Neighborhood Associations
Mission Statement:
The East Bayside Neighborhood Organization (EBNO) was incorporated in May of 2007 to serve the Portland neighborhood of East Bayside, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Maine. East Bayside is bounded on the west by Franklin Arterial, the east by Washington Avenue, the north by Marginal Way, and the south by Congress Street.
EBNO's primary purposes, as stated in its Articles of Incorporation include:
1) creating and maintaining a safe neighborhood;
2) taking advantage of funding opportunities for neighborhood revitalization; and
3) helping low-income, elderly, and disadvantaged members of the community to thrive.
Additionally, EBNO strives to improve the quality of life for all of its residents, to ensure that East Bayside has adequate representation in all city matters, and to create a sense of community within the neighborhood while also preserving and respecting the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of its population.
Major Activities:
The EBNO
Crime Watch: a crime prevention program developed with Peggy
Hinman of the Root Cellar, Janine Kaserman of Munjoy Hill
Community Policing, and the Portland Police Department.
Through this program, packets containing home security and
Crime Watch information are distributed to East Bayside
residents and local businesses to educate them about crime
and encourage them to take steps to keep themselves and
their neighborhood safe. To date, more than 800 packets have
been distributed in East Bayside alone. Packets have also
been shared with other neighborhood groups (Munjoy Hill,
Parkside, Bayside, and the West End) in an effort to make
the EBNO Crime Watch a city-wide initiative. This effort
represents hundreds of volunteer hours and myriad in-kind
and monetary donations solicited from community members. It
also demonstrates EBNO's ability to organize and problem
solve, to collaborate with multiple groups and individuals,
to efficiently and effectively manage funds, and to sustain
a long-term effort to address a primary neighborhood
concern: crime.
East Bayside's Annual Neighborhood Block Party: Held in Peppermint Park in June 2008 and at the corner of Fox & Anderson Streets in June 2009, this event is a celebration of all things East Bayside and a chance for members of our community to come together for food, music, and civic engagement. The 2009 event included our first 3-on-3 basketball tournament, which we hope to grow year by year and turn into one of our signature events.
The Re-Design and Improvement of Peppermint Park: Working with the Department of Recreation and Facilities Management-specifically Tom Civiello, Phil Labbe, and Jeff Tarling, who advised us, and helped us to secure funding-EBNO is working to make improvements to Peppermint Park which will provide a welcoming, relaxing, engaging, natural space for residents of all ages while decreasing criminal activity in the area through environmental design. Groundbreaking is set to begin in September 2009 and should be completed (fingers crossed) before snowfall.
