With our accustomed summer heat and our unaccustomed drought, her expert advice on lawns, ornamentals, vegetables and flowers will be most welcome. Shirley is as interesting and vibrant as she is clear and knowledgeable. We look forward to her time with us and appreciate her willingness to share her expertise.

Board Elections
This is also the meeting required in our by laws to vote in new board members. We will need a quorum, so please make every effort to fit this meeting us into your busy schedule. The candidates are: President, Jim Robson; First Vice President (programming), Len Burroughs; Second Vice President (membership), Richard Sapp; Treasurer, Steve Walker; Secretary, Rosemary Stout; Members at Large, Chuck Mann,  Helene Stewart, Kelly Klinger (Facebook), Z Carter.

This goal has been on our agenda for many years but always seemed to slip from our grasp. This year our board decided to make it a top priority under the responsibility of Jim Robson a board member at large.

The application requires filling out a 56 page form with many confusing questions, but Jim had a lot of help from the rest of the board. If you can picture a 56 page Federal Government form you will have some idea of what it was like.

Please help us celebrate this milestone by writing a tax deductible check to the MHPA, or click the handy donate button below. If you send a check, we will provide a receipt to use with your tax filing. Otherwise, if you use the “Donate” button you can print a receipt directly from your computer and a receipt will be sent to your Email box. This online payment uses PayPal, but you can use your debit or credit card if you don’t have a PayPal account.

After Christmas I heard that an older person had been attacked and robbed outside their Murray Hill home. Now, my friend tells me their friend in Murray Hill is getting a big dog to help protect their house. These are events that have brought crime in our neighborhood to the forefront of my attention. Do you have similar stories?

On Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m., in the social hall of Murray Hill Presbyterian Church, 940 Talbot Avenue, the Murray Hill Preservation Association will have its first meeting of 2012, focusing on crime in our neighborhood. An officer from the Sheriff’s Office will speak to us on statistics, prevention, and will answer questions. We in Murray Hill have a history of working with the police to maintain our neighborhood safety, but we need everyone’s involvement. Please come, bring a neighbor, and find out what we can do to stop crime. All are welcome. See you there.

Please give special consideration to following her lead and helping out as a new or renewing member, a member who brings in other members, a board member, or by volunteering to help with any community interest you have. In this economic climate it takes extra thought to fund an undertaking that isn’t averting an immediate crisis. Yet, in terms of property values and quality of life, “hands on” involvement can’t be ignored.

Appreciation to all of us for the neighborhood we have built and warmest welcome to Kelly, stepping up to the interesting and fun activities that keep our community the safe, beautiful and rewarding place we love.

Craig Erskine, Director, Art League of Jacksonville, expressed great enthusiasm for the facility and the League’s desire to offer many and varied classes and activities there. The Art League finds teachers who will offer classes at as reasonable a cost as possible and organizes the classes according to student demand. In addition to the traditional arts that have been offered in the past, such additional areas as music, writing, and drama are possibilities. From time to time scholarships become available. The hope is that no student need be turned away due to inability to pay. The city takes none of the fees. Communication of program details is done by website, email, phone and literature.

Plans for renovation of the building have been in place for some time. Alice Jones, the person in charge of these, said it was her fault little has been done so far; she has “a lot of projects.” Funding has been approved since May. The quickest the work can be completed is five months from now, she said. Upon request, she provided a phone number whereby MHPA board members and others can call to keep track of progress. Plans include enclosing the ac units, new flooring, locking cabinets, drying racks, easel racks, new stools, chairs, and pressure washing the outside. Community volunteers for yardwork/landscaping would be welcome.

We greatly appreciate the city’s dedication to maintaining as much of the neighborhood’s character and resources for a rich, healthy life as possible during the difficult economic climate. When the renovations are complete, it will be up to us to support the new programs and take advantage of all they offer.

We should all appreciate ourselves and each other for the neighborhood we have built. Please consider talking to your neighbors about starting or maintaining an MHPA membership. Please consider serving a short period as a board member at large, attending monthly meetings, keeping in touch, and helping a bit on an issue that attracts you. It’s interesting and fun and will keep our community the safe, beautiful and rewarding place we love.