Happy New Year and Happy January Oakenshawe Neighbors,
This month’s Oakenshawe Improvement Association (OIA) Newsletter Update includes:
- Parking Permit Community Pickup: Saturday January 21 at 3pm
- OIA Quarterly Board Meeting: Saturday January 21 at 4pm
- Volunteer on an OIA Committee
- Community Updates
PARKING PERMIT COMMUNITY PICKUP
It is time for everyone in Zone 1 (Oakenshawe) to renew our parking permits. If you want to save on shipping fee or save yourself a trip downtown to pick up your permit, select the Community Pickup option. This year OIA is bringing back the popular parking permit pickup option at our January OIA Quarterly Board meeting, Saturday, Jan. 21st
You can renew your permit starting January 10. Simply select the Community Pickup option when you purchase/renew your parking permit if you want to pick it up at our quarterly meeting on Saturday, January 21st, starting at 3pm.
PABC Permit Website: https://pabc.thepermitstore.com/purchase.php
Note: For the Community Pickup, order your permit before January 18th so the Parking Authority of Baltimore City can fulfill your order in time!
3-5 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR PERMIT DISTRIBUTION: Let John Hillegass know if you are interested in volunteering to help distribute parking permits and collect OIA’s voluntary annual dues. Please email johnhillegass@gmail.com if you are willing to volunteer. Also, if anyone wants to bring some yummy baked goods to share with neighbors, you’d be my hero.
OIA QUARTERLY BOARD MEETING: JANUARY 21
Our January meeting, held in person, is a great opportunity to meet neighbors and pick up your parking permit if you choose the pickup option. All residents of Oakenshawe are welcome to attend.
The meeting will be held Saturday, January 21st from 4-5pm at the University Baptist Church, 3501 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218. The meeting will be held in the Welcome Hall, which is directly through the glass doors next to the parking lot.
The agenda will include:
- Welcome
- Committee Kickoff & Officer Reports
- Treasurer Report
- Membership & Communications
- Events
- University Outreach and Safety
- Green Space & Trees
- New Business
- Closing
JOIN AN OAKENSHAWE 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.
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 Sunday, December 4 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.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
East University Parkway (EUP) Taskforce
The EUP Taskforce is working with the Department of Transportation and Councilmember Ramos on a traffic calming study for East University Parkway to identify potential solutions to make the street safer for all. The next meeting of the EUP Taskforce is Saturday, January 21 at 10am. They also host monthly cleanups the last weekend of the month.
Support Greenmount Businesses
In the new year, consider shopping or dining at a new or old-time favorite business along Greenmount. The more we support those businesses, the more new businesses will want to fill vacant storefronts. Check out the new Red Emma’s, get excited about the Chihuahua Brothers taking over the Hip Hop Fish & Chicken space or visit old favorites like Pete’s Grille, Waverly Crabs, the Thai Restaurant, and many more. We’ve heard a new collective kitchen and a mini food hall may be considering moving to Greenmount, so if you can, let’s show our local businesses some love in 2023.
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.
On behalf of the OIA Board, we hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and is enjoying a great start to 2023. Let’s make it a great one together, full of neighborliness and community.