Silver Hill Neighborhood Association

The Silver Hill Neighborhood Association will hold its annual meeting on Monday, January 14, 2013 at the Heights Community Center, 823 Buena Vista SE (south of Coal) at 7:00 pm.  All residents of Silver Hill are welcome to attend.  Members of the association in good standing may vote in the annual election of Board members.  Half of the Board seats will be open for nominations. Following the election of Board members, the Board will then elect officers.   Questions?  Visit Http://www.SilverHillABQ.org for Board member contact information.

As it has for the last thirty-some years, the Silver Hill Neighborhood Association is sponsoring the annual Christmas Eve Luminaria display.  We’re seeking block captains and volunteers for Silver Avenue from Sycamore to Yale.  Also this year, we plan to decorate the newly planted medians on University Blvd. between Gold and Coal as well as the Triangle Park at Lead and Yale.   If any residents along the newly christened Lead and Coal want to oversee the setting up of luminarias along the stretch of those streets, please let us know by Dec. 20th.

Contact Craig at craigw@flash.net or James at 505.243.0827.  Bags and candles will be avilable at 1515 Silver SE.  Sand will be dropped off at strategic locations.

This annual event is a lot of work; all volunteers will be greatly appreciated.  In the afternoon of Dec. 24, when you see someone setting up luminarias and you have a little time, please come out to help them.  It will be a little Christmas gift to your neighbors!

Board Members Present: Gordon Reiselt, Rich Braziel, Matt Sexton, Elizabeth Doak, Jim Montalbano. Attachment 1

Guests:Katy Braziel, Pete Dinelli, Jim Summers, Rainie Perez, & Robert Stembridge.

Meeting called to order: 7:10pm

Interm Appointment District 2 – MayorBerry has appointed Roxanne Myers to fill Debra O’Malley’s position instead of Ike Benton.

Central Avenue Neon Design Overlay Zone:  The City is proposing to encourage the use of Neon along Central between Tramway and 118th Street to tie back to the historical Route 66.  SHNA will participate. Attachment 2

November Meeting Minutes: November Board Meeting Minutes were approved unanimously.

Pete Dinelli Running for Mayor: Pete Dinelli spoke at the meeting about his intention to run for mayor.  He provided information about himself and his public service. He is contacting neighborhood associations, police associations & fire fighters unions, & Legal community.  He will be focusing on crime and economic development job growth.  Other states around NM have been growing jobs but Albuquerque is not under Mayor Berry. He listened to SHNA Issues with the City of Albuquerque including crime, planning, zoning, parks, & legal. He mentioned that there will be a “True Majority” ballot initative on in March 2013. His website is:  www.petedinelli.com   Attachment 3

Annual Meeting Preparation:  The annual meeting will be held on January 14,2013. Positions that will need to be filled include:

• Secretary -Richard Braziel(will continue to serve if nominated and elected)
• IT –Matt Sexton(will not continue to serve)
• Vice President –Jim Montalbano(will continue to serve if nominated and elected)
• Board Member –Craig Wallace
• Board Member –Maria Lozano

Zoning Issues:

1424 Silver: This property has been purchased by Bob Stembridge.  He plans on restoring the house and would like to update and rent the apartment.  He was advised to contact City Planning to determine what he can do within current zoning.  SHNA’s position is to ask the City to enforce all zoning ordinances.  Bob was told about the NM Historic Tax Credit and several board members volunteered to help him through the process.

Treasure’s Report: Elizabeth Doak presented the report.  Attachment 4

Meeting adjourned: 8:47 pm

Ed Rivera, age 78, died on November 23, 2012 in Albuquerque.  He died peacefully with his family by his side.  Ed was a long-time resident in the Silver Hill Neighborhood, much loved by his family, friends and neighbors, regular passersby, and his two dogs.  He had an especially dry wit, a rich baritone with which he serenaded those who walked past his front porch, a great love of his animal companions, and countless anecdotes about his life told to those whom he knew well.  Ed had been a Catholic brother in his youth, worked as Maitre D’ at the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC, knew all of the words to thousands of vintage songs, and liked to sit with his neighbors Ellen and Bruce, sipping a gin and tonic on a summer evening.  Everyone who regularly walked by with their dogs or on the way to or from campus knew Ed.

Ed was a terrific neighbo – a one-man neighborhood watch – and a longtime member of the Silver Hill Neighborhood Association.  He served on the Board of that organization for two years,  2008-2010.  His presence as neighbor, friend, and bon vivant will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

Board Members Present: Gordon Reiselt, Matt Sexton, Elizabeth Doak, Craig Wallace, Jim Montalbano, Alanna Apodaca, & Tom Ocken.  Attachment 1

Guests: Katy Braziel, Nikki Wiesner, Don Hancock, Robert Stembridge, Laura G’ggrev???, & Charlotte Rode.

Meeting called to order:  7:05 pm at the Parkview Baptist church, in the 1400 block of Lead. TheHeightsCommunity Center was not available.

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Because of the Veterans Day holiday, our regular meeting place, the Southeast Heights Community Center, will be closed this Monday evening.  We will meet at 7 p.m. Monday (Nov. 12) at the former Calvary Christian Academy, 1404 Lead, SE.  Enter on the Coal Avenue side at the SAHQ sign.

That site will also be on the agenda.  An established school  is planning to renovate the property at 1404 Lead.   The community-oriented public school already has the funding in place to begin soon and is in the process of obtaining the appropriate zoning to begin work.  The group will share its plans with the Silver Hill board on Monday.

December 3, 2012 – December 14, 2012.  City of Albuquerque Solid Waste REsidential Customers can take advantage of FREE green waste pickup.  Green waste will be collected on your regular trash collection day during the following weeks:

SHNA Board President Gordon Reiselt and one member attended a City of Albuquerque  Saturday meeting in July. All City departments were represented, and Mayor Berry met with all participants in small groups.  One presentation by the Department of Senior Affairs noted that home repairs, chores, and retrofit for senior citizens (age 60+) are avilable.  If you qualify and are interested, you can call 764-6400 to inquire.

The Silver Hill Neighborhood Association Board has been working with City of Albuquerque-CIP for the past year to complete the landscaping of University Blvd. medians in our part of the City.  Median landscaping is present from Lomas to Central and from Coal to a few blocks past the PIT.  The medians that run through the Silver Hill Neighborhood were closed at Silver and University for bicycle and pedestrian safety.  During the new few weeks (around mid-September) landscaping will begin.  We’re grateful to Councilor Isaac Benton and to Diane Dolan at CIP for this improvement.

On street parking permits for this year are now available at the  City of Albuquerque office, located at 600 2nd St. NW – fifth floor.  The new permits are good from August 2012 – August 2013.  Ticketing in earnest begins on September 1, 2012, so make sure your permit is current.