August 9, 2012,
6:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
East Phillips Park Cultural &
Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S.
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office:
2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Attendees:
Board
Members: Linda Leonard, Earl Simms, Rosie Cruz, Steve Struthers, Carol
Pass, Mary Gonsior, Chiffon Williams, Jennie Bjorgo
Board
Members Not Present: JoseLuis Villasenor,
Members
Present: Brad Pass, Peggy Clark, Pat Fleetham, Kim Hayden, Margaret
Kirkpatrick, Alfonso Cruz, Karen Clark
Guests: Shirley Heyer, Jack Whitehurst, Gary Schiff,
6:45 Introductions:
·
Greetings
and Introductions.
·
Approval of Agenda; (LL, BP; approved.)
·
Approval of Minutes from EPIC 7/12/2012
General Membership Meeting, (BP, CP;
approved.)
6:55 Announcements:
· “Garden Day” event. EPIC will have an “open house” 11-Noon at
the garden on Aug. 11, 2012.
· Criminal
Justice Community Partners monthly meeting: Wed. August 15th, Center for
Changing Lives, 5:30 -6:30 pm. May be held at Lutheran Social Services, 2400
Park Avenue. EPIC will encourage immigrant communities to attend.
·
Clean Sweep – October 13th, Youth T-Shirt
Design Contest; Give away 400 T-Shirts; $25 prize for the best design. Contact
Brad. Start at 8-9 am with free breakfast (Welna’s and Lutheran Social
Services); lunch at noon at Stewart Park.
·
EPIC Community Garden
Harvest Party, October 20th (evening); planning is beginning
next Saturday.
·
Bicicletas event report: huge success; raffled
many bikes, lots of families attended.
·
Star Tribune reported on the LRT station at
Lake St. is the most violent in the entire line; one serious incident daily.
Invite Metro Transit to an EPIC meeting. Consider inviting MN Transitions also.
7:10 Report
on National Night Out Parties – EPIC Funding for Block Parties.
Receipts are coming in for the block club
grants for NNO. CP visited many parties and participated in voter registration,
recruiting for Running Wolf, distributed information about home foreclosures. A
wide variety of parties were held, with music, dancing, games, food, and
conversations. There were 15 parties in East Phillips, out of 30 in all of
Phillips.
7:
20 Update
on the Pool
CP has been trying to obtain a contract to
send funding from EPIC to the park board so that progress can occur on the
pool. Mpls. Swims has money coming that hinges on this progress. This process
has been going very slow. We are waiting for Bob Cooper to call us with
information on what EPIC must prepare for Park Board so the contract can
progress. We need Ventura Village to get their contract in order also.
PC reported that Mpls. Swims is in the
talking stage with various funders. The funding elements need to all be in
place in chronological order for the project to progress without losing the
state funding.
7:30 Looking
at EPIC’s Funding and future. Where
are we right now and where are we headed.
Task Force Report: Future
Priority Plans and Community Engagement.
Financial Present – Budget
and Expenses to date.
Tasks Ahead- Year One
Evaluation, Work on contracting Phase II NRP dollars, begin Community
Engagement and reassessing our
Future with Priority Plans..recognizing that we have what NRP diollars that can
be use to upgrade the neighborhood infrastructure.
PF, RC; approved.
Board Recommendation - MOTION: The task force will put
forth the following recommendation for budgeting and spending of remaining CPP1,
Equity Funds and CPP-2 funds as follows; the motion was passed with one
abstention:
1. The CPP-1 leftover funds
(about $30,000 as of June 30, 2012) should be rolled forward and budgeted/spent
in 2012-2013 in accordance with the CPP-1 budget as previously determined by
EPIC membership. The intention is to spend these funds according to CPP-1
requirements (e.g., participation, organizing, and administration). A new
contract with NCR for 2012-2013 will encompass these items.
2.
The NRP Equity Directive Allocation funds ($29,000)
should be rolled forward into EPIC’s CPP-2 Priority Participation Plan.
The intention is to spend these funds on community participation, organizing,
and administration).
3.
The funds available from CPP-2 funds ($123,000 for
2012-2013) should be temporarily allocated proportionately to EPIC’s
NRP Phase II budget as previously determined by EPIC membership. The intention
is to contract these funds according to the goals and set aside for
neighborhood priority plans, including strategies of NRP Phase II and new
priorities adopted since the Phase II plan was approved, and to adopt the
Community Engagement Process which was completed for NRP Phase II as part of the
process for EPIC’s CPP-2 Priority Participation Plan:
a. EPIC ‘s first focus should be
on contracting/spending existing Phase II NRP funds.
b. EPIC will engage in additional
community engagement to monitor the needs, priorities and opportunities before
making specific recommendations for possible projects and contracts for CPP2,
recognizing that big changes and needs occur and some will have been satisfied
by EPIC’s NRP Phase II Plan and that
a new Priority Plan is due each year. Effort will be made to revisit these
present recommendations present before EPIC’s 2013 annual meeting.
Program Income Funds:
$17,000 Return on investment-Phase I NRP 1st Time Home Buyers Loans Program
Contract termination –
LL, PF; Passed unanimously
Board Recommendation - MOTION:
Whereas these funds are already in an appropriate
Phase I strategy, EPIC will use this money (from the old CEE contract) to
provide Admin dollars for the new CEE contract so they won’t have to come out
of the rehab dollars.
8:00 Updates-Land Use, Development
and Environmental Issues
CM Gary Schiff attended and responded to
questions concerning some of the following issues:
1) Hi-Lake
Apartments _ See EPIC E-News and elevations
Given that crime is so bad at this
intersection, we really feel it is important to add balconies to this building.
Gary is in favor of this.
CM Schiff: responded regarding the Lake
Street Light Rail; he has some calls out and has learned that Dept. of Homeland
Security is doing checks at this station. He is meeting tomorrow with Brian
Lamb.
1) Alliance Project,
2600 17th Ave.
This project was opposed by the neighborhood
3 years ago, and the neighborhood won. The project is not appropriate for the
zoning, and doesn’t meet the goals of the neighborhood for this site. EPIC’s
research on the project’s funding revealed that the $750,000 claimed to be “in
hand from Met Council” is a “mistake”. KC met with Herb Frye and proposed the
Alliance work with the neighborhood, and provided contact names.
CM Schiff: reported they don’t have any
funding, and there is no land use agreement, although they still do have
exclusive use rights.
· New
Information, Met Council
· Calls
made
· Karen
Clark’s Visit
· Petition
· Letter
writing to CM Schiff
2) Bituminous Roadways, Smith Foundry. No word yet
on the air monitoring of both of these businesses, to be done randomly and
regularly over a long period of time to establish what level the problem
exists.
·
Task Force has not met yet: Steve Struthers, Annie Young, Pat Fleetham, Margaret
Kirkpatrick
·
(Not discussed)
CM Schiff: distributed a handout of all
complaints received on the property Smith Foundry related to noise and
vibration since 2010. Suggested that the next time the neighborhood goes
through zoning planning, EPIC should consider asking the city to remove this
zoning.
3) Abbott Hospital
· (Not
discussed)
Seeking a Permit change. We have heard that
they may be emitting carcinogens. Cumulative
Impact Requirement. EPIC requested a Technical Support Document, we haven’t
received this.
8:20 ) Update on Phase
II Housing Contract with CEE – when will EPIC loans go
out?? Neighborhood Marketing Proposal
