Sherwood Forest Association News

Nomination Process: Sherwood Forest Association Board of Directors

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:30:43 GMT

2025 Sherwood Forest Association Board of Directors

The nominations process for the Sherwood Forest Association (SFA) Board of Directors is now active.

Nominations for the positions listed above will be accepted until June 30, 2024. All candidates are strongly encouraged to submit completed applications prior to the Sherwood Forest Annual Community Meeting on May 14, 2024.

Candidates who submit complete applications before the Annual Community Meeting will be acknowledged at the meeting and will have an opportunity to connect with residents afterward for discussion.

A. Formal SFA Nominations Committee – Nomination Process Timeline

SFA BOD Candidate Interest Period: January 1 – June 30
Nominations Committee Paperwork Submission Deadline: June 30
Selections Process: July 1 – August 31 (Community ballot if more than five eligible candidates apply to serve)
Voting Process for Election of Board of Directors Officers: September 9

B. Eligibility

Any resident within Sherwood Forest who is in good financial standing with both SFA membership dues and the special assessment district tax is eligible to apply for an officer or committee position.
In specific instances, the Executive Board of Directors reserves the ability to make exceptions and waive this requirement.
Active participation includes, but is not limited to:
- Regular attendance at community meetings
- Active and consistent involvement in annual strategic planning sessions
- Completion of assignments
- Participation in volunteer activities scheduled and hosted by the approved SFA Events Committee

C. Submission Requirements

Candidates must submit the following:

Updated CV/Resume
Current Photo (Headshot)
Short Bio
Acceptable formats for required candidate responses:
- Nomination Letter/Candidate Statement
- Video Recording (12 min max)

D. Candidate Responses

All submissions should address the following:

The reason you would like to serve in the designated role(s).
Experiences that will help you succeed in the role(s), with an example you are most proud of.
Ideas for strengthening SFA and ensuring its continued growth and service to the Sherwood Forest community.
How you plan to balance your commitment to the SFA Board while continuing to thrive in your personal and professional life.
Identify one asset in the Sherwood Forest community that is not being fully utilized and has the potential to improve residents' quality of life. Describe your plan of action to advocate for change regarding that asset, including how you will partner with board committees and engage residents of all ages to facilitate change.

Please email submissions to: nominations@sherwoodforestdetroit.org

Note that the deadline for submission has been extended until June 30 instead of May 31. This will give candidates more time to complete the process but we still recommend getting submissions in before the Spring Membership meeting on May 14!

Tax Reassessment Program

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:39:50 GMT

The Detroit Historic Districts Alliance (DHDA) is facilitating an effort with the City of Detroit to help reduce property taxes for our residents. The City of Detroit Assessor's Office is seeking to approve a five- to eight-year reduction in property taxes. This summer, Sherwood Forest requested an opportunity to have up to 140 homes reassessed in the neighborhood.

Here are the most common areas of interest that the Assessor’s Office is seeking to observe within the interior of your home:

Damage – roof repair or replacement needed
Damaged plaster or drywall - repair or replacement needed
Knob and tube electric – electrical update needed
Exposed plumbing or plumbing not functioning
Unfinished rooms – long-term, in-progress renovations
Old or damaged windows and boarded windows
Other areas in need of major repair

If your home qualifies, you may be eligible for a tax reduction. More information about the reassessment tour:

The only individuals from the City of Detroit who will be participating in the tour are from the Assessor’s Office. They will bring identification.
You can choose which rooms or spaces in your homes you include on the tour.
The assessment should take 10-15 minutes to complete and must occur on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Assessor’s Office attendee will take notes and pictures of qualifying conditions.
You can request that an SFA Board member be present for the tour if that makes you more comfortable.
You can tell the Assessor’s Office attendee if you want more information about home repair grants and other financial assistance.
No one from the Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED, i.e. city inspectors), Police Department, real estate organization or any other local social service organization will be present.

If you believe your home qualifies for reassessment, please sign up to schedule a reassessment appointment. You can make arrangements with the Assessor’s Office by calling 313-224-3035 or submit your information in this form to participate with the City of Detroit’s Assessor’s reassessment program, please note that participation is completely voluntary.

Neighbor Feature: Shirley Jackson | March 2024

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 21:44:51 GMT

Shirley Jackson moved to the neighborhood in 1976 and described Sherwood Forest as a place “where people just wrap their arms around you.”

She and her husband, James Jackson, married in 1969 and after welcoming their son, Scott, into the world, realized they needed more space than what their home in Bagley offered. They began their hunt and before long, found their house on Canterbury.

It needed work. The garage doors were battered, the carpet needed to be replaced, among many other projects that would require their attention over time, including a house fire that damaged their kitchen. But it was the trees that made her feel at home and see the potential.

Over the years, the Jacksons chipped away at the work while raising their sons — Randall was born two years after Scott — and building their careers; Shirley in education and James in law enforcement before moving into teaching criminal justice.

Shirley started her career as an elementary and middle school math teacher before moving on to become a school administrator, and eventually principal of schools in Detroit and Southfield. Her move into administration was recommended by others who noticed her talent and ability to connect with students, but it was her exhaustion that ultimately tipped the scales. Like many in the teaching field, Jackson gave it every bit of energy she had.

“I kind of throw myself into things fully when I’m doing it. Maybe I just like to work,” she joked. “But I was worn out.”

In her final year of teaching before moving into administration, her group of math students competed in national academics, and she was dedicated to helping them get to a competition in Florida. Round by round, they kept winning, eventually being awarded first place. Her dedication that year earned her the Detroit Teacher of the Year award. Shirley said she never saw herself as a school leader, but it was a path she ended up loving. She retired from education in 2004 and now works at Michigan State University as an outreach coordinator in the college of education.

It wasn’t just her career in education that Shirley showed passion for. She became closely connected to the neighborhood community, both through the personal relationships she formed with neighbors, as well as her involvement as a board member for 10 years, and editor of The Tattler for a time. She’s still part of a dinner club she helped create 40 years ago.

Shirley saw Sherwood Forest as an oasis in a fairly chaotic city.

“It was almost as if you drove into the neighborhood and all of the other concerns that you felt were happening or not happening in the city — so much disinvestment — you kind of left it out there,” she said. “You came to this wonderful place that was walkable, where people cared about you and got to know you, where your children played.”

When asked how the surrounding area has changed over time, Shirley mentioned Marcia and Marty Baum who spearheaded the co-op that helped open Farmer Jack’s in the 1980s, which she considers to be the start of the revitalization of Livernois.

“While Farmer Jack’s wasn’t perfect, it was somewhere you could walk and get things,” she said. “A national chain that was reliable and provided fresh produce was not readily available in the area. The co-op was kind of a symbol of how much people cared for the neighborhood.”

Shirley said lately, she’s noticed how many young families have moved into Sherwood — there are more little kids here than there ever have been, she said. She noted neighborhood friends Gail and Gordon Rodwan, whose daughter bought a house in Sherwood and is now raising her son a block over from her parents. It’s a place people stay.

“It’s been wonderful living here, raising our children here,” Shirley said. “When my kids were young, there wasn’t a person on my block who wouldn’t watch them if I needed help. I still see Sherwood Forest that way — everyone who has moved here seems that way.”