A look at 2015
A look at 2015
This year has been tumultuous for Seton Hill and for this beleaguered but beloved city that we call home. We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the positive actions which occurred after the April unrest. We saw community members and people from the region on Seton Hill’s Eutaw Street early in the morning after the unrest, sweeping glass and helping shop owners clean up their properties. The Seton Hill Association worked with property owners and City officials to ensure that recovery programs and assistance information was passed quickly. The Association participated in meaningful discussions regarding the relations between community members and the men and women of our Police Department. The physical damage to our neighborhood is largely repaired but the dialogue continues and must continue. We have seen that we are stronger as a neighborhood when we work together, and we are so happy and proud to be Seton Hillers.
We have much to be thankful for this year:
- Great appreciation goes to the Sulpicians, the Catholic brothers who administer the Saint Mary’s Spiritual Center and Historic Site at 600 N Paca St who, in partnership with Lewis Contractors, donated the needed repairs for the fountain in Saint Mary’s Park and have also committed to funding the continued seasonal maintenance of the fountain for the future.
- Thank you to McCormick Paints, our friendly neighborhood paint store at 418 W Franklin Street, for donating the supplies to paint and renew the park fountain during the repairs to the mechanics.
- The French Companies has continued to be a big supporter of The Seton Hill Association, helping us to continue to fund the Park Steward which has made such a difference for our green space.
New Board Members:
- We are happy to welcome our new board members; Nicholas Blendy (VP), Wayne Reed (Sec) and Vito Piazza. The renewed energy that they bring to our organization has already been felt and the year ahead looks brighter with these new faces on the board.
Familiar Faces:
- Thanks to the continued work of John, our Park Steward, and Borad Member Karen French’s tireless advocacy, Saint Mary’s Park continues to look great.
Some great things have happened in our area this year:
- Neighborhood Fiber Company relocated to the rehabbed firehouse at 700 N Eutaw Street.
- The Marketplace opened at 520 Park providing a new food destination just outside Seton Hill.
- Seton Hill has built a great partnership with the new Hotel Indigo at Cathedral and Franklin.
Accomplishments:
- With a well organized and well attended fundraiser Happy Hour and a very productive MLK day park cleanup in January, Seton Hill began a continuing and fruitful relationship with the University of Maryland School of Law which we hope will continue. Seton Hill has solidified our relationships with the neighborhoods that surround ours; Heritage Crossing, Upton, Marble Hill, Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon while working together to advocate for the stalled State Center Redevelopment project. Still no answer from the Governor, but the strong ties we have built will serve Seton Hill long into the future. These relationships have already assisted us in advocating for better policing, more cohesive development planning and other shared goals.
- Howards Park Dog Park Construction is well underway, representing a long won accomplishment and positive synergy between Seton Hill and Mount Vernon.
A look into the crystal ball:
- We will help celebrate the 225th anniversary for the Sulpicians presence in Seton Hill.
- The French Fair will be back and better than ever, given that we had to cancel the 2015 fair.
- Election season will soon be upon us. The primaries are coming up fast on 26 April 2016. We will provide you with updated polling location and other voter information on our website. Stay tuned.
Happy Holidays, and a renewed Seton Hill New Year!!
