Parks & Rec Board Meeting, Downtown Tech Blender

I went to two meetings last night. First, the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting because I wanted to support the dog park. Click here for a great write-up of where the park would be and how it would operate.

I decided to stay for the entire meeting out of curiosity. It was interesting! Surprisingly I already knew two people on the board–Carl Missile from the Elgin Community Network and Paul Bednar from his involvement with Bike-to-Work Week. I also recognized Mike Bailey from his column in the Courier News. (Didn’t get up courage to introduce myself.) Aside from the dog park they also discussed possible improvements to Hawthorne Hills Nature Center, whether or not the Cyclone swim team is outgrowing the Centre pool, and if they should fund a defibrillator or lightning predictor for a local football league.

I think for fun I will make a visit to each board and commission meeting in Elgin. I’m a nerd, I know. I like knowing what goes on and how things work behind the scenes.

Downtown Tech Blender

This was the third event of its kind put on by the Downtown Neighborhood Association. The purpose is for tech-minded people to network and talk about how technology can affect Elgin for the better. It was held at the office of Sensory Productions. There I knew Steve Munson from DNA (he’s the one who invited me) and Sensory Productions’ Adam Flikkema–an acquaintance I’ve known through mutual friends for years.

The more involved I become in Elgin the more aware I become of the six degrees of separation phenomenon. Really I think it’s more like three degrees of separation around here.

There were 6 people at the meeting and I was definitely the least tech-minded of them all. It was still interesting and I can imagine good things coming out of it. I plan on going again.

What did you do last night?

Tags: , DNA, Downtown Neighborhood Association, Elgin, IL, Illinois, networking, tech blender
Filed under Elgin | Comment (0)

Out to delicious & fun lunch!

I just got back from the Downtown Neighborhood Association’s “Out to Lunch” event at Akina’s Thai Restaurant.

It was great!

Neighborhood Housing Services explained what they do, and I got to meet quite a few people–Representative Ruth Munson, the Downtown Neighborhood Association staff, the man behind the Elginite blog, and all sorts of other people who are involved in Elgin–from architects to real estate agents to Elgin Community Network folks and more.

Once again, it was great! I was a little nervous going in, but everyone was very kind and I felt right at home. I thought I’d be the odd one out since I don’t work in downtown Elgin, but I still chatted with people and made a few unexpected contacts that might turn into really cool opportunities.

Elgin’s Downtown Neighborhood Association plans these events each month. If you are the least bit curious, go for it! Click here for a full list of upcoming events.

Tags: , Akina's Thai, blogs, DNA, Downtown Neighborhood Association, Elgin, Elginite, food, Illinois, lunch, Neighborhood Housing Services, networking, Out to Lunch, Ruth Munson
Filed under Elgin, events, food | Comments (2)