Boylan Heights Monthly January 2002

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IF YOU ONLY MAKE ONE MEETING THIS YEAR, THIS SHOULD BE IT!!

The next meeting of the BHA will be Tuesday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Project Enlightenment building.

· Neighborhood Updates o Art Walk 2001 o Garden Club o Neighborhood walk-through o Beautification grant o Christmas sponsorship · Project Enlightenment Expansion · Commuter Rail Station Location Options

Last Chance to Discuss Rail Station Location

The January BHA meeting will feature a presentation by the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) on options for eliminating the at-grade crossing on Boylan Avenue as proposed in their original "Wye" station. This will be your opportunity to express your opinions on the proposed solutions. Following the TTA presentation, BHA members will craft a draft resolution for presentation to City Council and the TTA Board. Please read the brief project timeline in this newsletter to familiarize yourself with the project. You can also get more information at http://treklite.com/boylan/ Boylan Sign Project to Enhance Neighborhood Entrances

In May of 2001, neighborhood residents voted on the above sign design to replace the existing sign on the corner of Boylan and Dupont Circle and the former sign on the corner of Boylan and Dorothea Drive (removed during construction of Western Boulevard). In December, the BHA was awarded a $1,300 grant to assist residents in enhancing the two neighborhood entrances! With help from Boylan residents and the Garden Club, we hope to have two revitalized entrances that reinforce both the historic character and the cohesive nature of the neighborhood and (hopefully) encourage commuters to realize they are driving through a residential community. Betsy Matthews, our sign designer at Signs Unlimited has developed four great color schemes for the new signs.

Here is where we need your help!

We need your opinion. Come to the January meeting and vote for your favorite color combination. Color samples will be available at the meeting and are also online at http://treklite.com/boylan/

We need your money. Okay, you knew this was coming, didn't you? We have raised $2,100 of the $2,700 we need to replace both signs, but we need your support to make this happen. If you can help contribute to the sign project, contact BHA Treasurer Leslie Kellenberger at 610 S. Boylan Avenue, 833-9678 or bring your donation to the January meeting!

Computer Help is Close at Hand!

Computer problems or questions? Heidi Nelson, an independent consultant, is in the neighborhood and can help individuals and small businesses. Call 601-6330, or get more information at http://home.nc.rr.com/hsnelson/computers.html Project Enlightenment Expansion

Project Enlightenment will expand their current facilities and renovate the existing building, beginning sometime in late 2002 or early 2003. The project will create some desperately needed programming space and make the existing structure more suitable for their needs. The renovation project will dramatically change the building and grounds. Come to the January BHA meeting to hear the details from Wake County facilities planning staff.

Neighborhood Walk-Through with Chief Perlov

BHA officers have arranged for a walk-though of the eastern section of the neighborhood with Raleigh's new Chief of Police, Jane Perlov and Lt. Dennis Lane. Interested residents may meet us at the entrance to Project Enlightenment on Tuesday, January 22 at 1:00 p.m. Please contact Deanna Kerrigan with any specific issues you may have. BHA officers will present a report at the January meeting.

Boylan Heights Summer Camp Bank Account

Years past, parents in Boylan Heights organized a summer camp program for neighborhood children Kindergarten age and older. The "camp" lasted between 3 and 7 days including a weekend neighborhood camp out at a local lake. Last year funds were available to support this effort and $70 was paid for a campsite reservation. The event, however, did not generate enough interest to succeed and the $70 was lost and the campsite unused. The $232.90 left in the account will now revert to the Boylan Heights Association and all signees will be relieved of the responsibility of the bank account, which will be closed. The summer camp was a wonderful experience for all families who did participate and was a wonderful contribution to the feeling of community for Boylan Heights. Elizabeth Dunbar, 836-8136. DunbarCC@aol.com

Garden Club Seeks New Leadership

The Garden Club is looking for new leadership. Currently, the treasurer is the only active officer. If you would like to lead a group that can make beautiful additions to the neighborhood, please contact Elizabeth Dunbar, treasurer, 836-8136 or DunbarCC@aol.com. An upcoming project could be the landscaping of the new signs at the entrances to the neighborhood. Funds are available for projects.

Curbside Giveaways

Occasionally people put items on the curbside right of way with the idea that someone will want them and help themselves. This fall 2 adults with 2 children came on to my property and attempted to take some yard art because they felt it wasn't wanted. They had a UHaul rental truck and seemed to be cruising the neighborhood. When I asked them if they routinely drove through neighborhoods and took things from residents' yards, they took off in a hurry. A police report was made. I suggest that if residents would like to give items away, they be taken to Goodwill or some other charitable organization. Leaving items of value on the right of ways only encourages people to help themselves to our property. Elizabeth Dunbar

ArtWalk Update

The ArtWalk on 2 December was a wonderful success! The weather cooperated and the crowds turned out. As soon as the February bank statement is received, there will be a meeting to discuss which organization(s) will be the recipient(s) of the net profits. Stay tuned. Elizabeth Dunbar 836-8136 DunbarCC@aol.com

Babysitting Co-op

Anyone interested in a baby-sitting co-op should contact Denise Lockett at 807 W. South (834-3700). Tell her what days and times are best for you. She would like to host a brief organizational mtg./get to know us gathering for those interested sometime in early February. Commuter Rail Station Background

The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) commuter rail project

The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) commuter rail project is the most important project impacting the Boylan Heights neighborhood since the extension of Western Boulevard. Like Western Boulevard, the rail project will have permanent positive and negative affects on the neighborhood long after we are gone. It is critical that we all be as well informed as we can and it is with this in mind that I want to recap the work of so many fine neighbors over the past several years.

