February 8, 2010

General Membership Meeting Minutes 02-08


2/8/2010 Minutes

EPIC Board Present: Carol Pass (CP), Rosie Cruz (RC), Mary Gonsior (MG), Linda Leonard (LL),
EPIC Members Present: Brad Pass (BP), Andrew Fahlstrom (AF), Cody Oestrreich (CO),
Hannah Lieder (HL).
Guests:

6:30      Social Time & Introductions:

6:45      Meeting Called to Order as a Committee of the Whole:
            (A quorum was not present)        
            Approve Agenda:
            mg, bp move to approve the agenda, no objections

            Approve December Minutes:
            mg, bp move to approve the minutes, no objections

Announcements
·      Xcel High Voltage Transmission Lines, PUBLIC HEARING, FEBRUARY 10TH, Wednesday, 6:00 pm Plaza Verde (corner of Lake  and Bloomington) We need everyone to come.
·      EPIC Annual Meeting, Saturday, April 17th   NRP Final Review
·      NPI Grant - $10,000 for Soccer/Homework Help
·      Rezoning issue success. Cancelled all the R3 zoning and left zoning as it is today.  
·      Blueprint for Action: Youth Violence, Wednesday, February 10 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the Baha’i Center in South Minneapolis (3644 Chicago Avenue South). Note: Carol and Hanah will attend. 
Xcel Energy
  • EPIC along with other neighborhoods has become an intervener.
  • The public hearing on 2/10/2010 at 6 pm - talking points have been distributed.
  • EPIC and other neighborhoods are seeking legislation from the state to enforce a population threshold on approval for these powerline decisions, rather than a simple acreage threshold.
  • The least problematic site is G4, between 31-32nd St and just west of 55. The site is NOT too small and all the neighborhoods are in agreement about site.
  • EPIC's Board is trying to find $500-$1,000 in the budget for the Midway Greenway Coalition to help offset their costs in researching this issue and informing neighborhoods.

Motion:   EPIC supports siting the east Substation at the G4 site as the least problematic site. In addition, EPIC requires the smallest possible footprint for the substation. EPIC continues to demand underground lines. EPIC would resist siting the Substation at the G5 site, just across 55 from Little Earth's residential complex at Ogema Place and would resist lines or underground down 26th St. given proximity to the adjacent new residential housing expansion of Little Earth on 26th St.(BP, HL) MOTION PASSED.

Motion:   EPIC will seek a negotiated settlement through our authorized negotiators (EPIC's intervening witnesses, Carol Pass and Karen Clark), making every effort to reach an agreement regarding substation location, routing and underground/above-ground issues and other related matters, unless negotiations do not lead to a solution acceptable to the EPIC Membership.
(BP, AF Andrew Fahlstrom) MOTION PASSED.

Southern Bike Connection through Neighborhood
·      Planner Shaun Murphy will be here at next EPIC Meeting, his contact info: 612-333-2450, email at: shaun.murphy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
·      Think about best routes. Some issues: people have wanted to connect  the Parks Powderhorn, Stewart, Phillips Community Center for Nonprofit Management Nonprofit.
·      Potential walking, biking bridge across 55 at northeast corner of East Phillips Park across to tLRT Station.
·      16th closure for VIP Project? 18th or 17th or 16th Aves…none at all? Consider these possibilities for a month and we will try to come up with motions net month.

East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center plus Phillips Community Park Initiative: Update
Brad gave an overview of the history of the project, and an update on construction, which has been started. Excavation was started in the fall of 2009; since the site was previously residential, some pollution issues were expected, but very few problems were found. Construction will now continue in the spring. A partnership of organizations has been formed and planning is ongoing to provide programming at the new center.

East Midtown Phillips Youth Soccer/Homework Help Program
Discussed extensively during announcements.

NRP Review and Planning Process
EPIC has established a calendar for advertising meetings, and presenting the Phase 1 Review, and Phase 2 Plan to the community between March and June of 2010.

