Fisher Parker [April 2008]

              isherarkerserving residents of the Fisher Park NeighborhoodApril2008 the
Fisher Park Walking Tour Wednesday, April 30, 7 p.m. Meet at the Temple 272-5003
Park Work Day Saturday, May 10, 8:30-noon Location TBA 274-3420
Green Hill Cemetery Tour
Sunday, May 11, 2 p.m.
South entra.m.ce 370-0457
National Night Out Icee Social
Tuesday August 5, 7 p.m. 389-9686
Park Work Day Saturday, Sept. 20, 8:30-Noon
Location TBA 274-3420
Fall Picnic
Sunday, September 28, 5 p.m.
273-3365
Dog Show-Off
Saturday, October 18, 11 am 272-3499
Halloween Parade & Party
Saturday, October 25, 4 p.m.
273-3365
Park Work Day
Saturday, Oct. 28, 8:30-Noon
Location TBA 274-3420
FPNA A.m.nual Meeting
Sunday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m.
Holy Trinity 274-3420
Luminaria Display Sunday, December 14, dusk
(Rain date Sunday, Dec. 21)
West Fisher Park 273-3365
Spring Picnic Saturday, April 26, 5 p.m.
Neighborhood Watch Meeting Thursday, April 24, 7p.m. Holy Trinity Parrish Hall 389-9686
CALENDAR
FISHER PARK Tee-SHIRTS FOR SALE!
Sport your Fisher Park neighborhood pride with a Fisher Park tee-shirt, so everyone will know where you’re from! The Neighborhood Association has ordered many sizes, including children’s sizes, as a fund-raiser for our neighborhood. The logo is shown here. Shirts are $10 each, regardless of size. To purchase tee-shirts, contact neighborhood Vice President Vicky Vanstory Saunders at 272-7661. Thank you, Vicky, for initiating the project, envisioning the graphic, and coordinating purchases. Also, please let Vicky know if flags may be of future interest.
TOPPINg THE TOWN Through the efforts of several neighbors, the Fisher Park Neighborhood may be
the first in Greensboro to purchase and exhibit “street sign toppers!” “Fisher Park Neighborhood” signs will be placed at the tip-top of existing metal street signs, initially at about 20 neighborhood intersections. Limited locations were negotiated with the City Department of Transportation staff, and if they are well received, we may be allowed more in time.
Neighbors who support this neighborhood identification program are encouraged to write a check for $75, payable to the Fisher Park Neighborhood Association (FPNA), and mail it to Fisher Park Neighborhood Association, PO Box 2004, Greensboro, NC 27402 to sponsor a sign, helping finance this project. All “topper” donors will be recognized in upcoming Fisher Parker newsletters. Please take care of our toppers because replacements bear the same cost.
Special thanks to neighbors Mary Lane Smith, Marty Digby, and various Board members for years of discussions with City staff toward what may become a successful trend in other Greensboro neighborhoods.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING THURSDAY APRIL 24 Encourage all neighbors to attend our next Neighborhood Watch meeting at Holy Trinity, Parish Hall on North Greene Street, Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. Police officers will participate to listen and to share their recommendations. Thanks to Neighborhood Watch volunteer Sonya Lowe for planning this meeting and always keeping us up-to-date and on track with successful safety practices. Sonya is also a volunteer Block Captain and helps neighbors join our neighborhood e-mail listserv, which has proven very effective for safety awareness. Need help joining? Contact Sonya at 389-9686. SPRING PICNIC CELEBRATES CITY BICENTENNIAL Our neighborhood is over 100 years old (est. 1902) and as one of Greensboro’s older neighborhoods, let’s celebrate Greensboro's bicentennial with a spring picnic in Fisher Park. Join neighbors for an evening in the park, Saturday, April 26 at 5 p.m., west side of the park in the grassy area. Look for balloons! All ages are welcome. Please bring your own picnic, blankets, chairs, and lawn games. Musically gifted neighbors are welcome to bring guitars, banjos, or other instruments to play. The picnic will be canceled in event of bad weather. Note: Some city bicentennial events have been announced then canceled due to complications. This event replaces any other information you have seen/heard about our neighborhood's celebration. We’re on for Saturday, April 26! Information: 273-3365.
PARK COMMITTEE UPDATES
As spring unfolds our Park Committee reminds everyone of the opportunity to make a difference in the heart of our neighborhood, participating in any of four Park Work Days this year. Our April Park Work Day is rescheduled for Saturday April 12, 8:30-Noon in the west park near the front of First Presbyterian Church.
