South Park Association Of Neighbors (SPAN) Morgantown, West Virginia

SPAN contributes to MHS Band trip

2009-09-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Morgantown High School Band stopped by to perform at the South Park Association of Neighbors annual block party last Friday before the football game and an appreciative audience rewarded the band efforts with a check for $250.00 for expenses towards the bands upcoming trip to play in the New York City Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Bill Kawecki
SPAN President

Please vote this Tuesday, April 28

2009-04-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

Our Second Ward candidate, John Gaddis is unopposed, but he doesn’t sit alone on city council. When you vote this Tuesday you will choose a governing body that will shape Morgantown’s, and our neighborhood’s future. That future shouldn’t be taken lightly.

A good city council will represent the best interests of Morgantown, not just South Park, or the Downtown, or the University, or any other special interest looking out for only their own. Vote your choice, but please do vote!

Thank you

Bill Kawecki
SPAN President

Upcoming Recycling Events

2009-04-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 11 E-cycling Event
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Westover City Building Parking Lot
500 DuPont Road

Saturday May 9 Household Hazardous Waste Collection
9:00am - 1:00 pm
Miller Enviornmental
514 Hartman Run Rd

Submitted by Therese Vanzo of Elm Street

CNN Report on Morgantown, WV

2009-03-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Wall Street Journal Article-Morgantown

2009-03-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

Why College Towns Are Looking Smart

EDUCATION MARCH 24, 2009

Why College Towns Are Looking Smart
By KELLY EVANS

Looking for a job? Try a college town.

Morgantown, W.Va., home to West Virginia University, has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. -- just 3.9% -- and the university itself has about 260 job openings, from nurses to professors to programmers.

"We're hurting for people, especially to fill our computer and technical positions," says Margaret Phillips, vice president for human relations at WVU.

Of the six metropolitan areas with unemployment below 4% as of January, three of them are considered college towns. One is Morgantown. The other two are Logan, Utah, home of Utah State University, and Ames, Iowa, home of Iowa State University. Both have just 3.8% unemployment, based on Labor Department figures that are not seasonally adjusted.

The pattern holds true for many other big college towns, such as Gainesville, Fla., Ann Arbor, Mich., Manhattan, Kan., and Boulder, Colo. In stark contrast, the unadjusted national unemployment rate is 8.5%.

While college towns have long been considered recession-resistant, their ability to avoid the depths of the financial crisis shaking the rest of the nation is noteworthy. The ones faring the best right now are not only major education centers; they also are regional health-care hubs that draw people into the city and benefit from a stable, educated, highly skilled work force.

The big question hanging over these communities is whether their formula for success can outlast the nation's nastiest recession in at least a quarter-century. Amid investment losses and state budget woes, many college cities are starting to see their unemployment rates rise, even though they're still lower than the national average. The longer the recession drags on, the more likely college towns are to catch up with their harder-hit peers.

They already have felt the impact of the recession. WVU saw its endowment fall by nearly a quarter in the second half of 2008, and its hospitals are reducing 401(k) matching contributions and delaying $20 million in capital spending, though its state funding has remained intact.

State Funding Cuts
Utah State University has seen nearly 10% of its state funding cut in the past six months, and in response has laid off about 20 employees and imposed a mandatory weeklong furlough for its employees during spring break to save costs. Iowa State, facing a 9% reduction in state appropriations, just received approval to begin an early-retirement program.

But for now, at least, job seekers who act quickly -- and are willing to relocate -- could well fare better in places like Morgantown, which is about 70 miles south of Pittsburgh near the Pennsylvania border. College towns like Morgantown have a distinct advantage over many other cities: They enjoy a constant stream of graduates, some who stay put and others who return years later -- and each year brings a new crop of students and potential residents to the area.

"I could go almost anywhere and get a job right now," says Shane Cruse, a senior in the WVU school of nursing who graduates in May, citing the shortage of nurses nationwide. But come June 1, he'll be starting as a registered nurse at WVU's Ruby Memorial Hospital.

"I love it here," Mr. Cruse says. "It's a large-enough city that there's plenty to do. But you still leave your house and feel like it's your hometown."

WVU has a current enrollment of nearly 29,000, about the same size as the city of Morgantown, though the metro population is now about 115,000 and draws thousands more daily from the surrounding region for health care, shopping and WVU athletic events.

