Strong, diverse neighborhoods key to safe city

The following is an excerpt from Sean's viewpoint in today's Kalamazoo Gazette:

All our streets must be safe, and part of ensuring that lies in keeping the roots of our community strong. Empowering citizens and neighborhoods to engage in these matters is critical to securing both our economic and social futures. This is a fundamental way to begin addressing some of the illnesses at the cause. There's no quick and easy cure, but there certainly is a need to bring all our resources to the table. One broken window in a building quickly becomes many if left unattended.

Safe, inclusive and successful communities are created from the bottom up, not the top down. That was Jane Jacobs' message more than 40 years ago, and it is no less true today. Diversity sparks creativity, the seed from which all great social and economic enterprises grow. Investing resources in strengthening our neighborhoods and empowering our residents is never wasted.

To read the whole article, go to:
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Friends of Woods Lake

Friends of Woods Lake (FOWL) have been working on improving Kalamazoo's only public beach for the past two (or more?) years. The park is in the southern part of the Winchell Neighborhood.

On Sunday, Sean presented the Volunteer Appreciation Award to Chris Bartley (second from left), who talked about the work which had been accomplished and plans for future improvements. One of FOWL's major accomplishments is the removal of invasive plant species. Volunteers replace these with native plants.

Pictured, left to right, are Ruth Olmsted, Bartley, Gary Wager, Frank Wolf, and Sean McCann.

Rats! We lost the Cup ...

Alas, in the second year of the Celery Cup Soccer Shoot-out between the Kalamazoo City Commission and the Portage City Council, the Cup (with real celery) went to Portage this year.

I also lost the "MVP status" (ha ha) I gained last year by giving up two goals in net and, even worse, missing my own shot. (For you soccer experts out there, yes, my form for shooting may look incorrect--I was using a pass shot for accuracy rather than a strike. So much for accuracy.)
[PHOTO: MARTIN C. BURCH]

Fierce Storm Hits Kalamazoo

(VINE NEIGHBORHOOD)
A massive burr oak fell during the storm on Thursday, barely missing the houses that border Pioneer Park on Westnedge Ave. In the background, one resident can be seen putting his flag back up after first round of wind and rain.

Kalamazoo County residents had more power outages than anywhere else in West Michigan, with 35,000 homes without electricity at this writing.

Thanking, grieving and listening...

After a five-hour City Commission meeting last night, today included stops to appreciate long-serving City employees; attend the funeral service for a soldier killed in Afghanistan; and taking in a very-well attended meeting of Westwood residents concerned about public safety.

Every year we get the privilege of participating in the ceremony that recognizes the fantastic employees of the City of Kalamazoo who are out there working hard every day. Milestones were acknowledged as well - with employees having as many as 35 years of service. The range of jobs that are done by city workers is amazing.

The service this afternoon for Cpl. Jordan Goode, killed in Afghanistan, was a sad one. A young person's life cut short by war. Going to only one of these is more than enough for me. It's very hard to know that many go on around the country continually. May he rest in peace.

The evening wrapped up listening to Westwood neighbors concerned about their safety and looking to the city to help them as they become more organized to deal with potential threats to their quality of life. It's amazing how an effective email can bring out so many similarly-minded residents. The meeting was a good step towards addressing neighborhood concerns, and the city clearly needs to do more to support thier efforts.

A brief hiatus

Apologies for the lack of updates the past few days. I spent my weekend looking after my father who is recovering from some surgery. More soon!

National Night Out--plus the Dunk Tank

Baseball Camp

Today I was privileged to be a guest at the commencement picnic of Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation Baseball Camp, which ran for the past four days at Mayor's Riverfront Park and operated in partnership with the City of Kalamazoo's Parks and Recreation Department. Photos are (1) under the tent with all the baseball campers and their parents, and, (2) the motivational speaker, Kevin Carroll, author of the book "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball" - he gave an excellent talk with a great message for the many youth present.

Give Blood, Save Lives!

Today I donated my 24th pint of blood - three gallons! I started giving blood regularly after I began working at the American Red Cross. Quick facts: blood supply can only be created through donations - science can't reproduce it; if every blood donor who gave once a year gave twice a year, there would never be any shortages; products derived from a pint of blood can save up to three lives.

National Night Out

National Night Out is always a fun, encouraging (and hot!) night. Many of Kalamazoo's neighborhoods host parties for residents working on proactive crime prevention. Here's a crowd from Milwood, one of our City's best organized watch groups.

Art Hops and Whiskey Before Breakfast

Art Hops used to be well-kept secrets, but once it got out how fun they are, they have become one of Kalamazoo's great success stories. They often feature art, entertainment and food - here's my favorite local band, Whiskey Before Breakfast, playing an outdoor venue. Art Hops have been a big factor in downtown's revitalization and are great opportunities to see neighbors and friends.

McCann to Video-blog from Neighborhoods

McCann Announces Fifth Run