wpia march 2011 newsletter
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Monday,Ma
rch28,2011
::RooseveltE
lementary::7
:00p.m.
Michigans Oldest Block AssociationFormed in 1924
About | Archives:www.wpiaferndale.org
march 2011
homestead
Presidents Page
Whats new and happening in our neigh-borhood since the last newsletter
Featured Residence
Take a look inside 641 W. Oakridge,a Sears kit home built in 1925
WPIA in 1926
An original resident enjoys a visit withpresent-day owners
Beautification Award
Continuing our annual plaque presentationto a derserving resident
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Not unlike everyone else, I oten wonder where the timehas gone. It was not too long ago that I revamped this verynewsletterproud to have turned out a virtual mini-magazine--when time just slipped away. Lo and behold its more than threeyears later and another edition is fnally complete.
For those new residents who are are reading this publicationor the frst time, welcome! We are a riendly group whostrives to provide ameneties or the beneft o all. Our blockdirectors (a list is at the end o this issue) are your frst line o
communication. They ensure that you receive timely notice omeetings, help to distribute the luminaries on Christmas eve,attend board meetings on your behal, communicate yourconcerns and praises to the board, distribute notices to all onyour block throughout the year, obtain signatures or block salepermits and, o course, collect yearly dues!
Thank you to Bill Frederick (U. Woodland), Sue Nash (L.Woodland) and Judy Garlock (U. Drayton) who have served ormany years as block directors. It was a pleasure working withyou and we so appreciate your time and eorts over the years.In addition, we welcome Kerry Keener (U. Woodland), Tiani
PresidentsPage
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(L. Woodland), Jessica Gustke (L. Oakridge) and Garry Andrews(U. Drayton) as new block directors. Thank you or volunteering,Kerry, Tifani and Garry. There was also a vacancy on LowerMaplehust and I am pleased to announce that Pat Omrans haslled that vacancy. Pats husband, Mike, will assist her to servethe largest block o our association. Thank you again, everyone.
There have been a ew changes to the executive board oo cers. At the last board meeting in the all, two o cersstepped down. Carol Frederick, our long-serving vice
president, has stepped down. I personally would like tothank Carol or not only her years o service as an o cer,block director, block party and yard sale organizer, but or herexpertise, knowledge and guidance throughout my tenure aspresident. Your years o volunteerism are not overlooked bythose who know the contributions you have made over theyears.
The presidents position is also vacant. Ater 12 years in thisposition, it is time to move on. I will remain in the capacity oex o cio president until the 2012 annual meeting and willcontinue on as newsletter publisher and historian.
Please join us on Monday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. at RooseveltElementary to see who the nominations committee presentsas candidates or this election. In addition, block directorsrom Oakridge, Woodland and Lewiston are up or election.Nominations rom the oor are also accepted. Terms or o cersare one year and two years or block directors.
It hasnt been di cult to gather stories or ideas or this issue.They oten times present themselves. However, my attentionto detail can be my stumbling block. I work hard to present a
newsletter that is eyecatching, provide a new perspective onour unique neighborhood and hope the inormation containedwithin is enjoyable.
I you have any story ideas and especially old photographs,please contact me at [email protected].
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TreasurersReportandUpdateKatrina Collins reports that our bank balance is $4,833.47.
All bills have been paid as o February 22.
February was of cially the second snowiest on record and
it is has been a dif cult year to nd a place to put all thesnow. It has been way too much or our snow removal
Contractors equipment. We will be reviewing our optionsat our annual meeting. Please join us!
Dues are submitted to your block director. See page 13 ora list o block directors.
Street 2011 High1
Upper Oakridge 81% 88%
Lower Oakridge 75% 95%
Upper Drayton 90% 95%
Lower Drayton 67% 84%
Upper Woodland 55% 93%
Lower Woodland 54% 95%Upper Maplehurst 50% 95%
Lower Maplehurst 69% 75%
Lower Lewiston 64% 80%
Total2 67%
1Highest percentage collected since 20012Includes donations by residents
Valuable Coupon
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Her LastVisitResidents visit with
original 436 W. Maplehurstoccupant.
By Pat Dengate
On a sunny Saturday morning in June o 2006, I went out ontoour ront porch to fnd an elderly lady walking up to our house at436 W. Maplehurst. She smiled warmly and introduced hersel asJean Baltzer. She told me her parents had built our house in late1925/early 1926, when she was a toddler, and she lived here untithe late 1940s! Mrs. Baltzer, whose maiden name was Dickey,was in Michigan rom Caliornia to bury her husbands ashes inhis native Petoskey, and beore she went home she wanted totake what might be her last look at the house where she spent somany o her ormative years.I have an intense interest in history, and not two months earlierhad said that I wish I had some early photos o our house andknew more about its history. I invited Mrs. Baltzer in, and aterhelping her up the steps, sat her down in the dining room. Whatollowed was a very pleasant hour visiting, with stories about heramily, and what it was like living in our house in the 1920s, 30s,and 40s. Mrs. Baltzer described various neighbors, and also gaveme three small photos o the house when it was new.
