Hello Neighbors!
It’s another grand day in the ol’ West End Neighborhood.
Board Elections
First, I want to say a big WCNA thank you to George Taylor. George has served as our treasurer for the past three years and has decided not to run again for 2026. Many of you know George as a great neighbor and friend, and I can tell you he’s been an equally good treasurer. If you see him, please say thank you – and if you’re a hugger, go right ahead. These positions are entirely voluntary and we appreciate all that George has given. He promises to stay engaged (including serving out the rest of 2025), but will be missed on our board going forward.
Speaking of board positions, elections will be held at the November 17 association meeting. With the exception of George, your current officers have all agreed to serve another term. Our neighbor and friend, Chris Todd, has offered to run as Treasurer and will round out the slate of officers presented next month for the official vote. Thank you, Chris. Anyone interested in serving can also self-nominate or nominate someone else (as long as they are aware and willing). Simply come to our November 17 association meeting to make a nomination and to vote (you must have attended at least 3 meetings/events this calendar year where your attendance was taken to be eligible to vote).
Mayor Sharon Tucker
Mayor Sharon Tucker was at our October meeting and was greeted by the largest attendance (~75) we’ve had in a very long time. The main topic of discussion was the issue of the homeless/unhoused downtown. What the energetic back-and-forth discussion highlighted is just what a challenging issue this really is. From a WCNA perspective, the board is aware of our neighbor’s concerns and will work hard to be part of a humane solution.
Another hot topic brought up with the Mayor is the near-constant speeding (racing) down West Washington & Jefferson boulevards and the safety concerns this causes for the schools in the area. Apparently she listened! The very next morning a police cruiser was parked at Washington Elementary (thanks for the photo, Annie Weikart) keeping an eye on the kids. Later that same day, a speeder was ticketed in the parking lot of St. John’s Lutheran (thanks for the photo,
Pastor Paul).
Connected Neighborhoods Grant
Speaking of traffic, the board is working diligently on making West Central more walkable and bikeable, and this is a focus of the Connected Neighborhoods grant ($1 million shared by five neighborhoods, including us). We will be leveraging this grant investment with WCNA’s own money – with WCNA approval – to find ways to make intersections and trails safer and better connected. Much more to come, but we encourage you to share your opinions by clicking here.
College & W. Washington Intersection
A topic not discussed at our October meeting is the work being done at the intersection of College and West Washington. To keep a long story short(ish), this work is to make the sidewalks ADA accessible as part of a broader federal/state/city initiative to improve overall accessibility. While the intent has been in place for nearly a decade, we were not made aware of the date or final plans until trees were marked for removal. Unfortunately, neither was the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). Even though this is a road and sidewalk project, it is within the Local Historic District (LHD) and as such is bound by those rules – rules that the WCNA fervently upholds.
In this case, the culprit seems to be the siloed nature of departments within the City and that the HPC sits on the outside, often out of mind. We (the WCNA board) are working on that, but in the meantime we urgently tapped Shelley Rothgeb and Tom Cain to engage the City to see what impact we could have on the final plans. In the end, we didn’t get everything we wanted, but we did make a difference. A big special thank you to Tom and Shelley for dropping everything and committing lots of volunteer hours to this cause. While we support efforts to make our neighborhood more accessible, we are also committed to preserving our history, which goes beyond homes and buildings.
Home & Garden Tour Results
The 2025 Home & Garden Tour was another HUGE success. Thanks to all of you who volunteered and especially those who offered their homes and gardens for tours. We didn’t quite hit records, but we came very close in both attendees and profits to last year’s record performance. You can view the break down of our ticket sales, income, and some interesting survey results by clicking here.
A special shoutout to Ryan Benton who led the organizing committee and put in so many hours to make the tour such a success. Can’t thank Ryan without also thanking his partner Kelly Benton, who I know wasn’t far behind in the number of hours committed. Ryan has graciously offered to chair the Home & Garden Tour again in 2026, which is a huge relief, but he is more than willing to bring along others as co-chairs. Please send us an email if you’d like to join the Home Tour Committee for 2026. It’s a well-oiled machine, and we’d love to have you be a part of it!
Happy Halloween and we’ll see you on the front porch!
Joel Sauer, President
(260) 433-3672
2025 Board Officers
- Membership: Anita Kuker membership@westcentralneighborhood.org
- President: Joel Sauer president@westcentralneighborhood.org
- Secretary: Bethany Pruitt secretary@westcentralneighborhood.org
- Treasurer: George Taylor treasurer@westcentralneighborhood.org
- Vice President: Kelly Benton VP@westcentralneighborhood.org