COLLEGE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT DAVID E. ROSE

FEBRUARY 2008
Community Paper

COLLEGE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT DAVID E. ROSE

Something is always happening at the College Park Neighborhood Association. For an all volunteer organization we maintain an active agenda. Last month I outlined the plan for the year so won’t try to repeat that here. What I will keep repeating is the invitation to everyone that lives, works, plays, or simply loves College Park to come out and join us on the First Monday of each month. We meet at the College Park Community Center starting at 7:00pm.

Next big item on our agenda is the Sunday in The Park which will be held in Dartmouth Park in the afternoon of March 16, 2008.

Sunday in the Park is a signature event for the College Park Neighborhood Association and a defining event for College Park. Every spring friends and neighbors meet at the annual Sunday in the Park in Dartmouth Park. Sunday in the Park is a true College Park community event, produced by the College Park Neighborhood Association in conjunction with the Downtown College Park Partnership. The event features something for everyone:
• Entertainment by local performing group • A variety of food vendors
• Activities including: bounce houses, dunk tank and an obstacle course
• A silent auction • The “Best Brownies in College Park” contest
• Vendors selling a variety of goods, from home decor to jewelry to children’s items • And much, much more.
Admission to Sunday in the Park is free. Children can play games all day for just $10 and kids under 4 can play games for free.

We continue to monitor the activities of the Edgewater Drive Vision Task Force but for the past few months all that activity has been taking place on the fourth floor of 400 S Orange Ave so we really have no idea what they are up to. The next public meeting is scheduled for next month so count on an update then.
Crime continues to be a topic of concern we are monitoring the situation on our western border and are looking at setting up a committee to continue our efforts in that area. It may also be a good idea to review what is happening in the South College Park area as well. Also on the same subject we are thrilled that Bertie Hunt has joined the Board this year. Bertie provides information on criminal activity on a daily basis through a free internet service she has established. To subscribe just email Bertie at collegeparknics@yahoogroups.com and you will get a regular update. College Park has a low rate of crime thanks to the diligence of you, our residents, these efforts simply are in support of your efforts to maintain our small town atmosphere.

One of our signature events is the Historic Homes Tour which happens in the fall of each year, we just completed this years last month. This event is also held on a Sunday afternoon and is exactly what it sounds like. CPNA has been fortunate to have among its members and serving on the Board people with a deep respect for and knowledge of historic homes. Each year these professionals choose a theme or an area and then select specific homes and convince their owners to open them up on a Sunday afternoon to hundreds of neighbors. Typically we have five or six hundred people take the tour of homes. As you can imagine this task is also labor intensive as each home requires volunteers during the entire event.

CPNA also has ongoing Community Service projects, such as maintaining the four gateway signs that we have built for College Park.

We meet at the College Park Community Center, which we advocated for, on the first Monday of each month at 7:00pm. We hold “Open Board Meetings,” which means that all members are welcome to attend and participate even though any official action must be taken by the Board of Directors, each month except November which is our general meeting. Visit our website at www.CollegeParkOrlando.org.

Please come out and be a part of the College Park Neighborhood Association. We need not just your help but your knowledge and opinions. College Park is a great place to live, work, and play. Largely because people exactly like you get involved and make a difference.