September 14, 2017

EPIC Community Meeting Minutes 09-14-17


09-14-2017, 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, Carol Pass, Linda Vermillion.
Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo, Tom Harris (E), Linda Leonard (E).
Members:Brad Pass, Halima Abdi, Michael Green, Jolene Jones, Steve Sandberg, Lance LaMont, James Cross,
Guests: Shirley Heyer

6:30     Social Time/ Greetings and Introductions

6:50     Approval of Proposed Agenda: LD, LV, Approved.
Approval of August 10th General Membership Draft Minutes CH, LV, Approved.

NOTE: EPIC WILL ORDER A MICROPHONE AND SOUND SYSTEM

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 from City of Minneapolis/Transportation. Detours for 35W include Hwy 100 and Hwy 62, Cedar bridge, Hiawatha, and Minnehaha.

o  Next EPIC Board Meeting, Saturday, October 7th, 10:00 am-noon, EPIC’s future office at 2433 Bloomington Ave. S.

o  Next EPIC Community Meeting, Thursday, October 12th, 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. Planning meeting at 9 am on Wed. Sept. 20 – Maria’s on Franklin Ave.
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.

7:15    Roof Depot Site – Hiawatha Public Works Expansion, The latest on the neighborhood project, the Indoor Urban Farm
·       EPNI Collaborative State Grant
·       Last meetings- Letter to City staff
·       Final Decision on what’s needed for our site.
·       Process now

CP provided a history of EPIC’s concerns regarding the Roof Depot site, and work to reduce pollution in the neighborhood. EPIC’s history of opposition to existing pollution began long before the City revealed its plan to obtain the site for Water Works, contrary to its own adopted principles of community engagement, which require that communities that are impacted by a decision be included in the decision-making process. Handouts of letters to Spencer Cronk/Department of Public Works from EPIC and the newly formed organization, East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) were distributed, along with a 2016 proposal to the MN Dept. of Agriculture for an initiative to develop a portion of the Roof Depot site as an indoor urban farm.

Discussion, Questions and Answers

7:55   Jolene Jones Concerns
Jolene is proposing two projects for funding under EPIC’s budget in the crime and safety category.

1. Proposal to fund $14,000 for Little Earth to address crime problems on Ogema. Little Earth has a budget for $74,000 and were funded for $14,000 more. Would like to have this on the agenda for the board meeting and membership meeting in October.

2. Proposal to fund Natives Against Heroin (NAH) for $5,000 for stipends, training, and materials for patrols.

MOTION (withdrawn): MG, SS

Procedures and Bylaws require that requests for funding go first to the board who will review and help bring forth a MOTION and then to the community for a review vote and any changes necessary with the final vote taking place at the following committee meeting at least 21 days later.

7:50   25th Street Barrier, Community Meeting Outcomes. What next? Barricade removal and Roundabout

At the last community meeting there was a motion to remove the barrier. The motion passed and the barrier is to be removed in mid-September. The city will place a temporary roundabout at 25th St. and 17th Avenue, and the community will try to raise funding to install a permanent roundabout in the spring.  There was also a commitment to create a
one-way street on 25th St. going West with parking excluded from the north side of the street and parking permit only on the south side of 25th Street and 16th Ave.

8:10   Financial Report and Admin. Update

Financial reports were distributed for the period Jan. 1-Aug. 4, 2017. The board is exploring hiring an executive director. There was a discussion of various sources of assistance to EPIC in writing a job description. The new office at 2433 Bloomington Ave. was announced as well as its usefulness and enjoyable ambience.
·       Synergos – executive search firm.
·       Robert Half – executive temps.
·       Organizational consultant.

8:25     29th Street & Bloomington Avenue; Improvement Project progress on the “Woonerf”. 

Midtown Greenway Coalition received funding of $30,000 from Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation for the purpose of working on this project. The intersection has been marked out with temporary bump-outs. There is to be a celebratory party on Saturday for the improvements in that block   .  Some neighbors are unhappy as this may create a traffic hazard with school buses and heavy traffic. Also a community picnic table was installed and this is also may cause a problem, since it is not been used yet by community members, but rather by the local drug dealers. .

Call 311 to provide your comments which will be forwarded to Forrest Hardy in Public Works Department.

