Happy New Year! I look forward to serving as president during 2009 and am very excited about ANA’s initiatives for the coming year. A native of southern Wisconsin, I work as a city planner in the northern suburbs and have lived in Audubon Park for nearly three years. I was drawn to the neighborhood’s central location, vintage housing stock, attractive open spaces, and diverse business community. Our neighborhood’s mix of new and long-time residents provides a wonderful sense of community.

In 2008, ANA spearheaded a variety of exciting projects. We became the first neighborhood in Northeast to adopt a neighborhood master plan to guide new development. We worked with the University of Minnesota to complete a master plan for Audubon Park and concepts for streetscape and bicycle facilities along 29th Avenue NE. We revamped our housing programs to better address the issues stemming from the large number of foreclosures in parts of our neighborhood. This includes a new program to encourage rehabilitation of multiple-unit buildings. We retooled ANA’s website by adding content and updating it more regularly. We built upon our relationships with partners throughout the community, including the Northeast Chamber of Commerce and Northeast Community Development Corporation. Finally, we conducted a neighborhood-wide canvass, in which board members spoke with at least one resident on each block to learn about the issues that are important to our neighbors.

Later this month, the other ANA board members and I will develop a work plan for 2009 to build upon our already exemplary quality of life. This will include implementing the plans we have completed over the last year and seeking additional funding in this time of limited resources. We will also plan for a signature event for the neighborhood in the spring and continue to monitor housing conditions and maintenance. I would love to hear your ideas about the future direction of our neighborhood, so feel free to contact me.