August 13th, 2015, 6:30 p.m. – 8:50 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, Margarita Ortega, Carol Pass,
Board Members Present: Carol Pass,
Mary Gonsior, Margarita
Ortega, Jean Howard, Linda Leonard, Rosie Cruz (T),
Board Members Not
Present:
Jenny Bjorgo
EPIC Members: Brad Pass, Laura Dale, Clara Emma, Naomi Kordian, Kristin Dionne, Sarah Goodspeed, Brian Heart, Brydine Falcon, Lance Lamm, Erica Schultz, Peter Vankoughnett, Carol Hil-Kennedy, Pat Fleetham, Shauna Dillon, Reta Bluetra, Lola Lablont, George Kennedy
Guests:
Aisha Gomez, Shirley Heyer, Michelle Chavez, Carrie Aspinwall, Heidi Hafermann, Joe Beaulieu, Christine MacDonald,
6:35 Bike for Police: Matthew Severance; newly promoted, assigned to our
neighborhood, came to thank us for the bicycle. Question: Recent incidence –
massive police response. Police believed someone in the garbage truck was armed.
Did not believe it was stolen.
6:45 Greetings and Introductions; favorite meeting to go to. Theme: meeting guidelines.
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Food,
Learning (history, culture), Garden, school conference meetings, community
building team meeting, birthday parties, diabetic breakfast (info), native
American pow wows (dance), Living room, coworker meetings, underwater tea
parties, Alzheimer’s support group, moving meetings, food and out of the
office, productive and healthy, EPIC and family breakfast meetings, EPP
programming and partnership meetings, GLBT/MN 2 Spirit Society/Little
Earth/coworkers, Michegan Women’s Music Festival, Walking meeting.
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Accommodators
(10)
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Peacemakers
(2)
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Distributed
meeting guidelines
· Approval of Agenda: Approved
by consensus
· Approval of Minutes: BP,
Laura Approved
6:55 Announcements:
- EPIC Membership Meeting, Sept. 10th Wed. 6:30 pm, Board Meeting, East Phillips Park, Sat, 10:00 am, Sept 5th
- First Planning Meeting for Clean Sweep, Next Wednesday, August 19th, 8:30 am
- The POPULAR FINANCIAL LITERACY CLASS in SPANISH, Starts Next Tuesday, August 18th, 6:00 to 8:00 pm, East Phillips Park, Tuesdays and Thursdays for three weeks at East Phillips Park
- Clean Sweep, Saturday, Oct. 10th, 9:00 am at the Welna Ace Hardware Parking Lot..Free Breakfast & T-shirts
- EPIC Fall Harvest Party and Potluck at the Community Garden, Oct. 17th, Sat. 4:30 until the fire goes out.
- Read the Alley Articles – EPIC posts in every issue.
- Banyan announced they will have a ground-breaking on the 15th of September at 4 pm at 13th and 26th Street.
7:10 The Roof Depot site, the Water Yard and the
Future: Aisha Gomez, Q and A
What is happening now?
What should we be doing?
What should we be doing?
A Protest?
A lot of EPIC residents got involved to try to stop the city from
purchasing the property, but the city voted to put in an offer, however, the
owner rejected the offer and has said that the property is no longer for sale.
We have heard that the owner was upset about all the publicity and so our
efforts worked. We’re not done, we’re not exactly sure why he rejected the
offer, but this gives us time to do some visioning for what could be there, how
to raise funds to purchase, etc. Mayor Hodges announced her budget for next
year and it includes a “green zone” project, which we hope might come to East
Phillips/Hiawatha Ave. City is not looking for another site for the Water yard
(City has been discussing this since 2001), and city will try again in a couple
months.
EPIC passed a motion that seeks to get pollution out of this site, and
turn it into something that provides local jobs and housing, and prevents new
polluting industries from moving into the site. We would love to see
sustainable agriculture in that area, with local jobs, with solar powered urban
agriculture.
Three properties: Dalson Roofing, Bituminous Roadways, Smith
Foundry, Roof Depot
MO: Since he isn’t selling to the city at this time should we be forming
a relationship with the owner?
CP: We have started a protest to try to move the foundry and the roof depot
out; continuing our effort to remove the polluting industries. Goal is send our
message.
LL: Has anyone forwarded to the owner a vision that the Phillips
community has formed.
AG: This might be appropriate for Rep. Karen Clark to present.
Other notes:
LML: The waste from Smith Foundry is being leaked out onto 28th
Street.
