October 9, 2014

General Membership Meeting Minutes 10 - 09


October 9th, 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

Board Roster: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Mary Gonsior, Jean Howard, Linda Leonard, Ali Micalin, Carol Pass, Cesar Prado, Earl Simms
Board Members Present: Carol Pass, Mary Gonsior, Linda Leonard, Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz
Board Members Not Present: Earl Simms (Family emergency), Cesar Prado (work), Ali Micalin (event) Jean Howard
EPIC Members: Brad Pass, Laura Dale, Maggie Ewing, Kyla Sisson, Margaret Kirkpatrick, Michael Green,
Guests: Karen Notsch (MPD),

6:35            Introductions:

·      Greetings and Introductions
·      Approval of Agenda (MG, KS; approved with corrections.)
·      Approval of September 11th, 2014 minutes (MG, LD) with corrections: review and update names under attendance, based on sign-in sheet.; with addition of Louise’s comment added to 7:15 Motion… “Some members who opposed this plan stated that the plan didn’t reflect the survey results.” And change “diverse person” to “person”.

7:00             Neighborhood Update on Crime (moved up from 7:10)

East Phillips stats: What we’ve seen since 9/1, 11 robberies, 1 was aggravated (used a weapon. The things wanted the most were cell phones and cash. 5 burglaries, including 1 business, 3 at night. Larcenies – 19 (theft) including 5 motor vehicles. Narcotics – 9 reports; prostitution – 3; disorderly conduct – 53. The crime is showing up around the edges of EPIC, but no patterns appeared.

Code 4 areas include Bloomington & Lake, and Chicago & Lake. Cert Unit has done multiple things along Lake St. and surrounding blocks, and making prostitution and john arrests, car to car transactions, tagging for loitering with intent, etc.

Christine McPhereson, 911 supervisor, regarding non-English speaking crime reporting. CP followed up and made a request that the “language request” get moved up to the top of the menu.

MOTION: (MK, CP, Approved) EPIC will send a letter to 911 supervisor to make the first option on the menu, do you want to have another language, such as Spanish, Somali.)

MOTION: (MG, JB, Approved) EPIC will meet as a committee of the whole.

Probation officer reported that most of her subjects are from West Phillips.

7:15            Parking and Crime issues on 2800 blocks 16th Ave. (Moved up from 7:45)

Michael Green presented that there is a parking problem on the 2800 block of 16th Ave. A transit handicapped space was placed many years ago where a resident is no longer residing. City has said they

can’t remove the space, but the police don’t actually enforce it. There is an auto repair facility on the street that regularly parks vehicles on the street, on the bridge; construction crews are parking in the street; there are over-occupied properties; there are now no-parking signs along 29th Street; the no-parking sign on the bridge has disappeared; the Greenway Heights building presents an additional source of cars on this street. Some residents are interested in critical parking (residents receive permits to park on the street.) MGreen intends to work with neighbors to pursue this type of parking; MGreen also wants to address the missing signs problem. 

See tape for discussion, questions, etc.

MOTION: (MG, JB, Approved with 1 opposed.) EPIC will write a letter asking, if parking is illegal, and if it is unwise to park on the bridge, and the neighborhood is complaining about parking on the bridge, will the City please replace the no parking signs on the bridge?

7:00            Announcements:
·      CLEAN SWEEP! This Saturday, 9:00 am, Welna Hardware Parking Lot, 24 Bloomington       Ave. Get your FREE T-shirts, gloves, bags, Coffee, Donuts, Orange Juice and clean Phillips       with your neighbors!
·      EPIC Garden Harvest Party: Next Saturday, October 18th, 4:00 pm at the Garden, Music,       Food, Roast Marshmallows over the Fire, Meet neighbors.
·      Financial Statement distributed; please take home and there will be a presentation on finances next month.

7:20             Implementation of NPP Crime Strategy:
·      Ambassador Program Start Up: Meeting, Progress Report, Packets, Vests, Walkie- Talkies, Volunteer

LL reported that there was one meeting with 6 people present. The vests presented last month are being printed with the EPIC logo and the group that met had a presentation from Don Greeley (completed training), and CP ordered a resource book for ambassadors that can help with resident communications. If anyone wants to be part of the Ambassador program, Jenny and Will are co-chairing this group.

CP noted that the Ambassador program is not the same as a crime patrol (which some EPIC residents will participate in. Safety officer commented that crime patrols should alsways notify police when they will be out on patrol  Noted that Lt. May is probably the point person.

