August
2, 2014, Saturday, 10:00 am
East
Phillips Park Cultural and Community Center
EPIC web address: www.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 Roster: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Mary
Gonsior, Jean Howard, Linda Leonard, Ali Micalin, Carol Pass, Cesar
Prado, Earl Simms
Present board
members: Mary Gonsior, Carol Pass, Jenny Bjorgo,
Ali Micalin, Rosie Cruz,
Absent board members:
Jean Howard, Linda Leonard, Cesar
Prado, Earl Simms
EPIC Members: Brad Pass, Alfonso Cruz, Maggie Ewing, Kyla Sisson
Guests: Carrie Day Aspinwall
10:15 MOTION: Meet as a Committee
of the Whole. Approved.
10:16 Introduction:
· Greetings and Introduction
· Approval of Agenda (CP, MG) Approved with removal of
proposed motion under crime priority plan.
· Approval of the July 5th Board Minutes (JB, CP) Approved
with corrections
10:38 Announcements
·
National Night Out
10:39 National
Night Out
MOTION: EPIC board approves the funding of $125 per Block Club for
NNO block parties, maximum Total of $1,500. (JB, CP) Approved.
10:46 EPIC’s 2013 tax return
EPIC’s 2013 Form 990
was distributed for review. The long form was used. CP pointed out the
Functional Expenditures and that they were not on the Attorney General’s report
because they are on the 990 form.
MOTION: EPIC authorizes the executive committee to sign and submit
the 2013 IRS Form 990. (MG, JB) Approved.
10:45 EPIC’s CPP submission
CP distributed EPIC’S
CPP Submission document approved at last Board meeting, just needed some
corrections. This document represents what EPIC is doing, and will continue to
do to connect and engage constituents in East Phillips. This plan contains new
activities, and additional new activities may be developed in addition to the
documented activities. It is submitted to NCR for funding EPIC community
engagement and NPP activities.
MOTION: Meet as a quorum. (MG, CP) Approved.
MOTION: EPIC approves the
actions of the committee of the whole (CP, RC) Approved.
11:18 Moving
ahead – Carrie Aspinwall discussed current available funding.
CDA distributed copies
of CPP submission guidelines. EPIC has submitted our plan to CDA, who reviews
the submission and makes notes. CDA thinks we have a good written plan.
Suggestions that could make the plan stronger. Since it is approved, can there
be some tweaking. Example, CDA thinks number of volunteers that do door
knocking, and number of blocks reached could be included in the plan. CDA will
provide written comments for EPIC.
CDA distributed a
flyer “funding allocations available for contracting EPIC, updated 8/1/14. EPIC
needs to re-write the budget figures to follow the format required by CPP. The
budget should include only funds for 2014-2016. CDA provided a spreadsheet
showing $64,961, $64,960, and $64, 960 for 2014, 2015, and 2016 respectively.
This doesn’t mean that the rollover funds are gone, but that they are processed
separately.
CP expressed that our
budget was prepared according to the information we received from Robert
Thompson. CP also noted that EPIC lost a key opportunity to help seek funding for
the Pool because EPIC lost the opportunity to join the press release of the
Mdewakanton Sioux’s offer to provide $250,000 matching dollars, due to the
“spending freeze.” It was hoped that this would provide a persuasive boost to
other neighborhoods and others to join to help get the match. This opportunity
is now lost.
BP requests to speak. States
he is confused because EPIC’s accessible funds are frozen. We have received 3-4
different explanations from 3-4 different people.
CDA responded that EPIC can continue to work on contracts that are still open; as long as they are active EPIC can still work on them, so they are not ‘frozen.’.
CP said CDA was
mistaken. CP pointed out that EPIC’s only open contract has expired and we were
advised by Bob Cooper, before all this occurred, not to renew it…that it was
time to roll the remainder over to 2012-13. WE did as advised, so those are not
open contracts. There is no open contract to work on. We have no accessible
money or any idea what NCR’s plans are regarding EPIC’s future, so what CDA is
telling us makes no sense.
CDA reported that NCR
has deemed that all communication should go through CDA to alleviate some of
the confusion. Several strong remarks came from the board indicating that most
of the board does not think that would eliminate the confusion.
CP said that Bob
Cooper has frequently corrected some of what CDA has told us, and that CP would continue to seek his
counsel.
BP asked, “When will
we know if we still have $50,000 that we could contract to the pool?” CDA
reported that she will check on this on Monday. CP reported that these funds were
originally contracted to the Park Board, but that they appear to remain unspent.
CDA states: Three
steps to remove “freeze”:
·
Code of Conduct
·
CDA to explain funding
to EPIC
·
Complete the Audit
o Organizational Analysis (audit); Lissa
Jones (consultant)
§ Will make recommendations
o Financial Audit; panel of CPA’s that do a
variety of types of reviews
§ CDA recommending “agreed upon procedure”
·
Anticipate wrapping up
all by September 15th.
Three questions:
1. Did the park board
use the $50,000? Or is this the money that is sitting there (NRP Phase I)
2. What monies or
contract amendments are available now from 2011? (CPP) Available or not?
3. How do we deal with
the 2012-2013 allocation? This was going to be our housing dollars.
a.
2014-2016 has to be “contracted” before the 2012-2013 allocation can be spent.
12:00 In-Fill housing plans
CP distributed
correspondence with PRG from 2013 and 2014 documenting EPIC’s hope for funding
new construction in vacant lots in East Phillips.
12:06 Adjourn
