Next work session to be help on January 7th at 7 PM in the Fellowship Hall of the Capitol Heights United Methodist Church, 2000 Winona Avenue

Good work was accomplished on October 27 at the work session to address marketing Capitol Heights and to address neighborhood concerns. Attendance was disappointing as there were not enough voices representing different viewpoints of the entire neighborhood. The group decided to continue the work, using the same facilitator tools, at the regular CHCA meeting on January 8th. Renters, landlords, and homeowners in Capitol Heights are strongly encouraged to attend.

What Is Good About Capitol Heights?  At the October 27 work session, Capitol Heights’ neighbors and their diversity were identified as the best thing about Capitol Heights. The historic significance surrounding our neighborhood came in second. Also making the top five were: the variety of home styles in the area and the close proximity to downtown, churches, shopping, military bases, and riverfront development. Tying for 5th place on a list of 18 good things were: ours is a quiet and safe neighborhood and the positive future we see for Capitol Heights.

What Needs to Change in Capitol Heights? Attendees identified the increasing ratio of rentals to homeownership as an item of concern. Homeowners, renters, and landlords need to know about and comply with city ordinances (no parking on sidewalks, no parking on front lawns, removing abandoned vehicles, taking care of overgrown weeds, etc.). Not surprisingly, crime also made the list of things to work on within Capitol Heights.

How Do We Address the Changes Needed? Education is key to accomplishing the changes identified. We want to find the best way to notify landlords and property managers of the neighborhood’s concerns and to strongly encourage them to lease to tenants who will care for and maintain rental properties. Homeowners and tenants will be given information about the city ordinances and fines in place to maintain the welfare and safety of our neighborhood and about the most effective ways of reporting ordinance violations.

How Do We Spread the Good News? We need to sing the praises of Capitol Heights and spread the good word about our neighborhood! We are currently improving our website and planning to increase our presence in local publications. We want to include more feature articles of events and other items of interest in local publications. We also want to represent our neighborhood in community events outside of Capitol Heights.

Everyone has a second chance to speak out about marketing and improving Capitol Heights. The work session at 7 PM on January 8, 2008 at 2000 Winona Avenue, will be a very organized, fast-paced, well-planned brainstorming session under the guidance of an experienced facilitator. This session will be a success only if a great many neighbors attend and speak out about why they love Capitol Heights and about what changes they would like to see in Capitol Heights. With many neighbors voicing their opinions, we will be able to promote Capitol Heights based on the input of many and we will be able to prioritize desired changes based on a true representation of the neighborhood’s concerns. Everyone who cares about the future of Capitol Heights is urged to attend: we welcome renters, landlords, business owners, CHCA members, those who have never joined CHCA, and who have never attended a neighborhood meeting.

PLEASE COME, ONE and ALL!

Capitol Heights’ future depends on all of us!

Helen Harris
President
Capitol Heights Civic Association