She was also able to explain some o the quirky things about thehouses design, which, through my extensive renovation work,had puzzled me. One example o this is the way a portion o the
back o the house (the kitchen) sticks out about 2 eet urtherthan the rest o the house. Doing this required the carpentersto change the pitch o the house in a small area, and created anodd open space above the oundation under which cold winterair sweeps and makes that part o the kitchen oor icy cold.Why on earth did they do this, I wondered? Her ather made thisdesign change so that the ice box could sit at that end o thekitchen oor, and drain directly through the oor to the outside!This made it unnecessary to empty a drain pan o melted iceevery day. I would never have guessed this explanation.
Regrettably, my wie Diane was not home that day, but ourchildren Liz and Andrew had the opportunity to meet thisoriginal occupant o the house they themselves grew up in. Mrs.Baltzer and Liz shared the same bedroom . . . 60 years apart!
The visit was poignant, and when I asked her i it elt strangeto be sitting in the house again ater so many years, she said,yes so many memories. We exchanged a ew letters atershe returned to Caliornia, and she very kindly sent me anothertreasure: the original architects drawing o the ront o thehouse. I eel very ortunate to have met Mrs. Baltzer. What a greatexperience.
Stories such as these add to the character of our neighborhood. Do youhave an interesting neighborhood story or old photographs from theneighborhood or of downtown? Want to share a story? Send an email [email protected].
Jean Dickey Baltzers family on the porch of their new Ferndale home.
Jean Dickey Baltzer then and now.
The architects original rendering of 436 W. Maplehurst.
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Did YouKnow?
Some interesting factswere discovered uponreview of our archives.
Drayton was ormerly named ElmdaleAvenue.
Livernois was named Staord Avenue.
Oakridge was originally given theBoulevard designation, as wasWoodland.
The entire strip o Pinecrest wasoriginally named Ridge Road. In 1925when Woodward was widened and theassociation was ormed the year prior toprevent property condemnation by thestate, our properties were subdividedand streets were renamed with thewest directional.
1/2 iron pins in the ground near thestreet intersections and alleys are romsurvey teams that originally platted theneighborhoods. They go down 18 intothe ground.
In 1948 the asking price or 436 W.
Drayton was $30,000.
Source: 1914 and 1925 Plats filed with Oakland County that mapour entire association. Click here to view.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of association records prior to the1940s, please contact Karen Breen-Bondie at 248.399.2607. It ap-
pears our archives are not complete.
Valuable Coupon
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http://mywebpages.comcast.net/oaklandinferno/pdfs/1914originalplatmapand1924resubc.pdfhttp://mywebpages.comcast.net/oaklandinferno/pdfs/1914originalplatmapand1924resubc.pdf -
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Home
SecurityInformationThis tip came rom Lower Drayton resident Neil Wilson. Putyour car keys beside your bed at night. I you hear a noiseoutside your home or someone trying to get in your house,
just press the panic button or your car. The alarm will goo, and the horn will continue to sound until either youturn it o or the car battery dies.
Try it the next time you come home or the night and you
start to put your keys away. Its a security alarm system thatyou probably already have and requires no installation. Testit. It will go o rom most everywhere inside your houseand will keep honking until your battery runs down or untilyou reset it with the button on the key ob chain. It works iyou park in your driveway or garage.
I your car alarm goes o when someone is trying to breakin your house, odds are the burglar wont stick around andater a ew seconds all the neighbors will be looking out otheir window to see what is going on drawing unwantedattention to the criminal.
SuggestedPlantingsOur resident landscape architect, Stacey Tobar (540 W
Drayton), recommends the ollowing trees, partiallybecause they already exist as street trees in ou
neighborhood. Most trees that are considered ast growingare weed trees: messy, shallow root system that can damage
adjacent pavements and drain pipes
Tree size matters. I aordable, a 3 caliper tree (diamete
o trunk 3 rom the ground) that is best or survival andimpact o lea oilage
Red maple, upright oval shapeHoney locust, smaller leaves, round shape
Zelkova Gingko, slow growingAny o the new elm hybrids such as Homestead, Allee o
Prairie
Thank you Neil and Stacey or all this helpul inormation.