8:45   Adjournment



February 6, 2010

BOard Meeting Minutes 02-06


February 6, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30  a.m.,
Welna Hardware Board Room


9:30      Introduction:
·         Approval of Agenda
·         Minutes from December

9:40    Announcements
·      EPIC General Membership Meeting, Monday, Feb. 8th,  6:30, NRP Review
·         Xcel High Voltage Transmission Lines, PUBLIC HEARING, FEBRUARY 10TH, Wednesday, 6:00 pm Plaza Verde (corner of Lake  and Bloomington) We need everyone to come.
·      EPIC Annual Meeting, Saturday, April 17th   NRP Review
·      NPI Grant - $10,000 for Soccer/Homework Help
·      Rezoning issue success. Cancelled all the R3 zoning and left zoning as it is today.  
·      Blueprint for Action: Youth Violence, Wednesday, February 10 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the Baha’i Center in South Minneapolis (3644 Chicago Avenue South).  Please let me know your designees’ availability

9:50    East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center plus Phillips Community Park Initiative: Update
·      Building progress
·      Soccer field
·      Partnership Progress
·      Grants??
·      Note on Phillips Pool & Gym

10:00   East/Midtown Phillips Youth Soccer/Homework Help Program:
·      CURA/NPI Grant - Budget
·      Contact with Bethel for interning tutors
·      Anderson School
·      Problems

Xcel Energy's HIgh Voltage Transmission LIne Routes & Substations
Distributed talking points for the upcoming public hearing on Wed. Feb. 10th. Distributed copies of "Intervener" application by Carol Pass on behalf of EPIC. Discussed the possibility of providing some funds to Greenway Coalition. Since Tim Springer has spent a considerable amount of time working ont he Xcel issue, and has provided the fruit of his work to neighborhood organizations, Tim has requested that the neighborhoods provide some funding to the Greenway org. Greenway org has provided $20,000 payment to an attorney to represent the Greenway in the Xcel issue, and EPIC is not able to provide direct funding to this attorney due to conflict of interest issues. Discussion of Property Value Loss to businesses and Home Owners. Discussion of EMF and health issues.

Action: CP will research whether it is possible for EPIC to use any funds in hand to make a contribution to Greenway org to help offset these expenses, probably in the range of $500-1,000.

Action:    Motion: Add to previous motions: EPIC is not prepared as a neighborhood organization to jeopardize the positive impact of our immense past work and enormous investment nor are we willing to risk the future completion of these and other new projects to accommodate overhead high voltage transmission lines through any route in any part of our neighborhood.


Bike path through neighborhood.
Report same as agenda - no discussion.

NRP Review and Phase 2 planning
Distributed copies of neighborhood NRP Phase 1 review documents which ranged from elaborate full-color reports, to a 3 page document that was successfully submitted. Set up a "calendar" for completing EPIC's Carol spoke with Bob Miller about running Phase One Review and Phase Two planning close together. This avoids re-educating the neighborhood a second time and is more efficient.
Phase 1 review, and submitting a proposal for Phase 2 to the neighborhood for consideration, comments and final approval (see calendar below.)
Consensus Decisions Re: NRP progress
Action: EPIC will schedule announcements in the Alley to publicize this calendar and process, in accordance with NRP notification requirements.
Action: CP will prepare participation agreement and Begin Phase One Review Study
Action: CP will call PRG and find out what is happening with the Greenway site.

CALENDAR

February
    * CP to research and present a Participation Agreement as required by NRP

March
    * Advertise public meetings related to NRP Phase 1 and 2
    * Advertise completion of Phase I review and provide online link to document
    * Present completed Phase 1 review at the Annual Meeting for public comment, Dot-mocracy and comments,
    * Present very general proposal for Phase 2 plan at the Annual Meeitng

April (Annual Meeting) April 17
    * Advertise public meetings related to NRP Phase 1 and 2
    * Advertise completion of Phase 1 review
    * * Provide a means of giving feedback/comments online
    * Use Dot-mocracy for Phase 1 review and comment pages at Annual Meeting
    * * Distribute feedback forms for final Phase 1 review
    * Distribute general categories and proposal for Phase 2 plan and comment pages
* Conduct elections
* Added by Mary while writing calendar.

May
    * Final vote on Phase 1 review
    * Focus groups, comment sheets
    * Present final Phase 2 plan for vote next month

June
    * Final vote on Phase 2 plan                                                                                             Mary Gonsior