A new crop of leaders man the helm of CPNO this year, so it’s time to check-in with them to see how they plan on weilding the power you’ve given them. Here’s a look at what they plan to accomplish this year … in their own words.
Zaid Duwayri – President
When I submitted my name as a nominee for CPNO president, I had to think long and hard about what I hope to achieve in 2016. I narrowed a relatively long list of objectives to two important and interrelated goals; I’ll start with the first which is reviving the broader interest of the community in our master plan. A few years ago, our community spent thousands of hours (and
thousands of dollars too) to create a document that summarizes our vision for the future of Candler Park. The master plan is full of great ideas to protect the neighborhood’s character and make bold improvements in the future. Without continued broad interest in implementing these great ideas, they remain just that… great ideas! I intend to work with Russell (communications officer) and the board to drastically increase the awareness of our community of the master plan and provide a open channel for members, old and new, to take ownership of and provide input on the projects contained within this living document (http://candlerpark.org/master-plan), and then work with Drew (fundraising officer) to fund projects from the plan.
My second objective is increasing members’ engagement in our organization. The CPNO was built to serve the collective interests of the Candler Park residents. It can and will act to advance these interests through our relationships with city officials and neighboring community organizations. The elected board of CPNO brings in a wealth of experience to help our members move things along, but, together with our committee chairs and members, we are still a relatively small number of volunteers. I intend to work with Roger (membership officer) and the board to increase our membership and invite all to help us deliver meaningful contributions to this great neighborhood.
Bonnie Palter – Secretary
The goal of the secretary is to keep and maintain accurate records for the organization. These include but not limited to the minutes of the board and membership, but also registration with State of Georgia as a non-profit entity and any applications for money grants which are distributed.
Roger Bakeman – Membership
This
begins my second year as membership officer for CPNO. My first goal is to encourage those of you who are members currently to renew and those of you who are not to join. Remember, according to our bylaws, membership is for the calendar year. So even if you renewed or joined in the last few months, you still need to renew for 2016. My second goal is to make renewing or joining as easy as possible, either on our web site or at a membership meeting early in the year (you can also mail in the application in this newsletter). So, why should you be a member of CPNO? In addition to being able to vote at CPNO meetings, the more members we can claim, the stronger position I think we are in to push the city to support our master plan. For the November Messenger, I had written that I thought the best thing CPNO had done was the master plan (although, embarrassingly, this got printed as my “best recent accomplishment has been the master plan”—and, no, I didn’t invent the Internet either). But I remain convinced, when CPNO deals with the city on any of the many matters that affect our neighborhood, the more members we have, the louder our voice.
Chris Fitzgerald – Treasurer
I am excited to be a new member of the CPNO Board. As Treasurer, my first point of business is to finalize the budget for 2016 with an eye toward tightening expenses wherever possible and increasing projected revenues. Recently, CPNO spent a significant portion of our capital on the master plan. This was the right thing to do but it set us back and we must now all work together to rebuild our balance sheet. I look forward to collaborating with the board members, especially Zaid and Drew, to maximize Fall Fest income and help identify and execute new fundraisers so that we can continue to implement the master plan objectives. We live in the best neighborhood in Atlanta – together we can make it even better!
Seth Eisenberg – Zoning
2016 is shaping up to be a critical year for CPNO zoning. The committee will be replacing one of its valued members, Tom Painter, who for years provided his skill and expertise to ensure CPNO’s development is consistent with the existing neighborhood’s character. Additionally, numerous infrastructure projects along Euclid Ave. and Dekalb Ave. should begin construction that will improve the streets and sidewalks in Candler Park.
The key for 2016 will be exploring ways the zoning committee can further the land use recommendations set forth in the master plan. The master plan committee prioritized certain land use recommendations that will help guide the committee in 2016. The zoning committee will balance this prioritization while continuing to serve as Candler Park’s oversight of all variance and special exception applications for residential and commercial development projects.
