Wow, big changes in the works. Volunteers needed!
Dear East Side Neighbors,
The members of the East Isthmus Neighborhoods Planning Council Governing Board want to update you on recent developments affecting EINPC.
Changes. In April, EINPC Executive Director Peng Her resigned to accept a position with the Madison Urban League. The EINPC Governing Board appointed Joe Mingle to act as Interim Director until a new Director/Organizer could be recruited. As of May 1, thanks to Joe’s amazing efforts, we moved from our old office at 1321 E Mifflin St to new digs at 1202 Williamson St, lower level. You can still view our web site at www.eastisthmus.org, leave a message at 608-204-0834, or email office@eastisthmus.org
Money. EINPC is funded through the end of 2012. Joe and members of the Governing Board submitted a request for 2013-2014 funding from the City of Madison Community Services Committee (CSC). We proposed to hire two part-time staff members to work on neighborhood organizing, event planning, and office management.
The CSC did not fund our staffing proposal. Committee members said that our documentation lacked evidence that EINPC served low-income and minority residents, that we have accomplished much in the last few years, or that east side residents want or need our services. At the moment, the CSC is recommending $6,200 in 2013 to provide EINPC with office space, telephone and other basic organizational needs – but nothing for staffing. Thus, in 2013, EINPC will be a completely volunteer-run organization. (Bear in mind that the city budget is not final until passed by the City Council in November, so the CSC recommendation can still be changed upwards or downwards.) Funding beyond 2013 may not grow or may even decline further.
Glass half empty? The downside of our current situation is that in 2013 EINPC will depend entirely on volunteers who think it’s important to have an umbrella east side organization to identify, monitor, help organize, and document issues that transcend neighborhood association boundaries. The upside is that the future is ours to define: anyone with energy or ideas is welcome to help recast our organization to meet our needs and ideals.
What’s Next? In the past, EINPC has worked on water issues, Union Corners development, urban agriculture projects, neighbohood public safety concerns, redevelopment of the Truax Housing site, and strengthening of the Worthington Park Neighborhood Association. For the future, many of these same issues, and some new ones, are on the table.
The EINPC Governing Board will continue its currrent work, including convening a public meeting on Union Corners development proposals and facilitating neighborhood input as needed, continuing to monitor Kipp and other water issues, winding down a staff-run structure, and beginning to build a new governing board. By-law revisions and web-site redesign are both near-term goals. Alder Rummel has volunteered to convene a meeting of neighborhood association leaders to frame expectations for the future.
Opportunities. Leaders, collaborators, and supporters are needed and welcomed! You could become (or replace) a member of the governing board, plan and execute events, find creative temporary uses of the Union Corners property as long as the property is vacant , follow water or other issues of concern to residents, or–you decide!.
Please join us at the monthly EINPC meeting on Thursday, July 26, 6:30, at Hawthorne Library, 2702 East Washington Avenue, to discuss the way forward.
Thanks for reading. For more information, contact
Joseph Mingle, Interim Director, EINPC, jwmingle@tds.net
Governing Board Members
Mary Anglim, mtanglim@gmail.com
Mark Bergum, mark_bergum@yahoo.com
Victoria Faust, vnfaust@gmail.com
Jody Werzinske, jwerzinske@gmail.com