8:50     Adjournment

September 9, 2017

EPIC Board Meeting Minutes 09-09-17



Note for final version of September 9th  Board draft Minutes

Action of the EPIC Executive Committee:  A remark in the September draft minutes of the EPIC board meeting contained a mistaken supposition made by a board member about the Longfellow Community Council. The executive director of Longfellow Community Council asked that the remark be removed. EPIC did so and we apologize for this mistaken remark and for any further misunderstanding. The finalized September board minutes will continue to reflect this change.


September 9th, 2017, 10:00 am -12:00
East 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: Laura Dale; Carol Pass; Linda Leonard, Mary Gonsior, Rosie Cruz
Board Members Not Present: Jenny Bjorgo, Tom  Harris, Cassandra Holmes, Linda Vermillion
Excused?  Mary is going to follow up 
Members: Brad Pass;
Guests: Shirley Heyer

10:15   We agreed to meet as committee of the whole.

10:20          Introductions:

·       Greetings and Introductions.
·       Approval of Agenda:. Approved by consensus
·       Approval of Minutes from August 5th, 2017 approved by consensus

10:25   Announcements:
            Shirley announced E 29th and Bloomington has planters now as part of the upgrade of the effort to make 29th    more friendly for pedestrians. It’s a temporary installation to see how things go with the picnic table. Block residents and dealers and prostitutes are using the site. There is more lighting up the ramp on the greenway with solar LED.
The public is invited September 23 at 10-noon for a picnic. Donations are taken with an RSVP to Soren’s newsletter.
  • EPIC Community Meeting, September 14th, Thursday, at East Phillips Park, 6:30 to 8:45
  • 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   New Bylaws .
The secretary and president signed 8 original copies. They were distributed.

10:30   Funding for Clean Sweep 
The standing contribution has been $999.
MOTION: Laura moved to appropriate that sum and Linda L seconded it. Motion passed.

10:40   Evaluate Internet and Security System packages
Xfinity and Century link costs were compared.
Xfinity gives us more in terms of phone lines and alarm. A camera would only cost $10 more a month. At our board meeting last month we had already authorized $999 for the internet and another $999 for security so the 1777.44 fits the budget. We also get a camera.
This price was better than all the others

11:10   Consider staff position. Funding the position

Results of  the board discussion:   An executive director instead of coordinator would be best because a director can take initiative, write grants, raise money, manage budgets, respond to lots of meetings and correspondence, manage contracts, carry out community organizing events, etc. The Corcoran neighborhood advertised for someone as an associate director for $45, 000 and benefits to a part time person.  This was 2014.

We looked at a posting from Lyndale Neighborhood Association. We received a copy of PPL, Inc. position description of Neighborhood Coordinator. Laura spoke about the person she works with in the neighborhood organization where they bought a house. There is a lot of work she does for about $45,000 full time. Field/Regina/Northrup is the group. They pool three neighborhood’s funds to have their director.

Few neighborhood residents have seemed to have the interest and skill and education required to fulfill these major needs...It was oncluded that we ought not to confine ourselves to a director who resides in the neighborhood. We also need to look outside the neighborhood  as well as internally and perhaps consider someone who is older and experienced with nonprofits or even neighborhoods.

Carol reviewed the kind of people we have hired in the past and their different skill sets. We talked about the value of experience.  

We also had a copy of the Executive Coordinator position for EPIC in about 2004.

Mary Gonsior arrived at 11:40 and Rosie Cruz is also here so now there is a quorum.

The consensus vote was to accept the Xfinity Internet and security bids and the motion to spend $999 for Clean Sweep were ratified by the five Board members.

Mary asked if we had a timeline in mind for the job posting. There may be new law about  $47,476 or something like that for minimum salary based on recommendation from Department of Labor. Othewise they would have to pay overtime for people. A court case is pending. Minneapolis requires sick leave. We have to find out if Minneapolis requires nonprofits to provide certain benefits.

11:40   Raising funds for Roundabout.
MOTION: to raise funds to improve roadways, crime, and safety improvements including speed bumps, round abouts, special parking permits, etc.  There seemed to be agreement. Mary made the motion which Rosie seconded. Motion passed.

We have to send out an email for the garden meeting next Saturday to have a board member in the garden 
at 9 am.

12:15    Adjourn