CVNA Neighborhood-Wide Garage Sale

Saturday May 19th, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Find great bargains in Lansing's Colonial Village

Sale Location:  map
Mt Hope Blvd south to Holmes Road &
West of Martin Luther King Blvd to Pleasant Grove.

CVNA News Newsletter

The May edition of the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association's Newsletter was recently delivered to all homes and businesses in the Colonial Village and neighboring  areas.  Click here to get  your very own copy. To request a paper copy of the newsletter contact: Karl Biasi at kebiasi@att.net or call 517-487-1713.

Farmers Market

South Lansing Farmers Market to open soon  in Colonial Village.  The Market, previously located in Benjamin Davis Park, is being relocated to the Grace United Methodist Church's parking at 1905 Mt. Hope corner of Boston Blvd.  The Market is scheduled to be open on Thursdays between the hours of 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. June - September.  Click here to learn more about the Market and how you can participate as a vendor or volunteer 

Family Dollar Store

Craig Singer, owner of the Colonial Village Mall, attended the April 18 CVNA meeting and reported that the Family Dollar Stores chain will soon open a store in the space formerly occupied by the L&L Food Center.  Read more in the CVNA newsletter.

Daytime Break-ins...

Two daytime home invasions were reported in the past week. The first was on Boston Blvd near Pleasant Grove and the recent one was on Cooper east of Pattengill. If you see something suspicious call 485-4600. If you see an actual breaking and entering in progress, call 911.

Enter and Track Code Complaints Online

This is the web tool available to log complaints on housing issues. The system is tied into the City Assessor’ s property web site to track complaints.

To submit a complaint go to the Lansing web at www.cityoflansingmi.com. Look for Quick Links on the right side and click on Departments, then Planning and Neighborhood Development. On that page check the left side for Code Compliance and click on it. Then click on Complaints on the left side. Or use www.lansingmi.gov/pnd/codecom/complaints.jsp if you want to enter the complaint page directly.

Entering a complaint is very easy. Don’t forget to start with the house number and street name or else the complaint cannot be processed. If you enter your phone number or email the Code Compliance staff will be able to contact you if they have any questions. While you will not be getting return phone or email notifications, it is now easy to track issues.

Tracking complaints begins back at the Lansing web site (see above). Click on Find which is under I Want To on the left side. Then click on Property Information Lookup.

On the next page select Building Department Search on the left. Then click on the dot next to Search by Address. Enter the street name followed by a single address or a range of address numbers on the street. Finally, click on the Search button. If you want to view more in a list, change the Records per Page at the bottom. You can also page through the addresses using page selection on the right near the bottom.

To check a particular property, select the Parcel Number on the far left of the line that has the Property Address (it takes a little time to find property in the data base). Any permits, enforcements or certificates will be listed. Each one can be viewed by clicking on the item under Number.

For entering the Building Department Search directly use: https://is.bsasoftware.com/bsa.is/PermitServices/ServicePropertySearch.aspx?i=5&appid=2&unit=384

This will be very helpful. But we must use it responsibly. Give a normal time for processing complaints. Any premise violation (grass, trash etc..) is rechecked in 7-8 days and if submitted the contractor has 10 days to complete the job. Use the site to track complaints instead of logging additional complaints. Enjoy.

A message from CVNA President Karl Biasi

Yes, Neighbors... Elmhurst School to Close

In a surprise vote on March 22, 2012 the Lansing School Board voted on a new plan that will close Elmhurst School. The new Interim Superintendent, Yvonne Caamal Canul told me they closed the school because, "it had the lowest enrollment." There were no fact sheets present to show the analysis.

I have been following this issue for several months. I listened to the first plan presented by the former administration. I reviewed the lengthy summary presented by retiring School Board Member Jack Davis. I attended the public hearing at REO School. I have attended 2 Board meetings.

Channel 10 carried a story Wednesday night that all 3 High Schools were to stay open according to an unidentified school administrator. I checked the internet most of the day Thursday to get a copy of the recommendations. I went to the meeting an hour early to get a copy. And, I checked periodically to see if there were copies for the public. The copies were available after the meeting started as the Board began discussion.

No specific data was given on individual schools. The presentation included their statement that "Neighborhood Associations" were a key part of the District's support. I wanted to jump up and say, "not ours". We never heard a peep from a Board Member or anyone else.

Now we need to gather facts and challenge the closing where necessary.  I made myself available to the Elmhurst PTA and any one else that wants to get to the Board.

CVNA Seeking Volunteers

If you are a resident, business owner, or a part of the community  located in the area represented by the Colonial Village Neighborhood Association (CVNA), please consider participating as a volunteer in the association.  The Association offers you an opportunity  to invest in your own neighborhood.  You can do this simply by volunteering an average 11/2 - 3 hours a month of your time to serve on the board or on one or more of several committees.   This organization runs solely on volunteers and donations.  Your involvement would be truely appreciated.  For more information on board vacancies and committes contact Karl Biasi, President, at 487-1713 or kebiasi@comcast.net

Come Walk With Us!

Would you enjoy meeting neighbors and getting some exercise at the same time?  The Walking Group meets 10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and 7 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday at Grace United Methodist Church (corner of Mt. Hope and Boston Blvd.).  Join us when you can.  For more information call June Kenfield at 580-8560

Elmhurst Park Tennis Courts Are Now Open and Ready For Use
Last Year the Elmhurst Park tennis courts were resurfaced and reopened for use in August, 2011.  The reopening was celebrated with a ribbon cutting on August 4, 2011, The ceremony was attended by Mayor, Virg Bernero, the Todd Martun Fund and Colonial Village Neighbors.  The Todd Martin Fund staff taught children how to play. They used the latest equipment and method by placing a smaller net on half the tennis court and used larger –multi colored balls. They also provided racquets that had shorter handles. This new method of teaching kids how to play tennis is intended to keep from overwhelming the kids with the full sized courts and bigger/heavier racquets. The kids seemed to love it.   This same opportunity  can be arranged again to anyone interested.  In addition, adults who are interested in playing or having lessons can contact Willie Vinson,ry of the process.
    If you are looking for someone to play tennis, contact Willie Vinson, vinsonstmp@att.net or call 517-482-8724.
    Check out more photos of the rededication >> on our facebook page.

Contact CVNA With Your Suggestions and Comments

CVNA welcomes your suggestions and comments.  To submit information, photos and suggestions send to Karl Biasi, CVNA President at kebiasi@att.net or call 517-487-1713.