If you didn’t attend last month’s EHOA meeting, you missed a very positive, realistic and proactive discussion regarding the potential of downtown San Leandro. Cynthia Battenburg of the City brought in a representative from Main Street Property Services, the consultants that the City has contracted with to develop the existing downtown, and together they discussed the process. The bottom line is that it will take time and will begin with “baby steps.”

There is a proactive campaign to sell our community to retailers out there, and they are looking for feedback from the community on what kinds of restaurants and stores you would like to see in San Leandro. They have created a Web site, www.downtownsanleandro.com, which includes a survey section (not yet operational as of this writing) where citizens can give them input, so be sure and make your wants known.

The consultant was honest and direct. He did not promise the moon, but is certain of the potential. He indicated that this is harder than developing a block in Alameda (which Main Street did) because the city owned the property. The circumstance here in San Leandro is one where they have to approach and discuss the potential of changes with existing property owners, which will simply take time.

In addition to the presentation from the City, we also held elections for new officers and I am pleased to announce that Johanne Dictor has assumed the position of President of the EHOA. I have enjoyed the last five years representing this wonderful neighborhood and am proud to say we have accomplished much. The highlights, for me, were the beautification project at Roosevelt Elementary on Dutton, working with the retailers along MacArthur Boulevard to update their storefronts in conjunction with the redevelopment of the streetscape, the creation of the EHOA website and the Yahoo Groups email system, and especially the completion of the EHOA monument – a project that had been funded for several years prior to my coming onto the Board. You can all be proud of these accomplishments, along with continued support of scholarships for our graduates and donations to many things, including the annual Thanksgiving luncheon for seniors and Toys for Tots.

I would be terribly remiss if I did not also thank Denice Ballas, who served on the board with me during the past five years in NUMEROUS capacities. Without her, we would not have accomplished the achievements we did. She was always there, always willing to work harder than anyone else and was always positive and supportive. She leaves the board as Secretary but she was instrumental in automating that position, making it much more manageable and informative. If you see Denice, please be sure and say a word of thanks for her years volunteering for the EHOA.