New group "Shreveport Greenways" formed!

As many of you readers know, ABetterShreveport is devoted to promoting ideas for improving quality of life and community health of Shreveporters. As such ABS has tried to serve as an incubator (or "thinkubator" as Ian Webb has termed it) for a number of projects. Once those ideas get momentum, teams, groups, and even formal organizations can emerge from that process. The ABetterShreveport Downtown is one such group, and now we've got another one.

At the Coates Bluff meeting last night, with Feico Kempff, Carolyn Manning, Loren Demerath, Jon Soul, Susan Keith, Maurice Loridans, and Cynthia Keith in attendance, we decided to form a group devoted to promoting Greenways in Shreveport.

We voted on several options, and the results were that the group is called "Shreveport Greenways".

We defined our independent roles as follows:
secretary and blog editor: Loren Demerath
coordinator: Carolyn Manning
marketer/enewsletter editor: Carolyn
fundraiser: Carolyn
project leison: Feico Kempff
project manager (timelines): Feico
legal council: Maurice Loridans
bicycle transportation advisor: Maurice Loridans
treasurer: Ian Webb
public relations spokesperson: Ian Webb
education facilitators: Susan Keith, Jon Soul, Robert Trudeau

We're all fired up and ready to go! We don't just want to talk about greenways, we want to make them happen, starting with the pilot project of the Coates Bluff Greenway. Stay tuned to this blog to monitor our progress. Naturally, anyone's more than welcome to join us. Feel free to drop by a meeting, or comment on a post!

Other notes from the meeting:

What a success on the 7th with the Velo Dendro biking tree tour of the city!

What did Hallie do to get such a turnout of 100?
- got the media before; Rick Rowe was on a bike on tv 2 days prior publicizing it
- got the different organizations to disseminate the info; Shreveport Green, LSU Agricultural Center, HAP, HRA, ABS, etc.
- had org meeting six months prior
Future rides?: Architecture, Community Gardens, Home Gardens, History Tour, House Paint Jobs, Properties Available, Pub Crawl, Snack Tour...

ON GREENWAYS:
Feico presented us with the land trust information and Sharon's scope of work; Feico wanted to hear about other options to the land trust.

Brochure created already, delayed in printing, but have petty cash for printing 200 or so?
Can't show roller blades if we're not going to pave it. Easier to find photos for that; might not get a perfect fit.


Brochure: good but minus pavement?
Name: Friends of Shreveport Greenways, ABetterGreenwayedShreveport, ABetterShreveport through Greenways, etc.; final: Shreveport Greenways
Mission: "A Better Shreveport through Greenways"
to get them done the best more effective way possible, but that may not mean our controlling and maintaining them; Veteran's park did become neglected by the city; the Katy Trail Association cares for that trail, though the city is supposed to care for it. What's our role going to be? Are we going to plan/design the trail or give it to someone else? Or the fundraisers? Need to look to the future; naming ourselves is a start... Want to extend beyond Coates Bluff to work for other greenways as well throughout the city; can set the landtrust idea aside until we decide our role... Do we believe that if we just advocate it it'll get done? Or are there not enough stakeholders? Taking politicians on a field trip to the Katy Trail as they did for senators in Houston on the Buffalo River. We don't want to sell landowners on something that gets neglected. Someone has to kick this off and say "we're in charge". There's no one else, e.g., Rails to Trails, who will take this on. All over the world cities use floodways as bikeways because there's nothing else you can do with them. As long as we don't see each Greenway the same and respond to the consensus in the scientific community on how to be socially and environmentally responsible and proactive. The Greenways Group would be a group acting for greenways in general, but for each trail there may be different organizational forms; developers may come to us and say I want to put int a gway, can you make recommendations; We're talking alternative transporation and getting people out of cars; doesn't have to be green, but better if it is. ("Complete Streets" is a movement in the U.S., and LA DOT has told NLCOG and other MPO's to incorporate those principles in their planning.) Susan asked if we need to consider proposed routes elsewhere to create a whole system? Hopefully we'd evolve into those concerns. There's discussion of extending the bike path to LSUS, and even on the levee all the way to Alexandria. Susan mentioned the U.L.Coleman company owns part of a section. Petty Cash Account: we need cash; Carolyn's going to donate $50.

Draft of Mission Statement: "to organize community support for Shreveport Greenways, to advocate support for the Greenways, to raise private and public funds for the completion of the Greenways, and to help the city of Shreveport plan, build, and maintain Trail improvements."

Can bring in Davenport's students be a part of this, researching stuff, designing stuff.
Friends of Shreveport Greenways name is because the chief tasks are coordinating and fund raising;

Cynthia said the dog park could be a part of ABS, others agreed.

The next meeting Shreveport Greenways meeting will be in two weeks on 11/23; we'll alternate with ABS every other night. ABdtnS has been meeting every other lunch monday.

TASKS AHEAD:
Loren and Carolyn will finish the borchue and after next week's ABS meeting we'll approve the that and the format for the enewsletter. And if you know of anyone who wants to be a sponsor, let Carolyn know; financial support will help make this all happen.