JH: Send a separate letter with invitation to meet, and discuss future
uses.
Pat: Ask Karen to present our thanks.
PV: We need to have outside support, so a personal relationship may be
more important down the road.
CP: Karen feels so strongly about this site and the pollution issue and
will probably do something anyway. I think we should be honest about our hopes
for the properties.
MOTION: EPIC will send a thank you letter to the owner of
Roof Depot for not selling his property to the City of Minneapolis (MO, MG,
Limited debate; Approved.)
“rejected amendment” …and tell him that the neighborhood is exploring
possibilities and would like to meet with him (Amendment, BP).
7:53
Introduction of our
new Neighborhood Specialist
- Michelle Chavez- Her vision for her Role as Neighborhood Support Specialist.
- Will work with EPIC’s board
- Will work with Carrie to understand history of EPIC
- Will assist with various housing and safety projects that are currently in the pipeline; and will assist with obtaining funding for future projects also.
- Has a number of neighborhoods
- With the city for 17 years
- Health dept., planning dept., public works,
- Carrie’s position
- Michelle and Carrie will be tag-teaming
- Focus on needs related to leadership development
- Will have input providing support and guidance
7:58 Discussion of the CIF Community Innovation
Grant – Michelle Chavez
We are one of 11 groups who received a grant. EPIC has done projects with
other groups, and this is a project working with Little Earth. The grant brings
neighborhoods and one or more other nonprofits together. There are a number of
Native American youth (ages 14-19) who will be working with a teaching artist,
and will incorporate collaborate activities between Little Earth and the EPIC
community.
Joe: Currently works with youth at Little Earth, and has worked with
Heidi over the summer on this idea.
Heidi: Joe and Heidi worked together on this project for the last three
years. Heidi loves working with these kids and came up with an idea to expand
accessibility to business/programming/arts institutions that are traditionally
less open to the Native American community.
This group of students will really “run” the program, there will be a
cultural and community connection to Little Earth, and will engage
multi-generational communication. The program will include an annual program at
EPIC’s annual meeting, and an annual Community meeting. The activities will be
heavily based in the summer, and will provide stipends for the students.
CDA: The collaboration is helping EPIC achieve some of our priority plan.
MO: Joe and Heidi are eager to get started, and so how can we get funds
to them?
Michelle and Carrie: 25% is available as an advance. Michelle and Carrie
are meeting tomorrow to ensure that they understand what needs to be included
in the scope of services. The contract will actually be with EPIC, and so roles
need to be very clear, and all these details need to be established in the
agreement.
LL: Press release? Some kind of program?
8:14 EPIC needs Two New Board Members
· Two
positions are open
· EPIC Process for filling vacancies;
outlined in our bylaws (available online.)
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Distributed
and read aloud (Article VII, Section 10
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Read
aloud, (Membership Eligibility and Board of Directors )
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Applications need to be filed with the Secretary by Saturday,
August 29, 2015.
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1404 East Franklin Ave. during business hours, or
call Jean Howard at 612-499-1262[c1]
MOTION: EPIC will move the board meeting to Sept. 12, and
the GMM move to Sept. 17. (CP, JH) Approved.
8:40 Reports-
- Finance report
- National Night Out
- Board Retreat
- We did a lot of training with Ellen McVeigh (attorney)
- What our rights are and how we can stand as a neighborhood organization even without the city, and how we “bite the hand that feeds us”.
- Thanks to a grant from Little Earth, we enjoyed breakfast and lunch
- We discussed historical trauma and why Little Earth residents shy away from EPIC and why it is hard for Native American board members to be here.
- MO shared that she wants more board training
- We started considering some bylaw changes; still needs further discussion
- We are working on the City of Minneapolis’ responses to our bylaws
- We learned a lot about each other
- MO shared some information about her survey of the Little Earth community, discovering some information about generational challenges and hardships that still need to be addressed and how understanding of these issues can increase communication.
- The Popular Financial Literacy Classes are Back IN SPANISH
- Start on the 18th (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-8 pm.)
- Home Rehab and Home Buyer Loans
- New loans are available
MOTION: JH, MO Table the following items
to the next meeting.
- EPIC Home Construction Project
- Report on Grievances
- Ground Breaking for the Banyan, Sept. 15, 26th St. & 13th Ave. 4:00 pm
8:50 Adjournment (MG, JH) Adjourned
[c1]These
must be posted to the website and emailed out to the community. City will also
post on their website.
