Hello Neighbors!
It’s another grand day in the ol’ West End.
Did you know that our neighborhood used to be called the West End? This was back when Fort Wayne quite literally ended at what is now Swinney Park, or the far west end. Our neighborhood started out home to the working class who could walk to nearby industries like Jenney Electric (which became GE and is now Electric Works), Wayne Knitting Mills, wagon and railroad jobs, and many more. Those cottages then gave way to the large, architectural gems we see today.
2024 Priorities
At the February WCNA Member Meeting (always the third Monday of the month at 7 pm), we laid out our priorities for the coming year. As priorities, these are the efforts to which the WCNA will commit assets, including financial and human resources. These priorities came from your feedback, informally through conversations with board members and then formally through a web-based member survey that received over 80 responses! Thank you for that energy. The list is intentionally small to keep our efforts and resources focused to make a difference. Our priorities for 2024 are:
- Historic preservation
- Expansion of existing WCNA member programs, with a focus on theft deterrence
- West Central livability improvements, including bike & pedestrian friendliness and property enhancements
Historic Preservation
History connects us to our past and provides invaluable insights to guide our futures. Because of this, historic preservation is a significant part of why the WCNA exists and why it will always be a priority for us. To this end, the WCNA re-instituted our Historic Preservation Committee (not to be confused with the City of Fort Wayne’s Historic Preservation Commission) which has been meeting to guide our association’s preservation efforts. At our Monday member meeting they presented the committee’s purpose statement, which will guide its efforts going forward:
The purpose of the West Central Historic Preservation Committee is to foster improvement of the West Central neighborhood through preservation of historic structures and places using an established revitalization process; promotion of compatible residential and commercial growth and development; procurement and rehabilitation of vulnerable historic or architecturally relevant neighborhood structures; education and promotion of local, state, and federal historic preservation resources; and public education about West Central history to build both connectedness and stewardship.
Next on the HPC’s list is to develop a plan that will be our historic preservation roadmap for the coming years. This should be out by summer 2024.
Programs Expansion
Another 2024 priority is to address the rash of package thefts, car break-ins and other petty crimes that happen all too regularly. As you may know, the WCNA provides financial assistance to members for the purchase of security hardware, such as motion lights, security cameras, etc. New in 2024, we have added package security boxes to the list of approved security funding. These can be very simple boxes that hide delivered packages, to elaborate security lockers resembling a safe. The purpose is as a deterrent to would-be package poachers.
In addition to this new funding, the WCNA will be hosting two Safety Sundays: April 28th and October 13th. These are very simple events designed to get neighbors out of their homes to meet the people who live immediately nearby, exchange contact information, and pledge to keep on eye on things going forward. Our hope is that we can deter theft by being a web of connected individuals watching each others’ backs.
Speaking of WCNA programs, promoting the member benefits we already have in place is another part of this 2024 priority. We’re expanding all of our existing programs which are: home beautification (exterior and landscaping), sidewalk & curb replacement, tree planting and of course security. These programs will be touted regularly throughout the year to make sure they’re well known to our members and hopefully the monies used to improve the neighborhood, just like intended. More details can be found at our website under the “Residents” tab.
Livability Improvements
Fort Wayne sports an amazing array of bike and pedestrian trails throughout the city, now in excess of 100 contiguous miles. A priority for leveraging these tremendous assets is to connect them with other community resources, such as parks, schools and neighborhoods. The WCNA will look for opportunities to do just this by connecting the existing bike route to Moody Park, improving cross walks for pedestrians, supporting and implementing traffic calming initiatives, like curbing, signage and other strategies. In addition, the WCNA will work with neighborhood home owners and landlords to try and reduce the number of empty structures.
Home & Garden Tour Launch
Planning is already underway for the 42nd Annual Home & Garden Tour and Artsfest event, which will be held September 7 – 8, 2024. If you’re interested in being on the committee or serving as a volunteer in some other capacity, please connect with one of the co-chairs, Ellen O’Connor Sauer (ellencsauer@gmail.com) or Ryan Benton (rpbenton@gmail.com). There are a host of ways you can participate.
For all of the 2024 WCNA events -which are many – please visit our website here.
See you on the front porch!
Joel Sauer, President