Seward Speaks Out!
From left: SNG Community Planner Bernie Waibel, Seward resident Marilyn Matheny, Seward Montessori teacher Tim Keiser, Welna Ace Hardware owner Jim Welna and Seward Redesign’s Brad Bly hold three of the many conversations at last month’s “Speak Out! for Franklin Avenue.”
SEWARD—On a sunny April afternoon, a giant sandwich board beckoned passersby into the Seward Towers East, 2910 E. Franklin Ave. The event was called Speak Out! for Franklin Avenue. The topic: all things Seward.
The April 12 event, hosted by Seward Neighborhood Group (SNG) did draw some walk-ins, along with a host of other neighborhood folks; young and old, homeowners and apartment dwellers, business owners and co-op shoppers, SNG representatives and Ward 2 City Council Member Cam Gordon were among those assembled to discuss a broad range of topics.
The “speak out” model, based on an Australian concept, allowed attendees to mingle and roam from table to table and make comments without the pressure of timing and the spotlight often involved in a public meeting. Attendees replied to questions in writing and aired their answers in casual yet constructive conversation with SNG representatives and their fellow neighbors.
The result was a living brainstorm session, with neighbors connecting and ideas overlapping to form a quilt of dialogue. One theme was strung throughout — the future of Seward’s main artery, Franklin Avenue — but topics ranged widely and included shops and services, housing, youth, public art, community diversity, the environment, the planned relocation of Seward Co-op and the re-use of the current Seward Co-op building at 2111 E. Franklin Ave.
At one end of the room, SNG’s Nasra Noor spoke Somali with a woman in a sky-blue hijab, her own bright blue headscarf framing her face. Seward Towers residents welcome the return of a market — the relocating Seward Co-op — to the corner of 28th and Franklin. Meanwhile, just two tables away, Theresa Nelson bemoaned the prospect of losing the co-op, a factor in her decision to purchase a home just three blocks from the active business node at 22nd and Franklin, she told Seward Co-op Board Member Jan Gonder.
While the two women debated the issue, 12-year-old volunteers Sam Bramble and Wilson Cross staffed the youth table with SNG Community Planner Josie Weah. On the table, ideas written on a large sheet of paper — some in a child’s handwriting — called for a youth center and more youth activities, connections between the generations and area artists to mentor youth, among other ideas.
All around the room, questions and answers hung in the air and on the walls. “What kind of shops and services would you like to locate in Seward?” read one posted question. An arrow pointed down to a long wish list: art center, affordable groceries, gift shop, copy services, book store, bicycle shop, youth center.
Seward resident Kelly Kongsgaard spoke with SNG Americorp Vista volunteer Leah Entenmann about organizing a joint block club with Towers residents and their neighbors.
Across the room, Seward Redesign’s Brian Miller stood in front of an aerial map of the neighborhood, explaining prospective development along Franklin. “The idea is to look more broadly at things, all the way from the LRT station to Riverside Market,” he said.
Community organizer Bernie Waibel fielded housing comments, chief among them the need for more senior housing as the baby boomers approach their golden years.
Arriving at the height of the activity, Council Member Gordon said he was impressed by the turnout and the exchange of information between the neighborhood group and its constituents. The next step was, he said, was for SNG to disseminate and pass the information on up the line, from the grass roots to the decision-makers. “Like a lot of these things,” he said, “how well can you capture that input and communicate it to others who can use it to make decisions?”
last revised: June 14, 2007