Recently, two sets of overgrown paths into Fisher Park have been cleared and stabilized by several Eagle Scouts. Also, the Park Committee has purchased additional concrete planters, which they stained for an aged look and placed at focal points within the park. As seasons change, we hope volunteers will water planters as needed. Please call David Craft 274-3420 to volunteer your ideas and assistance within this unique city park.
STREETS & SIDEWALKS COMMITTEE
Fisher Park neighbors long have shared interests in our streets and sidewalks, whether maintaining a magnificent tree canopy to moderate summer heat, considering creative ways to modify speeding traffic or to ensure that streetlights are effective. A newly formed neighborhood Streets & Sidewalks Committee invites your thoughts and participation. For example, one short-term project involves working with the City and Parklane Manor condo association to consider additional streetlights on Parkway between Fisher Park Circle and Bessemer/Eugene. This may evolve into plans and priorities for new or replacement streetlights in other parts of neighborhood.
Lights that are moderate intensity and focus downward are most effective for both convenience and safety. In the dark, areas flooded with too much too bright light are actually less safe. In such light, our pupils constrict, reducing our ability to see in shadows immediately beyond too-bright broadcast light. And overly bright broadcast lighting requires additional visual compensation time to transition from lighter to darker situations. Also, light fixtures that send light upward (as many Fisher Park street lamps do) simply waste light. Visit www.darksky.org for more information. Please share your thoughts with our newly formed Streets & Sidewalks Committee, led by Greg Grieve of 225 Florence Street, 402-6443.
DOWNTOWN GREENWAY UPDATE Greensboro’s 2008 Bicentennial celebrations include planning a Downtown Greenway, a 4.8-mile loop around downtown with a paved, multi-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians. The first phase will be built south of downtown, yet concept plans are available for other sections.
In our part of town, the Greenway will approach the north side of Fisher Avenue to Greene Street. From there the greenway will connect through Fisher Park to the existing Latham Park Greenway at Parkway and Cridland. Bicyclists will use existing neighborhood streets. Pedestrians will use existing sidewalks or may choose to walk on existing trails through Fisher Park. Another alternative route for pedestrians uses existing sidewalks along Magnolia Street, then follows east park trails, crosses North Elm Street, and continues through the west Park to Fisher Park Circle and Parkway.
The Downtown Greenway is envisioned to connect fourteen neighborhoods around the perimeter of downtown, and will include benches, landscaping, and public art. At Murrow Boulevard and East Fisher Avenue, one traffic lane will be converted into the greenway. By narrowing East Fisher Avenue and adding curb bump-outs at the North Elm Street intersection, the street will become more pedestrian-friendly which may slow traffic speeds. The plan retains parking on both sides of West Fisher Avenue in the block beside First Presbyterian Church.
Fisher Park Established 1902 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places – www.fisherparknc.org
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For more information or to make suggestions, contact either Neighborhood Association President John McLendon, who is on the steering committee for the Downtown Greenway, or neighbor Dabney Sanders, a consultant for the project, at 336-379-0821 or dsanders@actiongreensboro.org SPRINGTIME REMINDERS IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS
It’s biological ... spring arrives, and we get the urge to repair and spruce up our properties. If you live in the Fisher Park Historic District (smaller than yet part of the Fisher Park Neighborhood) be reminded that you need a City Historic District Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) prior to performing exterior changes to your home or significant landscaping changes. Many changes do not require a CoA, such as paint colors or replacing roofs with the same materials, for example. But it’s always best, and less expensive, to check with City Historic District Guidelines and/or City Historic District staff ahead of time to ensure that you plans meet guidelines. Best of all, we have access to free services of an all-volunteer Historic District Design Review Committee that includes experts in landscaping, construction, and architecture. Schedule an appointment for them to visit your home to review your planned exterior changes, and you’ll be pleased with the money-saving, historically appropriate, and tasteful suggestions you'll gain – all free! Start with a simple call to City Historic Preservation staff, listed on the back of each newsletter. There’s no need to risk fines, delays, or removal of unapproved work when planning ahead and use of the free Design Review Committee are right at hand. Please, get that CoA first!
