Residents re-form neighborhood group as a catalyst for advocacy and involvement

By Dave Schwab | SDUN Reporter

After a several-year hiatus, the Normal Heights Community Association (NHCA) has returned, in part due to a push by an enthusiastic group of supporters and new vitality for the neighborhood. Formed initially as a reaction to the devastating 1985 fire that destroyed over 65 homes, the NHCA was active for a number of years before disbanding.

The reconstituted NHCA elected board members at its May 14 monthly meeting, including Nancy and Mike Palmer. The Palmers are relatively new Normal Heights residents, and two core members of the NHCA. They said a “critical mass” of community interest and involvement led to the group reforming.

“I want a place where neighbors can get together with neighbors and find their niche, whether it be working on cleaning up, safety, socializing or helping one another,” Nancy Palmer said. “A driving force for me is creating a place where my girls can walk or bike to their friend’s houses, and I can walk to their school and take them to all their events and be in the car as little as possible.”

Mike Palmer, who oversees their Communication & Social Media committee, said he would like the new NHCA to improve neighborhood communication, and cited the NHCA’s community calendar on their redesigned website, normalheights.ca, as a good start.

In addition to the Palmers, current board members are board President Ron Ferrero, Vice President Christopher Blubaugh, Secretary Vanessa Drake, Treasurer Wayne Crawford, Leo Liffrig and Earlene Thom.

Nancy Palmer said former San Diego Councilmember John Hartley suggested she reform the neighborhood community association, and organized a public meeting in January to begin the process. Ferrero and Drake were converted to the cause at that January organizational meeting.

Ferrero said now is the right time for the civic group to form.

“All of San Diego is built on neighborhoods. A lot of new people have moved into the community in the last six to eight years and they want to feel like they’re a part of something,” he said. “We want to be a catalyst for advocacy to improve the neighborhood.”

Drake agreed with Ferrero’s sentiment, saying it was time for the community to be a part of the changes in the neighborhood. “It was the perfect time to start the Association again, not because there was any severe issue in the neighborhood, just that it was time for residents to come together,” she said.

The new NHCA has the support of other community organizations, including the Normal Heights Community Planning Group – a separate entity and officially recognized part of San Diego’s neighborhood planning groups – and the Adams Avenue Business Association.

Jim Baross chairs the neighborhood’s planning group and endorsed the NHCA saying there are many things outside his organization’s purview that a community association can do.

“Planning groups can only deal with land-use issues, and a community association can do anything they darn well please that’s legal,” Baross said. “Over the last couple of years the planning group has run into many issues and interests for the community that we couldn’t really deal with.”

Business Association Executive Director Scott Kessler said while his organization is focused primarily on business development along Adams Avenue, they will try to help the newly formed NHCA in any way they can.

“The business association has always partnered with the community association [and] done a lot of joint projects together,” he said, adding that the two groups have “a lot more in common” than not.

Now that the NHCA board has been elected and hit the ground running, Ferrero said he would like to see the group address community needs like expanding Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park and possibly adding a new off-leash dog area.

“We had a really busy month,” Ferrero said at the May 14 meeting, noting that they would continue to seek feedback on the dog area and Ward Canyon Park expansion.

Additionally, the group discussed a recent graffiti cleanup project that Crawford called “hugely successful,” with over 100 graffiti tags removed. They discussed another cleanup in June, and look forward to a future of community involvement.

“I want Normal Heights as a whole to be a united community,” Nancy Palmer said, adding the NHCA’s primary goal is to create a community “where everybody is working together.”

The NHCA is a membership-driven organization and meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Normal Heights Community Center, located at 4649 Hawley Blvd. The next meeting is June 11 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. To become a member and for more information, visit normalheights.ca or call 619-798-6116.