See also: Past newsletters

November 2006

(515) 284-5717

Tour 2006: A Success

It was a great year for the home tour! Thanks to Jack Porter's leadership and the intense efforts of the home tour committee and others over six months (or more!), the 2006 Home Tour, celebrating 30 years of tours, was a smashing success. Approximately 2,000 people toured more than 30 homes and gardens during the last two full weekends of September. Ticket sales produced the greater part of the approximately $26,000 of gross income. An innovation by the committee this year, introducing the new categories of Friends of Sherman Hill ($100) and Sponsors of the Sherman Hill Home Tour ($250), resulted in more than $4,000 of the total gross income. Net income of more than $18,000 is the money needed by the Association to conduct its affairs for the year until the 2007 Home Tour concludes. (It should be noted that none of the many volunteers, including the home owners who open their homes to ticket buyers, receive compensation for their efforts.)

Again, thanks to all who opened their homes or volunteered time, effort, money or special skills. It was a phenomenal tour!

Financial Update

Just a note about the overall financial picture of the Sherman Hill Association. The Hillside condominium project, for which planning began in 2003, required a major loan that was obtained from Iowa State Bank. All units except for the third-floor penthouse have been sold. Overall control of The Hillside is still in the hands of a board that consists of three Sherman Hill residents. When the penthouse is sold, overall control shifts to a board consisting of three residents of The Hillside, and Sherman Hill Association will no longer be involved in any way. Also, at that time, an advance of $150,000 made initially to the contractor who designed and built the penthouse will be repaid to SHA. This is important because of the financial obligations that SHA still has from the Hillside condominium project. These obligations include the balance of the major initial loan from Iowa State Bank, an amount due the Federal Home Loan Bank when 1902 Woodland changed from low income housing to The Hillside condominiums, and other amounts remaining due or potentially due from the Hillside project and its use as the Symphony Alliance Showhouse in 2004. Any balance remaining after these obligations are satisfied will be used to further the enhancement and continued improvement of the Historic District of Sherman Hill.

--Chuck Farr, Treasurer

Come to the quarterly meeting

We have some important business to attend to at the November quarterly meeting. We'll be electing new board members. (Remember, you MUST be a current member to vote--if you're not sure, bring your checkbook along.) There will be updates on the Hillside condominium project, the tour, and more.

Also, the traffic survey for the proposed tech high school has been completed, and we're expecting several representatives from the school and the city. Please come learn more, voice opinions, ask questions, etc. This is an important neighborhood issue that affects us all.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13
6:30 PM, at HOYT SHERMAN PLACE
Potluck at 6:30, business meeting at 7:00.
Bring a neighbor!

President's note

The crisp air of a fall afternoon and the few weeks we have left of brilliant colors on our trees is more than ample motivation for a stroll through the neighborhood. While you are out on a walk you can also see the answer to the question every SHA board member hears on a regular basis: What do I get for the annual dues I pay to SHA? On a stroll through the neighborhood you will no doubt appreciate the historic street lights. Your association works to keep them on and maintained. If you walk down Woodland some afternoon you will no doubt appreciate the changes to Hoyt Sherman, the Hillside condominiums, the berm between the Metro Market parking and the sidewalk, the brick wall between the MLK expansion and our neighborhood border, and the new MLK / Ingersoll condo project. Your association puts in thousands of hours working with the city and the private entities involved in those projects to make sure they are assets to the neighborhood. In fact, hardly a board meeting goes by where we are not meeting with a private developer to alter their construction design to better mesh with the neighborhood. These are just small examples of what payment of your dues helps to achieve. So as you enjoy the end of fall and approach of winter please think about becoming a member or renewing your membership and volunteering your time so we can continue to work together to enrich our neighborhood. Surprisingly, there are only 68 homes or businesses that, at last count, are current in their membership dues. We have many financial challenges ahead of us and can and must do better than this.

--Jim Quilty, President

SHERMAN HILL ASSOCIATION
1620 Pleasant Street, Suite 254
Des Moines, IA 50314