November 6, 2010

Board Meeting Minutes 11-6


November 6, 2010, 10:00 am
Welna Hardware


Directors Present: Carol Pass, Mary Gonsior, Jenny Bjorgo, Linda Leonard, Earl Simms, Rosie Cruz
Guests: Brad Pass

10:00             Introduction
·          Approval of Agenda - Aprroved
·      Minutes from EPIC General Membership Meeting 10/11/2010 - Approved
·      Motion Meet as a committee of the whole. Motion passed. (Quorum achieved at 10:45)

10:10    Announcements
·      EPIC General Membership Meeting, November 8th
·      Tentative grand opening of the East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center - Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011

10:15    East Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center: Update, Floor Colors, Kitchen Money, Rain             Gardens, final excavation. We need to be alert for vandalism in progress
            Tentative GRAND OPENING - Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011 from Noon to 6:00 PM.

Disaster was averted by the Park Board when they realized that everything would be postponed until Spring, unless the parking lot was addressed immediately. Announcements for the grand opening will not be advertised until successful completion is assured. Plans for the grand opening are underway, however. Seeking diversity of local talent to participate in the celebration. Contact Brad to submit suggestions for the program. Still need $30,000 for commercial kitchen range, vent hood, fire suppression and makeup air systems. Final excavation for parking lot and rain garden are going on right now. Plantings will be completed in the Spring. A slightly smaller than "professional" sized soccer field and baseball field are planned, with community supporting this plan. It will take one year to establish the sod for these fields. A tennis court and outdoor half-court basketball will also be retained.

Funds for the kitchen would be available from EPIC's NRP Phase II, however, progress on the process has been stalled due to Xcel power lines and other neighborhood concerns.

10:30   Phillips Community Center: New Floor Plan, Pool Proposal

The four neighborhoods have been collaborating for over a year to save the Phillips Pool & Gym and ensure that the building remains accessible to the neighborhood for local programming. A larger group developed to figure out how to pay for the operations of the facility and programs. This resulted in a partnership, with a Memorandum of Understanding representing the potential tenants, stakeholders and resident organizations that are working together as a group to restore community use of the PCC.

The process over the past year produced a series of floor plans, and multiple groups submitted proposals to the Park Board. The Memorandum and current floor plan was presented to the Park Board on Thurs. Nov. 4, 2010 including (Francisco for PWH, Bob Albee for Wellness Consortium, Running Wolf for Native American Community Clinic; Hannah for Mpls. Swims, Carol for 4 Neighborhoods, Mahamed Cali for Somali American Community.)
Mpls. Swims (Hannah) contracted the money for the feasability study and the resulting report concluded that it would take $250,000 to get to pool in shape to fill it with water and use the pool. Additional improvements (windows, individual showers, etc.) would bring the renovation cost as high as $650,000. Concept drawings were provided by DJR Architecture, Inc.

MOTION EPIC commends Hannah, Brad and Carol for their hard work on saving the Phillips Community Center - Pool. Passed unanimously.

10:45   2600-2606 17th Ave. PROPOSAL FOR APARTMENT of 20 UNITS of  HOMELESS HOUSING by Alliance             of the Streets. Issues with Alliance

Carol wrote a response to an accusing letter from Kris complaining that EPIC is not dealing fairly with Alliance. Brad, Linda and Jenny will also write responses to Kris' accusation that no one from the neighborhood helped a family that was victimized near the AHI building. Copies of these letters will be sent to the Met Council to provide additional perspective on claims being made by AHI regarding EPIC and this project.

MOTION: EPIC disputes the asserted facts contained in Kris Brogan's email dated Oct 11, 2010; the board authorizes and endorses the board President's response to the email in total, to all appropriate parties; the board encourages the neighbors who were present to participate in clarifying their individual responses to the incident that occurred on 26th and 16/17th Avenue.

11:00   NRP & NCEC Guidelines & NRP Electors: Phillips Allocation

The new NCEC will apparently be giving us $50,000 per year (based on a formula.) We don't know when this will begin. We do know that the CDGB money we've been using will end at the end of this year. EPIC needs an elector to vote Carol onto the final NRP board that will be phased out. Two individuals MUST attend. The meeting is in two weeks.

MOTION: the board authorizes two delegates to attend this election meeting, to be appointed by Carol, and ratified by the board at our next meeting. (MG, CP) approved.

11: 05            Xcel Energy, Legal Ruling

Xcel rejected all recommendations from the Law Judge. They asked for exceptons on everything and asked the PUC to not require them to do any of this. The comment period has been extended. EPIC will begin a campaign to oppose Xcel's rejection of the recommendations.

11: 15             Reconfiguring 22nd Street: See diagram. Motion?

There doesn't seem to be a consensus of opinion regarding this change. EPIC will continue to follow planning and gather input from residents.

11: 32    Adjournment