When you create a WordPress account, you can set up your user profile.  This allows you to add a photo and tell us who you are.  Once you have a profile set up, you can leave comments and start adding to the fun.  If you really get into it, we can set you up with author privileges, so you can write your own posts. 

This is a community, and it’s made up of many points of view.  Yours is important.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a techie to get started.  You do need to have an e-mail account, though.  If you don’t have an e-mail account, you can get a free account from Yahoo or Google.  Both of these services are free and easy to use.  Plus, since they’re not associated with your Internet Service Provider (such as AT&T), you can keep them even if you switch from dial-up to cable modem to DSL and back.

The combination of art, craft, design, and technology (along with real estate development) provide energy and capital in this manufacturing hub-turned arts community.

Why blog about it here?

As a furniture maker, I’m intensely interested in creating a thriving craft environment in the area. I know of at least one other designer craftsman in the area: Bristol neighborhood resident Tim O’Neill, owner of Round Tree Design. I’ve heard of some young people in the neighborhood who’re developing a craft talent, as well. Englewood has the potential to develop an art and craft focus if we can carve out some gallery space to highlight local artists and artisans.

As a resident in an older community, I’m interested in learning from the growth of other neighborhoods across America. In communities like DUMBO, where de-industrialization leaves behind empty warehouses and other spaces, artists and artisans can reclaim and redefine a space, bringing new life and new energy to the neighborhood. Artists and entrepreneurs together can work to bring life to these old homes and businesses.

DUMBO proves to me that you don’t have to have a good economy to grow a neighborhood. The fundamentals go beyond recession and boom. What we need are creativity, energy, passion, and commitment. Most of all, we need a shared vision.

So what’s your vision for Procter’s future?

We’ve created new habits, and awoken to the impact we have on the environment.

Personally, it’s been a rewarding process for me. I was able to meet several neighbors. I’ve drawn great satisfaction from sharing my passion for environmental issues with so many.

In the back of my mind, though, this nagging thought persisted: How could we make Procter Recycles scale up to serve more people? If two blocks were filling up the back of my long-bed pickup, it would take an effort of institutional size to grow this effort exponentially.

Additionally, sorting had become an issue. Even with the assistance of two young men willing to tag along and help sort this material, it was taking an increasing amount of time to service a dozen households. How could we ever hope to serve five hundred?

And then the Independence School District made their announcement. They have partnered with Deffenbaugh to put drop-off bins at each school. The district would get a set number of dollars per ton of material they collect, and use those funds to reduce the need for fundraising events during the school year. 

Four weeks ago, I began taking the neighborhood recycling to the new recycling bin on the southeast corner of the Procter Elementary lot. I was pleased to see the amount of material that’s accepted. Glass and plastic bags are the only materials not accepted that we handled in the past. Plus, there’s no sorting required. It’s incredibly convenient, and the distance is negligible.

Now that we have a drop-off bin in our neighborhood, it’s time for Procter Recycles to evolve. It’s time for us to switch from a curbside pick-up model that had hit capacity to a drop-off model that has plenty of room to grow.

So here’s a new stretch goal for the neighborhood. We’ve built this great habit of recycling. It’s time to take it to the next level, to build the drop-off step into our routines. It couldn’t get much closer, and the school district receives the benefit.

The City of Independence announced that they will host informal seminars to coach residents through the process. Seminars will be hosted at the Fairmount Community Center at 6 PM on the following dates:

• February 25
• March 25
• April 22
• May 27
• June 24
• August 26
• September 23
• October 28
• November 18
• December 16

To apply for the tax abatement, contact Patricia Robinson, tax abatement administrator. You can reach Ms. Robinson by phone at 325-7426, or by e-mail at perobinson@indepmo.org.

Rain barrels keep water away from your foundation and out of storm sewers. You can use collected rain water to wash your car or water your lawn and garden. Collecting and using rainwater lowers the burden on water treatment facilities and eases drought conditions.

Fine Gardening has posted this quick and easy video tutorial for creating a functional and pest-free rain barrel for less than $50. If you’re a hard-core do-it-yourselfer, don’t miss the handy parts list they provide.

If I’ve piqued your interest, but you’d prefer the comfort of a workshop, Bridging the Gap offers rain barrel workshops, plus a parts kit and 55-gallon barrels for sale. If there’s enough interest, we could even organize an on-site workshop for the neighborhood. Leave a comment below to indicate your interest. See these frequently asked questions for more on the benefits and details.

While rain barrels save excess rainwater for later, rain gardens divert water and manage it on-site to help prevent soil erosion, filter pollutants to keep them out of streams and lakes, and reduce the burden on storm sewer systems. The Kansas City region’s 10,000 Rain Gardens program offers an incredible amount of information to help you get started.

The Mid-America Regional Council offers some good rain garden information, including suggestions on native plants, instructions on how to build a rain garden, and brochures on the benefits of native plants and how-to tips and suggestions.

Printing costs alone would be around $30, so we’d love to get sponsorship from area businesses. In return for sponsorship, the newsletter will include a tasteful acknowledgement of support.

Click here for a preview of the newsletter.

Don’t know how? Want to learn more? Watch this video from Common Craft.

My thoughts for this website were simple: provide a place to promote the great stuff people are doing, to exchange information about how we might help each other, to highlight what a great neighborhood we have, and to shine a spotlight on the progress being made in bringing Northwest Independence back to life.

But as much as I love writing (and I do love writing), it wouldn’t be a neighborhood website without participation.  Do you want to add content?  All you have to do is create a WordPress account and let me know in the comments below that you want to be an author.  Even if you don’t want to be an author, participate in the comments!  It’s a great way to let people know what you think!

We had a great week this week!  Eight households nearly filled my pickup.  Way to go, Procter!

We’ve reached a point where it’s more efficient for me to do some presorting.  If you could start leaving your recycling in a spare (even broken) storage tub, that would make it easier for me to do that presorting.  

Also, please be sure to rinse anything that contained food or beverages.