Today, the university and its hospital system together employ nearly 12,500 people -- the largest employer in the whole state. Job growth in the Morgantown metropolitan area averaged 3.2% a year from 2002-07, according to the university's Bureau of Business and Economic Research, compared to growth of just 1.1% nationally and 0.7% in West Virginia. The university system in total has an estimated annual economic impact of about $3.9 billion statewide.

Highly Skilled Work Force
Economists credit a highly skilled work force for the resilience of college towns. Edward Glaeser, an economics professor at Harvard University, has demonstrated that as the share of the adult population with college degrees in a city increases by 10%, wages correspondingly rise by about 7.8%.

"Apart from weather, human capital has been the best long-run predictor of urban success in the last century," Mr. Glaeser says.

Nikki Bowman, a 1992 graduate of WVU, is the kind of person economists have in mind when they speak of "human capital." She spent years in the magazine industry in places like Chicago and Washington, D.C., before returning last year to start her own magazine, WV Living, which was launched in November.

"It was my dream to come back, and I knew I could make it work," says Ms. Bowman, 37. "Part of why I wanted to be here was to pull from the journalism school and I have a lot of great interns as a result," which helps keep her payroll costs down.

WVU graduate Lindsay Williams, 29, started work as a real-estate broker with Howard Hanna's Morgantown office shortly after leaving WVU while waiting for her then-boyfriend -- now her husband -- to finish his degree. She now serves as president of the Morgantown Board of Realtors.

Another factor helping college towns: "communiversity," the current term for partnerships between universities and their home cities, such as joint economic development projects. The trend also reflects a shift in education to increasingly emphasize out-of-classroom learning, such as internships and volunteer work, that by definition engages the community, according to Sal Rinella, president of the Society for College and University Planning in Los Angeles.

"We could actually call these town-gown partnerships a kind of new movement in American higher education," he says. "In the last 20 years or so, the boundaries between the cities and the universities have really begun to crumble."

Planning experts point to the successful relationships between the University of Pennsylvania and downtown Philadelphia, and Johns Hopkins University's multimillion-dollar partnership with the East Baltimore Development Corp. But the college-town effect has its greatest impact in places like Morgantown.

The close relationship between Morgantown and WVU was partly borne out of desperation. In 1991, a young, reform-minded group including Ron Justice, who is now the mayor, was elected to the city council at a pivotal moment; the decades-long decline of railroad and heavy industry in Morgantown meant the city urgently needed to find a new engine of growth.

The council hired a city manager to oversee municipal finances, and began working more closely with the WVU administration in a joint effort to turn the town around. They started out small, with road-paving projects and public safety. In 2001, the university relocated a major new administration building in the city's blighted Wharf District instead of its downtown campus.

Catalyst for Redevelopment
The new building became a catalyst for redevelopment of the whole waterfront. A new hotel, restaurants and a $28 million event center have since been built, and the old railroad tracks are now miles of jogging and biking trails.

The university has continued to upgrade its downtown campus and added new facilities like a $34 million student recreation center with two pools, a climbing wall and a café to its campus a few miles north of town. Construction is now under way on an 88-acre research park near the hospital and a $50 million commercial development featuring a Hilton Garden Inn.

At the same time, WVU president David Hardesty's aggressive expansion of the university's student body -- which has grown 50% since 1995 -- and program offerings in the 1990s, including a world-renowned forensics and biometrics program, helped raise the caliber of the city's work force.

Jason Donahue graduated from WVU in 1993 and followed a career in commercial real-estate development to a job with ECDC Realty in Charleston, S.C., whose primary business is site selection and development for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. He moved back to Morgantown in 2007 to handle development in the Pennsylvania region. "My wife would tell you I picked our house so we could be within walking distance to the football games," he said with a chuckle. They are now season-ticket holders.

His wife, a registered nurse, quickly found work at one of the city's senior centers. Their 7-year-old daughter was in a community play last weekend sponsored by WVU -- a production of "Alice in Wonderland." "She was Gardener No. 7 with two speaking lines, and she did great," Mr. Donahue says.

Write to Kelly Evans at kelly.evans@wsj.com

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D1

What would you do?