NEIGHBORHOOD INFLUENCES EXERCISE Your neighborhood may have a major influence on how much you exercise, according to a study that compiled data on 8,782 people in 373 Chicago neighborhoods. Neighborhood-related factors that influence exercise levels included amount of trust among neighbors, perceived violence in the community, and beliefs that neighbors help each other. The study also found that neighborhood is more important for women than men in determining exercise levels. Overall, the findings suggest that a wide variety of social and economic factors outside of a person's control can have an impact on physical activity. The finding that neighborhood characteristics are more important than a person’s income in determining exercise levels was unexpected and noteworthy. For details see Ming Wen, Christopher R. Browning, and Kathleen A. Cagney, “Neighbourhood Deprivation, Social Capital and Regular Exercise during Adulthood: A Multilevel Study in Chicago.” Urban Studies. 2007, vol. 44, pages 2651–-2671. EASTER EGG DELIGHTS
T'was the day before Easter and all through east Fisher Park, children were gathering hundreds of eggs shared by the Easter Bunny and kind assistants at Delancey Street NC. Special eggs awarded gift baskets, and there were face painters, balloon animal makers, caricature portraits, and cupcakes for all. Please make a special call to Delancey Street (336-379-8477) to tell them how much we appreciate all the work – and the joy – that they add to our annual Fisher Park Easter Egg Hunt, once more a grand success.
REMEMBERING BOYS & BRIDGES
Originally, bridges in Fisher Park were rustic wooden bark-covered structures, quite different from those we treasure today. Ann Ravenel Saslow grew up at 106 Fisher Park Circle and remembers what happened to at least one of the wooden bridges. “For years I have tried to describe to folks the appearances of the old Fisher Park bridges. I know what happened to one of those wonderful wooden structures: one Halloween night some older, wilder neighborhood boys built a fire on it and burned it beyond use. From then on we had to do without that creek crossing!” If you know anyone who can share with us their memories of earlier Fisher Park or neighborhood days, please gather their memories (audio, video, or written) and share them with Ann Stringfield (336-370-0457), who hopes to organize, very gradually, a Fisher Park archives to be enjoyed for years to come.
Fisher Park Established 1902 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places – www.fisherparknc.org
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SPRING WALKING TOURS Join upcoming walking tours – including one of our neighborhood and one of the Green Hill cemetery, where our neighborhood’s namesake, Captain J. Basil Fisher, is buried. Preservation Greensboro offers free walking tours of five older Greensboro neighborhoods most Wednesdays in May, celebrating Historic Preservation Month. For a complete list of upcoming walking tours, visit http://www.fisherparknc.org/News.html.
EARLY FISHER PARK RECOLLECTIONS OF MR. DICK DOUGLAS
In 2004, Carl and Wanda Myatt of North Park Drive kindly hosted a casual afternoon tea with Mr. and Mrs. Dick Douglas and your editor was pleased to attend to hear and document some of attorney Dick Douglas’ reflections from his early years as a resident of Fisher Park. Below are some of my notes from that afternoon.
The Douglas family moved into 106 Fisher Park circle in 1912, when Dick was 4 months old. One of Dick’s earliest recollections as a child was being driven around Fisher Park Circle in the family carriage, and through the carriage floor he could see their pet collie dog trotting along safely situated in-between the path of the four carriage wheels. There was a still in their original carriage house, used not for moonshine but to distill water for the carriage motor. (Upstairs in the carriage house his mother did however make scuppernong wine.) Dick recalled a common punishment was being forced to sit at the top of the first set of their grand stairway; sitting 10 minutes for a minor infraction and 30 minutes for a major one.
We asked Dick for specific memories of the Park itself. He shared that there was a shallow round concrete wading pond in the west side of east Fisher Park, very close to Elm Street. It was about 30 feet in diameter and contained a central fountain. An electrically powered Elm Street trolley bisected the park, traveling from downtown Greensboro up as far as the Galloway house (117 North Elm Street) near the intersection of Elm and Bessemer streets. Later the streetcar tracks were extended to the intersection of Elm and Sunset Drive, the eastern edge of Irving Park.
In the eastern edge of west Fisher Park, near Elm Street yet visible from the front of 100 Fisher Park Circle, there was a substantial wooden structure commonly known as the “Summer House,” a favorite meeting place for families, neighbors, and especially neighborhood youth. It was a round or perhaps octagonal wooden structure, roofed, open on all sides, with built-in seats along the perimeter of the floor. From Elm Street, it set about five feet above ground and so required a few steps up. On the north and south sides of the Summer House, the grade of the park was steep, so those two sides had more steps to reach the floor. The entire floor was about 35–40 feet in diameter.
