Happy December Oakenshawe Neighbors,
This month’s Oakenshawe Improvement Association (OIA) Newsletter Update includes:
- OIA is Seeking Volunteers for Committees
- Save the Date: Next Quarterly OIA meeting Saturday, January 21 at 3pm
- Community Updates
VOLUNTEER FOR AN OIA COMMITTEE
The OIA Board is setting up a committee structure in 2023 to expand OIA’s capacity to support the neighborhood. OIA plans to create four committees including: (1) Membership & Communications, (2) Events, (3) University Outreach & Safety, and (4) Green Space & Trees. Read a description of each committee here.
You do NOT need to be a Board Member to serve on a committee. If you are interested in joining a committee, please fill out the committee interest form. It should only take about a minute.
Depending on the committee, an example of committee work might include helping to organize neighbors for events like the Oakenshawe Greenspace Cleanup organized by the Oakenshawe GreenSpace group on NextDoor that happened this past Sunday, December 4 (see more below) or supporting the monthly cleanups that Haydee and the E University Parkway Good Neighbor Task Force organize around the neighborhood.
Thank you to all of the dedicated volunteers around the neighborhood. With your help, we hope this committee structure can help foster an even stronger sense of community, inclusion, and neighborliness.
Fill out the Committee Interest Form.
SAVE THE DATE: NEXT QUARTERLY OIA MEETING ON SAT. JANUARY 21ST AT 3PM!
Our January meeting, held in person, is a great opportunity to meet neighbors. All residents of Oakenshawe are welcome to attend.
The meeting will be held Saturday, January 21st at 3pm. The January newsletter will include a draft agenda.
The location is still to be determined. We are trying to find a space that can accommodate the ~40 or so neighbors that showed up last year. If it is not in the neighborhood, it will be within a reasonable walking distance.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Oakenshawe Greenspace Winter Cleanup
Thank you to all the people who came out Sunday to help clean-up the Greenspace for winter. Including: Louisa, Laurie, Ethan, Hairong and Jim who cleaned up the pollinator garden and got some raking done. Jim also cleaned up the mud by the back corner, thank you!. For those who couldn’t make it, there are leaves to be raked and bagged on Barclay Street side, weeding and trimming shrubs and cleaning leaves up on the curb edge of Barclay street. Feel free to jump in anytime.
Holidays
If you are in the mood for some holiday cheer, consider checking out one of these events. Better yet, invite a neighbor with you:
- City Hall Tree Lighting -Wednesday Dec 7th at 6pm on War Memorial Plaza
- Station North Holiday Market – Saturday, December 10th on North Avenue between 1-5pm
- Celebrate Kwanzaa at Enoch Pratt Free Libraries – December 13, 15-17, 19, 24, 27 (click on the hyperlink/ underline)
- Mayor Scott’s Toys for Tots Drive for U.S. Marines ends on Thursday, Dec 15th. Drop off new toys at BCFD houses, City Hall, Benton Building. & Abel Wolman/DPW Building.
- Mayor Scott’s Lighting the Great Menorah on the first night of Hanukkah – Sun, Dec 18th at 2:30pm – 5:30pm.
* Note: Baltimore City Offices are CLOSED in observance of Christmas on Monday, December 26th.
JHU Police Department (JHPD)
You may recall from the November newsletter that OIA has abstained from siding for or against JHPD because there is not a clear consensus or majority opinion among members. However, to keep residents informed, we want to make sure residents saw that Johns Hopkins has posted and executed a final Memorandum of Understanding with the Baltimore Police Department that can be found here.
Councilmember Ramos Weekly Newsletter
For those who do not already subscribe, Councilmember Ramos sends out a weekly District 14 newsletter (Oakenshawe falls within Council District 14) that includes updates on legislation in City Council, events around the District and City, and more. This is a good resource to stay up to date on local news. You can sign up for her weekly newsletter on her website.