Business Statement

WHO ARE WE? The Douglas Acres Neighborhood Association (D.A.N.A.) exists to preserve the quality of the Douglas Acres Neighborhood, promote the area as desirable for family living, foster neighborhood fellowship and serve as a vehicle by which problems are resolved and neighborhood goals are achieved. In other words, we are your neighbors working together to keep our neighborhood a great place to live.

WHAT ARE THE BOUNDRIES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD? The boundaries are Four Mile Creek (east), I-235 (west), Aurora Avenue (north) and Euclid (south). It also includes property owned by Grace Church, Grand Homes and Stover Heights. These areas were voluntarily annexed into the city and are part of D.A.N.A.

WHEN ARE MEETINGS HELD? We hold a Members Meeting on the second Tuesdays of January, March, May, July, September, and November. All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. and are held in the Fellowship Hall of Staves Methodist Church (on the comer of East 28^th & Madison) unless otherwise publicized.

The Board of Directors meet monthly on the second Monday of the month. Meetings are held at the HyVee store at 2540 E Euclid Ave beginning at 7:00 p.m. You do not need to be a member of the Board of Directors to attend. All residents are encouraged to bring ideas, concerns and solutions.

> ICE CREAM SOCIAL has been held in July to provide an informal time to meet your neighbors and city leaders. Past visitors to our event include the Mayor, council members, school officials, City Manager as well as representatives from the police and other city departments. This is usually held on the second Tuesday in July. Look for details in future publications.

> SCRUB DAY for residents to dispose of items not normally picked up by city sanitation. The schedule is posted on this website and the City of Des Moines website.

> YARD OF THE WEEK AND HOLIDAY LIGHTS contests to recognize residents who promote good neighbor ideals. To nominate a residence for either contest, please contact Joe Youngwirth at 266-2569.

> FLAG DISPOSAL is available at any DANA event through SCRUB Day. Bring your worn flags to D.A.N.A. and we will arrange to have them delivered to the VFW for proper disposal.

> REPRESENTATION TO CITY GOVERNMENT is another benefit of the Neighborhood Association. Representatives from D.A.N.A. have gone before Planning and Zoning, the City Council, Police Department and other city and county organizations.

> SUPPORT OF LOCAL BUSINESS. D.A.N.A. strives to use local business whenever possible. Business owners who join the association are given one free business card advertisement in our newsletter. Additional advertising can be purchased at a nominal cost. Please contact a member of the Steering Committee for Details.

> SERVICE TO OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY. In past years we have donated to Garton Elementary, North and East High Post Prom, the Salvation Army and supported community efforts at Gray's Lake, Greater Eastside Development Association.

> MEMBERSHIP IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. Douglas Acres is a member of the Des Moines Neighbors, an umbrella group of neighborhood associations in the city, Northeast Neighbors and Friends and Greater Eastside Development organization.

On January 9, 2008, DANA incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under Iowa law by the filing of articles of incorporation with the Iowa Secretary of State. This means that DANA now has a board of directors, a president, and a vice president in place of a steering committee, a chairperson, and a vice chairperson. Other officers are the secretary and treasurer. By incorporating as a nonprofit, DANA can reduce its postage costs for mailing of the newsletter. Also, DANA is required to file a report with the state every other year to keep its status as a nonprofit corporation.
On February 11, 2008, the DANA board of directors adopted corporate bylaws to govern the operation of DANA. The bylaws specify that every person over the age of eighteen who lives or owns a business or property in the Douglas Acres Neighborhood is a member of DANA. Payment of dues is not a requirement for membership; payment is considered to be a contribution to DANA. The bylaws define the boundaries of the neighborhood. The bylaws set the procedures for meetings and elections and the duties of the officers and directors. The bylaws can be amended only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members at any meeting of members.

FOR THE BUSINESS STATEMENT PAGE CLICK HERE

FOR THE D.A.N.A. BYLAWS CLICK HERE

FOR THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION CLICK HERE

The City of Des Moines has developed a plan and Douglas Acres has approved it for improving the neighborhood

To See The Neighborhood Plan (large file in .pdf format) CLICK HERE

In July the Douglas Acres Neighborhood was chosen as a “designated” neighborhood in the city of Des Moines. What does this mean exactly? From April 1997 until July we were considered a “recognized” neighborhood with set borders, an association board that meets regularly and open meetings to all residents. A “Designated” neighborhood now means that we will be working very closely with the City of Des Moines and all of the professional resources they have available.

On July 25, 2006, Linda Westergaard and Mary Whisenand represented D.A.N.A. at the first meeting with the Neighborhood Revitalization Board, the committee for the City that will oversee our development. Essentially what will happen is that each of the five chosen neighborhoods will work with the city to conduct a complete survey of needs, wants and future planning. Everything from sidewalks (or lack of), streets, sewers and lighting can be part of the review. A visible example of a designated neighborhood’s accomplishments includes the street light and signage over 6^th Avenue in Highland/Oak Park.

There are two neighborhood associations who will begin immediate planning with the City. They are the Waterbury Association and South Park. It is not known when DANA will have their turn, but there is one thing we can access right now. We are eligible to meet with the Neighborhood Finance Corporation to apply for loans. This is public money that is given to the city and the county for distribution to qualified citizens. To date they have given almost 130 million. Of course it isn’t free. There are parts of the loan money that is “forgivable” but you do need to repay the remaining balance. Some types of financing also require residency guidelines to qualify. Typical recipients have used the money to do roof repairs, foundation repairs, HVAC or other energy efficiencies in the home.

Please contact Linda Westergaard at 453-7339 for more information about this new program. DANA will continue to keep everyone informed of our progress as we take on this new level of recognition by the City of Des Moines.