Russell Miller – Communications
Lucky for me, as the new communications officer for CPNO, I’m following in the footsteps of our new president, Zaid Duwayri, who did much of the heavy lifting in 2015 to improve the CPNO communications channel. I’ll work to continue that momentum in 2016 and will partner with other groups within our community to make sure their good works don’t go unnoticed. Groups such as the Candler Park Conservancy, Friends of Candler Park, Candler Park Lake Claire Patrol, master plan committee, and others are all doing wonderful things within our hood, and I want to make sure that CPNO shares that with the community at large. Whether on Facebook, Twitter, CandlerPark.org, NextDoor, or the pages of the Messenger, I want the world to know all the GREAT things that go on in Atlanta’s best neighborhood. I encourage anyone with a noteworthy story, event, or maybe even a bit of local history to help me share it with our neighbors.
Drew Jackson – Fundraising
As the new he
ad of fundraising for the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization, I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself to the community and share with you two very specific goals for this new position in 2016. The first, is to create more fundraising opportunities to fund community activities that were identified and outlined in our 2013 master plan. These activities are focused on the improvement and maintenance of the quality of life in our neighborhood, and currently remain unfunded. In an effort to remedy this situation, my focus will be on both elevating Fall Fest by growing the festival itself and expanding sponsorship opportunities, and identifying new events and activities that include a fundraising element.
Our second goal for 2016, is to increase participation in CPNO to strengthen our efforts, and illustrate Candler Park community pride. This increased participation can range from serving on a CPNO committee, to volunteering with marketing, fundraising and event activities, to financially supporting CPNO activities through sponsorships and donations. I hope you will consider getting involved! Just know, that whatever your time, talent or financial support will allow, your participation in CPNO will be truly valued by your community family. Let’s make 2016 a true example of what being a resident of Candler Park and a community member, really means!
Lauren Welsh – External Affairs
I will accurately represent the interests of CPNO at all NPU-N meetings. This includes both passing on any CPNO votes that have been made as well as bringing any pertinent information back to CPNO from the NPU and the city of Atlanta.
I will work alongside the Mayor’s Office of Special Events with other organizations holding events in Candler Park to ensure clear communication about the event parameters and to limit impact to our neighborhood.
I will attend a variety of city of Atlanta meetings that occur outside CPNO and NPU-N that address topics of interest to Candler Park and other intown neighborhoods. This may include meetings about safety, zoning, parking, public art, etc. I will report back to CPNO what I have learned and ensure CPNO is well connected to the critical issues impacting Atlanta and our neighborhood.
Lindy Kerr – Public Safety Officer
My primary goal for 2016 is to elicit more engagement in neighborhood watch. To me, neighborhood watch is about fostering a sense of community. And a strong sense of community oftentimes makes for a safer community. It is knowing your neighbors and watching out for one another. Aside from making sure there is a block captain (or two) for every street in Candler Park, I want to ensure our block captains have up-to-date contact information for homes on their street, so important and time-sensitive safety information may be distributed quickly and efficiently. I would also love to organize an event comprised of each block captain hosting a porch party on the same evening. This is would be a fun way to make sure everyone knows their neighbors and bring our neighborhood together on one night.
And here’s one who’s not on the CPNO board, but is one of the many important people serving on the Candler Park Conservancy.
Stacy Funderburke – Candler Park Conservancy President
The Founding Board of the Candler Park Conservancy (“CPC”) was successful in completing its primary goals for 2015: receiving its non-profit, 501(c)3 designation, establishing Board committees, and holding its first community forum to gather and expand on ideas and priorities for improving Candler Park.
Our goals for 2016 include:
- Transition founding board to a regular board of directors
- Activate the new CPC website
- Establish and grow membership and fundraising efforts for CPC
- Begin development of a Candler Park master plan in collaboration with the city’s Parks Department, building off of ongoing community engagement
- Complete short-term park improvement projects that have meaningful impact
- Expand neighborhood participation in CPC through committees, membership and volunteer opportunities
- Develop a high-level strategic plan to guide the CPC’s efforts
Please contact us if you’d like to get involved at info@candlerparkconservancy.org. It’s going to be an exciting year!