With daffodils and tulips bursting in colorful pride, trees sprouting their new finery of leaves, lush green grass, and buds popping out all over, spring has finally arrived!

The Woodhurst Association will again this year offer residents the opportunity to pick up black dirt which will be dropped off at several sites in Woodhurst. The drop off points will be as follows:

· Peace Lutheran Church Parking Lot

· 5305 South Wayne Ave.

· 5425 Woodhurst Blvd.

· 5118 Worthman Court

· 5002 Tacoma Avenue

· Corner Old Farm Circle & Indiana Ave.

· 5340 Century Court

· 5002 Old Mill Road

Help yourself to black dirt at one of these locations. This is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on preparing your flower beds, reseeding lawns, and starting other spring gardening jobs. Remember, first come, first served, so come out early.

Coordinators for dirt day are Art Keck and Charlie Heiny.

If rain is forecast for May 1, then dirt day will be moved back a week to May 8, so keep an eye on the skies and let’s hope for sun.

Broadview Florist and Greenhouses, 5409 Winchester Road, has again this year, extended a 20% discount to Woodhurst residents on purchases of annuals. The discount will cover annuals purchased from late April to May 31. To receive the discount, identify yourself as a Woodhurst resident. Please remember the discount applies to purchases of annuals only and must be made by May 31.

The date set for this year’s garage sale is Saturday, August 7. Sale hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. As has been done in previous years, ads will be placed in both Fort Wayne newspapers publicizing the sale. In addition signs advertising the garage sale will be placed at various entrances to Woodhurst.

Mark your calendars now and plan to participate.

Sgt. Ron Lapp of the Fort Wayne Police Department has been appointed the department’s liaison for the Southwest Quadrant in which Woodhurst is located. Sgt. Lapp came to the March Woodhurst Board meeting to introduce himself and to give us a short recap of crime statistics in the near southwest side of the city.

Sgt. Lapp reminded us how fortunate we are that our community has remained relatively free of criminal activities. He commented that one reason this has been so is that Woodhurst is comprised of single family owner-occupied dwellings. He feels it is widely recognized that neighborhoods where the homes are occupied by the owners have less crime and are most times better maintained and hold their property values much better than neighborhoods where homes are turned into rental properties. In the weeks ahead you will be hearing more from your Woodhurst Association about working together to avoid the neighborhood and property value decline that often times results when homes are turned into rental properties.

We have again this year received some funding to permit us to continue repairs to our streets. This year the worst of the concrete on South Wayne between Roxbury Court and Fairfax will be replaced. If funds permit, other areas will begin to be addressed this year. There are other areas where repairs are needed. The financial support which Councilman Tim Pape has provided by allocating CEDIT funds to allow continuation of the street repair project in Woodhurst is appreciated.

Water, water everywhere…and not a plan in place…until now

The flood waters have receded but are not forgotten. Woodhurst residents continue to watch the St. Marys River. Several residents, including Board members Charlie Heiny, Dave Masanz, and Margaret Eberly, attended the April 13 meeting of the Fort Wayne City Council to learn about the City’s future flood fighting plans. Bob Kennedy, Associate Director of Public Works, presented these plans which are more reactive than proactive. Three areas were addressed: forecasting floods, warning residents, and controlling flooding.

Historically, the National Weather Service (NWS) has monitored the St. Marys River only in Decatur. Monitoring in Fort Wayne was limited to a Maumee River gauge at the Hosey Dam on North Anthony Boulevard. This dam is no longer operational. The NWS has agreed to position automated gauges on all three rivers in Fort Wayne, including one at the Muldoon Road bridge over the St. Marys. In addition the city has added manual gauges at several locations that will be visually checked by the city’s Levee Patrol. A gauge was added just north of the Bluffton Road bridge.

The city has improved ways to control flooding. Topographic maps of individual neighborhoods will aid in sandbag placement. The City is considering constructing a stone road that in times of flooding could be used to quickly construct a clay dike in the area behind the Foster Park ball diamonds. In Woodhurst, a wall of sandbags running parallel to Old Mill Road is proposed to extend from behind the Jewish Temple to north Century Court and from south Century Court to Old Farm Road. Also, sandbags would be used to seal off water that crosses the undeveloped lot on Old Mill Road just before Old Farm Circle.

An old firehouse is now being used to store 25,000 sandbags, double the number prior to the July floods. Also, a new automatic machine that fills sandbags at a rate of 500 bags per hour has been purchased by the City.

At the height of the July floods as many as 50 large-capacity pumps were used. Only a dozen or so smaller ones were from Fort Wayne. Using reciprocal agreements with Chicago, Indianapolis and other cities, Fort Wayne now knows where to quickly locate additional pumps at no charge other than personnel costs. Altogether, these imported pumps cost our city approximately $100,000 last July. Sewer back-ups are another problem during times of high water. River debris often props open the flaps that prevent river water from entering the sewer system. A different flap, one shaped like a bird’s beak, is being proposed for installation. This would eliminate one of the major sources of water to Woodhurst.