There was at least one wooden bridge across the small stream in the midst of west Fisher Park. Railroad ties held the flooring – rough-hewn wood planks – and rustic bark-covered branch formations served as handrails. A photograph of this is found on page 83 of the book Greensboro: An Architectural Record (published 1995) by Marvin Brown. Today’s arched stone bridges weren’t built until the 1930s, reportedly built by the Civilian Conservation Corp., a national back-to-work project of the Roosevelt administration during the Great Depression. Dick recalls he and young friends built a small dam near the wooden bridge, just to see if they could, and it created a small lake in no time. He also let loose several goldfish in the steam, but of course they swam on downstream, never to be seen again. The adventuresome boys entered the culvert at the far northwest end of west Fisher Park and traveled underground all the way to the culvert’s exit in Latham Park (across from today’s Latham Curb Market.)
Dick chuckled to recall that their neighbor, Mrs. Nell Thurmond, played the piano beginning around 6 o’clock most mornings. Mrs. Douglas politely suggested she begin practice later in the morning, but to no avail. Soon thereafter, Mrs. Douglas awakened her young son Dick one morning around 6 a.m., instructed him to open the upstairs window, and practice his trumpet toward the Thurmond home. A truce soon was called, and the piano music shifted to later in the day.
If you enjoy reading these recollections, we ask that you ask neighbors to help locate our neighborhood's earlier residents, meet with them, and document stories or photographs which they are willing, often grateful, to share. There’s no time like the present to preserve our past!
Fisher Park Established 1902 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places – www.fisherparknc.org
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CHURCH AND NEIGHBORHOOD DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE
Fisher Park Neighborhood Association representatives are meeting on a monthly basis with First Presbyterian representatives as part of a mutual effort to facilitate communication. Discussions have included neighborhood concerns about potential loss of the Holleman House, as well as church concerns about parking. Anderson Grove Baptist Church also has concerns about parking and representatives of that congregation attended the most recent meeting. Representatives of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Temple Emanuel are invited, as well. For details or to share your thoughts, contact neighborhood Board President John McLendon.
314 ISABEL STREET PLANS OPEN HOUSE
Remember the July 10, 2004 morning we learned that Paula White’s home at 314 Isabel Street (a.k.a. the 1920s Carmichael House) had burned? Thanks to the White's intense dedication to this home, historic district tax credits, talents of local craftspeople, and encouragement from preservationists and neighbors, it’s almost time for everyone to celebrate its renovation. Dana White (corner of North Park and Church streets) and her mom Paula White (corner of Isabel and Church streets) encourage us to “be on the lookout for a neighborhood appreciation open house at 314 Isabel St (corner of Church & Isabel) in late April or Early May.”
Paula and Dana White decided a celebration is in order to thank everyone who offered support while this signature home on the eastern edge of our neighborhood has progressed through a steady restoration that benefits our entire neighborhood. [The open house will be announced via our neighborhood e-mail list, yet another reason to join our e-mail list (ListServ). Ask any Board member to help you join the e-mail list, or see page 6 for the sign-up address.]
NOTE: CALENDAR UPDATES
Please note that our non-competitive Dog Show-Off date has been rescheduled for October. Also, our annual December luminaria display fund-raising event needs a new volunteer coordinator this year. If you’ve enjoyed participating in the luminaria event, perhaps you’ll contact neighborhood President John McLendon at 545-5543 to volunteer. The luminaria project tasks are well-documented to eliminate guesswork. Additional neighborhood volunteer opportunities are described in a document conveniently located on the front page of our neighborhood Web site: www.fisherparknc.org. Organizing our neighborhood Luminaria event is just one of many volunteer opportunities that opens doors to lifelong neighborhood relationships.
Thanking Office Depot
As we reported in the February issue of the Fisher Parker, the Office Depot location at East Bessemer and Church removed its large “Office Depot” sign near the corner, and replaced it with a smaller sign more suited to our historic district. Representatives of the Fisher Park and Aycock neighborhoods worked at the national regional, and local levels of the company to facilitate this improvement. If you shop there, please remember to make a special effort to thank the Office Depot manager for the company’s support.
