August 10, 2017

EPIC Community Meeting Minutes 08-10-17



08-10-2017, 6:30 – 8:50
Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave S.
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) -280-8418

Board Roster: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Tom Harris, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Linda Vermillion.
Board Members Present: Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Linda Vermillion.
Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo, Tom Harris.
Members: Kathy Guimaraes, Carol-Hill Kennedy, George Kennedy, Maggie Thunder Hawk, Brad Pass, Andrew Sheard, Carol Thomas, Hannah Lieder, Halima Abdi, Steve Sandberg
Guests: Tom Hoch

 

6:30     Social Time/ Greetings and Introductions


6:50     Approval of Proposed August 10th Agenda, as amended: We agreed to move up any items that need a motion to earlier in the agenda, once a quorum is present. LL, LD.
Approval of July13th General Membership Draft Minutes LL, KG, Approved.
Approval of June 8th General Membership Draft Minutes, LD, GK, Approved.

 

7:00     Announcements:

o    Highway closing: Construction has begun on Hwy 35W and will go on for 2 years. Working from the Tunnel south, the Franklin Ave. and Lake St bridges as well as 26th and 28th Street bridges will be impacted. You can sign up for a weekly email update on the construction. Detours for 35W include Hwy 100 and Hwy 62, Cedar bridge, Hiawatha, and Minnehaha.

o  Next EPIC Board Meeting, Saturday, September 9th, 10:00 am-noon, EPIC’s future office at 2433 Bloomington Ave. S.

o  Next EPIC Community Meeting, Thursday, September 14th, 6:30 - 8:45, East Phillips Park

o    Phillips Clean Sweep, Saturday, October 14th starting at 9:00 AM with a free Breakfast at the Welna Hardware parking lot, then Clean the ‘Hood, followed by Free lunch and entertainment at Stewart Park
o    EPIC’s East Phillips Community 17th Ave. Garden Fall Harvest Party on Saturday, October 21st starting at 4:30 PM at the Garden. Party continues until the fire goes out.

7:10     Bylaw Revision Vote

MOTION: EPIC approves the new Bylaws for immediate use and thanks all the hard work of the Board members. MG, KG, Approved unanimously.

7:32   25th Street Barrier, EPIC Board Motion, Community Meeting Outcomes. What next?

Discussed situation with the barrier on 25th St, and two community meetings held at Open Arms, including a meeting last Tuesday. EPIC’s board passed a motion at their meeting earlier this month and presented copies to attendees at the Tuesday meeting.

There seems to have been a great deal of consensus from the community by the end of the meeting, with residents demanding that the city install a one way and Residents insist that the city provide a round-about on 17th to help with traffic. If other neighborhoods can get a round-about paid for by the city, then EPIC’s neighborhood should be able to expect help with the round-about. The city presented the criteria for permit parking per the EPIC board motion, and there seemed to be consensus to ask the city to provide speed bumps/humps on 16th Ave., both north and south of 25th St., to slow down speeding vehicles trying to take a shortcut to SuperAmerica. Some residents wanted no stopping or parking on 25th Street between Bloomington and 16th Ave because police can’t ticket for “stopping”.

The board passed the following motion on August 5, 2017 and recommends to the GMM:

MOTION: For the purpose of traffic calming, crime control, and safety for cyclists and pedestrians, the city will install a ONE-WAY traveling WEST on 25th St. between Bloomington Ave. S. and 16th Ave. S, and provide free “permit-only parking” to residents as a pre-cursor to removing the barricade at Bloomington/16th Ave. S. on 25th St. and installing a round-about at 25th St. and 17th Ave. S. to assist the bikeway system and calm traffic as well as beautify the neighborhood. Moved by Cassie Holmes, 2nd by Mary Gonsior, Passed unanimously. GMM Vote: BP, GK, Approved unanimously.

Note: discussion included possible modification, but no changes were made to the board’s motion.

Everyone should plan on attending the next meeting. It seems that the city has already made a lot of decisions before these meetings occur.

Notes: There is an overall problem with pedestrian safety. There are not enough stop signs, lights where needed, and not enough pedestrian crosswalks. There is too much traffic on all our streets, and not enough protection for pedestrians.
  
8:00     Roof Depot Site – Hiawatha Public Works Expansion, The situation.

Report on the meeting on Wed. at the Roof Depot, 6:30 pm. FILL IN DETAILS HERE.
There is a plan to increase the amount of pollution in a level #1 section, bringing it to a level #2 (out of 3, which is the worst.) This is the result of the high number of city trucks that will be using the facility.
SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO FILL IN THIS REPORT.
CS and CH reported that the meeting organizer did not respect the position and expertise of our State Rep. Karen Clark.

