Calendar
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Feb. 9
Development Committee
Meeting
3625 Pennsylvania
6 p.m.
Feb 14
Valentine's
Cocktail party
And Love Awards
620 Valentine
5-7 p.m.
Feb. 20
4th District City Budget hearing
St. Paul's
40th and Main
10 a.m.
Save the Date
August 28
VNA garage sale
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Valentine Neighborhood Association Reviews Budget,
Raises Dues
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Due to increasing costs for
printing, the VNA board has agreed that we can no longer afford to print and
distribute a monthly newsletter to each household in the neighborhood.
Although we believe it is important to stay in contact with all of our
neighbors and keep everyone updated, we currently pay more than $700 a year to
have the newsletter printed (out of total revenues from dues of $800).
Therefore, the board has voted to stop printing and delivering the newsletter
to each household beginning on March 1, 2010.
We hope that most people
will be able to receive newsletters by email, since this is cheaper, more
efficient and cuts down on litter in the neighborhood. However, we don't want
to make it hard for people to get information. We will continue to deliver
newsletters to people who request a paper copy. This service will remain free
to dues-paying members of the neighborhood association, but we may need to
request a small handling fee for non-members.
In
the future, you must do one of two things to ensure you receive our monthly
newsletter:
1. If you are not already receiving our electronic
newsletter via email, sign up by sending your email address to
maryjo@drapercom.com. If your email address changes, you will need to keep us
updated.
2. If you do not have email, we can deliver or mail a copy
of the newsletter. Please send a note saying you would like to receive the
newsletter by mail to Jennifer Larson, 3601 Jefferson, Kansas City, MO or call
her at 816
931 8995.
get the dues form
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Ongoing
Focus on Development Issues:
Committee
Meeting Feb. 9
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Valentine's Development
Committee will meet at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9 at 3625 Pennsylvania. The committee
will discuss our latest discussions with Kansas City Life. We will also be
talking about the city's new development code and how we can make sure we are
informed about what it means to our neighborhood. If you are interested in
property and development issues, please join us for this meeting.
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Staying in Touch: New Google Group
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Electronic
communications are making it easier (if slightly more confusing) to stay in
touch with our friends and neighbors. Valentine now offers a variety of ways to
stay in touch, including a new Google group that allows residents to exchange
news and information quickly without having to go through the neighborhood
association. The Google group was suggested by Valentine neighbor David
Paschke, who receives similar neighborhood information from Coleman Highlands
and Roanoke Google groups.
Although
we already have a newsletter and a Facebook page, the Google group will allow
residents to stay in touch and share information in real time. For example,
this week a break in occurred in Coleman Highlands. One neighbor emailed the
group to say an alarm was going off; another neighbor who was passing by the
block looked for suspicious activity; and another relayed the fact that police
had a description of two people that had been seen at a nearby break in. While
this may seem like another layer of communication to some, others will find
it's a great way to instantly share information much more quickly than sending
your information to the neighborhood association. Also, the new Google group is
not moderated or controlled by VNA; it is a forum for residents to share
information among themselves. The group will, however, be moderated to ensure
that it is not used inappropriately.
How to get it: Go to ValentineKCMO@googlegroups.com
and sign up. You'll get an email back when you've been added to the group.
More on the Google Group, electronic newsletter and Faceboook
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Valentine Dues Payable Feb.
14, 2010
Dues are now $25 per
household
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The Valentine Neighborhood Association is a voluntary
not-for-profit organization that brings together neighbors to discuss common
concerns, take action to make the neighborhood a better place to live, and get
together for social events. We are proud to be known as one of the strongest
voluntary neighborhood associations in the city. VNA represents all residents
of the neighborhood, whether they are homeowners or renters, young or old,
well-off or struggling financially.
- Our members are active in community,
representing Valentine's voice to city hall, developers and working with other
neighborhood groups across the Kansas City area.
- Valentine is also famous for its active social
life. Neighbors get together for one of the largest 4th of July
celebrations in the city. We also hold an annual progressive dinner that takes
us into one another's homes, and we have Valentine's Day parties, an annual
holiday party and a fall festival.
- We share information that keeps our residents
informed, safer and more connected. VNA produces a monthly electronic
newsletter and maintains a website where you can find information about issues
and events.
All of this costs money. We strive to keep dues as low as
possible so that no one feels like it's a burden to be a member of the
neighborhood association. This year, it is necessary to raise dues slightly. We
ask that you contribute $25 per household to help defray the expenses of our
work this year.
Many people have told us they may have forgotten to pay
their dues in 2009. Our revenues from dues were down in 2009, and this will
hinder our ability to hold all the events and provide the services we have
provided in the past.
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City
Budget Preserves Most Neighborhood Services
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The city budget director
on Jan. 27 briefed 4th Council District neighborhood presidents on
the impact of the proposed 2010-11 budget. Mark Thoma-Perry told the group the
preliminary budget meets council priorities, which include revenue
maximization, economic development and neighborhood preservation. He said
neighborhoods will not see serious cuts in most areas, and that police and
codes officers will not be reduced.
The budget does include a
proposal to increase property taxes, which could mean that as property values
drop, many people will continue to pay about the same amount. It also includes
a $100,000 cut to Legal Aid, which provides services to neighborhoods. The
budget also proposes raising fees for extra trash bags (more than two a week)
from $1 to $2.
The entire city budget is
online on the mayor's web page. City residents also have a chance to voice
their opinions and concerns about the budget. The 4th Council
District budget hearing is set for Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul's Church, 40th
and Main. Additional hearings are also being held across the city.
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Garage
Sale Date Set: Aug. 28
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Every several years,
Valentine holds a neighborhood-wide garage sale if enough residents are
interested in participating. This year, our neighbors in Coleman Highlands
would like to hold a joint sale with us. In order for Valentine to be able to
hold the event, we need to have at least 20 households commit to having a sale.
That's because we need to run newspaper ads, which cost about $100, and we
generally charge each participating household $5 to defray those costs. If you
would like to participate in the sale, please let Mary Jo Draper know at maryjo@drapercom.com or 816-753-4429.
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About Us
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The voluntary Valentine Neighborhood Association is the voice the residents of the Valentine neighborhood in midtown Kansas City, Missouri. Valentine is a historic neighborhood just a few blocks north of the Westport entertainment district, bounded by Broadway and Southwest Trafficway, 31st Street and 40th Street. The Valentine Neighborhood Association advocates for the neighborhood, makes neighborhood improvements, and offers residents numerous opportunities to socialize.
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