HOSPICE BENEFIT FEATURES STEPHEN COSTELLO ORIGINAL
Hospice and Palliative care of Greensboro is holding a two-day event April 26 and 27 to benefit its children’s program, Kids Path. Planned as a two-day wine event, the Sunday, April 27 Wine Lover’s Dinner is already sold out. However, the wine and beer tasting on Saturday, April 26 at the rehabbed Revolution Mill should be lots of fun. One of the silent auction items is an original watercolor by Stephen Costello, which depicts a map of Fisher Park. Originally created for Fisher Park’s centennial celebration in 2002, you may recognize the painting from its reproductions, but this is the original. For more details on the events including the silent auction, visit the Web site for “Corks for Kids Path” at http://www.hospicegso.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=161&Itemid=165 Fisher Park Established 1902 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places – www.fisherparknc.org
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Fisher Park Neighborhood Association — P. O. Box 2004, Greensboro, NC 27402
CONTACTS – February 2008
Board of Directors
Position (term ends)
Name
Address
Phone
President (2009)
McLendon, John
2 Magnolia Court
545-5543
Vice President (2008)
Saunders, Vicky Vanstory
400-A Fisher Park Circle
272-7661
Secretary (2009)
Graham, Lutie
204 Leftwich Street
706-1335
Treasurer (2009)
Pope, Robert
803 Simpson Street
638-7706
Board (2008)
Atwood, Sally
802 Simpson Street
273-8286
Board (2008)
Myatt, Wanda
213 N. Park Drive
272-0999
Board (2008)
Rhyne, Dick
110 Fisher Park Circle
230-1887
Board (2008)
Rubin, Steve
224 South Park Drive
271-8086
Board (2009)
Cannon-Percival, Rachel
912 North Eugene St.
273-3365
Board (2009)
Luebke, Rick
1115 Virginia Street
273-5080
Board (2010)
Craft, David
605 North Church St.
274-3420
Board (2010)
Grieve, Greg
225 Florence Street
402-6443
Board (2010)
Jackson, Jane
115 North Park Drive
271-6705
Board (2010)
Lowe, Sonya
710 Magnolia Street
389-9686
Board (2010)
Usry, Connie
908 Magnolia Street
279-8383
Other Contacts
Ann Stringfield
370-0457
infocrofters@triad.rr.com
Newsletter
Liz Urquhart
373-1250
liz.urquhart@ugcorp.com
Webmaster
Ann Stringfield
370-0457
infocrofters@triad.rr.com
Park Committee
David Craft
274-3420
chsyhkr@gmail.com
Northeast Greeter
Sonya Lowe
389-9686
lowesonya@gmail.com
Southeast Greeter
Janet Craft
274-3420
chsyhkr@gmail.com
Southwest Greeter
Prudy Strong
379-7209
Northwest Greeter
Rebecca Woell
404-0898
woelljr@earthlink.net
Neighborhood Watch
Sonya Lowe
389-9686
lowesonya@gmail.com
Playgroup
Rebecca Woell
404-0898
woelljr@earthlink.net
Social Committee
Rachel Cannon-Percival
273-3365
purplepercival@yahoo.com
Streets & Sidewalks
Greg Grieve
402-6443
Block Captain Coordinators
Southern Area
Cheryl Poole
275-0333
cherylpoole@triad.rr.com
Northern Area
Jim Willis
275-5092
City Council Rep.
Goldie Wells
375-4123
wdistmissy@aol.com
County Commissioner Rep.
Kay Cashion
274-6272
kcashion@co.guilford.nc.us
Board Meeting Schedule
Board meetings are usually the Monday before the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church education building, Haywood Duke Room. 2008 Board meetings are April 28, May 27 (Tuesday), June 23, July 28, August 25, September 22, October 27, (November 16 FPNA neighborhood ANNUAL meeting), and November 24. December meeting is usually cancelled due to holidays.
Fisher Park Neighborhood Association Mission Statement
To preserve the historic and residential character of the Fisher Park neighborhood, and to work with the City of Greensboro to help maintain the scenic park for the benefit of the general public.
City of Greensboro and Other Contacts
Department/Company
Purpose
Phone
City Customer Contact Center
Directs citizen calls to appropriate City departments.
373-2489 (373-CITY)
City Historic District Staff
Historic district guidelines, application for certificate of appropriateness, free advice.
373-2349
Zoning Enforcement
Parking in front yards, historic district guidelines enforcement.
373-2630
Ordinance Enforcement
Housing inspections, abandoned vehicles, lot cleanup.
373-2111
Duke Power
Streetlight outage.
378-9451
Police Central Division
Help for emergencies and non-emergencies/ enforcement.
Emergency: 911 Non-Emergency: 373-2222
Police Central Division–Community Resource Officer
Officer Melanie Daniel
373-4645 mailto:melanie.daniel@ greensboro-nc.gov
Fisher Park ListServ
Subscribe: mailto:fisherpark-subscribe@yahoo.com
Submit e-mail: fisherpark@ yahoogroups.com Fisher Park Established 1902 — Listed on the National Register of Historic Places – www.fisherparknc.org
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