Category Archives: News Articles

Fairmount Park Neighborhood Association January 2018 Newsletter

Happy New Year. Please enjoy our first issue of 2018

Fairmount Park Neighborhood Association January 2018 Newsletter

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Fairmount Park September Newsletter

Please Enjoy the Fairmount Park September Newsletter

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Fairmount Park Neighborhood Pollination Garden

The FPNA presented our proposal for a pollination garden to be planted on the vacant city-owned lot at 409 Park Ave. to the City Council on April 25th. Our project was unanimously and enthusiastically approved. End of Phase 1.

Phase 2 of the project is about to begin, which is to order the wildflower seeds and get the ground tilled for planting. Our committee has its work cut out for it, but all volunteers are welcome and needed. There’s plenty of work for all, including planting, watering and weeding, so don’t be shy about adding your names to our list of volunteers!

Judging by the interest shown by the public at the City Council meeting, this is an idea that may catch fire in other areas as well. Again, we are the “urban pioneers” who get things done.

If you are interested in volunteering please contact Michelle Mutchler-Burns at Gopack8763@aol.com or Sharon Babbitt at sbabbitt2@cox.net

Sharon Babbitt
President, FPNA

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163 Glen Avenue: The History We Live In: Ernest and Ethel Peet home

Here’s the newspaper writeup on my house at 163 Glen Ave from last Sunday’s Nonpareil:

The History We Live In: Ernest and Ethel Peet home, 163 Glen Ave

If you skip through all the “begats” in the first column and start at the bottom of the second column, the story of “Peet’s Feed” is the interesting part. Most of us Beck kids delivered the Nonpareil to Ethel Peet at my current address. She was Vice President of Peet’s Feed, which her husband started in 1916. Ethel Peet lived in my house until she died in 1979. Her last will and testament is listed in my abstract — pages and pages of all the farms she owned. Total value of estate — $5.3 million.

Here’s a photo of an old postcard: Peet Mfg. Co. Postcard

And here’s a 1945 ad for E.M. Peet Mfg: Peet Mfg. 1945 Ad

I’m going to check with the Dodge House to see if they still have Ethel’s huge bell collection, which used to hang in the middle of my large mahogany showcase. When I moved into the house, the bells were gone, but the remains of a huge cloth-covered cable was still at the top of the showcase. According to my neighbor, all those wires were used to ring all the bells and supposedly she had some of them rigged up to the doorbell.

Steve Beck
163 Glen Avenue

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John Drake Vital Part of a Mentoring Team

Our friend and Neighbor John Drake (451 Glen) has been recognized as playing a vital role as part of a mentoring team to a Lewis Central student. Please enjoy the link to the Daily Nonpariel Article below.

Student-athlete finds future hope through teacher, mentor, coach

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Terri Dowell Face of the Day

Our own neighbor and FPNA board member Terri Dowell has a write up in the Daily Nonpariel “Face of the Day”. Please see the link Below. Enjoy.

The Daily Nonpariel Face of the Day

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Return To Fairmount Park

What do we have to look forward to this coming year of 2015? I’m sure all of you are very excited about November’s announcement from the city to invest in a major renewal project for Fairmount Park. The “Return to Fairmount Park” project will be a nearly $1 million project over the coming year. We want to recognize that this is being made possible, in part, by a $100,000 lead donation from the Rotary Club of Council Bluffs as their celebrate their 100th year of service.
Once considered the greatest park in the area and a regional destination, Fairmount Park has a history of being one of the premier parks in the country in the early parts of the last century. It featured a greenhouse, ice-skating, sledding, a petting zoo and an old bell tower. Council Bluffs’ trolley streetcars once had a stop at Fairmount Park. You can find further details on the project at the link below.

RETURN TO FAIRMOUNT PARK

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Old KOIL Radio Station is now five apartments

All,
If you did not catch Mary Lou McGinn’s excellent article about the KOIL building in our neighborhood (600 Huntington Avenue) please see the below link to the Nonpariel.com site. Enjoy

Old KOIL Radio Station is now five apartments

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Neighborhood Associations Defend Council Bluffs

Neighborhood Association representatives met at the Neighborhood Center (136 South Main) to publicly refute the Nonpareil article and the NeighborhoodScout.com online report about ranking Council Bluffs the 56th most dangerous city in America.

Those present included City Councilmen Nate Watson, Dan Rhodes President of Kainsville-Tinley Neighborhood Association, John Marshall Vice President of North Broadway Neighborhood Association and myself as President of the Farirmount Park Neighborhood Association.

I’ve included the link to the Nonpareil and KMTV news story. I encourage everyone to read the article and review the broadcast to form their own opinions.

Nonpareil: Danger Zone? County supervisor proposes crime and safety commission

KMTV3: Council Bluffs More Dangerous than Chicago

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FPNA: Selected as Finalist for 2014 Neighborhood of the Year (NOTY)

The Fairmount Park Neighborhood Association has been selected as a finalist for the 2014 Neighborhood of the Year (NOTY) award. Back in February we submitted our FPNA Pole Project as our entry to the 2014 Neighborhood of the Year (NOTY) awards.

The 2014 NOTY awards from Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) marks the 30th year that NUSA will recognize the outstanding work of neighborhood organizations across the United States for their work in improving the quality of life in their communities. Our entry was in the Physical Revitalization/Beautification category. Entrants were judged on Self Help/Financial Capability, Grassroots Involvement, Innovativeness, Community Benefit, Sustainability., Leadership Development , Partnership Building , Volunteerism and Ability to be Replicated.

The winners of the 2014 NOTY will be announced on May 22nd. at the 2014 NUSA conference in Eugene, Oregon. This is the annual conference of Neighborhoods for the United States. I want to thank all of our FPNA volunteers who have worked on our Pole project from writing grants, creating budgets, digging holes, erecting poles, hanging banners, planting flower baskets and constructing decorations. Your time, energy and effort is greatly appreciated.

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