Por Mónica Garske | Reportero SDUN

Community Association board presidents from various Uptown neighborhoods including North Park, Kensington-Talmadge, Hillcrest, Bankers Hill and University Heights have joined to form a new group known as the Consortium of Community Association Presidents (CCAP).

Spearheading the group is president of the North Park Community Association, Nikki Berdy, who said she formed CCAP in hopes of creating a forum for community leaders to come together to discuss the issues facing their respective Uptown neighborhoods.

In addition to Berdy, CCAP members include Greg Sorini of the University Heights Community Association; Luke Terpstra of the Hillcrest Town Council; Gigette Caldwell of the Kensington-Talmadge Community Association; and Ben Baltic of the Bankers Hill-Park West Community Association.

Berdy said the Consortium’s first official meeting was held on Feb. 15 at Wang’s restaurant in North Park.

“It was the first time all of the presidents had met each other at the same time, so that was great. It gave us a chance to get to know each other and discuss our communities,” Berdy said.

“Basically, the idea behind the Consortium is a neighbor-helping-neighbor type of thing. We want to bounce ideas off each other that will help make our communities better and talk about common issues that we’ve all been through,” she said.

Berdy said she believes this united front amongst the communities is vital to building a stronger Uptown and said, “If there’s ever a major issue facing one of our neighborhoods, all of us in CCAP will be able to back each other up. It’s part of being a good neighbor.”

Currently, Berdy said the group has been discussing issues like the urban design of their neighborhoods – how businesses intertwine with residential communities – and what that means for residents, as well as parking.

Although the Consortium is still relatively new, Berdy said it’s already proving to be an efficient way to exchange positive ideas that would help improve local communities. For example, Berdy said she’s been getting advice from Caldwell about forming a Citizens Patrol group to help curb crime in North Park since Kensington-Talmadge already runs a Citizens Patrol. The group has also shared ideas for community mixers and events that will help bring residents together.

Sorini said he likes the idea of meeting regularly at CCAP to talk about strategy.

“Although we’re in different parts of the city, we are similar in that we are semi-urban walkable communities made up of older homes and infrastructure mixed with newer buildings, a diverse population and business centers. We face many of the same issues as leaders of all volunteer groups and it’s great to be able to discuss them in a confidential environment and share experiences,” Sorini said.

He said future issues on the CCAP agenda will include items such as street and sidewalk maintenance, trash in the communities, police patrols and “generally making the best use of city resources during a time when funds are severely limited,” he added.

Terpstra said every Uptown neighborhood is dealing with common issues like parking, litter, noise and crime, so CCAP members can relate to each other.

“The CCAP allows us to talk to association presidents and share some of the tricks that have worked [for our neighborhoods]. Even the ones that haven’t worked can be helpful. Downtown has shown us that there is strength in numbers; we here in Uptown should get together and see how strong we can be,” Terpstra said.

Caldwell also said she thinks uniting at CCAP is a smart strategy because members will learn valuable lessons from each other.

“I think we can accomplish more in our own neighborhoods by learning how others may have tackled similar issues. In [Kensington-Talmadge], for example, we are working on better, integrated communication tools for our community. I’ve already been helped by CCAP members who have connected me with some great resources to develop a web presence and an e-mail newsletter,” Caldwell said.

Berdy said they plan to meet every other month, alternating between the different neighborhoods. Their next meeting is scheduled for April.

Berdy said the goal for all CCAP members is to come up with solutions for the community, saying, “Growth is great for all of our communities, but with growth, there are repercussions. Our communities are changing and we must keep up.”