A small group of Madison Park residents is exploring the idea of creating a Friends of Madison Park community association in the absence of the Madison Park Community Council.
To gauge neighborhood interest and discuss ideas for how the association would function, a community meeting is planned for 7 p.m. April 24 at McGilvra’s Irish Pub, 4234 Madison St. in Madison Park. The event will kick off with a reception beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Octavia Chambliss, one of the coordinators, said what originally spurred the idea of either resurrecting a Madison Park Community Council or forming similar association was the closing of the Pharmaca/Medley pharmacy and City People’s because it became apparent residents had no organized way to respond to changes in the community or promote activities they want.
Chambliss said the Friends of Madison Park launch meeting will be a way to hear what kind of community association residents support, what they would like it to accomplish and its function, such as advocacy or neighborhood promotion, and assess interest in volunteering or organizing events.
“There’s a lot of different feelings over what it should even be called,” she said.
As of now, Chambliss said she thinks people would like an association with a more casual focus that would promote neighborhood activities and engagement, perhaps renewing activities of the past, such as the art walk, Fourth of July Parade, Halloween activities and Music in the Park.
“I’m just more than anything trying to see if we can get this thing off the ground,” she said.
Chambliss said they are also looking for a web designer to create a website for Friends of Madison Park website that includes a regularly updated calendar of events, ways to volunteer, ways to donate and more.