May 8th, 2014, 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
“The world needs dreamers and the world
needs doers,
but most of all the world needs
dreamers who do.”
Board Members
Present: Carol Pass, Jean Howard ,
Earl Simms, Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard , Ali Micalin, Cesar Prado, Jennie Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz
EPIC Members: Laura Dale, Lee Samuels, Brad Pass, Andrew Fahlstrom, Alondra Cano
Guests: Don Greeley, Sgt. Mike Fry, Carrie and Richard Aspinwall
Guests: Don Greeley, Sgt. Mike Fry, Carrie and Richard Aspinwall
6:35 Introductions:
· Greetings and Introductions
· Approval of Agenda without dissent at 6:40
· Approval of April 10th, 2014 minutes Brad and Laura Moved and seconded and
passed 6:45
· Carol distributed annual meeting minutes; Jean and Andrew
moved to approve; motion passed.
· Members moved to amend the agenda to give Councilmember Cano
time to interact with the community.
The business on Lake Street: La Que Bueno; The city was
facing an expensive and on-going legal battle to close the business; they are
forced to have cameras; a security guard if more than 24 people are there;
intoxicated individuals not allowed; parking lot must be closed by 10 pm; City
hopes to restrict negative activity and set some bench marks; no more live
entertainment; until Sept the food license is limited for serving times;
Inspectors will visit regularly and fees assessed for
violations.
One year to reapply for live entertainment.
They close at 2 am.
In September they may be allowed to serve food late again.
Mary asked for Alondra to find out about locking the parking
lot and why it can’t be done..
Council member Cano will keep us informed and the community
and third precinct will reassess the situation together.
Don Greeley explained that the gate can’t be locked because
of apartments and truck access.
Brad asked if the requirements are set in stone because of
the camera discussion to follow in our agenda. The agreement is already signed
and the business will have a camera only in the back.
Councilmember Cano asked if we want to try to amend so the
front is covered as well because there are other problems on the block. Perhaps
they would be willing to host the camera. Lee asked where it might be mounted.
Shirley mentioned that if people don’t park in the back, where will they park
after ten pm? Perhaps they will be towed if they park at Salvation Army.
CPS Karen Knox who works with Don will be able to answer
some of our questions.
Mary asked about towing. Srgt Mike explained that it
requires property owners to post and enforce towing. He explained that some
street parking might be limited if the neighborhood makes a plan.
Don explained that the agreement means that employees can
park in the lot even after ten pm.
The Councilmember said that she scheduled a meeting with the
owners and they didn’t come.
Carol expressed an interest in having the business come to
our member meeting.
Sherman and Associates
EPIC’s project on Bloomington Avenue that started as
live/work units with three stories. We tried to sell them just as we entered
the housing collapse. The first buyers were convicted of crime and lost the
contracts. Basements have been in for about 5 years.
There is a lot of Latino discussion about PPL and another
agency and the Mercado. There isn’t a market analysis; the economic development
there is not carefully planned rather than a project that is built and not
cohesively integrated into the corridor.
There are empty buildings on Lake Street. The question is how to work
with Sherman and Associates to engage the Latino Cultural corridor concept. One model is the Cultural Corridor economic development on
Native Americans and similarly the Somali community on Franklin. How to include Fairview University that
owns a lot of land is involved. There are Plaza Verde and Heart of the
Beast and many others as strategic
players and partners. Bringing
deep sustainability and a healthy culture with a bike culture and less traffic
smog, etc……
An interim plan that might be a plaza and something
functional but not long term would perhaps get rid of the eyesore.
Carol pointed out that ultimately we need a developer that
will be inventive. Can Sherman let the property go? Find a different developer?
Buy them out?
Answer: There may be interested buyers and the Red Lake
group might want to move to the Native Indian Corridor.
Council Member thinks the Latino community has considerable
energy and interest and connections but no plan yet. Our community needs . Alondra is looking for a staff person to anchor the discussions and
planning process. We will be notified about that. East Phillips will be invited
to take part in the discussions.
Neighborhoods can take initiative in the interim plan.
Shirley noted that there was a plan that this corridor was
part of in the past. She thinks those people should be stakeholders: PRG;
Powderhorn Park; East and Midtown Phillips.
There is a plan for 11th to 15th by
Midtown and Powderhorn Park which includes Spirit of Lakes which is adjacent to
this four corners.
.
Saturday the 2700 block of 17th has a party we
can come to]
Great Street Scape grant. It might work with the Bloomington
Avenue development plan.
7:25: Announcements:
· Gardening
Matters Plant Distribution: May 17th, Amer. Indian Center 9 am-noon
· EPIC SummerFest
– June 22nd, in East Phillips Park, 1:00 to 8:00 pm
· EPIC
General Membership Meeting – June 12th, 6:30 - 8:45 pm
· Midtown
neighborhood July 26 at Stewart park party as part of aquatennial
· Global
Market July 19th as
part of aquatennial
· PowWow
Mother’s Day all weekend $5 but free under 14 and over 50
7:15 Crime
& Safety: Don
Greeley. Updates on the
crime Situation.
17
robberies last week; many concentrated on Lake; Many victims are Latino. There
are robbery prevention materials Don gave out to Latino business owners and
asked some businesses and CUHC clinic
to
distribute flyers. One victim was
a woman carrying $1,400 in cash.
