we ran over. The audience questions were on the wane, so i jumped in right away. First, i asked about edible landscaping on city land, including parks. i got a name in parks and rec--the dude to follow up with. then i asked about grey water, and got a muddled answer about rainwater for landscaping. sky took the mic then, and asked about zoning and the 4-unrelated-person maximum occupancy regulation. nothing new there; preventing slumlords, accurately judging utility use etc.
i sat in my seat, very present to last nights dream in which i was invited to join boulder, colorado's city council. these people's JOB is to serve us, to make cville a better place to live. so much of our work is about neighborhood development. this was an amazing opportunity, what else could i ask for? i've been planning a ridge st. block party for august--a harvest fest, cookout, neighborhood story sharing party in the street. so far, the various permits we'll need total nearly $300. i've been feeling pretty stumped about where that money will come from--this is not a wealthy neighborhood. folks have been happy to bring a dish to share, or share stories. they're psyched to have a party in the neighborhood. i went back and forth in my head "ask, no i can't ask, just ask! no, i can't." it never hurts to ask, i decided. so. i made my powerful request, bumbling a bit and ending with the possibility for the event; a chance for the community to really come together and connect, have a good time and build community. pause. winning smile. the three panel folks silently stared at me. pregnant pause.
then, the moderator approached me and said quietly, "sometimes we can make an exception. give me a call" and handed me his card. i looked at it, and it said "Maurice Jones, Assistant City Manager."
whoa.
3 comments:
Kassia, this reminds me so strongly of a conversation my roommate and I recently had. I grew up on the farm, and she grew up in suburbia Pennsylvania, and we were talking about the differences in our perceptions of what's normal in terms of community space and the use of your own property. I mentioned the oddness of the extra level of bureaucracy. Living in town you need a permit to breath, practically, a state of affairs that sill baffles me. She, on the other hand, has a very different concept of space than I do. Things that seem like short, convenient trips to me seem terribly out of the way for her. For her, if something is half way across town, it's terribly far. Whereas, even after all the time, the ability to "go by" anywhere on the way to anywhere else is still a novelty to me. (As opposed to dedicated trips to a particular destination which is difficult to combine with anything else.)
Anyway, my point is that your post, and your previous one about planning the party, is that it reminds me that town space is not simply the artificially created bureaucratic zoning accident that I often perceive it to me. It's real and alive, and not entirely inflexible. Good luck with the organizing.
Elizabeth
so proud of you!
Congratulations that is very amazing, way to just ask. Good modeling. Can't wait to hear about the eventual party. -Undine
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