2009-03-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Our survey tell us that the proximity to downtown an important reason for choosing South Park as a place to live, but did you know that the downtown spills into South Park with B4 zoning at the end of the South Park bridge. That was a hot topic at the city's planning session.

I'm curious, if you could do anything that you want with that property--Dominos and the service station--with the only requirement that what you do, would enhance or improve the neighborhood and be an asset to South Park, what would you do?

We had a good response to that question and as I think of it, probably with predictable logic. Most suggested a park or green space of some sort. Younger families, looking for a space place to enjoy with their children, were the strongest advocates for a park. Older residents also wanted green space but allowed for the practicality of established zoning, the convenience of the service station, and suggested that a grocery store or bistro might be a welcomed addition.

Let me know your thoughts and I'll share your response with the planners.

Bill Kawecki
SPAN President

NBC Nightly News Reports on Morgantown

2009-03-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Get Your South Park Historic District Plaque

2009-03-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

We have been able to gather a sufficient quantity of request for the South Park Historic District Plaque to reduce the price from $300 initially to $197.00 plus tax and $5.00 shipping, or $213.82 total.

If you are interested in purchasing a plaque, bring your payment before April 1st to:
Gabe Nardi
SPAN Treasurer
412 Grand Street
Morgantown, WV 26501-6030

Make checks payable to SPAN. If you haven't paid your $5.00 membership dues for the year, please include it with your payment.

Winter Blues Farmers Market

2009-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

The popular summertime Morgantown Farmers Market will make a winter return on February 23, 2009, 4 - 7 p.m. at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center on Scott Avenue. The market will be held indoors, and will feature items such as winter-stored apples and other fruits, cheeses, eggs, artisan bread products, salsa, meats, veggies, ground wheat flour, and much more!

A Hop, Skip and a Jump

2008-11-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

As residents of South Park we are truly fortunate to have many cultural activities within walking distance. In order to highlight the walkability of our neighborhood, each month we'll be posting a list of activities that are accessible by foot, bike, bus or PRT. If there is an activity that you are aware of that you don't see listed here, please feel free to add your information by commenting on this post. If you have information about an event for an upcoming month, email information to joybell112@comcast.net For more information on any of the events listed below, click here.

December 4th

The Legend of Santa Pig-MAC's Tanner Theatre 7:30 PM

December 5th

The Legend of Santa Pig MAC's Tanner Theatre 7:30 PM
"You Left This" New Works by Artist Jennifer Rockag- Public Reception MAC's Robert M. Davis Gallery 7-9 PM
Christmas Parade Downtown Morgantown 6:30 PM

December 6th

The Legend of Santa Pig MAC's Tanner Theatre 7:30 PM
"Gallery Of Gifts" Opening Public Reception Mac's Benedum Gallery 11 AM - 4 PM
Mountaineer Barbershop Chorus The Metropolitan Theatre

December 7th

The Legend of Santa Pig MAC's Tanner Theatre 3:00 PM

December 8th

The Russian Nutcracker WVU Creative Arts Center 7:30 PM

December 11th

The Legend of Santa Pig MAC's Tanner Theatre 7:30 PM

December 12th

The Legend of Santa Pig MAC's Tanner Theatre 7:30 PM
Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 13th

The Legend of Santa Pig MAC's Tanner Theatre 7:30 PM
Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 14th

Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 15th

Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 16th

Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 17th

Ebeneezer MAC's Tanner Theatre 8:00 PM
Tonight, Heaven Touches Earth (starring South Parks very own Kathy Hanko) The Metropolitan Theatre 7:00 PM A Christmas Cantata will be performed by the combined choirs of Spruce Street United Methodist Church, Kingdom Evangelical Methodist Church and Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. They will be accompanied by an orchestra of local musicians.
Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 18th

Ebeneezer MAC's Tanner Theatre 8:00 PM
Casablanca The Warner Theatre

December 19th

Ebeneezer MAC's Tanner Theatre 8:00 PM

December 20th

The Rocky Horror Picture Show The Warner Theatre

December 21st

Tonight, Heaven Touches Earth (Starring South Parks very own Kathy Hanko) The Metropolitan Theatre 10:00 AM A Christmas Cantata will be performed by the combined choirs of Spruce Street United Methodist Church, Kingdom Evangelical Methodist Church and Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. They will be accompanied by an orchestra of local musicians.