This week there were fewer robberies and 4 arrests.
Carol
asked about timing: 1-3 am people coming home alone from work late at night; or
late night
Don
said an email went out to 50 plus Latino organizations including churches
across the city to educate and help the Latino community.
There
were 8-10 prostitution arrests in a Lake street sting.
Register
your bike through 311!!!! There
are lots of stolen bikes. Thousands are auctioned every year because they are
not registered. 6,000
announcements went out today to the email list he has. There is no licensing
any more. Get good locks. Lock the bike correctly.
Don
had meetings at Global Market about security. They need trespassing control
over restrooms and misc. folks. They may hire a security company. There is
concern about panhandling; people sleeping in bathrooms;
Mike Fry would like to have two bikes purchased. Sargent Dave
?? would send us information. It is $1,800 for an equipped bike. He indicated that the Greater Phillips
area would have primary access to these patrols but that the bikes would also
need to go where needed. There are many certified bike officers. Two more are
needed now. An officer is assigned to a particular bike. These will be for the
response team.
MOTION: Moved by Linda and
seconded by Mary: EPIC spend $1,800 for a police bike and challenge Midtown to
do the same. Motion Passed
Jean commented that Little Earth thinks police visibility is
a big deterrent. Mike agreed that walking patrols do help. She asked about
horses and he explained more are needed downtown for crowd control.
Mike suggested we make a list of community home cameras and
video recordings so we can coordinate data in the event of a particular crime.
Brad asked about source of funding. Carol pointed out a budget that still has
three thousand dollars appropriated and funds are available.
Andrew thinks we have to have more discussion about priority
plans and these funds.
Carrie said we have 70,000 in program money that can be moved
around with plan modifications. We have over $300,000 available too.
Andrew wanted to see the document that verifies the data from
recent priority plan input from the last member meeting and the annual meeting.
Carol says she has compiled the data but not published it.
8:03 Elements
of a Public Safety/Crime focused Priority Plan –
The discussion began in an ambiguous
manner and progressed as we tried to figure out how to manage all of these
topics .
Mary asked for patience with the Board
because of its recent formation.
Margaret mentioned all the block clubs and ways to network
with them about collecting information that would be relevant to many of these
challenges.
Andrew suggested forming a committee to
help work with each of these topics as a way to manage division of labor.
Carol suggested a crime task force.
Shirley spoke about a task force being
important to attack problems right away.
Carrie has a list of financials to the
treasurer. She reinforced the idea
of a facilitated discussion about the whole set of strategies for crime
control. She is willing to help with those discussions because of her
coordination of the Weed and Seed program.
*** Carrie
submitted the financials to the treasurer.
+++ Don Greeley
offered to assist with a number of the topics and facilitating a task force.
Linda suggested that the Board is responsible
for the assignment of a task force and that the board should follow a template
to issue to the people who want to work on the task force.
Brad suggested we send
around the sign up sheet to see who wants to work on the task force.
Comments were made about
members of the community and residents being recruited to work on various projects.
Walking and Driving
Patrols.
List Problem Properties (vacant and used for negative purposes).
Buying Bikes for 3rd Precinct Police.
Burned-out Street light reporting, new street lights in places.
Cameras: Placement, Type and Cost.
Research discounted cameral for home-owner installation(Funds?)
Collecting ‘Hot Spot’ locations for Police and our surveillance.
Creating Telephone Trees for 911 collaborations.
Lobbying City Hall Somali, Hmong, Spanish-speaking Dispatchers.
Have police train us for how to make effective 911 Calls.
The EPIC Board meet with Powderhorn Leadership re Lake Street issues.
Linda suggested that the Board create a template for the
task force on crime. By consensus we agreed that the board should create this
document and then call upon the people who volunteer tonight to serve.
Brad asked if we could have a block club list and Don
explained that it is illegal to distribute
8:25 Review
funding, NRP and CPP, for this project. This was incorporated into the previous
discussion and the submission of the documents to the treasurer
8:27
Update on EPIC and other
ongoing projects:
Greenway Heights Apartments, Bloomington Ave building,
2830 Cedar, The day care center
just got their loan Alondra said, but we’ve heard that before. EPIC needs
tangible information that this is going to happen. In four years we have seen
no progress on this project.
Linda asked if the membership
wanted us to send a letter to the owner. The consensus was “yes” with a request
to board it; for a timeline; for a report about progress in the last year.
Triangle Building by Lake
Street Station, Mary asked about the walking tour of the intersection by Lake
Street and Linda was asked as secretary to see if we could get a report about
the outcome of the walk.
the swimming pool: Carrie
hasn’t heard anything about Native American Tribal funding for the pool
project; Alondra talked about hearing that there would be a million dollar
gift.
Carrie wants her tribe to
consider purchasing property on Bloomington and in investing in the pool.
Carrie is with Leech Lake.
Carol expressed concern that
local kids won’t get to learn to swim or use the pool because the large paying
constituents may take up the time.
Ryan Companies is building a
lot of development in East Minneapolis. Kraus Anderson is going to build the
parking lot and new amenities. Carol is thinking the pool could be an amenity
to that location and that the contractors
could make philanthropic donations to the project.
Shirley said she’s approached
Ryan several times in the past 4 years and they won’t ,so it would take a
multi-collaborative approach to the “ask”.
8:40 Adjourned
