![]() Estrella Mountain Residents have much to be grateful for and it's all due to our awesome members. We kicked off our new, joint effort on February 7, 2015. Few people realize Jo and I had just met weeks before we merged our Facebook pages. Yep. We literally had just met through a Block Watch program. We had one common goal... to be a positive voice in the community. We never could have anticipated the collaboration would have turned out as positive as it has. Surely we've had some ups and downs. With more ups than downs, Jo and I put together a Top 10 list of our favorite moments from our first year. Please let us know if we missed any of YOUR favorite moments! 10. MISSING PETS
9. FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS AND CONGESTED ROADS
Other than cutting back shrubs on Elliot Road, nothing was really done. When word came Taco Bell was coming in - back in April 2015 - residents put together a petition and the city finally listened. We detailed the entire story on our website here and will continue to stay on top of the events. A stoplight will be installed in front of the Starpointe Residents Club in spring 2016. 8. THE PRESIDIO RESIDENTS CLUBResidents are excited to see the new residents club now under construction. However, the groundbreaking ceremony got off to a rough start. In June 2015, Newland Communities and CCMC held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Presidio Residents Club... without inviting residents. The story is on our "Did you hear?" page. I think it's safe to bet residents will be invited to the grand opening in 2016. 7. GUNS DRAWN ON THE PARKWAY
6. OASIS BAGELS HANDS OVER THE KEYS ![]() On July 16th, Estrella Mountain Residents broke the exclusive news that Oasis Bagels had been sold. The much-loved shop just celebrated five years in business and the news came as a shock. Fred and Carol Risano truly built a local gathering place. Fortunate for residents, the keys were handed over to another great owner. We welcome Jamie Vanderver to the community and enjoy all the yummy-ness she brings to our community! 5. LOCAL VETERINARIAN RECEIVES DROVES OF SUPPORT
4. COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR MISSING TEEN In October, the community stood behind a local mother searching for her missing daughter. Hundreds of residents help spread the word to look for the teen. One resident organized a candle light vigil and a bake sale fundraising effort to show support for the family. And the good news followed a week later... the girl was found safe and sound. 3. RESIDENTS BAND TOGETHER TO RESTORE THE AMERICAN FLAGS IN OUR COMMUNITY ![]() One of the very first major stories to hit our page came from resident Mario Valencia. He asked for permission from residents to replace a torn American flag on the foothill just behind Elliot Market. "I'm a Desert Storm Veteran, and this is the flag that is representing our country behind the Shell Gas station? To top things off, it's at half staff! I'm willing to replace it if you all approve?" 86 comments, 305 likes, local media coverage, and a fundraising effort followed. Mario pulled this community together in a way never seen before. Not only were all flags in Estrella given more attention and care, we got to learn about the patriotism from residents all around our community. Best wishes to Mario. It's been an honor to learn more about him. Hats off to all veterans in our incredible community. 2. COMMUNITY CHARITY SUCCESS Our incredible small businesses made it possible for Estrella Mountain Residents to donate $2062.95 in our first year of the program. Not much else to say about this other than... we're humbled. Thank you, Estrella! 1. BREAKTHROUGH VOICE IN THE COMMUNITY For quite a while, I think it's safe to say, residents really haven't felt they've been heard. From bringing in fast food restaurants to little communication on social media, it felt as if Estrella was moving on without great input from the people who actually live here. Yes, we can always go to HOA meetings. Yes, we can volunteer. But the majority of people just don't. Having an outlet to discuss opinions, ideas, and solutions has made a huge impact in Estrella. Not long after we started up our page, many other pages followed suit. We thank YOU for choosing to follow Estrella Mountain Residents. We are REALLY looking forward to a fabulous 2016. Cheers!
