NUSA 2012 - Indianapolis, Indiana

                                    Welcome Reception
                                      Indiana Statehouse

This is Indiana's capital building with the senate and legislature and supreme court and lower courts also. Very impressive. It was built back in the 1800's and had a face lift in the 1970's. Absolutely beautiful design.

The Mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard,  attended and gave a short presentation.(on the left)

We were treated to the music of a local marching high school band.

And of course FOOD, yes it was a reception and there were tables of great food. The highlight being the "deep fried biscuits" with "apple butter" Oh my I have to say I am not in favor of most deep fried foods but this was delicious. I have to say I tired several. Gooooooood!!

And last but not least was the tours through the floors of the Statehouse. We actually went into the Legislative Room and sat in their chairs....  beautiful  And then we headed down the hall to the Senate Room- unfortunately we were not able  to go into the room but got a good view. Then on Indiana Supreme Court. Wow, talk about going back into the past. A wonderful room, very ornate, original furniture, preserved wood doors and panels. Very restful room.

Back to the hotel to get organized and ready for the first full day of the conference tomorrow.

Neighborhood USA (NUSA) Conference begins

Many of you have heard me talk about the NUSA Conference. It is an annual conference held over the Memorial Day weekend. It is in a different city each year. The different cities bid on having it at their city. I believe they have now decided on the  next several years. This year's conference is in Indianapolis, Indiana at the NEW J.W. Marriott Hotel. There are approximately 650 participants from all over the USA and Japan.

Neighborhoods, USA is a national non-profit organization committed to building and strengthening neighborhood organizations. Created in 1975 to share information and experiences toward building stronger communities, NUSA now continues to encourage networking and information sharing to facilitate the development of partnerships between neighborhood organizations, government and the private sector.

Remembering  back, the NUSA Conference was held in Sacramento in 2005. If you want to know more about NUSA and the organization please  click here.

Tonya Wagner and I (Sandi Benward) took off from the Sacramento International Airport at "O dark hundred" Monday.

We arrrived in Indianapolis via Denver about 3pm. The hotel itself is a city in itself. We have been exploring the hotel as well as the surrounding area. The surrounding area is mostly the Convention Center, 6 other major hotels, parking lots, Victory Field Baseball Stadium, Indiana State Museum, and the Indiana Statehouse Building and some State Offices. Weather is great infact it is a little warmer than usual and going up into the 90's for the weekend. And as some of you know this is "Indy 500" race this Saturday, so lots of race car fans in town. HOORAY!! No we are not staying for the races.


Attended the NUSA Board Meeting. It is a large board of about 24. Just regular last minute business for the conference, making sure everything is in place, that the host city is ready, approving and paying the bills. Besides the 7 slots that are up for election this week, there are 2 other open slots. There are 9 people running for the 7 offices. It was decided that the one open slot has only a year to go so they decided not to fill that one, the other slot has two years to go so the 8th person with the most votes will get that seat. Each board member serves for three years. So we will find out the results of the election on Saturday at the regular general membership meeting.
For those that have come early to the conference we able to check in at noon today and get our packets. Always an advantage so participants have time to read over all the information and be familiar with the conference area. AND I DID!!

Auburn Boulevard Community Meeting for Residents - May 14th

The City will be holding an Auburn Boulevard Community meeting for residents on Monday, May 14th at 6:30 p.m. in the Rusch Park Gymnasium at 7801 Auburn Boulevard.

The Auburn Boulevard Project is the City's largest public works project to date. It has required the greatest amount of environmental work, right-of-way acquisition, financial resources, and time to develop and construct than any other project in the City's history.

At the meeting, staff will be sharing the project's scope, construction schedule, and what to expect during construction. Due to the enormity of this project, the City is employing all of its communication resources to keep our partners, residents, and neighbors informed of the project. In addition to this community meeting, staff will be attending Areas 2, 4, 6, and 10's neighborhood association meetings monthly from June until December to provide updates on the project and be available for residents' questions.

SENIOR HEALTH FAIR this Saturday May 19

5th Annual SOAR to Healthy Heights
SENIOR HEALTH FAIR

Saturday May 19th  - 9am to 1pm
Fountain Square Rose Garden

 This promises to be a fun and informative event!  Free Presentations!  Free Screenings!  Exhibits dedicated to Senior Issues and Concerns!

6237 Fountain Square Drive - Citrus Heights, CA  95621

Neighborhood Meeting for MAY has CHANGED days

Just a reminder we have changed our regular neighborhood meeting and will have a city wide neighborhood meeting on  MAY 17th Thursday.......  mark your calendars and join us. Bring along a neighbor or two with you.    (see details below)

Attention All Citrus Heights Residents!!    Thursday – May 17, 2012 at 7:00pm in the Citrus Heights Community Center.
Keynote Speakers City Manager, Henry Tingle;
Chief of Police, Christopher Boyd;
General Services Director, David Wheaton;
and Finance Director, Stefani Daniell
Important Topics Proposed Funding Solutions to address the following:
Need for increased funding due to State Assembly Bill 109 (more commonly referred to as "prison realignment") Non-Existing Youth Intervention Programs
Deteriorating Condition of City Streets
All Neighborhood Associations are encouraged to attend this very important meeting. If you don’t have your May meeting planned, why not make this your monthly meeting?
This is probably the MOST important meeting of the constituents of Citrus Heights since the City’s incorporation in 1997.

SPREAD THE WORD!! 

HUGE Garage/Lawn/Yard Sale

Announcing a HUGE yard/garage/lawn sale to benefit the Citrus Heights Marching Band. I am told that this one is much bigger than the last sale they had (how can that be?) 

Please support the Marching Band.........  come out and BUY BUY BUY

When : May, 4, 5, 6 and May 11, 12, 13th

Where: 7620 Linden Ave, Citrus Heights, Calif  95610

Time: 8am to 6pm

Good Luck!!

EARTH DAY- Citrus Heights

Mark your calendars..........  April 21

Citrus Heights Area 11 Neighborhood Association is hosting the Inaugural Earth Day-Citrus Heights, which will be held April 21st, at the Skycrest Elementary School in Citrus Heights.  (see attached for more information and application for sponsors/exhibitors)

The Earth Day event will be free to residents and is viewed as an educational experience and not a fund raiser.  The event will consist of “Green” exhibitors who will educate community members in methods of reducing their carbon footprint and lowering their energy bills.  Free seminars in sustainable living practices will also be available through-out the day in two classrooms. 

We have electric bikes and Performance Chevrolet will be bringing some electric cars. Exhibitors include: Sacramento Bee, City of Citrus Heights/Stock Ranch Reserve, Soil Born Farms and many more. The San Juan Unified School District is partnering with The Citrus Heights Green Team for a “Logo Contest”.  The K-8 students will participate in the contest and the winning logo will be featured on our Earth Day T-shirts and in our promotional flyers.  $100 Sponsors' logos will also be featured on our Earth Day T-Shirt!  Anchor Sponsors will be featured at top and more prominently on the T-shirt. 
We will have indoor and tented outdoor spaces that are described on the application.  (Indoor booths are sold out.) There will be live music and food!