Carl Platz from the Army Corps of Engineers also addressed the City Council about developing long-term solutions. Three studies, one for each river, are to begin in late April. These would take about 18 months to complete, with preliminary results available by summer’s end. He reminded the Council that remedies are "a process, not an event." New tide gates, costing $625,000, have been requested. The studies are being funded by Army Core Section 205, which allows them to proceed more quickly because they do not require congressional approval. Implementation of the study’s recommendations will require funding.

Your neighborhood association can always use people who are willing to become involved. If you are interested in knowing more about how you could become involved, contact Woodhurst Association President, Charlie Heiny, or one of the other association officers.

For the past several months many of the southwest side neighborhood associations, including Woodhurst, Foster Park, Southwood Park, Oakdale, Illsley Place, Historic South Wayne, and Indian Village, have been meeting for the goal of protecting our common interests and providing support for one of our greatest resources, Foster Park. The group has decided on the name Friends of Foster Park and the group’s primary goals will be directed toward advocacy and providing volunteers for park projects. The Woodhurst representatives to this group are Margaret Eberly and Dean Zimmerman.

One of the current focuses for this group, as well as the Southwest Area Partnership (SWAP), has been review of the Park Department’s plan to expand and pave the entrance road to Foster Park. This plan proposes the widening of the entrance road and converting the stone shoulder parking to paved asphalt parking. In response to the request that residents be allowed to voice their concerns and questions, Dianne Hoover, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department presented the roadway and parking improvement plan for Foster Park at the Southwest Area Partnership’s meeting on March 17.

Specific concerns voiced included:

Based on the concerns voiced at the March meeting, The Parks Department has modified its plan a bit.

The revised Foster Park Plan will be presented at the following public meeting:

After 7,000 pounds of grass seed, load upon load of sand, and many, many hours of hard work, the Foster Park Golf Course has now reopened. The course was devastated by last July’s flooding. However, all indications are that the many hours of hard work have paid off and the course is now more attractive than ever.

The Friends of the Parks of Allen County, Inc. will sponsor a ladies Hat Luncheon on Thursday, May 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Memorial Park Pavilion. Guest speaker will be Patricia O’ Donnell of Heritage Landscapes.

Directions are as follows:

Wear your favorite hat, enjoy a fabulous lunch and hear about Fort Wayne’s historical landscape legacy. A $50 donation is requested.

For reservations, contact Pamela Schmidt, 2110 Forest Park Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46805.

The American Association of University Women’s Annual Used Book Sale will take place from Wednesday, April 28 through Saturday, May 1 at the "old" Hoosier Foods Store at Times Corner (Jefferson and Getz roads). Choose from over 7,000 used books in all categories including best sellers, classics, fiction, nonfiction, business, computer, reference, children and youth, inspirational, and more. Sale hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 28, 29 and 30, and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on May 1. Proceeds will be used for women’s scholarships.

The Department of Health has issued the following suggestions to reduce nuisance mosquitoes and to help prevent contracting the West Nile virus.

Use an insect spray containing 10-30% DEET when you are going to be outdoors. A lower percentage mixture should be used for children. It is recommended to avoid applying DEET products to children under two years of age. Use just enough repellant to lightly cover your exposed skin or outside clothing. Do not apply repellants underneath clothing.

Another tip is to mix 2 tablespoons of malathion with a gallon of water and spray under bushes and on high weeds. The mixture will kill adult mosquitoes.

If you are having a backyard party, consider purchasing a hand-fogger to use while outdoors.

Along with the 2004 dues notices we also included a survey asking residents how they felt about our arranging for a private contractor to spray for mosquitoes as needed during the summer and early fall months. The results of the survey indicated that nearly 75% of our residents would support such spraying. The Board will continue to monitor the mosquito problem in the months ahead to determine whether spraying should be done.

With many residents planning summer vacations in the months ahead, this is a reminder to notify the S.T.S. Security office so that perimeter checks of your home can be done daily while you are away. Please remember that residents who wish to have S.T.S. perform vacation checks on their homes must provide an emergency telephone number and contact name of a responsible person in the event a problem should arise with their properties while on vacation. Without that information neither S.T.S. nor anyone else can take responsibility to resolve security concerns. If you will be away from your home, please contact the S.T.S. office at 485-1007 to arrange for vacation home checks.

Living Healthier Series

Summer Arts Experience

The classes are targeted for ages 7 to 15. A tuition fee does apply. Contact the Community School of the Arts, Taylor University at 744-8623 or email CSA@tayloru.edu for details and registration forms.

Lawn/Yard Work Jobs

Trash Pickup

Welcome New Residents