Appreciation from the heart
by Kathy Campbell
Editor’s Note: Kathy Campbell, whose “Kathy’s Kitchen” recipes are a regular feature in this newsletter, served on the board from 2013 to 2020, including as vice president.
I want to share how I ended up being on the BWNA Board and remained there for seven years. We had lived on a very busy block for 20 years and were anxious to move into more of a neighborhood. When we found our house here, we just felt like it was the right place at the right time for us.
There was a copy of the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association newsletter on the front porch. Upon reading it, I contacted Al Ellis, BWNA president at that time. He invited me to come to a board meeting, and they put me on the board right away. During those seven years, I was able to meet so many people within this neighborhood. It was a “dream come true” for me.
I treasure the work we did and the work that you all continue to do to make our neighborhood safe, inclusive, friendly, and a Mr. Rogers-type neighborhood to which many people want to move. Bless you for doing this work.
Pedestrian Etiquette
by Kathy Allen
I am not sure this is the appropriate forum for my issue, but thought I would start with BWNA. With more of us out walking these days and the pandemic raging, compliance with social distancing and mask recommendations is essential. To that end, I would like to address “pedestrian etiquette.” As I walk around the Beaumont-Wilshire and Rose City Park neighborhoods, I try to adhere to the “rules of the road” and use the sidewalk to the right of the street. I frequently encounter other walkers coming toward me on the same sidewalk, resulting in either myself or the other party having to veer out into the street. Walking on the sidewalk in the direction the traffic is going would help avoid coming face to face with another pedestrian, not to mention unpredictable encounters between dogs.
I realize there are exceptions to my suggestion—for instance, one-way streets and streets with sidewalks on only one side—but the overwhelming majority of streets in the Beaumont-Wilshire/Rose City Park neighborhoods are two-way with sidewalks on both sides. I think it would be great if the BWNA board would take the lead in facilitating a grassroots “Right-of-Way Pedestrian Movement.” Pedestrian etiquette can make a positive difference.