Progress thru April, 2011

Since February, 2010, over 100 area residents have participated in some manner. They have walked, talked to neighborhood groups, worked in the park, donated to hire workers, fed the troops and/or attended the meetings. Honeysuckle warrior skirmishes took place most every weekend to eradicate bush honeysuckle and volunteer junk trees. They continue despite the weather.

• We think it's pretty amazing to already begin to see the park as a commons for ideas and for meeting.
• Work Load: An estimated 1800+ man hours have revealed beautiful and dramatic rocky bluff formations not seen for perhaps 50–75 years.
• Casualties: You can spot some veteran warriors mingling and scratching among the general population. They got into the poison ivy before Rose could tell them about avoidance and preventive elixirs and practices.

What’s been done so far, more recent items first:

• April 16, 2011 - Earth Day in Roanoke Park. 58 people attended to help drag brush to the curb for Parks Department pickup, remove trash and pull weeds. Mayor-elect Sly James even stopped by for a hot dog.
• March / April, 2011 - Master Plan Document created, showing the master plan aerial, detailing the master plan process, and including a great deal of background about Roanoke Park.
• March, 2011 - Agreement between neighborhood associations, Parks Department and Earth Riders Trails Association to create hiking / biking / nature trails in Roanoke Park.
• February-March, 2011 - Locally collected native seeds, primarily River Oats, planted in former honeysuckle areas with the guidance of Bill Fessler, leader of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department Conservation Corps.
• November 22, 2010 - Initial draft of Master Plan Concept produced by Michael Lockwood of Populous Architects and posted on roanokeparkkc.org.
• October 21, 2010 - Facilitator’s Notes on Charrette released on www.roanokeparkkc.org.
• October 9, 2010 - Charrette held at the Westport-Roanoke Community Center, with walking excursions throughout the Park. 38 attended.
• September, 2010 - Locally sourced Solomon’s Seal roots and Red Columbine seeds planted, south of baseball diamond and elsewhere
• August 30, 2010 - Roll out of Park Survey Results and version 2.0 of www.RoanokeParkKC.org
• August 20, 2010 - Meeting in Park with Forest Decker, Kansas City Parks Dept. Forester, to discuss grooming and grass seeding of cleared flat areas. Reaching out to MO Dept. of Conservation and Kansas City Wildlands recommended for sloped areas. Also attending were parks department employees Dave Parks, Clarence Brown and Derone Sparks lending their expertise. About a half dozen neighborhood park advocates in attendance.
• August, 2010 - Three PIAC requests made:
  1. Fix water drainage problem that leaves a portion of sidewalk perpetually slick from a moss covering. It is a safety hazard.
  2. Create walking trails through woods.
  3. Reforestation of park with historically significant and regionally appropriate trees.
• August 11, 2010 - Meeting with architect Cary Goodman to refine charrette process and review progress to date.
• Officers Jim Schriever and Scott Finn begin bringing Community Service workers in July to help the vounteers.
• July 18, 2010 - Roanoker passes the hat raising over $600 to acquire new, HD weed whacker and assorted tools to aid in clearing weeds and light growth.
• July 14, 2010 - Meeting with Parks landscape architect to consider ground covers for reclaimed lands in park. Six battle experienced honeysuckle warriers joined the walk to investigate flat and sloped surfaces that had been taken back for occupation by us; not the honeysuckle aliens.
• June 2010 - Surrogate Volunteer Program established by anonymous donor who sponsored 5 landscapers for a day’s work.  Since the program's inception, five other neighbors have stepped forth to sponsor a work force to join with the volunteers.
• June – July, 2010 - Residents of Valentine, Volker, Coleman Highlands and Roanoke are invited to take a survey about a vision for Roanoke Park including features, fixtures and amenities wanted or not wanted. The survey was completed by 211. It was designed to inform the discussions leading to the Master Plan for Roanoke Park.
• PIAC request made for more sidewalk south of the playground on 36th St.
• June 10, 2010 - Meeting at Parks and Rec offices to engage parks department, articulate the vision of an in-perpetuity private/public park project. Deal struck deal for brush pickup. Attended by 3 from Roanoke Park, 8 from Parks and Rec.
• May 14, 2010 - Meeting to plan “charrette” in the fall as key step to fleshing out the Master Plan.
• www.RoanokeParkKC.org, version 1, is created. (Version 2, the sequel, is what you're looking at now.)
• May, 2010 - An afternoon in the Missouri Valley Room searching out historic photos and documents about Roanoke Park for use as background in neighborhood meetings and on the idea of a website.
• May Day, 2010 - “Walk in the Park #2.” Dona Boley presented the history of the Kessler-designed Kansas City Park & Boulevard System before leading a Roanoke Park walk to contemplate what might be done. 43 attended.
• April 17, 2010 - “Walk in the Park #1.” Dona Boley, a champion of parks and the leader of the Gillham Park Improvement Project (GRIP) guided a group through Gillham Park to see what had been done. 28 attended.
• March 2010 - Miles Krivena convenes meeting with reps from 4 neighborhoods and Dona Boley to gauge area interest. All in attendance recognize the importance of the park as a community asset with the potential to positively impact area lifestyles and property values. Resolved to lay out orderly plan leading to publication of a Master Plan for the Park in the Spring, 2011. 9 attended.
• February 2010 - Volker neighbor Kite Singleton fired the first shot in the Roanoke Honeysuckle wars and Roanoke neighbor Miles Krivena enlisted himself in the fight. Kite arranges for training in identifying, cutting and killing of bush honeysuckle.

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