Ames Place News

1. Happy 2004! • Hi-Points of Annual Meeting for Ames Place • Held in November, 2003 • MetroLink representatives attended for a question & answer period regarding MetroLink’s progress. They reported that construction was on schedule. • Attendees expressed a concern over the difficulty of getting in and out of the neighborhood. There was a brief discussion about installing an electronic gate or leaving a gate that opens to Big Bend open daily at specific times. It was determined that the issue of ingress and egress needed to be studied further. A committee headed by Mike Jurries was developed. If you are interested in sharing information or joining this committee, please contact Mike at Jurries15@mindspring.com. • In 2004, trees on neighborhood greenways will need to be trimmed. They have not been attended to in several years. Look for more information about this issue when a work plan is developed. • Carol Roberts of Kingsbury Blvd has been dedicated to assisting Ames Place residents for the past 6 years in her role as agent. Last November she retired as an agent. When you see her walking Lady (her retriever), take the time to say thanks for a job well done! • Mike Jurries of 6616 Pershing was elected to the Board of Agents. He has lived in Ames Place for about two years. Thank you, Mike, for accepting the responsibility of being a speaker for our concerns. • An Ames Place website is in development. The anticipated launch date is late Spring. Ames Place News 2004 Ames Place Agents Larry O’Neill 725-4018 Rich Geisler 721-1548 Mike Jurries 727-9917 Jan 2004

2. News & Business • To help stop MetroLink related construction traffic through Ames Place, new "No Construction Traffic" signs have been posted on Kingsbury at Trinity, Kingsland and Melville.  The signs and installation work were provided by MetroLink. • Efforts are underway to get new "no parking at any time“ signs posted in the alley between Pershing and University Drive.  This should help solve the problem of garage entrances being blocked by vehicles. • Please be careful when walking in the neighborhood, especially when pushing a stroller or walking a dog. Walking in the street rather than on the sidewalk poses a hazard to both traffic and pedestrians. • COCA has requested a permit for a new expansion from the U City Board of Planning. Construction is proposed to begin the summer of ’04 and end sometime in late ’05. Their proposal includes a request for less parking spaces than the zoning code requires. Currently they have 82 parking spaces. With the expansion they are proposing a total of 93 parking spaces which is 6 less than what’s required by the existing code (99). Comments? Send your thoughts to any of the Ames Place agents. • Residents in the 6800 Kingsbury Blvd block have experienced theft of small items from front porches. Please keep an eye out for individuals that appear to be taking firewood, newspapers, bags of dog food, etc. off of porches and going to other buildings with the items. The items are of small worth. The bigger issue is that people are breaking the boundaries of entering a part of a yard that many feel begins their home…the porch. If you see someone taking something, don’t intercept them, but note where they are going. Then, let an agent know. • Some old business…We neglected to mention that the Ames Place 4th of July Festival Marching Band participated once again in the fireman's parade last September. A good representation of band members showed up to make our presence its usual success! Some of the stories of the band members’ devotion are noteworthy. John Scandrett was able to grab his glockenspiel and make it to the parade even though his plane bringing him back to town from vacation had landed only one hour before. Matt Macius flew in from Ann Arbor to join us and base drummer, Ed Macius (his dad). Janet McGill, a Parkview neighbor, found her old high school clarinet, bringing it out of the closet to make her debut with the band. Mary Barber brought her new trumpet. Mark Thiel continued his string of more than 25 consecutive appearances. Susan Schoomer and Richard Sohn carried the flute/piccolo section.  Mitch Grayson made his Ames Place Band debut. It was a great group and brought honor and visibility once again to Ames Place. Ron Krone The band is already making plans for the next 4th of July Parade. A special invitation is sent to all of our school age residents! If there is anyone in your house who wants to play or could be talked into it, contact Ron Krone for the music. Call Kat Robinson (726-4633) or e-mail Kat.robinson@charter.net with information that you want included.