhood events created around the oven. The Seven Bumps Hill location was considered but reservations were expressed due to the importance of leaving room for sleds, and to avoid having parties so close to the cemetery. Money/sponsor/volunteer hours would go towards material, labor, signage, event.

PROS: food appeals to everyone, the location is in the center of the neighborhood, the idea is unique in town and would set our neighborhood apart, the grant form encourages ties between public schools and their community. CONS: involvement from school is needed.

3. Disc Golf Course at Archery Park
A disc golf course could be set up at Archery Park, and an annual community event created around a competition. This would provide a new outlet for community members to exercise and play in teams. Money/sponsor/volunteer hours would go towards course design consultant, material, labor, signage, event.

PROS: health-centered project, would attract people to Archery Park with a possible connection to either Boyd Park and/or the Altoona community towards the East. ?CONS: three disc gold courses are available in town, difficult accessibility for people with reduced mobility, limited appeal (not everyone likes disc golf).

If you have any questions or more input, e-mail Jessica Miller at jessmiller@mac.com

by Jessica Miller (Emery Street) | This column provides tips on reducing waste while saving money.

It is time to collect those leaves again. They have so much to offer, so don’t burn them! Burning leaves creates air pollution, may be dangerous, and is an odor nuisance to neighbors. Branches should be taken to a brush site, and leaves gathered in tall paper bags. In Eau Claire, most waste management companies will pick up 10 bags of leaves in November at no extra cost.

If you have more than 10 bags, fear not. Leaves are essential for a rich compost. They are the dark matter that should be mixed to the green matter (grass and such). If you can, mulching them with a lawnmower is ideal so they break up easily. However, I’ve always put them whole in my compost and they haven’t caused any problems. I use those clumps later in the spring to cover spots where I don’t want weed to grow.

In addition, you can use leaves to cover flower beds before winter. It creates insulation and will break up in the spring for a bit of organic matter. I think leaves also look pretty. I’m never in a hurry to rake them unless freezing rain is in the forecast, as they can then become slippery and create hazards. Raking is also good exercise. Done right, it’s a great ab workout. You can also often find groups who will rake as part of fundraising events. So all you do, in the end, is watch those leaves work for you.

Hello neighbors!

Thank you for your interest in the Neighborhood Matching Grant group! Click here to download the city’s information and application for the grant.

Before the next Neighborhood Association meeting, it would be useful to brainstorm and gather ideas that the grant could help make come true. Let’s try to think of ideas that can benefit everyone in the neighborhood, instill a sense of community and identity, make our neighborhood stand out as progressive and friendly, and attract visitors and perhaps even homebuyers.

Here are some ideas, in no particular order.

- build a community brick oven
- improve bike safety by adding signage / bike paths
- plant fruit trees / bushes
- begin neighborhood sustainable/edible landscapes program
- start a photo exhibition project hosted by a neighborhood business
- increase the number of little library houses
- help beautify Margaret Street (plants, trees, flags)
- develop Archery Park
- increase way-finding  (signage) to Archery Park
- develop old parking lot between Boyd and Archery Parks
- explore possible cooperative activity with Flynn school

Please chime in with your ideas by hitting “Reply All”. Is there a project above that you really like or dislike? Do you have a different project in mind? By the next meeting, we should select 2 or 3 projects to present. If you have any questions about the program in particular after reading the attached description, e-mail me (jessmiller@mac.com). I will gather all the questions and comments and will get in touch with the city to find the answers.

Sincerely,
Jessica Miller, Emery Street
Paul Kaldjian, Fenwick Avenue

Winter is coming faster than one thinks in Wisconsin, despite the beautiful current weather conditions. Before this year, when I got a cold, I used to blow my nose in disposable tissues and throw them away. This was the typical example of how I had accepted a wasteful action as part of my daily routine without questioning it for years. However, one day I thought about a handkerchief I had as a little girl. It was full of colors, and a little frayed on the edge. It offered great comfort when I had a runny nose. Upon wondering what happened to it, then I asked myself when I stopped using it, and finally why I wasn’t still using cloth handkerchiefs. The idea came to me to turn old kitchen towels, themselves frayed on the edges with holes here and there, into handkerchief.

The problem is that I can’t sew. Fortunately I have a friend who can. She did a great job and told me it wasn’t very hard. Because the towels were going to be tossed if not converted, it didn’t matter if the sewing was perfect, so she had fun trying different things. Here is one of the pictures she took when she was done.

Photo and sewing by Sally M.

Neighborhood Matching Grant Ideas

With the neighborhood association’s support, neighbors Jessica Miller and Paul Kaldjian have taken the lead on developing a plan and grant application for the City of Eau Claire’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program. This is a chance to do something great for the neighborhood – if you’d like to help develop some grant ideas, see their message, posted here: http://eastsidehill.com/archives/2886

Or send an email to Jessica at jessmiller@mac.com

Facebook

Check out the Eastside Hill Neighborhood Facebook page: www.facebook.com/eastsidehill

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Helpful links:
• Eastside Hill Parks: http://eastsidehill.com/amenities/parks
• Your Neighborhood Plan: http://eastsidehill.com/about/neighborhood-plan
• Steering Committee Contact: http://eastsidehill.com/about/contact

ECPD Non-emergency Phone: (715) 839-4972

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Please feel EXTREMELY free to forward this email to anyone you know who might be interested!

by Jessica Miller (Emery Street) | This column provides tips on reducing waste while saving money.