MOTION: EPIC authorizes the board to send a letter in SUPPORT OF THE EPNI VISION, GOALS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, AND TO express frustration at the failure of the city’s real engagement of the community, ignorance of the harm being imposed upon the community, and our opposition to the shocking, disrespectful treatment and the sexist, aggressive refusal by Bob Friddle at the GAC meeting on August 10, 2017 who refused to allow EPNI’s expert (State Representative Karen Clark) to speak ; we demand that an apology be sent to Rep. Clark, and we demand that the city require the resignation of Bob Friddle from this GAC project. CH, BP, Approved (1 opposed.)

NOT DISCUSSED:     29th Street Improvement Project progress on the “Woonerf”. 
8:50     Adjournment

August 5, 2017

EPIC Board Meeting Minutes 08 - 05


August 5th, 2017, 10:00 am -12:00
EPIC Office, 2433 Bloomington Avenue S. 
EPIC web address: eastphillips-epic.com
Office: 2536 18th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 280-8418

Board Roster: Jenny Bjorgo, Rosie Cruz, Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Tom Harris, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Linda Vermillion.
Board Members Present: Laura Dale, Mary Gonsior, Tom Harris, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Leonard, Carol Pass, Rosie Cruz
Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo, Linda Vermillion,
EPIC Members: Brad Pass, Michael Green
Guests: Shirley Heyer

10:00   Introductions:

·       Greetings and Introductions.
·       Approval of Agenda: Approved by concensus.
·       Approval of Minutes from July 8th, 2017: MG, LD, Approved.

10:25   Announcements:
  • EPIC Community Meeting, August 10th, Thursday, at East Phillips Park, 6:30 to 8:45
  • Meeting about the Barrier: Open Arms meeting, August 8th, 6:00 PM with CM Alondra Cano & neighbors
  • Phillips Clean Sweep, Saturday, October 14th starting at 9:00 AM with a free Breakfast at the Welna Hardware parking lot, then Clean the ‘Hood, followed by Free lunch and entertainment at Stewart Park.
  • EPIC’s East Phillips Community 17th Ave. Garden Fall Harvest Party on Saturday, October 21st starting at 4:30 PM at the Garden. Party continues until the fire goes out.

10:20   Barrier on 25th St. (Addition to agenda)

Discussed whether EPIC Board should pass a motion with a position on what to do about the barrier.c

Proposed MOTION: For the purpose of traffic, crime control, and safety for cyclists and pedestrians, the city will install a round-a bout at 25th St. and 17th Ave. S, as a pre-cursor to removing the barricade at Bloomington/16th Ave. S. on 25th St. LL, LD, 1 for, 4 opposed, 1 abstain.

Unfriendly amendment: remove barricades before the round-about is built (CP).
Alternate motion: remove barricades and make the streets one-way as a pre-cursor to the roundabout.
Alternate motion: permit parking only

MOTION: For the purpose of traffic, crime control, and safety for cyclists and pedestrians, the city will install a ONE-WAY traveling WEST on 25th St. between Bloomington Ave. S. and 16th Ave. S, and provide free “permit parking” to residents as a pre-cursor to removing the barricade at Bloomington/16th Ave. S. on 25th St. and installing a round-a bout at 25th St. and 17th Ave. S. CH, MG, Passed unanimously.

10:44   Grievance submitted by Michael Green

10:45     Discussion of the EPIC Storage Space: Thoughts??

The space looks wonderful!! The maps and charts of EPIC’s history are great, and the facility has been updated well.

MOTION: EPIC will put in a Security System up to $999 per year. LL, LD, Approved.
MOTION: EPIC will research the best deal and put in high speed internet, up to $999 per year. MG, LD, Approved.

11:05    Housing Policy Change-

Greater Metro Housing Corporation ended their home loan program so EPIC needs to find a replacement to manage our home improvement loan program.

11:10    Roof Depot/Public Works Site - Progress so far

There have been three meetings of the group who is forming East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, minutes from July 27, 2017 are available.

·       Tentative Structure of East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI)
o   Initial organizations are outlined in the proposal and some are mentioned in the grant from the legislature.
o   A Collaborative of organizations
§  Representative of neighborhood groups historically active in the project.
§  Representative of ethnic groups in East Phillips
§  Organizations with needed expertise
o   EPNI will determine if, when and how they might expand the Collaborative.
·       Financial Distribution
o   Will the state provide advance funds?
o   What requirements will EPIC have to distribute payments?
·       EPIC’s Responsibilities with Fiscal Agency??
o   Oversee financial reporting
o   Hire accountant
o   Oversee a proposal process?
·       Concerns?
o   EPIC should establish written policies/procedures for serving as a fiscal agent
o   Contact NACDI for advice, possible guidelines, documents that they use
o   Will additional nonprofits be added to EPNI?
o   Will EPNI develop “operating documents”?

11:20    Staffing for EPIC and Grant –Not discussed

12:00   Adjourn