Hello University District Friends & Neighbors!
This week the UDCA held our general resident meeting. This meeting happens twice a year and is open to the public.
Here are links to view the full meeting as well as a brief recap. I’m sharing with the neighboring communities as well per the suggestion of someone watching the live stream (thanks, Susan Watts of Schaefer 7/8 Lodge!) who recommended sharing the video to the benefit of the area – not just our neighborhood. Any questions – please ask!
AND if you are interested in volunteering for anything – reach out to communications@udca.info.
Live stream pt. 1 – https://www.facebook.com/udcaonline/videos/349330392295119/ (sorry it is sideways – technical error & it is corrected in the next part)
Live stream pt. 2 – https://www.facebook.com/udcaonline/videos/370822637008102/
High-level reacap:
Palmer Park Prep
- Opened in the fall
- Full details of all upgrades made to school listed in separate Nextdoor post
- District-sponsored montessori program (Pre-K-2nd grade) with plans to add a grade every year until the school is fully montessori
- Will be a 1-to-1 technology school, meaning every child will have a laptop & schools will have technology/touchscreens in classrooms
- Hosting a state-wide chess tournament at the school for 400-500 students – details to come * DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Vitti will be on Channel 7 in the near future in a segment called “champions for change” – it was filmed at Palmer Park Prep
- Visits, tours & volunteers are always welcome. Principal Dr. Georgia Hubbard offered her cell: 248-225-5161
People for Palmer Park & Palmer Park Golf Course
- Concerns about the closing of palmer park golf course – the community was not involved in this decision and people for palmer park was not involved/aware
- UDCA president Luke Gunn following up on this issue
- Winter celebration at Palmer Park this Sunday (tomorrow 12/9)
- Tennis courts are currently under construction – new tennis courts are coming
- A new playground will be installed near the tennis courts – 250 volunteers will build the playground in 1 day
Wayne Count Executive, Warren Evans
Had a lot to say about many different things – the jail, the roads, etc. – His talk starts about 15mins in on the part 2 video
UDCA Election committee
- Results of the most recent election were announced.
- Elected board members are: Jessica Bondalapati, Michael Carmona, LIsa Jones, Roger Short, Sid Bailey.
- The board appointed Angela Vincent to serve the remainder of Jay Taylor’s term who resigned.
- Out of 1200 residents & 600 UDCA members, only about 100 ballots were returned. Vote! It’s your right as a due paying member!
Special Assessment District
- The special assessment district gained support from 60% of the neighborhood which qualified the motion to move on to the next step.
- Alvin Horn, Detroit City Assessor, was there to talk about the next steps
- There will be a community meeting (likely in Jan or Feb) to answer any questions & get feedback.
- City council ultimately has to approve SAD for the neighborhood, and they want to make sure that every resident has had a chance to understand & give feedback in order for them to feel comfortable.
- District 2 councilman Roy McCallister was there and voiced his support and agreed that the community meetings will help the rest of the city council feel comfortable about passing it.
Roy McCallister
- Had a chili cookoff on Friday (sorry these notes are late – hope it was great!)
Security updates:
- 3 board members for security patrol will need to be replaced due to term limits. This is a separate entity from the UDCA. Please consider reaching out to find out more about how you can support this effort.
- Traffic calming: University District will be getting speed cushions as part of the livernois updates starting in the spring.
- As a reminder, the approved updates are: from 7 to 8 mile on livernois: 15ft sidewalks, one lane of traffic in each direction, no median, left turn lane, bike lanes.
- Dogs in the neighborhood
- Please refer to your newsletter to read all the details around the laws in the neighborhood. Keep your pets leashed or fence. Call security if you see a loose or problem dog.
Josh Speyers, Warrington 3
His church group has offered to help shovel the driveways of seniors or for those who otherwise may not be able to complete or afford snow removal on their own. If you know of anyone who would be in need of these services. Please reach out to communications@udca.info to get in touch with Josh directly.
Snow Removal
- Your new favorite comedic duo, Amber Hunt & Frank Benedict, spoke about the new snow removal (see it at 1:20 in part two of the video – frank is THE BEST.)
- We have a new provider for snow removal. They do the surrounding communities so we expect to see faster response time (within 6 hours after snowfall stops)
- We will call for curb-to-curb service if snowfall/accumulation is 4″ or more.
- We need you to: remove all garbage cans from the street – put them on the berm/curb/grass, move your cars out of the driveway, don’t shovel the snow that accumulates in your driveway back into the street, shovel snow away from fire hydrants
Thank you for attending!!! Let us know if there are any questions.