Prairie Hills Neighborhood Association

From PHNA President Tania Banak:

Wanted to let you know about several exciting events

occurring in the greater SW Madison neighborhoods area:

Wed. Aug. 26, 7-8:30 pm

Neighborhoods Restoring Safety Meeting

At Falk Elementary School , 6323 Woodington Way, Madison

(child care will be provided for children 2-12 to allow more residents to attend)

In June, Madison ’s Mayor called on neighborhood leaders to design responses and solutions to the many problems evident in our neighborhoods on the southwest side. Many neighborhood leaders have been working to respond to the Mayor’s call for grassroots efforts and action. This program will focus on solutions and actions regarding:

• Safety and positive behavior in public and in the school
• Safety enhancement and enforcement by city and county officials
• Housing issues

Please attend! And let your neighbors know about this meeting, too!

Sponsored by South West Alliance of Neighborhoods (SWANS)

> Click here for more information

Sat. Aug. 29, 11 am – 4 pm

United We Stand

At Elver Park

A huge all-community event designed to bring us together!

Free food! (hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, desserts)

11 am – 2 pm Basketball tournament and Games for All Ages
Noon – 2 pm Talent Show
2 pm – 3 pm Guest Speakers
3:30 pm – 4 pm Prizes and Awards

Sponsored by churches, businesses of our community, and county efforts.

Prairie Hills neighbors – can you donate a DESSERT? If so, please let Kimberly Lawrence know what you’re bringing (957-6322)

Willing to VOLUNTEER? (cook food, serve food, organize games, greet people, etc) Please call or email Dawn Knudtson at 608-622-0887 or ddxb@tds.net

Help Us Connect With Your Neighbors!

Prairie Hills Neighborhood Association wants to keep ALL of you informed about what’s happening in our neighborhood, but to do so, we need YOUR help. Please encourage your neighbors to join the association (only $5 per year). Need a membership form? Call or email Tania at tebanak@wisc.edu or 608-278-1093

It’s hard to reach everyone UNLESS we either have an email address for you (submit yours to Tania above) or we have block captains who are willing to keep their immediate neighbors informed (willing to serve? Please let Tania know!)

From PHNA President Tania Banak:

Hello neighbors in the Prairie Hills Neighborhood Association,

As this organization’s new president, I’m hoping to bring our community together. We’re very diverse, and that is a good thing. We’re also experiencing some growing pains, and I have some ideas on how we might address some of those issues.

Perhaps you do, too? Or perhaps you’d like to know more?

If so, please join me in a Neighborhood Association brainstorming meeting, to prioritize what direction/s we move in.

We will meet on Thurs. 8/13, 6:30 pm at the West Police District, 1710 McKenna Blvd.

Some initial discussion ideas:

• What are our community standards? (behavior, respect, etc)
• How can we best share these expectations with community residents?
• What are some activities that might bring the community together?

Hope you can join us!

Some additional opportunities to get involved include:

SW Alliance of Neighborhoods (SWANS), Wed. 8/26, 7 pm, at Falk Elementary School, 6323 Woodington Way (a coalition of area neighborhoods whose goal is to improve quality of life in our area)
Families & Communities United is planning a huge community event at Elver Park on Sat. 8/29 designed to build community and bring resources to low-income families in the area. Please mark your calendar to attend. Better yet, if you can volunteer to help, please contact Shamawyah Curtis at myacurtis25@yahoo.com or call Dawn Knudtson (608-622-0887) or Shaneka Davis (608-217-3879). We need lots of volunteers!

Interested in Madison ’s budget? The mayor is holding public hearings on this topic (or you can email him if you can’t attend):

Wed, 8/5, 6-8 pm, Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St .
Tues, 8/11, 6-8 pm, East District Police Station, 809 S. Thompson Dr .
Mon, 8/17, 6-8 pm, Alicia Ashman Branch Library, 733 North High Point Rd.
Citizens unable to attend any of the Mayor’s budget meetings can also send their ideas and comments by email, mayor@cityofmadison.com Let the mayor know what services are most important to you.

Finally, there will be an open discussion of racial issues, tentatively scheduled for 8/10.

I’m looking forward to working with all of you! Thanks for your interest in our community!

Tania Banak

Prairie Hills Neighborhood Assn. president