Christmas Caroling-South Park

2008-11-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

On Friday Dec. 12, friends and neighbors of the Cumming family will be caroling in South Park.

We are in the process of assembling carolers and musicians for the evening - many of whom are local students.We currently are planning our route to start at 24 Lincoln Ave (around 6:30 pm), proceed down Jefferson to Wagner, Wagner to Allison, Allison to Wilson, Wilson to Park, Park to Maple, Maple to Jefferson and back to start.

We hope folks will take time to enjoy the singing and playing!

If you are interested to join us, you're welcome! We will be assembling at 24 Lincoln Ave starting around 5:45 pm 12/12/08 and begin our walk around 6:30. Dress for the weather! We will return for potluck dinner. Please RSVP to Anne Cumming - 296-0970 or acumminghome@aol.com.

Trick Or Treating-City Of Morgantown

2008-10-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

The city managers office has notified SPAN via email of the change in trick or treating time in the City of Morgantown for 2008. Below is an excerpt from the email.

"Trick or Treat in the City of Morgantown will be held on Friday, October 31st from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Previously, the time was set for 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., but due to the Mohawk Bowl being scheduled for that evening, the time has been changed to hopefully help with schedules, as well as for the safety of the children in the South Park neighborhood who will be out for treats (the Mohawk Bowl is being held at Pony Lewis Field this year (at MHS) rather than the stadium, as has been the case in recent years)."

Neighborhood Plan Survey

2008-09-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

To help facilitate our neighborhood contribution to the Morgantown Comprehensive Plan, we're asking South Park residents to participate by responding to the following four questions:

1. What is the primary reason(s) you moved to South Park?

2. What is the primary reason(s) you have remained in South Park?

3. What improvements would you like to see in the next year?

4. What improvement would you like to see in the next five years?

For updates on progress regarding the neighborhood plan, please attend our next SPAN meeting or contact Eric Hopkins at ehopkins06@gmail.com

SPAN's Inaugural Porch Party

2008-08-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to wonderful, diverse and thoughtful guests, SPAN's first "official" porch party was held on August 16th and appears to have been a great success! There were smiles all around and the food was truly wonderful.

If you were at the Porch Party and brought a dish, please share your recipe here on the blog. We have already had a lot of feedback and several requests for many recipes such as sesame noodles, couscous, enchilada's, hummus, Vanzo/Hopkins Pie, rhubarb crisp, tomato and mozzarella salad.... just to name a few. Of course, Sharon Goodman you are exempt because we know your famous cheese cake recipes are TOP SECRET and for good reason.

Brian Bell was overheard saying he'd like to marry the owner of the incredible fruit salad that had the banana's, peaches, pineapple, apples, blueberries and strawberries; In order to save the Bell's marriage, perhaps the owner of the salad could just share their recipe right here on SPAN's blog?!!

Below are some pictures from the evening.

Please be sure to mark October 11, 2008 on your calendars, it's the date John and Mindy Hollander will be hosting the next Porch Party (stay tuned to southparkwv.org for details).

South Park Traffic Study

2008-05-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

Update July 24, 2008

Chris Gluck and Paul Steele have drafted the traffic calming plan. It can be reviewed here.

Update May 29, 2008

Paul Steel and Chris Gluck of the Traffic Commission reported their preliminary findings and suggestions last night at the SPAN meeting, below is WBOY's coverage of the meeting.

The Morgantown Traffic Commission is conducting a traffic study in all the neighborhoods of Morgantown to address specific traffic concerns. The traffic study in South Park is currently taking place. If you have a South Park specific traffic concern that you would like brought to the traffic commissions attention, please attend our next SPAN meeting, leave a comment here or email spanwv@yahoo.com

What Kind Of Neighborhood Do You Want?

2008-05-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

The city of Morgantown has asked the South Park Association of Neighbors to come up with a "vision" for our neighborhood so they may incorporate those ideas into the city's comprehensive plan. This is our opportunity to ask for all the things that we collectively want the city to consider for our neighborhood as planning decisions are made. If you'd like to have a say on the type of neighborhood South Park will be over the next 10 years, please consider participating in discussions currently going on by commenting on the blog, sending your ideas to spanwv@yahoo.com or attending a SPAN meeting. Check out the South Park Neighborhood planning matrix.