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641W. Oakridge
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Sears
Mail-Order HomeWhen Scott and Debbie Sobolewski purchased their home in1993, they had no idea it was an inamous Sears Mail Orderhome. It wasnt until the Maywood model was locatedwithin Ferndale Public Librarys own collection o architecturebooks entitled, Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears,Roebuck and Company by Katherine Cole Stephenson that theidentifcation was made. And they were thrilled!
The home was built in 1925 and the Sobolewskis are the third
owners. Their sons, Trey (16) and Camden (13) are the frstchildren to live in the home. There are three bedrooms andtwo ull baths. Legend is that the original owner, Mr. Davies, asalesman, invented the banking industry coin change machine.Ater he had them manuactured, he went on the road andsold them to banks.
The homes interior is pretty much unchanged. At some point,the second owners enclosed the side porch. Also interesting tonote is that the house had original air conditioning units withan electrical hookup. The urnace is approximately 50 yearsold and a heating and cooling expert told them there was noneed to replace it, that its a workhorse and parts are readilyavailable.
The basement was renovated a ew years ago but they neveround any interesting artiacts in the house. A ew years backthey attended the Pleasant Ridge arts and crats show andsaw an artist selling a small watercolor o their home. Debbieand Scott were araid that i they pointed it out to the vendor,suddenly the price would escalate. The artist said she paintedit by mistake and conused it with a house she was actuallycommissioned to paint on West Drayton. The Sobolewskisimmediately thought it was another yellow Dutch colonial and
were surprised to hear that it was actually a brick house thatshe had mistaken it or! They purchased the watercolor or $10A bargain indeed.
The Sobolewskis truly love our historic neighborhood and werealways attracted to living in an older home. They have alsoenjoyed living across rom Roosevelt Elementary. During thePTAs June Fair, they host an annual yard party or their riends.
Would you like to feature your home or nominate the next featured home for thenext issue of Homestead? Dont be shy! Email [email protected].
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http://www.antiquehome.org/House-Plans/1928-Sears/Maywood.htmhttp://www.antiquehome.org/House-Plans/1928-Sears/Maywood.htm -
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Spaulding & CurtinFuneral Directors LLC500 W. Nine Mile Rd.
Ferndale, Michigan 48220
544-0500www.spauldingcurtin.com
Patrick J. Curtin
A Family Commitment of Funeral Service to theCommunity Since 1927
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2005* Beautifcation Award Winner426 W. Maplehurst
Owner: Pam Cummings Style: Frame bungalow
Square Footage: 1,100 Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 1.5 Year Built: 1924
Price Paid in 1998: $124,000 Years at this Residence: 12.5 years
Pam moved into our neighborhood in 1999. Sheabsolutely loves living here and loves her home.
She and her brother designed the side portico/arbor because she thought the house needed alittle customization and she knew she wanted toincorporate lattice into the design.
She has not uncovered any historical treasureswhile living there but was thrilled a ew years agowhen she was approached to use her home in aDTE commercial! They used both the interior andexterior during the all-day shoot. She was thrilled
to see the results used or a new DTE billing systempromotion. She recalls that they also used another
home in Northville in the same campaign. A ewyears prior to that her garage was used or a Delphistill advertisment.
Congratulations Pam!
*Our committee was on hiatus until funding could be restored for this worthwhileproject and we are happy to report that this great tradition will continue.
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A Family-Owned BusinessSince 1928
23459 Woodward Avenue
Ferndale, Michigan 48220
248.544.2100
www.wetmores.com
Coupons available online
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.Wetmores 1938
Photo courtesy o the Ferndale Historical Museum
Wetmores Inc.
Ferndale Historical Museum
Trace your homes history and ormer owners by visitingour very own Ferndale Historical Museum located at 1651
Livernois. Diane ONeill, at the museum, spent ten yearsresearching data and archiving Ferndale homeowner
inormation. Inormation is kept in binders according tostreet name. Stop by to see them.
I anyone knows the names o the original homebuilders in our area, please contact Karen Breen-Bondie,
248.399.2607 or [email protected].
Wont you consider joining the Ferndale HistoricalSociety? Yearly membership is $10 and includes a very
inormative quarterly newsletter. Here is an applicationto join.
Museum hours: Open every Saturday rom 2:00 - 4:00pm.
Available Online:
12 x 12 historical plaques are available to purchase oryour home online or $85 through the Ferndale Historical
Societys website at http://historicerndale.org/store.php.Provide the year o your house.