·      Progress on 25th Street Beautification Barrier

The 16th Ave block club are in favor of keeping the barrier and want to participate in some way; they are willing to help keep up a barrier. Doug Vander is the coordinating this for the block club.

CP went to 10th & Lake St. and took photos of a “berm” that was constructed – this is a permanent barrier and it looks really nice. It is probably no more expensive than purchasing planters. Proposed that we ask for what we REALLY want

QUORUM ACHIEVED: Rosie Cruz arrived. 8:00 PM. Motions previously passed are approved.

7:35            EPIC Home Loan Program must movefrom Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) which is closing their Lending Center in November, to Greater Metro Housing Corp (GMHC), which has offices near by for loan processing.

MOTION: (CP, MG, Approved.) EPIC will move their home loan program dollars from CEE to GMHC.

8:05            Final Vote for the Pool: (Moved above 7:45 Parking)
Needed to receive match from Mdewakanton Sioux. The other Phillips neighborhoods will also be kicking in the same amount. EPIC voted on these funds in July, but a second, confirming vote was delayed due to other urgent matters, and by NCR putting a hold on EPIC funds. We have received letter from Daavid Rubedor confirming the availabilityof this money and we have been now informed that these funds are already in an appropriate fund in our NRP Phase I moneys (Parks & Recreation.)

MOTION: (CP, MK. Approved unanimously.) EPIC will designate $50,000 from Phase I NRP dollars as a matching fund, to fund the renovation of the Pool at the Phillips Community Center. the Minneapolis Park Board for the East Phillips Pool.

7:45            Parking and Crime issues on 2900 blocks 16th Ave. Moved after 8:05 item by membership’s consensus.

·      Parking,  crime, properties.
o   2930 16th Avenue, property has multiple problems.
o   2908 16th Avenue, many prostitutes using this property as a business.
o   Problem addresses – Karen Notsch (MPD) believes that these properties are being worked on. Morning, children catching buses; need more police presence (6:30 – 9 am) 29th St.
·      Remove benches on 16th and Lake, full of prostitutes using these benches. (Lake St. Council doesn’t want these removed. The old City Inc building – will remove the benches, and cutting off the electricity. He is checking into getting more lighting on this spot.
·      Parking lot of salvation army – folks are bringing mattresses and camping out. (it wouldn’t hurt to send a letter – if they are not making changes that are needed. Ask Salvation Army to close the parking lot at night. Manager is resistance to previous requests.
·      Another parking lot – abandoned vehicles.

Suggestions
·      Contact the board for The Salvation Army.
·      Speed bumps (16th, 17th, Bloomington) – cost about $12,000; another solution might be to do Murals on the Street, slows traffic down and calms things in other neighborhoods.
·      $1 houses – rehab and increase home ownership, rental units.
·      Fill vacant lots on these blocks.
·      Citizen’s patrol.
·      Survey homeownership on these blocks and try to analyze if this is impacting long term issues.
·      Engage the people who live there – have focus groups on these blocks, invite residents to attend EPIC meetings.
o   Ambassadors could maybe door knock.

Contact EPIC if you are interested in participating in any of these suggested activities.

Willing to discuss the bigger problem of incorporating rental issues into conversation in EPIC.

8:15            Preparations for Clean Sweep- For those of you not familiar with Clean             Sweep, this is the one             event all the 4 Phillips Neighborhoods do together. We have been doing this for over 10 years.

Distributed flyers, please invite and organize your neighbors and friends to participate.

MK: after clean sweep, join patrons at the Franklin Library to celebrate 100th anniversary.

SH: after clean sweep, indigenous people’s garden is having an event.

8:30            Roof Depot Building and Land Sale:  City wants to buy for Relocation of Public Works Water             Distribution Center. What do we want in that very transit heavy site. More heavy industry?             Neighborhood Response?? Tour of current existing Site?

CP presented that the East Phillips plan for this area going back many years shows this area to be completely residential. This is a high transit area and this should be apartment buildings or other residential property near the highest transit intersections in the city. Parents have asked EPIC for help in getting rid of these industries here, as they are dispersing pollution in our neighborhood.

8:45            An Office for EPIC

We have been seeking an office for some time; we want a building that is not hard to see/find. It looks like Mark Welna is ready to restore the building across the street (not the OLD hardware store), and rent to EPIC. There will be two units eventually on the first floor. CP is working on bringing a lease agreement to EPIC’s board for approval.

8:50               Adjourned