JWN

Be part of making our neighborhoods great places to live

Give a little time and talent and gain a lot in return

Great neighborhoods happen because people who live in them care.

Come join your neighbors and help maintain the Jefferson and Westside neighborhoods
as safe, vital places to live.

Here are some of the specific types of help the JWN needs:

		Attorney. The JWN faces a number of land use actions that need legal expertise
		to file testimony and appeals. These include zone changes, lot partitions, conditional use permits. We have volunteers with expert knowledge of Eugene's land use laws, but we need legal expertise to make sure JWN actions are structured most effectively in a legal sense.

Not a lot of time is required, and you can help on selected projects as your interest
and time allows.

		Urban planner, architect, or experience in residential zoning regulations. The
		JWN will be working extensively to craft new development standards to protect our neighborhoods against the damage that's currently being caused by the type of infill that the R-2 zone allows. We need people who understand concepts such as massing, setbacks, building footprints, etc., to help in two ways: to educate other interested JWN residents so they can be more effective participants in determining appropriate standards, and to help write code that includes clear and effective standards for proposals to the City Council.

		Coordinator for publication distribution. We need someone who will help
		organize a more effective approach to distributing JWN electronic and printed publications. The JWN board plans major improvements in how we deliver information so it's more timely, more informative, more accessible, and less costly. We need a person with good organization skills to coordinate this effort. (This will not require the volunteer to be responsible for actually delivering newsletters. We're looking for someone to organize a new approach to distribution.)

		Web and e-mail wizard. The JWN recently launched our Web site and e-mail
		news and alerts, but the initial versions are fairly primitive. Do you have skills in either Web site design and/or e-mail newsletters? If so, help us make our electronic communications more inviting and helpful to JWN members.

		Fund raisers. We hope to make the JWN more independent and better able to
		deliver services for the neighborhood by establishing a solid financial foundation. We need people who have ideas for fund raising (e.g., neighborhood yard sales, advertising in neighborhood publications, grant applications, etc.) and will take the initiative to make something happen.

		Outreach and public involvement activists. To be a strong and representative
		neighborhood organization, the JWN needs to find ways to involve and serve the diverse population that lives or owns businesses in our neighborhoods. Would you like to help reach out to broaden participation in the JWN?

		Parliamentarian. The JWN board is committed to properly running meetings so
		they are fair, inclusive, and productive use of members' valuable time. We are also looking at establishing new bylaws to increase the opportunities for participation in the JWN and provide a more sound basis for JWN governance. If you have experience with parliamentary procedures and/or developing bylaws for civic organizations, please contribute to our efforts.

		Business relations developer. We plan to do more to help support local
		businesses and to involve local business owners more in the JWN. If you would like to help in this effort, please let us know.

If you'd like to help with any of the above activities or some other area of interest, or if you'd
just like more information before deciding, please contact us.

Jefferson Westside Neighbors