Also, over the last ew years, I have had the opportunity
to research historic photos or various projects that theFerndale Downtown Development Authority (DDA)has worked on through its BUILD program. Theyre
compiled and available online or viewing here. Do youhave any photos to add to the collection? Contact Karen
Breen-Bondie through channels mentioned above.
RecentNW FerndaleHome Sales
Address Date1 Price
466 W. Drayton 12/3/10 $162,500
437 W. Drayton 5/26/10 219,000
393 W. Drayton 5/24/10 131,462
630 W. Drayton 3/24/10 185,000
372 W. Lewiston 11/1/09 208,000
361 W. Drayton 3/22/09 127,000
361 W. Oakridge 12/28/08 182,000
886 W. Drayton2 12/21/08 219,000
531 W. Oakridge 8/3/08 189,000
722 W. Oakridge2 3/23/08 510,000
245 W. Lewiston2 3/2/08 252,000
661 W. Lewiston2 12/30/07 216,000
2271 Pinecrest2 10/7/07 388,0001Date published in Detroit Free Press or zillow.com2Outside o WPIA border
Did you know that zillow.comlists most o our property values?Sales records trace back to at least 1987. I youd like to see
sales records o real estate in our area, click hereor the Excelfle. Archives go back to 1992.
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http://www.ferndale-mi.com/Resources/Forms/HistoricalApp.pdfhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/kbreenbo/sets/72057594053119338/show/http://www.zillow.com/http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wpiaferndale1/wpiaferndale1/docs/realestatetransactions.xlshttp://mywebpages.comcast.net/wpiaferndale1/wpiaferndale1/docs/realestatetransactions.xlshttp://www.zillow.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/kbreenbo/sets/72057594053119338/show/http://www.ferndale-mi.com/Resources/Forms/HistoricalApp.pdf -
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Formed in 1924
Incorporated in 1946
Providing sidewalk snowplowing since 1954
n
Woodland
Park
ImprovemenAssociation
Officers & Block Directors
Katrina Collins, Treasurer550 W. Oakridge | 547.0609
Darcey McLaughlin, Secretary &Lower Drayton Block Director241 W. Drayton | 542.4682
Michelle DelacourtSecond Vice President
607 W. Oakridge | [email protected]@skmmarketing.com
W OAKRIDGE
W DRAYTON
W WOODLAND
W MAPLEHURST
W LEWISTONPINECREST
WOODWARDAVE
LIVERNOIS
PLANAVON
ROOSEVELTSCHOOL
Kerry KeenerUpper Woodland Block Director540 W. Woodland | [email protected]
CITY PARK
Diane DengateUpper Maplehurst Block Director436 W. Maplehurst | 398.2251
Sharon KingUpper Maplehurst Block Director630 W. Maplehurst | [email protected]
Pat and Mike OmLower Maplehurst Block Dire
291 W. Maplehurst | 548.9omanspm@sbcgloba
Garry AndrewsUpper Drayton Block Director446 W. Drayton | 545.6590
Debbie SobolewskiUpper Oakridge Block Director641 W. Oakridge | [email protected]
Tiffani GaLower Woodland Block Dire
360 W. Woodland | 542.8
tifgagne@wideopenwest.
Jessica GuLower Oakridge Block Dire
371 W. Oakridge | 545.0jessica.gustke@gmail
Scott HeLower Lewiston (north side224 W. Lewiston | 541.5
strance_00@yahoo
President - Vacant Vice President - Vacant
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2020
48
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Featured Photography Your Feedback is Welcome! Dues
Cover - 215 W. Woodland, 333 W. WoodlandPage 2 - 419 W. DraytonPage 3 - 250 W. MaplehurstPage 4 - Drayton Avenue Presbyterian ChurchPage 5 - Photos/Images courtesy o Pat DengatePage 6 - 189 W. MaplehurstPage 7 - (l) 445 W. Oakridge, (c) 303 W. Woodland, (r) 619 W.Maplehurst
Color photos by Karen Breen-Bondie
Sidewalk snowplowing, always a contentioussubject, will be discussed at our annual meeting.Please join us and help us to problem-solve thisever-challenging topic.
Your association membership dues are now due and owiPlease keep our long-standing traditions in place by conting to pay $15 each year. Drop of payments to your blockdirector (see above) and include your name, address, phonumber and email address with your payment. Thank yo
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Produced and Published by
Karen Breen-Bondie, Ex-O cio President657 W. Drayton Avenue, Ferndale, MI 48220-2749
(248) 399.2607 | [email protected]
www.wpiaferndale.org
The newsletter of the Woodland Park Improvement Associationis produced with the intent to keep residents informed. Pleasereport news to the association president.
march 2011