Broad Ripple Village Association (BRVA) vice president Carolyn Savill called the March public meeting to order around 7 P.M. at the Indianapolis Art Center. Laura Hague of the American Heart Association announced this year's Broad Ripple Goes Red event. "People are always surprised that heart disease is the number one killer of women," explained Laura. "Too few people know what heart disease is all about when it comes to women. Part of the reason is that women have different warning signs - the symptoms can be more subtle than for men. We are asking for the Broad Ripple community, on April 8th, to help us put women on red alert. This year we are partnering with Alpha Phi sorority."

The women of Butler's Alpha Phi Sorority will be bouncing on trampolines in Broad Ripple from noon to 4 P.M. as part of their fundraiser Bounce For Beats. Broad Ripple merchants will display red dress logos in their windows; the purpose of the event is to raise awareness about women and heart disease.

The next speaker at the meeting, Diana Vanarsdall, community liaison for the 911 communications center, discussed the role of the emergency system. "We want to know of any problems people have with either the emergency 911 number of the non-emergency 327-3811 number," said Diana. She distributed information for parents to help their children know what to do during an emergency. "Many children carry cell phones. They can give a false sense of security. The children must know where they are calling from. When you dial 911 on a cell phone, our enhanced 911 does not pick up a location. The technology is just not there." The Gazette will conduct an in depth interview with Diana and report on a tour of the 911 facility. Readers can contact her via email at shv3128@indygov.org.

Next on the agenda was IPD detective Brian Dixon. Detective Dixon discussed the recent bank and store robberies. He also mentioned a crime in which a woman left her door unlocked and a man came in and was caught in her bedroom at 7 A.M: "We have talked about giving the bad guy the opportunity to make the crime." He mentioned locking house and car doors. He also discussed answering the door when someone knocks. "If someone knocks and you don't know that person or they look strange, don't crack the door. There is no law that you have to open your door. " Detective Dixon then reiterated that ALL crimes, even small ones, need to be reported. This helps the police see trends and link crimes to the criminals. Contact information for the detective is published in the local government section (page 3) of each issue of the Gazette.

After the treasurer's report, Carolyn thanked residents for supporting the Village by attending the City-County Council meeting regarding a recent zoning case. Co-chair of the beautification committee Caryn Atkinson announced that the annual Village clean-up will be held on May 13. Sandra Baird mentioned that the Broad Ripple Merchants Group collected 452 pounds of food and over $300 for Gleaners Food Bank in their recent event on Valentine's Day.

Upcoming event announcements included the Spring Gallery Tour that is planned for May 12, the Broad Ripple Street Fest on July 22, and the August 13 5K/10K Walk Run. The Broad Ripple Farmers Market will start on Saturday, May 27; this year the market will run from 8 A.M. to noon each Saturday though October in the parking lot of Broad Ripple High School. The annual historic home tour will be September 30. The tour committee still needs volunteers for various positions, including planning and research. Potential volunteers for any BRVA events can call 251-BRVA for more information.

During the community sharing portion of the meeting, Brian Nicholson of Rock House church said he is hoping to hold a pancake breakfast. He is looking for someone to host the event. His congregation will supply the workers and the food. The Rock House is looking for ways to support the community.

After the meeting everyone enjoyed chocolate chip cookies provided by Michael Freeland. The next public meeting of the BRVA will be on Tuesday, April 18th, at 7 P.M.