MHNA dues are now payable using PayPal. If you have a PayPal account, paying your annual dues is as simple as sending a payment to MHNA’s email address: merlehayneighborhood@gmail.com. Amounts for annual dues are $15 for individuals, $30 for a couple, $30 for a business, and $10 for a school or church.
MHNA will host its next quarterly meeting on the Zoom platform at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday October 15. Please make sure your membership dues are current and we have a current email address for you so we can send you the Zoom meeting credentials.
We expect to be joined by Ward I City Councilman Bill Gray, who will share updates on city issues in our neighborhood and elsewhere in northwest Des Moines. We are also trying to line up a forester to share information and field questions about tree care and planting in the aftermath of the derecho that ripped through Iowa in August and destroyed thousands of trees.
We also expect to have public safety updates from our Neighborhood Based Service Delivery officer, along with a host of other neighborhood updates.
Please mark your calendars and join us via Zoom on October 15! We plan to live-stream the meeting on the neighborhood Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MerleHayNeighborhood.
The COVID-19 pandemic has once again thrown a wrench in plans to host an in-person quarterly meeting, so we’re taking it online in July. Please mark your calendars for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16. Active members can join us via Zoom, and those who follow MHNA on Facebook can also watch the meeting live at www.facebook.com/MerleHayNeighborhood .
Management at the Northwest Community Center recently informed the MHNA board that rentals for meetings and other events are canceled at least through the end of August. To avoid missing another quarterly meeting, the MHNA board voted to try an online meeting. We plan to have At-Large City Councilwoman Connie Boesen as our primary guest speaker. One or more candidates for the Broadlawns Hospital Board of Trustees are also expected to introduce themselves. We also expect to hear public safety updates from our Neighborhood Based Service Delivery officer.
Details are still being fleshed out and we ask for everyone’s patience and understanding if there are technical difficulties. Please email us at merlehayneighborhood@gmail.com if there are any questions.
The Neighborhood Finance Corporation has been in the process of expanding its lending programs in the Merle Hay area and MHNA was informed in June that NFC lending is back in the entire neighborhood! NFC is a non-profit lender that aids neighborhood revitalization and homeownership via first mortgages, forgivable home repair loans, and more. To see NFC’s lending areas and learn more about their programs, visit NeighborhoodFinance.org, or call 515-246-0010.
The program enjoyed great success the last time it was available in the whole neighborhood. Let’s do even better this time. Please help spread
the word!
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing MHNA to adjust its events calendar this spring. Shortly after our newsletter went to press in late-March, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were changed to discourage gatherings of more than 10 people. We also learned after our newsletter went to press that the Northwest Community Center has canceled all meetings indefinitely.
The MHNA board plans to host a conference call in the next week to figure out how to proceed with our meeting and events schedule in the midst of the public health emergency. We will make announcements as soon as possible.
Additionally, MHNA has been informed by the Des Moines Public Works Department that the annual Spring Cleanup to Reduce Urban Blight (SCRUB) scheduled for April 18 at Hoover High School has been canceled. Visit the city’s website for more information on how COVID-19 is affecting the SCRUB calendar:
https://www.dsm.city/departments/public_works-division/garbage_collection/scrub_events.php
Visit DSM.city/covid19 for the latest city updates and information on how city services are impacted.
Please check MHNA’s website and Facebook page for updates. And remember, please follow CDC guidelines, practice social-distancing, stay at home to every extent possible, and wash your hands. We look forward to seeing all of you soon!