If you have children, you probably already know this. But if you have a young baby and don’t have much experience (like me), this advice may be useful: you don’t need to buy a lot of toys to keep baby happy and entertained.

First, many things that you might want to put in your recycling bin make great toys. Of course, those are safe only under supervision (like most toys). A yogurt cup will be fun in the bathtub. Get some in different sizes for baby to pour out of and into. A milk jug with some rice in it makes a good sound maker. An old purse with a soft wallet and old paper, filled with those fake credit cards you get in the mail is good to play pretend. You can also let baby “sort” your paper basket to help you recycle—efficiency not guaranteed… Measuring cups, colanders, pots, and other safe kitchen accessories will amuse the little ones while you make dinner.

Secondly, keep half the toys away for a month. Then switch, and voilà, new and interesting toys appear all of a sudden. Also, utilize resources around you to renew the toys outside of home. Libraries usually have toys. In Eau Claire, we have the Family Resource Center (http://www.frcec.org/) that provides free “Drop in and Play” time with dozens and dozens of toys. For $80 a year, a family membership to the Children’s Museum (http://www.cmec.cc/) will get you a lot farther than the same amount of money spent in toys, too.

Finally, the most entertaining activity with which baby will never get bored is free: spending time with you. Talk, sing, walk, dance!

Thursday, Sept. 22 » Semi-Annual Meeting

This is the big one! The Eastside Hill Neighborhood Association is holding its Semi-Annual Neighborhood-wide meeting on Thursday, September 22 at 6:30pm at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. This will give the neighborhood the opportunity to review and discuss the events from this past year as well as plan for the future.

TENTATIVE AGENDA: We’ll feature Eau Claire City Council member (and Eastside Hill rep) Kathy Mitchell as a guest speaker – and we are working on securing one or two more. Four steering committee seats will be up for grabs. We hope to have an update on the Margaret Street Beautification project. We’ll record options for a Neighborhood Matching Grant Project. And we’ll also discuss the Eastside Hill’s new “Little Free Library” located in Boyd Park. And of course—public comments.

ICE CREAM! This is also an ice cream social! So come on down, enjoy some ice cream and get social – meet your neighbors! Other refreshments will also be served.

Date and Time: Thursday, September 22, 6:30pm
Place: Our Savior’s Lutheran Church • 1310 Main St. • Eau Claire, WI (basement)

Special City Meeting on Sept. 12 concerning Roderick Street sidewalks

We recently received a message from Todd Bohrer of Eau Claire’s Department of Public Works concerning the possible reversal of a prior decision to not add sidewalks to the last block on the south end of Roderick Street. Got all that? From Mr. Bohrer …

“A petition has been received requesting that the City Council reconsider the deferral of sidewalk construction on Roderick Street, between Badger Avenue and Lyndale Avenue as part of the street improvement project. Council Members have asked that the sidewalk deferral be reconsidered and that public comment on the matter be received at the regular City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, September 12, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 203 S. Farwell Street, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.”

Read more: http://eastsidehill.com/archives/2858

We need stories!

The Eastside Hill Newsletter started in the mid-nineties and has since maintained a great tradition of terrific articles written by individuals who love living here. Let’s keep that going! If you’ve got something to say – some news, a memory, a great idea, historical research, opinions, anything – send it our way! Submit stories here: http://eastsidehill.com/get-involved/submit

Facebook

Check out the Eastside Hill Neighborhood Facebook page: www.facebook.com/eastsidehill

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Helpful links:
• Eastside Hill Parks: http://eastsidehill.com/amenities/parks
• Your Neighborhood Plan: http://eastsidehill.com/about/neighborhood-plan
• Steering Committee Contact: http://eastsidehill.com/about/contact

ECPD Non-emergency Phone: (715) 839-4972

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Please feel EXTREMELY free to forward this email to anyone you know who might be interested!

Date and Time: Thursday, September 22, 6:30pm
Place: Our Savior’s Lutheran Church • 1310 Main St. •
Eau Claire, WI (basement)

TENTATIVE AGENDA: We’ll feature Eau Claire City Council member (and Eastside Hill rep) Kathy Mitchell as a guest speaker – and we are working on securing one or two more. Four steering committee seats will be up for grabs. We hope to have an update on the Margaret Street Beautification project. We’ll record options for a Neighborhood Matching Grant Project. And we’ll also discuss the Eastside Hill’s new “Little Free Library” located in Boyd Park.

And of course—public comments.

ICE CREAM! This is also an ice cream social! So come on down, enjoy some ice cream and get social – meet your neighbors! Other refreshments will also be served.