All posts in February Newsletter 2016

It goes without saying our neighborhood is important to us. We have invested a great deal to create and maintain a quality of life that is hard to find within this city, let alone central Illinois. This investment covers many different areas but is really focused on the financial investment we all make to have and maintain our homes along with the investment of time to better the neighborhood, our community and the quality of life we all experience.

As an organization, the Moss Bradley Residential Association has been committed to forwarding this movement of investment. Some of this investment is very tangible. But a good portion of this commitment is behind the scenes. I’d like to use this message to convey to you two important programs and ask for you to assist the board with both of them.

To recognize individuals who have or are making a difference in our neighborhood, the MBRA board is introducing two annual awards which will be presented at the Annual Meeting & Potluck dinner held each May.  The recognitions are for Volunteer of the Year and MBRA Beautification. The criteria and nominating process can be found here.  The intent behind these awards is to formally recognize those individuals who really do make a difference for all of us through their time commitment or improvement of their property.

Please take a moment to read through the criteria and send in your nomination to recognize those people who make a difference. Deadline for accepting submissions is March 31st, 2016.Award recipients will be announced at the annual meeting on May 4th.

In addition to time and talent, the Moss Bradley Residential Association also make a financial commitment to the neighborhood. We have been very fortunate over the past years to have had ever-growing success with the Moss Avenue Antique Sale & Festival. What started out as a means of assisting with the financing of the Hanging of theGreens has grown into a very strong event, which now helps us reinvest in the neighborhood.

We have invested the funds wisely so that the Association remains strong and viable for a very long time. The MBRA board realized a number of years ago that it was the wise and right thing to do to reinvest funds generated through the annual sale back into the neighborhood.

Some of those projects have included the purchase and installation of period-specific sign posts along Moss Ave and the inner streets of the MBRA area (to be completed spring 2016), investment in the Greenway project along Western Avenue and the purchase of shares in the Moss Bradley Revolving Fund.

We have also provided financial gifts to organizations such as: Look. It’s My Book – an organization that provides books to each children in kindergarten through fourth grade to strengthen learning and instill a life-long love of reading; and The Penguin Project – a program to give children with special needs an opportunity to participate in the performing arts.
These are but a few of the projects and organizations we have invested in, but provide you an insight to our commitment to the betterment of our neighborhood and our community.

From this, there are two things I ask of you: Please take a moment to nominate an individual who you feel should be recognized for the volunteer commitment to MBRA and an individual who has made improvements to their property. You can  do so online at www.mossbradley.org/annual-awards. I also ask you to provide us with some suggestions of projects or an organization, for our community reinvestment. You can do so by contacting any board member or submitting them to us via email at mossbradleynews@gmail.com. Please provide each of these to us no later than March 31, 2016
Brian

Our January membership meeting focused on an issue that has and will continue to affect our entire city, economically and ecologically. Representative from the city of Peoria’s Public Works department presented a program on the feasibility of establishing a dedicated funding stream for storm water management and the proposed use of green infrastructure that would help with sewer overflow problems.  Faced with mandates from the Environmental Protection Agency and the needs of its citizens, the City of Peoria formed an advisory committee to seek public input and help it manage its storm water infrastructure problems.

Among the issues the city faces is increasing regulatory requirements from the U.S. EPA. That agency has mandated that the city develop a long-term plan to reduce overflows from combined storm/sanitary sewers. That is because when storm water from rain or snow overwhelms combined sewers, untreated sewage discharges into the Illinois River. The city experiences 20 to 30 combined overflows a year, on average. These may occur at 16 outfall locations along the Illinois River. Overflows can occur with as little as 0.15 inches of rainfall.  Combined sewer overflows contribute to elevated bacteria levels and pose health risks to humans.

The One-Water Committee was established to find ways to reduce storm-water runoff in Peoria.  The committee includes a diverse group of stakeholders, including private property owners; large and small businesses; tax-exempt organizations; other governmental bodies, and environmental advocates. In addition to recommendations on possible ways to resolve the storm water issues, the group is also recommending a monthly residential fee range to help pay for upgrades to infrastructure that handles storm water runoff.   One possible funding stream could be a storm waterutility, such as storm water utilities in Morton, Eureka, Bloomington and Decatur. TheOneWater Committee has provided input on funding models and credits, such as for property owners who put greeninfrastructure on their properties. It also may help decide green infrastructure locations.

Green infrastructure could include impervious pavers and natural plantings.  The committee has also provided input on storm water management priorities, including inspecting underground pipes, repairing infrastructure, street sweeping and other issues.

There is a great deal more to learn about this  issue. We  are  fortunate  to  have a brief synopsis provided to us by the city, posted in this newsletter.  I suggest you read it as well as visit www.peoriagov.org/wetweather for more information.  There will be more follow up on this issue but I suggest you become familiar with the topic as this it affects us all!

Brian