Over the past three years, Boylan Heights residents have attended lengthy public meetings and information sessions with TTA staff regarding the commuter rail project. As proposed, the rail project will connect Durham and Raleigh via a diesel powered, medium-weight rail system. TTA plans to establish the downtown Raleigh station somewhere within the Wye area on the north edge of the neighborhood (where the concrete plant and existing rail tracks are located). Although the project has changed slightly over the years, residents of Boylan Heights and BHA board members have communicated a consistent message to TTA, City Council, DOT Rail Division and others-We want commuter rail and we want it to be successful.

In late 1999 and early 2000, TTA staff attended BHA meetings to discuss the project. Following these meetings, residents generated a list of concerns and issues they wanted TTA to address. These issues include the following (in order of importance):

· Traffic from station through the neighborhood and impacts on pedestrian access · Safety and aesthetics of an at-grade crossing on Boylan Avenue · Air quality from diesel engines and noise from warning horns and train · Impact of elevated rail station on views from and to the neighborhood

These issues were posted on the BHA website and were sent to TTA for review. As a result, TTA staff members held additional meetings to discuss the project's potential impacts on the neighborhood. TTA eventually developed plans for two station locations-an elevated platform and station that would cross the Boylan Avenue bridge at-grade (Alternate B2) and a station between Morgan and Hargett Streets (where Shelton's Furniture is now) with no at-grade rail crossing (Alternate C).

Throughout 2000, TTA staff worked on producing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or DEIS, which assessed project alternatives on a wide range of environmental issues, including noise, air pollution, impact on historic structures, and safety. Boylan Heights neighbors were informed via the monthly newsletter and the e-mail list that the DEIS was published and available at Project Enlightenment, any public library in Wake County, and on CD-ROM from TTA.

In the spring of 2001, the BHA put the DEIS on the meeting agenda and residents again began commenting on the plans. In response to TTA's request for official public comment on the DEIS document, participants at the May 2001 meeting crafted a resolution to submit as part of the official DEIS comment period. A slightly revised resolution was publicized in writing prior to the picnic and was put up for a vote at the Memorial Day picnic and business meeting. Neighbors in attendance were given written copies of the resolution and BHA officers were on hand to answer questions as well as discuss the process. The 47 neighbors in attendance unanimously approved the resolution, which read as follows:

The resolution was mailed to TTA staff for inclusion in their review of the DEIS, with the understanding that at some point in the winter, TTA Board members would review all information and public comments and make decisions regarding the locally preferred alternates for the rail stations.

Following this action, there was no news about the DEIS or the TTA board meeting until mid-December when BHA officers discovered that the City Council's Comprehensive Planning Committee would be voting to endorse a downtown station location. The situation went from 0 to 100 miles per hour in a matter of days. Since two-thirds of the Committee are new to City Council, BHA officers believed that they should understand what the neighborhood association's formal position is as well as what individual residents believe is better for the neighborhood. BHA officers represented the neighborhood's concerns as expressed and documented over the past three years. Those primary concerns have always been safety of an at-grade crossing, traffic, air pollution, and noise. No new issues were brought to the table by BHA officers or other neighborhood residents. Following this meeting, a notice about the TTA board meeting was posted to the e-mail list and minutes of the Planning Committee's meeting were posted to the BHA website. At that point, neighbors were encouraged to contact the TTA board with their comments regardless of which site they preferred. Due to strong neighborhood opposition to an at-grade crossing on Boylan Avenue (note, there is NO opposition to the rail project), TTA board members chose to postpone the decision on the downtown station and directed staff to explore other options for eliminating the at-grade crossing.

In late December, BHA officers met with TTA Interim General Manager Don Carnell to discuss potential options that might eliminate an at-grade crossing of Boylan Avenue. Mr. Carnell took those ideas and concerns back to the rail station consultants for further review. They will present their findings at the January Boylan Heights Association meeting, including studies on a station parallel to West Street at Hargett and the use of tunnels to eliminate the at-grade crossing.

The Boylan Heights Association is a participatory democracy that relies on the volunteer efforts of many individuals throughout the neighborhood. Officers and other involved residents have invested thousands of hours in keeping residents informed of issues, organizing meetings, contacting elected and appointed officials and staff, organizing committees to examine issues like crime or transportation in-depth, and attending public hearings. In this hectic age where free time is precious, it is easy to be "too busy" to attend meetings or ask questions via e-mail or telephone. I want to personally thank all of you who have carved time out of your busy schedules to help insure that the rail project is a win-win for neighborhood residents and the transit system. Deanna Kerrigan, BHA President; kerrigand@mindspring.com

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Boylan Heights Association Officers
· Deanna Kerrigan, President, 821-4172
· Paul Meyer, Vice President, 838-9028
· Leslie Kellenberger, Treasurer, 833-9678
· Deanna Kerrigan, Secretary/Newsletter Editor, kerrigand@mindspring.com, 821-4172

Newsletter submissions are welcomed Deadline is the 15th of each month. Call or email. If you would like to receive Boylan Heights news via email, join the neighborhood listserv by sending an email to .