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2024 -25 GRANT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION BOARD
2024 -25 GRANT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION BOARD
Officers & Chairs
Sam Skillern, Chair — Cottage Street
Kat Keys - Vice Chair — Market Street
Jeanne Boatwright, Secretary — D Street
Jean Palmateer, Treasurer — Summer Street
Aaron Terpening, Land Use — Church Street
Susan Napack, Communications/Outreach— Summer Street
Lola Hackett, CERT — Summer Street
General Board
Lindy Beaver — Market Street
Mark DeCoursey - Shipping Street
Tim France — Gaines Street
Christopher Hackett — Summer Street
Tina Hansen — Broadway Street
Teresa Joslin — Capitol Street
SAM SKILLERN, Chair
How long have you lived in Grant and why did you move here?
23 years. Jennifer and I were volunteering (still are!) at Grant School and the principal, Grant Foster (and a Grant neighbor!) introduced us to Fran McComb who was selling her house on Cottage Street. We moved in the Fall of 1998 and it was great for Samuel and Andrew to attend Grant, Parrish and North!
What does a typical Tuesday look like to you?
Morning board meeting at IKE Box, Staff meeting at Salem Leadership Foundation (Broadway Commons), afternoon Board meeting at Willamette Heritage Center, great evening in Grant Neighborhood!
What hidden gem do you want to keep secret about the Grant neighborhood but you also can't help telling others about?
The Larmer Property behind JK Carpets. The Larmer family once had the largest Wysteria garden in Oregon and there's a cool little neighborhood tucked back in there. McMennamins (owners of Boon's Treasury across the street) could have a hey-day with that historic property.
What have you learned from volunteering on the GNA board?
We have a great system for public participation in municipal and neighborhood matters, but we have to remain diligent to keep "the molasses and weight of the system" from either a) blocking our good ideas or b) imposing changes on us we don't want. North Salem has to work harder to get attention and action and that's not just.
If you could transform Grant tomorrow, what would it look like?
A culturally-diverse neighborhood with a beautiful mix of restored historic homes, restaurants, shops, single- and multi-family housing, churches, nonprofits and schools ... but not 'over-gentrified' to the point that our older neighbors and renting neighbors cannot live here.
LOLA HACKETT (Cert Admin)
CHRISTOPHER HACKETT
Board Members
LOLA HACKETT (Cert Admin)
CHRISTOPHER HACKETT
Board Members
How long have you lived in Grant and why did you move here?
LOLA: I have lived in Grant since 2006. We moved here because we found just the house we wanted, after searching quite a bit of Oregon.
CHRISTOPHER: I have lived in Grant since late in 2004. We moved here to enjoy a Craftsman style house in an area where we could easily walk to places all over town.
What does a typical Tuesday look like to you?
LOLA: Tuesdays are full, between a trip to the gym, weeding, meetings and working on projects for the Willamette Heritage Center.
CHRISTOPHER: Tuesdays may typically involve yard projects, and searching for and organizing supplies for the next home project or Willamette Heritage Center restoration/repair project.
What hidden gem do you want to keep secret about the Grant neighborhood but you also can't help telling others about?
LOLA: Two of the hidden gems in the Grant Neighborhood are the number of friendly people, and the ability to easily walk to businesses, stores, parks and more.
CHRISTOPHER: All the services that the Salem Alliance Church provides make up the hidden gem of Grant Neighborhood.
What do you hope to learn from volunteering on the GNA board?
LOLA: Volunteering on the GNA Board has allowed me to get to know more Grant neighbors than I might have otherwise. Our Grant neighbors are committed to maintaining Grant as a happy, healthy and safe place to live.
CHRISTOPHER: By serving on the GNA Board, I have learned that a neighborhood group can influence the City's decisions. As well as meeting many people, I have learned about the City departments and their functions.
If you could transform Grant tomorrow, what would it look like?
LOLA: If I could transform Grant tomorrow, many of the houses, especially ours, would receive a fresh coat of paint and the landscaping would be spiffed up. In other words, I am not trying to change Grant Neighborhood into anything other than the great place it is.
CHRISTOPHER: If I could transform Grant Neighborhood, the riverfront would include a walkway along the river, with a hotel, retail businesses and restaurants, maybe a par 3 golf course; no housing. There would be plenty of parking for the hotel and retail businesses.
KAT KEYS Vice Chair
How long have you lived in Grant and why did you move here?
My grandmother's house was the first home I knew (born in Salem). It was the one home we returned to multiple times during my father's military career. So you might say I've been in/around the Grant Neighborhood my entire life. I live here because it feels like home.
What does a typical Tuesday look like to you?
A typical Tuesday begins with a morning 5k at Minto Brown Island Park with my husband and dog. In the afternoon I walk to the Pushes and Pulls Pilates studio on Broadway for a workout session.
What hidden gem do you want to keep secret about the Grant neighborhood but you also can't help telling others about?
My hidden gem of the neighborhood is it's walkability. I love being able to walk downtown, to the Saturday Market, or Riverfront Park.
What do you hope to learned from volunteering on the GNA board?
I hope that being on the board will give me some insight into city government and an understanding of the processes involved in accomplishing change.
If you could transform Grant tomorrow, what would it look like?
If I could transform the neighborhood, it would involve helping our neglected northeast corner with lawn maintenance and home repair. Invisioning well kept houses with tidy lawns.
SUSAN NAPACK
Outreach/
Communication
SOO-san NAY-pack
she/her/hers
SUSAN NAPACK
Outreach/
Communication
SOO-san NAY-pack
she/her/hers
How long have you lived in Grant and why did you move here?
My husband Michael and I moved to Oregon from New Jersey at the tail end of 2016. We moved into our historic brick tudor home in Grant in January 2017. We made the trek across country to be closer to family and because we were in love with the landscape. Salem was a surprise. It reminded me of places I had lived out east but with a northwest vibe. The great homes and Arts community drew me in.
What does a typical Tuesday look like to you?
Now that I make my own hours for work and play, Tuesdays can be a mixed bag. I could be leisurely cooking, working in my studio at The Willamette Heritage Center, doing freelance and volunteer graphics projects, prepping for an upcoming Public Arts Commission or Neighborhood Association meeting — like preparing the newsletter and editing this website. There never seem to be enough hours in any day.
What hidden gem do you want to keep secret about the Grant neighborhood but you also can't help telling others about?
I love just walking around the neighborhood looking at all of the different houses, yards and gardens. There are so many ways that people create a unique home for themselves.
What have you learned from volunteering on the GNA board?
I have learned a lot about the history of Grant and of Salem, and how the neighborhood has changed and grown over the years. I have learned SO much from the other board members who are varied and interesting and just great people who care deeply about our neighborhood.
If you could transform Grant tomorrow, what would it look like?
I would like to see a community hub, where neighbors can casually congregate and share stories and ideas — like a town square. It is a challenge to reach more of our neighbors and I wish there was a better way to do that.
AND -- more community art! Street paintings, murals and painted utility boxes that reflect the diverse and colorful personality of Grant Neighborhood.
BOARD MEMBER GUIDE 2021 Final.pdfPage updated
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