When I moved to Riverside early this year I wasn’t at all sure what to expect.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that this community is home to some of the most welcoming and energetic people in the Southeast and I was immediately made to feel at home here.  A few weeks later and with your help we created the Riverside Community Garden – the first garden of its kind in our neighborhood.

Eight months later and I am honored by the vote of confidence that led to me being elected president of the Riverside Neighborhood Association.  Had you asked me just a couple of weeks ago I would have laughed at the possibility but that just goes to show how influential our residents can be.

I have to take the opportunity here to extend my sincere and heartfelt thanks to Don Penovi who has served this community tirelessly as president for the past two years.  Your efforts have not gone unnoticed and I want you to know how much I appreciate your work and your friendship.

There is a lot of work to be done in Riverside and when I accepted this role I agreed to do everything in my power to help make our neighborhood everything it can be.  It is important for you to understand that I can’t do any of it without your help and that’s why I am asking for every member of this community to step forward and get involved.  If you haven’t attended a neighborhood association meeting in a while, now is the time to come back.  The next meeting will be the first in the new year on January 19, 2010 at 7:00pm – what a great way to get a fresh start than by getting reacquainted with your neighbors?

In a depressed economy it is important that we strive to maintain property values as well as the appeal of Riverside as a home to current and potential businesses.  We can accomplish these goals in tandem if we work together to beautify our neighborhood.  That is why I will be calling on the residents to once again come together for neighborhood clean up dates to be announced in the near future.

If you have questions, comments or concerns, I want to know.  If you have ideas for ways to improve something I want to know about those too.  You should always feel free to email me, stop me on the street or give me a call.

Let’s make 2010 Riverside’s best year yet.

Michael Nolan