Free speech is not to be regulated like diseased cattle and impure butter. The audience that hissed yesterday may applaud today, even for the same performance," William O. Douglas My daughter is in middle school and has brought home some intriguing writing assignments this year. A few weeks ago, she had to write about the pros and cons of social media and texting. The weekly exercise forcing her to examine the pros and cons of many current issues now has me looking at the pros and cons of many issues in my own daily life... including free speech. “Congress Shall Make No Law Respecting an Establishment of Religion, or Prohibiting the Free Exercise Thereof; or Abridging the Freedom of Speech, or of the Press; or the Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble, and To Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances.” ~First Amendment BEGINNING OF THOUGHT The First Amendment is one of the greatest freedoms we have as Americans. Having been a broadcast journalist for 20 years, I believe speech - positive or negative - is the "beginning of thought"... thought that can lead to useful solutions. I also believe harmful speech can destroy small businesses and families in our small community. When Jo and I launched the Estrella Mountain Residents private Facebook page... we basically addressed each challenge as it popped up. We knew what we wanted our page to look like... and we knew what would turn off members. We've done our best to be flexible and accommodate members. Admittedly, those first few weeks were really stressful. Not everyone could agree to disagree. Many of you may remember the controversy from this summer when a member complained about a local company. We simply asked if the member gave the business an opportunity to fix the problem. Instead of folding in the midst of the drama that ensued, (which really sounded like a great idea to me), we clearly re-stated our guideline asking members to resolve conflicts with businesses before posting a complaint on our page. In the past 10 months, we've also chosen to delete photos of alleged bad drivers on the parkway and posts about children reportedly behaving badly. Why? KEEPING IT CLASSY Estrella is home to just over 11,000 residents. We frequently hear from neighbors who want classier restaurants and more amenities in our community. It just takes a few bad apples - or comments made in the heat of the moment - to destroy one of our local businesses or people and prevent others from coming into the community.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." ~Charlie Chaplin Having been in that situation in a small community reinforced the lesson of kindness. It also led me to starting up my own business where I've met some really wonderful people and have had the opportunity to tackle new challenges. IS IT CENSORSHIP? When Jo and I choose to delete defamatory comments on our private Facebook page... whether it be about children or businesses... the common response comes up. "CENSORSHIP!" We know we're called "controlling"... etc., etc. Speaking for myself, I take pride in it. A good friend who once led a similar effort pointed something out to me earlier this year. Censorship applies to the government. The right to free speech means that you are allowed to express yourself without interference or constraint by the government.” ~Social Media Examiner If you want a good read on this topic, I invite you to check out this article. As explained in the piece, "an individual or organization is free to set whatever guidelines for user-generated content that fit." Estrella Mountain Residents is not the government. We're two residents. And we have very clear guidelines on our private Facebook page and on our website. It's also imperative we monitor content considered defamatory and not "look away" from restricted speech. CAN I HAVE FRIES WITH THAT? Kindness is the best route I know how to manage our page. We've just been told by one family that hurtful comments made elsewhere in social media have them considering leaving our community. Are negative comments really what you want to see on our page? The majority of you tell us you don't want to see it. We agree. Yes. We delete. We only ban when push comes to shove. Typically, we'll contact the member and explain our reason and give them an opportunity to re-word the comment or find another page to post. Sometimes, the conversation gets ugly and the person either leaves the page on their own or we make the tough decision to part ways. What about those who complain about being removed from the page? This is how I see it. Imagine the private Facebook page is your kitchen. You invite people in, feed them, entertain them, and then they leave and post all over social media about how much they hated your food. The next day, they're knocking on your door asking for free seconds of the incredible guacamole dip from the night before. (I have a fabulous gauc recipe by the way.) Not cool, right? We've had people leave the page, de-friend us, block us and then demand to still have access to our page. It is what it is. BACK TO THE BEGINNING The moral of the story is this. Opening a forum for residents to engage in constructive criticism to effect positive change in Estrella is the purpose of our page. Using kindness to shine a spotlight on all the great people and resources in our community is a bonus component. Providing a channel for neighbors to help each other in need... is compassion. In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with." ~Brian Tracy When you come into my kitchen, you're free to eat all the guac you want. I'll even make seconds! But, our relationship has boundaries, too. Please remember how social media, rumors, and the written word can devastate. "Thank you" to those of you who call, email, and text with positive words of encouragement. In the grand scheme of things... I see a bright future of our page. I credit our caring members who continue to amaze me on a daily basis. I wish you all a peaceful holiday season. ~jen
|
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Barber is a Goodyear resident resident of almost 20 years and a retired broadcast news journalist. Involved in various nonprofit and city organizations since 2008, Barber has a unique view of what's happening in the West Valley of Arizona. Archives
March 2022
Categories
All
|