ADOPTED-APRIL 29, 2003

Agenda Item No. 18

Introduced by Commissioner Tina Weatherwax-Grant of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RESOLUTION HONORING THE EASTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION

RESOLUTION #03-119

WHEREAS, thirty years ago, Lansing's Eastside was a tired old neighborhood with a grim future, public properties -- the schools, parks, streets -- were poorly maintained, the grass in public areas went unmowed, and packs of dogs roamed the street; and

WHEREAS, while many had given up on the Eastside, the neighborhood never gave up on itself and in the spring of 1973, a group of 40 residents formed the Eastside Neighborhood Organization (ENO) with a bold agenda: clean up the mess, increase the rate of home ownership, push back the crime rate, improve the schools, and control the traffic that raced through the neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, in a time of bitter division at the national level, with cultural and real wars, ENO rallied around its commonality -- a love for the neighborhood -- and change began, the first meetings were held in the old cafeteria at Resurrection with a diverse array of those in attendance, all respecting one another's concern and interest in the neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, the defining moment of ENO came with the flood of 1974, as bureaucrats debated their responsibilities, the neighborhood began helping one another, the ENO canvassed the damage, recruited and coordinated volunteers, cut through the red tape to get necessary assistance, and cleaned, scrubbed and sanitized homes so owners could get on with their lives, the lessons learned still form the philosophy behind the ENO today; and

WHEREAS, the leaders of this organization brought little experience but left giving so much, the first President, Elwood Batdorf, was a tool and die man; the second president, Jean McDonald, was a school teacher; and the third, Karen Gierman, a housewife; Rick Kibbey has been involved with ENO for its entire 30 years and also served his time as president; the current president, Nancy Parsons, is serving her third term; and

WHEREAS, today, ENO is arguably Lansing's most active neighborhood organization, members work closely with their elected officials to successfully bring needed improvements, their successes include a neighborhood garden, biannual newspaper, schools and zoning committees and an annual "souper" fundraiser, in addition, 16 local neighborhood associations are now represented on the Eastside.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners recognize the Eastside Neighborhood Organization for its outstanding accomplishments over the past 30 years and wishes it equal success in its next 30 years.

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Tina Weatherwax-Grant